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My Gap Decade

I moved to Bulgaria -

after trekking the Camino de Santiago, backpacking across southeastern Europe and southeast Asia, motorbiking through Vietnam, and more!

My Budget for Laos: Daily Cost of Travel

I spent 9 days in Laos, and spent $400. I have accounted for $370, and calculated costs based on the $370. The remaining $30 was not...

What to Do in Laos

With a stronger emphasis on nature than other countries in the region, Laos became a quick favorite during my quick 9 day circuit there....

Luang Prabang in One Day

Kuang Si Waterfalls For about 35k kip, most hostels offer round trip taxis to the falls as ea as 9am. Taxis will wait 3 hours, tuk tuks...

The Perfect Traveling Sandals

This post is not sponsored by Chacos. I don’t even like most of their shoes - just this pair. For $50 (there was a sale), my dream...

What to do in Hanoi

Now I am not a city girl - but I absolutely loved Hanoi. I have learned that this city is a fan-favorite among may backpackers! I stayed...

The Best Way to Buy Motorbikes in Vietnam

If you are considering motorbiking through Vietnam, there are some financial decisions you will need to make about your motorbike -...

Motorbiking Vietnam is the Asian Camino de Santiago

In May of 2018, I spent 28 days hiking the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage across northern Spain with my mother. We spent 5-6 hours per day...

Blog: The Perfect Route for Motorbiking Vietnam

In November and December of 2018, I bought a motorbike to explore all of Vietnam. By starting in Ho Chi Minh and driving north, the...

Vietnam on Motorbikes: Week 7

Day 43: Sa Pa to Ha Giang Although the drive was beautiful, the roads were so bad for such a long time that I burst into tears....

Vietnam on Motorbikes: Week 6

Day 36: Ninh Binh - Cuc Phuong National Park 37 km / 23 mi Today we stopped at a mechanic to have our bikes checked before starting into...

Vietnam on Motorbikes: Week 5

Day 29: Phong Nha Today we drove to the highly-acclaimed Duck Stop, and did no research prior as we were advised. We had no idea what to...

Vietnam on Motorbikes: Week 4

Day 22: Da Nang Today we hiked Marble Mountain, which was 10x cooler than I thought it would be. The mountain is a sprawling complex of...

How to Budget for an Extended Backpacking Trip

Preparing a budget for an extended backpacking journey is no small feat, and I have spent countless hours pouring over my travel budget...

Vietnam on Motorbikes: Week 3

Day 15: Hoi An Today we explored the Hoi An old city. It felt more like a market than an old city, but still fun to explore. The paper...

What to Do in Cambodia

Our three stops in Cambodia were Siem Reap, Koh Rong Island, and Phnom Penh, but just crossing the border to Cambodia from Thailand met...

Vietnam on Motorbikes: Week 2

Day 8: Na Trang Mak took first day of classes to become PADI scuba certified for $300 Photo Credit Mak Phipps Day 9: Na Trang Scuba...

A Tour of Romania

Bucharest After a few days in Sofia, Bulgaria to hike Rila lakes, I took a train north to Bucharest. I did not know anything about...

Vietnam on Motorbikes: Week 1

My adventure has taken a detour to Sotheast Asia! For roughly two months I will be riding a motorbike through Vietnam, from Ho Chi Minh...

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