A Pediatrician Travels the World

Another fabulous year of traveling in the bag. I went to seven countries and six US cities. I started the new year in Phu Quoc, Vietnam and went to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In the spring, I went to  Rovaniemi,  Finland to see Northern Lights with stops in London and Amsterdam. And to close out the year, I went to Brisbane, Australia and Auckland, New Zealand. 

I went to Sydney a decade ago, really liked it and always wanted to go back to Australia. This time we decided to check out Brisbane which is the capital of QUeensland and the third largest city in Australia. It was a lovely trip! The city is BEAUTIFUL. The people are so friendly. The food was amazing. I cannot say enough good things about this city. Look at these pictures and you will be convinced too. 

Life has been so stressful recently. I decided it was time to destress. I went with a couple of friends to Santa Fe with the goal of relaxation. We stayed at Ojo Santa Fe which is famous for their hot springs pools. I went there a few years ago and had a good experience. I had high expectations for our trip. There were definitely some good but also some bad. 

Can you imagine 15,000 pediatricians in one spot? Well it happened recently in Denver where the annual AAP conference convened. I love going to the AAP conferences; there's always a ton to learn, fun activities, and meeting old and new friends. 

I've been to Seoul twice. The first trip was for my college roommate's wedding. I was in my third year of residency and I had to beg for 5 days off so I could go. It's was an awesome trip on so many levels: seeing a dear friend get married, my first international business class flight, stuffing my face with all the foods I didn't know existed. This was before the world fell in love with Korea so I'm just way ahead of the curve. 

When my sister found out Jin (from BTS) was having a solo concert, she was determined we would go. And like a pro, she got tickets! So we spent a weekend in Anaheim.  

My sister wanted to see a Kpop concert in Oakland so we did a quick overnight trip. I spent a month in Oakland in my fourth year of medical school when I did an away rotation. I decidedly very quickly I didn't want to live in Oakland and crossed that off my residency match list. I've been back to Oakland a few times since then. The city has come a long way and the food scene is rapidly catching up to SF.  Here's how we spent 24 hours in Oakland. 

We went to Switzerland because of the Korean drama 'Crash Landing on You.' I am 100% not joking. During the pandemic, I started watching Kdramas. A small but significant part of the story takes place in Switzerland. It was actually my mom who said she wanted to go. My sister and I immediately agreed. It was a brilliant idea. 

Osaka Osaka is known as Japan's kitchen. People are obsessed with eating here. Others have spirit animals. This would be my spirit city. Besides food, Osaka also has beautiful shrines, temples, castles and parks.

Kyoto Kyoto is what everyone pictures when they think of Japan: the classic shrines and temples, the tree lined streets with traditional homes, and parks full of cherry blossoms. It's the Japan of your dreams.

Tokyo Tokyo is HUGE and it's crowded. It's like NYC and LA combined into one. I read somewhere one million people go through the Tokyo Central Station every day. I felt every single one of those million people every time I went through Central Station. But there are plenty of quiet and calm in the green spaces and shrines. You can find whatever you are looking for in this amazing city. Here are some highlights.

A lot of people tell me that they want to go to Japan. It's probably the most popular country in Asia. Japan has given the world anime, sushi, cherry blossoms, Hello Kitty and Ghibli Studios among other things. Japan checks off a lot of boxes for a perfect travel destination: it's history and culture is interesting and complex, the food is amazing, the people are basically the nicest people you will find anywhere on the planet and the entire country is BEAUTIFUL.

Technology can make life both easier and more complicated. But when it comes to traveling, there are tech gadgets that are game changers. These are my favorites. 

I fly a lot. I have flown many airlines around the world. Most people book flights based on price and convenience which is fair. I think most people just suffer through their flights to get to their destination. I would argue that flying is actually a significant part of your travels. If you can, it may be worthwhile to splurge for that upgrade. 

We were in Amsterdam for the tulip festival last year. And it was one of the most beautiful things I've seen in the entire world. When we were planning our trip back from Finland, we decided to fly out of Amsterdam so we can go see the tulips again. 

Last year I read an article about how there was extra solar activity so there would be more Northern Lights visible in 2024 and 2025. We went to Iceland a few years ago and saw some Northern Lights. It was cool! But it was also freezing. And waiting in the dark was no fun at all. So this time, my sister and I had a brilliant plan to pick a hotel where you can just lie in your bed and watch the lights. 

We flew into London on our way to Finland. London is the best gateway city to Europe in my opinion. There are lots of direct flights from many US cities. It's easy to get around on their brilliant train system. Language is not a problem. There's always something new to see or do. On this trip, I finally got tickets to Harry Potter Studios. 

My sister and I are huge BTS fans. Admittedly, my sister is the bigger fan but we're both clearly in the Army. When she found out J-Hope was having a solo North American tour, she went on a quest to get tickets. And she got them! 

Here are the top 5+ most beautiful places I've been to. This is really just an excuse for me to show off my favorite photos 😀 *Honorable Mention: Seychelles  Seychelles is an African island nation in the Indian Ocean. It has the most beautiful pristine beaches I've ever seen. It's mostly famous because it's where celebrities have weddings and honeymoons. It's hard to get to and expensive but if you're looking for an out of the ordinary travel destination, this is it. 

I've been to Hawaii eight times and I've been to four of the Hawaiian islands. They are all amazing but Oahu is my favorite because it has the most choices for everything, especially food. One of my favorite shows is 'Somebody Feed Phil' on Netflix. His Hawaii episode is highly recommended. 

I think Copenhagen is the food capital of Europe. The quality and diversity and creativity is unmatched. Most people agree it all started in 2003 when Noma opened. Noma is one of the most awarded restaurants in the world with an impossible to get reservation during it's entire run. It's reinvention and interpretation of Nordic cuisine bought it front and center to the world. Countless chefs who trained and worked at Noma have gone out to the world and opened their own restaurants. Sadly, Noma closed it's doors at the end of 2024 but it's legacy lives on. 

Everyone hates packing. Except me. I love it. I'm good at it. I pretty much have it down to a science. If you travel frequently, it's a good idea to have things set aside that is for traveling so you can just pack that together instead of running around gathering things. 

Phu Quoc is a beautiful Vietnamese island on the south side of Vietnam, next to Cambodia. It has miles of beautiful beaches and chock full of luxury resorts that are pretty reasonably priced. You do need a visa to visit Vietnam BUT you do not need a visa if you just want to go to Phu Quoc (which is what we did).

This is a topic near and dear to me since I'm a doctor. When you travel as much as I do, it's inevitable you get sick at some point. I got altitude sickness in Peru. I sprained my ankle missing a step in the Metro in Berlin. I recently got heat exhaustion in Malaysia. This is not including all the minor things like colds, allergies, insect bites. 

Taipei is one of my favorite food cities in the whole world and every time I mention it, I get blank looks. I think it's a shame it's so underrated. I've been to Taipei twice. It's cool, calm and collected with a hip nerdiness. It also has an incredibly interesting and complex history. I will not claim to be an history expert. But the fact that China has been wanting to claim Taiwan for decades and this little island has defiantly said no is admirable at the very least. Taiwan is also quite progressive compared to other Asian countries, being the first to legitimize same sex marriages and elected a woman president in 2016. 

Here are some tips and things to consider when planning your next trip: *Passport  If you are traveling internationally, you will need a passport. It usually takes up to 6 weeks to get it by  mail but it can take longer if they are backed  up. So if you are even thinking of traveling internationally, apply for your passport now.  If you have a passport, check the expiration date. They are good for ten years. Most countries will not let you in if you have less than six months left on your passport. So plan to renew your passport accordingly. *Destination Entry Requirements  Check what the entry requirements are for your destination country as soon as you start planning your trip. Some countries require visas. Some countries requirement certain vaccines. Some countries now require an arrival registration. This was previously done on the plane before arrival but now some countries want you to do it online before you even get on the plane.  Countries will list ...

As I sat in the airport lounge in SFO waiting for my flight home after traveling through Asia for two weeks, I was suddenly struck with the thought that I wanted to start a traveling blog. I have thought about doing a traveling blog for years since I love to travel and am lucky enough to be able to do it frequently. But I don't know why it was that moment that I felt committed to actually doing it. Maybe because it was the dawn of a new year. Maybe because my last trip was so eventful. Maybe I just wanted a new hobby.  So here I am starting a traveling blog. With zero blog experience. But a lot of traveling experience. At last count, I have been to 33 countries on six continents.