🌎 World Aware by JP Stonestreet Welcome to World Aware, your weekly roundup of global news that actually matters if you travel internationally, live abroad, or you're thinking about it. On Tuesday, we took the dreaded flight from Kuala Lumpur to Istanbul, threading the needle between the war gap in Iran and Ukraine. Both of us were feeling the anxiety while watching the flight map. When I snapped this picture, it felt like we were close enough to see Tehran from the window (even though we...
11 days ago • 6 min read
🌎 World Aware by JP Stonestreet March 28, 2026 Welcome to World Aware, your weekly roundup of global news that actually matters if you travel internationally, live abroad, or you're thinking about it. Our Leap to Kuala Lumpur wrapped up today and everyone is heading off in different directions. By tomorrow, members of this Leap will be on 4 different continents. We all had an amazing time getting to know each other, as well as this vibrant, multicultural city. However, one of our Turtles got...
17 days ago • 6 min read
🌎 World Aware by JP Stonestreet March 20, 2026 Welcome to World Aware, your weekly roundup of global news that actually matters if you travel internationally, live abroad, or you're thinking about it. You may have noticed a difference in this week's newsletter. We changed the name to something that sounds less like an academic white paper and more like what we're trying to accomplish here. We've been publishing this newsletter for over 6 years and our goal has always been the same: to raise...
25 days ago • 4 min read
Hola. Are you "American" at home but "Canadian" abroad? You're apparently, not alone. There’s been a lot of media coverage lately about Americans hiding their nationality while traveling abroad. Some people claim to be Canadian or from somewhere else to avoid negative reactions. Amelia and I have joked about saying we're Canadian a couple of times because we cringe a little about the response we might get by saying we're from the U.S. Especially in lieu of recent events. However, we've always...
about 1 month ago • 5 min read
Hola. We've been getting lots of concerned messages asking where we are and if we're safe. Thankfully, we are a long way from the Middle East right now, enjoying a peaceful stay in Southeast Asia with members from our Turtle Travel Club. It's a 7+ hour flight from here to that part of the world so we're in no danger, at least for now. Turtles at the Angkor Botanical Garden in Siem Reap, Cambodia Unfortunately, one of our Turtles is heading back to the U.S. today, flying from Bangkok to...
about 1 month ago • 5 min read
Hola! The Turtles have been having TOO much fun in Siem Reap! Although the heat and humidity have been a constant obstacle to navigate 🥵 We've already spent 3 days exploring the ruins of the Angkor Archeological Park, which is unbelievably amazing. Amelia and I are already talking about what we'll see on our next trip here. And all this fun is almost enough to make me forget that tax season is upon us, but sadly, I have to start that process next week 😫 Since it is that time of year, we're...
about 2 months ago • 5 min read
Hola! Another week. Another country. After we left Bali, we had one week until our next Leap to Siem Reap started. Since there were no direct flights from Bali to Siem Reap, we had to fly through a hub, and Bangkok won on both airfare price and personal desire. We spent 3 weeks in Bangkok back in 2024 leading up to Christmas. And I was NOT ready to leave! It quickly became one of my favorite cities, but Amelia had reservations. It was a bit too chaotic and crowded for her. But that was then....
about 2 months ago • 4 min read
Hola, Some of you have noticed that we haven’t posted a YouTube video in a while, and we’ve received a lot of messages asking where we’ve been. The short version is that we’ve taken a step back from regular YouTube videos over the past few months. After many years of creating on that platform, it felt like the right time for a reset and a shift in how we spend our time and energy. We've been sharing more casual updates and insights on Instagram lately. That said, we’re definitely not retired...
2 months ago • 5 min read
Hello from Bali, We just wrapped up or Leap to Bali and were sad to see all the Turtles leave this morning. We had such a great time getting to know everyone, seeing some unforgettable sights, and experiencing what it's like to live here for a few weeks. Our photographer turned out to be a real monkey 🙈 More on Instagram/AmeliaAndJP There are still a couple of spots left on our Leaps to Prague (May) and Riga (June) if you would like to join the Turtles for a different kind of travel...
2 months ago • 5 min read