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Jef van de Graaf

Escape into the Great Unknown

My Story ➝
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  • 🌏 Destinations
    • 🇨🇳 China
    • 🇮🇩 Indonesia
    • 🇯🇵 Japan
    • 🇹🇼 Taiwan
    • 🇹🇭 Thailand
    • 🇻🇳 Vietnam
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  • 💻 Remote Work
  • 🛠️ Gear & Tools
  • 🗺️ Itineraries & Guides
  • ⚠️ Stories & Mistakes
My Story ➝

Travel Experiences

Are You a Loser Back Home (LBH)?

26 April 2026 by BAOB.ca
This is a loser back home

What you’re about to read is a popular label applied to Westerners — like me — who relocate to Asia for teaching, living, and, retiring. It’s most commonly used to describe cringey and pathetic white men who can’t get laid in their home country. These same men move to Asia, teach English, and use their … Read more

Categories Mindset Tags Loser Mentality, Travel Experiences Leave a comment

A Solo Travel Lesson: Alone with My Bike in New Brunswick

1 February 20266 April 2025 by Jef van de Graaf™
A Solo Travel Lesson: Alone with My Bike in New Brunswick

What does solo travel really teach you—when no one’s watching, and you’re alone with nothing but your thoughts, a heavy pack, and a destination that feels so far away?

Categories Nomadic Lifestyle, Personal Stories Tags Entrepreneurship, Inspiration, Travel Experiences Leave a comment

Choice vs Chance: My Near-Death Life Lesson in Newfoundland

25 January 20264 March 2025 by Jef van de Graaf™
Choice vs Chance: My near death experience in Newfoundland

Life is nothing but a series of choices and chances.

Categories Personal Stories Tags Travel Experiences Leave a comment

My Guerrilla Marketing Method that Led to 65+ Loyal Buyers

25 January 202619 February 2025 by Jef van de Graaf™

I developed a highly-effective guerrilla marketing tactic when I was living in Japan. And it all started as a lowly-paid teacher at an Eikaiwa (英会話).

Categories Entrepreneurship, Teaching English Tags Entrepreneurship, Travel Experiences Leave a comment

I paid a prostitute in Hanoi

25 January 20266 July 2024 by Jef van de Graaf™

🛑 Before you read: This story is 100% true, slightly absurd, and definitely not as steamy as the title suggests. But I genuinely paid a prostitute in Hanoi—which was a first time for me and definitely unforgettable.

Categories Personal Stories, Vietnam Tags Travel Experiences 3 Comments

Hanoi Nightlife: A Quick Guide to Having a Good Time in Hanoi, Vietnam

25 January 202628 January 2021 by Jef van de Graaf™
Hanoi Nightlife

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Categories Nomadic Lifestyle, Vietnam Tags Hanoi, Travel Experiences Leave a comment

Climbing Mt Hua Shan 华山 in Winter

25 January 202616 January 2021 by Jef van de Graaf™

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Categories Nomadic Lifestyle Tags China, Travel Experiences Leave a comment

Escape Into the Great Unknown

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