Welcome! My name is Irene and I’m a full-time content creator currently focusing on writing travel blog and making videos on Youtube. I grew up in Jakarta, Indonesia, moved to Singapore when I was about 16 years old, lived there for close to 7 years, and then moved again to United States in 2012 to pursue a Masters Degree in Web Design. My career pivoted from graphic designer to product designer to now a full-time travel blogger and Youtuber. It may sounds like a millennial cliche but I believe more and more people our age are getting more courageous in pursuing the thing that they're passionate about.
In November 2019, I finally quit my corporate job at LinkedIn after 4.5 years and decided to spend a year focusing on my blog.
Seventy Five Miles
75 miles is the distance of my very first solo road-trip in the U.S. The trip, though short, has been an eye-opening experience and one that inspired me to travel more and often.
Gears I carry
I'm currently using Fuji XT3 for photos and videos. I used to own a Fuji X-PRO2 that I carry around in my backpack on the weekends and these are the lenses that I rotate depending on the type of trip/photos I'm planning to take:
- Fuji XF 16mm - used to be my go-to lens for when I'm traveling but has recently been replaced by the 16-55mm
- Fuji XF 35mm f2 - first lens I got for my xpro-2. Takes super solid photos, really fast focus and most importantly, it's so compact and light. Great for when you don't feel like carrying a bulky camera with you while traveling
- Fuji XF 16-55mm f/2.8 - this has been my go-to lens since I got it in 2019. Great focal length that covers a variety of distance (perfect for traveling!). The only downside is that it can be a little heavy.
- Fuji XF Telephoto 50-140mm f/2.8 - I'd recommend only getting this if you're planning to take wildlife photos or portrait. The DOF that this lens produces is NO JOKE. I relied on this lens a lot during my trip to Yellowstone & Grand Teton for capturing wildlife photos.
How I travel
I like the idea of slow-traveling. It means instead of jumping on a plane and just a few hours later taking a disoriented walk around your chosen destination, you could spend several days trundling over land and sea, enjoying the views as you go. Sometimes the best part of a trip is the journey it takes and not the destination, which is why road-trips are way more enjoyable to me than flying.
How to do it
Almost 90% of my trips are done over the weekend. I try not to take any leave day from work and simply find the nearest destination that I can drive to on Friday after work and come back on Sunday. You'd be surprised by how many new places you can hit within 48 hours!
Let's get connected!
I love hearing from readers. If you have a question, please feel free to leave a comment on the blog or e-mail me at nameisirene@gmail.com. I'm also mostly active on instagram, find me there and let's connect!
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