Q & A: Natalie Macneil on the rewards of a location independent career
Interview by Prime Sarmiento Natalie Macneil is the ideal solo female traveler. She has traveled on her own to over 60 countries and has managed to build a career that allowed her to work from just anywhere in the world. So is Natalie being paid to travel around the world? Well, no. What she...
The Gypsygals Caravan: “Green [Travel] is the New Black” Edition
Text by Prime Sarmiento Photo courtesy of iCSC Green Travel in Manila: This electric vehicle is the more eco-friendly way of roaming around Manila. The fortnightly roundup- aka The Gypsygals Caravan – -is back!!! And for me who considers environmental journalism — as a purpose-filled career path and ecotourism – a personal advocacy...
How to Travel Alone as a Woman: 10 Cheap & Chic Travel Tips
By Prime Sarmiento (Note: This is part two of my 6-part series on How To Travel Alone as a Woman. The first part discusses travel safety tips for solo female travelers) My recent survey revealed that one of the top concerns of female travelers is how to travel in style without...
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Text and photos by : Nina Sarmiento Today is March 17 – St Patrick's Day. What better way to celebrate this festival but to present a mini-slide show on how St. Patrick's day is being celebrated in Ireland. We hope that you'll love the photos and the lovely folksy tune "The Leprechaun (You're no...
How to Travel Alone as a Woman: Travel Safety Tips (Part 1 of a 6-part series)
By Prime Sarmiento I’m celebrating this year’s International Women’s Day by launching a monthly series on how to travel alone as a woman. I made this decision after my exhaustive research (months spent lurking in online forums, reading numerous blog posts and comments, conducting surveys and reading e-mails sent to me by...
Q & A: Solo Female Traveler Natalie Sisson on Living a Life of Fun & Adventure
Interview by Prime Sarmiento I have conducted these Q and As for the past few months and I have interviewed some of the most intelligent and beautiful (inside and out) female travelers around the world. But it is only now that I'm openly gushing for an interviewee. Natalie Sisson...
Human Powered Awesome: An environmental journalist with a sense of purpose*
By Prime Sarmiento (This blog post was written in support of Natalie Sisson’s Human Powered Awesome project**) Environmental journalism is a thankless job. In a country obsessed with politics, basketball and showbiz, reporting on “esoteric” topics like climate change, biodiversity or deforestation, is not the easiest way to persuade people to...
Love, Loss & Life: A Solo Female Traveler’s Journey Within
Book review: They Only Eat Their Husbands: A Memoir of Alaskan Love, World Travel, and the Power of Running Away by Cara Lopez Lee Published by Ghost Road Press Reviewer: Prime Sarmiento I'm not one to judge a book by its cover, but I do judge the book...
Memories are made of Tikoy: How We Celebrate Chinese New Year in Manila
By Prime Sarmiento (Note: I always wanted to write a travel memoir and this post, which was first published in this blog two years ago, is my way of experimenting with this literary genre. I reposted it – edited, tightened up some sentences, and accompanied the post with some photos. And like before, I...
Quickie: A Solo Female Travelers Weekend Guide to Baguio City
text by Prime Sarmiento photos by Prime and Nina Sarmiento There are so many reasons why you may want to get out of Manila to take that eight hour trip to Baguio. For one, it's probably the best way to escape Manila's heat, dust and grime. Located some 1,500 meters above sea level,...
Mum’s the Word: What this gypsygal learned while traveling with her parents
Text by Prime Sarmiento Photos by Prime and Nina Sarmiento Every year my lil sis and I used part of our savings to give our parents the gift of travel. We usually go somewhere around the Philippines and/or southeast Asia, "educating" them about the joys of experiencing new places. So last month, when...
Sawasdee ka from Chiang Mai: A Warm Welcome to SMILE readers
by Prime Sarmiento Sawasdee ka to the readers of SMILE – the inflight magazine of Cebu Pacific Air – where my story as a solo female traveler was published in its January issue. If you wish to know more on how you can craft your own journeys in 2012, get yourself a FREE...
A Solo Female Traveler’s Weekend Guide to Ho Chi Minh City
Text and photos by Prime Sarmiento I spent one weekend traveling to Ho Chi Minh city – which I believe is the perfect getaway place for this Asia-based solo female traveler. I love the mix of old and new, modernity and mysticism in this Southeast Asian city.I also love that there are lots...
Ecotourism for the city gal: traveling to Puerto Princesa,Palawan
text and photos by Prime Sarmiento I am a journalist who covers environmental issues as a personal advocacy (and to this end, remains an active member oif the Philippine Network of Environmental Journalists, Inc. (PNEJ) . In my own own way, I try to be an eco-conscious consumer. I bring reusable bags to shop, I...