Bibin Joseph - Digital Nomad

January 30, 2019January 30, 2019

Forever Home – I Don’t Have One.

Festanation – Party Squad – Captured By Damjan Pjević

Home, it is really an interesting choice of word to describe a place where one is settled and comfortable. Home can be a physical structure, a city/country or simply a concept of being comfortable around certain people. For me, it is definitely the latter.

Where Is Home?

As a traveler, you are always on the move, so the physical aspect of home is non existent. However, when people ask me where is “home,” I automatically point to Canada and the northern city in Alberta – Edmonton. But for me home is a place where you are among loved ones. Edmonton is home to me simply because of that. My family, my friends, the culture and people I grew up around, they are all in Edmonton. So naturally, home is, and always will be, Edmonton

However, that is not completely true either. I was born in Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates to Indian parents, and I spent the first 10 years of my life in this beautiful country. Although I never got Emirati citizenship, I have always considered UAE to be my (second) home because of the people I grew up around and the some of the Arabic culture instilled on me. Imagine the culture shock I had to go through being born to Indian parents in an Arab country and growing up in one of the most diverse countries in the world, Canada. I mean if this doesn’t prove that I am meant to be always on the road as a “Global” citizen, I don’t know what will :).

Mi Familia – Nikhil & Babitha’s Wedding – Captured By Robin

New Home, Well, Homes….

With increased travels, however, home is starting to change. By all means, I love my people in Edmonton but as more and more people come into my life from all around the world, I don’t feel lonely being away from Edmonton. In fact, I have been blessed to travel to some of the countries these amazing travelers are from, and through their kindness, stay with them and their family and explore their beautiful cities and country.

Sunset – Switzerland – Captured By April Bright/Jess Alchin

Can I Stay Here A Little Longer?

I am starting to feel cozy in all the cities I have been to, despite the language and cultural barriers. I have started making notes of the cities I would love to live (even if it is for a short time), simply because I feel like I am at home. Once I decided to leave the comforts of Edmonton and Canada, my entire perspective on the world changed. Being blessed enough to live in a country like Canada, I was sheltered from everything the world has to offer – both the negatives and the positives. But when I left the country, after the initial culture shock(s), everything seems normal. Language doesn’t matter, race doesn’t matter, religion doesn’t matter; just a bunch of like-minded individuals trying to connect with each other while trying to explore the best of this world.

Hey Google, This Doesn’t Look Like Edmonton

Through out my journey, many strangers have welcomed me into their homes. Some I met during travels, and some I met once I arrived at their home. I have had nothing but positive and pleasant experiences. Strangers who turned into family and friends. Strangers who go above and beyond to make me “feel at home,” and show me their beautiful city. In fact, as I write this small piece, I am writing from a friend’s home in Australia, whom I met about five months ago in Germany. Think about how crazy that is! Canadian meets an Australian in Germany and end up in Austrailia. Next, I am heading to a different city in Austrailia to meet up and stay with another friend I met at the same event.

Perth, Australia – Captured By Dan Willis

I encourage everyone to travel and truly embrace the global community. It is absolutely a wonderful experience!

Catch you soon!

Jasper, Alberta – Captured By Manik Bahl/Bibin Joseph

January 24, 2019January 24, 2019

The Nusa Islands – Lembongan, Ceningan & Penida

My trip to Bali has come to an end. Leaving with mixed emotions about the province and a vow to maybe return one day, I am going to talk about the Nusa islands – my favourite part of the trip.

Nusa Lembongan

Catching an early morning boat from Sanur, I set out my journey to the Lembongan island. After a 30-minute fast boat service and another 15-minute drive to my hostel, I quickly rented a scooter to get around the island. Coming to Lembongan, my top priority was to visit Devil’s tears, however, I did plan to check out the other attractions as well starting with the dream beach. The beach was quite dreamy with it’s beautiful blue waters and white sands. From there, I just drove around the island with headphones in, listening to some music and Google’s soothing voice with directions. After a quick visit to the crowded Mushroom beach, I headed straight to the yellow bridge to get to the Ceningan island. I came back to Lembongan by sunset to head to Devil’s Tears for a breathtaking view. I was just in awe with beauty of the sunset.

Nusa Ceningan

A quick cross on the yellow bridge via walking or scooter, you will get to the Nusa Ceningan island. I covered the entire island on a scooter in a matter of 45 minutes, driving on questionable roads. Although I was laughed at by some old ladies with my struggle riding a scooter (especially going uphill), it was still a beautifully painful experience – the struggle was real! Ceningan island was absolutely gorgeous. With its luscious greenery and beautiful blue waters, the island had so much colour. Head over to Blue Lagoon and you can sit and stare at those waters for hours. I was tempted to do a cliff jump but decided to take a raincheck.

The following day, I drove around the Lembongan island to cover Mangroove point and the Jungutbattu Beach before catching a small boat to Nusa Penida.

Nusa Penida

A much bigger island compared to the other two, you will need a fair set of time here to completely cover the island. I only had one goal coming to the Nusa Penida island – Kelingking Beach. The day I arrived, it was pouring, so I had the amazing experiencing riding in the rain with a terrible poncho, drenched backpacks and zero vision – how I am still safe is beyond me (mama don’t read this! :D). Nonetheless, the next day was absolutely beautiful, so, I set out on a journey with an Austrian army vet to explore the island. We visited Kelingking Beach, Angels Billabong, and the Broken Beach.

Kelingking Beach was absolutely breathtaking. Although getting down there was quite the struggle, once you get down the steep hill, the beach will treat you to some magical blue waters with strong tides, Instagram worthy shots, and white sands. The main attraction of the beach, however, doesn’t require you to go down to the beach. It is the T-rex shaped mountain you can admire from the top. Angel’s Billabong wasn’t as exciting as I thought it would be, but the Broken Beach was quite the eye candy. Well, more so an unusual look that makes you really appreciate the experience.

Quick Tips:

Renting a scooter makes your life a lot easier, as you will be able to weave through the narrow roads and heavy traffic. Mind you the roads (especially in Ceningan and Penida) were not the best and you will have some trouble driving. The scooters are between 50K to 70K IDR depending on where you get them and your negotiation skills
Change your money in the mainland as the exchange rate is horrible on the island.

To Consider:

Lembongan Hostel (Lembongan)– This was a charming place to stay. Nice comfy beds, kind staff, beautiful pool, and scooter rental service.
The Packer Box Hostel (Penida)– This hostel was a hidden gem, as literally only two people (including me) stayed there. The staff were kind, the breakfast was delicious and you get a towel and slippers!
Scoot Fast Cruises – I used this company to get to the islands from the mainland. Although I think the ferry prices were quite expensive, they were among one of the cheapest with the best reviews and pick up services. I paid $40 USD for return.

To simply put these islands were absolutely gorgeous and you can really just sit back and enjoy. The locals in these islands were much more pleasant to deal with than the mainland as well, which added to the experience. Just a heads up, talking to other tourists, I learned that there are some awesome snorkeling and scuba diving services as well. I didn’t do them, well simply because I want to stretch my backpacker’s budget.

Feel free to reach out to me if you have questions about the island. Happy traveling!

Cheers 🙂

January 16, 2019January 17, 2019

Why Not Now? There Is No Right Time To Travel!

Nothing Better Than A Quick Splash – Switzerland

It’s easier than you think. Okay, maybe not that easy, but it really isn’t that hard. Instead of me going back and forth, contradicting myself, let me go ahead and explain why it is not that difficult to travel and why you should do it now!

First, let’s think about the most common excuses or rather, excuse; responsibility. “I have family, pets, debt, school, career etc.” I can assure you all these responsibilities are also part of every single traveler. For me, it’s the student loans that are putting a curve on my travel budget. I resigned from my perfectly amazing job to pursue travel (at least for a little bit). Does that mean I have put an ax on my career? I sure hope not. As a digital advertiser, the freelancing world is pretty kind to me. I have yet to launch my official freelancing career, however, I am spending this time learning. Learning about different cultures, how different countries advertise and how I can be beneficial to them. Some basic marketing research before I fully commit to freelancing. I am also in the process of writing a novel as well as relaunching my blog. So if any of you guys are looking for a digital advertiser or a marketing consultant, look no further, this handsome digital nomad will be at your service ;).

Sunrise – Sahara Desert – Merzouga, Morocco

Okay, I went off topic. But what I am trying to say is that there is always an opportunity for you to travel and still earn some money (or save). Freelancing is one of them. Look into working holiday programs. Working holiday visas are designed for individuals under 30 years old to visit a certain country for a small duration of time, allowing them to work in that particular country. Many countries offer citizens of certain nations a one-year visa, where you can move to a different country and work while doing some traveling. Depending on where you are from, the cost can be as low as free or as high as about $400. Still, I think it is worth it to get out there and experience something new. You may not be making your career earnings nor will you get a career job, but it still gives you an international experience while being able to travel and meet amazing people without denting your savings. Another option is to use online tools such as workaway to find volunteering opportunities within the countries you want to visit. Most of the workaway volunteering programs provide you with at least accommodation and some provide food as well. A great opportunity to travel, learn, meet people and positively contribute to a country without using up your savings.

Crew Love – Europe Road Trip 2018 – Arona, Italy

I understand that individuals with commitments such as kids, mortgages, car payments and others, it is a lot more difficult to travel. For those individuals, the only thing I can say is… DON’T HAVE KIDS! Jokes aside, it is still possible to travel. You may not be able to be travel for a long time (or maybe you could, a lot of travel families out there for inspirations) but you can still strive to make small trips around the world or within your own province/state and country. As for mortgages and car payments, start investing in passive incomes (Airbnb can be one) to support while you travel or invest some time in freelancing, or consider selling your house and car (more travel money) and/or move to a cheaper unit. As for pets, you can easily find pet-sitters who would happily watch your cuddle buddies for a couple of weeks or get that little doggy a passport and let it join you on your adventures.

All Smiles Here – Prague, Czech Republic

When it’s all said and done, it is really your mindset of willing to give up certain luxuries. By all means treat yourself every now and then (at home and during travel), but giving up as little as your daily latte can stretch your budget. When you truly start living for the experiences, I promise it will be very fulfilling. You will start forgetting about a lot of your materialistic desires. The people you meet, the knowledge you acquire and the beautiful landscapes you see are all worth it. As for why now? It is just simple as there is no perfect time. There is also no set age for traveling, whenever you are ready, just do it! Don’t listen to the naysayers and ‘just’ the rational thinkers. Listening to your heart can go a long way! Even if you don’t do the long backpackers journey, make it a goal to visit one new country or a new city within your country every year; start small if you have to, but definitely go somewhere.

Cheers and hope to see you soon!