Heyooo! Curious about me?
I’m Jona, a mother of felines, a hoarder of books, notebooks, and plants.
I’m from Cebu, Philippines. Proud Bisdak. I have been in this traveling stint for so long and my battered wheeled backpack is still going strong.
I traveled solo a lot. I still do. I traveled around and juggled several titles. Some of my written words found a home on Rappler, Interaksyon, Sun.Star, The Philippine Star, Manila Bulletin, Scoot, Smile, and more. I vowed to exhaustively travel the Philippines before traveling abroad. And I did. From meeting the legendary Whang Od to trekking the almighty Mount Apo.
I lived in Vietnam for four years, did the very things that make me happy: teaching things that matter (hello, social, political, environmental, and economic issues!), and continued working on my poetry manuscript (still working on that second poetry collection) while helping small-scale businesses for content and marketing services. Vietnam became my second home.
And now I am based in Munich, Germany in foreseeable future. You can find me on JonaDesigns for content and copywriting services and HomeHums.com for my life in Munich, Germany.
I wonder what brought you to this particular page? This little space, despite the years and evolution of everyone’s attention span, has dedicated readers and followers.
So hit me up for writing jobs, collaborations and partnerships: backpackingwithabook[at]gmail[dot]com.
Jona of backpackingwithabook.com
For my nicheless ramblings, find me on Medium.
I don’t know how to niche down, since life, this beautiful messy life, is nicheless. Or a niche in itself. So I dabble in so many things. The intersectionalities of travel and race. On being a woman. On being a woman of color living abroad. On generational trauma. On gardening, cats, and books. On interracial relationships. So you see, thoughts fork, and I need a space for this riverring mind. Medium is perfect for that.
But if you are interested in other personas, intentional or not, here they are.
Buy my ebooks: TBA
Travel blog: https://backpackingwithabook.com/
Life in Munich: https://homehums.com
Portfolio site: https://www.jonadesigns.biz
Medium Blog: https://medium.com/@jonabranzuelabering/
Buy me coffee: https://ko-fi.com/jonawrites
Paypal: https://paypal.me/jonadesignsBiz
Messy Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonajournals/
THE MOST READ POSTS ON BACKPACKINGWITHABOOK.COM (ASIDE FROM SEO-FOCUSED TRAVEL GUIDES)
TRAVEL THOUGHTS
I’m a Southeast Asian Traveler, Neither Rich Nor a Begpacker
A Developing Country Citizen’s Perspective: What’s Wrong with Leave Everything Behind
I Travel, I Eat, I Got Diarrhea
Wanna Make Your Blog Popular? Travel the Philippines and Praise or Bitch it
Yes, Not Everyone Can Quit Their Jobs to Travel the World
Why You Should Stop Calling Us Exotic
Why Working Some More Instead of Traveling to Europe Felt Great
Why I Felt Embarrassed Being Called a Travel Blogger
MONEY TALK SERIES
A Traveler’s Honest Talk on Money
I Saved Up USD3700 for Two Years
Can You Really Save Up from Cooking for Yourself?
A Money Guide for Develping Country Citizens: Why You Must Have a Separate Travel Fund Account
LETTER SERIES
Dear Isa, It Is All Right Not to Travel
Dear Passport, We Will Go Far and Wide
Dear Kai, It Is All Right to Be a Tourist
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Here at BACKPACKING WITH A BOOK, storytelling is our core. We value authenticity, honesty, and sincerity. We uphold excellent narratives and helpful travel guides. . We find balance between traditional and digital media: we tap both markets.
We discuss matters that are directly linked (or not) to traveling. We openly talk about money, race, and relationships. We are modern hippies who believe in financial freedom. We believe in the power of good books. We believe in the beauty of words.
We read. We travel. We think. We create.
For collaborations, commissioned jobs, and inquiries, email me at backpackingwithabook[at]gmail[dot]com.
Backpacking with a Book is a personal and honest effort. We accept advertisement here as well, given they are related to the following niches: travel, fashion, gear, and tourism. It is one of the numerous objectives to write with sincerity. What you can see here is not a mere chronology of something, of somewhere; rather, it encompasses our sincere account of the products and places.
You can support our upcoming travels by sponsoring Backpacking with a Book. Or follow our blog. Or share our blog to others. Or you can hire us as a photographer or writer. Yes, we accept in-kind donation. Help BWAB weave more narratives, encounter more interesting characters, and frame more places and memories. Or simply buy me coffee.