Staying Motivated As A Full-time Traveler It’s been 430 days and I am still in love with what I’m doing. I am not homesick. I often have conversations with others about staying energized to keep traveling. People DM me, or it comes up among the travelers around me. Two words, and you can stop reading this post: travel slow.… Read More
Hitchhiker’s Guide To Armenia Armenia was one of the easiest places in the world to get a lift. Hitchhiking around a landlocked country with a population under three million meant that we met big hearts from several nationalities. Whoever took us—be it Armenians, Turks, Iranians, or Georgians—went out of their way to keep us housed and fed. … Read More
Lycian Way 2-Day Loop: Olympos To Gelidonya Lighthouse And Back With an overnight in Adrasan and a hitchhike back to Olympos from Karaöz beach, the three of us walked one of the highlight sections of the Lycian Way with just our day packs. The scenic trek was the perfect medley of warm pine forests and rocky coastline. Before we knew it we were back to all… Read More
Lisinia: The Lavender Farm That Turned Me Into A Crazy Cat Lady There are four words that sum up why I love Turks. “Are you happy here?” At Lisinia, this was always the first question I got asked. Not “do you like it here” or “are you okay?” The truth is, my seventeen days without sight of a traffic light or even a convenience store, at my… Read More
Some Summits Summed While I no longer travel around the United States for math competitions, I still love using arithmetic to depict my adventures. This brief post is meant to provide outdoor inspiration, and to spread awareness of random hikes and lifts from around the world. “Top of Europe” (3,454 m) Top of Vancouver, Canada… Read More
Photo Journey: The Two-Week Chronicle Of A Hungry Girl And Her Vietnamese Street Food So. How much street food can a hungry Vivian put away in fourteen days? According to my detailed Chasing Calories: Vietnam guide, it would be 47 distinct dishes and nine tropical fruits, not including the foods I ate repeatedly or did not write about. I guess the best way to start off would be with… Read More
Chasing Calories: Vietnam Vietnam is the cradle of sophisticated dishes that exude healthy colors and flavorful innovations. A general formula for a Vietnamese dish includes a serving of rice-based wraps or noodles, a tart dipping sauce or hearty bone broth, and a hand-plucked selection of raw leaves and herbs for garnish. Prices are affordable, markets stimulate all five… Read More
Whang Od’s Blessing “Hi, my name is Vivian. I come from the USA. Both of my parents are Chinese. I am 21 years old. I have no tattoos and never imagined myself getting one. I saw a photo of you one month ago, and was so fascinated by the history and culture of your art that I couldn’t… Read More
Luzon: Rice Terraces and Hanging Coffins Rural highlands meant extra good coffee and extra bad wifi. It was time to put down the phone and tune into the present. Banaue and Sagada were tucked into the Cordillera mountains, adored by Filipino couples and families for their views and cute cafes. Both towns possess UNESCO World Heritage sites. While these spots get… Read More
Cebu: A Very Southerly Circuit In 24 Hours If there’s anything a solo female traveler knows, it’s how to figure out exactly what she wants. My upcoming flight out of Cebu left me with a laundry list of adventures to seek and so little time left. And this was just the southern half of the island. Possible or not, I had one day… Read More