cost

Geoarbitrage! Retire sooner!!

by AccommodationsTravels Deals
I am guessing both of these colums have increased since COVID but you get the idea!

Geoarbitrage refers to the strategy of relocating to a lower-cost area while maintaining the same income.

This allows individuals to stretch their dollars further. It involves taking advantage of differences in living costs between locations to maximize financial returns and purchasing power. This practice can significantly enhance personal finance management by reducing expenses and increasing savings.

I have used this concept throughout my life and now during my run at retirement!

I fell in love with the idea of making your money go farther!

Using my first experience with the concept

Geoarbitrage isn’t about chasing the cheapest place to live—it’s about aligning where you earn, where you spend, and where you invest.

In my case, moving from Canada to the United States created an immediate advantage. The currency exchange boosted my purchasing power back home by roughly 30%, while the role itself came with a higher salary and a relocation bonus.

The real leverage came from travel. Because I was on the road full-time and living off per diem, my personal expenses stayed low even as my income increased. That gap—higher earnings with reduced costs—is where geoarbitrage actually works.

Instead of inflating my lifestyle, I banked the difference and sent money back to Canada, where it went toward my first property purchase—paid in cash.

The takeaway is simple:
Geoarbitrage works best when you resist lifestyle creep, stay mobile, and think across borders instead of within them. The opportunity isn’t just where you live—it’s how you structure the entire system.

Another example, to a lesser extent. 

I’ve lived in Arizona for the last ten years, and one thing that still stands out is how inexpensive fresh produce can be—especially if you pay attention to seasonality.

 

A simple example: avocados.

Geoarbitrage isn’t just about big moves like changing countries or jobs—it shows up in everyday life.

Living in Arizona, where produce is grown nearby, and the seasonal supply is high, means things like avocados can be cheap, fresh, and abundant. In Canada, the same avocado is often imported, older, and easily costs $2 or more—unless you’re in a very specific region.

That difference adds up fast if it’s something you eat regularly. The same goes for beer, fuel, housing, and utilities. It’s not about deprivation—it’s about geography.

 Geoarbitrage works when you align your lifestyle with places that naturally support it, instead of fighting the math.

Small choices, repeated daily, are often more powerful than big financial hacks that will not expose you financially like a bad avocado in Canada.

An Everyday Example of Geoarbitrage

You probably drink coffee. I know I do—two cups every morning. You’ve also probably been to Starbucks more than once a year, or at least passed through places like Tim Hortons, Second Cup, or one of the countless pop-culture cafés that have become part of daily life.

Post-COVID, the math is pretty consistent:
A decent coffee runs $3–7 USD, and a breakfast pastry is another $3–4 USD. Totally normal. Totally accepted.

Now let’s change geography.

I had a favorite coffee shop in Lima, right next to my Airbnb in Miraflores—arguably the nicest area in the city. Every morning I’d go for a walk (easy to do year-round in Lima), stop in, and treat myself.

My order:

A fairly fancy mocha

A small breakfast treat

Often a fresh-pressed, organic juice

Total bill before tip (about 10% in Lima): under $5 USD.

(Try tipping 10% in America and getting out alive!)

For the same order at Starbucks or a similar café in the United States or Canada, I’d estimate the total would be around $14 USD, give or take a few dollars. And that’s without the ocean view—plus you’re probably wearing a heavy jacket and warming up your car for 30 minutes beforehand.

The arbitrage didn’t stop there.

On two separate trips to Lima, I never did laundry or shaved. Weekly laundry service—with overnight turnaround, folded and ready for the drawer—cost less than $2 USD. I also found a local barber (as I do in most low-cost cities) who gave me a hot shave and a trim for under $4 USD per visit.

Those prices barely cover the cost of a laundry pod or a single shaving cartridge back home.

The Lesson

Geoarbitrage isn’t about sacrifice—it’s about context.
The same lifestyle can cost dramatically different amounts depending on where you place yourself. When everyday expenses drop, quality of life often goes up, not down.

That’s the power of geography.

Geoarbitrage Taken to the Extreme: Asia

If you really want to see geoarbitrage at work, Asia is where the concept goes from interesting to undeniable.

People with income in USD, Euros, or Pounds regularly take advantage of this by living full-time or part-time in places like Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Colombia, Peru, and across Eastern Europe and Central America. Many do it on Social Security, CPP, or seasonal income—and they live extremely well doing it.

Now imagine this.

You’re living in a brand-new, furnished studio apartment with air conditioning, a full kitchen, hot water, reliable internet, and often a balcony view for your morning coffee or evening nightcap. Downstairs? A resort-style pool that makes hot days a non-issue.

You wake up without an alarm. Walk ten minutes to a gym that feels more like a resort—free weights, machines, pool, sauna, steam room. Afterward, you grab a massive garden-fresh salad and a freshly squeezed juice made right in front of you. Not shipped across continents. Not $25+. Just food.

Lunch happens while you work—or don’t. You walk home, drop your laptop, then head out again for dinner at either a local spot or a North American-style restaurant. After that, you meet friends—expats or locals—for drinks at a bar within walking distance. A good beer? Often under a couple of dollars.

Then you go to sleep.
No alarm.
Rinse. Repeat.

You stop thinking about money—not because you’re rich, but because you can’t realistically overspend. As long as you’re not living like a drunken sailor (different blog post 😄), it’s almost impossible.

What Does This Actually Cost?

In places like Thailand, Vietnam, Peru, Colombia, and the Philippines, this lifestyle typically runs $1,000–$1,500 USD per month. Many people do it for $700–$800 by living slightly outside city centers and cooking more at home.

That number is often less than a monthly pension or Social Security check. Some people split the year—six months abroad, six months back home—and still come out ahead.

Vietnam: A Concrete Example

Vietnam is one of the clearest examples I’ve experienced.

$500/month on a 6–12 month lease (slow travel) gets you an apartment with a pool and full gym

My month-to-month rent was about $300 USD (more expensive than long-term)

Pho: ~$2

BĂĄnh mĂŹ: ~$0.85

North American-style meal (burger + fries): ~$5

Beer: ~$1

I could live comfortably under $1,000 USD per month.
Live very well at $1,500.
Live like a king at $2,000.

The Real Lesson

This isn’t about luxury.
It’s about leverage.

When your income comes from a strong currency and your expenses exist in a lower-cost environment, life opens up. Time, freedom, health, and choice replace budgeting apps and financial anxiety.

That’s geoarbitrage—taken to its logical extreme.

Here are some examples and an explanation of geoarbitrage from YouTube:

Here’s a great way to introduce YouTube examples of geoarbitrage for early retirement on your site — with context, value, and a smooth transition:

Geoarbitrage in Action: YouTube Examples That Inspire Early Retirement

If you want to see geoarbitrage in real life, there are a ton of great YouTube creators who explain how living abroad or in low-cost regions can accelerate retirement goals. Below are some channels and videos I recommend checking out — whether you’re curious about spending less, earning smart, or retiring early.

🔹 Recommended Geoarbitrage YouTube Examples

1. Nomad on a Budget
Focus: Living abroad cheaply while earning remotely or on savings.
What you’ll learn: realistic cost breakdowns in Asia, Central America, and Eastern Europe.

2. Retire Early Overseas
Focus: Retiring early in affordable countries.
What you’ll learn: how retirees use pensions, Social Security, or remote income for long-term low-cost living.

3. The Expat Money Show
Focus: finances for expats and digital nomads.
What you’ll learn: geoarbitrage basics, tax considerations, and investment strategies for location-independent living.

4. Cheap Living Abroad
Focus: detailed city guides and monthly budget videos.
What you’ll learn: exact prices for housing, food, transportation, and entertainment.

Why Watch These

Watching real videos from people doing this gives you:

Real cost comparisons between countries

Day-in-the-life insights (not just theory)

Budget breakdowns that reflect real choices

Inspiration for your own retirement or travel plans

Here are two of the many you’ll find with a simple search:

Screenshot_20200627-081346_Facebook

UPDATED! 50+ NAD promo videos!📽️

by Introduction

Here are some of the videos I made to promote my website.

The pictures and videos? 

Those are all from my actual travels—which I still think is pretty frickin’ awesome, considering they came from flight deals, bad sleep, great food, and decisions that usually start with, “Another beer, why not?”

Just me, a camera, and wherever I happened to land.

Screenshot 2025-08-07 195641

Hitting the reset button, again …

by AsiaBuy me a beerEuropeFreedom 50LondonMexicoNorth AmericanPhilippinesThailandTravel bucket list

Freedom is great… but it turns out accountability pairs nicely with vegetables.

Traveling solo and being single is a great way to learn just how little supervision I actually need—and how badly I sometimes need it anyway.

Balanced meals become a suggestion, vegetables go missing in action, and there’s no one around to question why dinner is beer with a side of “I’ll fix this tomorrow.”

 

The upside is total freedom. The downside is realizing I am not, in fact, the responsible adult I thought I was, and carbs are my enemy!

The extra weight didn’t just sneak up on me—it kicked the door in, sat on my couch, and aged me ten years out of spite.
And the “just for men” look somehow makes it even worse—like I’m both the problem and the person who signed off on it.

I’ve been both versions of that guy more times than I can count. I buckle down, lose the weight, feel great… then get comfortable and slowly put it back on—sometimes a little, sometimes impressively.

Every time, I confidently declare, “This time will be different.”

And look—I know the track record. I’m fully aware of the evidence.

But still… THIS TIME WILL BE DIFFERENT.

THIS TIME WILL BE DIFFERENT! 😁

There’s a saying: “You can’t outwork a bad diet.”
For me, that couldn’t be more true.

I’ve walked, run, hiked, biked, paddleboarded…
Paid for gym memberships most of my adult life when I wasn’t traveling…
Bought treadmills, steppers, rowing machines, weights…

I’ve also thrown away—or quietly watched expire—more supplements than I will ever admit to owning.

Thousands of dollars.
Endless effort.
All expertly undone by travel, convenience, beer, and the magical thinking that calories don’t count when you’re moving.

I didn’t lack discipline.
I lacked consistency… and apparently vegetables.

And yet—here I am again, staring down the same cycle, saying it with full confidence and zero shame:

THIS TIME WILL BE DIFFERENT.

(History suggests otherwise.
Optimism insists otherwise.
We ride at dawn.)

In the summer of 2025, I finally put myself in a timeout and decided to combine everything I’d learned over the years—plus one major change.

I quit drinking and traveling.

Well… I switched to non-alcoholic beer and still went to Mexico—but that version doesn’t sound nearly as dramatic, so we’re going with the first one.

Still, the intent was real. Fewer excuses. Fewer resets. More structure. Turns out removing just one bad habit makes all the other “this time will be different” promises slightly less fictional.

Progress, not perfection. Even if I had to negotiate the terms.

Check out the non-alcoholic beer blog by clicking HERE!

(I review and list all of the best NA beers; take a look if you would like to see them.)

There is zero doubt in my mind that this is a life changer for me! The IPAs are decent, half the calories and do not fuck me up! LOL
Good lesson and the punishment fit the crime!

Here was my daily schedule for almost three months:

Wake up at sunrise and blog and YouTube until 9 AM. ✅

One homemade latte to kind of break my fast. ✅

Stationary bike and row for one hour at home. ✅

Spend 2-3 hours at the gym/spa. ✅

Get home, make a protein shake, and take my supplements. ✅

Eat my only meal between 3 PM and 5 PM as part of intermittent fasting. ✅

Drink non-alcoholic beer in the evening and watch a ball game a few times a week. ✅

I did have a few couch days, but kept track of my gym progress diligently, which is key for me! ✅

(I followed the above to a “T” on gym days shown below)

I had fun telling the Mexico border agent it was no alchohol beer. I did not have to pay tariffs or import taxes. It worked!!
l8

London, England pubs!🍻🐟🍟😎

by All you can flyFreedom 50LondonTravel bucket listTravels StoriesUnited KingdomWizz - AYCF!

Getting to London from home in Phoenix is shockingly inexpensive on Norse Atlantic Airways.

And cheap flights change everything.

They turn vague ideas into actual plans.
Plans into movement.
Movement into blog posts…

…and, inevitably, into mildly annoying social media updates you didn’t ask for—but are definitely going to see anyway.

I wrote a full blog post about Norse that you can read by clicking HERE, because yes—cheap transatlantic flights are real, and no, it’s not a scam (I checked).

To get to LA cheaply, I use Google Travel, which I also blogged about HERE, because step one of international travel is not overpaying just to leave your own country.

And once you land? A proper plate of fish and chips with a cold beer at a London pub is way cheaper than you’ve been led to believe—especially if your reference point is North America, where you apparently need a small loan to eat out.

I was able to visit London twice in 2024 and I’m headed back again in September 2025. I’d been to London a few times before that, and it’s always been a great experience—familiar, lively, and endlessly walkable.

That said, it felt a little different this time. Landing without Queen Elizabeth II around gave the city a subtle but noticeable shift. London was still London, but the sense of continuity she represented was quietly gone.

On my last visit, I was just passing through on a layover. I took the train from Gatwick Airport into the city and hopped off at London Bridge station. Even with limited time, stepping into central London felt like reconnecting with an old friend—familiar streets, constant motion, and that unmistakable energy that never really shuts off.

London changes, but it somehow stays the same. That’s part of what keeps pulling me back with the inexpensive flights.

You can catch the Gatwick Express from the luggage area after clearing customs. 🛃

It is a hassle-free way to get to the action and back to the airport. Tickets are available online or on the platform for about $24 USD one way.

Just like everything else in London, Uber is very expensive!

After I got off the tube, I walked over to Tower Bridge, which was neat to see again—one of those sights that never really gets old, no matter how many times you’ve been to London.

And yes, London Bridge is right there too. I checked. I can confirm it was not falling down, falling down… despite what the song would have you believe 😄

These are a few shots I took of typical London pubs, which seem to exist on just about every corner. No matter the neighborhood, there’s always a local pub tucked into the streetscape—part gathering place, part landmark, part living room for the city.

One thing that always trips up visitors to London is traffic flowing in the opposite direction. It sounds obvious, but muscle memory is powerful. You’ll notice “LOOK RIGHT” painted at crosswalks for a reason—and I very nearly learned that lesson the hard way on my first visit.

London does its best to warn you. You just have to remember to listen… before stepping off the curb.

I was only in London overnight, with an early morning flight out to Istanbul. With an early bus ride back to the airport, there wasn’t much point in pretending it was a proper stay.

So I did what seasoned travelers do—I grabbed a short nap at the airport, watched the place slowly wake up, and had a quiet morning beer before settling in for the long flight to Turkey.

Not glamorous.
Not rushed.
Just one of those in-between travel moments that somehow stick with you.

If you want, I can also share maps or pub-crawl routes (historic, classic London, best for beer, etc.) to pair with your travels! 

https://chatgpt.com/share/69477321-9558-800b-90da-9f39a9b228f9

IMG_20240402_080108 (1)

Uruguay – ferry, bus from Buenos Aires!

by AirBnbAll you can flyArgentinaBunes AiresFreedom 50MontevideoTravel memoriesUruguayVolaris - AYCF!

As part of my 2024 trip—which took me through Central America and into South America—I made a stop in Uruguay. Getting there was easy and inexpensive thanks to a short ferry ride from Buenos Aires across the Río de la Plata.

It was one of those classic travel decisions: cheap ferry, new country, zero downside. So… why not?

That’s one of the underrated perks of slow travel—when borders are close, transport is affordable, and curiosity wins.

I did not know what to expect as I had not read much about Uruguay. It was just the fact that I was so close to getting to experience it, and I took advantage of dropping another pin on the map. 📍🌏

Montevideo has a great beach walk, very nice cobblestone downtown, and friendly people, but I do not need to go back.  There was nothing that stood out like most Countries other than my Airbnb. 

I have never experienced so much pride in the presentation of this place.  Every little nook and cranny had something awesome displayed and check out the view from the bedroom!

The couple who ran the Airbnb were architecture lawyers from Argentina, and their background showed in every detail. Their shared love of music and antiques turned the place into an absolute gem—not flashy, just deeply thoughtful.

The lobby alone set the tone. A full wall of antiques, each piece clearly chosen with care, paired with calming music that made you slow down the moment you walked in. It didn’t feel like a rental—it felt like someone’s personal sanctuary that they happened to share.

It was one of those stays where the space itself becomes part of the travel experience. Honestly, that Airbnb left more of an impression on me than the city itself—and that says a lot.

There were hundreds and hundreds of trinkets throughout the property—every room, every corner, every shelf had something interesting to notice. During the day, jazz music played softly in the lobby, setting a calm, timeless mood. In my room, there was even a record player with a small collection of old jazz records. Sitting there, listening to vinyl and staring at the bookcase, felt almost meditative.

The Airbnb itself was about $25 a night, perfectly located between the main street and the ocean in Montevideo. You really couldn’t ask for a better setup.

It was hands down the best Airbnb experience I’ve ever had. Not because it was luxurious, but because it was thoughtful. Every detail felt intentional, personal, and cared for—and I’m genuinely glad I got to experience it. Some places stick with you because of what you see outside. This one stayed with me because of what was inside.

After spending the previous week in Argentina, the food scene in Montevideo was a bit of a shock—in the wrong direction.

Coming off Argentina’s absolute paradise of steaks, flavor, and value, these two meals were both underwhelming and overpriced. Not terrible in a dramatic sense, just disappointing enough that you immediately stop ordering food with any enthusiasm.

To be fair, I didn’t go to Montevideo for the cuisine—and after Argentina, that became very clear. Sometimes travel is about incredible meals. Other times, it’s about the place, the stay, and the experience around it.

I played it safe both times and ordered the house special, mostly because I honestly didn’t know what else to order.

On the left: two hot dogs buried under what felt like five pounds of cheese. Just… not good. At all.
On the right: a meat plate that ran about $50, and when I cut into it, it was practically raw.

After a week of steak perfection in Argentina, this was a rough landing. I wasn’t expecting miracles, but I also wasn’t expecting hot dogs drowned in cheese or an expensive plate of meat that never met a grill properly.

It honestly may have just been bad luck both times. That said, after paying $50 for food that was raw and borderline inedible, I was beyond annoyed. I ended up calling my credit card company—and they refunded the charge without hesitation. It was the first time in my life I’d ever done that, which tells you how bad it was.

Thankfully, Montevideo redeemed itself in other ways. The city itself is relaxed and walkable, the coastline is beautiful, and that Airbnb more than made up for the food disappointment.

Between the thoughtful design, the music, the ocean proximity, and the price point, it was an incredible stay—especially considering how inexpensive it was. Sometimes travel works out that way: the meals miss, but the place, the vibe, and where you rest your head absolutely deliver.

A Brief History of Uruguay

Uruguay’s history is shaped by its position between two giants—Argentina and Brazil—and by centuries of struggle over who would control it.

Indigenous Roots

Before Europeans arrived, the region was inhabited primarily by the CharrĂşa people. They were semi-nomadic hunters and resisted colonization fiercely. Tragically, most of the CharrĂşa population was wiped out during the 19th century, making Uruguay one of the few South American countries with a very small remaining Indigenous population today.

Spanish vs. Portuguese Tug-of-War

Unlike much of South America, Uruguay wasn’t immediately colonized. Spain and Portugal both wanted it, largely because of its strategic location along the Río de la Plata.

  • Colonia del Sacramento was founded by the Portuguese in 1680

  • Spain countered by establishing Montevideo in 1726

For over a century, control of the region shifted back and forth between the two empires.

Independence & Artigas

Uruguay’s path to independence was complicated. The country’s national hero, José Gervasio Artigas, led resistance movements in the early 1800s, advocating federalism and local autonomy.

After periods of occupation by both Argentina and Brazil, Uruguay finally became an independent nation in 1828, largely as a buffer state to prevent conflict between its neighbors.

20th Century: Stability & Reform

In the early 1900s, Uruguay earned a reputation as one of the most progressive countries in the world:

Early adoption of free public education

Separation of church and state

Strong labor protections and social welfare programs

This era gave Uruguay the nickname “the Switzerland of South America.”

Dictatorship & Recovery

Like many Latin American countries, Uruguay experienced a military dictatorship from 1973 to 1985. Democracy was restored peacefully, and since then, Uruguay has been one of the most stable, democratic, and transparent nations in the region.

Modern Uruguay

Today, Uruguay is known for:

Strong democratic institutions

High quality of life

Liberal policies (early legalization of same-sex marriage and cannabis)

A calm, understated culture compared to its neighbors

It’s not flashy. It’s not chaotic. And for many people, that’s exactly the appeal.

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Buenos Aires, Argentina! ⚽🏟️🤤🥩

by AirBnbArgentinaBunes AiresTravels Deals

When I was laid off in February 2024, the very first thing I did was start planning a trip through Central America and South America. I’d been there before, but seeing South America again felt different this time—less rushed, more intentional, and exactly what I needed.

The journey started in Phoenix and unfolded like this:

Phoenix → Los Angeles 🚌

Los Angeles → Guatemala → Costa Rica → Peru ✈️✈️✈️✈️

Lima → Chile → Argentina → Uruguay → Guatemala → Los Angeles → Phoenix ✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️

Along the way, I visited multiple cities in each country, took my time, and let the trip evolve as it went. Every stop had its own rhythm and personality.

That said, one place stood out enough that it deserved its own post: Buenos Aires.

There’s something about Buenos Aires—the food, the architecture, the pace of life—that makes it linger in your head long after you leave. So instead of trying to cover everything at once, I wanted to slow it down and give that city the space it deserves.

Buenos Aires, Argentina—It was absolutely unforgettable!

 

I took the bus to Los Angeles, then used my Volaris all-you-can-fly pass to work my way through Guatemala, San JosĂŠ, and on to Lima.

The pass costs about $200 per year and runs on availability. In real life, I’ve rarely had issues—if you’re flexible with timing and routing, there are almost always seats open.

It’s a perfect example of how cheap flights can unlock big trips. With a little patience, that single pass turns Los Angeles into a gateway to Central and South America.

Once you’ve paid the $200, the prices get kind of ridiculous. I could fly from Los Angeles to Guatemala for about $80. The same plane continues on to San José for another $30. I’d done both routes before, so I knew I could push as far south as Lima and then switch airlines.

From there, SKY Airline took me from Lima to Santiago, and then on to Buenos Aires—which was fantastic.

I hopped a ferry over to Uruguay for a few days, then back to Argentina, back to Lima, and finally used my Volaris pass to get the rest of the way home. The result: a surprisingly long, surprisingly affordable trip.

Now—let’s focus on Buenos Aires (BA), since the intro mirrors my Santiago, Chile post.

This was my $20-a-night studio in a high-rise near downtown Buenos Aires. The accommodations were cheap, the food was even cheaper, and the value was off the charts.

To get oriented, I jumped on the double-decker bus and knocked out all the tourist traps in one go—easy, efficient, and worth every peso.

When people think of legendary sports figures from Argentina, two names usually come to mind almost immediately:

Diego Maradona
and…
Jorge.

Yes—Jorge.

More formally known as Lionel Messi, whose full name is Jorge Lionel Messi. In Argentina, he’s earned the rare privilege of first-name-only status—right alongside Maradona.

Maradona represents the raw, rebellious, almost mythological side of Argentine football. Chaos, genius, controversy, and magic all wrapped into one flawed human.
Messi represents precision, consistency, and quiet brilliance. A machine built for beauty. Different eras, different personalities—but both are stitched deep into the country’s identity.

You don’t need to follow football closely to feel it here.

Murals.
Jerseys.
Taxi conversations.
Corner cafĂŠs with TVs permanently tuned to replays.

These men aren’t just athletes in Argentina—they’re cultural landmarks.

Maradona’s legacy is shouted.
Messi is spoken of with reverence.

For context, Maradona earned 91 international caps, scored 34 goals, and played in four FIFA World Cups. His crowning moment came in 1986, when he captained Argentina to victory in Mexico—delivering both the infamous “Hand of God” goal and the “Goal of the Century” against England in the same match.

Messi’s story is different—longer, quieter, more surgical—but no less historic. His arc completed itself when he finally lifted the World Cup in 2022, cementing what many already believed.

Both were revolutionary in their own ways.

But as you walk the streets of Argentina, past walls covered in paint and memory, it’s easy to tell who the original folk hero was.

One name lives in legend.
The other lives in legacy.

Maradona…
and Jorge

I also visited Boca Juniors, the club that Diego Maradona helped turn into a legend.

Their home stadium, La Bombonera, is considered one of the most famous—and intimidating—stadiums in the world.

Even empty, it has a pulse.

The impossibly steep stands, the tight neighborhood pressing in around it, and the history baked into the concrete make it feel less like a stadium and more like a shrine. It doesn’t whisper; it hums.

You don’t need a match day to understand why Boca—and Maradona—mean so much here.
You just have to stand still and listen and watch the fans interact.

I toured the neighborhood and the La Boca football museum!

Club Atlético Boca Juniors is a professional sports club based in La Boca, one of the most iconic—and unapologetically colorful—areas of Buenos Aires. The club is best known for its men’s football team, which, since earning promotion in 1913, has never left the Argentine Primera División.

Boca Juniors is the most successful club in Argentina, with 74 official titles, including:

35 Primera DivisiĂłn championships

17 domestic cup titles

Plus an honorary title awarded by the Argentine Football Association for Boca’s influential 1925 European tour, which helped put Argentine football on the global map.

Simply put, Boca Juniors isn’t just a club—it’s an institution.

Argentina is also famous for its steak and meat—very much in the same league as Brazil. And after touring La Bombonera, I had one of the best meals of my life.

I told the cook I wanted to try all the meats. He understood the assignment.

Sausage links.
Multiple cuts of steak.
A plate that arrived full… and disappeared even faster.

It was gone before I even thought to take a picture—which, honestly, might be the highest compliment of all. 🥩

I ate steak almost every evening in Buenos Aires, and the portions were massive. A proper steak dinner would run about $12 USD, and more often than not, I’d be eating the leftovers for breakfast the next morning.

What really stood out was how the steaks were served. They weren’t just slabs of meat dropped on a plate—they were layered with extras like eggs, tomatoes, and other simple additions that somehow made the meal even better. No fancy sauces, no nonsense. Just quality beef, cooked properly, and paired in a way that made every plate feel both affordable and unforgettable.

I know I took pictures of just about every meal, but somehow I can’t find them as of this post—which honestly might be a blessing. Some things are better remembered than documented.

Below are a few representative shots, along with an article that dives into why Argentine steak is often considered the best in the world. It comes down to the cattle, the grass, the simplicity, and the culture around cooking meat. After eating my way through Buenos Aires, I get it.

Some cities impress you.
Others feed you so well that they ruin steaks everywhere else.

Argentina is also known as a true mecca for meat lovers, and many people argue it produces the best steak in the world. After eating my way through the country, it’s hard to disagree.

From grass-fed cattle to unique cuts of beef and time-honored cooking methods, Argentine steak is a craft—from start to finish.

You can’t talk about Argentine steak without talking about the cows.

While Argentina is home to several cattle breeds, the best beef comes from cows that graze freely on the legendary Las Pampas.

So what exactly are Las Pampas?

They span roughly 750,000 square kilometers of vast, mostly flat grasslands, famous for a temperate climate that produces exceptionally nutritious grass. Cows here spend their lives roaming and grazing naturally, rather than being grain-fed in confined spaces. The result is beef that’s leaner, more flavorful, and widely considered healthier than many alternatives.

Then there’s the cooking.

Argentina’s signature Asado technique is simple, deliberate, and deeply respectful of the meat. No heavy marinades. No distractions. Just fire, salt, time, and experience. The goal is always the same: let the quality of the beef speak for itself.

From pasture to plate, Argentine steak isn’t just food—it’s culture.

If you want to go deeper into why Argentina is considered the global capital of steak, you can read the full article HERE, which breaks down the land, the cattle, the cuts, and the traditions that make Argentine beef so unforgettable.

After experiencing it firsthand, I get the hype.

Argentina doesn’t just serve steak—
it sets the standard. 🥩🇦🇷

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Santiago, Chili – there was no chill here!

by AntiguaArgentinaBunes AiresCentral AmericaChileCosta RicaGuatemalaGuatemala CityLake AtitlĂĄnMira Flores (Lima)PeruQueposSantiagoTravels Stories

When I was laid off in February 2024, the very first thing I did was start planning a trip through Central America and South America. It felt like the right response—movement, perspective, and a chance to reconnect with places that had stuck with me before. Seeing South America again was just as incredible as I remembered.

The trip started in Phoenix and unfolded like this:

  • Phoenix → Los Angeles 🚌

  • Los Angeles → Guatemala → Costa Rica → Peru ✈️✈️✈️

  • Lima → Chile → Argentina → Uruguay → Guatemala → Los Angeles → Phoenix ✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️

I visited several cities in each country along the way, letting the trip evolve naturally instead of rushing through it. Every stop had its own rhythm, but one city stood out enough that it deserved its own post:

Santiago.

Set against the Andes, Santiago surprised me—in good ways and a few unexpected ones. So rather than trying to cover everything at once, I wanted to slow it down and give the city its own space.

Santiago, Chile—that story comes next.

I took the bus to Los Angeles, then used my Volaris all-you-can-fly pass to work my way south:
Los Angeles → Guatemala → Costa Rica → Lima.

The Volaris pass costs about $200 per year and is based on availability. In reality, I rarely have any issues using it—there are usually seats open if you’re flexible.

Once you’ve invested the $200, the pricing becomes almost ridiculous. I could fly from Los Angeles to Guatemala for about $80, and that same plane continued on to San José for another $30. I’d already done both of those routes before, so I knew Volaris could reliably get me as far south as Lima.

From there, I switched airlines.

I used SKY Airline to fly from Lima to Santiago, and then on to Buenos Aires—which was an excellent leg of the trip.

After Buenos Aires, I took a ferry over to Uruguay for a few days, then headed back to Argentina and returned to Lima. From there, my Volaris pass kicked back in and carried me the rest of the way home.

By mixing an all-you-can-fly pass with low-cost regional airlines, I was able to move through Central and South America efficiently—and incredibly cheaply. It’s a perfect example of how flexible routing and inexpensive flights can turn a big trip into a very affordable one.

$57,950 Chilean Peso = $61.02 US Dollar

Santiago is a massive city, and one of the things that stood out to me immediately was the level of visible poverty. In some ways, it reminded me of my first experiences in Brazil—that sharp contrast between modern city life and deep, systemic hardship existing side by side.

I took a day trip to ConcĂłn, a popular resort town known for its dunes, beaches, boardwalk, and nightlife. The destination itself was polished and relaxed, but the bus ride there told a different story.

We passed through several small towns along the way. Kids were playing soccer in open spaces surrounded by trash—laughing, running, fully present in the moment. It was striking and uncomfortable at the same time.

I’d seen this before in Brazil, and seeing it again was a reminder of how widespread poverty can be across parts of South America. Informal housing climbing hillsides, communities built wherever space allows, and families making the best of what they have—it’s impossible not to notice when you’re moving through the region by ground instead of flying over it.

Travel like this has a way of pulling you out of abstractions. The inequality isn’t theoretical—it’s right outside the bus window. And while places like Santiago and Concón have their beauty and energy, those moments in between are often what stay with you the longest.

The biggest highlight of my time in Santiago was visiting Metropolitan Park of San CristĂłbal Hill. Getting up high above the city completely changed my perspective and made it crystal clear just how massive Santiago really is.

From the top of San Cristóbal Hill, the city stretches endlessly in every direction, with the Andes looming in the background and neighborhoods blending into one another as far as the eye can see. It’s one of those viewpoints where everything clicks—the scale, the density, and the complexity of the city all at once.

Pictures never fully capture it, but they come close. I’ve included a few photos (and a video) here, and I hope they do it justice. Standing up there, looking out over Santiago, was one of those quiet travel moments where you just stop and take it all in.

After a fun ride up, we finally reached the top—and somehow, the view was even better than what we’d seen on the way up. Standing there above Santiago, with the city spread out in every direction, really put its scale into perspective.

It was one of those moments where you stop taking pictures, stop moving, and just take it in.

At the top of Cerro San Cristóbal, there’s a beautiful little church that feels quiet and understated compared to what comes next. Just beyond it stands the massive Virgen de la Inmaculada Concepción, watching over the entire city from above.

Seeing it immediately reminded me of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro. Different scale and style, but the same feeling—these monuments aren’t just landmarks, they’re symbols. You feel their presence long before you understand their significance.

Standing up there, with Santiago spread out below, it was one of those moments where travel connects places in your memory. Chile and Brazil, different cultures and landscapes, but tied together by perspective, altitude, and awe.

Every time I visit a church somewhere in the world, there’s that familiar ritual—lighting a candle for someone you want to pray for, and leaving a small donation. It’s simple, quiet, and grounding, no matter where you are.

My mom used to do this all the time, later in her life. Every church visit meant a candle lit, a pause, and a moment of intention.

And I know—without a doubt—that a lot of those candles were a prayer for me. 🙏🏻

Check out my YouTube channel for 1,500+ travel videos from around the world, focused on geoarbitrage, slow travel, and living well without overspending. Real cities, real costs, real movement—nothing rushed, nothing staged.

NorthAmericanDarrell – YouTube

Smash that subscribe button like it’s the last beer in the fridge on a Saturday night.

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No-alchohol beer – He likes it!🥳

by Buy me a beerTravel memoriesTravels Stories

Disclaimer: This is NOT the final answer, but it has become a clear option for IPA consumption for me!  IPAs are my favorite and can have up to 8% alcohol, which can put me in the shitter, quickly!

One of my favorite things to do when traveling is trying the local beer. There are microbreweries in every city, so I can try them during my visits and have done so over the years.  Honestly, I never really considered NA beer until trying them and realizing how good they are and better yet, how they don’t make me feel.  

I get the same feeling of drinking a beer while watching the game, with no hangovers or questionable decisions.  Talk about a win-win-win!

I have tried quite a few NA IPAs, and I will share my thoughts in this post in hopes that you give them a chance.  One of the first IPAs on my market that I remember is Lagunitas.  

These have put me under the table more times than I would like to admit, and I quit drinking them years ago.

It wasn’t hard to dig up an old Lagunitas picture, I did ding all, including my liver (LOL). The Lagunitas India Pale Ale (6.2% alc): 190 calories per 12 fl oz 🤪

The next picture was the first time I tried a similar NA version, and what an amazing surprise.  Here is the description from their website, and you can find more information by clicking here:

“With the rising need for more near-beer, and with Hazys taking over beer fridges, our clever brewers did the math and put the two and two together and gave you .05% and 60 calories. Enter Hazy IPNA, a flavorfully juicy non-alc option that’s packed with passionfruit flavor. It’s bright and hoppy like our IPNA, only this time we went crazy hazy and tropically hoppy. It’s everything you want in a refreshingly satisfying IPA…It has all of the juicy flavor, all of the haze, and none of the compromise.”

 I have tried other brands and find myself at Total Wine package store looking for new ones, Google and here is a “Top 10” and “Top 12” I found to during my research to try to keep this momentum.

The next on my list of favorites is Guinness NA.  I have also had a few of the original, including tasting them right from the Brewery in Dublin, Ireland, where I acquired the unique taste.  This NA tastes almost the same, and it was a staple for me during the Edmonton Oilers’ run during the hockey playoffs in 2025.

The secret to keeping this trend going is finding different flavors in the fridge to avoid a beer run. 

My first serious attempt was spending ~$80, which is basically the same price as regular beer. 😐

The winners in this order were Guinness, which I already mentioned, Partake IPA, Sober Carpenter IPA, Athletic IPA, and then the far right Athletic, which was ok with a lime but watered down version of beer.  It did taste great with Clamato, which was a win to keep around.

This is when I knew I was onto something awesome!  I then started researching the best IPAs and found Go Brewing, and they delivered right to my front door for FREE.  Below is $96 in NA beer with 20% off promo, which worked out to under $2 a beer. They had the best rating on IPAs, but unfortunately, they were not as good as Lagunitas, but glad I ordered them as I now have a legitimate favorite.

I have had some people congratulate me on switching to NA beer, while others ask, “What’s the Point?”.

Well, after taking a break from real beer, here is how it helped me so far:

1. I have been to the gym/spa almost every day for the last two months.

(Steam, sauna, cold plunge, hot tub on repeat for 2-3 hours)

2. I set up my cardio at home and work out every morning before the gym.

3. I have not had a hangover for the last two months.

(I haven’t been back to Mexico since, but I have already packed a NA cooler). 😐

4. The best of all, I feel fantastic, and people are starting to notice my weight loss.

Admittedly, I have always been a fad person my whole life, and this may be no different.

I have lost/gained many times over the years, which is something that does not stick long term.  It has to be a lifestyle change, and a routine takes a lot longer than two months to show 100% commitment. The first thing I mentioned in this blog is that it is not a replacement but an alternative that has been working for me.  

Another good reason is to let you know that I am headed to Mexico soon and Oktoberfest in two months, which will be a good test of this fad.  A German friend told me that they do sell NA beer in Munich and there is a NA tequila that I will take to Mexico in my cooler of hope, but I will have real beer there in moderation.

 Other than Margaritas and the odd Bloody Mary/Caesar, I do not drink alcohol, but you can see that there are NA options, including Ritual and Free Spirits brands.  Ritual is the number 1 seller of “Mocktail” replacements, as they use it in bars, from my understanding. Here is a YouTube video I found, and making a mocktail margarita:

If this is something that has piqued your interest, I found another company that creates fancy Mocktails.  Some are even premade as testers and their website can be found here:

I will update my blog after Mexico and Oktoberfest, as I often do with my blogs.

Here are the NA beers I have tried with links, and I will also continue to update.

Athletic Brewing 

Lagunitas Hazy IPA

Sober Carpenter

Guinness 0.0

Go Brewing

Partake Brewing

Sierra Nevada Brewing

Bero 

Penn’s best (Less than half price compared to others – $3.99 six pack – most others $10+)

Heinieken 0.0 

Tecate 0.0 Mexican cerveza

What is your favorite NA feel-good beer so I can add it to my list?

H19

Hawaii – miss you, see you soon!! 🤙🏻

by Fishing in KonaHonolulukailua-kona, hawaii

I have been fortunate enough to go to Hawaii several times and lived there for four months at the end of 2022 into 2023. I was at the end of my rope with my job and took my show on the road incognito.

I have visited almost every island except Kauai and Molokai.

Each Island had its vibe for me.  Expensive, touristy, inexpensive, better food, and of course, fishing.  I do not need to go back to Maui or Lanai, as there was not much there for me.  Maui is super expensive, and Lanai is a dot on the map that is extinct since they took the Dole factory and moved it to Oahu near the North Shore.

My choices come down to two: Oahu, as it is the least expensive, and the local transportation, and Kona for the fishing and friends.  These are the two I spent the most time on, including my incongnito work trips.

Let’s start with my favorite, hands down, Kona!  I was lucky enough to meet first mate Sue in my first week there, who introduced me to her fishing crew, and I never looked back.  They were some of the most fun traveling days of my life to date out on that boat catching my dream fish, a 338 Marlin!  The weight changes with each story, as it was such an EPIC day, and the official weight was 334 lbs, and we smoked it at Captain Tom’s.  

It tasted like fishy, spicy jerky, and it was unforgettable, as you can see from my smile while reeling it in that day.

This is an absolute dream crew (makes me dream of going deep-sea fishing again)!

I was also able to find great, inexpensive food and happy hours.  There was the big hotel on Ali Drive where I would crush local IPAs and Kona ahi tuna nachos by the pool overlooking the ocean.  The Kona Brewery, where I could try all of their beers on tap and take a growler home. O’la Seltzer Brewery, where they made the best seltzers, including Lemongrass, which was my favorite drink while eating Ahi tuna.  Willie’s Chicken serves the best chicken tenders (my favorite), and Da Shark Shack is a local dive bar where they’d show Oilers games for me and serve my favorite fish, Ono.  

I would take the free trolley around town, which would drop me off at all my favorites.

Other than fishing and friends, here are just some of my favorites mentioned that keep me coming back to Kona.

No mistakes can be made visiting any of the Hawaiian Islands except saving a few bucks here and there. It all comes down to choice.  I know people who love Maui, too.  The road to Hana is stunning, but it was one and done for me, especially after Lahaina burned down and the politics and conspiracy theories that followed.

The historic town of Lahaina, the former capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii, was damaged beyond recognition in the weeklong series of fires. A community plagued by a housing crisis and power struggles with the tourism industry was among the issues tested in the aftermath of the wildfire.  Oddly enough, Oprah’s and the properties were untouched by the fires while they begged for donations to rebuild the Island. 🙄

Honolulu, Oahu, fits me best for many reasons.  I have an Airbnb that I have stayed at several times for $35 a night or $1000 a month.  I am able to catch the bus to Waikiki or the North Shore for $2 and find all of the GEMs.

My favorite ways to kill a day are to pack my hammock, beach chair, and beers, and take the bus to Waikiki or the North shore.  I would wing it from there, hitting my favorites: Foodland poke from the deli, Yard house happy hour, and stopping in at the ABC store on the way to the beach with my hammock.  

Cost-wise, this plan cannot be beat as a solo traveler, and I plan to keep it in my routine.

I would not be able to keep returning to paradise without cutting a few corners along the way.  

Let me know if you need help saving a buck or two!!

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Solo travel – don’t knock it, until you try it!

by Airbnb recommendationsHostel recommendationsHostelsSlow travelTravels Deals

rarely had great experiences traveling with other people—and yes, I fully understand that I’m the common denominator here. I’ve done the math.

That said, I genuinely don’t know how some people manage to travel together at all. Maybe they’re just comfortable arguing as a lifestyle choice. I’ve seen it. I still see it. Loudly. In public. Over nothing.

I was told more than once that I needed to change, adapt, or compromise… otherwise I’d end up traveling alone forever.

Well… look at me now.
It’s working out just fine.

Meanwhile, you’re still arguing about:

whose turn it was to plan

where to park

And why that restaurant you absolutely had to try is suddenly a disaster

🫡 Godspeed.

Some of my worst vacations were spent with other people.
Some of the best times of my life have been solo.

Watching grown adults bicker nonstop doesn’t look relaxing to me. I’ve been there. I’ve lived it. I’ve watched it unfold too many times to pretend it’s “part of the experience.”

Getting yelled at like a puppy in public while supposedly on vacation?

Yeah… HELL NO.

Solo travel isn’t for everyone.
But neither is forced compromise pretending to be a “great trip.”

Pick your chaos wisely.

So many people can’t even go out to dinner by themselves—let alone visit another country solo.

I honestly think solo travel (and yes, solo dining) is a skill. And like any skill, it has to be learned. This didn’t come naturally to me either.

It came from years of traveling for work. If you didn’t force yourself out of the hotel or apartment, you’d just stare at the same four walls every night. That gets depressing real fast. So I started going out alone—restaurants, cafés, even the movies.

Turns out, it’s kind of amazing.

No negotiating where to eat.
No waiting on someone who “isn’t hungry but might order something.”
No small talk when you just want to enjoy the moment.

And let’s be honest…

Not having to share popcorn is elite behavior.
Everyone wants the last handful. I’m just brave enough to admit it. 😁

Solo travel isn’t lonely—it’s efficient.
Solo dining isn’t sad—it’s peaceful.

Once you learn the skill, it’s hard to give it up.

I recently came across an article on Hostelworld that inspired me to write more about my solo travel and hostel experiences. Their content does a great job digging into why hostels are such a natural fit for people traveling alone.

As of this blog, I’ve stayed in hostels in:

Thailand

Philippines

Vietnam

Cambodia

London

Austria

Bulgaria

Greece

Hungary

United Arab Emirates

United States

And my favorite Hawaiian island, Kona, multiple times

(I know I’m forgetting a few—so I’ll keep updating the list as I remember them.)

Hostelworld’s articles go much deeper into the why behind solo travel and hostel culture. If this topic resonates with you, their blog is well worth a read:

Solo Traveller Hostel Blog – Hostelworld Travel Blog

At the end of the day, being comfortable on your own isn’t lonely—it’s freedom. And once you get good at it, the world opens up in ways group travel never quite allows.

I’m just going to borrow a bunch of their fancy data and stack it up against my own travels—because honestly, it lines up way better than I expected.

First of all… how great is it that Japan ranks as the #1 solo-travel country?
I already booked a full month in Japan for February 2026, followed immediately by another month in South Korea. Complete coincidence, obviously. Totally not validating every life choice I’ve made. 😄

While I was bouncing around Southeast Asia, I had no idea how popular Japan was for solo travelers. Then I fell down the YouTube rabbit hole (as one does), and now I’m fully committed. The planning alone has me fired up—and that’s before I even land.

And here’s the kicker…

I’ve already been to 10 of the 16 countries on their solo-travel bucket list. I’ll knock out four more on my next two trips, which leaves just New Zealand and Iceland sitting at the top of the list—according to the “experts,” anyway. 😎

Not bad for someone who was once told they’d end up traveling alone forever.

Turns out, that wasn’t a warning.
It was a recommendation.

Let’s look at some of the stats on solo travelers from the Hostel World blog. These numbers help show just how big—and how legit—solo travel has become.

Whether you’re curious about who’s doing it, where they go, or why they love it, the data lines up with my own experience out on the road.

Below are the key takeaways from the blog, followed by how my travels stack up against those trends:

I know what you’ve probably been thinking since you started reading this—and trust me, I’ve been told the same thing more than once:

Aren’t you a bit old to be staying in hostels?

Maybe 🫡
But you’d be surprised by some of the experiences I’ve had.

Hostels aren’t just for 20-year-olds on gap years anymore. They’re full of solo travelers, digital nomads, long-term wanderers, and people who simply value connection over room service. Some nights it’s quiet, some nights it’s social, and some nights you end up in conversations you never would’ve had behind a hotel door.

Age matters a lot less when everyone’s there for the same reason: to see the world without overcomplicating it.

I 100% agree—the last thing I want is to make anyone uncomfortable during their travels. Because of that, I’ve developed a few personal rules when it comes to booking hostels.

First, I’ll always book a studio or private room if one is available. Having my own space matters to me now, especially after years of being on the road.

Second, I’ll only book a dorm room if a private option isn’t available or the price difference is completely out of line. In some countries, a single bunk bed can run $50+ per night—that’s $1,550+ per month—so you can imagine what studios or hotels cost in those same places.

I’ve also realized I’m far from alone in this approach. Especially in Europe, it’s common to see older travelers and even couples staying in hostels. Sometimes it’s a bunk, sometimes a private room, and occasionally a one-bedroom if the property offers it. The idea that hostels are only for twenty-somethings on gap years just doesn’t hold up anymore.

Another lingering stigma around hostels—and travel in general—is safety and comfort. In reality, modern hostels have come a long way: lockers, key-card access, privacy curtains, solid Wi-Fi, and thoughtful layouts are more common than not.

Like everything in travel, it comes down to choosing what works for you. Hostels aren’t about suffering through discomfort—they’re about flexibility, affordability, and meeting people on your own terms.

I’ve only had one truly bad hostel experience, and it happened in Orange County, California. It was bad enough that I left—and yes, I was refunded. That experience was enough for me to decide I’ll never stay in a hostel in California again. Lesson learned.

That said, let’s be real—how many people can honestly say they’ve also had a brutal stay at an expensive hotel? It happens. Price doesn’t guarantee a great experience, just like budget travel doesn’t guarantee a bad one.

If you’re a solo traveler, I genuinely hope some of this helps you feel comfortable trying it at least once. Start smart. Choose what fits you. Adjust as you go.

And if you need advice or have questions, I’d love to hear from you through the homepage contact.

Make it unforgettable—and affordable. 🤙🏻

There are a lot of reasons people choose to travel solo, but these are the top three that line up with mine:

Freedom of Choice

Every decision is yours—when to wake up, where to eat, how long to stay, and when to move on. No compromises, no negotiations, no group chats arguing about dinner plans. If something feels right, you go. If it doesn’t, you pivot.

Peace Over Compromise

Solo travel eliminates unnecessary friction. No bickering over directions, budgets, or schedules. No managing other people’s moods. What you gain instead is calm, clarity, and the ability to actually enjoy where you are without tension tagging along.

Growth Through Discomfort

Traveling alone forces you to engage—with places, people, and yourself. You learn how to solve problems, sit with silence, and be comfortable on your own. That confidence carries back into everyday life in ways most people don’t expect.

Solo travel isn’t about being antisocial or avoiding people—it’s about choosing intentional experiences over forced ones. It’s not for everyone, but for the right person, it changes everything.

Affordability + Built-In Community

Hostel travel makes everything more affordable—and it’s one of the easiest ways to meet like-minded people along the way.

You’ll save significantly on accommodations, and food and drinks are often cheaper too—especially if there’s a shared kitchen or an on-site bar with hostel pricing. Even better, you’re surrounded by other budget-savvy travelers who are constantly exchanging real-time intel: what’s worth seeing, what’s overrated, how to get around cheaply, and where not to get ripped off.

Many hostels also offer discounted excursions, walking tours, and group activities that are both cheaper and more social than booking solo.

It’s not just about saving money—it’s about instantly plugging into a travel brain trust the moment you check in.

If you want, I can now:

write #2 and #3 to match your philosophy

make this funnier or punchier

or tailor it specifically to older solo travelers

You too can become a cheap travel nerd and travel the world solo!

stickboss

My YouTube – get your shit together!🫵🏻

by Personal HistoryTravel bucket listTravels Stories

As I continue charging headfirst at the impossible—trying to build momentum on my channel—I’m starting to see some growth.

Trying to stay relevant as a boomer on YouTube is… ambitious.
Honestly, it’s probably easier to win the lottery. With worse odds.

I went into this “hobby” knowing that 99.99% of these channels fail, which weirdly makes everything easier. When success is unlikely, the pressure to make money completely disappears.

And yet—here we are.

I’m finally seeing growth in views.
Not subscribers.
Not monetization.
Views.

Monetization is still a distant fantasy, but as of 06/28/2025, the numbers are moving in the right direction—and I’m still stepping up to the plate.

Helmet on.
Bat in hand.

Here are the latest numbers!

🫡

The below updated edit is from 07/07/25!

Ten-day statistics:

Added 214 videos (20% increase)

11 subscribers (8% increase)

Added 40,238 views (34% increase)

Five weeks later, 08/13/2025 …

I hit 200K+ views! 🫵🏻😎

I’m getting some genuinely positive feedback—and a lot of thumbs-up—which tells me people are actually taking the time to say, “Yeah, I enjoyed that.”

I know, it might sound a little childish, but knowing someone is watching does help me keep putting in the time.
I am, after all, a human being.
Mostly.

The ironic part? Friends and family don’t watch at all.

Instead, the views are coming from like-minded strangers from all over the world, which somehow feels even better.

Another unexpected realization has been which videos people actually watch.

The video below has been viewed over 20,000 times, in more than 50 countries, and is still being watched a week after posting.

Turns out, the internet has a mind of its own—and apparently, it found this one interesting.

It’s almost embarrassing how simple it was.

I was just buying a coconut in Vietnam—and somehow that turned into new subscribers and a flood of
👍🏻👍🏼👍👍🏾👍🏿

No edits.
No hot take.
No algorithm whispering.

Just… coconut.

What’s even more interesting is seeing who watched it.
YouTube Analytics doesn’t just tell you how many people watched—it shows you where they’re from, and the audience spread genuinely surprised me.

Apparently, a guy buying a coconut in Vietnam is internationally relatable content.

I currently have 1,300+ videos on my channel—which sounds impressive until you remember how the internet works.

I’m heading to Europe in September 2025, then Japan and Korea in February 2026. After that, I’ll reevaluate this entire shit show and decide whether this is a content strategy… or a cry for help.

Until then, the numbers don’t lie—no matter how confusing they are.

Here are my Top 10 most-watched videos on the channel as of the blog.

So until further notice, I’ll continue being annoying AF—posting on Facebook, Instagram, and sliding into PMs like a man fully committed to this experiment. I’ll keep filming, posting, and seeing what sticks, because apparently a coconut in Vietnam can outperform ~1,599 other videos. 

Worst case? I tried. Best case? The algorithm blinks first.

Come on—hit follow.
You’ve already read this far, you’re clearly invested, and I’ve got 1,600+ videos proving I will not stop.
Follow now or I will continue being annoying AF across every platform until morale improves.

www.NorthAmericanDarrell.com 

#NorthAmericanDarrell

www.Youtube.com/@NorthAmericanDarrell

⬆️⬇️Clickity CLICK⬇️⬆️

www.YouTube.com/@NorthAmericanDarrell

air1

If tomorrow never comes …

by CountriesFreedom 50Travel bucket list

I saw a post today from Claudia, who was my Airbnb host the first time I visited Puerto Vallarta over five years ago, and I couldn’t help myself—I had to write about it.

Thank you for the powerful message, Claudia. And here’s to you traveling exactly the way we talked about all those years ago. 🙌

I have this little schtick I like to play: “Live life to the fullest.”
I’ve said it so much that I actually tattooed it on my left calf.

Ironically, it was also my mom’s most annoying saying when we were kids. I’d roll my eyes and say, “Yes, Mom.” I didn’t really get it—until I unexpectedly lost her on July 1st, 2019. Looking back now, she couldn’t have been more right.

To be fair, she wasn’t all motivation and sunshine. Later in life, she had no problem telling people to kiss her ass, so there was balance. 😄

Every time I hear about someone dying—no matter their age—that phrase comes back to me. I’ve had too many family members whose lives were cut short in one way or another, so it always hits close to home.

That’s what pushed me to write today. Stories like these are reminders—not in a dramatic way, but in a quiet, unavoidable one—that tomorrow isn’t guaranteed. And that makes today matter a whole lot more.

So yeah…
Live life to the fullest.
Roll your eyes if you want.
I did too.

Until I didn’t.

I have this little schtick that I try to play, “Live life to the fullest!”  So much so, I even got it tattooed on my left calf!

It was my mom’s most annoying saying to all of us kids.  I would roll my eyes and say Yes, Mom.  I never realized it until I unexpectedly lost her on July 1st, 2019; she couldn’t be more right.  She would also tell a lot of people to “Kiss her ass” later in life, so she was not all motivation.  LOL

Every time I hear of someone dying, I always think of this saying, no matter the age. I have had so many family members’ lives cut short one way or another, so it does hit home for me.  

These stories from the horrific Air India plane crash made me blog today:

Air India plane crash

For some, it was just another breaking news headline.
For me, it was a stark reminder of how fragile—and unpredictable—life really is.

Four lives. Four stories. Four lessons that reshaped how I think about time, purpose, and grace.

First:
A family who waited years to fulfill their dream of emigrating to the UK. Life kept getting in the way—responsibilities, delays, decisions. When they finally boarded the plane, they believed the hard part was over. They never reached their destination.

It reminded me how often we postpone our lives for “someday.”
If we keep waiting, someday can quietly become never.

Second:
A woman who was supposed to be on that flight—but arrived late. She begged to board and was denied. Angry. Frustrated. Defeated. Only later did she realize that the delay may have saved her life.

We don’t always get what we want because we don’t see what lies ahead.
Sometimes a door closing is protection.

Third:
A man who survived. The plane broke apart, and he happened to be in the section that didn’t catch fire. He walked away from something no one expected anyone to survive.

It didn’t feel like luck. It felt like timing.
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.”
It simply wasn’t his time.

Fourth:
Those who didn’t make it. People with dreams. Families. Unfinished stories.
Someone kissed them goodbye that morning, unaware it would be the last time.

Their lives remind us of a truth we often avoid: time is not guaranteed. We are not promised old age. We are not promised later. What we have is now—a breath, a moment, an opportunity.

So while you still have today:
Don’t wait for the perfect moment.
Live now.

Because life doesn’t always come with warnings.
And sometimes… next time never comes.

Whatever “live life to the fullest” means to you — just fucking do it.

Sometimes tomorrow never comes.
Sometimes planning tomorrow assumes you even get one.

Stop waiting for permission.
Stop waiting for perfect timing.
Stop waiting for approval.

Just let it happen your way.

Because life doesn’t ask when you’re ready.

Whatever “live life to the fullest” means to you — just fucking do it.

Not someday.
Not when it’s convenient.
Not when everything lines up perfectly.

Sometimes tomorrow never comes.
Sometimes planning tomorrow assumes you even get one more day.

Stop waiting for permission.
Stop waiting for perfect timing.
Stop waiting for approval—from your boss, your family, society, or the version of yourself that’s “more ready.”

There is no finish line where life suddenly begins.
There is only now.

Make the trip.

Do it scared.
Do it imperfectly.
Do it your way.

Because life doesn’t ask when you’re ready.
And the only real failure is never showing up at all

Don’t forget to post about it to keep your haters updated!

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AZ: PT home, PT Airbnb & FT awesome!

by AirBnbArizonaTravels Deals

This is the large, heated pool and hot tub right at the front of the property. There’s also a smaller pool in the back, and my condo sits perfectly between the two—which is honestly the ideal setup. Maximum pool access, minimal effort.

This is the view the moment you walk in the front door.
Pools. Palm trees. Adult beverages.

That instant “I’m definitely not at work anymore” feeling never gets old.

And if you want to work from paradise, I’ve got that covered, too.

The setup includes a proper sit/stand desk and an ergonomic chair, so it’s an actual work-from-home space—not a balanced laptop on the couch pretending this is a fine situation. It’s comfortable, functional, and easy to settle into.

Now imagine the water-cooler conversations when people ask how work is going… and you casually mention sunshine, pools, and palm trees.

Yeah—those stories tend to make friends, family, and coworkers just a little jealous. 😎

Less than a 30-minute drive puts you at the Salt River in the Tonto National Forest, where you’ll find one of Arizona’s coolest—and most unexpected—surprises: wild horses roaming freely along the river.

You can kayak, paddleboard, float, or just hang out by the water, and there’s a very real chance they’ll wander right past you like it’s no big deal. No fences. No zoos. Just horses doing horse things with desert cliffs in the background.

It’s one of those only-in-Arizona moments that sounds fake until you see it for yourself—and even then, it never really gets old.

Less than a couple of hours’ drive from Mesa puts you in Sedona—a place that almost doesn’t feel real the first time you see it.

The red rock formations are absolutely captivating. Whether you’re hiking, driving through town, or just pulling over to stare at the scenery, Sedona has a way of slowing everything down. The light changes constantly, the views never repeat, and it somehow feels both grounding and otherworldly at the same time.

It’s one of those places that makes you grateful you didn’t stay home—and a perfect reminder of how much variety Arizona packs into a short drive.

Book on Airbnb—or reach out directly for Friends & Family pricing—and come experience Arizona for yourself.

Beautiful landscapes, endless adventure, warm weather, and wide-open space are all waiting. Arizona is ready when you are. 🌵✨

Photo tour – Listing editor – Airbnb

Wide-open space, warm weather, endless adventure—Arizona is ready when you are. 🌵✨

My nephew and his GF visited from Canada and had an amazing adventure during their visit in the Spring of 2025!

Click below to book your stay or send me a PM from the contacts on the homepage with any questions.

Photo tour – Listing editor – Airbnb

There is nothing like the top off a Jeep and driving through the AZ mountains with the tunes cranked.

Arizona can fix this situation—at least temporarily—if you’re lucky enough to stay at my Airbnb. 

Side effects may include:

 Constant happiness

Hiking locally or a road trip to Sedona

Paddling the Salt River with the wild horses

Cold pool drinks by the pools

Planning another trip here before you leave.

Photo tour – Listing editor – Airbnb

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Credit card points game – #winning!

by All you can flyAsiaHawaiiInternet travel search tipsTravels Deals

I’ve been back and forth to Hawaii several times over the last few years, mostly by stacking credit card points and being flexible with travel dates.

At one point, I even worked remotely there for four months, which was every bit as amazing as it sounds. Same workday… wildly different backdrop.

A few of those trips were on Hawaiian Airlines, where I signed up for their credit card bonus on the plane (yes, that’s a thing). The offer was 70,000 points, with a $100 annual fee that was waived the first year. Between that bonus and flying back and forth—and hopping around the islands—I ended up with 100,000+ points without much effort.

That’s really the theme here:
nothing extreme, nothing fancy—just pay attention to opportunities, stay flexible, and let the math work in your favor.

Hawaii doesn’t have to be a once-in-a-lifetime trip. With points, timing, and remote work, it can just be… life for a while. 🌴✈️

I’ve already burned some of the points over the last couple of years, but I still had 103,000 points sitting there—just waiting to be used.

So I put them to work and booked my February 2026 trip to Japan and South Korea.

And let me tell you… This booking is an absolute GEM.

This is exactly why I’m obsessive about points and flexibility. Credit card bonuses, strategic flights, and a little patience turned into a massive trip that would’ve cost a small fortune out of pocket.

Sunshine in Hawaii ➡️ , neon nights in Tokyo ➡️ , street food in Seoul
All powered by points.

That’s the game.

You read that correctly…

30,000 points.
Five bucks.
Plus tax.

That’s not a typo. That’s a credit-card-points mic drop. ✈️🔥

#NorthAmericanDarrell

This is where points nerd magic really paid off.

I was also able to transfer the remaining 7,500 miles from Hawaiian Airlines to Alaska Airlines to cover my flight from **Phoenix

So if you’re keeping score at home…

👉 Phoenix → Tokyo, Japan:
$11.20 total.

That’s not a typo.
That’s points, patience, and playing the long game.

This is why I preach flexibility, credit-card strategy, and thinking a few trips ahead. You don’t need luxury spending or manufactured nonsense—just consistency and timing.

Sometimes the best travel wins aren’t about where you’re going…
They’re about how little it costs to get there.

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Norse Airlines – Inexpensive, but worth it!

by Internet travel search tipsTravels Deals

Pro Tip: Check Multiple Airports:

When you’re searching for flights, don’t just check your local airport:

Search multiple departure airports that Norse services:

(LAX, NYC, etc.)

Search multiple arrival airports that Norse services:

(London, Paris, Rome)

Search arrival for flexibility

Try flying into one city and out of another

I’ve saved hundreds doing arrive-one-place, depart-another trips — like flying into London and flying home from Rome.

It might cost $50 to get to another airport for departure, but you might also save hundreds.

Travel math doesn’t have to be mysterious.
It just requires flexibility, curiosity, and a willingness to look past the first search result.
That’s how deals become stories… and how aisle seats become lifestyles. ✈️📍

Make sure you go to their website and sign up for their Tuesday takeoff mailer!  This one starts with $129 to London to grab your attention.

They are always sending out teasers that may not fit your schedule, but you never know! I booked my return flight from Los Angeles to London for only $402 return! 👍🏻

 Flying into one airport and departing from another airport would be more adventurous and possibly cheaper, too.  Fly into Athens and leave from Paris, using Los Angeles as an example.  I have blogged/bragged about the deals I have taken advantage of in the past using Norse Airlines:

These are the two one-way flights that I have already taken, which included a carry-on bag and a personal item:

LAX-LGW $109 

(Los Angeles to London Gatwick)     

FCO-LAX 216 Euro/USD 

(Rome to Los Angeles)

If you’re interested, sign up for their weekly email. They send out a rundown of their best deals every week—you can do that by clicking HERE.

I love watching those prices drop!

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My YouTube @NorthAmericanDarrell

by CountriesInternet travel search tipsMy AirbnbSlow travelTravel bucket listTravels Stories

I’ve technically had a YouTube account since 2011, but for most of that time I was just a viewer—no content, no audience, no plan.

When I started this blog in January 2025, my YouTube channel had on

I had subscriber and one lonely video with zero views. 

That’s it. Nothing glamorous.

Once I started blogging, I decided to finally upload all the videos I’d been hoarding on old phones, hard drives, and cloud folders over the years—along with new clips from my travels. No strategy, no algorithm obsession… just hitting publish.

Slowly—it started to grow and update the numbers regularily:

As of  06/01/2026

~1800 videos and shorts

~285 subscribers

~180 blog posts (and growing daily)

293,000+ total views, which honestly blows my mind

Time, learning and hard work and still not still nothing glamorous!

Building the YouTube channel has been just as fun as working on the blog. I embed videos directly into posts so readers can see places the way I experienced them, not just read about them. I’ve also organized the videos by country, so they’re easy to browse if you’re planning a trip or just wandering.

If you feel like it, I’d love the support—give me a follow or a thumbs up here:

Darrell – YouTube

No pressure. No expectations. Let the miserable people judge.

sharing my dreamS, my journey, my way!

Here is a cheat sheet to get a glimpse of my YouTube channel:

Click to subscribe to @NorthAmericanDarrell’s YouTube channel

Click to view a list of all the 850+ videos on the channel

Click to view a list of all the short videos on the channel

Click to view the fast-growing posts on the channel.

Click to view the playlist of all the videos broken down by Country.

Click to view the featured videos on @NorthAmericanDarrell YouTube channel

Please take the time to become a subscriber and grow my channel:

Darrell – YouTube    <— click

https://www.youtube.com/@northamericandarrell <— click

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Finding flight deals! It’s too damn easy!!✈️

by Internet travel search tipsTravel bucket listTravels Deals

I’m always hunting for a deal—and honestly, finding a cheap flight gives me an irrational amount of joy.

I’m always hunting for flight deals—and honestly, I still get a rush every time I find a good one. It never gets old.

The first place I always start is Google Flights. It’s the fastest way to see which airlines are running sales and which routes are suddenly cheap. It also gives you a big-picture view instead of locking you into one airline too early.

The first thing you’ll want to do is set your home airport and country. That part matters more than most people realize. I’ll often switch countries or check prices from different locations because many sites use cookies and regional pricing. Sometimes the same flight is noticeably cheaper just by changing where you’re “searching from.”

You can enter exact departure and return dates, but I usually leave them blank at first. I want to see what’s cheap before I decide when or where to go. Let the prices guide the plan, not the other way around.

Right now, I’m scanning flights for Europe and Southeast Asia, and starting with an open search gives me a much better sense of where the real deals are hiding before I narrow anything down.

That flexibility is where the magic—and the savings—usually happen.

My go-to search method

I usually leave the dates blank at first.

This gives me a high-level snapshot of the best prices available right now, which helps set expectations before I commit to anything. It’s especially useful when you’re flexible or just fishing for ideas.

When I was looking at Europe and Southeast Asia, this approach instantly showed me:

The cheapest round-trip prices

\Which cities were on sale

Which airlines were driving those deals

If a price catches my eye, I click into the city, and Google Flights shows:

The exact dates

The airline

How long is that price likely to last

From there, I either:

Book immediately, or

Take note of the price and keep checking until it drops closer to my ideal dates.

I will typically charge the flight to my PayPal credit card.  That way, I can pay it off at the end of the month or make minimum payments and place it in the budget down the road.  

If you’ve made it this far and are actually paying attention, you’ll notice a pattern: Asia prices were lower last year. That’s exactly why I keep checking and tracking them. Deals come and go—but trends matter.

Flights from Los Angeles to London are almost always a steal. It’s one of the most consistently cheap long-haul routes out there. One-ways are often under $200, and round-trips regularly hover around $500 on Norse Atlantic Airways.
I even spotted a $402 round-trip deal today, which is absolutely worth watching.

The tradeoff with cheap one-way tickets is simple:
You’re gambling on the return price.

Sometimes it works beautifully.
Sometimes it doesn’t.

That’s the cost of flexibility—but it’s also the upside. A one-way ticket gives you the option to:

Stay longer

Change countries

Or fly home from an entirely different city

That’s how one trip quietly turns into a bigger adventure.

In the end, it always comes down to:

Timing

Patience

And knowing when “good enough” is actually a great deal

I also have a bit of an ace-in-the-hole—a friend who can get me home on a buddy pass if things go sideways. Not mad about it.

Last time, she even snagged me an emergency exit bulkhead seat with extra legroom and free drinks. Honestly, that felt like winning the airline lottery without losing half in a divorce.

Moral of the story:
Always have a Plan B.
And if Plan B includes legroom and booze… even better. 🍻✈️

A legend in my mind is the best way to describe it. 

I think differently from most people!

I was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and raised in the early eighties when life was simple. We rode our bikes, played outside, and didn’t have the internet and cell phones like kids today.

Canada was the only thing I knew until my first vacation to Southern California, Las Vegas, and Mexico in my early teens. My first memory of travel was falling asleep under the Christmas tree with the paper airline ticket after reading it 100s of times. 

Yes, they used to have paper carbon copies of your actual legs of an airplane return trip, wild! 

Just like now, I would tell anyone who cared about my travels (most didn’t and still don’t) that I was going to California, Acapulco, and Mexico (some things never change, LOL)!  We drove all around Southern California into Las Vegas and then flew to Acapulco with those initial memories engraved in my mind forever. 

Unimaginable at the time, I would later live in Southern California, Las Vegas, and now spend part of my time in Rocky Point, Mexico, and Mesa, Arizona, when I am not traveling.  Looking back, I had a plan, and no matter what happened along the way, I would selfishly follow it, even if I didn’t know it at the time of my decisions. 

The makings of a solo traveler!

After graduating from high school in Edmonton and trying a few things, my first break happened. I wanted to work with satellites for some unknown reason, so I enrolled in Telecommunications at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) in Edmonton. It would take me three years to complete my two-year Telecommunications associate’s diploma. I was not the most dedicated student, to say the least, plus my favorite bar was just across the field, Ezzies.

The week before graduating from NAIT in December 1995, I would interview with Canada’s largest Company, Northern Telecom. Looking back, it was a miracle as I was in the bottom half of my class. I aced the interview, and it was the biggest break in my life! I was going to make $13.80 an hour from the part-time $5.50 I was making in 1995; life was good!!

I needed to relocate to Calgary, AB, and started on January 4th, 1996. Within a couple of years, I was traveling back and forth to our Richardson, TX head office, which is a suburb in Northern Dallas. It seemed that I was going there every month, making contacts while falling in love with the American dream. I would board a plane in freezing Calgary, and three hours later, I was wearing shorts! How awesome was that!!

After traveling back and forth, I met someone who was a flight attendant, which again was another sign of things to come.

Eventually, I was offered a job in Richardson, TX, given a work visa, and was traveling full-time. 

I bring this up as looking back, she was a major part of my decision to move to the United States. Work would have me crisscrossing the United States and eventually internationally. My girlfriend would follow me and also fly me anywhere I wanted, whenever I wanted. 

Holy shit, my dreams were happening! After a few crazy years, it never worked out, but I still thank her to this day when I ask for free flights, LOL. Thankfully, she has a great life raising twin boys along the way!

Little did I know, but these events would severely warp my crazy traveling mind into what it is today. A travel junky who cannot stay put and is always looking for a deal. I was turning into North American Darrell!

My next break was getting a job at PayPal after 18 years at my first job out of college. The job fell in line with my strong beliefs in managing money, so I could eventually travel. It was a great company, a shitty call center job, but it showed some additional money management skills learning through others.

I would get yelled at via email, chat, or on the phone by people being broke-ass douchebag, not being able to manage their money. I could have also easily moved up and might still be employed, but I just didn’t have the piss and vinegar needed. I had health insurance and investments in place, and I was burning time for the Freedom50 traveling dream.

Fast forward, and I was laid off for the second time by a greedy corporation. 

Northern Telecom after 18 years in 2014, and now PayPal, 7 years in 2024, 25+ years of service gone after both started cleaning house.  Here I was in 2024, unemployed, 52, single AF.  I was somewhat financially stable and able to travel whenever and wherever I wanted, again. I started looking back on previous decisions in life.

Almost everyone had a kid, and grandkids, worked 9-5, took their one-week all-inclusive vacation, and spent the summers at the lake. They were living the life we were taught to live by generations. You’re supposed to get married, have 2.5 kids, live in a house with a white picket fence, pay a mortgage, be in debt, retire, and then die.  That is just how it works out for the majority of people, and there is nothing wrong with it, but again, I am just different.

Statistically, if you’re a man, you die when you’re 73, if I am lucky to make it that far. 

That gives some people 5-10 years of retirement, depending on their health, after working their whole life. I watched it happen over and over in my Telecom career while losing so many family members at a young age as well.

Should I have kept my houses in Edmonton, Atlanta, and Charlotte, where I had some stability? 

My first 2,400-square-foot Edmonton house that I designed and built did not have a mortgage. I was able to pay cash from my work travels. I would have been set with no mortgage, surrounded by my friends and family, living like a normal person. I didn’t even use one of the three bathrooms before I sold it, FFS! 

Who in their right mind would move on from that situation? 🙋🏻‍♂️

I could have also settled in other amazing cities that I worked in long-term (Calgary, Dallas, Southern California …)

What about all the other shorter stops along the way (Las Vegas, Austin, San Antonio, Mexico City, Acapulco, and even Brazil)? I had corporate condos for months at a time, met some women and friends, and had a good job opportunity to possibly settle down.  There were also so many amazing situations in their way, and I still think about all of them from time to time. I am slowly convincing myself that as we get older, life is a mirage, and we see it the way we want.

Instead, I settled into my small, turnkey, mortgage-free condo that I Airbnb in AZ in 2015 for the long run.

I have always wanted to blog about my travel years of work and personal travel. This is the second attempt, so here we go, again!  I hope to share my idea of inexpensive travel through slow travel and geoarbitrage blogs.

Slow travel is a deliberate, unhurried approach to exploring destinations, emphasizing meaningful experiences and cultural immersion. Think of it as living like a local on vacation, where your dollar goes a lot further, geoarbitrage.

Welcome to NorthAmericanDarrell.com LFG!

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Rocky Point, Mexico 🌮Taco Tuesday🌮

by AccommodationsAirbnb recommendationsMexicoRocky Point

Celebrated Taco Tuesday the only responsible way—fish tacos to start, hard-shell chicken tacos to finish, and absolutely zero regard for sequencing, nutrition, or personal dignity.

If this is wrong, I don’t want to be right.

Taco Tuesday went off the rails with beers, the Oilers are winning, and I’m dangerously close to texting people I shouldn’t.

Pray for me. 🙏

Suddenly, I’m pacing, yelling at the TV, talking to tacos like they understand hockey

LFG tacos and burritos.

LFG, whatever this version of adulthood is..

Wing Wednesday hits are different when you are at the beach on that glorious Humpday!

The Edmonton Oilers knock out Vegas and are headed to the Western Conference final!

A City that never sleeps? 

Goodnight Vegas!!

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Wizz Airlines – all you can fly update …

by All you can flyInternet travel search tipsTravel bucket listTravels DealsWizz - AYCF!

In September 2024, I bought a one-year all-you-can-fly pass with Wizz Air for about $499 USD/EUR (they were basically at par at the time).

It was absolutely a leap of faith, considering you have to actually get to Europe before the pass is worth anything. But I made it work—three separate trips to Europe in twelve months, all on Norse Airlines, paying anywhere from $109 to $250 one-way out of Los Angeles.

That alone made the pass viable.

I ended up booking 24 flights on the Wizz pass—roughly $23 per flight—and cancelled four of them as plans changed, which is kind of the whole point of traveling this way.

I didn’t renew the pass for 2026. I’m taking a year off. Not because it wasn’t worth it—but because I squeezed the hell out of it.

High risk? Maybe.
Great value? Absolutely.
Would I do it again? Ask me after I get bored.

The part I enjoy most about the pass is the pure spontaneity. I log in, look at availability, and suddenly I’ve got 52 countries staring back at me like, “Pick one.”

There’s a three-day booking window, which means I could be leaving the same day or within the next few days. No overthinking. No long-term planning paralysis. Just momentum.

I paired the pass with a Eurail train pass on my third trip, making it even more convenient to decide between flying or taking the train.  

I found myself canceling flights and taking the train as I blogged about HERE.

Here is a list of the Countries available for booking:

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Visiting Mi casita in Rocky Point Mexico!

by All you can flyRocky PointWizz - AYCF!

I took the shuttle from Phoenix for $55, and it dropped me off down the street from my casa, which is perfect. It takes me about four hours to drive door-to-door from my condo in Mesa. The shuttle leaves from West Phoenix and takes about the same time.  The USA van takes you to the border, and you walk across, and the Mexican van is waiting. It works out perfectly!

I keep my truck here as it is only $175 a year to insure and inexpensive to maintain. It is a 2003 F-150 I bought off the showroom floor, so I don’t want to let it go. Any major issues will be the end in the United States. My mechanic here is a tenth of the price, so it is a good place to try to keep it on the road. I only drive it around town, which should keep it going for a long time.

When I arrived, my landlord greeted me with a high five. It always feels so good to open that door, as it feels like home. 

I have everything I need here to live a simple life. Comfy bed, beer fridge, grill, office, and a 55″ TV all for $150 a month. 

I have zero issues keeping it empty most of the year. It is here when my AZ Airbnb is rented or when I want to just get away. 

I always have a couple of first stops to see local faces and grab some of my favorites when I come to town.

I had my favorite chicken enchiladas with green sauce (pollo enchiladas verde.

Yes - I demolished it all in one sitting!

Lower prices, oceanfront beers, playoff hockey, and everyone always has a great time!

2-for-1 wings! 👌

The most famous restaurant in Rocky Point is Pollo Lucas (Lucas Chicken).  It is a short ten-minute walk from my pad, and it is amazing.

You can order 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, or the whole chicken and eat it or take it to go.

Each order comes with onions and lettuce, with the awesome homemade salsa and tortillas.

I get the 1/4 chicken for 65 pesos, which is $2.50 for the best lunch ever! The half chicken is $120 Pesos, which can feed two people easily for $6 USD.  The whole chicken can feed larger families for about $12 with all the fixings!

Friday nights are surf and turn night at my local watering hole down the street.

The price cannot be beat, as that was $15 USD with a draft beer and hockey.

$150 a month rent easily explains why I have been renting here for over 7 years! Awesome setup!!

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Naples, Italy – Pompeii Museum

by AccommodationsItalyTravels DealsTravels Stories

Look for the cost, accommodation, and how to get there cheap at the bottom of this blog!

I am the first to admit that I knew very little about the history of Greece and Italy until my visit in the spring of 2025. Due to rain, I did not make it to the actual city, so this post will be dedicated to the Pompeii Museum in Naples, Italy.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. This article is about the ancient city of Pompeii. For the Classical Roman leader, see Pompey. For the Roman family, see Pompeia gens. For the Pacific Island, see Pohnpei.

Largely preserved under the ash, Pompeii offers a unique snapshot of Roman life, frozen at the moment it was buried, as well as insight into ancient urban planning. It was a wealthy town of 10,000 to 20,000 residents at the time it was destroyed. It hosted many fine public buildings and luxurious private houses with lavish decorations, furnishings, and artworks, which were the main attractions for early excavators; subsequent excavations have found hundreds of private homes and businesses reflecting various architectural styles and social classes, as well as numerous public buildings. Organic remains, including wooden objects and human bodies, were interred in the ash; their eventual decay allowed archaeologists to create molds of figures in their final moments of life. The numerous graffiti carved on outside walls and inside rooms provide a wealth of examples of the largely lost Vulgar Latin spoken colloquially at the time, contrasting with the formal language of classical writers.

Following its destruction, Pompeii remained largely undisturbed until its rediscovery in the late 16th century. Major excavations did not begin until the mid-18th century, which marked the emergence of modern archeology; initial efforts to unearth the city were haphazard or marred by looting, resulting in many items or sites being damaged or destroyed. By 1960, most of Pompeii had been uncovered but left in decay; further major excavations were banned or limited to targeted, prioritized areas. Since 2018, these efforts have led to discoveries in some previously unexplored areas of the city.

Pompeii is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, owing to its status as “the only archaeological site in the world that provides a complete picture of an ancient Roman city. 

It is among the most popular tourist attractions in Italy, with approximately 2.5 million visitors annually.

Pompeii was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius on August 24, 79 CE. The volcanic debris covered the city, burying it beneath a blanket of ash and pumice.

Following its destruction, Pompeii remained largely undisturbed until its rediscovery in the late 16th century. Major excavations did not begin until the mid-18th century, which marked the emergence of modern archeology;[5] initial efforts to unearth the city were haphazard or marred by looting, resulting in many items or sites being damaged or destroyed.[6] By 1960, most of Pompeii had been uncovered but left in decay;[7] further major excavations were banned or limited to targeted, prioritized areas. 

Since 2018, these efforts have led to discoveries in some previously unexplored areas of the city.

Less than ten years ago, which is what made this museum so fascinating to me. Here is the entrance:

I must have taken over a hundred pictures and videos, as everywhere you looked was incredible. 

Here are some favorite pictures, a nd you can find all of the pictures here:

One of the most incredible things about Pompeii is that they are still discovering new things as they continue to roll back time, excavating the site.  

The ruins at Pompeii were first discovered late in the 16th century by the architect Domenico Fontana. Herculaneum was discovered in 1709, and systematic excavation began there in 1738. Work did not begin at Pompeii until 1748, and in 176,3 an inscription (“Rei publicae Pompeianorum”) was found that identified the site as Pompeii. The work at these towns in the mid-18th century marked the start of the modern science of archaeology.

Here is a recent article I found that explains they are still discovering ruins:

Archaeologists make a breakthrough as life-size sculptures are discovered in a Pompeii tomb

Archaeologists make a breakthrough as life-size sculptures are discovered in a Pompeii tomb

Visitors to the site of Pompeii, the ancient Roman town buried (and so preserved for thousands of years) by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, don’t often think to look beyond the city walls. And it’s easy to understand why: there’s plenty on offer within this monumentally well-preserved town, from jewel-like wall paintings of myths and legends like Helen of Troy, to the majestic amphitheatre and sumptuously stuccoed baths.

But step outside the gates for a moment, and you’re in a very different – yet no less important – world.

For the ancient Romans, the roads and paths leading into and out of cities were crucial: not just for getting places, but as a very real kind of “memory lane”. Tombs lined these ancient byways – some simply bearing inscriptions to the memories of loved ones lost, others, more grand, accommodating space for friends and family to feast in remembrance of the dead.

Some of the tombs even address the passerby directly, as if their occupant could speak again, and pass on what they’ve learned. Take one Pompeian example, set up by the freedman Publius Vesonius Phileros, which opens with ineffable politeness: “Stranger, wait a while if it’s no trouble, and learn what not to do.”

Going into Pompeii, and leaving it, was about being reminded of ways of living and ways of dying – as well as an invitation to tip your hat to those who trod the path before you, and to learn from their example.

Click the link to read the entire article.

During my travels, I try to balance the cheap, thrifty and going for it while trying to remain on budget. It normally makes me feel like I missed out when leaving a new City/Country.

Rain or Shine, I will visit Pompeii as I missed out. I will share some sweet dance moves too! 🕺

How to get to Italy, cheaply: I recommend flying Norse Airlines from Los Angeles to Rome for $220. You can get to Los Angeles cheaply from anywhere in Canada and the United States using Google Travel. Consider staying in LA a day or two, doubling up your vacation, and saving a ton of money.  It is a quick ~$13 train ride from Rome to Naples. Keep in mind that the high-speed train can be very expensive, so check out the milk run to see the countryside.

Where I stayed: Hopestel Secret Garden. It was a great hostel in a historic building in the city center.  I paid $28 euros / USD 30 a night, which is spectacular for Naples City center.  There are also studio rooms that can be rented for about $12,5, which is also a steal in the area.

The best local beer and meal: PIZZA!  It was a no-brainer since Napoli is where pizza was invented. I tried several different variations and washed it down with a local Ichnusa unfiltered brewski, which hit the spot every time.

Would I return? 100% YES! I missed the most important historical area due to rain, Pompeii.

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Three months looking out windows!

by AccommodationsAirBnbAsiaBarcelonaEuropeHCMC / SaigonItalyLondonMadridRomeSingaporeSpainThailandTravel bucket listTravels DealsTravels StoriesVietnamWizz - AYCF!

I left Arizona on January 12th and didn’t return until April 7th, 2025, heading first to Vietnam and then bouncing across the globe. In order, I visited:

Vietnam → Cambodia → Thailand → London (twice) → Singapore → Greece → Turkey → Egypt → Italy → Spain

Eight of those ten countries were brand-new pins on my map, which made the whole thing feel even more unreal. 📍🌍

I spent the first three months slowly moving through Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand. After that, I flipped the switch and went full chaos mode with my all-you-can-fly pass—whizzing (Wizz Air style) through London, Singapore, Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Italy, and Spain.

Here’s the actual chain of planes, trains, ferries, and buses that somehow all worked:

✈️ Phoenix → Los Angeles
✈️ Los Angeles → Singapore
✈️ Singapore → Saigon (HCMC)

🚆 Saigon → Nha Trang
🚆 Nha Trang → Huế
🚆 Huế → Da Nang
🚆 Da Nang → Hoi An
🚆 Da Nang → Saigon
🚢 Saigon → Phú Quốc
🚢 Phú Quốc → Saigon

🚌 Saigon → Phnom Penh
🚌 Phnom Penh → Siem Reap
🚌 Siem Reap → Angkor Wat

🚌 Angkor Wat → Bangkok
🚢 Bangkok → Koh Tao
🚢 Koh Tao → Koh Phangan
🚢 Koh Phangan → Koh Samui

🚢🚌 Koh Samui → Bangkok
✈️ Bangkok → Singapore
✈️ Singapore → Athens

✈️ Athens → Istanbul
🚢 Istanbul → Princess Islands (day trip)
✈️ Istanbul → London
✈️ London → Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt
✈️ Sharm El Sheikh → London
✈️ London → Naples
🚆 Naples → Rome

✈️ Rome → Madrid
🚆 Madrid → Barcelona
🚆 Barcelona → Madrid
✈️ Madrid → Rome
✈️ Rome → Los Angeles
✈️ LAX → Phoenix

(That doesn’t even include all the local buses, metros, tuk-tuks, and 25+ ride share ((Grab/Uber/Bolt/InDrive)) rides along the way.)

Three months in Southeast Asia.
Then a rapid-fire lap through Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa.

It sounds insane written out like this—and honestly, it kind of was.

But that’s part of the fun.
And after traveling like this for three straight months…

Sometimes all you can do is drop a blog and watch miserable people be jealous. 😄

This was, by far, the longest—and most expensive—trip of my life.

I blew through my budget. And once that happened, I made the call to keep going anyway, because I was already there. I ended up canceling my Eurail pass and coming home three weeks early to stop the financial bleeding.

At the time, I didn’t think I’d ever use my all-you-can-fly pass again, so I went into “see everything now” mode and stacked as many countries as I could. I still missed a few, which means there’s a pretty good chance I’ll give it one more run someday—especially since I’m not renewing the pass.

And here’s the truth:

I have zero regrets about spending money on travel.
Not at the end of this trip.
Not at the end of any trip.

What I do have is better awareness.

Travel is worth it.
The memories are worth it.
The experiences are worth it.

I just need to be smarter next time in Europe and use train travel—pace it better, plan a little tighter, and learn from the mistakes without losing the magic.

That’s not regret.
That’s learning and sharing.

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Rome, Italy – Second visit to Vatican City!

by ItalyRomeTravel bucket listTravel memoriesWizz - AYCF!

I spent the last day of my recent travels in Rome, a place I’d already explored before. I’d checked off most of the major tourist traps on earlier visits, but it still felt essential to revisit the Colosseum and Vatican City—some places deserve more than one look.

Ironically, I chose a Sunday, which meant the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel were closed. Not ideal—or so I thought at the time.

Unbeknownst to me, I was about to get a much bigger—and completely unexpected—treat that day.

Below is a video I took earlier in the week, showing St. Peter’s Basilica from the outside, walking inside, and soaking in the atmosphere. Even without the museums open, this place never disappoints.

It was simply a good feeling knowing I was there on a day when Pope Francis was well enough to make a public appearance. With Holy Week approaching, it felt like an important moment—likely a quiet test of strength and endurance ahead of what is normally an incredibly demanding time.

Sadly, I later learned that he had to cut his speech short due to shortness of breath—and that this appearance would turn out to be his final public speaking engagement before his passing. Knowing that now adds a weight to the experience that I didn’t fully understand in the moment.

As I walked through Vatican City, the atmosphere felt different—solemn, but meaningful. A massive crowd was lined up to enter St. Peter’s Basilica, far larger than anything I’d seen earlier in the week.

It was one of those rare travel moments where you realize you weren’t just visiting a historic place—you were quietly present for a small but significant piece of history.

How to get to Italy (cheap)

If you’re coming from North America, I highly recommend flying Norse Atlantic Airways from Los Angeles to Rome for around $220 USD.

Getting to Los Angeles is easy and inexpensive from almost anywhere in Canada or the U.S. if you use Google Travel. Even better—consider staying in LA for a day or two. You essentially double your vacation while still saving a ton of money overall.

Where I stayed

I stayed at Freedom Traveler, which offered a single bed for €40 a night. Hotels in Rome can easily run $150+, so this was a no-brainer.

If dorms aren’t your thing, they also have private studio-style rooms for under $100, which is excellent value if you just want a quiet place to sleep. I stayed here twice—once before and once after my trip to Barcelona—and the staff were fantastic, always helping me get the best room available.

Best local meal & drink

Pizza. Obviously. 🍕

Rome is packed with corner spots selling freshly made pizza, and walking past them without stopping should honestly be illegal. While wine dominates in Italy (vino everywhere), I kept laughing because I’d walk into places with 10 taps, and every single one was wine. Beer lovers, adjust expectations accordingly.

My favorite pizza spot was just around the corner from Vatican City. I grabbed three slices (yes, all at once—you can see them stacked in the photo), and it was hands-down the best pizza I had in Italy.

Would I return?

To Rome specifically? Probably not.

Once I spent a full day at Vatican City and the Colosseum, I was ready to move on. I’d originally planned to stay a full week, but instead booked a last-minute trip to Barcelona to break things up.

That said, Italy absolutely deserves more time—just maybe not all in Rome. Cities like Venice, Sicily, Milan, Capri, and the Amalfi Coast are all worth visiting. One important lesson learned the hard way: book train tickets early. Last-minute fares were over $200, sometimes 5× the normal price, which is no different than flights.

If you plan to stay within one country, trains are amazing—but procrastination is expensive.

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Real Madrid & Barcelona FC stadiums!

by BarcelonaMadridSpainTravel bucket listTravel memories

The first week of April 2025 was my last week on this adventure. I left on January 12th, and it was time to return home to Arizona. My Airbnb tenants were checking out, and I had a home to go back to, finally.

The plan was to hang around Italy since my flight left from Rome on April 7th. 

My first day, I toured the Colosseum, and the second day was the Vatican. I did not want to spend five more days in Rome, and the train to Venice was over $200 return.

I checked out my Wizz Pass to see if there was availability to depart and return within a 72-hour window. My choices were Gdansk, Poland, or Madrid, Spain. I honestly did consider Poland before I found the Madrid flight.  

Ultimately, I chose Madrid so I could also visit Barcelona with a quick train ride.

There is no better feeling than booking a last-minute flight for $10 on an all-you-can-fly pass!

One minute, I am in Italy and the next day flying to Spain, watching football locals in a Madrid pub!  It sure beats working for a living!!

I also like to think that I am responsible when traveling, but not this time. Once I arrived in Madrid, I was very hungry, so I went to find food. I thought there was food in the Irish pub, but only beer. 

I was going to find a hostel after the game as I stayed for the whole game, plus, whoopsie! 

GOOOOAAAALLLLLL!!! ⚽🥅

After the game, slight panic started as it was after midnight, dark, rainy, and in a City I had never been to in my life.  How is that for an adrenaline rush!  I reset and looked for food and nailed it!

I have honestly never had Tapa’s before, as it reminds me of the foos-fos that go for Dim Sum or Sushi.  Well, holy shit – I am foo fucking foo for this Tapa’s gig!!  Check this out!

Pushing 2 AM, still no hostel, but new friends!  We pigged out on so many items!

Since it was past midnight and check-in time, I set out on foot, in the rain and half in the bag, looking for a place to sleep.

** I have a string chain around my neck with two charms, a cross and a foot for adventure.  I was rubbing the cross this time, and it always works out!  ***

After knocking on door after door, I came to find out that the entire City center was sold out. 

Well SHIT!!  This is where I do my best thinking, WTF now dumbass?  Why not head to the train station, catch a high-speed train to Barcelona for $40?  Perfect recovery plan!!

I was able to get a couple of hours’ sleep on the train, even though it was going 300K/H.  I woke up in Barcelona (huge bucket list,) and I was able to find a great hostel in the city center for $30 a night.  After touring the city for a couple of days, I was off to find the biggest attraction, the Barcelona FC iconic Stadium, on my last day.

Ironically, the football stadium was closed for renovations.  I visited the amazing team store and do not think I have seen anything else like it in the world. It was massive:

I cannot wait to reference this memory when the new ultra-modern stadium opens. I can say, I sat in this pub pre-gaming months/years earlier, preparing for the grand opening. LOL

I had better luck when I got back to Madrid.  I was able to take the metro with fans to a Real Madrid game and experience gameday.  I was flying back to Rome that night, so I could not go to the game, but this was amazing enough without paying hundreds of dollars for tickets.

It was a match between Barcelona FC and Valencia, and here is a little pre-game action:

After waiting an hour walking around as fans entered the stadium, I needed to leave.  I was one of the few who headed the other direction on the metro as more fans arrived for the game.

It looks like I missed a great game which an exciting ending with the visiting team winning!

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Spain – Madrid and Barcelona!

by BarcelonaMadrid

Spain and Portugal have always sat high on my European bucket list—mostly because they’re supposed to be two of the cheapest countries in Western Europe.
And yeah… cheap is relative. Because from what I saw, they weren’t dramatically cheaper overall—just different flavors of expensive.

Still, when a deal shows up, you don’t argue with it.

I grabbed a last-minute return flight to Madrid using my all-you-can-fly pass on Wizz Air. No overthinking. No spreadsheets. Just click.

The schedule was aggressive:

Land in Madrid late Wednesday night

Fly back to Rome on Saturday night

Then turn around and fly home to Phoenix Monday morning

Was it enough time?
Absolutely not.

Was it still worth it?
Also yes.

That’s kind of the tradeoff when you chase cheap flights and flexibility—you don’t always get enough time, but you get access. A taste. A reason to come back. And sometimes that’s all a city owes you on the first visit.

Madrid wasn’t done with me.
I just ran out of runway.

As I blogged about in my Spain football blog, 

I managed to squeeze in both Madrid and Barcelona—along with their legendary football stadiums—by bouncing back and forth on Spain’s high-speed rail.

The train itself was unreal. I’ve taken the Channel Tunnel between London and Paris, but somehow this felt even faster. Smooth, quiet, no drama—and at times we were pushing nearly 300 km/h.

Blink and you’re in another city.
No airport security.
No wasted hours.
Just sit down, watch the countryside blur, and suddenly you’re somewhere else entirely.

Being able to visit Santiago Bernabéu Stadium and Camp Nou on the same short trip felt borderline unfair—in the best way.

Spain’s rail system alone is reason enough to come back and do it properly next time.

Fast trains, football temples, and not enough time—
a recurring theme of this trip.

One of the best parts was having real competition on the route. There were multiple high-speed rail companies to choose from—Renfe, iryo, and Ouigo—which kept prices refreshingly reasonable.

I paid $40 to go from Madrid to Barcelona, and $63 to head back on a Saturday night. For speeds pushing 300 km/h, that’s borderline absurd value.

Barcelona itself was instantly likable—especially the city center. Narrow, cobblestoned streets, tight corners, and that old-world layout that forces you to slow down and wander. It felt lived-in, textured, and human-scale in a way that makes getting lost part of the experience.

Fast trains, fair prices, and streets meant for wandering—
Spain quietly does this part very well.

I spent two days in Barcelona, which barely scratched the surface. If there’s one obvious advantage Barcelona has, it’s the location—you get the best of both worlds: a major city and the sea.

Being right on the Mediterranean Sea changes the whole feel of the place. I took a bus tour that covered roughly 30 miles of coastline, and even in the off-season it was impressive. Beaches, waterfront neighborhoods, long promenades—it just keeps going.

I couldn’t help but imagine how unreal it must be in the summertime, when the city fully leans into that coastal lifestyle. Barcelona feels like a place where you could slow down, stay longer, and let the city and the sea split your attention evenly.

Two days wasn’t enough.
But it was enough to know I’ll be back.

I spent most of the day just riding the metro around the city.

I only spent a few hours in Madrid before bolting to Barcelona, so I made sure I came back to Spain for a proper wrap-up.

I arrived back in Madrid on 04/04/25, checked into an excellent hostel, and booked just one night. One of the underrated perks of hostel life is flexibility—you can store your bags, grab a towel, and even shower later in the day. That worked perfectly since my flight didn’t leave Madrid until 9:00 PM on 04/05/25.

With limited time, I kept the list tight. There were only a few things I needed to see:

Santiago BernabĂŠu Stadium

Royal Palace of Madrid

Puerta de Alcalá (Madrid’s Arc de Triomphe)

No rushing.
No overplanning.

Just enough time to close the Spain chapter properly—exactly the way it deserved.

Real Madrid — pre-game vibes!

I caught the buzz outside Santiago BernabĂŠu Stadium as fans poured in and the energy started to build. Scarves out, chants warming up, that unmistakable match-day electricity in the air.

Unfortunately, I had to catch a flight back to Rome later that day, so I couldn’t stay for the match itself.

Still—soaking in the atmosphere was more than enough to remind me why football culture in Madrid hits differently.

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Naples and Rome – pizza everywhere!🍕

by Italy

⬆️High School gym class⬆️

 

My first stop was Naples—or Napoli, as the locals correctly call it—the original, unapologetic version reminded me of High School gym class.

Fast-paced, intense, a little rough around the edges, and absolutely unforgettable history.

Home of the Pizza! 

The history of pizza began in antiquity, as various ancient cultures produced flatbreads with several toppings. Pizza today is an Italian dish with a flat dough-based base and toppings, with significant Italian roots in history.

A precursor of pizza was probably the focaccia, a flatbread known to the Romans as panis focacius, to which toppings were then added. Modern pizza evolved from similar flatbread dishes in Naples, Italy, between the 16th and mid-18th centuries.

The word pizza was first documented in 997 CE in Gaeta[4] and successively in different parts of central and southern Italy. Furthermore, the Etymological Dictionary of the Italian Language explains the word pizza as coming from dialectal pinza, ‘clamp’, as in modern Italian pinze, ‘pliers, pincers, tongs, forceps’. Their origin is from Latin pincere, ‘to pound, stamp’.

I had pizza every day that I was in Italy and even had a couple two a day!!

The below was one of my favorites near Vatican City. The Chef will make pizzas on massive sheets and then place them in the window for display.  Once you decide on a flavor or three, in my case, on this day, in the top left.  They take a pair of scissors, cut to your desired size and weight it for the amount. 

 

Below is fried pizza—basically a calzone that made better life choices and went into the fryer instead of the oven.

The second photo is my first meal after landing in Naples.
Stromboli is my favorite, so this one felt less like a meal and more like a reunion.

The rest?
Just random pizza stops along the way.
No plan.
No regrets for eating and not even being hungry!

Yummy!! 🍕😄

I definitely ate my share of pizza throughout Italy, especially Naples.

Every now and then I’d think, “Maybe I should order something else…”
And then immediately decide—
nope.

When you’re in the birthplace of pizza, branching out feels less like curiosity and more like betrayal.

You tell ’em, Boss!

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Rome – The Vatican & St Peter’s Basilica

by Rome

When in Rome – visiting the Vatican and St. Peter’s Basilica was not an option! I needed to throw a few Hail Mary’s so not a better place to make some peace. We had a good talk, and we are good! 👌 The Vatican grounds were a short 15-minute metro ride from my hostel and easy to access.  It was amazing to think that I could hop on a metro train and be there in under 20 minutes.

I blogged about my second time visiting, but here are more details, pictures, and videos.

The train ride from my hostel to Vatican City was under 20 minutes:

Once you exit the Vatican station, there is a short walk to St Peter’s Square.

The Pope has been very sick and made his last appearance the week I was in Rome before passing away.

Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until he death in 2025. He was the first Jesuit pope, the first Latin American, and the first born or raised outside Europe since the 8th-century Syrian pope Gregory III.

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to a family of Italian origin, Bergoglio was inspired to join the Jesuits in 1958 after recovering from a severe illness. He was ordained a Catholic priest in 1969, and from 1973 to 1979, he was the Jesuit provincial superior in Argentina. He became the archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998 and was created a cardinal in 2001 by Pope John Paul II. Following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, the 2013 papal conclave elected Bergoglio as pope on 13 March. He chose Francis as his papal name in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi.

Throughout his papacy, Francis was noted for his humility, emphasis on God’s mercy, international visibility, commitment to interreligious dialogue, and concern for the poor, migrants, and refugees. Francis believed the Catholic Church should demonstrate more inclusivity to LGBTQ people, and stated that although blessings of same-sex unions are not permitted, individuals in same-sex relationships can be blessed as long as the blessing is not given in a liturgical context.[2] Francis made women full members of dicasteries in the Roman Curia.[3][4] Francis convened the Synod on Synodality, which was described as the culmination of his papacy and the most important event in the Catholic Church since the Second Vatican Council.[4][5][6] Francis was known for having a less formal approach to the papacy than his predecessors by, for instance, choosing to reside in the Domus Sanctae Marthae guesthouse rather than in the papal apartments of the Apostolic Palace used by previous popes. In addition, due to both his Jesuit and Ignatian aesthetic, he was known for favoring simpler vestments devoid of ornamentation, including refusing the traditional papal mozzetta cape upon his election, choosing silver instead of gold for his piscatory ring, and keeping the same pectoral cross he had as cardinal.

Here are some additional pictures of my two days spent in Vatican City.

RIP Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025)

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Italy train travel! Fast and faster!!

by ItalyRome

I am at the point in my travels where I was supposed to be using a Europass to travel Europe by train.  

I bailed on that plan a month ago after taking a 20-hour train trip up and down the Vietnam coast.  I realize that taking a train across Europe would be a lot nicer than Vietnam but sitting in coach would be the same back breaking experience.

Here was the plan, and I still feel good about my decision as it is time to go home:

I did get a chance to take a train from Naples to Rome, which was pretty awesome and had me second-guessing. The ten-day Europass was an amazing deal, but taking the train once scratched that itch for $13 USD.

It was not the highspeed train as that was $60 and would have been an hour a half instead of four hours.

Since I enjoyed my first train experience in Europe, I followed it up with another train trip later that week! 

This time, I took the smoking fast-speed train between Madrid and Barcelona, Spain.

The train almost hit 300KM/H (292KM hour was the highest I noticed as I fell in and out of sleep for the three-hour trip.)  Imagine a flight doing ~500KM/H is about an hour and a half, and the train doing ~300KM/H is about three hours.

Amazing!

I had taken the “Chunnel” from London to Paris in the past, but this was a great reminder of how fast train travel can be compared to flying. The line at the train station was a lot longer than most airports, as they do not have the same setup, which can delay travel.

Lucky for me, I am a dumbass and went to the wrong departure station.  Once I realized it, I took a 15-minute taxi to the correct station and cut to the front of the line with my sob or SOB story, so it took less than five minutes as opposed to over an hour. 

It was stressful, but it worked out perfectly as I did not sleep.  I landed in Madrid and took the subway to the City Center and there was a football game on, so I jumped into the fun without finding a hostel.

After the game, I grabbed some tapas and beer and quickly found out that the prices were $150 euros that night.  After a bit of panic, walking in the rain and soul searching my shitty situation, I headed to the wrong train station. It all worked out amazingly as always!  

Check out all those tapas and awesome local beer!

The closest I have ever experienced Tapas is when a Ukrainian whips up a meal with whatever is in the fridge, and it turns out to be a five-star meal.  Same idea, a little bit of everything and refilling your plate.

What an amazing sequence of events, which is why I love to travel so much!  

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Italy! The Colosseum experience!!

by Rome

Below is the Colessem location about Rome and Italy in general.

The top can be zoomed in and out if you are curious!

I am not a big history guy, but Athens, Greece, and now Rome, Italy, had me caught up in the experience!

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, for all of us, as it was so overwhelming:

The Colosseum ultimately derives from the Ancient Greek word “kolossos,” meaning a large statue or giant. It is an elliptical amphitheatre in the centre of Rome, Italy, just east of the Roman Forum. 

It is the largest ancient amphitheatre ever built, and is still the largest standing amphitheatre in the world, despite its age. Construction began under the Emperor Vespasian (r. 69–79 AD) and was completed in AD 80 under his successor and heir, Titus. 

Further modifications were made during the reign of Domitian (r. 81–96). The three emperors who were patrons of the work are known as the Flavian dynasty, and the amphitheatre was named the Flavian Amphitheatre (Latin: Amphitheatrum Flavium; Italian: Anfiteatro Flavio by later classicists and archaeologists for its association with their family name (Flavius).

The Colosseum is built of travertine limestone, tuff (volcanic rock), and brick-faced concrete. It could hold an estimated 50,000 to 80,000 spectators at various points in its history,[4][5] having an average audience of some 65,000; it was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles including animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, dramas based on Roman mythology, and briefly mock sea battles.

The building ceased to be used for entertainment in the early medieval era. It was later reused for such purposes as housing, workshops, quarters for a religious order, a fortress, a quarry, and a Christian shrine.

Although substantially ruined by earthquakes and stone robbers taking spolia, the Colosseum is still a renowned symbol of Imperial Rome and was listed as one of the New 7 Wonders of the World. It is one of Rome’s most popular tourist attractions and has links to the Catholic Church, as each Good Friday, the Pope leads a torchlit “Way of the Cross” procession that starts in the area around the Colosseum. The Colosseum is depicted on the Italian version of the 5 euro cent coin.

It was about a 30-minute walk from my hostel to the Colosseum and the ancient ruins area.

I rarely pay to enter tourist traps, but this was another one that I could not miss out on. Here are some pictures and videos of the Colosseum inside and out.  It was so amazing to see, and unsure if these will help portray it properly

The area around the Colosseum, including the ruins, is an incredible experience.

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Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt!

by

When I bought my Wizz Air All You Can Fly pass, I knew one thing for sure: I was about to visit places I never would have dreamed of in my life.

It was the perfect setup for someone on my budget—suddenly, parts of the world that felt completely out of reach were not only possible, but practical. Cheap flights don’t just save money; they expand your map.

Since I’d already visited the United Arab Emirates in the past, I had a pretty good idea of what to expect this time around. That familiarity made it an easy yes—and a solid starting point for seeing a very different side of the world without blowing the budget.

There are places in the world you assume you’ll never see—not because you don’t want to, but because the math never works. Then I bought a Wizz Air All You Can Fly pass, and the math completely changed.

I could tell just by standing in the check-in line that this was a vacation destination. The passengers gave it away—flip-flops, relaxed faces, and not a single person looking like they were heading to a board meeting.

The flight cost ÂŁ2.50.
That’s roughly $10 USD—less than airport coffee and far more exciting.

And the accommodation?
€19 a night (about $21 USD) right on the ocean.

Sometimes the math alone tells you everything you need to know.

My hotel had a castle next door, casually nicknamed “The Sandcastle.”
Because apparently that’s just a normal thing when you’re traveling on a budget, and the world decides to show off.

Below is the walk from my $20-a-night hotel to the outdoor mall—an easy stroll that somehow managed to include ocean air, ridiculous views, and zero stress. Not bad for pocket change.

The plan was to take a four-hour bus ride to Cairo and experience the Pyramids.

After two days, I had had enough of these shysters and headed to Naples, Italy, as Pizza was waiting for me.

In closing, I have to mention one moment that says more about Sharm El Sheikh than any guidebook ever could.

I accidentally left my jacket draped over a chair after airport security for more than an hour. Inside the pockets? My $600 camera and my $175 headset (replacement cost). Realizing this mid-panic, I ran back to security fully prepared for disappointment.

Instead, they immediately recognized me, smiled, and handed me my jacket—everything still inside. One of the officers insisted that Egypt was safe, and honestly, I believed him even after all the bad experiences I had there. I thanked him, probably more than once.

There aren’t many airports in the world where that outcome would be guaranteed—even if the item had been turned in. That single moment left me with an incredibly good feeling about Egypt.

Unfortunately, it came at the very end of my trip.

But I’ll never forget that feeling of gratitude you sent me off with.


Thank you, Egypt. 🙌

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Naples, Italy – home of PIZZA!🍕

by Italy

When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza, you visit the home of the pizza!!  There are several variations, and so far, the stromboli and fried pizza have been amazing. 

As my European travels start to wind down on this adventure, I’ve found myself staying in hostels—and getting more comfortable with them than I ever expected.

In Naples, the average hotel costs around €75–€100 per night, which is roughly equivalent to the same price in U.S. dollars. The hostel I’m currently staying in? €28 a night—and honestly, it’s been great.

More importantly, I’ve met some genuinely like-minded people along the way. Good conversations, shared stories, and the reminder that travel isn’t always about where you stay—it’s about who you run into when you get there.

Turns out comfort isn’t always about square footage. Sometimes it’s just good people and a cheaper bed.

I honestly don’t remember ever paying to visit a museum. It’s just never really been my thing.

But after visiting Athens, and now Naples, the history became impossible to ignore—and even harder to resist.

So I did something completely out of character and spent my first day in Naples inside the Naples National Archaeological Museum.

And honestly?
I was blown away.

Room after room of artifacts, sculptures, and stories that somehow survived centuries—and here I was, just standing there in quiet amazement, wondering how this was never on my radar before.

These are some photos and videos from that first day—proof that even the most stubborn non-museum person can still be humbled by European history.

The weather has been cold and rainy, so I’m still debating how to spend the next day or two here before heading to Rome.

Fortunately, this is where hostels really shine.

Below are just some of the amazing options posted around the hostel—things to do, places to eat, and budget-friendly ideas I probably wouldn’t have found on my own.

That’s another underrated perk of staying in hostels:
Someone has already done the homework, and they did it cheaply.

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Istanbul Turkey! The Med, cheap!🤑

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Since buying the Wizz, visiting Turkey has been on my radar since I purchased my All you can fly is pass. BINGO!

I was able to catch a flight from Athens, Greece, across Europe, so why not? The best part is that I was able to stay overnight in London again. Something about sitting in a pub in London is cool to me.  Fish and chips and local pints!!

Here are some videos of my time in Istanbul, starting with a walk from my amazing USD 18 a night hostel. It was so comfortable after a long couple of travel days and a fun pub stop in London.

 

I did not have any plans other than to try to live like a local for a few days.  As part of my experience, I ended up at a ferry port by absolute luck and visited three islands.  I met a local who gave me a historical tour of the biggest and furthest South Princess Islands, Adelar.  Here is the ferry ride and a tour of the island.

It was a great few days trying to understand what makes things tick in Istanbul!  

Funny story: I was at the Istanbul airport, and I was noticing a lot of people with bandages on their heads and noses.

Ironically, I flew into and out of Istanbul from London with a guy who was getting a hair transplant done. 

We had a short conversation about something, but did not discuss his intentions until we met again, leaving.

I jokingly asked him if MMA was in town, as everyone looked beat up like him. He explained that Istanbul is famous for hair restoration and nose jobs, and it is less than half the price of most places like London. 

I think it is less than USD 5K if you are interested in getting that 1990s flow back, boys! LOL

 

I can promise you that there is a full head of hair under my hat! LOL
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My big fat Greek weekend!

by Greece

Feta cheese – they put that amazing shit of everything in Athens. This is an amazing Armenian Family that kept the Greek dishes coming over the weekend.

The Greek salad with a slab of feta and olives and lamb gyro were the best!!

This family kept the feta flowing for me!

I spent a couple of months touring Asia (Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand).  I spent my last days in Singapore before leaving for Europe.  It was also the first time I flew on discount airline Scoot, which is a low-cost subsidiary of Singapore Airlines. I stress low cost as it had nothing like the feel of my favorite Airline, Singapore Airlines.

Now that the important introduction is over, the food, I can explain traveling in and out of Athens a bit more.

I was able to travel to Athens, Greece for a few days, the third weekend of March 2025. I left Asia after 70 days touring Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and Singapore. It was a 12-hour flight from Singapore to Athens, but I booked it several months ago, so it was only a couple of hundred dollars. 👍🏻

It was a long flight, but I was able to make do with the onboard amenities. 😁

I left Athens and headed to London for a quick overnight trip to use my Wizz all-you-can-fly pass to Istanbul, Turkey.

After those long flights, I am always discombobulated (more than normal).  I needed to navigate the metro system to get to my hostel, which was extra challenging.

I always tailor my accommodations to the price of the city, and Athens was not cheap.  

I ended up biting the bullet and booking an amazing room in a hostel for $50 a night.  I know you’re thinking, $50 a night is cheap, but multiply that by 84 nights, which is the length of this trip.  That would have been USD 4,200 for accommodations alone!!

Anyway, I was able to catch up on my sleep, regroup, and reenergize. 

I knew I would only have the weekend in Athens, so I booked a three-day pass on the double-decker bus that stops at all of the tourist traps. I tend to do that when there is a lot to see in a city in a short amount of time, as it is worth it.

One of the biggest draws on the tour and in Athens is the Acropolis and the Parthenon.

Here is a clip for the wiki that explained to both of us:

The Acropolis of Athens (Ancient Greek: ἡ Ἀκρόπολις τῶν Ἀθηνῶν, romanized: hē Akropolis tōn Athēnōn; Modern Greek: Ακρόπολη Αθηνών, romanized: Akrópoli Athinón) is an ancient citadel located on a rocky outcrop above the city of Athens, Greece, and contains the remains of several ancient buildings of great architectural and historical significance, the most famous being the Parthenon. 

The word Acropolis is from Greek ἄκρον (akron) ‘highest point, extremity’ and πόλις (polis) ‘city’.[1] The term acropolis is generic and there are many other acropoleis in Greece. During ancient times the Acropolis of Athens was also more properly known as Cecropia, after the legendary serpent-man Cecrops, the supposed first Athenian king.

While there is evidence that the hill was inhabited as early as the 4th millennium BC, it was Pericles (c. 495–429 BC) in the fifth century BC who coordinated the construction of the buildings whose present remains are the site’s most important ones, including the Parthenon, the Propylaea, the Erechtheion and the Temple of Athena Nike. 

The Parthenon and the other buildings were seriously damaged during the 1687 siege by the Venetians during the Morean War when gunpowder being stored by the then Turkish rulers in the Parthenon was hit by a Venetian bombardment and exploded.

Another big draw was the temple of the Olympian Zeus:

Here is more wiki history that I did not know either:

Dedicated to Zeus, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, also called the Olympieion, was the largest temple in ancient Greece. Though the Parthenon is better preserved, the Temple of Olympian Zeus was an even more monumental structure in its day. The temple dates to the sixth century BC but was not completed until the second century AD by the Emperor Hadrian. In front of the Olympieion, not far from the entrance, stands Hadrian’s Arch at the end of Dionysiou Areopagitou.

It’s easy to imagine the grand impression this temple made in its complete form. More than a hundred enormous marble columns once supported the grandiose sanctuary. Only 15 columns remain standing, and another surviving column lies on the ground, but the ruins’ monumental presence gives a sense of the massive size of the original building. The gigantic structure was a befitting shrine to Zeus, the ancient Greeks’ most all-powerful God, known as the King of the Gods.

 

Greece is also known for its amazing islands which is dealed here if you are interested:

It was pretty cool to hear the references between the inaugural Olympic Games in 1896 and the 2004 modern-day Olympics during the tours.  

They would share the new venues, in the city and oceanside, and I was also able to see the very first venue, The Parathion.

I did not leave the mainland but toured the amazing coast on the bus for hours.

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Asia – getting fat eating with two sticks!🍜

by BangkokBoholCebu CityKoh Phi PhiPhilippinesPhucketSingaporeSiquijor/Dumaguete islandsThailand

I have loved Thai food since visiting Thailand back in 2022 but forgot how much until returning in 2025!

I have since visited many Asian countries and fallen in love with their food. Vietnam Pho/Bahn mi/noodles, Cambodian Amok/Hhmer curry/noodles, all held the title until I was reintroduced to Thai again.

The Thai pad and variations of soup won my heart and my belly over once again. Here are some choices from a food court in Bangkok. You could eat three times a day for 365 days and not try them all in this food court. It was almost impossible to choose:

 

Here were some of my absolute favorites from around Samui—and yes, choosing was a daily struggle:

Mango salad (top left) — fresh, spicy, sweet, and dangerous if you underestimate the chili 🌶️

Tom Yum coconut spicy soup (middle left) — rich, tangy, and soul-cleansing in the best way

Chicken Pad Thai (top right) — the classic that never misses

Tom Yum chicken (extra spicy) (bottom left) — I survived, barely

Ice-cold Chang beer (bottom right) — it was so hot they literally put ice in it… and I fully support that decision 🍺🧊

Thai food doesn’t just win—it laps the competition. My heart, my stomach, and my sweat glands all agree.

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Singapore! Amazing place to visit!!

by Singapore

Just when you thought this blog was a waste of time with zero useful information… here’s a random-but-handy travel fact:

You can chew gum in Singapore—but don’t get cute with it.

The sale of chewing gum has been illegal since 1992. The reason? People kept sticking used gum in places it absolutely did not belong—like subway door sensors, lock cylinders, and elevator buttons. Singapore responded the only way Singapore knows how: hard rules, zero tolerance.

Since 2004, there’s been a small exception for therapeutic, dental, and nicotine gum, which you can buy from a doctor or registered pharmacist.

Important clarifications:

Chewing gum itself is not illegal

Importing and selling it (with limited exceptions) is

Travelers can bring in a small amount for personal use

Spit it out improperly? 💸 There’s a fine for that

So yes—this blog did just save you from a mildly embarrassing (and possibly expensive) international gum incident.

You’re welcome. 😄

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.

This was my sixth time passing through Changi Airport—but the first time I actually left the airport.

I grabbed a hostel right in the center of Singapore and picked up a two-day MRT (subway) pass to explore the city properly. The subway system was clean, fast, and stupidly efficient—exactly what you’d expect from Singapore.

The hostel? Honestly… it sucked. But it was the only affordable option I could find in an otherwise very expensive city—unless you’re cool paying $100+ a night to stay in a rougher area. That said, there are tons of options on Booking.com if you’re willing to hunt and compromise a bit.

Singapore isn’t cheap—but it’s incredibly easy to navigate, even on a budget, if you lean on public transport and keep expectations realistic.

Here was my route from Changi Airport into the city—smooth, fast, and almost comically efficient thanks to the Singapore MRT.

And then… the destination.

After that flawless transit experience, I checked into what can only be described as an absolute cubby—a tiny hostel bunk that barely qualified as a sleeping space. Two nights. No privacy. Questionable airflow. Just enough room to lie down and reconsider my life choices.

Was it glamorous? Not even remotely.
Was it cheap (by Singapore standards)? Unfortunately, yes.
Did it get the job done? Also yes.

That’s the tradeoff sometimes: world-class infrastructure on the way in, followed by a brutally humbling reminder that budget travel in expensive cities is all about lowering expectations and raising tolerance.

I survived.
I slept (kind of).
And I got out into the city—which was the whole point anyway.

The first thing most people think of when they hear Singapore is Marina Bay Sands and Gardens by the Bay.

And to be fair—they’re incredible. Seeing the building and the landscape in person absolutely lives up to the hype. It’s futuristic, perfectly manicured, and feels like something dropped in from another planet.

That said… this is as close as I’m getting.

Rooms at Marina Bay Sands run $560+ a night, which is—no exaggeration—more than I paid for my hostel. For that price, I’ll happily admire it from the outside, take a few photos, and keep my money for food, transit, and actually doing things.

Singapore does spectacle extremely well.
I just don’t need to sleep inside the spectacle to appreciate it.

Some people collect infinity-pool selfies.
I collect stories—and a much lower nightly burn rate.

Singapore is undeniably clean, efficient, and impressively built. The infrastructure is world-class. That said, I didn’t personally find much beyond that pulling me in.

That doesn’t mean you wouldn’t love it—this is just my opinion. Travel is subjective, and different places click with different people. Honestly, you could visit Singapore and never even leave the airport and still feel like you saw something special… which is a little wild when you think about it.

And that’s the strange part for me: one of the coolest things in the city was the airport.

To be fair, Changi Airport isn’t just an airport—it’s routinely ranked as one of the best in the world. Inside, you’ll find an entertainment corner, the world’s tallest airport slide, a butterfly garden, a movie theater, a swimming pool with runway views, the Skytrain, the massive Rain Vortex, and multiple indoor garden spaces. It’s less “terminal” and more “destination.”

So yeah—Singapore does precision, cleanliness, and efficiency better than almost anywhere. It just didn’t light me up the way other places have. And that’s okay. Not every stop has to be a favorite to be interesting.

Sometimes the takeaway isn’t “I want to stay longer”—
It’s â€œI’m glad I saw it.” The airport was enough for me now.

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Koh Samui, Thai! Paradise Island!!🏝️

by Thailand

The first time I visited, prices were down since they were just opening up after COVID in early 2022. 

This was the view from my Airbnb.  I only planned to stay a few days, but ended up staying ten days as it was so incredible. 

It was a better experience as it was quieter and much more inexpensive than the busy season.

As always, I found a way to find a good time when I returned in early 2025!

The Island is the biggest of the three chains of islands of Ko Tao, Koh Phagan and Samui so there is always a lot of options.  The beaches are spectacular, and marijuana is now legal, so everyone is having a great time, all the time. 

I never was a big pot smoker but when in Rome …

See you again, Samui! 🙌

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Ko Tao, Thai! Divers Paradise!🏝️🤿

by Thailand

I spent the second week of March 2025 in Ko Tao, Thailand, followed by most of the third week on Koh Samui.

Three islands, three very different vibes—all unforgettable—and a perfect reminder of why Thailand keeps pulling me back

This was my second visit to Koh Tao and Koh Samui. The first time, I spent six weeks here during a paid sabbatical from PayPal in January 2022. Back then, I did a lot more touring and exploring, which made this trip different in the best way—I already knew exactly where I wanted to be.

That’s really the ultimate goal for me: travel widely, move slowly, and identify places that are both amazing and affordable—places worth returning to long term. This trip to Thailand wasn’t about checking boxes; it was about confirming what already felt right.

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Lima, Peru – Mira Flores district! 😍

by Mira Flores (Lima)

I have so many amazing places in my life, I tend to forget some of them.

I wanted to share another post on how affordable and amazing Peru can be as an option to visit to get a bigger bang for your dollar. The country is impoverished, but the affluent Mira Flores district is amazing.

I visited Lima, Peru, three times on my Volaris all-you-can-fly pass, as it costs less than $100 each way on standby. The first time, I did not know the area, so I stayed in the city and commuted to Mira Flores on the local bus. I say this everywhere I go, but this traffic was insane.

The second and third time, I stayed at the same Airbnb on the cliffside oceanfront in Mira Flores district!

Mira Flores made a point to be inclusive for everyone.  There are paths for walking, running, biking, roller blading, and people whipping around on scooters too. I saw basketball/tennis courts, BMX/Skate parks, 

It is so impressive to see all of the gliders in the air and watch them take off and land.

Mira Flores has something for everyone and all ages.  It is a great place to stay active too! 

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Siem Reap/Ankor Wat, Cambodia

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I was getting more comfortable navigating Asia every day. I nailed the bus trip from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap and an Uber to my hostel. It was almost like I knew what I was doing, which is rare for me.

I chose to stay at the Poolside Villas in Phnom Penh, which was phenomenal. The rooms were $21 a night, and the food/drinks were very cheap, with beers $1.50/$1 happy hour and most meals under $5.

As my travels take me into March, I am starting to feel the pressure of running out of time in Asia. I am scheduled to leave on March 21st, and I still have not done some things.

For that reason, I took Cambodia by storm and did as much as possible in ten days.

I want to share my day trip to Angkor Wat, which was amazing!

Angkor Wat “City/Capital of Temples”) It is a Hindu-Buddhist temple complex in Cambodia. Located on a site measuring 162.6 hectares (1,626,000 m2; 402 acres) within the ancient Khmer capital city of Angkor, it was originally constructed in 1150 CE as a Hindu temple dedicated to the deity Vishnu. It was later gradually transformed into a Buddhist temple towards the end of the century.

Angkor Wat was built at the behest of the Khmer king Suryavarman II in the early 12th century in Yaśodharapura (present-day Angkor), the capital of the Khmer Empire, as his state temple and eventual mausoleum. Angkor Wat combines two basic plans of Khmer temple architecture: the temple-mountain and the later galleried temple. It is designed to represent Mount Meru, home of the devas in Hindu mythology, and is surrounded by a moat more than 5 km (3.1 mi). Enclosed within an outer wall 3.6 kilometres (2.2 mi) long are three rectangular galleries, each raised above the next. At the centre of the temple stands a quincunx of towers. Unlike most Angkorian temples, Angkor Wat is oriented to the west, with scholars divided as to the significance of this.

Here are some of the many videos I took, and the rest can be found on my YouTube channel by clicking here.

My tuk-tuk driver was amazing!  He picked me up at the hotel in the morning, drove me to each of the seven temples one by one.  He gave me clear instructions to navigate each of the temples, including pick-up after each stop.

It would be a lot more comfortable to spend 2-3 days, as I felt rushed towards the end and was worn out.

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Phnom Penh, hostel experience!🫵🏻😎🏨

by Vietnam

 I stayed at the Poolside Villa hostel for a few days since arriving in Phnom Penh on February 18th, 2025. 

I spent my first two nights in a private studio for $21 a night. When that room was booked, I moved into a dorm for $7 a night. A few people here are staying long-term in the dorms, and it’s easy to see how their monthly budget stays under $1,000.

Here’s what that looks like in real numbers:

$7 × 31 days = $217 for accommodation

$15 a day eating out for every meal = $450

$5 a week for laundry (washed, dried, folded) = $20

$30 a week for transportation = $120

That’s about $800 a month. Add insurance, a phone plan, and personal spending based on your lifestyle, and you’re still hovering around the $1,000 mark.

If you upgrade to a private studio for some breathing room, your accommodation jumps to about $434 a month. At that point, you could just rent a furnished apartment instead—studio or one-bedroom places can be found for $400–$600. With a little discipline on food (eating some meals at home), you can still stay near that $1,000 range.

Honestly, who wants to cook, clean, and do laundry?
But it’s there if you need it. 😂

The hostel bar and restaurant are shockingly affordable:

Beer is $1.50 (or $1 during happy hour)

Most meals are under $5

Walk down the street,a nd you’ll find beers for $0.75 and full meals for around $5

Imagine lunch and a beer for $6—with an actual menu worth choosing from.

I’ve worked my way through the big breakfast, pancakes, curry chicken, and then went full local with Khmer amok (chicken in coconut curry) and lok lak (peppery stir-fried chicken with rice). Both are classic Cambodian dishes, and both were as good as anything I’ve had in proper sit-down restaurants.

This is what makes slow travel so powerful:
Low daily money burn.
Good inexpensive food.
Simple, inexpensive routines.
And a life that doesn’t feel like it’s constantly going to the ATM.

There are a shit ton of solid meal options in the $3–$5 range, and drink prices are just as friendly. Fresh noodle bowls, rice plates, curries, sandwiches, smoothies, iced coffees, fruit shakes—it’s all right there, all day, for pocket change.

Most places don’t feel “cheap” either. They’re clean, relaxed, and actually good. You’re not sacrificing quality; you’re just paying local prices. When a full meal costs less than a coffee back home, you stop thinking in terms of “treating yourself” and start thinking in terms of living normally.

The hostel itself has a perfect setup some a simple inexpensive stay.  Studio rooms and door rooms are depending on your preference. Since the studio rooms are USD $21 and there is an adequate pool, so it is a no-brainer if you are on a budget.

It is also walking to “Score,” which is a great sports bar where I can catch a hockey game in the morning.  

There was all the bar food and drinks you can find anywhere at half the price, including 75-cent draft beers for happy hour.  I will remember this place forever as it is where I watched Canada beat the Americans on February 20th, 2025, on a Connor McDavid OT winner!

I could watch this clip 100 times, remembering that moment in Cambodia, and it wouldn’t be enough!

My next stop was Angkor Wat, Cambodia—a place that deserves its own blog.

You can read that full story by clicking the link below.

HERE.

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Vietnam – 35 days cost analysis!⬇️🤑

by Vietnam

I wanted to take the slow travel approach when I planned this trip. 

Slow travel is a deliberate, unhurried approach to exploring destinations, emphasizing meaningful experiences and cultural immersion. Here are some benefits of slow travel, using my experience to date:

– I learned more about Vietnam and its culture beyond just the tourist traps. ✅

– Slow travel can help you save money on accommodations, as I rented monthly and took local transportation. ✅

– It allowed me to relish my surroundings, build a routine, and live like a local. ✅

– Slow travel reduces stress levels as you are not always on the go (I took too many road trips). ❌

– It promotes me visiting local restaurants and engaging in local cultural events (TET – Chinese New Year). ✅

It is the polar opposite of an all-inclusive vacation resort vacation as you’re living like a local. This is a strategy that I need to prioritize now that I am taking a run at full-time travel!

Since I spent a lot of money on my road trips, it skews the actual cost of living in Vietnam.  I can tell you without a doubt in my mind that I could live like a king for $2K a month in any of the cities in Vietnam I visited.

Here is the order of cities I would choose when returning to Vietnam:

1. Phu Quoc Island (one of the most beautiful Islands I have ever visited).

2. Da Nang (there was a huge EXPAT community, making it feel domestic)

3. Nah Trang (there was also a huge EXPAT community, making it feel domestic)

I would choose one of these for one month each the next time I return to Asia.

One month in the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand.  I would just need to decide which cities in the other three Countries to keep my costs down with monthly rent. 

Since I have visited all of these Countries, here are my current choices as of today:

– Thailand (Koh Samui – it is also an easy ferry ride to Koh Phangan and Koh Tao, as they were all my favorite islands).

– Philippines (Siquijor Island – it was also my favorite place I visited).

– Vietnam (Phu Quoc Island)

– Cambodia (Phnom Penh – it is the only place I have visited, but it is very nice and inexpensive). 

The key is to pick a place that can also access other places for inexpensive road trips. This keeps things from getting boring, being stuck in the same spot for the whole time.

I did well on the Vietnam leg of my trip, but there is always room for improvement. I took too many road trips, which brought the cost up. I knew I could do that, as it happened the first time I visited a new country.

Here is a summary of the approximate costs to see how they stack up against my USD $2K monthly budget.

~ USD 600 for accommodations ($420 for Homebase and $180 for road trip Airbnb’s)

~ USD 750 credit card bill

~$800 cash ($200 a week cash for incidentals).

~$2000+ (I would assume this is a bit higher, but this is a summary).

If I stayed in one city instead of touring, it could be a lot less!!

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Phnom Penh, Cambodia – night market!

by

My first couple of days in Phnom Penh, Cambodia were incredible.

I honestly had no idea what to expect, but Cambodia needed a few pins on the map—so I went. I was already in Vietnam, which made it an easy decision. A ferry, a bus ride, and a seamless visa process later, I was there. Why not? felt like the right travel philosophy in that moment.

What I found was a city with its own rhythm and personality. Even the night market felt different from anything I’d experienced in other parts of Asia—familiar in structure, but distinct in energy, food, and vibe.

It was one of those stops that reminds you why saying “yes” to the unknown.

It is almost always worth it!

When you’re up against the night markets of Thailand, Vietnam, Taiwan, and the Philippines, the bar is set incredibly high. Phnom Penh’s night market didn’t have the same sheer variety of goods or the endless maze of food options you find in those places.

But what it did have was character—and one standout that stole the show for me: Amok chicken with rice.

That dish alone was worth the stop. Creamy, fragrant, gently spiced, and deeply Cambodian—it felt like comfort food with a story behind it. Even without the overwhelming spectacle of other Asian night markets, that single plate made the experience memorable.

Sometimes it’s not about having everything.
Sometimes it’s about finding one thing that hits just right.

Amok is a traditional Cambodian dish and is widely considered the national dish of Cambodia. It’s often described as a light, fluffy curry made with steamed fish or chicken, cooked in coconut milk and a fragrant blend of spices, then served in a banana leaf. The most famous version is Fish Amok, made with local freshwater fish. It’s a cornerstone of Cambodian cuisine—celebrated for both its flavor and its cultural significance.

To me, it felt like a distant cousin of chicken tikka or curry chicken… only better.

Maybe it was the setting. Maybe it was the custom bamboo-leaf bowl. Maybe it was the fact that I was eating it in Cambodia, where it actually belongs. But whatever the reason, it was incredible. Creamy, aromatic, comforting, and unforgettable—the kind of dish that stays with you long after the plate is gone.

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Cumming, GA – Home 2003-2010

by Georgia

In 2003, I finally got off the road from my telecommunications job and took a desk role in Alpharetta, which felt both responsible and slightly suspicious.

I’d been traveling nonstop for about five years, and honestly, I was done. Fortunately, an old manager reached out and offered me a desk job supporting Verizon Wireless 3G operations for Georgia and Alabama as a Customer Support Associate (CSAM). My role was to make sure the Norel product behaved itself—and when it didn’t, I worked directly with Verizon to manage outages and issues.

Once problems were identified, I handled root cause analysis, presented the findings, explained how we’d fix it, and—most importantly—made sure it never happened again. In theory.

I was also responsible for ensuring new network components were introduced, upgraded, and deployed properly. It was a 24/7/365 operation, with other states backing each other up. Stressful? Absolutely. But it was also a great time in my life, and Georgia turned out to be an amazing place to land after years of living out of a suitcase.

What made it especially pivotal was the timing. I was in the middle of building a house in Edmonton while simultaneously being offered this desk job in Georgia. Two very different lives pulling in opposite directions.

I still think about that decision. I’m almost certain that if the Georgia job hadn’t come along, I would have moved to Edmonton. I was finished with road work—and road work was finished with me. I couldn’t keep up with the demand anymore, which would have meant losing my job. And since my U.S. work visa was tied directly to employment, staying in the States wouldn’t have been an option.

I loved that Edmonton house. I loved it even more because it didn’t have a mortgage.

Thanks to years of road work, favorable exchange rates, and converting USD to Canadian dollars at exactly the right time, I was able to pay for it in cash. 🤑 That part still makes me smile.

I can’t remember the exact model of the house, but I do remember the square footage and the builder. If this wasn’t the exact model, it was close—it definitely had a bonus room above the garage, which at the time felt like peak adulthood.

What I remember most clearly, though, is that I chose the worst possible color scheme. Think teal siding with brown trim. Not tasteful teal. Aggressively teal. The kind of choice you make when you’re more excited about square footage than aesthetics.

This was also pre-smart home, pre-everything. So naturally, despite the fact that wireless Bluetooth and Wi-Fi were already a thing, I ran cables everywhere like an absolute dumbass. Through walls. Into places that never needed them. All because I wanted security cameras and—wait for it—a TV above the TV. A bold vision in the early 2000s, and one that required way more effort than it deserved.

Looking back, it was wildly overengineered and completely unnecessary. But at the time? It felt futuristic.

I’ll write a separate blog about the Edmonton house at some point, because honestly, it was an incredible experience in my life and deserves its own spotlight.

But for now, back to the choice that actually got made—the house in Georgia. And no, that one was no slouch either.

These pictures were taken ten years after I moved out. I didn’t realize it at the time, but this ended up being the last annual maintenance trip I’d ever need to make. For years, I’d fly down, trim the bushes practically down to the roots so they’d survive another twelve months, and this time I would’ve finally fixed and painted the fence too.

Funny how you never know it’s the last time when you’re in it.

You can see the empty spot on the patio where the hot tub time machine used to live. That backyard saw a lot of good times. There was a fire pit, and a pergola-style gazebo over the hot tub, complete with lights and speakers—basically a perfectly engineered relaxation zone before I even knew I needed one.

The same guy who rented the house for over ten years eventually bought it as is. I gave him a fair deal and worked directly with him and his financer to get everything done smoothly. I was relieved to be done with the ongoing headaches of long-distance ownership—but I’d be lying if I said I don’t miss that house, and that area, quite a bit.

Some places just stick with you.

And of course…
GO Atlanta Braves! 🪓🪓🪓

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Moorseville, NC – Home 2010-2015 (Acerage life)

by North Carolina

In 2003, after nearly five years on the road in telecommunications, I transitioned into a desk role in Alpharetta, Georgia. The move provided stability, but more importantly, it set the foundation for more deliberate financial decisions.

I was brought in to support Verizon Wireless 3G operations across Georgia and Alabama as a Customer Support Account Manager (CSAM). The role was operationally demanding—24/7/365 availability—and involved outage response, root-cause analysis, network upgrades, and ensuring system reliability. It was high accountability work, but it also came with consistent income and upward mobility.

By 2010, the company secured the 4G contract for North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee, and I was promoted to manage all three states. That promotion triggered a relocation to Mooresville, North Carolina, a growing area near Lake Norman.

Rather than renting, I took an asset-first approach.

I purchased acreage with an existing manufactured home and a three-car garage with a loft. The strategy was straightforward:

Rent the front house to cover the mortgage

Live in the loft above the garage at minimal cost

Maintain flexibility while building equity

I later acquired the adjacent lot, bringing the total to three acres, increasing long-term land value and optionality.

At the same time, I kept my Georgia property as a rental, using the tenant’s payments to aggressively pay down that mortgage. That tenant remained for over 13 years and eventually purchased the property as-is, eliminating renovation costs and maximizing net return. Rising home values and higher interest rates later made that outcome even more favorable.

This approach wasn’t about lifestyle—it was about leverage:

Stable W-2 income

Cash-flowing real estate

Minimal personal housing costs

Long-term appreciation

Living near Lake Norman was a bonus, not the goal. The real value was in structuring housing as an asset rather than an expense—something that has quietly supported every major move I’ve made since.

Bonfires, riding mowers, lake life, and a lot of beer, working on the yard!

The loft above the garage turned out to be an incredible setup—two bedrooms and a full kitchen overlooking the common area. It was functional, comfortable, and honestly better than most apartments I’d lived in, with the added bonus of costing me almost nothing to live there.

I poured a meaningful amount of capital—and even more sweat equity—into preparing the property for an eventual flip. I knew the 4G assignment had a shelf life, so the strategy was always clear: improve the asset while I was living there basically for free while waiting for the phone call from HR.

I also picked up the adjacent lot, pushing the total footprint to just over three acres. That added real utility—room to maintain, expand, and justify an endless stream of projects. More space meant more optionality, both operationally and on resale options.  I could move them together or separately, which is what eventually happened.

But the real differentiator was the garage. Three full-sized bay doors and a bathroom turned it from storage into infrastructure. A legitimate man cave, yes—but more importantly, a flexible, future-proof space that made the property easier to live in and easier to sell for a tradesperson.

That’s the throughline: every upgrade pulled double duty. Livability on the front end. Liquidity on the back.

I eventually rented out the loft, so I added a temporary wall and split the garage accordingly. Two bays stayed with the house; one bay—with a washer and dryer—went with the loft. It was an absurdly good setup. Honestly, if Airbnb had been a thing back then, I would’ve printed money. And given where the market went, the property has probably doubled by now anyway.

But at some point, scale stops being impressive and starts being exhausting.

I was working 60-hour weeks, traveling across the Carolinas and Tennessee on short notice. At the same time, I was managing a rental in Georgia and had my Arizona condo leased out to snowbirds. I used to joke that I had “seven toilets for one asshole,” which was funny right up until it wasn’t.

The day I officially decided to sell is burned into my memory.

The septic tank was seeping. The yard smelled awful. I could see pools forming, and I knew that whatever was happening wasn’t going to be cheap or simple. I called someone out, and sure enough, the yard had to be dug up. One of the two septic fields wasn’t working properly—turns out a switch had failed, leaving one field to do all the work until it overflowed.

On top of that, the tank itself was full and needed to be pumped.

Shitter. Was. Full.

That was the moment it clicked: this wasn’t about money anymore. It was about bandwidth. I’d built something impressive—but I was managing it alone, and the margin for error had vanished. Selling wasn’t a failure. It was triage.

And honestly? It was the right call.

The septic repair itself ran about $5K, but the real cost was psychological. The idea that it could turn into a $50K full replacement was enough. On top of that, both the front and back houses needed new roofs, and every spring came with the annual termite situation. It was always something. Manageable in isolation—exhausting in aggregate.

Not long after, I was laid off after 18 years with the same company, which effectively decided for me. After more than 12 years in the South, I was done. I packed it up and moved to Arizona, where my condo was already waiting.

I knew my telecom days were winding down, which is exactly why I’d bought that condo in the first place—a soft landing spot closer to home in Canada. The timing worked. I was able to bank the sale of the acreage, move west, and reset without scrambling.

All told, it was a great run: seven years in Georgia and five more living the acreage life in North Carolina. I wouldn’t trade it. Especially not my time in Mooresville, better known as Race City USA, where most of the drivers and garages are based.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. lived about 15 minutes from me on his western ranch. No invites for me—but proximity counts for something, right?

Thanks for the memories, Mooresville.
No regrets. Just chapters, and those five years were amazing!

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Hello Phnom Penh, Cambodia!

by

I always say that travel is as adventurous as the destination, and this was no different.

I woke up in Phu Quoc, Vietnam,m Airb, where I spent the last five days. I was packed and ready for the day:

1. Uber/Grab to the ferry terminal to catch my 9 AM 90-minute ferry to Hua Hin, Cambodia.

2. 10-minute Uber/Grab to the bus terminal for the shuttle to the Cambodian border. There was an awesome group of traveller that fought through the same cirumstances like champs too!

3. Two hours in the Cambodia immigration office, sweating my balls off.

4. 60-minute shuttle to Kampo, where most of the passengers were headed. 

5A.115-minute Tuk-tuk to another bus station where my shuttle to Phnom Penh was waiting.

6. Two and a half hours to Phnom Penh. 

7. Tuk-tuk to Airbnb – The host would not reply, so I could not check in.

8. Amazing mango salad and 75-cent draft, signing out my next step.

9. Tuk-tuk to the amazing poolside hostel where studio rooms are $2.

How is that for an adventurous day and 100% winning at the end of a brutal day!!

 

What a rush, not knowing if things would work out each step of the way!

Ferry transfer to the border shuttle bus. ✅

Finding an ATM for Cambodian currency and getting a visa approved. ✅

Tuk-tuk transferred from one Kampot shuttle station to the next while the Phnom Penh driver waited for me. ✅

Finding amazing accommodations for the few days I will spend here. ✅

As I blog here at my hosted site,l having breakfast, here are some random pictures and videos from the Amazing Race. Phu Quoc, Vietnam to Phnom Penh, Cambodia.  How is this now awesome?

 

 

Goodbye, Phu Quoc, Vietnam!  

You are one of the most beautiful Islands I have ever visited!! 🙌🙌

 

Hello Cambodia, we are going to meet to get to know each other this week!

 

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Phu Quoc, Vietnam – Amazing!

by Vietnam

I arrived in Vietnam on January 14th, 2025, and left on February 18th, five weeks or exactly 35 days!

It has been an up-and-down experience, but mission accomplished. I found the areas I would and could live in for under  2 KK. Right off the bat, I know I could live almost anywhere in Vietnam comfortably on my budget. It is now up to me to weigh the pros and cons of each city when I decide to come back.

I will write a separate blog with my budget for each city, along with the probability of my returning.

Today, I want to focus on my last stop, the amazing Island of Phu Quoc, Vietnam. The hotel and Phem Beach are one of the nicest beaches I have experienced in the world. It has everything you would want for a long-term stay. I am unsure if it fits the vacation criteria, as it is too hard to get here for a week or two weeks from North America on a budget. Anything can be done by Daddy Warbucks, so do it if you can!  

Here is my $15 a night Airbnb/hotel with a four-minute walk to beach beers:

It was low season and only a few guests were in the hotel!
My hotel was $15 a night and a five minute walk to an amazing beach!
paradise

53X around the sun ⤴️🌞⤵️ Addicted to travel! 🌎

by Vietnam

We all love to travel and find a good deal, right?

That’s why I started this site—to share my love for saving money while traveling. It’s not perfect. The grammar might wander. The editing might be questionable. And yes, you’re absolutely welcome to judge me for any of it. 

But it’s been a blast so far!

The best part? People have actually reached out—asking about deals, routes, points, and how to make trips more affordable. 

That was always the goal. If you’re looking for ideas or help, you can reach me via WhatsApp or email through the homepage.  I helped my first guest book his dream trip in 2026!

I also get that this site isn’t for everyone. We’re all different—and that’s fine. You can even wear your first-class slippers while sitting in coach here. No judgment.

I’ve come a long way… kind of.
I still like cake.
And I had the same number of people at my birthday this year.

Progress is progress. 😄

I spent my 53rd birthday doing what I love, traveling in Asia and Europe! 

(I had Pho and a beer this time around in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam!)

After getting laid off in February 2024, I spent the next 12 months traveling, so I welcomed 53 times around the sun. I planned to wait until 55, but I’m giving it a shot now to see how it goes!

Mexico-Guatemala-Costa Rica-Peru-Chile-Argentina- Uruguay-Arizona-Philippines, and now Vietnam. I am traveling, trying to understand which Countries I can live in for my $2000 USD 2500 USD budget, and all of those passed the test.  How confusing!!

We never know where our future will take us, but having the time, freedom, and financial freedom to travel has been amazing.

    

 

My Airbnb guests also left early on April 7th, 2025, so I headed home to Arizona.

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Phu Quoc – Vietnam Island paradise!🌞😎

by Vietnam

I wrapped up the first 28 days of my Vietnam adventure on February 11th, 2025.

During that stretch, I spent time exploring much of Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC/Saigon) and made my way through a wide swath of central and southern Vietnam—getting a real feel for how different each region can be, even within the same country.

What stood out most wasn’t just the places themselves, but how quickly Vietnam shifts in tone:
big-city chaos to quiet riverside towns, motorbike madness to morning markets, tourist centers to places that still feel almost untouched.

Every stop felt like a new chapter, not just a new pin on a map.

After two days of plane, bus, and ferry travel, I reached my last destination, the island of Phu Quoc.

It took a night bus and ferry, and a full day of travel, but I made it to Vietnam Paradise Island!

I took the train North, stopping in Nah Trang, Da Nang, and went as far as Hue, Vietnam.  It was a great experience, but exhausting.  My longest train ride was 18 hours.

After riding trains for what felt like forever, I came down with a pretty severe case of “fuck it” and booked a flight back to my home base in Ho Chi Minh City.

Sometimes slow travel is about patience and rhythm.
And sometimes it’s about recognizing when you’ve had enough of moving sideways and just want to reset.

The train had been great. The scenery was unreal. The experience was worth it.

But in that moment?
I didn’t want another platform, another timetable, or another overnight seat.

So I flew.

And honestly—that flexibility is part of the whole point.

The ironic part? The flight barely cost more than the train.

I loved the train—the views, the slow-paced touring Vietnam. It was absolutely worth doing. But clicking buy on that flight and being back in HCMC in a few hours later felt incredible.

Sometimes the best travel move is resetting—it’s the one that gets you home, rested, and ready for whatever’s next.

I started my bus and ferry journey from HCMC to Phu Quoc!

Below is the legendary night bus—the rolling cocoon many travelers use to reach their next destination.

No seatbelt.
No personal space.
No hotel was needed that night.

Once I wedged myself into that pod, my ass wasn’t going anywhere, but somehow… it worked.

It’s not luxury. a 
It’s not comfort.
But it adventureturous to say the least.

The ferry is a lot more comfortable for me, and watching the water go by is great too!

Here’s the walk from my hotel to what might be one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.

No taxi, short walk, and no rush.

Just a few quiet streets away, warm air, and that moment when the sand finally appears and you realize this is part of your daily routine—not a $200 excursion.

This is what slow travel looks like in practice.

Phu Quoc was less than half price compared to most of the islands I visited in Thailand and the Philippines.

It is perfect for someone on a lower travel budget like me!🤑

👨👨🏻🧔🏻‍♂️👨🏻‍🦰👨🏻‍🦱👨🏻‍🦳👨🏻‍🦲👱🏻‍♂️👴🏻

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Nah Trang, Vietnam – Beachin’ place!!

by Vietnam

I woke up with a train hangover from the long ride, sore throat, and my body just hurt.  The good news is that a massage can be had for about $5., I was able to fix my body with a couple of massages.  

$2 lemongrass peach bubble tea with an ocean view while listening to the Oilers’ pregame show.

I am also staying in an amazing Airbnb for $15 a night to catch up on my rest for a few days.

I eventually found a $75 flight to get back to HCMC to avoid another 10-hour train ride: 

NAD for the bounce-back win in extra time!! 🤓

 

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Where is Waldo – NorthAmerican Darrell (NAD)

by Personal History

July 25th, 2026

I just returned from ten solid days in Canada visiting my Family in Edmonton, Alberta and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.  

I also had an amazing lake time at Prince Albert Provincial park enjoying Waskesiu lake life.

My Family is the absolute BEST!

On deck: Cebu, Philippines 

August 15th, 2026.

 

July 4th, 2026

Today marks exactly one month since I arrived in Mexico. I rarely stay at my little pad in Rocky Point this long, but I’ve really enjoyed the slower inexpensive pace. I’ve been watching the World Cup cheering on Canada and Mexico, working on my website, and trying to save a few pesos along the way. 

I even challenged myself to live on just $20 USD a day. Surprisingly, I’ve managed to hit that goal about five out of every seven rolling days. I do have one little cheat code, though. If I spend nothing one day, I let myself “borrow” or “payback” that that money for another day. So, a forty-dollar day after a zero-dollar day still keeps me on budget. 

 It’s all part of fine-tuning my retirement budget before my next couple of adventures in Canada on July13th and the Philippines on August 15th.

 What a great place to celebrate Canada Day and America’s Independence Day while watching soccer than right here in  Mexico? 

Cheers – NorthAmericanDarrell

🇨🇦🇲🇽🇺🇸

June 27th, 2026

I have been at my casita in Rocky Point, Mexico over three weeks.  I plan to stay here through the long weekend and head back to Arizona the second week of July.

It seems like a lot longer as I have been staying home a lot trying to save pesos.  

I have been watching a lot of the World Cup and go out on the nights Mexico plays to watch it beach front with the locals.

The United States and Canada are passionate fans but Mexico just takes it to another level in my opinion.

I also took the time to start a text to speech podcast on Spotify. I also share all the episodes on my YouTube channel.  I chose Spotify because I was already paying for their service. I will switch over to YouTube so it is free for everyone to listen for free if they choose.

CLICK HERE for the Spotify link or you can head over to my YouTube channel www.YouTube.com/@NorthAmericanDarrell to find the first nine episodes.  

June 1st, 2026

Six agonizing weeks on the downlow without health insurance in the United States! 

The cancellation of my USA policy blog! CLICK HERE.

I used the down time to enjoy the amazing weather in AZ at my condo. I also did some travel blogging on lessons learned in the Philippines and travel budget blogging:

Organize my travel finances blog! CLICK HERE.

Philippines EXPAT financial lessons learned blog! CLICK HERE 

I am rested, restless and back into the thrifty travel mode!

Off to my casita in Rocky Point, Mexico this week!

🥳🇲🇽🌯🌮🍻

If you would like to see my minimalist Mexico setup CLICK HERE.

May 13, 2026

This week marks a full month back home in Mesa, Arizona.

I’ve kept things pretty quiet while working on paying off my three month trip to the Philippines. I am also putting together a smarter budget for next year. I spent far more than I planned—but honestly, it was worth every penny.  

You can read my 2027 Philippines budget by CLICKING HERE

In other news; Arizona EXCESSIVE HEAT has officially arrived … 

110F/42C+ and wow, it’s gonna be HOT for months.

April 22nd, 2026

I have been back in Arizona for almost a week.  I had a quick four day visit with my Sister, caught a couple of Blue Jay games live and the Oilers won their first playoff game.
 
 it’s good to be home!!

 

April 14th, 2026

After 82 days, today is my last day in the Philippines!

What started on January 15th in Tokyo, Japan has come to an end.  I feel like I have been gone forever, yet it feels like it flew by at the same time.

It is going to be a long day is the only thing I am positive about now!

1.5 hours – Cebu to Manilla

3.5 hours – Manilla to Taipei, Taiwan

11 hours – Taipei to Phoenix, AZ

I leave at 3:30 AM Cebu time and arrive at 3:00 PM Phoenix time.

Door to door, that is ~30 hours of travel time with16 hours in the air!

April 3rd, 2026

Less than two weeks left in Cebu, Philippines until I head back home to Arizona on April 15th.

I haven’t updated this “Where is NAD?” blog in over a month—which, for me, is pretty incredible.

And honestly, that tells me everything.

It means I settled into a routine and I am content.

For a while, I didn’t even realize it… until everything shut down for Holy Week and it hit me—I had been living the same awesome day on repeat.

And to be honest, it was a pretty good routine for me:

Working out in condo gym 

Coffee with the EXPATs from all over the world

Walk one of the malls and grab lunch

Weekly vitaility treatments that you can read about by CLICKING HERE.

Happy hour at TGIF/Social/Mango 

Meeting amazing new people.

I would sub in some things on some days and other things on other days and just going with the flow of living life in Cebu.  You can ready by “Life in Cebu” blog by CLICKING HERE.

Not a bad life for someone that cannot settle down!

But if I’m being honest, routine and I have a complicated relationship.
Give me too much of it… and I start to feel it.

Perfect timing too.

Still, I’m genuinely excited to head back to Arizona—and my little casita in Rocky Point, Mexico.

My sister is coming to visit the day after I get back. We’ve got Toronto Blue Jays baseball on deck and Edmonton Oilers playoff hockey.

That’s a pretty great welcome home.

And the best part?

I still have trips to Bantayan and Siquijor Islands planned before I leave.

Also, this isn’t a goodbye, it is see you again soon! 👋🏻

Before I know it, I’ll be right back in Cebu on August 19th, 2026, for a month… ready to do it all over again—just a little differently next time from my lessons learned.

LFG Oilers and Blue Jays!!

March 5th, 2026

After seven unforgettable weeks in Cebu, Philippines, I’m getting ready to sign one last month-long lease that will carry me through April 7th. It’s hard to believe this chapter is already winding down. From there, I’ll have one final week to soak it all in before making my way back to Arizona on April 15th.

Thankfully, this isn’t a farewell — it’s just an intermission. I’m already booked for four months in 2027! 🌴✈️

Looks like The Philippines isn’t done with me yet… and honestly, I’m perfectly okay with that.

I’ve just returned from an incredible four-day road trip to the breathtaking island of Siargao — a slice of paradise filled with palm-lined roads, turquoise waters, and that laid-back island rhythm you wish you could bottle up and take home. You can read all about the adventure by clicking HERE. 🌴✨

 

February 22nd, 2026

It’s been a month in Cebu, Philippines—and somehow it feels like I’ve been here way longer than that. Hard to believe I left Tokyo on January 23. The original plan was to return to Japan for a full month since I only spent a week there…

Fast forward, and instead I’ve settled into EXPAT life in the Philippines. I extended my lease until April 15th—and then went a step further and locked in a four-month lease for next year.

You can read why I extended my lease by CLICKING HERE.

Safe to say, plans changed but, for the better!

Philippines… did we just become best friends?

 

February 6th, 2026

Two weeks in Cebu, Philippines and all is well! Starting to Island hop which makes the Philippines amazing! ✈️⛴️


January 23rd, 2026

Eight days into a month-and-a-half-long adventure in Japan, and plans are already changing.

A buddy is leaving Cebu, Philippines, ten days early, so I’m sliding into his place—for free. I stayed in this exact condo back in 2024 and absolutely loved the area, so this felt less like a detour and more like fate tapping me on the shoulder.

I might come back to Japan and finish this trip.

I might set up shop in Cebu until the end of April.

There’s no real point in locking anything in—history suggests I get bored everywhere eventually.

What I do know with 100% certainty:

I just had seven glorious spa days in a row at my Tokyo Airbnb, 

I’m leaving freezing and relatively expensive Japan.

This is what’s waiting for me in the Cebu area for pennies on the dollar.

(Quarters on the dollar just doesn’t sound right but, you get it!)

Some people will never be happy.
Some people will always try to find it.

I know which one I am, today! 😐

 

January 15/16, 2026

After two-plus weeks in Rocky Point, Mexico, I was done feeling like crap to start 2026, and very aware that the beach beers can’t fix everything—especially when your brain is the problem.  Loco Gringo!! 🤪

The original plan was to head back to Canada. Sensible. Responsible. Family.

That wasn’t enough to shake me out of the funk, so instead, I bailed on paid flights and pulled in my trip to Japan.

Fast forward two days: I’m sipping a Starbucks in Tokyo, 10K steps already logged, surrounded by smiles, neon, and efficiency as I have never experienced in my life—and I feel alive again.

Sometimes all it takes is changing the channel for me.

Life moves fast. If you’re not paying attention, you might miss it while waiting for the “right time.”

We’ve trained ourselves to postpone happiness.
Once I finish this.
Once I save more.
Once I retire.
Then I’ll live.

Why not now?  So here I am two weeks early!

Sushi.
Ramen.
Sake.
Japanese BBQ.

But first…

Starbucks Coffee, Tokyo roast. ☕

 

January 7th, 2026

It has been a quiet start to 2026 here in Rocky Point, Mexico.  

A new year brings reflection and planning, and that is pretty much all I have done besides beach beers and tacos.  

It is time to hit the gym and eat better, starting tomorrow-ish! 😐

In the meantime …

The best torulla soup, ever!
Landlords amazing pazo;e soup and tamales!
The best burrito in town!

The tortilla soup and burrito are from Compadres Restaurante in Puerto Peùasco (Rocky Point).

This town is full of imitations—but this place is the real deal.
Mexican-run.
No shortcuts.
No tourist fluff.

Just honest, classic food done right—and honestly, as good as it gets. 🌮🔥

After dinner, head over to Zay’s Western Bar & Grill to catch the game—or grab the mic and sing a tune.

Because let’s be honest…
Travelers really are the champions of the world. 🏆🎤

 

December 31, 2025

Another year gone! What in the actual FUCK!? 

I had the amazing maids prepare my AZ Airbnb for my grateful guests and headed back to Rocky Point. 

 Next up: 

Canada on January 15th (weather permitting)

Japan on January 30th!

Happy New Year: 🥳

www.NorthAmericanDarrell.com and his trusty assistant ChatGPT!

 

December 26–30, 2025

After thirty-nine days away and two Airbnb guests rotating through while I was gone, I finally made it home to AZ.

The weather is absolutely beautiful. 🌵🌄😎

Just enough time to hit my favorite local spots, reset, and prep the condo for the next four months. That will cover the rest of the snowbird season, with two more amazing repeat guests already lined up.

This season worked out better than I probably expected.

And yet… I can still find a reason to worry.

Some habits travel with you no matter how many miles you log, as something always needs to be planned, perfectly!

I leave on November 30th to spend New Year’s Eve in Rocky Point: tequila in one hand, taco in the other, resolutions postponed indefinitely. Life is very bueno, mis amigos.

 I regret nothing until New Year’s Day! 

¡Salud! 🌮🌯🍻

 

December 17–18, 2025

The Long Way Home

After almost 40 hours of travel, I finally made it home to Rocky Point (Puerto Peñasco)—coming all the way from Hanoi.

Here’s how it unfolded:

11:00 AM – Grab (Uber equivalent) to Noi Bai International Airport

3:45 PM – Flight from Hanoi → Guangzhou ✅

4-hour layover ✅

13-hour flight from Guangzhou → Los Angeles

3-hour layover ✅

1-hour flight from Los Angeles → Phoenix ✅

(I planned to take the bus… but flying won this round)

6-hour layover ✅

4-hour shuttle to Rocky Point ✅

They say the journey is more important than the destination…

After this one?
Yeah. No kidding.

Still—The tacos and corona hits different after crossing half the planet.

December 7, 2025

I wrapped up my road trip through Kuala Lumpur and Indonesia, ending it in Bali—and Bali turned out to be exactly what I didn’t know I needed.

After months of movement and big cities, I found a sense of stillness during my five days there, especially once I got away from the more crowded areas. Quiet mornings, slower days, and space to breathe made all the difference.

I finally understand why Aussies practically invade Bali. It’s beautiful, relaxed, and incredibly affordable, with a quality of life that punches way above its price point.

This was just a short stay, but it left a lasting impression. I’ll absolutely be back—next time for much longer.

December 3rd, 2025

After two weeks in Hanoi, I was ready for a breather. I booked a quick side trip to Kuala Lumpur for a few days and officially dropped another pin—this time in Malaysia. 📍

One of the best decisions was hopping on the double-decker city tour bus, which made it easy to get oriented and take in the scale of the city. Kuala Lumpur’s architecture really stands out—modern skyscrapers sitting right alongside historic buildings, with the skyline anchored by the iconic Petronas Twin Towers.

It was a short stop, but a perfect reset: less chaos, great views, and just enough time to appreciate how diverse and visually impressive the city really is.

December 3rd, 2025

After two weeks in Hanoi, I was ready for a breather. I booked a quick side trip to Kuala Lumpur for a few days and officially dropped another pin—this time in Malaysia. 📍

One of the best decisions was hopping on the double-decker city tour bus, which made it easy to get oriented and take in the scale of the city. Kuala Lumpur’s architecture really stands out—modern skyscrapers sitting right alongside historic buildings, with the skyline anchored by the iconic Petronas Twin Towers.

It was a short stop, but a perfect reset: less chaos, great views, and just enough time to appreciate how diverse and visually impressive the city really is.

November 9th, 2025

I checked in my first guest of the snowbird season and then headed back to my pad in Rocky Point (Puerto PeĂąasco). Another season officially underway.

With that taken care of, my focus shifted to what’s next.

I’m now gearing up for my next EPIC adventure—heading to Hanoi on November 17th. Knowing there’s income coming in while I’m on the road makes these kinds of trips far more sustainable. That extra cash generated from Airbnb goes a long way when you travel often and travel far.

This balance—owning a base, hosting snowbirds, and staying mobile—is exactly what makes the lifestyle work for me.

Welcome to Arizona.

The Rocky Point Rally always attracts thousands of motorcycles from all over North America, and it was already in full swing when I arrived in Rocky Point (Puerto PeĂąasco).

It’s one of those events that’s amazing and annoying at the exact same time. The energy is wild, the bikes are incredible, and the noise… relentless. I was honestly glad I only caught the tail end of the final day, which was more than enough.

This was my second year in a row experiencing the absolute madness, and that was plenty to remind me why people love it—and why I don’t need to see the whole thing from start to finish.

Here are a few shots of the yearly visitors and their souped-up bikes. Love it or hate it, the Rocky Point Rally definitely makes an impression on how you see bikers!

It’s been a year since I started blogging, and the 2024 Rocky Point Rally was one of the very first posts I put out. Looking back at it now, it’s wild to see how much has changed—and how much has stayed the same.

I’ve come a long way since that first post, but I know there’s still a long way to go. And honestly, that’s part of the appeal to keep on blogging.  

You can read last year’s blog by clicking HERE!

 

November 1st, 2025

After two and a half weeks at my pad in Mexico, I headed home to Mesa just in time for Game 7 of the World Series.

I needed a change of scenery after watching the Toronto Blue Jays blow a chance to close it out in Game 6. And then… history repeated itself. Game 7 didn’t go our way either. That said, it was still an incredible showing against the best team in baseball.

Credit where it’s due—congrats to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Well earned.

Now it’s time to switch gears and prep my Airbnb for snowbird season. One chapter closes, another opens.

And as always—big travel plans coming soon.

Exactly two weeks after getting home from a month-long European adventure, I was already restless. Jet lag was winning, the gym was losing, and motivation was nowhere to be found.

The obvious solution? A quick reset at my place in Rocky Point, Mexico. That move never fails. Instant relaxation, deep sleep, system reboot.

Night one: watched a Blue Jays game and slept 12 hours.
Night two: Oilers game, followed by another 10 hours.
Add in a $15 haircut and hot shave, and suddenly life made sense again.

LFG Jays. LFG Oilers. And LFG daily trips to ProFitness to get fully back on track. 💪

 

September 29th/30th, 2025

Home sweet home! Mesa, AZ 🙏🏻

Planes, trains, and automobiles—home edition.

Train from Paris to London.
Flight from London to Los Angeles.
Rental car from LA to Mesa.
eBike home after dropping the rental… because why not?

All just in time for playoff baseball and the start of the NHL season.

LFG Jays. LFG Oilers. 🚀🏒⚾️

September 28th, 2025

Later that day—and officially over the snobs in France—I hopped on the train from Paris to London to spend my final day there.

 

September 28th, 2025

I lasted less than one day in Paris.  I have never met such rude people in my whole life than the French!  No, I don’t “Parlez-vous français ?” Most people will not help you unless you speak French.  I say most because I did meet a few nice people there but not enough to keep me around more than 12 hours.  

Peace out!! 🍟

September 27th, 2025

Not sure anyone actually reads these updates, but they’ll be helpful if I bump my head. 😂

After missing two connections, I somehow ended up on a first-class high-speed train to Paris. Total accident. Absolute treat.

September 26th, 2025

After going back and forth, I decided it was time to leave Italy. I booked the final two legs of my trip and head to Belgium tomorrow via Munich.

It’s a 12-hour train ride, so I may stop along the way—depending entirely on how I’m feeling.

September 23rd, 2025

After a 12-hour travel day winding through Switzerland, I finally arrived in Venice, Italy. I missed Venice on my last trip to Italy, so this time I made it a priority—and it was absolutely worth it.

I found an amazing hostel for $20 a night and plan to enjoy a couple of days soaking it all in one seltzer at a time. 

 

September 22, 2025

Traversing the Swiss Alps including the famous Bernia Express!

September 20th, 2025

Just when I thought Prague had locked down the title of favorite city, Munich showed up—and camping for Oktoberfest absolutely kicked the door in.

Are you fucking kidding me?!

Sleeping in a tent, waking up to beer songs, lederhosen before breakfast, massive tents, endless laughs, and a nonstop parade of good times. It wasn’t just Oktoberfest—it was Oktoberfest in pro mode, and it was glorious.

September 18th, 2025

My first full day in Prague was absolutely amazing.

From wandering the Old Town to crossing Charles Bridge and taking in the layers of history everywhere you turn, Prague makes it easy to slow down and just soak it all in. The city feels lived-in, beautiful without trying too hard, and effortlessly walkable—one of those places that pulls you in right away.

A perfect first impression, and the start of what I already knew was going to be a great stay.

September 17th, 2025

My time in Poland has come to an end. I spent almost a week here, with a quick side trip to Iceland mixed in, which made the stretch feel even more memorable.

I really enjoyed my time in Poland. The familiarity of the Ukrainian language, the food, and—most of all—the people made it feel comfortable and welcoming in a way I didn’t fully expect. It’s one of those places that quietly grows on you the longer you stay.

Now the trip is building toward what I’ve been looking forward to most.

Next up: crossing the Swiss Alps and then heading straight into the madness of Oktoberfest in Munich.

But first—just a quick stop in Prague.

 

September 13th, 2025

Back in Warsaw, Poland!  After a whirlwind trip to Iceland, I wanted to spend a few more days relaxing. Next up, the Czech Republic.

September 11th, 2025

What an EPIC 48-hour road trip to ReykjavĂ­k, Iceland!

This was one of those fast, intense trips where you pack in as much scenery as humanly possible and run purely on adrenaline and awe. Endless open roads, dramatic landscapes, unpredictable weather, and that unmistakable Icelandic feeling that you’re driving through another planet.

Short trip. Spent most of it in the hot springs.

Big impressions on the lava flowing and,
absolutely worth every mile.

I spent my last day and the budget for these days at the famous Blue Lagoon hot springs. 

Entry included one facemask; I went with white! LMAO! 🎭

September 8th, 2025

What a full week!! 4 planes, 2 buses, and 1 train!

✈️✈️✈️🚎🚎🚅✈️

Phoenix-Los Angeles-London-Faro-PortimĂŁo-Lagos-Porto, Portugal-Warsaw, Poland!

I am looking forward to spending a few days enjoying Old Town Warsaw as it looks amazing!

My next adventure is Reykjavik, Iceland, on September 11th!


September 4th, 2025

Holy Cow!  I made it to Faro, Portugal, after a ~24-hour journey.

30-minute Uber PHX airport ✅

1.5-hour flight to LA ✅

8 fucking hour layover ✅

10-hour flight to London ✅

2-hour layover ✅

3-hour flight to Faro✅

I took a few needed naps to address some serious jet lag!  I toured old town Faro for a day, and took a 2-hour bus to the beach in PortimĂŁo and Lagos the next day at crack ass AM in the morning!

 

 

September 1st, 2025

The start of my most EPIC adventure yet! 

Crisscrossing Europe by airplane and train on Standby for a month!! 🥳

Wizz Air fly's to 52 Countries (above) and the EuroRail pass will work for 32 Countries (below). They are both standby so the exciting part will be how it all unfolds.

Armed with an all-you-can-fly pass with Wizz Air and a EuroRail pass, the possibilities are endless!

I leave Phoenix on September 1st and arrive in London the morning of Sept 2nd.

 My first all-you-can-fly flight choice was to Faro, Portugal, leaving that afternoon! 

I will take the train North to Lisbon and Porto from there is the plan! đŸ˜Ž

 I hope to visit 7-10 new countries during September! 🛃

 

 

Taco Tuesday, April 19, 2025!

After just over two weeks at my pad in Rocky Point, Mexico, it is time to head home to Arizona!

I may as well have driven the shuttle! 😎

 I did everything I set my mind to during my visit, including eating well, going to the gym, and avoiding alcohol (for the most part). I did overdo it the last night, but that was well deserved, and I paid the price.

NO MAS Mexico until October! 😎 

I also had a very productive two weeks working on my website and my YouTube channel.  

My site is ready for September 2025, where I will use my Wizz Airline pass and Europass train pass to blog while I crisscross Europe.

If I go crazy, will you still call me Superman!? 🦸🏻😂

 

 

 

 

August 1st, 2025!  Puerto Penasco, Mexico, casa! 😎

After spending the last week of May, June, and July home in Mesa, I headed back to Mi Casa in Rocky Point, Mexico, for a couple of weeks of beach time.  

Four-hour shuttle from home, who doesn’t love the beach? 

My goal was to spend the Summer taking better care of myself at home in Mesa.  

LifeTime Fitness Gym/Spa almost every day after getting home from Mexico, the last week of May! ✅

I have been going to LTF for over 15 years on and off.  I love it there! 🕺

I also took a break from drinking alcoholic beer!  This was during the NHL playoffs, too! 🕺

It was a day-to-day calendar challenge; kicking its ass for 70+ days! 😎 

Check out the blog on how I did it HERE! ✅

I pulled my cardio equipment out of storage and used it religiously every day for over 60 minutes before heading to the gym/spa.  I would do intervals on the bike for 30 minutes and row for another 30 minutes.

(Rowing is the absolute best cardio as it works your entire body head to toe).✅

The biggest reason I swore off beer was due to my last trip to Mexico, Oilers playoff hockey shitshow that lasted a month straight.  I needed to slow down and lose some weight, and had a plan headed back to AZ!  I knew coming back to Mexico would be a challenge, so I put together a game plan to hopefully help.  It was no secret that what I was doing in Arizona would also work in Mexico, so I am doing my best to incorporate it here, too.

I brought 24 yummy non-alcoholic IPAs from AZ! ✅

I joined the best gym in town for the time I will spend here for a couple of dollars a day! ✅

I ordered Tecate Zero last night with dinner, with some Clamato. Yummy, so I bought some too for the fridge! ✅✅

My first favorite stop, Zays, served up Heineken Zero and my favorite beach sport, Tecate 0.0 Cheladas for the win!

I know there will be beer mixed in in the next couple of weeks, but if I stick to the plan, that is ok!🕺

Out of the gates, looking good! Like golf, it’s all in the follow-through, but I suck at golf!! LOL

This will be a great character test, as there is not a lot to do in Rocky Point other than drink, eat, and go to the beach!

I will also leave for Europe in a month to traverse the Country for a month by plane and train, knocking off bucket lists.  

I will also attend Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany, the last week of September 2025, where real beer will go down! LOL

 

 

 

Late May, 2025

After almost five months away from home, I made it back to my amazing condo in Mesa, AZ!  Every time I get home, I am reminded of how lucky I am to live in AZ and this this complex. If you’d like to check it out, you can click on the link below.

My next flight is not booked until September! 

🚫Mind the GAP!!🚫

Photo tour – Listing editor – Airbnb

It has also been a great reset from my travels getting back into a routine and getting back to the gym or as I like to call it “The Spa”.  They have everything needed to work out and relax. Steam, sauna, hot tub, cold plunge, inside pool, outside pool and lounge chairs to sit outside just like a five-star resort.  

Memberships Gilbert | Life Time

I have been going to LifeTime Fitness for over twenty years on and off, starting in Georgia in 2003ish when I moved there.

I remember them building one near my office in Alpharetta, GA, and selling memberships out of a trailer.  I am pretty sure they were $49.99 a month back in 2005ish.

Today, I pay $99 a month and am able to put the membership on hold when I travel for $15 a month.  If I were to cancel, the rate for new members is currently $179 in AZ and $199 in GA, which is crazy.  

I am going to have to be pretty broke to cancel “The Spa”. LOL

It is also a great time to be home and watch the Oilers!

 

Previous blog from the first week in April, 2025.

I was home in Mesa, Arizona, for exactly two weeks before I bolted for my pad in Puerto Penasco (Rocky Point), Mexico.

– My nephew booked my condo in AZ for a week.

–  A friend needed a place to stay for a week and a half.

– I got a nine-day reservation on Airbnb, which is odd for this late season.

It is times like these that I am so thankful for my pad here in Mexico. It is only four hours away, and I keep my truck here for times like these when my condo is unavailable to me.  

It has been great hanging out at the beach and coming home to the NHL playoffs. 

LFG Oilers!! 

 

 

Previous blog from the first week in April, 2025.


I made it home to Mesa, AZ, on the evening of April 7th!

How is this for my last week of travel (blogs hyperlinked)?

  1. Naples, Italy.
  2. Rome, Italy.
  3. Madrid, Spain
  4. Barcelona, Spain.

My flight home from Rome to Los Angeles was 12 hours, followed by an hour flight to Phoenix.

It is time to enjoy the HOT Arizona and Mexico Summer and learn to edit!

 

Previous blog from March 2025

 

After spending 70 days in Asia (Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and Singapore), I will then leave Asia for the last time this trip on March 21st. It was an amazing experience living like a local in each country. I would rate them in this order:

 

1. Cambodia (Super cheap and a large EXPAT community with easy access to Vietnam and Thailand).

2. Vietnam (Although it was not as inexpensive as Cambodia, $2K goes a long way each month)

3. Thailand (It is a super nice Country with amazing beach,s but it has become saturated with tourists and expensive)

4. Singapore (I only spent a few days in Singapore and do not need to return other than the airport, too expensive!).

 

I will start my European leg in Athens, Greece, and plan to crisscross Europe using my Wizz all-you-can-fly pass for three weeks. I have a flight from Rome, Italy, heading home to Arizona on April 7th.  I cut the European trip three weeks short as I am ready to go home. You might want to check out this pass in the link above, as it is a spectacular adventure!! 

 

That will total 84 days of travel this time around, which was fun and exhausting at the same time.

 

I visited these Countries the first time I used my pass earlier this year: Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the United Kingdom, and the United Emirates.  Starting next week, I hope to expand this list by four to seven Countries. 

 

I am currently touring Athens, Greece, and I have booked my first two flights on my pass. 

Headed off to London for a pint and some fish and chips on an eight-hour layover. I will be back at the airport and off to amazing Istanbul, Turkey for 20 Euro/USD!  

 

It is a seven-hour flight, so I can catch up on my sleep in the air, which is how it should be done.

 

The standby flight options are endless, including Asia Pacific, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East: