Note: Please see the more recent version of this post for the most up-to-date tips for traveling with your computer! Today, the internal hard drive on my MacBook Pro failed with less than 36 hours before my departure for Bangkok. As I sat in the SoHo apple store listening to the fate of my trusty little…

For those of you just joining us, I am recapping, in excruciating detail, my family and friends’ trip to visit me in Thailand over the holidays. It all started when I met my family in Bangkok, after which we hopped down to Koh Tao, met up with friends, and celebrated Christmas. The whole group island-hopped to…

I realized something on this visit home and it made me incredibly happy: I have managed to maintain my traveler’s mindset even though I’ve spent the past three weeks in New York state, the place I grew up in and know like the back of my hand. Which brings me to this travel quote that I…

This week I’m back in New York City visiting with friends, applying for another Thai visa, running errands, and awaiting my flight back to Bangkok on Wednesday. My biggest reason for being here, though, was to attend Beneath The Sea, the US’s biggest consumer dive show and also the venue for accepting my grant from the…

Here’s something I learned a long time ago: No one likes to hear you talk about your own weight. People who are larger than you will assume you are judging them for being even bigger than the fat cow you claim to be, and people who are skinnier than you will feel awkward and uncomfortable. That’s…