Travelling with Locals through Withlocals.com

withlocals.com

I’m not the best guy when it comes to planning my trips especially when they’re overseas. I usually have very reliable friends who make all the research about places to go, things to do, and food to eat. Only requirement for me is that it should be budget-friendly. I don’t know if this makes me … Read more

Backpacking Southeast Asia for 9 Months

I resigned from my corporate job last January 2012 because I wanted to go on a long-term travel adventure. I was able to accomplish it by backpacking for nine months in seven countries in Southeast Asia. Vietnam-Cambodia-Thailand-Indonesia-Singapore-Malaysia-Philippines I haven’t exhausted all the places in Southeast Asia which I could’ve done simply by hopping on a … Read more

Unexpected Opportunities while Backpacking

After my trip to Bali, Indonesia. I didn’t know where I was headed. I wanted to do something other than work on my laptop as I felt very unhealthy being stuck in front of a computer screen. I was still in Bangkok at the time and I was contemplating on a few things until unexpected opportunities knocked on this backpacker’s life.

Substitute Teacher

There was an opening for a temporary post as an elementary English teacher for a private school in Bangkok where my friend was working. It was a short-term gig which would’ve lasted three weeks. In my mind, I was to handle a class of grade six pupils, but the picture didn’t come out clear enough because I was hesitant.

office soloflighted
back in the old office days

I’ve had some experience training adults and I’ve hosted calibration sessions with different clients in my previous job in a call center; but this was a little different since I’d be handling youngsters.

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Holidays Out of the Country

While working in a luxury resort in Malaysia, I realized that there were so many guests who came from different parts of Europe who dropped by for the holidays. They were there for a vacation and I wondered why they had to travel very far. That’s when I realized how lucky I am because spending for rest and relaxation isn’t that far within my reach.

palaui island cagayan valley
Palaui Island, Cagayan Valley

These guests spend a lot of money to get out of the country and experience nature. They go out of their way just to have a grand time under the sun. They also spend at least a week, too, in these places. A far cry from the normal 3 days/2 nights that I used to do when I was still working in a call center.

osmena peak cebu
Cebu Osmena Peak

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7 Lessons from My First Month on the Road

I didn’t realize it’s been a month since I took a flight from Manila to Vietnam to start my backpacking journey in Southeast Asia and become location-independent. I travelled to Ho Chi Minh City and Mui Ne in Vietnam, Siem Reap in Cambodia, and Bangkok in Thailand.

I didn’t maximize the number of days before my passport expired for each country as this month was more of a vacation than anything else. Despite the sudden change of locations, I came across a few realizations and learned some lessons along the way.

1. Stay healthy!

I overdosed on spicy food in Thailand but I still kept eating them. I also didn’t watch what I ate that I ended up having diarrhea for a couple of days.

I can’t afford to get sick. Aside from the cost of medicines, I also wasted time trying to recover my health. I could’ve used the opportunity to work on other jobs that would allow me to generate more income. Or I could’ve used the time to explore other areas in Bangkok.

thai food
Thai Food – spicy!

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