It's no secret my dream destination is Egypt. Here's one video that makes me crave for it more.



Don't spend your lifetime stuck in a corner. Take it from the movie "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty".



If you're still wondering where to go, check out this VisaMapper to plot your travels. It can be very handy!

Enjoy the weekend! Stay happy and adventurous!

It all started with a deadline. Early 2013 we found out that Survivor will be shooting in Palaui Island that year. That meant one thing: it will be closed to the public. For us, it meant we had to go there before they do. So we did.

If one wishes to go to Palaui, you can take a bus or plane to Tuguegarao then a van to Sta. Ana where you can take the boat to Palaui. On the other hand, we took a Florida Bus from Manila going to Gonzaga then had someone pick us up to reach Sta. Ana. It was 16 hours of moving from a state of being awake and asleep before we set foot on the white sands of Palaui. We left 7:00pm on a Thursday and woke up in Gonzaga at around 9:00am. Contrary to early warnings, the deluxe sleeper bus was not freezing cold. But trust me when I say we just got lucky. Do bring a jacket or blanket or both if you're planning to take the bus.


We stopped by for a plate of Batil Patong which left us confused on how to properly eat it.


Upon reaching Sta. Ana, we went straight to the tourism office to register. We will be staying for three days and two nights. It was only afterwards that we realized it was not enough. But you can do a day tour just to satisfy your craving. For us, we were left wanting more.

Boat ride (rates below) would take around 20-30 minutes. For the eager, it will appear longer. It will appear shorter when going back to Sta. Ana.

We were to settle in the barangay hall where you can rent and pitch your tent. It runs on solar energy so charge your gadgets just to be sure. Or bring a powerbank (it can save you).

It took a couple of minutes from where the boat docked to the hall. We walked on soft, wind sand with the ocean at our left and trees at our right. There were also some grave stones at some point. Wouldn't it be lovely to be buried at the shore? Your name forever facing the sea.

We crossed a small, narrow bridge with a dry river below. That won't be our last time crossing a wooden bridge.


We were introduced to the women of Palaui whose stories deserve another time. They welcomed us with homemade ginger tea. A drink I have been trying to copy for the past months.We ate fish, pork and vegetables for a late lunch. Afterwards, we grabbed the tent and tried to pitch it. We kind of succeeded but our guide mainly did the work. Making a mental note to learn how to pitch a tent (and maybe even buy one).

And so we finally laid down our bags and settled. That was it - we were really in Palaui Island. And at first encounter it was already beautiful.

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This is a trip four years in the making. Maybe a bit more subconsciously. It started with those absurd plans after seeing a seat sale of an airline that promised less then 15,000php for airfare. We were then just a year out of college. We were earning less than what we imagined when we graduated so even the seat sale was out of the picture. I bet that version of me will utter disbelief when I tell her today I went to Batanes for a total of Php6,000.00 including airfare. But I did. So here's the breakdown:

We all need a little inspiration. Something to get us through our 9-5 jobs or just get through a bad day. You may be arguing with yourself that you don't need a vacation or you don't really need to book that flight. Think again. Here are some bits of inspiration (and reasons) why you need to get out of that chair. Ranging from Expedia to New York Times to a father's advice to Jon Krakauer and Instagram.

Quotes of the Week:

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“Make a radical change in your lifestyle and begin to boldly do things which you may previously never have thought of doing, or been too hesitant to attempt. So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservation, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun. If you want to get more out of life, you must lose your inclination for monotonous security and adopt a helter-skelter style of life that will at first appear to you to be crazy. But once you become accustomed to such a life you will see its full meaning and its incredible beauty.” ― Jon Krakauer


Something to Ponder:

Vacation Boost Pleasure, Expedia Study Finds


































Too busy to travel? Don't get stuck in the "busy trap"
"Idleness is not just a vacation, an indulgence or a vice; it is as indispensable to the brain as vitamin D is to the body, and deprived of it we suffer a mental affliction as disfiguring as rickets."


Video of the week: An Instagram Short Film
 852 different pictures, from 852 different instagram users


An Instagram short film from Thomas Jullien on Vimeo.

Wishing you adventure this weekend!

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Time to get excited for next year!

Highlighted in light yellow are the long weekends. But we have a lot of Thursdays! So file that Friday leave and get away.

So I said, "I realized during the last time I moved that I have too much stuff. I do pack light though. That or I have really small clothes". In which he replied, "You have really small clothes".



More than ten years ago, I packed my room and left. I said goodbye to my pink wallpapered room. My 1924 address changed to 914. I packed more than 10 boxes then because I have lived in that room for around 14 years. But I had to say goodbye.

This year, I moved my daily life again. I packed  3 boxes of clothes and daily knick knacks that all came from just one room. I still have a room in Cavite filled with the boxes I moved from the 1924 address. Nowadays, my Cavite room looks like a storage room for everybody else. I spend just a day or two there every weekend. Looking at every box piled in our new place made me realize a goal for this year - I need to be able to pack my life in 6 boxes (or less). That would be such an achievement for someone who still keeps the wax balls from cemetery visits ten years ago, grade school contest prizes, and high school candy wrappers. I was a sentimental child. Even until now, I tend to keep trinkets from my trips - a shotglass, a refrigerator magnet, a bookmark or a shirt. Sometimes all four. But in reality, we all just need photos and one physical keepsake from chapters in our lives.



It's amazing how you can pack your life in boxes. And how you need to trim it down. Stop accumulating all the junk that doesn't serve a purpose in your life. Stop hanging on to random notes from someone in the past. The past years of traveling has taught me that there are a lot of things in life that can be replaced. And as one of my friends recently told me, "moving is pretty much the same as travel, you need a laptop and clothes...whatever I left behind I can get again, or didn't really want anyway".

I have always been a light packer. For those two week out-of-the-country trips, I usually bring one suitcase with enough space for shopping. It would have been less if not for the cocktail and gala nights required by work. For my three to four day trips, I pack it in one backpack. I never go beyond one bag. This surprises me how much boxes I need for my rooms. And how much clothes I never got to touch. And how much random things I still have - from lecture notes to chocolate wrappers to random doodles. Every time I live out of my backpack, I reinforce to myself how I can live without all the things in my room. So I should. Travel light, not just in travels but in life. Get rid of those excess baggage.

It's been a common sight these days. A plain colored poster with the words "KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON". We've seen parodies including "Keep Calm and Travel On".



But how did the poster come about? Barter Books tells the story.