Mona Liza Santos
Travel and Cultural Exploration
Travel has been part of who I am for as long as I can remember. Even in high school, I was already drawn to anything connected to travel, exploration, culture, and learning about different countries. I studied French because I loved the idea of language opening another door to the world, and later in college I even took Travel and Tourism as a prerequisite because that curiosity never really left me.
Some of my earliest bigger trips were with my mom. Hawaii was one of the first destinations that really opened that door for me, and from there came places like London, Paris, Rome, and eventually so many others. Once I started seeing more of the world, I wanted to keep discovering what was beyond the next place.
I began traveling much more seriously around the age of 25, during a very emotional period in my life after my grandmother passed away. Losing her affected me deeply, and travel became one of the ways I kept moving forward while experiencing life in a different way. It gave me something to look forward to, places to discover, and memories to hold on to while I was going through that loss.
Over time, travel became much more than a hobby. I was never very interested in collecting material things, so I often saved what I could for my next trip instead. Experiences, memories, cultures, and seeing the world meant more to me than buying things I did not really need.
Little by little, that passion took me to more than 70 countries and destinations, and many of those journeys eventually became even more meaningful because I was able to share them with my son.
The more I traveled, the more I realized that the world can be incredibly different and incredibly similar at the same time. Languages change, food changes, traditions change, and ways of life can look completely different, but people everywhere still want many of the same things: love, respect, connection, family, acceptance, and a sense of belonging.
Travel also brought me closer to my own Filipino identity. Seeing so many cultures helped me understand that being proud of where we come from does not mean closing ourselves off from anyone else. We can deeply appreciate our own roots while remaining curious about the rest of the world.
For me, travel has never really been about counting countries. It is about the people, lessons, food, cultures, unexpected moments, and memories I bring home with me.
Explore Each Destination
Every country and destination on this page has its own story.
Click on any country to see what I experienced there, what stood out to me, what I loved, what surprised me, and what I remember most from the trip.
I also want to share more than just my personal memories. Each destination page may include interesting facts, a little history, the language spoken, local food worth trying, popular places to visit, and a few cool spots to check out if you ever find yourself in the area.
Some countries will have funny memories. Others will have meaningful moments, beautiful scenery, unexpected experiences, or things I learned that stayed with me long after the trip ended.
I want this part of the site to feel like travel through my eyes, not just a list of places I have been. It is a mix of personal stories, cultural discoveries, useful travel ideas, and the little details that made each destination memorable to me.
So if a country catches your attention, click on it and come explore it with me.
A Quick Note
I’m still building out this part of the site, so if you click on a country and the link does not open, it may simply mean that page is still being updated or the link is temporarily unresponsive.
I’ll be adding and fixing destination pages as I go, so please check back. I want each country page to be worth clicking on, with personal memories, travel experiences, interesting facts, local food, places to visit, and little things I found memorable along the way.
I’d rather take the time to make each page meaningful than rush through them just to have every link active at once.
Places I’ve Experienced
Europe
Denmark 🇩🇰
Norway 🇳🇴
Sweden 🇸🇪
Estonia 🇪🇪
Russia 🇷🇺
Poland 🇵🇱
Austria 🇦🇹
Hungary 🇭🇺
Ukraine 🇺🇦
Spain 🇪🇸
Italy 🇮🇹
France 🇫🇷
Ireland 🇮🇪
Portugal 🇵🇹
Croatia 🇭🇷
Bosnia and Herzegovina 🇧🇦
Bulgaria 🇧🇬
Romania 🇷🇴
Greece 🇬🇷
Belgium 🇧🇪
United Kingdom 🇬🇧
Vatican City 🇻🇦
Iceland 🇮🇸
Germany 🇩🇪
Luxembourg 🇱🇺
Netherlands 🇳🇱
Switzerland 🇨🇭
Czech Republic 🇨🇿
Monaco 🇲🇨
San Marino 🇸🇲
Liechtenstein 🇱🇮
Malta 🇲🇹
Andorra 🇦🇩
Kosovo 🇽🇰
Serbia 🇷🇸
North Macedonia 🇲🇰
Albania 🇦🇱
Asia & the Middle East
China 🇨🇳
Japan 🇯🇵
Malaysia 🇲🇾
Indonesia 🇮🇩
Thailand 🇹🇭
Philippines 🇵🇭
Singapore 🇸🇬
Turkey 🇹🇷
Bahrain 🇧🇭
Jordan 🇯🇴
India 🇮🇳
Israel 🇮🇱
Qatar 🇶🇦
United Arab Emirates 🇦🇪
Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦
North America, Central America & the Caribbean
Canada 🇨🇦
Mexico 🇲🇽
Costa Rica 🇨🇷
Dominican Republic 🇩🇴
Bahamas 🇧🇸
Jamaica 🇯🇲
Puerto Rico 🇵🇷
Aruba 🇦🇼
Bonaire 🇧🇶
Curaçao 🇨🇼
St. Maarten 🇸🇽
St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands 🇻🇮
Honduras 🇭🇳
Belize 🇧🇿
Oceania & the Pacific
Australia 🇦🇺
New Zealand 🇳🇿
Fiji 🇫🇯
French Polynesia 🇵🇫, including Tahiti and Bora Bora
Africa
Egypt 🇪🇬
Other Memorable Stops
Greenland 🇬🇱
Nassau, Bahamas 🇧🇸
Half Moon Cay, Bahamas 🇧🇸
Amsterdam, Netherlands 🇳🇱
Prague, Czech Republic 🇨🇿
Cancún and El Arco, Mexico 🇲🇽
London, United Kingdom 🇬🇧
My Travel Map
Every place on my map represents more than a destination. It represents a memory, a lesson, a photograph, a conversation, a new food I tried, something that surprised me, or a moment I shared with someone I love.
There are still so many places left for me to discover, and that is part of what keeps travel exciting.
70+ Countries & Destinations. Countless Memories. More to come.