Recent Posts

Traveling Guatemala with Hopscotch the Globe and Vivid Roots

Traveling Guatemala with Hopscotch the Globe and Vivid Roots

Back in May, I went on my first organized group / volunteer trip with Hopscotch the Globe. This travel experience was much different from what I was used to—then again, what exactly is the typical travel experience for me, anyway? (That’s another blog post for 

Three Days in Tulum (and One in Playa Del Carmen)

Three Days in Tulum (and One in Playa Del Carmen)

I spent some time this weekend rereading posts about my time in Southeast Asia. The longer I’m back in the States, the more the experience feels like a distant memory. Reading the posts reaffirmed why I started this blog—not just to keep in touch with 

I Sold Out: Why I returned to the 9-to-5 life

I Sold Out: Why I returned to the 9-to-5 life

After four months of living the freelance life, I decided to take a full time job with benefits. Well, sort of. It’s a full time job with benefits, but I’m also working like four side hustles because I’m me but that’s completely besides the point. 

Things I say that make the people closest to me want to stab me in the face (A post about sustainability and waste)

Things I say that make the people closest to me want to stab me in the face (A post about sustainability and waste)

Earlier this year, I lived in a tiny 500 square-foot studio by myself. While there, I was able to to shape my lifestyle completely by my own standards. Among pairing down what I owned to the bare minimum, I also had a few habits that 

Let’s Go: A Travel Bucket List

Let’s Go: A Travel Bucket List

Here’s the thing: I love traveling by myself, but it’s great to travel with other people too. I’m incredibly malleable, and have the tendency to go with the flow of present company, which gets me outside my comfort zone. And as I get more comfortable 

Surviving Post-Travel Depression

Surviving Post-Travel Depression

“I’m cutting my trip short,” I said to a new friend in Laos, “because my cat’s sick and is going through an operation. That also means I’m out of money.” “I don’t understand. It’s an animal. Animals die,” she replied. “I’m American. Americans tend to 

24 Hours in Beijing—Visiting the Great Wall

24 Hours in Beijing—Visiting the Great Wall

The most affordable flight back the the U.S. from Luang Prabang landed me in two Chinese cities over the course of two days. My first overnight layover was in Kunming, China, located in the southern Yunnan province. The second overnight layover was in Beijing. How 

Closing Out Luang Prabang

Closing Out Luang Prabang

Luang Prabang is a beautifully quaint town nestled between the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers. A UNESCO protected site, the city was the royal capital of the Luang Prabang province until 1975. It was briefly occupied by France in the 19th century when the French 

The Slow Boat to Luang Prabang

The Slow Boat to Luang Prabang

In my last post, I mentioned that my roommate from Chicago messaged me saying my cat was in the ER. Turns out he had a life-threatening blockage and needed to go into surgery, or else die a pretty painful death. I won’t go too much 

The Gibbon Experience

The Gibbon Experience

Imagine trekking through a tropical rainforest in northern Laos, engulfed by the sounds of toads, hawks, and cicadas. It’s raining, but the coverage from the trees keeps you relatively dry as you walk up, up, up the muddy hill. Your guide carries a machete to