Hong Kong
Journey To Hong Kong: Part I
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The journey to Hong Kong has begun. I started my journey by meeting Evan, Claire, and their beautiful baby, Luna, at Caper’s Café in the Portland Airport (PDX) for breakfast, complimentary of the Priority Pass Select I received by signing up for the American Express Platinum card.
After breakfast and spending some time playing with Luna, we sent our separate ways: them making the long trek to Ethiopia to visit our friends Kyle and Beckie who moved there last November, and me, headed to San Francisco for the day before making the 14+ hour flight to Hong Kong.
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Nicaragua
Adventures in Costa Rica and Nicaragua
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This April, I went on an adventure to Costa Rica and Nicaragua with my friend Cristina. I had never been to Nicaragua before so I was quite excited to make the journey happen. Along with going to a new country, I had the chance to visit my friend Brendan down there who had purchased some land in the area and had been living in the country since January. Our plans were quite loose and we just let our trip come together as natural as we could. Here’s a quick rundown of the trip with some pictures. (more…)
Nicaragua
Coming Soon: Birthdays in Costa Rica & Nicaragua
This Friday, I’m headed out of Portland with my friend Cristina to Liberia, Costa Rica and soon after to the west side of Nicaragua to see my friend Brendan’s property. Brendan has been out there since the middle of January and I figure it is about time to pay a visit and see what this land is all about. I’ve never been to Nicaragua before, so I’m quite excited about seeing a new country. Costa Rica on the other hand happens to be the first trip I ever did solo (2012), which I loved, and am glad to visit once again. Cristina’s birthday is the 17th and my birthday is the 18th, and I’m excited to go to another part of the world to celebrate our birthdays. (more…)
Belgium
3 Days In Belgium
This is part two of a two-week trip to Europe. The first part is here (Netherlands) and the last part is here (Switzerland). This part takes place after leaving Amsterdam and arriving by train to Belgium. (more…)
Europe
Netherlands To Switzerland
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If you haven’t heard, the day after Christmas I’m headed off to Europe. This will be my fourth Eurotrip (one, two, and three) and I can’t wait to go explore this amazing part of the world again. This time I’m starting on a direct flight from Portland to Amsterdam that I scored for cheap and reining in the New Year with Melissa, Tomas, Ayleen and more. After the New Year, I’m eventually making my way down to visit my friend Laurent in Lausanne, Switzerland before flying home. My plans are pretty loose, as is the way I usually travel, so I’m excited to see how the trip comes together. With the help of the travel hacking work I’ve done in the past and my friends in Europe, I’m hoping to keep my trip quite low on cost. I’m going to be updating this post with my trip details as best as I can, so bookmark this page and stay updated. Belgium(I ended up splitting off and Switzerland into their own posts.)
Locations
PDX-SFO Using Avios
This weekend’s trip to San Francisco was achieved for $11.20 thanks to using 15K Avios points on British Airways to book on Alaska Airlines. Much better than the 25K it would have taken using Alaska Airline points. This works because BA handles their rewards by distance. Since SFO is less Read more…
Travel Hacking
How I Saved Over $3,000 On A Flight!
This Christmas, I decided that I’m going to go to The Netherlands for New Years. I’m not totally sure on my plans, but I knew that I needed to get my flight soon to avoid it getting too expensive. I’m not sure if I’ll be returning from Amsterdam, so rather than booking a round trip (RT) ticket, I just wanted a one way. In doing so, I realized that I saved my self over $3,000 on that one-way direct flight from Portland to Amsterdam. Here’s how I did it. (more…)
Festivals
Time For Festivals
Since my trip to Iceland, I haven’t done much international travel. In fact, I haven’t done much travel at all except for a trip to Georgia early in June. The last couple months, I’ve spent my time working my day job, spending time with family and friends, going through the pain of buying an airplane, biking all over the place during Pedalpalooza, and going to a number of festivals.
Since the end of May, I’ve attended SOAK, What The Festival?! and this last weekend was Oregon Country Fair. All three festivals are quite different, but are each quite amazing – and all located in Oregon! (more…)
Adventure
Blue Lagoon Alternatives: Iceland’s Other Hot Springs
There are well over a million visitors heading to Iceland every year these days and the number one tourist attraction is the Blue Lagoon Geothermal Spa. Known for it’s pearl blue water and beauty, it is also known to be quite packed with people (a reservation is recommend), and also comes at a hefty price tag (starts at around $60!). During my visit to Iceland, I was doing it on a budget, so I didn’t make an appearance at the Blue Lagoon, and instead partook in the numerous other hot springs around the country of Iceland. Here are a number of the ones I went to soak – avoid the crowds and save some cash. (more…)
Locations
Iceland: Viewing The Northern Lights
Many people don’t realize that this incredible phenomenon (Northern Lights) is elusive and unpredictable. Yes, even in a place like Iceland…
I just recently spent eight days in Iceland attempting to see the Northern Lights, and though it never happened, it was still an incredible trip. If you end up going to Iceland and planning to see the lights, then follow these tips from Expert Vagabond. (more…)
Festivals
First Time At SXSW
This last week I went to Austin, Texas for work, seeing friends, and SXSW (South by South West). The trip didn’t last as long as I would have liked (like most), but in the time I was there, I had a blast. I’m actually quite exhausted from a week of getting up early to get work done, and stopping in the early afternoon to go out and enjoy what SXSW had to offer until late into the night.
I spent the majority of my time with my friends and hosts, Jake and Maria, whom I met in Puerto Rico last New Year (2014-15). Along with them, I made new friends along the way and caught up with old ones.
I’ll be back in Portland for this weekend before heading out again to San Ramon (3/21-25). You never know about San Ramon, but it should be a decent enough time.
If you want some more details about SXSW or my time in Austin, then keep on reading! (more…)