Snazzy Snaps & Travel Tales Blog
Welcome to my travel blog! I've visited 30 countries (kickstarted by Remote Year) and 38 U.S. States.
Click SUBSCRIBE to receive an email when a new post is published.
Featured
Snazzy Snaps & Travel Tales Blog
Welcome to my travel blog! I've visited 30 countries (kickstarted by Remote Year) and 38 U.S. States.
Click SUBSCRIBE to receive an email when a new post is published.
To round out my 3 part Canadian Rockies series, it’s the home of Spirit Island—Jasper National Park! A true gem that deserved even more of my time. What I saw left me wanting more! I will return…
Ne’er has there been a national park with a cooler name. Big & Bold and FUN. I can’t help but say it with an explosive sound at the end!
BANFF!!!
Here is the 2nd in this 3 part series about my 2017 road trip in the Canadian Rockies!
In 2017, I embarked on a 2 week road trip in the Canadian Rockies, visiting 3 National Parks and driving through a couple more on the way. This is the 1st of a 3 part series, starting with Yoho National Park!
After this, Banff National Park and Jasper National Park! Coming soon…
I had no idea what to expect from South Dakota, but the state really surprised me! This blog should probably be called 'West South Dakota’, because, I only really stopped in the western part of the state, which I think is certainly more picturesque! I spent time in both the Badlands National Park, and Mount Rushmore.
See more snaps and a review of the experience!
A year ago, a kind stranger swooped into my life and showed me the best skyline spot in Saigon. For the full story, tons of snazzy snaps, and details about travel safety, check out this latest blog post.
Forget skydiving, or bungee jumping, Uber Moto is where it's at! In Vietnam, for as low as $1 you can ride the gnarliest thrill ride!
If you visit Yellowstone, don't ignore the Grand Teton! Read on for the story of how I came face to face with a bear and survived!
Yellowstone, not Jellystone. Definitely different than Yogi Bear's top place to picnic. The world's first National Park, A UNESCO World Heritage site, and one of the weirdest places I've seen on Earth. In a word: otherworldly!
I bet you're probably thinking, "I didn't know there was a World Championship of Public Speaking?" Well, now you do! For me, this is up there with the Super Bowl and the NBA Finals.
Oregon does not disappoint! I spent ~a week and a half hiking trails, putzing around Portland, looking at lava lands and floatin' down the Deschutes River. Oregon is on point!
After a tumultuous day 1 in Yosemite, Jay and I joked about how we could top it on day 2. Yeaaa, we may have jinxed ourselves...
Day 2: Gettin' Down Glacier Point
My first weekend at Yosemite National Park is one I will never forget! 2 days, 2 incredible stories! Day 1: Missing the Moonbow
I’m almost embarrassed to admit I had never been to Joshua Tree, ~2 hours from LA. This rare jewel hidden deep in the desert is fascinating and freaky and hotter than hell (in June).
I’ve been back in the US for ~2 months. The transition from international man of mystery to domestic couch surfer has been less than inspiring. Being back in Boston was great! But, LA has felt twilight zone-ish. So, I’m back on the road!
12 months, 19 countries. A year of new experiences and constant stimulation. A year that can never be replicated, and never fully comprehended by anyone outside of RY3 . A year that probably seemed so luxurious on social media. But, in reality, it was just as challenging as it was rewarding. Like running a marathon.
After temple running at Angkor Wat and seeing the circus in Siam Reap why not check out the “Floating Villages” tour at Kompong Phluk? I was skeptical about this at first, but was pleasantly surprised by the beauty and tranquility of the experience.
My 10 day vacation in Myanmar was marvelous! Traveled with some Europeans: Jacek, Kasia and Viktoria. Myanmar just opened their tourist doors a few years ago and it felt like the wild West. The highlight was the hot air balloon ride over Bagan, the ancient city with thousands of temples.
Siam Reap, Cambodia was a breath of fresh air compared to Phnom Penh, literally and figuratively. I ventured off on a solo trip for a few days to get out of the city and see the Angkor Wat temples. Angkor Wat was certainly impressive, but it was the Phare: Cambodian Circus that captured my heart!
6:30 am. Monday. Sun's coming up and it's Super Bowl time! GOOD MORNING, VIETNAAAM! Yes, it's wicked weird but with wings and Coca Cola, feels just like 'Merica. Kinda. 'Same same but different'.
Traveling the world is not all rainbows and waterfalls. It's a course in world history and sometimes history is horrifying. The hardest day of the year was visiting the S21 Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and the Killing Fields in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
MEMORY MONDAY - One of my favorite days on RY was the Chiling Waterfalls in Malaysia. We took buses ~1.5 hours outside of Kuala Lumpur and I was lucky enough to sit in front with our driver: 'Mr Baby'.
Month 11 of Remote Year, and I’ve only published 5 months of snaps. It kills me, cuz I want to share them! But, pic processing takes time. So, New Year, new pic process.
Christmas Eve was quite different this year. Instead of being in Boston dreaming of sugar plums and reindeer, I was in Thailand, eating sugar cane and playing with elephants. I definitely miss family, but this was as sweet as Mom's homemade butterhorns!
It’s a wonderful world and it is a wonderful life! And, yesterday, thanks to my wonderful family, I got to live my own It's a Wonderful Life movie scene. Thanks to ALL friends & fam who shared Christmas wishes from home!
Want to know what millions of bats flying out of a cave looks like? Check out part 3, the finale of Borneo's Wicked Wildlife, featuring the bats in Gunung Mulu National Park!
No trip to Borneo is complete without seeing wild orangutans. Seeing animals in a zoo is depressing. Seeing them in the semi-wild is wicked sweet!!
The island of Borneo boasts the most wicked wildlife! Because of the climate, the rainforest is home to the most species of life on Earth. I went to Borneo for Thanksgiving on a solo journey and here is part 1 of Borneo's Wicked Wildlife!
I met some of the brightest leaders from KL at an RY networking event with YSEALI (Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative). One young lady, Sherry asked me to speak to the students at her middle school (15-16 yr olds). My mentor once told me, “Take every speaking opportunity you can get, Matthew.” CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!
Did you know rubber comes from trees? I must have been daydreaming about Kelly Kapowski back in science class when they covered this, because I thought rubber came from factories. I guess that’s synthetic rubber? Mind blown!
Patricia Piccinini is an incredible artist and her exhibit at the Singapore ArtScience Museum was nothing short of inspirational and motivational!