No leg room, no problem

Hi! I’m clearly a glutton for punishment, as long, cramped rides have been my thing for more than a decade of travel. Bus, share car, train, plane, ferry, dinghy, you name it. I’m probably halfway towards an embolism by now, and I wonder how much more I can take. It also helps that I’m tiny. But well, for what I get out of it, several hours of discomfort is worth it for seeing the world fly by… ah yes, that’s right, my one consolation is to see out of the window. Even without that, encounters with fellow passengers and no personal space often turn out far more interesting than the view anyway, for better or for worse. Slight discomfort is the name of the game, and I enjoy the challenge that comes with how to deal with the unfamiliar.

Anyways, I’m Ivan! I’m from Vancouver and born elsewhere , moved around a lot during the university years, then resided in Boston until moving back to Canada. This is primarily a travel blog, meant to document my experiences (often, but not always involving cramped vehicles) from the past few years, and hopefully for years to come. After a study exchange in 2010/11 in Singapore, I’ve realised that travelling is my passion and a priority in my life. (It’s also made me become multilingual.) I find it an endless source of knowledge, perspectives, and human kindness, and I hope to be able to share some of that here as reminders to my future self. Though of course, whoever you are, you’re welcome here too!

If you feel like diving into some of my favourite entries over the years, click here. If you’re looking to start from the beginning of the blog, way back when I first started solo-travelling in 2012, click here. Things have changed a lot since then: my choice of destinations, my travel style, my writing, and even some of the opinions I held when I wrote the entries. I’m leaving everything up as written. But hey… it’s all still me.

Contact

You can reach me in the comments or follow me on Instagram: @ivan.couver. You can also send me an email with the form below or to ivan@nolegroom.ca. Don’t be shy! I’m happy to answer questions about trip logistics.