All the stories
3 countries, 21 stories, one slightly chaotic route. Pick a trip below — or wander the map and let a pin decide for you.
Pick a chapter
Canada Hiking in Banff
After a stressful credit card crisis at my Banff hostel, I lucked into a last-minute shuttle ticket to Lake Louise and braved snowy, cliffside trails completely on my own.
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Canada Calgary Stampede
My bad luck followed me from Vancouver straight to Calgary, but a friendly local guide and a perfect tableside Caesar salad managed to save the trip.
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Canada First stop at Vancouver
My cross-Canada trip hit a massive logistical wall in Vancouver, where a string of bank, SIM card, and flight booking errors turned a 1.5-hour flight into a $600 nightmare.
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Singapore Waterfall at the Gate, Tears on the Tarmac
One last morning in the Botanic Gardens, then Changi's indoor waterfall nearly made me miss my flight home — and I cried watching the control tower disappear.
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Singapore The Rhythm Truck Pulled Me Onstage
I went to Universal Studios Singapore expecting theme-park thrills, and ended up drumming on a moving truck in front of a crowd — the highlight of a day that taught me I'm more nature than roller coaster.
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Singapore The Last Ticket and a Rainy Light Show
I scored the very last ArtScience Museum ticket of the day, then abandoned my laksa mid-meal to watch the Supertrees light up to the Inside Out soundtrack — in the rain, grinning.
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Singapore Waffles, a Casino, and Supertree Lights
I ate two waffles in one day, survived my first casino with white-knuckle anxiety, and ended up lying on the ground at Gardens by the Bay watching light dance across the Supertrees.
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Singapore Lost and Found at NTU
I spent a full day getting wonderfully lost on NTU's vast, garden-threaded campus — stumbling into a free three-course lunch, butterflies in Yunnan Garden, and the iconic Hive before dark.
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Singapore Statues, Macaws, and the Merlion at Midnight
A thunderstorm at River Wonders, a stubborn scavenger hunt for newly unveiled statues in Fort Canning Park, and ending the night face-to-face with Singapore's most iconic symbol — all in one very full day.
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Singapore Birds, Beaks, and a Lesson in Soft-Boiled Eggs
I finally cracked the code on Singapore's Traditional Breakfast — literally — then spent the day lost among free-flying hornbills, flamingos, and a birthday-singing parrot at Bird Paradise.
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Singapore Good Deeds and a Garden University
A chance encounter on the bus led me to chase down a German tourist and return his forgotten umbrella — the perfect start to a day exploring NUS, the greenest campus I'd ever set foot on.
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Singapore Squirrels, Macaws, and Creatures of the Night
I spent a full day at Singapore Zoo and Night Safari — and accidentally stepped on a squirrel, sending me into a guilt spiral that only the kindness of strangers could fix.
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Singapore Art, History, and Tacos in Singapore
A burnt-out rest day turned into an unexpected delight — a free visit to the National Gallery, an accidental guided tour, and the best (and priciest) tacos I had all trip.
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Singapore Supertrees, Satay, and Singapore Mode
My first day in Singapore began at 4:30 am and never really slowed down — from figuring out the double-decker buses to wandering Gardens by the Bay under a pink sunset.
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Malaysia Eagles, a Freshwater Lake, and a Stranger's Kindness
My last full day in Langkawi packed in turquoise seas, swimming in a mountain-ringed lake, and a humbling ride home from a local whose generosity left me in tears.
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Malaysia Cable Cars, Waterfalls, and a Stranger Named Dede
I rode the Langkawi SkyCab above the rainforest canopy, crossed the world's longest curved sky bridge, and ended up spending the whole day with a French woman I met in a queue — proof that losing internet can be the best thing that happens to you.
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Malaysia Landing on Langkawi, Toes in the Sea
I stepped off the AirAsia tarmac and within hours I was wading into the warm Andaman at Pantai Cenang, watching the sun melt into the horizon.
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Malaysia Mosques, Markets, and the KL Tower at Night
I spent the day wandering Kuala Lumpur's historic core — nasi lemak at Central Market, two stunning mosques, and Merdeka Square — and stayed out late enough to watch the KL Tower glow against a moonlit sky.
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Malaysia Pigeons, Cookies, and a Supermarket Friend
A day of wandering KLCC brought an unexpected friendship with a girl from Sabah, pigeons fed chocolate cookies by a lake, and a hard lesson in impulse souvenir shopping.
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Malaysia Twin Towers and a Stranger Who Changed Everything
I came for the Petronas Twin Towers and left with something better: a chance encounter with an Indian businessman on the Skybridge that taught me the quiet power of starting a conversation.
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Malaysia Lost in KL, Found at Jalan Alor
After a sleepless night, a chaotic check-in, and a kind stranger I accidentally let slip away, I finally landed in Kuala Lumpur — bewildered, hungry, and completely alive.
Read moreNo stories here yet — that trip's still being written. ✦