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My YouTube channel @NorthAmericanDarrell

by CountriesInternet travel search tipsMy AirbnbSlow travelTravel bucket listTravels Stories

I have had a YouTube channel since 2011 as a viewer only. When I started this Blog in January 2025, I had one subscriber and one video with no views.  I started to post all of the videos I had saved from my devices over the years and added new videos during my travels. 

My channel has started to grow:  

    • 850+ videos

    • 100+ subscribers

    • 50+ posts and growing daily

    •  ~35K views, which blows my mind!

Growing my YouTube has been just as fun as working on this blog. I will often embed YouTube videos into my posts to share my experiences. I have separated the videos by Country to make them easier to browse.

Please consider giving me a follow and a thumbs up by clicking this link: Darrell – YouTube

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

Here are the current featured videos and shorts that are often updated by the YouTube algorithm:

Please take the time to become a subscriber and ring that bell to see if I can grow my channel even more.

Darrell – YouTube    <— clickity click

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

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

by Internet travel search tipsTravel bucket listTravels Deals

I am always looking for a deal and get such a rush when I find one on a flight!!

The first place I look is Google Flights – Find Cheap Flight Options & Track Prices, as it points me to any airlines that might have a sale on at that time. You can click this link to get to the above screen to start your search.

The first think you are going to want to take care of is setting up your home airport and Country.  I will often check the prices in other countries to see if there is a better price as every site uses cookies to set their prices.

 

You can enter your departure and return, but I normally start with it empty to get an idea of the best prices.  I am currently looking at flights for Europe and Southeast Asia, and below is what I found.

This simple search tells me about the best round-trip prices at that exact time.  If the prices interest me, I click on the city, and it will tell me the dates and airlines for that price. I can then move forward with checking certain dates or just take note of the current price and keep checking until I find the lowest price for my preferred dates.

Last year, I was able to fly from Los Angeles to Cebu, Philippines, and from Los Angeles to Saigon, Vietnam using this process.  I decided to book one-way ticket to Vietnam as I was unsure of my exact plans, but I paid ~$375 for a one-way ticket.  

Always check return and one-way tickets before booking. Often times two one-way tickets will be cheaper than a return ticket.  Even better, you have an option to fly home from a different city making the adventure even better.  Make sure you check bag prices and policies on your flights as it is a deal breaker.

The best part of it was that I paid with my PayPal credit account and did not have to pay for the tickets for six months.

If you made it this far and are paying attention, you can see that prices were lower in Asia last year, so I will keep on checking.

Flights to London from Los Angeles are almost always under $200 one-way and $500 round-trip on Norse airlines.  I did find a great deal today for a return flight for $402 which I will continue to watch.  The catch with buying a one-way ticket for cheap is that you are taking your chances on how much the return flight will cost.

I also have an ace-in-the-hole with a friend who will fly me home on a buddy pass if needed, which is awesome!

She got me an emergency exit bulkhead with extra leg room and free drinks too!!

Well, finding that deal while blogging about it today escalated quickly! 

$402 USD from Los Angeles to London return is a phenomenal deal.

Booked it so I can use my Wizz all you can fly pass once more!

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Wizz Airlines – all you can fly update

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

During September 2024, I purchased a year long an all-you-can-fly pass with Wizz Air for USD/Euro $499 (they were basically at par).

It was a leap of faith since I had to get to Europe to use the pass. So far, so good, as I have made it to Europe twice already for a reasonable cost on Norse Airlines.  I have paid anywhere from $109 to $250 each way from Los Angeles. 

I do not plan to renew the pass, but I am planning one more trip before the pass expires at the end of September, as there are so many Countries left to explore.  I have gotten great value from the pass, using it 15 times (~$33 a flight) on the first two trips to Europe to use the pass.

That works out to about 30 dollars a flight, which is incredible in itself.  The part I enjoy the most is the spontaneity of using the pass.  I log in to the website, and I can choose from 52 different countries based on availability.  There is a three-day window for bookings, so it can be the same day or within three days when you leave your departure.

Here is a list of the Countries available for booking:

Since I will be traveling during the Summer, I hope to visit some Northern countries.  Here is my wish list keeping in mind that it is standby so I will not be able to reach them all.

– Norway (Wizz flies to ten cities).

– Sweden (Wizz flies to three cities).

– Poland (Wizz flies to ten cities)

– God willing, Ukraine, if the war is over. (Wizz flies to Kraków, which is a short bus ride to Lviv).

– Portugal (Wizz flies to four different cities).

– Spain (I have been to Madrid and Barcelona already, and Wizz flies to fourteen different cities in Spain).

– Germany (Wizz flies to eight cities).

– Czechoslovakia (Prague only – I hear the Czecks make the best beer in Europe!)

 – Saudi Arabia (I have been to Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the Middle East. I would love to go back to the UAE too!).

Other countries will be substituted in trying to get to these, which will be incredible too!

 

First things first; I had to find a cheap return flight to Europe in August or September as the pass expires on September 25th.  So far, Los Angeles to London (showing below on Google/travel, my go-to) is the cheapest, $475 return. I am also watching Los Angeles to Paris and Las Vegas to Paris as they are all around the same prices right now.  

I can also choose to book one-way trips, keeping my options open, which may also be cheaper too!  

EDIT: I ultimately found an amazing round trip flight for $402 USD for the month of September 2025.

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Dropping pins, one adventure at a time!

by Travel bucket list

Determining my next adventure is 75% based on cost, 20% dropping a new pin, and 5% alcohol to pull the trigger. I know, you don’t need to drink to have a good time, but it sure helps me get off the fence!  

I hope some of you get inspired by my blogs and get off that fence, too!

I have a world map on my condo wall in AZ that has pins dropped for all of the places in the world that I have visited. 

Some I have visited for work, pleasure or even layovers like in the case of Moscow, Russia. My Moscow visit was on the way back from the Ukraine and it was not comfortable to say the least. Although, I did dig the woman in their fuzzy hats was my distinct memory, LOL.  Like Ukraine, I was fortunate to visit before the war.  What a terrible situation!

 

Since there are 248 countries in the world, I will do my best to list them:

North American: Canada, United States, Mexico.

Central America: Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Costa Rica, St. Croix USVI, Jamaica and Bermuda. 

South America: Peru, Chile, Argentia, Uruguay and Brazil.

Europe+: France, Hungary, Austria (7-10 more Countries soon)

Ireland/UK (Scotland coming soon) 

Asia: Thailand, Philippines, Taiwan. (Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos soon)

Middle east: United Emirates.

Africa and Antarctica: Nada

* I will add to this list on my next trip: Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and 7-10 European countries.

Top Islands in Asia!

by Travel bucket list

I have been to 4 of 10:

1-Samui, 6-Palawan, 7- Phuket and 8-Cebu.

I missed out on 3-Borocay and 10-Siagaro while in the Philippines.

(It just gives me more reason to visit there again).

I will visit 5-Phu Quoc while in Vietnam in January!

2-Lankawi, 4-Sri Lanka, and 9-Bali all on the radar!

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Best Countries to visit!

by Travel bucket list

When I thought about creating a website, I wanted it to have a few basic things:

Document past travel ✅Current travel blogging ✅ Cost-effective travel ideas ✅ Inspire people to travel ✅

I am probably in the top percentile of people my age who use social media. It was a fad that never really went away for me until now. I would constantly post my travels, which most people do as well. It just got to a point where I was just tired of the bullshit that came along with posting.

Starting NorthAmericanDarrell.com was always the answer, er but it was never a reality until January 2024.

The learning curve has been massive for me, but I have enjoyed it, so that is all that matters. I have broken down my places visited into Continents, Countries, and cities with a few exceptions like “Islands”.

Now that the structure of the site is developed, I can just blog as memories come across my mind.

The below list shows the best Countries to visit; I have been to the following:

1-Thailand, 7-Peru, 10-UAE, 11-France, 12-UK and 14-USA.

My current trip, as of January 2024, should take me to:

2-Greece, 3-Indonesia, 4- Portugal, 8-Italy, 13-Bora Bora and, 15-Spain.

That should make it 12 of 15! Big dreamer – let’s see how it plays out!

Missing but achievable, except the last one, as I have zero interest in going to India!

5-Sri Lanka, 6-South Africa, and 9-India.

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Vietnam – Street Food, coffee and Tea!

by HCMC / SaigonTravel bucket list

One of the best things about traveling is street food and trying the local beer!

I don’t care if you are in your hometown, Province/State trying a new food truck or traveling internationally eating from a food cart pulled by a donkey. They are all amazing, so try them at least once.

Mexico street tacos are where it all started for me and still try new ones to this day and also have my favorites in many cities. I have only been to three on the above list: Mexico City, Bangkok, and New Orleans, and can remember meals like it was yesterday!

Below is a list of destinations that make my mouth water. 😋😋

Mexico City has many vendors selling anything from Tacos, burritos, Tamales, sweet corn, Quesadillas, and sweets. I have a favorite restaurant in so many Mexican cities that I visit when in each town.

Bangkok along with the rest of Thailand was so awesome too! You could get anything from frog legs, chicken feet, snake, cow tongue, brain, and tofu. 🤮 My go-to was always Pad Thai, coconut soup, Tom kha gai, Tom yum, Tom XYZ (forgot), and of course spicy noodles with chicken.

New Orleans Cajun food is spectacular! Jumbo red beans and rice, Jambalaya, Po’boys, and crawfish (you’re supposed to remove the vein and head—nope). I ate them all by mistake. 😆

This brings us to Vietnam, number 5 on the above list! 

The street food has been spectacular, I have already found my favorites, but try at least one new place every day, so far keeping in mind that most street food meals are a few dollars.

I found a coffee shop my first morning and I have been going back every day since and today is day five. The owner knows that I love the iced coffee and tea and refills them as needed for the same price, 87 cents! Yesterday, I sat there for three hours and listened to the hockey game and surfed the internet and my bill was under a dollar if you can imagine.

If you know Vietnamese food, you know Pho is one of the best things since sliced bread!  It was the first thing I wanted when l arrived and found the absolute perfect spot.  Today, I chatted with the owners, who educated me on other dishes and where to find them in our neighborhood.  Their Pho was 2 for 2 and tough not to go there every day, no promises.  Here is Huang and his family’s Pho master piece:

I did have two other decent variations, but will not be cheating my Pho-king Family:

I did not try the below but took a picture of some dude’s lunch like an obsessed Pho’ierdo:

Last but certainly not least, I have had the best Bahn Mi sandwiches and spring rolls, but they were in my belly before I thought to take a picture.  I had a nice recovery today, ordering more while visiting the Ben Nghe Street food court. 

 

This place does not mess around, as you can see from the above YouTube video and pictures I took!

 

I could have pasted more low-quality screenshots, but I think you get the idea. It was badass! 

I settled for three items a la carte: Fresh and deep-fried spring rolls, a couple of pork skewers, and a couple of local Tiger beers, including a $1.50 ice-cold draft! 👌

 

Vietnamese food has overtaken Thai and Mexican as my favorite food other than Ukrainian which by default is #1!