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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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The Best Travelling South East Asia Route (That I Actually Took and Loved)

So you’re planning on travelling South East Asia and you’re staring at a map trying to figure out where the hell to start? I get it. I was in the exact same position before my first trip here. There are like eleven countries in this region and they’re all supposed to be amazing and…

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Travelling South East Asia: Everything I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Left

So you’re thinking about travelling around South East Asia? Good choice. Honestly one of the best decisions I ever made. I originally planned to backpack through Southeast Asia for just a month. Spoiler alert: I’m still here. That one month trip turned into me basically moving here, and I have zero regrets about it.…

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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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