A Life of Travel: Life here in Vietnam...and a new dream destination!
Derek Baron
July 09, 2024
A big welcome to the 29 new subscribers who recently signed up!
It's Tuesday and it's time for a travel newsletter...
update
It’s almost been one month here in Da Nang, Vietnam. And my life looks like this:
Wake up, go to the gym, head out to a cafe or two to work for a few hours on my laptop, return to my place for a rest and some more work during the hottest time of the day, spend an hour on this beautiful beach reading, grab some dinner and then in the evening, I either go to one of the many meetups that are taking place or I go for a 1.5 hour walk along the beach boardwalk.
This is an ideal routine for me. It took some time to adjust to staying put and not trying to fill my days with all kinds of activities but now I’m comfortably in the zone.
In fact, I’m so comfortable that, apart from a couple of day trips to the nearby quaint and ancient town of Hoi An, I’ve barely left a 3 km area over these few weeks.
It also helps that the temperature is a consistent 35C (95F) with about 80% humidity, so running around all day is not ideal. Keeping to a slow, simple routine is the way to go in order to avoid passing out in the street :)
Also, for those who are curious, this is why more and more people are coming to Da Nang, Vietnam to live:
very low cost of living (1 bedroom apartments near the beach for $400 - $600 per month)
white sand, palm-tree lined beaches that stretch for almost 25 kms
wide variety of inexpensive food (local food stalls, Italian restaurants, BBQ joints, hipster cafes, seafood eateries and everything in between)
growing community of digital nomads/remote workers/retirees (with plenty of meetups and scheduled activities every week, making it easy to meet other people)
great location with Hoi An, hiking options, temples, Marble Mountains and more within close proximity
international airport with direct flights to many Asian destinations
decent nightlife (nothing crazy, but if you prefer a chill atmosphere like I do, it’s perfect)
all kinds of events (in the few weeks I’ve been here there has been an international fireworks festival, film festival and beer festival)
Not too bad for Vietnam’s fifth largest city!
As for me, I have just under one month remaining of my stay here in Vietnam.
Then I’ll be off to the US to visit family!
newsletters to check out
Due to my addiction to learning, I’m constantly looking for new and interesting newsletters to follow. Here are a few of the newsletters that I now read regularly!
International Intrigue - I’ve been receiving this newsletter for a long time. Created by former diplomats, it offers educated, balanced analysis of the international news of the day, allowing me to understand the world a lot better as I travel.
Now I Know - Want to learn something new every day? This newsletter is straightforward in its mission to make sure that happens. You never know what’s coming but it will almost always be interesting.
The Daily Concept - This is another excellent newsletter that teaches you about something you probably don’t know much about. Today I learned about captagon (I never even heard of it before) and it was fascinating.
new dream destination
I’m sure you can relate to this…
Out of nowhere, a friend sends you a video of a destination that you’ve never even heard of. You watch the video and suddenly, your entire being becomes focused on getting to that destination.
You can’t stop thinking about it, you try to figure out how to make it happen, you want nothing more than to reach that very place, and to reach it soon!
Well, that just happened to me:
Wow… I really want to find a way to get to that destination NOW!!!
Do you have a current dream destination? Let me know where it is!
around the globe
Iraqi Shrines
There’s a reason we visit the incredible Shrine of Imam Ali in Najaf during my Wander Across Iraq tours! Along with nearby Karbala, these holy shrines are full of deeply rooted history, mesmerizing architecture and a vibrant atmosphere created by thousands of pilgrims that gather every day.
Rawdogging a Flight
I had to laugh after reading this article because I often do this exact thing while on flights. I’m curious to see who else just stares at the screen watching the flight map while doing nothing else for hours at a time on airplanes.
Oslo Wants You to Visit
At first I had no idea what was going on, but in the end, this is an excellent tourism video to promote Oslo, Norway.
Obvious Travel Advice
Yes, this is some obvious travel advice but it’s valuable and important to remember nonetheless!
World’s Best Airlines
There’s many of these lists but SkyTrax is generally one of the more well-known airline ranking lists. I was not surprised that my favorite airline - Qatar Airways - was ranked #1.
Easy US Hikes
If you want to explore some beautiful National Parks in the US without taking a super long or difficult hike, here’s a collection of 25 easy, scenic hikes that offer some spectacular outings into nature.
Tourists Go Home
A mass protest against mass tourism in Barcelona resulted in protestors squirting tourists with water guns as they shouted “Tourists go home!”.
Chile
In my research this week, I discovered one intriguing region of Chile. Within a relatively small area you can find a maze of hot springs, an active volcano that you can climb when it’s safe enough and a Northern Patagonian biological reserve that’s home to several unique accommodations clearly inspired by the surrounding rainforest.
where in the world?
A big congratulations to Mike, Wendy, Ruth, Gilbert, Dorota, Stan, Kate, Steve and Owen for correctly guessing the location of the photo in my previous newsletter!
The photo is from Ottawa, Canada! More specifically, it’s a view from the Parliament overlooking the Ottawa River, with the Canadian Museum of History on the other side. This was an interesting one… many of the people who guessed correctly actually live in Ottawa and a lot of people guessed a variety of small European cities!
This week’s photo:
It’s time to guess…where was the below photo taken?
If you have a guess (the more specific the better), click reply and let me know. Anyone who guesses correctly will be mentioned in next week's newsletter 😄
If you wish to help support this free newsletter, kindly forward it to people you know, make a donation or join one of my unique small group trips to some spectacular destinations!
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Thank you so much for reading!
Derek
(my middle name is Earl)
Travel Insurance: My personal recommendation for affordable and reliable travel insurance is Safety Wing. It was created by travelers, for travelers, and it's rapid growth in popularity is well-deserved.
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