Following Paraluman

Nowadays, cheap airfares and accessible travel is so prevalent, making moving abroad so much easier. Although, with the decision to become an expat or a digital nomad comes the question: how am I able to move abroad and/or is it actually possible?

Kat Smith is the founder of A Way Abroad, the ultimate resource for women dreaming of a life abroad, and having moved abroad 8 years ago, she is a self-proclaimed 'serial expat' who loves nothing more than moving to a new country, culture, and language. She currently lives on the beach in Da Nang, Vietnam, with her husband and pup. According to their website, A Way Abroad is "a community of hard-working travel addicted girls from around the world. We come from a plethora of backgrounds and a variety of interests but share a big passion for exploration and immersion into different cultures."

In this episode, we've talked about our very first long-term trips, how we knew that travelling was something constant in our lives, travelling as a married couple, the process of visa applications, and so much more! If you're someone who's been wanting to move abroad but don't know where to start, then start by listening to this episode!

Nowadays, hitchhiking has both a positive and a negative connotation attached to it. In the age of cheap and accessible travel, who in their right minds would want to go wandering off to hitchhike?

However, there is a certain kind of thrill and excitement that this mode of transportation has alongside it. No matter how many people say that they're against it, there are still travellers out there who are keen on doing this—Steffen Thomsen and myself included.

In this episode, join Steffen and me as we dive into the stories of our hitchhiking journey all around the world. I actually met Steffen Thomsen during a brief trip back to the Philippines in early 2019, and we've managed to become great friends since then. We mostly share our passion for travelling, learning about different cultures, and hitchhiking since this is something that we've done constantly on our trips abroad.

To keep up with Steffen's travels, you may follow him on social media via @steffenontheroad.

Today, it's practically impossible to go in and out of most countries due to the border restrictions that have been implemented due to COVID-19. It really is the wisest thing to do since we wouldn't want to spread more viruses, but for digital nomads worldwide, this seems like such a nightmare.

I've been a digital nomad for nearly five years now, and my life has revolved around flights, co-working spaces, and days filled with unexpected adventures. So it's been quite challenging to be experiencing the necessary restrictions that we've got to go through to stop the pandemic's spread. Although there may be some good things attached to this negativity—there must be, right?

On this episode, I'm joined by my great friend, Lukas Pekarcik, who's been a digital nomad for nearly seven years now! I met Lukas Pekarcik by some magical happenstance in the summer of 2017 in the most convoluted yet beautiful city in the world, New York City. We both have the same aspirations, the same work ethic, the same taste in many things, and as much as we love to work hard, we tend to play even harder. You will most probably see us every weekend going out and about in Manhattan (pre-covid, of course).

Lukas and I have worked really hard to maintain a digital nomad lifestyle, and so this whole staying-at-home shebang has been stressful. Although, as we always say, it is what it is. Listen to our thoughts on being a digital nomad at home by listening to my latest podcast episode!

Another fun fact: Lukas was my very first guest on this podcast, and if you really look, you can listen to our very first episode together heh.

Join us on this episode as we dive into the ups and the downs that this current lockdown has brought upon our digital nomad lives. Be a part of the conversation, and if you've got any questions, don't hesitate to send us both a message!

In today's world, what does it mean to be compassionate and to love one another without the fear of being judged?

In today's world, what does it mean to be good and do good without expecting anything in return?

In today's world, what does it mean to be a modern Christian woman?

These are some of the topics that Gabriela Yareliz of Modern Witnesses and I talked about throughout this podcast episode. Today is International Women's Day 2021, and we wanted to share with you all what we think it means to be a modern woman who has faith as strong as her visions and continually believes in Jesus.

I used to share a kitchen with my great friend, Bernardo Rojas de Luna. We used to volunteer in the same hostel in Ciudad de México, and we've shared so many great memories whilst we bonded over food. I can't wait to share with you this conversation we had in where we talked about food, cooking, and our fondest food-related memory while growing up in Mexico and the Philippines.

Most of us tend to forget that hanging out in hostel kitchens whilst conversing with people from all over the world is super important. Not only will you get to know more about food in that particular place, but you will also get to discover the different flavours that people from all over the world are used to.

In this conversation, we mainly talked about our favourite food from our country's cuisine, what we liked to eat growing up, and what we loved cooking whilst we were on the road. Needless to say, this is one of the most special episodes that I've ever recorded. I can't wait for you to get a taste of what Mexico and the Philippines are like.

For this episode, Bernardo Rojas de Luna joined me. Not only is he one of my coolest friends, but he's also a stop motion creator and music video editor. He's currently focused on sharing inspiration through creative ideas. If you want to know more about his works, you can find him on social media: @bernardo.rdl.

Hello, friends, and welcome to another episode of Following Paraluman Podcast Series!

As you all know, I'm still trying to create more amazing content for all of you, and this is just a glimpse at what my plans are for the coming year. As my friend, Nick, always said, "We're making big moves this year!" So for this episode, I'm giving you all a little peak at what I'll be doing this year in terms of blog, career, shop and travel plans. So make sure to stay tuned for all of these!

Hello, friends!

It's been a while since I did a conversation with a friend on this podcast series. Forgive me, this was the very first interview I did after breaking my hiatus so I was still finding my voice again after a long time of taking a break. You'll also have to forgive the random car noises in the background since I'm at my grandma's house and she lives right next to a highway. Aside from that, all is well...I think?

For this episode we were joined by my good friend, Acacia Mitchell. We basically talked about life, COVID-19, Christianity, mission trips, and Acacia's upcoming book of poetry. Acacia is a very talented writer and if you'd like to check out her work and even buy her new book, the details are as follow:

[BOOK TITLE: Waiting Spaces

The release date will be on the 31st of August 2020.

Acacia will also be giving away goodies to the first 50 people who will buy her book. All you'd have to do is buy her book (obviously) and send Acacia a screenshot of the receipt.