I think it is safe to say that I’ve traveled both the rough routes and in luxury, through rich westernized counties and through rural villages. In doing so, I’ve been able to witness all types of tourist and all types of tourism traps. While I’ll always encourage all kinds of travel, I must also advocate…
Tag: backpacking
Life Lessons in Budapest, Hungary
Nearing the end of our short backpacking trip, we were absolutely exhausted from constantly hopping one country to the next every other day. While I only heard amazing things about Budapest, I was a little apprehensive. The train ticket from Krakow, Poland to Budapest, Hungary was the most expensive and I was terribly afraid it…
Where To Go in Berlin and Tips on Getting Around
As I’ve stated in my other bog post about Berlin (this one), I absolutely love the city. There’s so much life in it, you can’t help but get absorbed and feel enriched. And while getting around Berlin is quite easy (though, of course, I struggled a bit when I first arrived), knowing where to go…
My Favorite and Most Used Travel Apps
Thank God we live in the 21th century, where the entire world is practically smushed into the size of my iPhone 6. Honestly, I have to give some recognition to the travelers who relied on understanding broken English, paper maps, and pure luck to navigate through foreign countries. Of course, it’s always a good idea…
3:41 Minutes, 9 Countries, Countless Memories
Squeezing 23 days into just under 4 minutes is impossible, but by God I tried. All videos (except 1) were taken on a Gopro Hero 3+(?).
The Art of Packing A Little for a Big Trip
I recently wrote a post about my packing list that mainly focused on what clothes to bring to Europe, but not actually how to pack it. Organizing a backpack is much harder than it looks (for me at least). I’ve tried putting all of my things in zip-lock bags and in no bags. But, recently…
Europe in the Summer: A Packing List to Fashionable Travel
*This post has been revised because I made some grave errors in my packing list and learned the hard way when in Europe. Revisions in italics.* By now I’ve already written a couple of blogs about packing (and subsequently where I typically fail), but honestly, I’ve got to say that I think I did a…
Struggle Backpacking to Sykes Hot Springs – Big Sur, CA
About a summer ago I landed an internship in Menlo Park, CA doing research (a.k.a. being that undergrad in a lab full of Ph.D’s). It was my first summer away by myself and I was ready to leave Texas behind and unleash my inner Silicon Valley Girl. But, what I ended up doing was finding my…
Broke Backpacking: Planning a Spontaneous Trip Overseas
Backpacking Europe is both a fun and daunting task. Almost on a whim, my roommate and I decided that we wanted to spend our summer backpacking throughout Europe since we [1] just graduated university and [2] were about to embark on real-world, adult stuff. Within a week we had our tickets purchased and we started…
Packing for the Inca Trail During Rainy Season: How I Planned and Where I Failed
Packing for a trek is plenty stressful when you’re not entirely sure of what the weather will be. Because of school and work, the only time we could go happened to be early March, which is highly advised against by a majority of travel sites. This is because November to April is considered rainy season…
Cultural Lessons from Peru: The Importance of Responsible Travel
Cusco, Peru: the Promise Land for hippie solo travelers. First, the actual city. A quick Google search on the city told me that it is considered the capital of the Inca Empire and receives roughly 2 million tourist a year. Situated 3,400m above sea level near the Urubamba Valley of the Andes, the views are…
The Inca Struggle: Advice from the Inexperienced Trekker
I’ve always found myself in awe at the footbed of a mountain. I suppose it’s because I grew up in the Gulf Coastal Plains, so I spent a majority of my life at sea level. It wasn’t until I moved to the Bay Area, California for a summer internship that I was able to really…
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