Welcome to BWAB!
I’m Jona—a full-time SEO and content manager, weekend travel blogger, and lifelong storyteller. My journey began with reading Resil Mojares' House of Memory and Oliver Sack's The Island of the Colorblind, inspiring me to explore over 30 countries across Asia, Oceania, and Europe.
For over a decade, Backpacking with a Book has grown from a personal blog into a trusted guide for digital nomads—packed with practical travel tips, thrilling dive experiences in Southeast Asia and beyond, and thoughtful bookish destinations. I also run homehums.com, where I share my experiences as a traveling mom along with practical parenting hacks and honest product reviews.
I’m open to paid collaborations and travel sponsorships in exchange for high-quality UGC or SEO-optimized content. Let’s create something impactful together!
For real-time puns and awkward travel stories, follow 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
May 9, 2025
I won’t pretend I had Maastricht on my travel bingo card. I was in Bielefeld for work (don’t ask), planning a quick weekend jaunt to Aachen and Cologne when my then-coworker, a true local with that “I know a secret” glint in her eye, nudged me: “Why not squeeze in […]
May 9, 2025
Having roamed over 15 European cities since planting roots in Munich, I can tell you—Vienna didn’t just waltz into my heart, it strutted in like it owned the place. Sure, Prague’s right up there, giving me moody romance and cobblestone poetry, but Vienna? She’s the full symphony. This city along […]
May 8, 2025
Lugano is the kind of place that doesn’t need to try hard – it just is. Tucked into the steep shores of a glimmering alpine lake that stretches across Switzerland and Italy, it’s a town where Swiss efficiency flirts unapologetically with Italian flair. And honestly? It works. Big time. This was […]
May 8, 2025
For book lovers, the State Hall of the Austrian National Library isn’t just a place—it’s a mood, a hush, a full-body goosebump. Tucked inside the Hofburg Palace like a secret too good to keep, this Baroque beauty isn’t just stacked with books—it glows with them. Frescoed ceilings swirl like a fever dream, towering shelves […]
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
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 […]
June 25, 2024
Nomadic lifestyles and the use of digital currency remain at the forefront of lifestyle journalism. Throughout various corners of the globe, individuals are changing how they live, work, and interact with the world around them. Subscribing to a minimalist, experiential philosophy, nomads and backpackers pave the way for the use […]
June 7, 2024
When I declared that I wouldn’t neglect my decade-old blog anymore, I wasn’t kidding. Despite having the most time-consuming and most tiring unpaid job known to mankind: motherhood, a role I took on recently. Little did I know that this decision would lead me down the labyrinthine path of affiliate […]
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
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, […]
December 7, 2023
Are these names familiar? George Sand. Colette. Simone de Beauvoir. Madame de la Fayette. Gertrude Stein. No? How about Moliere, Voltaire, Balzac, Victor Hugo and Zola and Proust. Yeah? Yeah, now I know what kind of reader you are. 😉 So yes, these are some of the most popular writers […]
October 19, 2023
It is in my DNA to check out the local bookstore scene wherever I am. Most of my favorites are usually independent bookstores that have that well-kept forgottenness kind of vibe. If you get my drift. Think of Paris’ Shakespeare and Co. Or Hanoi’s Tiny Cafe franchise (although this one […]
October 3, 2023
I have a flippant mind, but in this life, my obsessions have been quite consistent the past fifteen years or so. Books. Cats. Travel. Plants. My hobbies, as I love saying now in German, das passt nicht zusammen. They don’t fit together. Well, living in a camper van will make […]
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 […]
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 […]
July 23, 2024
In the era of endless travel trinkets, finding something that truly encapsulates the spirit of your adventures can be a daunting task. Keychains, though ubiquitous and practical, often lack that special spark to make them memorable. Enter Artpix’s custom keychains with 3D crystals, a game-changer that transforms a mundane accessory […]
July 8, 2024
Raleigh, where southern charm meets contemporary flair, is a city that embraces its past while forging ahead. Imagine strolling through historic neighborhoods in the morning and sampling innovative cuisine in chic bistros by evening. I personally think it’s a place where the echoes of North Carolina’s rich history mingle with […]