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The first time I rode a motorbike I was terrified. I was vacationing in Hawaii when my family peer pressured me into renting a scooter. Though my family views me as both a laid-back hippie and an adventurous traveler, I am actually a pretty anxious person. So I was petrified as I swerved my scooter onto the highway and…
As a part-time digital nomad, Canggu has been my home away from home many times over the years. And while I come here for the beautiful beaches and chilled-out atmosphere, I always love eating my way through the best restaurants in Canggu – there are always so many new ones popping up! If you’re wondering…
After spending so much time visiting and even living in Phnom Penh, I’ll always be obsessed with the city’s seriously impressive food scene. Not a lot of travelers realize this but Cambodia’s capital is a foodie’s paradise, even for vegetarians! Trust me, there is honestly no shortage of cheap and delicious vegetarian food in Phnom Penh. And the…
I have a thing for quirky travel destinations so when I found out about the creepy Hue abandoned water park, I just had to go. The water park opened in 2004 and was operational for a few years before mysteriously shutting down, despite the fact that it cost millions to develop. It’s sat dormant ever…
Before I moved to Jakarta, I was really worried that being a vegetarian in Indonesia was going to be really frustrating. I had already spent two months traveling the length of Java and Bali, subsisting on a steady diet of nasi goreng (Indonesian fried rice), which got really old, really fast. When it came to finding vegetarian…
I love Kuta Lombok. I didn’t think I would but that beautiful little corner of the world totally managed to steal my heart. I’d always heard mixed reviews about Kuta — not to be mistaken for Kuta Bali — which is why I always balked at the idea of going there. But booking tickets to Lombok…
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…
Celebrating 10 years of living and traveling abroad and I wouldn’t have it any other way. On this site, you’ll find helpful travel guides, many of which focus on Southeast Asia, as well as posts about what it’s really like living abroad. I have a thing for eating and photographing all the vegetarian food when…
Travel tips Pudding jelly beans macaroon marshmallow chocolate cake. Caramels brownie chupa chups chocolate powder donut. Chupa chups jelly-o gingerbread fruitcake cotton candy tart bonbon croissant bear claw. Biscuit chocolate cake dessert tart donut jelly-o. Behind the Adventures Hi, I’m Rosemary Cupcake topping chocolate cake bear claw carrot cake muffin brownie lemon drops liquorice. Biscuit…
Wow, it has been a long while since I’ve written anything on this blog, and a lot has changed since I last hit the publish button in September 2020. For starters, I’m not living in Vietnam anymore… I actually up and moved to Dubai two weeks ago! So how did this serial Southeast Asia-based expat…
Yes, I traveled during a global pandemic. No, I’m not encouraging travel. But I will say for some of us out there, travel is actually kinda safe. Not 100% safe, but safe(ish). Or so I thought when I chose to travel in Vietnam in mid-July. When I made the decision to take a mini-beach vacation…
After moving abroad in July 2014, I started compiling monthly roundup posts about life as an expat in Southeast Asia and all the nitty-gritty that goes on behind the scenes here at Travel Lush. Check out my most recent monthly roundup posts: December, January and February. I think it’s safe to say that March was a pretty rough…