Tag Archive for ‘Travel’
Snorkeling, Rum, and Island Hopping: Five Days in Coron, Busuanga Island, Philippines
To escape the suffocating traffic and staccato of firecrackers that besiege Taiwan every Chinese New Year, several friends and I booked tickets on a budget carrier, Spirit of Manila, to the city of Coron on Busuanga Island in the Philippines for five days of snorkeling, island hopping, and rum drinking. The tickets were very cheap, [...]
A Proposition
I was contacted today by Lidia Nyiri, a PR Consultant for TravelGrove.com. She asked me if I would write a blog post reviewing her company which, “helps users find cheap offers on airfares, hotel and car rentals, cruise deals and vacation packages”.
She said the review didn’t have to be nice. It could be anything really. [...]
The Best Budget Trip for Chinese New Year
This year Chinese New Year vacation is expected to be from February 13th to 21st. It’s already a bit late to buy tickets, and many flights are already sold out, but there are still some good deals to be had.
Since Thailand and the Philippines are both relatively cheap countries with postcard beaches and vibrant cultures, [...]
Living Under the Volcano
Well, I finally arrived in Guatemala. When I say finally I mean that I arrived after:
- A twelve hour bus ride from Cranbrook to the Calgary airport (don’t even ask why it took so long).
- Two hours of sleep.
- Two hours detained by a mongoloid U.S. customs officer for no reason. The guy said he [...]
Why I Travel
A short humorous essay by Matt Gibson about the nature of travel, independence, freedom, travel scams and chicken busses.
Up the Nose Without a Guide
Originally published in XelaWho March, 2009
The Mayan Nose, a peak that resembles the profile of a person reclining, looms over Lake Atitlan. When you’re in San Pedro the Nose is a more attractive peak than the volcano because, whereas the volcano always lurks behind you, this nasal peak stares you in the face, challenging you [...]
Change
Xpat Magazine September, 2007
I pen this letter from a remote stretch of shore on Kootenay Lake, an enormous, unmolested body of water hundreds of kilometers long, slung in a deep valley in British Columbia’s Rocky Mountains. As a child I spent countless summers running barefoot through these cedar forests. Today is the first time [...]
Borne of Disaster
Published under the pseudonym Salvatore Paradisio
Xpat Magazine December, 2005
Ever since I arrived on this cursed island 14 months ago disaster has rained down on me like a subtropical thundershower. Xpat Magazine was borne of this disaster. But I will have to explain that a little later. As with all stories, I must start from [...]
I'm a travel writer and photographer currently based in Tainan, Taiwan where I founded and edited Xpat Magazine, one of Taiwan's largest and longest-running expatriate periodicals. My writing and photography has been published in various print and online publications including Taiwan Today, the Taiwan Fun Magazine Group, and TransitionsAbroad.com. I speak English, Spanish and Mandarin Chinese (to varying degrees) and am available for assignment. I can be reached through the form on the contact page of this website, or at xpatmatt (at) gmail.com.
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