Hainan

Hainan is China's only tropical holiday destination. From a travel perspective, I'm not particularly interested in Hainan as I've been to many much better beach destinations. However, I decided to visit Hainan to have a family reunion due to the warm weather there in winter.

Jan 18, 2024
Haikou

Iraq - Kuwait - Saudi Arabia

I never thought of visiting Iraq until two months ago when I was at a library browsing for travel books for potential next destinations and saw the Bradt Iraq book. Since Bradt is a mainstream publisher, it means Iraq is definitely doable despite that most western countries still advise against traveling to Iraq. A nearby country, Saudi Arabia, has also opened its doors to independent travel recently, and I don't want to miss that opportunity either. The tiny country between Iraq and Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, adds a bonus to the trip.

Jan 6, 2024
Baghdad

Kentucky

Two years ago, the federal government of Canada designated National Day for Truth and Reconciliation as a public holiday. This is not a holiday in the US. So I decided to visit a doctor in Louisville and take the opportunity to have a quick tour of Kentucky.

Oct 1, 2023
Mammoth Cave National Park - Daniel Boone National Forest

Australia - Timor-Leste - Indonesia

When I lived in Thailand years ago, I traveled to all Southeast Asian countries except Timor-Leste (East Timor). This has always been a regret for me. As world travel is opening up, I decided to visit Timor-Leste to complete my Southeast Asia experience. As options of getting into and out of Timor-Leste are limited, I decided to have an Indo-Pacific journey from Australia to Indonesia through Timor-Leste for my first real long-haul holiday after the pandemic.

Dec 25, 2022
Sydney

North Okanagan - Shuswap

2022 is the dominant year of the world famous Adams River salmon run. I decided to check it out and have a tour from Kelowna to Kamloops, stopping at a few interesting places en route.

Oct 8, 2022
Kelowna - Vernon

Port Alberni - Bamfield

This year's Canada Day happens to be a Friday, a rare opportunity to use the long weekend to have a car-free trip to experience the scenic Port Alberni to Bamfield boat as it typically runs on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday only.

Jul 1, 2022
Port Alberni

Georgian Bay

Georgian Bay is a beautiful area north of Toronto, ideal for a long weekend trip for Torontonians. Thanks to overnight flights from Vancouver to Toronto and evening flights from Toronto to Vancouver, it's possible to make a long weekend trip from Vancouver as well.

May 21, 2022
Tobermory

Nicoya Peninsula

About a month ago, the Canadian government announced that fully vaccinated travelers will no longer need a negative COVID test to enter Canada. I couldn't wait longer and decided to checked out the Nicoya Peninsula during the Easter holiday period. There are few countries not too far from Canada that don't require a COVID test at the moment. Costa Rica was chosen because of the high vaccination rate in the country (85%).

Apr 15, 2022
Liberia - Montezuma

Prince Rupert - Jasper

It has been two years since the COVID-19 pandemic began and traveling abroad is still very challenging for working people (though technically possible). The scenic train from Prince Rupert to Jasper seemed to be a reasonable option to celebrate this holiday season.

Dec 28, 2021
Prince Rupert

Southern Vancouver Island

It's been raining for more than one month and finally the last weekend of October became surprisingly sunny. I decided to have a road trip around Southern Vancouver Island.

Oct 30, 2021
Cowichan Valley - West Coast Highway