“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone”. My friend Phát read this aloud to me as he pointed to the words tattooed in black on his arm. This is how Phát began the Vietnam Discovery Tour, and these words remained the echoing theme for the rest of the trip.

In four days, I've experienced two distinct personalities of Vietnam on the Life Before Work Vietnam Discovery Tour. The group has stayed busy weaving through vibrating streets, gorging on authentic Vietnamese BBQ in back alleys and embracing all aspects of culture offered to us by the welcoming company in Hanoi and Sa Pa.

I'm currently curled up on a pleather airport seat in Washington, D.C. with 100 other travelers scowling in the gate lobby. The intense fluorescent ceiling lights highlight the unanimous ugly mood caused by storms and a flight delay to Los Angeles International Airport…

The Inconvenience Of Travel: Today was unique, people were stressed, grumpy and annoyed... and I was in the middle of all of it smiling to myself enjoying everything that was going on.

Life has been so crazy these last few days, trying to find a moment to sit down and write has been somewhat low on my priority as I don't want to miss a single moment of this adventure. After we left Kuta we drove to Ubud, where we spent the next three days.

It finally arrived, July 11th! Bali Discovery was here! Only a mere 19 hours of flying time plus lay overs and I would be there. 

Oh, Chiang Mai – you beautiful. Thailand's second-largest city has risen and risen in recent decades to become a staple on the travel itineraries of thousands of backpackers making for the wondrous Land of Smiles.

Picture it: You're reclining on a swinging hammock between two palms. Let's say you're in…Vietnam. The powdery sand of An Bang beach is sloping down into the South China Sea just meters from your discarded flipflops. The slosh of the water and the sway of the coconut trees echoes all around…

A mind-boggling 2,000 islets and karst peaks covering more than 1,500 square kilometers makes Ha Long Bay one of the undisputed wonders of the natural world.

Canggu - our next travel destination. We were surrounded by great places to eat, cute stores to shop in and plenty of fascinating architecture.

It's not just hippies and alternative types that love the idea of sustainable travel. It's been growing and growing among all sorts of travelers in recent decades, bringing all sorts of environmental and ethical ideas to the forefront of the industry.

Arriving in Ubud was a surreal experience, to say the least. The luscious greenery that surrounded us stretched out for miles and immediately captured my heart.

As the wheels of the plane touched the ground, my heart genuinely skipped a beat. Excitement coursed through my body as the realization that I had finally arrived kicked in. My Blissful Bali adventure had finally begun after months of anticipation and I couldn’t be more thrilled…

Bangkok is one of the most immersive and enthralling metropolises on Earth. It pulses with life, with scooters, with human cries. It vibrates with the clang of Buddhist prayer bells, and froths with the eager anticipation of first-time backpackers on the Banana Pancake Trail. Five years absent, I've finally returned…

When the red lanterns are lit and the punting boats drift down the lazy Thu Bon River, Hoi An becomes a totally different city than it is by day…

Just the word "Bali" has become a byword for the good life. It conjures images of jungle-fringed beaches and cascading rice terraces, of tropical vistas and salt-spraying seas, all underpinned with a current of mystery and magic, wreathed in incense and scented with enticing peanut satay and BBQ smoke...