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Living in Chiang Mai: Everything I’ve Learned in a Decade

I’ve called Chiang Mai home for almost ten years now. I’m a Filipina-American from Chicago who runs a design business from northern Thailand, alongside my British partner Pete and our Siamese cat Bandit, who tolerates us both. Here’s the short version, because you came here for answers. Living in Chiang Mai is affordable, easy…

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Best Places to Study Abroad in Europe: A City-by-City Guide

I studied abroad in Rome when I was 20 and it is the trip that changed everything. Not in a neat, tidy way — in the way that involves getting lost in a neighbourhood you didn’t mean to find, eating at a trattoria so small it had no name on the door, and realising…

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Best Countries to Visit in Asia: Ranked from Safest to Most Adventurous (2026)

I have been based in Chiang Mai, Thailand for several years now. Before that I moved around a lot — Japan, Vietnam, the Philippines, Bali, Cambodia, Laos, quick stops in Singapore and Malaysia. Asia is not one thing. It is a loose collection of countries that happen to share a continent and almost nothing…

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The Banana Pancake Trail: What It Is, Where It Goes, and Whether It’s Worth Doing

The first time someone told me about the banana pancake trail, I thought they were joking. They were not. It’s a real thing, it has a real name, and there’s a good chance it’s the reason you ended up searching this. I’ve done this trail more than once. I’ve also spent years living in…

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The Study Abroad Packing Checklist for International Travel (Print This Before You Leave)

In this post, I’ll be sharing the study abroad packing checklist for international travel that you can print before you leave! If you want the full explanation of why each item matters, that’s in the study abroad packing list. This is the print-and-check version. The one you use the night before your flight when…

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South East Asia Travel Route: How to Spend 3 Months on the Banana Pancake Trail

When people ask me how I ended up based in Chiang Mai, the honest answer is: I did this route, I got to Thailand, and I never fully left. That’s the thing about a three-month south east asia travel route — it starts as a trip and for a lot of people, and eventually…

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Japan Packing List: 25 Things to Pack for Japan (Every Season)

Japan broke every assumption I had about what a packing list should look like. I’d been living in Southeast Asia and figured a lot of my regular travel gear would carry over. It did not. Japan has four real seasons, a strong cash culture, some of the best walking cities in the world, and…

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Thailand Packing List: 26 Things to Pack for Thailand (Female Travelers)

I’m going to be upfront: I live in Chiang Mai. I moved here after graduating and never got on my return flight, and I’ve now spent more time in Thailand than anywhere else in the world. So when someone asks me what to pack for Thailand, I don’t have to think back to a…

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Philippines Packing List: 25 Things to Bring to the Philippines

The Philippines packing list built for island hopping. What to pack for the Philippines, what's actually essential, and what to leave at home.

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Vietnam Packing List: 27 Things to Pack for Female Solo Travelers

You’ve booked the flight. You’ve got a rough itinerary sketched out. Now you’re staring at an empty bag at midnight wondering what to bring to Vietnam before a 6am departure. I’ve been there. Twice. This Vietnam packing list is what I wish someone had handed me before my first solo trip. Not the generic…

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Hey there, I'm Angelique!

I'm a Filipina-American, Chicago native living abroad and running my online design agency from Chiang Mai, Thailand. Over a decade of traveling in, and yes, I still pinch myself. With family split between the US, UK, and SE Asia, travel has always been part of my story. This blog is where I share the honest side of living and traveling abroad, the places I explore, and the little hacks that make this life actually work. Glad you're here, friend!

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