• Faulkner's House in Rowan's Oak, Oxford, Mississippi

    How we fund and afford our travels

      People always ask us how we can afford to travel this much, and we try to make it as transparent as possible by posting our travel expenses on this blog. However, what they really don’t know is HOW we can afford to spend all that money on travel.  Living in the USA, I’ve realized that it is a land of opportunity, and also a land of many temptations. In this country, the opportunities are endless: from travel hacking, mistake fares, and other ways to make extra cash and get discounted deals, we truly are spoiled for choice. However, despite the vast richness of the country, I keep hearing people…

  • Bohol Bee Farm, Philippines

    The Real Cost of Travel

    What is the first reaction you receive when you tell someone that you’re traveling? I ask this question, out of curiosity, because whenever me and Ruby go traveling during the year, people we talk to sometimes express surprise and often ask us how we can afford to travel so much. One of the most common questions we’ve received is, “Are your families rich or something?” (for the record, no!). Travel is classified as a “leisure” activity, but that leisure word really means “luxury” for most people in the United States, at least from my experience.  It’s as if there is a bit of a stigma attached to the word here,…

  • Where to go in Dublin Ireland

    Where to Go in Dublin Ireland

    Our trip to Ireland was more of a whim, from an airfare sale that was $380. It took a bit of time before we finalized our itinerary, but we did it and we had a blast! To read more of our Ireland adventure, click the below articles: Our First Impressions of Ireland (Peter’s account of our trip) A Guide to the Irish Visa for Filipinos (based on my experience on getting an Irish visa with a Philippine passport) Ireland’s Ancient East Itinerary (for those who want to follow where we went on our one week trip) Where to Go in Dublin Ireland Most people say Dublin is good for a…

  • Central Park, New York City

    A budget trip to New York City

    New York is an expensive city to live and visit – with higher tax rates, limited space, and millions of tourists converging to the Big City, there’s only so much resources and space to share. However,  in this article, we try to give you tips on how to survive New York City on a budget by breaking down our costs so you may replicate our travels as well! A Budget Trip to New York City The back story: One of my friends (and old roommate) moved to the Big Apple last year, so we find ourselves going there to visit for a couple of days just to see her &…

  • Applying for Irish Visa

    Ireland Visa Application for Philippine Passports

    Another day, another drama, another chapter in my love/hate relationship with my Philippine passport. What started out as a great deal from the US to Ireland is giving me more of a headache than I could have ever imagined, and made me wish in part that I wasn’t going to Ireland (or other visa countries) and used this time to travel somewhere else that’s visa free for my passport, like Ecuador or Peru. So let me recount to you my experience with the Ireland Visa Application. Ireland Visa Application for Philippine Passports To start off, I hold a green card to the United States, but I’m still a Philippine passport…