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15 Countries visited in 2025📍🌎😎

by All you can flyAsiaAustriaBangkokBarcelonaCountriesEuropeFreedom 50Frontier - AYCF!GreeceHCMC / SaigonItalyKoh Phi PhiLondonMadridMexicoNorth AmericanPersonal HistoryPhilippinesRocky PointRomeSingaporeSlow travelSpainThailandTravel bucket listTravels StoriesUnited KingdomUnited StatesVietnamVolaris - AYCF!Wizz - AYCF!

2025: My first full year taking a run at retirement!

2025 turned out to be my most traveled year ever—and somehow, I feel that I’m just getting started.

January – Vietnam
(HCMC, Nha Trang, Da Nang, Hoi An, Hue, Phu Quoc)

February – Cambodia & Thailand
(Siem Reap, Phnom Penh, Bangkok, Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, Koh Tao)

March – UK & Europe
(London, Greece, Iceland, Poland, Germany, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Italy)

April – October–US & Mexico

(Mesa and Rocky Point—two incredible home bases)

November & December – SE Asia
(Hanoi, Kuala Lumpur, Bali)

Every trip felt different. Every move resets my brain. And somehow, it all worked out absolutely perfect!

2026: Already Booked (Of Course It Is!)

January to mid-April
Mexico, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Philippines

May to October (Homebases in Mesa/Mexico)

Volaris + Frontier all-you-can-fly chaos—route TBD, cheap is guaranteed

Nov and Dec– Europe by Rail-pass

Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Netherlands, Southern Spain/Portugal

Eastern Europe is still being self-negotiated with my grade-three attention span.

😎

Bali, Indonesia – It’s worth the hype!

by All you can flyBuy me a beerCountriesFreedom 50Internet travel search tipsSlow travelTravel bucket listTravel memoriesTravels DealsTravels StoriesVietnam

Traveling in Asia hits differently for me. I get bored easily—dangerously easily—and staying in one place too long starts to feel like a personal failure. Asia fixes that, which is a way that is hard to explain other than the fact that you can road trip within Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia … for well under a $100 one way.

I currently have a condo in Mesa, AZ, a studio in Rocky Point, Mexico, and three all-you-can-fly passes with three different airlines. I am always on the go, which is somewhere between amazing and loneliness.

I’m not saying I have commitment issues
 but if movement were a sport, I’d be on a performance-enhancing medication watch list.

You get the idea. I’m fine. Totally fine. Probably. 

That was my December 2025 Asia road trip, operating out of my month-long home base in Hanoi and bouncing over to Kuala Lumpur, then finishing strong in Bali.

Three flights.
Three countries.
$190 USD total.

Read that again—slowly.

This is exactly why Asia hits differently. Flights are cheap, distances are short, and changing plans doesn’t require a spreadsheet or a minor panic attack. One minute you’re eating street food in Hanoi, the next you’re city-hopping in Malaysia, and before you know it, you’re barefoot in Bali, wondering how this all costs less than a mediocre dinner back home.

This isn’t luxury travel—it’s smart movement, maximum flexibility, and letting geography work in your favor.

And yes
 this is how the spiral continues. đŸ˜Žâœˆïž

These road trips definitely weren’t kind to the slow-travel budget—but that’s the trade. When your home base costs under $300 USD a month, you earn the right to occasionally blow the spreadsheet. The cheap, stable housing absorbs the volatility, which makes splurging on experiences feel intentional instead of reckless.

In my case, this trip was less about optimization and more about momentum—I was actively checking off bucket-list items. And when you’re in that mode, strict budget purity matters less than actually doing the thing while you’re there.

The key is that the foundation was solid. Low rent created room to say yes.

I don’t optimize for luxury. I optimize for optionality.
Build the base cheaply, then spend the difference on travel experiences.

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Hanoi, Vietnam – water puppet show!

by Buy me a beerFreedom 50Personal HistorySlow travelTravel bucket listTravel memoriesTravels StoriesVietnam

One of the coolest tourist traps in Hanoi is the traditional water puppet show—and I snagged front-row seats for about $12 USD. Absolute steal, especially since I could see all the behind-the-scenes chaos too. Turns out it’s mostly smoke, mirrors, and very committed puppeteers. 😆

The traditional water puppet show in Hanoi—especially at the famous Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre—has been running continuously every single day since it opened in 1969, making it one of the rare shows in Asia to perform water puppetry 365 days a year without a break.

The traditional water puppet show in Hanoi has been running every single day since 1969.

That’s over 55 years of zero sick days, no holidays, and puppeteers and other artists who absolutely do not mess around.

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Vietnam – slow travel life at its finest!â˜•đŸ§˜đŸ»

by AccommodationsAirBnbAirBnb recommendationsBuy me a beerFreedom 50Slow travelTravel bucket listTravels DealsTravels StoriesVietnam

I’ve been dreaming about Vietnam ever since I watched Anthony Bourdain on Parts Unknown. Vietnam felt like one of Tony’s true loves—the kind of place he didn’t just visit, but listened to. He chased meals down side streets, sat on plastic stools, and showed that the best moments were always far from the tourist traps. Watching him there made travel feel quieter, more honest—less about seeing things, and more about understanding them. Vietnam wasn’t a backdrop for Tony; it was a reminder of how travel is supposed to feel.

Anthony Bourdain lived a life that blended food, travel, honesty, and deep contradiction—one that resonated because he never pretended to have it all figured out. Like me, I just go with the flow while traveling to a new place.

In 2025, I rented a condo for over two months in Vietnam—not as an experiment, but as confirmation. Five weeks in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), followed by a month in Hanoi. I wasn’t glued to either place; I took road trips, disappeared for stretches, did what I wanted. But I always came back to my own place. A real home base. Which, it turns out, changes everything.

This was slow travel exactly as I’d imagined it: living in the city instead of orbiting it. Falling into routines. Becoming a regular. Building friendships. Having days that felt both normal and quietly exceptional. Life didn’t pause for travel—travel became life.

At this point, I’m not pitching a dream or romanticizing a theory. I ran the play. It worked. And now it’s very hard to take seriously any version of life that costs more and delivers less.

Both apartments were under $400 USD per month, which quietly solves a lot of problems. With a stable, inexpensive home base, I could take road trips without uprooting my entire life. Most of my belongings stayed put, luggage stayed minimal, and travel stayed efficient instead of exhausting.  I made side trips over Vietnam at the beginning of 2025 while taking my show on the road to Malaysia and Indonesia at the end of the year.

This is the underrated advantage of slow travel: logistics scale down while freedom scales up. Low rent means less financial pressure, fewer bags, and more optionality. When your housing costs are that low, movement becomes modular—you leave, explore, come back, repeat—without ever feeling like you’re starting over.

I made some side trips across Vietnam in early 2025 (Nah Trang, Da Nang, Vung Tau, Hue, and Phu Quoc). I then fully committed to the chaos and took my show to Malaysia and Indonesia later in the year kocking out two massive bucket lists.

It’s not a hack. It’s just better planning. And once you’ve lived this way, it’s hard to take expensive inconvenience seriously ever again, which is why it will be a massive part of my future travel items in Kuala Lumpur and Bali.

If you made it this far by chance and want to learn more about my slow travel plans.  

You can read my blog on the topic by clicking

âžĄïžHEREâŹ…ïž

In the end, slow travel keeps the costs low and the adventures high—and that’s the whole point around here.

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Careful what you wish for …

by Buy me a beerFreedom 50My AirbnbSlow travelTravel bucket listTravels DealsTravels StoriesVietnam

Careful what you wish for
 it starts with ‘just one trip’ and ends with no fixed address, 

No shoes, no shirt, and no problem!  Right?!

(Got drunk, lost my shoes, probably should wear a shirt, and clearly still have some problems)

I just wing it now, though! ✈

Since taking a run at retirement in February 2024, everything has been going as planned—and I’m choosing to believe this streak will continue.

The stock market đŸ’č

Airbnb rentals 💰

Bucket list travel 🌍

I always dreamed of the traveling life. Planning helps—but trying is the only thing that actually counts.

The stock market đŸ’č

Relying on the stock market to go up forever is wishful thinking at best. I’ve learned to go with the flow and accept that corrections aren’t disasters—they’re just part of the ride.

Personally, hiring a great financial advisor makes sense. We shouldn’t YouTube our way to self-diagnose serious medical issues, so pretending we’re all finance experts seems
 optimistic

Airbnb rentals 💰

Having a side hustle to support retirement is always a plus. I managed to turn my AZ condo into exactly that, and it’s been a game-changer for my roaming lifestyle. I don’t love the word “lucky,” but I’ll happily admit this decision was very fortunate.

I’ve had amazing guests so far and genuinely enjoy making sure they have a great stay while they’re in Arizona. After crashing in more than a hundred Airbnbs around the world, I’ve learned a lot about what works, what doesn’t, and what makes you think, “Wow, this host actually gets it.”

My latest low key, amazing guest!

I try to bring those little things I appreciated as a guest into my own place—basically paying it forward, one comfy stay at a time, so I can keep paying for planes, trains, and questionable travel decisions. 

Renting my own full-time Airbnb in Rocky Point, Mexico, has been an absolute lifesaver. I can escape to Mexico on a whim as it is only a four-hour drive—and my rent costs less than my monthly Arizona homeowners’ fees.

Bucket list travel 🌍

Without the above two falling into place, this might not be possible.  I have used patience and whittled down my panic attacks of going back to work to twice a day to make it all work out. 

Since taking a serious run at retirement, it’s almost embarrassing how many travel bucket-list items I’ve absolutely obliterated over the last two years. Honestly, I’ve lost count. That’s why I hope you read my blogs—sharing these experiences is the whole reason I spend so much time writing.

Progress is progress đŸ€˜đŸ»

If my stories help even one person take a leap of faith, then it’s worth it. 

There’s never a perfect time to do anything in life. 

You just dance like no one is watching
 panic attacks and all.

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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 → Huáșż
🚆 Huáșż → Da Nang
🚆 Da Nang → Hoi An
🚆 Da Nang → Saigon
🚱 Saigon → PhĂș Quốc
🚱 PhĂș 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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Phnom Penh, hostel experience!đŸ«”đŸ»đŸ˜ŽđŸš

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!âŹ‡ïžđŸ€‘

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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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 â€ŽïžđŸŒžâ€”ïž 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!đŸ€‘

đŸ‘šđŸ‘šđŸ»đŸ§”đŸ»â€â™‚ïžđŸ‘šđŸ»â€đŸŠ°đŸ‘šđŸ»â€đŸŠ±đŸ‘šđŸ»â€đŸŠłđŸ‘šđŸ»â€đŸŠČđŸ‘±đŸ»â€â™‚ïžđŸ‘ŽđŸ»

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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!! đŸ€“

 

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Hoi An, Vietnam – This river is incredible!

by Vietnam

After a few days in Da Nang, it was time to shuttle down the road to Hoi An.

It was a $6, 45-minute ride from one Airbnb to the next, which is pretty wild when you realize both cities are this close and yet feel completely different. Da Nang has that big, modern, melting-pot energy. Hoi An leans slower, softer, and more storybook. It’s perfect when you start craving calm—or when Hoi An’s tourist buzz sends you back the other way.

Right now, I’ll call it a tie. Hoi An is winning on pure laid-back charm.

In Da Nang, the anchor is the Dragon Bridge. In Hoi An, it’s the river.

And that river is something else.

I’ve seen it on YouTube, but nothing prepares you for it in person. Hundreds of boats drifting by, glowing lanterns floating across the water, reflections dancing everywhere. It feels unreal—like stepping into a moving painting.

Hoi An is definitely in Vietnam’s top 5 for me:

Phu Quoc, Da Nang, Nah Trang, Hanoi, and Hoi An in no particular order.

Here are a few videos to give you a sense of it.
But honestly? Even those don’t quite do it justice.

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Da Nang, Vietnam – I could live here too!

by Vietnam

After a 17-hour train ride, I blogged about here and YouTube videos here, I made it to Da Nang, Vietnam!  

I planned to do voiceovers with the YouTube videos, but I have not grasped the challenge, yet.

Maybe if I start getting more views, I will step up my game! HINT!!  LOL

I have 259 videos, and almost 10K views in the first month of my channel and my website:

Let me make this easy for you sitting on the fence.  Here are the links you just need to CLICK:

www.NorthAmericanDarrell.com to bookmark and YouTube link to subscribe or here to buy me a beer!

I never thought anyone would buy me a beer let alone watch my videos, but it’s been a lot of fun:

YouTube pays for the advertising clicks, not the actual site visits so it is impossible to make money without millions and millions of views.  Plus, YouTube pays you for the amount of ad views your video gets. If your video has a million views but no advertising on it, you won’t be making any money. If your video has a million views but only 10,000 ad views, you’ll be making money only on the 10,000 ad views.

OK – selfless plug complete and back to the regularly programmed blog on Da Nang, Vietnam:

There is a very North American feel to Da Nang. It is a hot spot for a lot of Europeans leaving the cold wanting a cheaper way of life in paradise from what I am told.

This was a microbrewery on the beach and the second one visited already with $5 pints of goodness.  I had a $7 burger and fries with coffee and carrot cake for dessert for USD 23. It is not super cheap but for a beach. đŸ€‘

One of the biggest things when traveling is the walkability of the area. Most nice beaches have a boardwalk or Malecon as they call it in Mexico.  Da Nag is no different, but it just seems much more inviting.

Besides the countless inexpensive coffee/tea shops, street food, and restaurants there is hiking on the mountain in the bay. The hiking can take you to other remote areas on the beach along with a large statue of Lady Buddha on the oceanfront which looks spectacular from the boardwalk.  

I have not visited there yet so here are pictures from the internet and the supporting blog:

“From the East coast, visitors can see an enormous white statue with a mountain backdrop, that is the Lady Buddha Da Nang. Located on the ground of Linh Ung Pagoda, she was sculpted by artisans in a Non-Nuoc marble village. Thanks to its huge size and importance in local belief, hundreds of visitors come to this statue daily. That makes it one of the top tourist attractions in the city. So why did people place it there? What does it mean? Or why Lady Buddha? are frequently asked questions. Now, all secrets are opened, to help visitors to know better about the monument and everything around it.”

 

 

My best travel days always start by hitting my 10K steps followed by a local coffee. This place is perfect for me as there are so many options for my morning walk/hike and coffee.  Day one was absolutely perfect, but I replaced the coffee with two micro-brewery which is a great substitute for a couple of days a week!

The last video started with a roofie or in this case a 7% IPA! Look at that amazing view with the mountain in the background. Also, If you drive the opposite way, the amazing city of Hoi An is about a 30-minute drive making it a two-for-one destination. 

Vietnam railways – HCMC to Da Nang, Vietnam

by Vietnam

Vietnam Railways – HCMC to Da Nang was a 17-hour trip!

We started at the downtown station at 6 AM and worked our way South, traversing the Oceanside and rice field, arriving in Da Nang at 11 PM.  It was neat to see the Countryside through a window, most of the trip. 

It would have been about the same price to fly with an advanced ticket, but I’m glad I did this trip once. It also gave me a pretty good idea of what it will be like using my Europass.  

I put together the below trip, but thinking about it for 17 hours may change the aggressive but inexpensive plan:

If I do stick with the plan, I will make shorter trips. I initially thought I would see the countryside via train which still may be the case in Switzerland and colder countries in the Northern part of the map.  I have ten legs for 60 days available to use so trying to get the biggest bang for the buck was going far but that thought process will not work for me again.

Here are some more videos from the train trip:

There were plenty of rice farms.  It was amazing to see how each farmer had their land set up.  Water sources and flags were indicating the readiness of each separate patch of land. 

A lot of the trip was along the Oceanside which was neat to see.  Most locals were out there fishing.

I was in car three of over twenty cars on the train.  Being it was New Year’s holiday, the train was relatively full.  We probably made 10-12 stops along the way, picking up and dropping off passengers as well, but it appears most of us were there for the full 17-hour trip. I also booked a one-way trip as I was unsure how long I was going to stay in Da Nang and then Nha Trang on the way home.

I just checked the tickets, and there is an 80% surcharge on the tickets due to the holiday!

How about that BS?  The actual train ticket is 16% or $8.39 of the entire $52.42 cost of the ticket without fees.  That is only my halfway point home, too, so another $50+ to get back, which is more expensive than flying!

The overall shitty experience gave me no hesitation to cancel my Euro-rail pass this morning:

I knew there was a chance I would need to cancel so I bought the $8 cancellation insurance. I am sad that I will not see that part of the world via train but thankfully it was the only money lost.  Ultimately, it sounded like a great idea and the price was phenomenal price for a ten-day pass.  

I can still hit some of the cities with my Wizz Air all-you-can-fly pass as detailed in this blog.

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Vung Tau, Vietnam – Ferry road trip!!⛎

by Vietnam

January 2025 – I had been itching to get out of the big city of HCMC/Saigon for a few days. The problem is that it is New Year’s week, and everything is super busy and crowded. 

No problem, I found a way, as I always seem to when traveling, and took a fun two-hour ferry ride to Vung Tao.

I noticed a lot of Lunar New Year displays in HCMC, but Vung Tao goes all in, as it was incredible to see. 

Chinese New Year 2025 is also called Spring Festival or the Chinese Lunar New Year. In Mandarin, it’s called Guonian or Chunjie. 2025 is the Year of the Snake.

Chunjie starts on Wednesday, January 29th, and goes on until the Lantern Festival on February 12th. It’s also the first Spring Festival after it was successfully added to the cultural heritage list. People in China get an 8-day holiday for the Chinese New Year 2025.

During this holiday, they gather with their families and watch the wonderful Spring Festival Gala while enjoying a delicious reunion dinner. A series of celebrations will continue until the 15th day of the lunar calendar, the Lantern Festival.”

I hope the pictures and video do it justice, as a lot of hard work and passion go into all of these displays.

I only stayed for a couple of days, but I enjoyed my stay!

I will always remember Chinese New Year 2025, also known as Táșżt 2025, in Vung Tau, Vietnam! 

Thank you for the memories!

If you’re superstitious, you can click the above YouTube videos for more information on the year of the Snake traditions!

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Hot shave and a massage a day! Vietnam!!

by HCMC / Saigon

Each time I have visited Asia (Taiwan, Thailand, the Philippines, and now Vietnam), I get a hot shave every Monday morning.

Since the cost is pennies on the dollar, I also treat myself!

USD $5 for a hot shave with the same crew, too!

Each experience has been fantastic and well worth the money each time. 

Most legit massage parlors are down an alley with someone advertising at the entrance.

Imagine a lifestyle where you can casually rack up hundreds of dollars’ worth of massages a week for literal pennies on the dollar.

A basic massage? $12.
Every day for a week? $84 total.

That’s the price of one massage back home in North America—before tip, taxes, and the awkward upsell.

Same hands. Same quality. Zero guilt.
At that point, it’s not indulgence
 it’s just good math.

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Good morning, Vietnam!đŸŽ™ïž

by HCMC / Saigon

Good morning, Vietnam! đŸŽ™ïž

Good morning, Vietnam was made by one of my favorite actors, Robin Williams, and released in 1987, which would have made me 15 years old at the time.

There is zero chance I even dreamed of visiting Vietnam when I was that age. 

In January 2025, I visited the Vietnam War Remnants Museum, which had a lot of aircraft and artifacts from the war.

The torture the Vietnamese people endured!

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Made in Vietnam! Inexpensive knock-offs!!đŸ€‘

by HCMC / Saigon

I arrived in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on January 14, 2025.

I expected the street food to be good. I did not expect it to dethrone Thailand in my personal rankings.

Vietnam didn’t just meet the hype—it recalibrated my standards. The flavors are sharper, the broths deeper, the herbs brighter, and somehow everything still lands at prices that feel like a clerical error. Every block is a menu. Every sidewalk is a kitchen. And every meal makes you wonder how you ever paid $18 for lunch back home.

I ended up writing a full breakdown of Vietnamese street food—the dishes, the prices, the daily rhythm of eating your way through a city. You can read it by clicking

HERE.

I knew, in a vague “fun fact” way, that most clothes and shoes are made in Vietnam.

What I did not fully appreciate was how quickly that information would turn me into a shopper.

I swore that I would never own Crocs. Which is still technically true. I just forgot to clarify that I wouldn’t own two pairs of Crocs. Language matters.

I also grabbed a Nike jacket made from the same moisture-wicking fabric as the real thing. Same feel.

You can’t buy one of the items in North America for what I paid for all five in Vietnam.

I didn’t go shopping.
I hacked the supply chain.

Ben Thanh Market was wild — tons of stalls selling every kind of knock-off brand you can imagine. If it exists in fashion, someone there is selling a version of it (and usually with excellent negotiation skills).

Here are some YouTube videos of the market in action — they give a great sense of the chaos, the colors, the haggling, and the creative branding:
👉 Click the link to explore more videos and info

YouTube definitely captures the vibe better than I ever could with words — and honestly, watching people barter for “authentically–authentic” sneakers in a crowded stall might be the closest travel gets to performance art.

Ben Thanh market:

The North Face, Patagonia, Nike, and Crocs all looked authentic to me—which, at this point in my life, is the only certification I require. 😎

If it keeps me dry, comfortable, and unbothered while I’m wandering through a new country, it’s doing the job. Brand purity is a luxury tax. I’m optimizing for function, not corporate approval.

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Ho Chi Mihn! Scooter mayhem!!đŸ›”

by HCMC / Saigon

I’ve been to a few countries in Asia—Taiwan, Thailand, Philippines, and now Vietnam—and the dominant mode of transportation is almost always the scooter.

Every time, I’m completely blown away by how the traffic actually works.

On paper, it looks like chaos. In reality, it flows. No rage. No honking wars. Just constant motion. I always describe it the same way:

It’s like ants marching.

Everyone knows the rhythm. Everyone adapts. Instead of fighting for space, they share it—moving together in a strangely efficient, self-organizing system.

From the outside, it looks insane.
From the inside, it somehow makes perfect sense.

Everyone gives way to everyone else—constantly adjusting, flowing, and somehow still getting exactly where they need to go.

That’s what makes crossing the road such an adventure.

You don’t wait for traffic to stop.
You don’t sprint.
You just
 commit.

Step out slowly, stay predictable, and trust that the moving swarm will bend around you—like water around a rock. It feels insane the first time, mildly terrifying the second, and oddly empowering after that.

As you’ll see in the video below, it looks like chaos

but it’s actually cooperation in motion.

This was my Airbnb neighborhood—the loop I walked every day. What I loved most were the familiar faces and friendly waves. After a while, it stopped feeling like a place I was staying and started feeling like a place I belonged.

That’s the whole point of slow travel for me.

By the end of the month, I had my coffee shop, my barber, and a short list of favorite restaurants that recognized me and welcomed me back like a regular. Small routines, simple connections—nothing flashy, but deeply grounding.

It’s amazing how quickly a neighborhood becomes home when you give it time.

This is an amazing temple in my neighborhood—one I walked through often as part of my daily routine.

At some point, I noticed something funny: I always end up facing the camera in the same direction I’m looking. Not sure if that’s good or bad, but it definitely gives away where my focus is as I walk—eyes forward, mind wandering.

I tried not to catch the lady praying in the shot
 and to be fair, I mostly succeeded.
She did ask for my number afterward though—after she finished praying.

Dreams really can come true.
Just kidding. I’ve still got jokes. 😁

If you take the time to watch any of the videos, you’ll notice something pretty consistent—almost everyone smiles and says hello to me.

That’s always the first thing I pick up on in a new country. It tells me a lot about the place
 and exactly how much I can lean on my charming personality to get into (and out of) trouble.

When smiles come easily, travel gets easier.
And when they don’t, you adjust.

Either way, it’s one of the quickest ways to read a place—and decide how much fun you’re about to have.

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Vietnam – Pho, coffee, tea and me!🍜

by HCMC / SaigonTravel bucket list

One of the best parts of traveling—anywhere—is street food and trying the local beer.

I don’t care if you’re in your hometown, a different province or state, checking out a new food truck, or traveling internationally and ordering food from a cart that looks like it might be pulled by a donkey. It all counts. And it’s all worth trying at least once.

Street food tells you more about a place than most restaurants ever will. It’s fast, cheap, local, and honest. You’re eating what people who live there actually eat—not a polished version made for tourists.

For me, it all started with Mexico and street tacos. That was the gateway. I still try new taco stands every chance I get, and I’ve got favorites in cities all over the map. The same goes for street noodles, skewers, soups, and whatever else is sizzling on a cart when I walk by.

Pair it with a local beer, stand on the street, watch life go by—that’s the good stuff.

Some people collect souvenirs.
I collect meals.

EDIT: I loved it so much that I’m heading back at the end of 2025 to explore Northern Vietnam in more depth. When a place pulls you back that fast, you listen.

I definitely found my favorites, but I still make it a point to try at least one new spot every day. That’s easy to do when most street food meals cost a few dollars—or less. The risk is low, and the reward is usually high.

On my very first morning, I stumbled into a small neighborhood coffee shop in Hanoi. I’ve gone back every single day since, and today is day five. The owner knows exactly what I like—iced coffee and tea—and keeps refilling them as needed for the same price: 87 cents.

Yesterday, I sat there for three hours, listening to a hockey game and surfing the internet. My total bill?
Under a dollar.

That’s not just cheap—that’s a lifestyle

The cold tea was so addictive!  This was my favorite, lemongrass! It was $1-$2 at a nice cafe, but a lot cheaper at the street vendors.  I enjoyed both!

Below is an outdoor food court with hundreds of choices—rows of stalls cooking everything imaginable, all in one place. You can walk for ten minutes and change your mind 20X on lunch.

This is where indecision becomes part of the experience
 and where pointing at what looks good is often the best strategy.

This place does not mess around—and you can tell immediately from the video and the photos. The scale, the energy, the nonstop cooking
 It’s organized chaos in the best possible way.

If there was ever a place where “just one more bite” turns into a full-blown food crawl, this is it.

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