Travel Newsletter: 23 December 2022
Where I’m At: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Travel reads: Travel meditations, Thai islands, Europe rail travel, and more.
Happy holidays from Ho Ho Ho Chi Minh City! I was going to spend the holiday period on a beach in the Philippines, then when I started looking at flights I realised that half of the country would be doing the same thing. Sort of like planning to travel during the Lunar New Year in countries that observe that holiday period.
I’ll be here for all the holidays (Christmas, New Year, Tet) and the newsletter will be business as usual next week. Blogging at Nomadic Notes will resume in 2023, and as usual here are the best travel reads I found this week.
[Saxophone Santas in Ho Chi Minh City.]
Travel reads
• Travel meditations from a stuck-at-home vagabond
“Rolf Potts, the author who inspired wanderlust in many, has mastered the art of ‘engaged travel,’ which makes you see home with fresh eyes.”
• How Atlantic City inspired the Monopoly board
• Intro to the Thai Island Directory
I have featured Thai Island Times here before, which has now been rebranded as
. David Luekens has been covering Thai islands for years, and this quest includes “all areas of all Thai islands where people can legally set foot”.When I was island-hopping around Thailand earlier this year I casually mentioned that I am on a mission to stay at every habitable island in Thailand. It’s not really a quest, but more of a system to make sure I visit a new island instead of just revisiting Koh Lanta. I will be happy enough to watch someone as they attempt this quest properly.
Further reading: Is this your dream quest? An interview on
.• Travel has changed forever I - risk and reward
Thoughts on the new era of travel, by Mark at Rusty Compass.
• The ten best books about travel of 2022
• This new trail reveals the wonders of Armenia—a country at the crossroads of the world
Digital nomad travel 🌴
• Azorean government creating “DNA Azores” program to attract digital nomads
• Goa looks to cash in on remote job economy, attract digital nomads
• Welcome to Digital Nomadland
“A Portuguese island created a village for remote workers, promising community to the newcomers and prosperity to the locals—then delivered on neither.”
Train travel 🚆
• The monthly Europe Rail News went out this week. The newsletter features travel articles, ticket deals, and news stories about the railways of Europe. One of this month’s feature articles is Ukraine’s 15,000-mile lifeline.
Read more articles at Europe Rail News: 22 December 2022
• To Bhutan by rail: India seeks to boost border ties, counter China’s LAC plans
“The move to connect Kokrajhar in Assam with Gelephu in Bhutan by rail is part of the initiative to expand railway links between India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal”.
• How the Transcontinental railroad forever changed the US
• Take a sneak peek at Amtrak’s newest trains
The Nomadic Notes Travel Newsletter is a weekly newsletter of the best travel reads and interesting travel news from around the web, and random ramblings by the editor.
- James Clark
Hi James, I'm just finding - and enjoying - your newsletter, thank you. The Bhutan - India rail link looks interesting given what a challenge it is to get into Bhutan via the only air link to Thimphu, via Paro airport. Although Kokrajhar, wherever that is in Assam, isn't exactly top of mind as a place to start a journey. Or even somewhere I've heard of.
That's interesting though. Thanks for the information.