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Passions and Places

A travel + outdoors blog

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  • Travel Styles
    • Active and Healthy
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  • Responsible Travel

A Sunfish & A Shipwreck: Diving in Tulamben, Bali

January 25, 2020 By Ryan Victor 16 Comments

Underwater photo of a sunfish next to a scuba diver blowing bubbles.

A dive to more than 100 feet below the surface? A sighting of a rare gigantic fish? A famous World War II-era shipwreck? Ryan’s Advanced Open Water course in Bali had a little bit of everything, and all of it was memorable.

Filed Under: Asia, Indonesia, Nature and Outdoors, Scuba Diving Tagged With: Advanced Open Water, bali, Travel Styles, tulamben, wreck diving

Aboard the Dragon Legend: An Unforgettable Bai Tu Long Bay Cruise

November 18, 2019 By Jen Ambrose 2 Comments

Boats rowing toward small overwater buildings, in front of tree-covered karst mountains and a gray sky.

The Dragon Legend cruise was hands-down one of our coolest travel experiences ever. It was a taste of luxury, a chance to unplug, and a sustainable way to see Vietnam’s most iconic scenery.

Filed Under: Asia, Nature and Outdoors, Off the Beaten Path, Responsible Travel, Vietnam Tagged With: Bai Tu Long Bay, cruise, Halong Bay, Travel Styles

Why Bai Tu Long Bay Is a More Sustainable Halong Bay Alternative

November 4, 2019 By Jen Ambrose 14 Comments

Cruising through Halong Bay is a major bucket list item in Vietnam – but it’s as crowded and polluted as it is beautiful. So we were thrilled to discover its more sustainable neighbor, Bai Tu Long Bay.

Filed Under: Asia, Nature and Outdoors, Off the Beaten Path, Responsible Travel, Vietnam Tagged With: Bai Tu Long Bay, Halong Bay, sustainability, Travel Styles

Ski Trip Essentials: A Packing List for Your Next Powder Day

February 13, 2019 By Ryan Victor 2 Comments

Snowy mountains with empty ski runs cutting among pine trees.

If you’re new to skiing or snowboarding, all the gear that’s required can seem intimidating. Here’s exactly what you need for a day on the slopes – plus some tips for finding great gear on a budget.

Filed Under: Active and Healthy, Gear and Packing, Nature and Outdoors, Skiing Tagged With: activities, packing list, ski gear, Travel Styles

Seeing the Green in Singapore: Hiking the Southern Ridges Trail

August 30, 2018 By Ryan Victor 4 Comments

You might think of Singapore as just a sterile concrete jungle, but you’d be wrong! The city-state has a hidden side of parks, forests, and walking trails, and the Southern Ridges is probably the most iconic one.

Filed Under: Active and Healthy, Asia, Hiking, Nature and Outdoors, Singapore Tagged With: activities, Henderson Waves, Mount Faber Park, Southern Ridges trail, Travel Styles

Why Tam Coc Should Be More Than a Day Trip in Vietnam

April 30, 2018 By Ryan Victor 12 Comments

We made the decision to visit Tam Coc, Vietnam, based mostly on what we’d heard about the scenery – and it turned out to be the perfect setting for boat trips, bike rides, and temple visits.

Filed Under: Asia, Nature and Outdoors, Vietnam Tagged With: Ninh binh, tam coc, Trang An

Climbodia: A Rock Climbing Adventure in Cambodia

January 9, 2018 By Ryan Victor 8 Comments

Why just look up at Southeast Asia’s limestone mountains when you could climb them? Ryan went rock climbing in Cambodia (with a company called Climbodia, ha!) and tried everything from top roping to rappelling.

Filed Under: Active and Healthy, Asia, Cambodia, Nature and Outdoors Tagged With: activities, Climbodia, Kampot, Travel Styles

Taking a City Break: The Best Parks in Bangkok

October 23, 2017 By Ryan Victor Leave a Comment

The capital of Thailand is a sprawling urban metropolis, so it might surprise you that this city has many wonderful green spaces - and they’re some of the most underrated Bangkok attractions. The best parks in Bangkok are great places to relax and feel like you’ve escaped the city for an afternoon, so put Lumpini Park, Chatuchak Park, or another green space on your travel itinerary. Bonus: some of these parks make great things to do in Bangkok for kids.

Bangkok may be a massive urban center, but it turns out this city has a number of beautiful green spaces. Plus, a day out in a park makes a great respite from all the chaos.

Filed Under: Active and Healthy, Asia, Nature and Outdoors, Thailand Tagged With: Bangkok, Chatuchak, Lumphini, parks, Travel Styles

Getting Back Underwater: Scuba Diving in Koh Chang, Thailand

August 8, 2017 By Ryan Victor 6 Comments

Koh Chang may not be the top spot for diving in Thailand, but this huge island has a lot to offer. After visiting Koh Tao to do a PADI open water diving certification five years ago, Koh Chang was a great place to get back into scuba. It’s known for wreck diving, but the waters are also full of tropical fish and colorful coral accessible to divers of all levels.

When we arrived in Thailand, it’d been five years since the first (and only) time I went scuba diving. The island of Koh Chang turned out to be the perfect place to get back underwater and kick off our life of travel.

Filed Under: Active and Healthy, Asia, Nature and Outdoors, Scuba Diving, Thailand Tagged With: activities, Koh Chang, PADI, snorkeling, Travel Styles

A Motorcycle Adventure to Cambodia’s Bokor Hill Station

July 7, 2017 By Ryan Victor 12 Comments

Cambodia is ripe with opportunities for adventure travel, and Kampot is no exception. Just 20 miles away is the Bokor Hill Station, a now-abandoned hill station developed by French colonists in the 1920s. Today, it’s a renowned spot for urban exploration, and it makes a great day trip from Kampot. There are plenty of organized tours to Bokor, but you can also rent a motorcycle in town and ride up independently for more adventure. Either way, you’ll enjoy the refreshing cooler temperatures and stunning views of southern Cambodia.

Bokor Hill Staton in Cambodia had been on my radar as a top urban exploration site for a while before we visited. It’s full of interesting abandoned old buildings, including what used to be a luxurious French hotel, and it makes a great motorcycle trip from Kampot.

Filed Under: Asia, Cambodia, Educational and Experiential, Motorcycling, Nature and Outdoors, Road Trips Tagged With: activities, Bokor Hill, Kampot, Travel Styles, urban exploration

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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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