Calgary - Drumheller

Since July, many Canadian provinces are open to domestic travel. Being fully vaccinated, I was eager to make some movements and quickly locked the Calgary Stampede as the "the thing" to check out, adding Drumheller to make a perfect weekend holiday.

Jul 10, 2021
Calgary

Sechelt Peninsula

Although I've been to Sunshine Coast many times, I only checked out the major towns accessible by public transit. The less populated areas on the Sechelt Peninsula of Sunshine Coast, including the impressive Skookumchuck Narrows, are not reachable by public transport. I decided to rent a car to check out this natural wonder and some other interesting hiking trails this hot weekend.

Jun 27, 2021
Skookumchuck Narrows - Pender Hill - Smuggler Cove

Gulf Islands

BC is entering phase 3 of "reopening" that allows "careful" travel within the province. By following COVID-19 rules strictly (e.g. wearing a mask when social distancing of 2 meters cannot be obtained), my first "trip" during the pandemic turned to be successful.

Jul 4, 2020
Gulf Islands

Valladolid - Tulum - Cancún

Although Cancún (and the Yucatan Peninsula) is a very touristy destination, it's still on my bucket-list mainly because of the cenotes in the area. Since air tickets are super expensive during the holiday season, Cancún (and the region) became a relatively affordable place to go for a short break this Christmas.

Dec 26, 2019
Valladolid

Azores - Cape Verde - São Tomé

There are two island nations in West Africa - Cape Verde and São Tomé and Príncipe. Both were Portuguese colonies and got independence in 1975. It's better to combine the two countries in one trip. Luckily, Angola Airlines (TAAG) provides direct flights between Sal Island in Cape Verde and São Tomé Island twice weekly. While searching for flights from Canada to Cape Verde, I found the cheapest fare to be Azores Airlines via Ponta Delgada on São Miguel Island of the Azores, a Portuguese autonomous region. This route is also the shortest. The fact that the Azores is in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean alone is so attractive and I bought the ticket shortly.

Oct 10, 2019
São Miguel

Vancouver Island - Sunshine Coast

A Vancouver Island - Sunshine Coast loop has always been a fascinating route to me. And doing it purely using public transportation makes it even more amazing.

Jun 14, 2019
Vancouver - Nanaimo

Yosemite

Though it's possible to make a day trip to Yosemite from San Francisco by public transportation or on a day tour (expensive), it's a very, very long day. I decided to base myself in Stockton and make my life easier. YARTS runs buses from Merced into Yosemite Valley year-round, but there is an advantage of buying an Amtrak train + bus combined ticket - it's cheaper than separate tickets, and even when YARTS has free ride days occasionally (then doesn't take reservations), an Amtrak ticket will guarantee you a seat.

Apr 21, 2019
Yosemite Valley

Tunisia - Italy

Picking a destination in Europe for a vacation in February isn't very easy. Italy was finally chosen because it's relatively warmer. In order to take a ferry to Italy from another country, I added a short visit to Tunisia before Italy (major western countries have removed advisories against traveling to Tunisia).

Feb 17, 2019
Tunisia

Antigua - Saint Kitts & Nevis - Sint Maarten - Portland

Due to my work schedule, I have a very short break for this holiday season. Exploring some small islands in Eastern Caribbean seems to be a reasonable choice. To further enhance the trip, I extended my stopover in Portland to a whole day on the way back.

Dec 22, 2018
Antigua

Turkey

It's time for a short break. As the Turkish lira dropped almost 50% from last year, it makes perfect sense to go to Turkey at this time.

Oct 1, 2018
Cappadocia