Welcome to BWAB!
I’m Jona—content strategist by day, travel blogger on weekends, poet and reader by night, and plant-and-cat caretaker around the clock. My love for storytelling began with a single book and has taken me across 30+ countries in Asia, Oceania, and Europe.
What started as a blog of random musings, Backpacking with a Book is now a guide for digital nomads, offering travel tips, dive adventures, and book reviews. I also share my journey as a traveler, writer, and parent at Homehums.com.
For real-time puns and awkward stories, find me on Instagram.
what's popular
destination guides
You may not know how to save your soul, but you know how to put one foot in front of another.—Rebecca Solnit
January 9, 2025
After living in Hanoi for four years, I often found the city’s unrelenting energy both exhilarating and exhausting. On days when the honking motorbikes and narrow alleyways felt too constricting, I would escape to Ninh Binh. Just a few hours away, it became my sanctuary—a place where life moved at […]
January 8, 2025
Living in Hanoi made me long for the vast quietness of the countryside. Ninh Binh was always my weekend fix during my four-year stint in Vietnam’s capital. Ninh Binh’s huge rafts of farmed white ducks wallowing in its many waterways, with the expanse of rice fields in different shades of […]
December 22, 2024
For book lovers, the State Hall of the Austrian National Library is more than a repository of books—it’s a living testament to Austria’s cultural and intellectual legacy. Nestled within the Hofburg Palace, this awe-inspiring space merges history, art, and literature in a breathtaking display of Baroque grandeur. The State Hall, […]
December 16, 2024
It was a serendipitous find, really. While crafting a walking route to maximize my day in Vienna with a mix of sightseeing and whimsy, I stumbled upon photos of the Hundertwasserhaus on Google Maps. Its colorful, eccentric façade instantly captivated me. Designed by the visionary artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser, this architectural […]
digital nomad guides
And her joy would become a restless thing, flapping its wings inside her, as though looking for an opening to fly away.
― Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
November 9, 2024
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with being financially dependent on your partner, especially if you’re the main caregiver. It’s a role that deserves respect and recognition. However, the narrative of the man as the sole provider, often perpetuated on social media, oversimplifies the reality of many households. Financial contributions are just […]
November 8, 2024
Sometimes, me yapping about a lot of things get me some personal stories and letters that I think may resonate with others. So I’m sharing someone’s story and take on that matter. Yes, I know I talk a lot about my own financial independence (for sure, therapists, armchair or otherwise, […]
September 9, 2024
Hanoi: chaotic, mesmerizing, and utterly captivating. After three months of exploring this city’s vibrant streets and a month of wandering Vietnam’s diverse landscapes, I knew Hanoi was the place to drop anchor. Four years later, my love for this city has only deepened. As a digital marketing manager turned teacher […]
July 26, 2024
As an expat teacher in Hanoi for four years, I can honestly say this city has a pulse unlike any other. From the bustling streets filled with the scent of street food to the vibrant markets teeming with life, Hanoi is a place that inspires. I came here as an […]
reading life
My grandfather says that's what books are for," Ashoke said, using the opportunity to open the volume in his hands. "To travel without moving an inch.― Jhumpa Lahiri
December 22, 2024
For book lovers, the State Hall of the Austrian National Library is more than a repository of books—it’s a living testament to Austria’s cultural and intellectual legacy. Nestled within the Hofburg Palace, this awe-inspiring space merges history, art, and literature in a breathtaking display of Baroque grandeur. The State Hall, […]
July 12, 2024
I personally believe Joan Didion, Jennifer Egan, Mia Alvar, Eula Biss, and Ada Limon capture the essence of New York. These writers embody the city’s literary spirit, and its independent bookstores are a testament to this legacy. New York City’s independent bookstores are hidden gems offering an intimate dive into […]
July 4, 2024
Summer vacations and a good book go hand-in-hand. My very blog won’t be named as such if I don’t pack at least three books with me wherever I travel. It is just a force of habit because you will never know one book will never be enough. Talking about books, […]
March 14, 2024
Vienna is a beautiful city. Of course, that’s the perspective of a traveler, hmm, scratch that, a tourist whose eyes are glued at these Gothic and Baroque architecture, marveling at the preserved beauty of the bygone years. But there are other Vienna quirks that I find appealing. The subway drunkies […]
life and food
One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.—Virginia Woolf
January 8, 2025
Living in Hanoi made me long for the vast quietness of the countryside. Ninh Binh was always my weekend fix during my four-year stint in Vietnam’s capital. Ninh Binh’s huge rafts of farmed white ducks wallowing in its many waterways, with the expanse of rice fields in different shades of […]
December 14, 2024
Having roamed over 15 European cities since planting roots in Munich, I can confidently say Vienna holds my heart—seconded by Prague. This imperial treasure along the Danube composes a symphony of culture, history, and effortless elegance. From its grandiose palaces to its unparalleled classical music legacy and its coffeehouse culture […]
October 1, 2024
We all have a story how the travel bug got us. Mine started when I was a university student. I led the school publication, and the president of the student body government and I were invited to join a nationwide student leader’ press conference in Boracay. This was almost twenty […]
August 5, 2024
Hanoi—where history meets hustle and the streets pulse with life. This what draws me and made me stay for four years, first as a digital nomad, then I went back to teaching full-time. It was the eclectic energy. The relentlessness. The restlessness that made me stay. For first-timers navigating this […]