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Passions and Places

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Our 4th & 5th Years of (Not Really) Traveling: Making the Best of Unprecedented Times

May 1, 2022 By Jen Ambrose Leave a Comment

Two-lane highway curving between mountains, with a yellow 45MPH sign pointing around the corner.

The last two years have been…nothing like the three that preceded them. But we’ve done our best to find the silver linings, and are so grateful that we’ve stayed healthy and still managed to find some adventures.

Filed Under: Long-Term Travel, Reflections Tagged With: annual review

The Third Year on the Road: Reflecting on the Highs and Lows

April 21, 2020 By Jen Ambrose 4 Comments

View of blue water and a blue sky with clouds, with lush greenery and red-roofed buildings in the foreground.

We’ve (somehow!) been traveling full-time and living as digital nomads for three full years now. From diving with sea turtles in Indonesia to having an unexpected surgery in Thailand, this recap covers all our highs and lows of the past year.

Filed Under: Long-Term Travel, Reflections Tagged With: annual review, digital nomad, housesitting, meditation, retreat, Southeast Asia, work exchange

Our Second Year on the Road: Reflecting on the Highs and Lows

February 26, 2019 By Jen Ambrose Leave a Comment

Tip of a yellow kayak on the water, with pine trees, mountains, and hazy blue sky in the background.

It’s hard to believe, but we’ve been traveling for two whole years! In honor of this milestone, we’re looking back at where we’ve been in the past twelve months and reflecting on the highest highs and lowest lows.

Filed Under: Long-Term Travel, Reflections Tagged With: annual review, digital nomad, housesitting, retreat, Southeast Asia, work exchange

How We’ve Funded A Year of Full-Time Travel

March 7, 2018 By Jen Ambrose 30 Comments

Full-time travel costs less than you think, especially in regions like Southeast Asia. After a year of traveling and working as digital nomads, this is how we’re funding our lifestyle. We saved up before we left, and remote work in freelance writing offsets some of our travel costs. But traveling on a budget and visiting affordable countries like Thailand and Vietnam keeps our expenses low, and work exchange and housesitting positions cut them even further.

After one full year on the road, here’s everything we’re doing to afford full-time travel and make this lifestyle work.

Filed Under: Budgeting, Long-Term Travel Tagged With: budget travel, digital nomad, housesitting, Southeast Asia, travel tips, work exchange

A Year on the Road: Reflecting on the Highs and Lows

February 11, 2018 By Jen Ambrose 12 Comments

We’ve officially been on the road for a whole year! Today, we’re looking back on the highs and lows of the past twelve months, including our most exciting adventures and the biggest challenges of working while traveling.

Filed Under: Long-Term Travel, Reflections Tagged With: annual review, digital nomad, Southeast Asia

How Housesitting Is Helping Us See the World

November 15, 2017 By Jen Ambrose and Ryan Victor 24 Comments

Free accommodations in a nice house and cool pets to play with while you travel? Yes, please! Housesitting has been a big part of our journey in Southeast Asia, and become much more than a way to save money.

Filed Under: Accommodations, Long-Term Travel, Thailand Tagged With: digital nomad, housesitting, Southeast Asia, work exchange

Everything You Need to Know About Washing Clothes While Traveling

August 24, 2017 By Ryan Victor 12 Comments

Washing clothes while traveling is a necessity for long-term travel. Whether you’re backpacking Southeast Asia, taking a road trip in the U.S., or traveling elsewhere, here are the best options for getting your laundry done.

When we left the U.S. to adopt a nomadic lifestyle, people asked us about how we’d deal with the mundane things that are second-nature at home – and one of them was laundry. Here are all the laundry options we’ve found on the road, plus our best tips for washing your clothes while you travel.

Filed Under: Gear and Packing, Long-Term Travel Tagged With: travel tips

Looking Back on Three Months of Travel in Southeast Asia

June 26, 2017 By Jen Ambrose 14 Comments

You could spend years traveling around Southeast Asia, but this post covers slow travel as digital nomads over three months. We’ve traveled to destinations in Thailand, Cambodia, and Malaysia, including Bangkok, Krabi, Kampot, and Georgetown, Penang. Some highlights so far? Scuba diving, housesitting, a yoga retreat, and lots of delicious food!

After our first three months of traveling in Southeast Asia and working from the road, we’re looking back on our experiences so far. Our travels have taken us to Thailand, Cambodia, and Malaysia, with highlights like housesitting, a yoga retreat, and a little-visited Thai island.

Filed Under: Asia, Cambodia, Long-Term Travel, Malaysia, Reflections, Thailand Tagged With: Bangkok, digital nomad, housesitting, Kampot, Southeast Asia, work exchange

Becoming “Digital Nomads:” Why We Quit Our Jobs to Travel

March 25, 2017 By Jen Ambrose 15 Comments

We finally quit our jobs in Boston to travel the world as digital nomads! Now we're in Thailand, engaging in long-term travel and working online for ourselves as travel bloggers and freelance writers. This is the story of our lifestyle design choices and why we're planning to travel in Southeast Asia.

We finally took the leap and left our jobs, apartment, and life in the U.S. to travel abroad and work as freelancers. Here’s the story of why we made this lifestyle change and how we’re starting our new lives as digital nomads in Thailand.

Filed Under: Long-Term Travel, Reflections Tagged With: digital nomad, Southeast Asia

Close-up of a white man and woman both wearing black with trees in the background, and an overlaying green banner that says "Welcome!"

Hi! We’re Jen and Ryan, an American couple on a journey to travel the world while working from the road. We’re passionate about outdoor adventure, responsible travel, and getting off the beaten path. Passions and Places is a space for us to share our stories and tips with you, but most importantly, we hope to inspire you to seek your own adventure.

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