Stories from the Road

A towering wooden shrine burns during the Dōsojin Fire Festival in Nozawa Onsen, flames climbing into the night as lanterns and ornaments glow above a packed crowd watching from below.

Inside Japan’s Dōsojin Fire Festival in Nozawa Onsen

February 12, 2026 in East Asia

A couple weeks ago, I found myself standing in the cold, in the dark, and on a sheet of ice. I was surrounded by smoke, chanting, fireworks, and a frankly alarming amount of fire. This isn’t a typical travel experience for me. And yet, there I was, watching the Dōsojin […]

What It’s Like to Attend a Sumo Tournament in Tokyo

January 21, 2026 in East Asia

I arrived at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan in Tokyo about half an hour early, which is how I accidentally became part of a very specific pre-sumo ritual: standing around outside the arena with a crowd of people who did not have tickets. That’s also where I saw my first sumo wrestlers. […]

A man walks down a quiet rural path surrounded by lush greenery, wooden fences, and scattered houses with green and white roofs. Snow-capped mountains rise in the distance beneath a partly cloudy sky, framed by tall trees and early spring foliage.

Žabljak, Montenegro: Finding Stillness in the Durmitor Highlands

October 2, 2025 in Europe

Until recently, Montenegro was a blank spot on the map for me. The name itself sounded like it belonged to a fairytale, but I couldn’t have told you where it was. That changed one late night after watching a Yes Theory video and realizing I hadn’t said yes to something […]

Three smiling travellers wearing sarongs pose in front of the Pura Besakih temple complex in Bali, Indonesia. The black stone pagodas and intricately carved gateways rise behind them, while crowds of worshippers and tourists fill the lush, green temple grounds.

Bali to Gili Trawangan: Chaos, Magic Mushrooms, and My First Quake

September 23, 2025 in Southeast Asia

June 2013. It was my first time going from Bali to Gili Trawangan, and I was living my Eat, Pray, Love fantasy. But the story really started a couple of days earlier, on the sulphur-choked rim of Mount Ijen in East Java. That’s where I met Martin, a Dutch traveller, […]

Person standing in an empty, graffiti-covered, abandoned swimming pool beneath a rusted metal roof frame, with vegetation growing through cracks and a view of distant hills under a bright sky.

Ghosts of the Adriatic: Exploring Hotel Belvedere Dubrovnik

September 12, 2025 in Europe

I had only just arrived in Dubrovnik the night before, but jet lag had me out of bed before sunrise. By ten in the morning, I had already walked the city walls, photographed the glimmering limestone streets of the Old Town, and drained the adrenaline of arrival into a kind […]

Amazon Overnight Boat Tour in the Bolivian Jungle

September 5, 2025 in South America

In 2014, I made the trip to South America with a group of friends. Part of it took me to Bolivia with Matt, a friend from high school, and Julia, my oldest and closest friend. After winding our way through the country, we found ourselves in Trinidad, a small town […]

View from the back of a boat moving through a wide, muddy river flanked by dense green rainforest. The boat is loaded with colourful bags, boxes, and supplies, leaving a foamy wake behind. Above, the sky is bright with scattered clouds, casting light on the lush landscape.

From Headhunters to Weddings: Life in a Borneo Longhouse

September 4, 2025 in Southeast Asia

Our boat glides through the calm waters effortlessly past longhouses. The pink paint, brushed in long, faded streaks along the wooden hull, distorts in the rippled reflections stretching out from around us. My guide turns to me and smiles, pointing towards an old crimson truck parked along the banks of […]