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My name is Kien and I’m an international photographer and filmmaker. Over the last 10 years, I’ve traveled to 70+ countries to find the most wonderful things to check off my bucket list. I hope to share that experience and what I’ve learned to help you do the same.
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Let's Be Adventurers
Switzerland Bucket List: Hiking Seealpsee And Ascher Restaurant In Wasserauen
A couple of months ago, I snuck away to the town of St. Gallen in Switzerland to do some editing. Despite the Swiss Alps just a short train ride away, I managed to stick to my plan to sit still to edit.
The World’s Best Luxury Train Trips: Portugal’s The Presidential Train
Like the famous Orient Express, Portugal’s own The Presidential Train is a perennial member on the exclusive list of the world’s most luxurious train trips.
Bucket List: Surviving Bolivia’s “Death Road”
It’s one of the top things to do when you’re in La Paz, Bolivia and for good reason. If you’re looking for the adrenaline rush that comes with mountain biking down something called the “Death Road”, you won’t be disappointed.
Bear Grylls Survival Challenge Review: That Time Bear Grylls Gave Me A Condom
“Sh*t!” Instinctively, I look down at my watch to check for my heart rate. It’s pumping at 164 BPM. This is a bad idea.
Bucket List: Visiting The Tranquility Of Essaouira By The Sea
I’ve found that one of the best ways to appreciate the significance of any place is to attach it to a story.
Bucket List: Hot Air Balloon Over Inle Lake In Myanmar
From my personal journal. “Remember this moment, I tell myself. I close my eyes for a few seconds and try to etch the view into my memory.
Bucket List: Eating Fresh Mutton In Morocco
Usually when a bus takes a break stop, it’s either at some awful restaurant that pays it a commission or a cheap cafe serving sodas, chips, and maybe a sandwich.
Road To The Death Race: 12 Hour Hurricane Heat
This is part I in a multi-part series about my journey to the 2015 Peak Races Summer Death Race, an extreme multi-day endurance event that’s designed to push racers beyond their limits and break all but the strongest.
Travel Thoughts & Tips
Review: Norse Atlantic Inaugural Flight Non-Stop Los Angeles to Berlin LAX – BER Boeing 787-9
August 18, 2022, I took off on Norse Atlantic Airways‘ inaugural non-stop route from Los Angeles to Berlin. 10.5 hours later, I was picking up my bag and heading to see my sister and nephew –
How To Take Better Travel Photos: Exposure
This is the first in my series of write-ups on “How To Take Better Travel Photos”. In this series, I’ll do my best to cut through all the jargons and break down the different elements that make up a good photograph.
I Did It…I Went On The Sound Of Music Tour In Salzburg
10 years ago on my first visit to Salzburg, I saw a lot of advertisements for something called the Original Sound of Music Tour.
My Travel Photography Gear For 2024
At the end of 2020, I’ve made a complete switch to Fuji’s X-System to cut down size and weight on my travels.
Lighting Food Photography With Fujifilm X-T4
One of the questions I get from time to time is whether I shoot with a flash or prefer natural lighting.
AzulPitaya: Reviewing Sayulita’s Newest Beachfront Boutique Hotel
AzulPitaya is Sayulita’s newest beachfront hotel. It’s located right in the heart on town on Avenida Palmar and each of the 60 rooms in the hotel comes with a massive king size bed and a balcony overlooking Sayulita’s largest pool.
Is It Safe To Travel Abroad Alone As A Girl From A Guy’s Perspective
You’re hitchhiking and need to get to Tajikistan from somewhere in the middle of Kyrgyzstan. No car has stopped in the last 3 hours.
Things To Do In Puerto Vallarta: Making My Own Chocolate at Cacao Magico
Mexico’s one of the places that has been mostly opened during the pandemic and as a result Puerto Vallarta has become a very popular destination –
Why Quitting My Six Figure Job Was Easier Than Choosing An Ice Cream Flavor
Growing up, my family didn’t have much money, so we never took any holidays. What I knew of places like Paris, Cairo, New York, or Venice, I learned from hopping from one casino to the next whenever we drove from Los Angeles to Las Vegas.
How To Actually Travel Well for $50 A Day
There are plenty of guides out there that teaches you how to travel on the cheap. You’ve seen it. Travel for under $50 a day.
The Only 3 Real Ways To Find Cheap Flights
There are so many articles on ways to find cheap flights that it is a task in itself to sort through and figure out what works and what’s just written as filler so they can add another 3, 5 or 38 ways onto a list.
Iceland Bucket List: Dry Suit Snorkeling Silfra In The Winter
It was a little hard to wrap my head around it at first, but in the middle of Iceland is a fissure filled with some of the clearest water in the world.
Is Your Phone Camera Good Enough For Travel Photography in 2022?
Sensor image quality has advanced so much over the last few years that phone manufacturers are boasting photographs that rival those from larger mirrorless and DSLR cameras.
Couchsurfing Horror Stories And 7 Tips To Avoid Them
This is not a click-bait article. I have plenty of reasons why you SHOULD couchsurf, but these are my legitimate thoughts and some reasons why you SHOULDN’T couchsurf.
Hotel Marmolada: Review Of Corvara’s Best Hotel
Where do I begin? The Hotel Marmolada, summed up, feels like staying with a family friend, if your friend was a millionaire and had a beautiful cabin in the mountains with one of the nicest pools and spa in the Dolomites.
All The Times Things Fell Through And I Never Told Anyone
I’ve had some amazing experiences and projects that have taken me to some grand and odd corners of the world. Quite a few things happened by luck, like my private audience with the Dalai lama, or having my first travel video go viral.
New Zealand Bucket List: What I Learned Ice Climbing Fox Glacier
Prior to my arrival into New Zealand from Australia, I knew three things about New Zealand: 1. They have a lot of sheep.
Bucket List: Shooting An AK-47 Kalashnikov in Bratislava
The last time I came to Bratislava, I tied up my hair in a top knot and painted my face to look like a kabuki samurai.
Ultimate Guide To Sayulita: Mexico’s Hidden Gem Surf Town
Sayulita is one of my favorite places in the world. While I have quite a list of favorite places, I find myself returning to Sayulita more often than I’d expect –
Switzerland Bucket List: Hiking Seealpsee And Ascher Restaurant In Wasserauen
A couple of months ago, I snuck away to the town of St. Gallen in Switzerland to do some editing. Despite the Swiss Alps just a short train ride away, I managed to stick to my plan to sit still to edit.