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How Much Does It Cost to Study Abroad? Real Costs by Country

How much does it cost to study abroad? Real semester costs by country, the fees nobody budgets for, and how to do it cheaper. From a Rome alum.

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20 Carry On Essentials for Long Haul Flights I Never Board Without

Looking for carry on essentials for long haul flights? You’re in the right place! Here are the 20 things I actually pack for flights over 10 hours, after nearly a decade of doing them on repeat. Living in Chiang Mai with my family back in Chicago means I don’t get to be casual about…

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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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Travel Insurance for Students Studying Abroad (2026)

Travel insurance for students studying abroad is the thing almost everyone puts off until the last minute, buys in a panic the night before their flight, or skips entirely because they assume their university covers them. Most of the time, none of those approaches work out well. I have been living abroad for years…

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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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Study Abroad Packing List: 40 Things You Actually Need to Pack

I showed up to Rome at 20 years old with a 28-inch suitcase I could barely lift, two pairs of heels I wore exactly once, and absolutely zero plan for the fact that Italian outlets require a different plug than anything I owned. By week two I had burned out my blow dryer, paid…

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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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