The Big Trip Diaries

ABC, Go Slow, and Always Get Pistachio: Our Lessons Learned from 400+ Days Abroad

May 30, 2025

Hi friends, Well, it’s official. Our Big Trip era has come to a close. We’re writing to you now from Salt Lake City, where spring has turned into summer, and...

Big Trip Day 415: The Last Chapter

April 28, 2025

Hey friends, It’s Dory, writing you this message from someplace new: the United States, where we’ve now been for almost two months! But nobody wants to hear...

Big Trip Day 399: Wind World

March 1, 2025

Hey y’all, Last you heard, Dory and I were in Loreto, on the Sea of Cortez side of Baja Sur, so that I could prepare for a virtual job interview. The moment...

Big Trip Day 389: Dog Fart Mansion

February 9, 2025

Hi friends! It’s February now, and it feels a lot like America is imploding, so I’d like to bring your mind back to happier times — December 31 2024, the eve...

Big Trip Day 375: Death of an Eggplant

January 21, 2025

Hello friends, Justin here, and I’m excited to announce that Big Trip has officially passed the one year mark! 🎉 We’ll talk more about this in our next...

Big Trip Day 316: Bootless in Baja

December 28, 2024

Hey friends! Dory here, with our first missive from a familiar time zone. You last saw us on the eve of our return to America, emerging shell-shocked and...

Big Trip Day 300: Vermouth Hour with Pepe

December 18, 2024

Hello! It’s Justin again. I’m not exactly sure how I ended writing two of these in a row, but we’ll roll with it. To begin our update on Spain, I need to...

Big Trip Day 295: Broken Bones in the Bunkers of the Balkans

December 6, 2024

Hi friends! Justin here. We’re still months behind on Big Trip updates, so I invite you to imagine yourself back in October. The leaves are changing, there’s...

Big Trip Day 281: Our European Bender

November 8, 2024

Hey friends! It’s Dory and Justin, but you might not recognize us now, because we’re European. We wear clothing other than swimsuits! We eat cheese! We go to...

Big Trip Day 237: In Our Volcano Era

September 17, 2024

Hi! It's me Justin, writing to you as we airport hop through Singapore and Qatar on our way to Greece. I’ll do my best to recount our final adventures in...

Big Trip Day 194: Surf Idiot Summer

July 25, 2024

Hey friends! You last saw us in Bali, where we parted ways with my parents and launched off into our surf era. Since then, we’ve been up and down the coast...

Big Trip Day 156: The World's Most Beautiful Road Trip

June 22, 2024

Hey friends, Last you heard from us, we were roaming the streets of Hoi An in search of the perfect suit. Well, you’ll be pleased to know that after seven...

Big Trip Day 136: We ❤️ Vietnam (Belatedly)

May 29, 2024

Hey friends, The short version of this newsletter is: Vietnam rules. There, you can move on to your next email now. That pretty much covers it. But if you...

Big Trip Day 103: Escape from Nias

April 25, 2024

Hello friends, I write to you from an airplane that is flying far far away from Nias with the predominant feeling of sweet relief. We will not be returning...

Big Trip Day 88: From Homeless to CEO!

April 10, 2024

Hey friends! It’s Dory, back for an update on our week in Kuala Lumpur and the launch of our extremely-long-awaited adventures in Indonesia. I think we’re...

Big Trip Day 76: Yes, You Can Have It All!

April 4, 2024

Hi everyone, it's Justin! I’m back and tanner than ever. After enjoying Chiang Mai for a few days post meditation retreat, we took a flight south to Krabi....

Big Trip Day 68: 🛵 Motorbikes and Meditation 🧎🏻‍♀️ (Part 2!)

March 22, 2024

Hey friends and family, As promised, it’s Dory and I’m back with part two of Motorbikes and Meditation: the Meditation part! We’re diving right in, starting...

Big Trip Day 60: Motorbikes and Meditation (Part 1!)

March 13, 2024

Hey friends and family! It’s Dory here, tagging back in for my turn on the newsletter. I’m writing from a coffee shop in Koh Lanta, an island in Southern...

Big Trip Day 35: Justin Silences His Critics

February 17, 2024

In the last newsletter, it was announced that I (Justin), would be writing some of the upcoming newsletters. This news brought on a flurry of skepticism and...

Big Trip Day 23: Laos Superlatives

February 5, 2024

February 5, 2024 Hi friends! We’re in Nong Khiaw, Laos, a sleepy little riverside town three hours outside the much more bustling Luang Prabang. We’re coming...

Big Trip Day 1: Live from Bangkok, It's Raw Crab!

January 13, 2024

Big Trip Day 1: Live from Bangkok, It's Raw Crab! January 13, 2024 Good morning from Bangkok, Thailand, on the first complete day of Big Trip and the first...