Learning Chinese
My Uncle has a joke that goes something like this: “I know Arabic.” “What are you talking about, Uncle Jim? Of course you don’t.” We would think to ourselves, waiting for the punchline. Then he […]
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Back Stage at Rice and Friends Cooking School in Dali, China
Juno photographs Luxi at Rice & Friends Cooking School in Dali, China I had a really great opportunity in Dali, China to check out the Rice and Friends Cooking School. They just moved to
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Tasting Tea in Kunming
It wouldn’t be far from the truth if I told you I’m in China’s Yunnan Province for one reason: tea. True, the scenery is a real draw, and ancient towns like Lijiang, Shaxi, and Dali
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A Digital Nomad in Luang Prabang
I’ve written previously about my quest to become location independent and posted Using Chiang Mai as a Remote Workplace last year after stopping temporarily to work there during my travels through Southeast Asia. I wanted
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7 Observations from Macau
After two days of walking around Macau, we decided we’d had enough of our makeshift dorm room accommodation in Augusters Guesthouse. Even though there wasn’t too much more to see, we could have lingered longer
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Philadelphia is for Foodies
Philadelphia is making some huge strides in recent years on becoming a foodie destination. Here are some of my latest favorites from the City of Brotherly Love: Breakfast Darling’s Diner is good any
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Walking—the Best Way to Experience Place
Trains are too romantic. Buses don’t stop enough. Motorcycles too fast. And forget about planes. But not walking. “Walking reminds us of who we are.” says Paul Theroux in an interview about his
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The Place vs Our Experience in that Place
Last week’s Travel Philosophy Friday post It Won’t be like I Remembered made me think about place and the way we view that place after our experience there. In other words, place versus our
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It won’t be like I remembered it
In response to last week’s Where’s your old home?, Juno Kim mentioned in the comments that she might be afraid to return to New Zealand because “it would change everything”. I think she was worried
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Where’s your old home?
Where’s your old home? Nineteenth century scholar Max Mueller said that by going to India, we are returning to our “old home” full of memories, if only we can read them. I believe we all
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Three months in Southeast Asia in Review
Overall my Southeast Asia trip was a great success. I witnessed incredible experiences, met extraordinarily friendly people, and saw how people live life in places that are very different from where I’m from. What went
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The Realities of Blogging from the Road
I just returned from a 3-month trip through Southeast Asia. This was the first time that I traveled while maintaining my blogs, both Bohemian Traveler and GoMadNomad.com. It was a lot of work and I
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Lao Herbal Sauna and Traditional Massage
The Herbal Sauna and Traditional Lao Massage in Vientiane turned out to be one of my best experiences during my almost one month journey through Laos. It was a great way to spend the last
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Your Guide to Slow Boats in Laos
By Stephen Bugno Before visiting Laos I had images of gliding down rivers at an impossibly slow speed all the while enjoying both the view and necessary transportation with friendly locals. That was hardly the
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Using Chiang Mai as a Remote Workplace
By Stephen Bugno There is a reason so many travel bloggers are stopping and staying in Chiang Mai, Thailand for so long: it’s inexpensive, pleasant, culturally interesting, and has most of the amenities you could
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What I packed: 3 Months in Southeast Asia
By Stephen Bugno Packing light is a refined art—I’ve been trying to perfect it for years. I’m almost there. The good news is the longer my trip , the less stuff I bring. On short
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Travel Blog Success: Improve your Travel Blog
By Stephen Bugno In December of 2010 I came to a critical point. I had been running two travel blogs for over a year and not only was I failing to make money, but I
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It’s not about the free couch
If you’re a member of couchsurfing.org, you may already know how awesome it is. For those of you who are not, I just want to stress all the amazing experiences I have had because I’m
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Crazy about Kimchi
For the Love of Kimchi Sure the pay was decent, and the working conditions acceptable, but I have to admit, food was a major factor in my deciding to get take a short-term teaching contract
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2010 in Review: How I traveled for half the year
Work and travel as a lifestyle A former coworker of mine and up-and-coming musician recently asked me how I do it. How did I work the same hours at a slightly-more-than-minimum-wage job at a Virginia
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Salento, Colombia: The Quintessential Backpacker Village
Salento is not the type of place where you’re going to be the only Gringo in town. Don’t try and fool yourself, it is a touristy place. But it’s popular for a reason. And even
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Boulder, CO: City of Beer
By Stephen Bugno After a big final night out in Boulder, we rolled out of town in the am twenty miles south to Golden where we picked up the keys to the condominium in Winter
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The Problem with the Backpacker’s Circuit
“This is just as bad as an all-inclusive resort in Cancun.” I blurt out to myself while hanging from my hammock chair. We are sitting under a thatched-roof hut on the edge of Nicaragua’s
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Planning Less Means More
By Stephen Bugno There have been times when, leading up to a big trip, I have read and researched, printed and photocopied, devoured and digested all available information about the places I was about to
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