I’ve been reading a fascinating book lately. It’s called The Upside To Your Dark Side: Why Being Your Whole Self – Not Just Your Good Self – Drives Success and Fulfillment. No, I’m not talking Darth Vader dark side here, but the book really tackles this idea that we have in western society about fake […]
I’d always planned to take a few months off between graduating from university and starting my career. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad that I had full-time employment to jump into and with a great company to boot, but that niggling wanderlust wasn’t going away. In October 2013, I bit the bullet and asked my […]
In this sprawling city of over 8 million people, there’s no lack of things to do in Ho Chi Minh City. Also known as Saigon, it’s a destination that’s rich in history, tasty treats and a unique mixture of eastern and western cultures. Want ideas on where to stay? Stick around to the bottom of […]
I’ve done the whole 60L backpack thing before. It wasn’t fun. I don’t doubt that there are many fabulous people who actually pack appropriately and use everything that they bring… I’m just not one of them. And I know many challenged packers like myself. I was always incredibly jealous of those who managed long-term travel […]
I’ve been facing a bit of an ethical dilemma for a while. When I did my travel research for our trip to Southeast Asia, it involved the trusty old guidebooks, but for the most part I went to travel blogs as my main source of information and inspiration. Certain locations were written about and photographed […]
Tomorrow marks one year since David and I packed our bags (carry-on only!) for three months of adventure in Southeast Asia. It marks the start of a leave of absence to travel, something that many of my friends and family said would be impossible to do. People take leaves of absence to study, or time […]
I think every traveler has that nightmare that they’ll be stuck in a foreign country without money, or no access to their money. I lived this experience and let me tell you, it sucks. Learn from my mistakes and help yourself to avoid or resolve issues with money on the road. Incident One: The Darn […]
This past weekend I wrote a post to my baby about body image and how it shouldn’t stop you from doing anything. It was an extremely personal post, mainly because I’ve struggled so much with body image over the years. As I was growing up, I didn’t have a healthy concept of eating. Eating was […]
“Buy art!” my colleague implored before we left for Southeast Asia. “It’s the best souvenir you can get.” Well, Keltie, buy art we did. We didn’t exactly plan on it, but when you’re wandering the Old Quarter of Hanoi, it’s hard not to get sucked in. (more…)
You’ve found yourself in the fast-paced city of Hanoi, Vietnam. Motorbikes are flying at you left and right. Now, what are you going to do while you’re here? Maybe you’ve got two days, maybe you’ve got three. You’re ready to pack in the sights, sounds and delectable tastes. Here’s what David and I got up to […]