Welcome

Hi, I’m Justine

I’m Justine, a 40-something freelance writer and California native who set out to travel around Southeast Asia in 2013 and never turned back. Since then I’ve lived and worked in Jakarta, Phnom Penh, Beijing, and Ho Chi Minh City. I now live in Dubai, where I’ve been since 2022! (I also run an expat and travel blog all about Dubai called Dubai Dreaming!)

Seriously, this wasn’t the plan. But I suppose for those who know me, it’s not all that surprising. On this site, you’ll find helpful travel guides, many of which focus on Southeast Asia, as well as more personal posts about what my expat life is really like. I have a thing for eating and photographing all the vegetarian food when I travel, too. So if you’re a fellow veggie traveler, I have plenty of guides to help you out!

Fun Facts About Me

I’d rather be

somewhere new

next destination

bangkok

grateful for

my family

Favorite place

bali

my weekends

exploring dubai

best snuggle buddies

my foster kitties

Southeast Asia Travel

No posts

this expat life series

No posts

Where this all began

Travel Lush was dreamed up on a small island in Indonesia, where I hit publish on my first-ever blog post in 2014. This blog has captured my adventure of sleeping in countless hotel rooms, traveling to 30+ countries (many over and over again), living in five new cities, and so much more!

My latest expat journey has brought me to Dubai, UAE. But I think my heart will always be in Southeast Asia. From island hopping in the Philippines to motorbiking around Bali, I can’t seem to get enough and I return for more adventures every chance I get. I plan to continue writing about all of my adventures right here, no matter where this journey leads me to next!