4 Easy Ways to Save Money for Travel
since I started to travel here and there, multiple comments and questions came up about how I managed to save money for travel. I was a student, and still am until this very day, so how did I manage to travel more than the average student would? My friends and family would implicitly and explicitly comment: How are you traveling all the time? Don’t you have school? So, you must be rich, huh? Isn’t it expensive? I envy you, you can travel all the time. Okay, let’s be realistic here. I don’t travel all the time. I am a student, that is my full-time job, and I have obligations to my…
A Few Hours at Houtong Cat Village, Taiwan
So, about a few weeks ago, I went through my old travel photos and discovered wonderful moments that I had experienced back in Taiwan. This post was once written a few years ago in my free blogger account, and I think it’s time to bring it back. Everyone, let me introduce you to Houtong Cat Village. A small village located between the mountains of Taiwan and is very well known for it’s cats. Yeap, cats. What in the world is Houtong Cat Village? Houtong was one of the most popular mining areas in Ruifang District, Taiwan, until the 1970s. This small town used to be one of Taiwan’s biggest coal-mining sites, but…
Musing on Mondays: Traveling Alone
“SHOOT.” That was the first word that popped in my head when I received a Facebook message from my friend a few days ago. Not so long before this, she and I met up at a cafe to discuss our travel plans to South America at the end of this year. However, due to personal reasons (which I totally understand and I do not blame her for anything), she says that she has to cancel. Just like that, the truth dawns on me: I’ll be traveling alone. First-ever solo travel As someone who has ventured to a few different countries, I must admit that traveling alone is not really my forte…
I Left My Heart at Oceanside Cafe 海岸咖啡
As someone who loves to drink coffee, it was obvious that I love spending ‘me’ time in cafes during my stay in Kaohsiung. I found a few that were quite suitable for me; they were quiet, the menu was good, Wi-Fi was available, and most importantly: the price suits my student budget. However, despite all that experience, my mind kept going back to Oceanside Cafe 海岸咖啡, a cafe that I had been eyeing since sophomore year. Finally after many delays and excuses, I took three of my juniors there on (literally) my last day in Kaohsiung. If I had any regrets about my period in Taiwan, it would be not going…
Why You Should Travel to India
“Why travel to India?” was the first question that my closest friends asked me when I told them about my plans for traveling India with Intrepid Travel. Traveling to India is really not on top of the list around my circle of friends; they usually prefer destinations like Thailand, Maldives, UK, Korea, Japan. I was always a bit different. When it comes to choosing my travel destination, I always think about the destinations that are exotic, different, and breathtaking, but not the usual choice of many. India, Morocco, and Turkey, for example. Although the later two might have to wait, I didn’t want to wait on India anymore. I knew…
Liebster Award for Her Coffee Diaries
Just after a few months launching, Her Coffee Diaries was nominated for a Liebster Award. But, hang on. What does that mean? The Liebster Award is an award meant to introduce new bloggers in the community. Each blogger who accepts nominations from a fellow blogger must then nominate 5-10 bloggers that have less than 1000 followers. They should write a post regarding the award, which includes: Thanking the previous blogger for nominating Answer questions the previous blogger asked Nominate 5-10 bloggers and ask them 10 questions A gigantic thanks to Ana from Travels of Plushy First off, I wanted to thank Ana from Travels of Plushy for nominating Her Coffee Diaries in her…
Read on the Road: Learning from Big Magic
Big Magic is magic, that is honestly what I said to myself when I read this book. I didn’t even have to finish it to say it. If you don’t know what it is, let me tell you: it’s a giant bubble of inspiration and motivation (at least that’s what it is in my head). In reality, Big Magic is a book written by Elizabeth Gilbert about creative living and how to embrace it. This is a great book to read while traveling or if you need a little boost to take a step out of your comfort zone. I don’t usually write posts about books in the past, but this one deserves some…
Trying Tomato & Jalapeño Wine at Sleepy Creek Vineyards
Sleepy Creek Vineyards was a name that I’ve never heard of until a few weeks ago when I went wine tasting with my family and a few friends. I’ve always wanted to go wine tasting, and my mother had the brilliant idea of taking me to a winery that was not far away from Champaign, Illinois. My first ever wine tasting experience; of course I had to write a post about that! The making of Sleepy Creek Vineyards Sleepy Creek Vineyards is one of wineries located in Illinois. The founders of Sleepy Creek Vineyards, Joe and Dawn Taylor, established this vineyard because both of them were ready for something new. They began working…
5 Impactful Ways to Live a More Sustainable Lifestyle
Dear readers, it’s Bethanny! So, since many of you enjoyed my article on sustainable travel, I have decided to expand this topic and hook you up with 5 more tips on how to live a more sustainable lifestyle. These tips are really simple and I am actually trying to implement them as much as possible as well. I don’t just want preach these tips, I also want practice it as well. How about making these changes together with me? Would you be interested to participate? If you are, continue reading and let’s hop on this journey together! 1. Getting Married? Having a party? Switch to Paperless Post! Have you ever thought…
How to Take Your Own Photos without Instagram (Boy)Friends
Dear readers, it’s Bethanny. Sorry for disappearing. Between finishing graduate school and everything else in life, posting regularly on this blog wasn’t quite easy. However, I’m going back into it —hopefully for real this time—and in this post, I want to share a tip on how to take your own photos especially if you’re aspiring to enhance your photography skills and Instagram profile (follow me and lets connect!). I really like to take pictures as a creative hobby and I post most of my shots on Instagram. However, getting the perfect picture requires a lot of effort and sometimes more than 100 shots. After awhile, asking your friends and your…
