About Me

I’m Justine, a 30-something freelance writer and California native who set out to travel aroundΒ Southeast Asia in 2013 and basically never left. Since then I’ve lived and worked in Jakarta,Β Indonesia, Phnom Penh,Β Cambodia,Β Beijing, China, and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. I now live in Dubai!

Seriously, this wasn’t the plan. But I suppose for those who know me, it’s not all that surprising. But just in case you want to know a little bit more about my story…here it goes:

Ambling through some Balinese rice terraces.

In August 2013, my partner Aaron and I made the decision to travel the world, indefinitely.Β  So we moved out of our house, sold most of our possessions, and bought two one-way tickets to Bangkok.Β  We spent seven amazing months traipsing around Southeast Asia. Β We motorbiked around Thailand, floated down the Mekong in Laos, sipped fresh bia hoiΒ (beer) in Vietnam, went island hopping in the Philippines, gorged ourselves on street food in Malaysia, andΒ chilled out on perfect beaches in Indonesia.Β  It was bliss.

After spending so much time traveling through Southeast Asia, we both came to the conclusion that it was time for a change.Β  We agreed that we weren’t quite ready to throw in the towel; we didn’t want to stop traveling and return to β€œreal life.”  We were still itching to explore the world while we still had time and (a little bit of) money left.

In June 2014 we decided to begin phase two of our travel journey in Colombia.Β  South America had managed to elude us for far too long and I was thrilled to finally be able to explore it.Β  After spending six weeks falling head-over-heels in love with Colombia, Aaron received a job offer to teach at a university in Jakarta, Indonesia.Β  It was a sudden, but very welcome, change of events.

And that was the start of this expat journey of ours. After a year in Jakarta, we’ve since called Phnom Penh, Beijing and Ho Chi Minh City home.

street art phnom penh
Wandering around the streets of Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

This blog is all about my life as a perpetual traveler and serial expat. I have a regular series called β€˜This Expat Life,’ where I dish about what it’s really like to live and work in Asia. I also travel a lot – mainly in Southeast Asia – so this blog is where I compile all of my travel stories, highlight my favorite destinations, and compose super practical blog posts that (hopefully) help others make the most out of their travels.

suluban-beach-bali
I heart Bali!

I basically love traveling and love talking about all things travel, so this blog is my outlet! And I genuinely enjoy giving advice on travel and expat life.

Forbidden City
Freezing but happy in Beijing, China.

I’m also a vegetarian, so I write a lot about food and traveling as a vegetarian, and I’ve been known to compose many a post filled with food photos and musings. I mean, eating is one of the best things to do in Southeast Asia, even if you are a vegetarian!

vegetarian food in phnom penh
I’m a vegetarian and I love mock meat. I seem to write about this a lot!

If you’re new to this site, here are a few posts to help you get started:

Living Abroad

Southeast Asia Travel

Vegetarian Travel in Southeast Asia

I’m alsoΒ on Instagram, TwitterΒ andΒ Facebook. To keep up with my latest posts feel free to follow me onΒ bloglovin’. I promise you won’t regret it.

And, of course, you can always feel free to contact meΒ at thetravellush@gmail.com. Β Seriously ask me anything. I swearΒ I’m super friendly!

Thanks for coming on this wild ride with me!

Justine

21 thoughts on “About Me

      1. Yes, Im sure you will make wonderful memories there! I hope you get there soon…when the World Cup is over the flight tickets will probably be cheaper! You can’t miss the Galapagos Island in Equator either πŸ™‚

    1. Thank you!! I love your blog because it offers three unique perspectives on travel. And I’m so flattered that you guys thought of me πŸ™‚

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