I’ll never forget the joy when I starred on my very first Schengen visa in 2015. After all, it was granted by the German Embassy in Kuala Lumpur with much effort! That year, I embarked on my first Europe trip and lost my heart to Budapest. The inspiration to write this post came after I booked my 2020 Balkan trip. Due to my financial limitation, I never want to return to the same country until I travelled to all of the countries in the world. But, my beloved city turns out to be on the list! When you visit Budapest, you’ll understand why it’s easy to fall in love. The…
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Romeo, Juliet & the Most Opportunist City
“Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?” Imagine Juliet standing on the balcony in a white dress, waiting for the love of her life… But in reality, they’re not real — including the balcony! I remember watching Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes in the 1996 version of Romeo & Juliet. The movie is so captivating and I still have a clear picture of some sequences although I only watch it once. If you’re a fan of Shakespeare’s love stories, you should include Verona on your bucket list. The small city in Northern Italy has been a popular destination among hopeless romantics and Shakespeare’s fans as it’s the home of the lovebirds.…
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Investing for a Bucket List, Tony Robbins’ Way
Thank God my lower back pain is getting much better today! I’ve been ‘itching’ to write about investing for a bucket list that I learned from Tony Robbins’ book “Money: Master the Game”. In the previous blog post, I shared Tony Robbin’s advice on building wealth by investing in All Season portfolios. This portfolio will protect you from any financial downturn so you’ll never lose money. Also, how you can use the service of robo-advisors to create All Season portfolios and let them do the rebalancing – automatically, within a click. But, what makes life more interesting is when we do things that we’re passionate about. It’s not just about…
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Summer in Sorrento
As someone who dreams of traveling to as many countries as possible yet has a limited budget, usually, I only visit a country once. However, there’s a country that I won’t mind to re-visit again and again. And that country is… Italy! xxx During the summer holiday in June 2017, I went for a 12-day Italy trip and dropped by Sorrento for a few days. It was a very memorable trip – excellent food, classy architecture, lively people, beautiful scenery… Summer in Italy could be really hot but trust me, once you visit their gorgeous beaches and coastal towns, it’s totally worth it to travel to Italy in summer! On…
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Digital Detox Trip: City Edition in Copenhagen, Denmark
I wrote about Digital Detox Trip: Nature Edition before, now let’s talk about how we can truly act on it when travelling in the city! How attached are you to your smartphone when you’re travelling? Are you always on your phone, busy updating your social media or chatting with your friends and family? If yes, don’t you feel like you’re missing the point of travelling because you’re not present while travelling? I get it. WiFi is very important because you can easily obtain directions, suggestions, etc within a click. For me, I prefer to keep my phone in the bag unless I find free WiFi during my meal/tea time or…
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Breakfast and Birdwatching at M.P.S. Village, Sri Lanka
In the previous blog post, I shared that to travel is also to enjoy food. In addition, I feel that your travel experience is also affected by your choice of accommodation. This isn’t a paid post. I just want to share my experience staying at M.P.S. Village, a budget hotel in Sri Lanka with a wonderful view and yummy breakfast. Imagine hearing the sound of peacocks and other kinds of birds while enjoying your breakfast! Peacocks? Where do they come from? I’ll tell you later 😉 M.P.S. Village, a Budget Hotel Surrounded by Greens and Birds First of all, this beautiful budget hotel isn’t located in Dambulla city center. You…
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How “Begpackers” Make Me Feel Grateful for My Powerless Passport
I used to feel bitter towards “begpackers” because of my powerless passport, but not anymore. First of all, according to Global Passport Power Rank, my Indonesian passport is ranked 58th out of 93. While doing this research, I get to know that my passport is ranked lower than the passport of the countries I never heard of like Nauru, Kiribati, and Vanuatu. More surprisingly, the passport of Timor-Leste, which was part of Indonesia until 1999, is doing better – sitting at the 45th position! The Roots of My Bitterness Towards “Begpackers” For someone who loves travelling, the roots of my bitterness towards “begpackers” are obvious. I have to work hard…
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Nuwara Eliya: An English Tale in Sri Lanka
Being a tropical country located near South India, I used to think that when visiting Sri Lanka, all I needed to pack was summer clothes. Wrong. Especially if you’re planning to stay in Nuwara Eliya, a beautiful English town on top of a hill. Dubbed Little England, the town is a contrast to other cities in Sri Lanka not only because of the English history, but also the climate and architecture. Founded by Samuel Baker in 1846, Nuwara Eliya’s cool climate (daily average of 16°C) made the town a favourite place to stay for British civil servants and colonialists. I’m so happy to include Nuwara Eliya in my Sri Lanka…
