Welcome to The Yakpacker! I created this site to share travel tips, photos, and stories — and to solicit travel advice from others! It’s not meant to be an exhaustive travel guide on every destination listed, but just to highlight a few top recommendations on places to see (or avoid) while travelling abroad, based on my experiences. I hope it will also help inspire travel to some lesser-known destinations! I’ll keep updating the “Countries” tab as my schedule allows, while also posting shorter, more frequent hits on recent travels.
Please subscribe and leave feedback in the comments section! As everyone has their favorite spots and destinations are always changing, I appreciate comments and updates from fellow travelers.
For food lovers — be sure to check out www.laviehline.net for recipes and video tutorials on cooking delicious cuisine inspired by our travels!
Belgium Tour – ongoing until 2021!
I’m currently posted to Brussels, Belgium and will live here until 2021. As a result, many short get-away posts will be in this part of Europe. Stay tuned for hidden gems and recommendations!
We recently took a trip to northern Italy and had a blast! This has prompted me to work on the rest of the Italy section of this page– which will be coming soon. In the meantime, check out the Northern Italy post here.
About Me
The last thing the world needs is another person blogging about their travels, so here is one more!
At last count, I’ve visited 114 countries and too many cities to log. Apart from posting a few random photos here and there, I never gave much thought to blogging about my travels until recently. It seems like a great way to document each trip and share insights with others. I promise not to post any beach-feet selfies or business class lounge photos.
Latest Posts
From exotic adventures to well-worn touristy spots — I’ll go anywhere that looks interesting! Check back often for updates — or just subscribe.
Jordan
Jordan is one of the most scenic, welcoming, and tourist-friendly countries I’ve visited — truly a highlight of the Middle East! It boasts ancient ruins, delicious food, rich sweets, and stunning landscapes — not to mention the Dead Sea. Anyone thinking of visiting the Middle East should put Jordan high on their list! I usually…
Japan
Japan is fascinating, culturally-rich country, and it has some of the best food I’ve ever eaten! Immediately upon arrival, I was struck by how clean, organized, and functional thing was. Even though I had a bit of a language barrier as I don’t speak Japanese — I rarely had trouble getting around, as everyone I…
Israel
Israel is one of the most fascinating countries I’ve visited — with perhaps the highest density of historically significant sites per square meter. From my brief period living in Israel (in the summer of 2008), I was consistently amazed by how diverse it was. Each region has its own character and charm; a short drive…
Ireland
(36 Hours in Dublin) A few years ago, I spent the better part of a weekend in Dublin en route to the United States. Many of my friends had always raved about Dublin — and they were right — it lived up to my expectations! While I only got a quick flavor of this city,…
Iraq
It’s not the best time to visit Iraq, but I would be remiss to avoid posting on one of the most dynamic, diverse, and fascinating countries I’ve ever lived in. Iraq is a remarkable destination — and I very much hope it will be accessible to visitors in the future. As I was here in…
Indonesia
This post is basically a placeholder — as I only had the chance to visit Batam Island, a short boat ride from Singapore. While it was a fun daytrip — I still need to get to Indonesia and explore everything it has to offer! Batam A few years back I was in Singapore and decided…
The Yakpacker 