Travel & Nomad
December in Japan is crisp, bright and lit up, until the New Year shutdown. Weather by region, ski and illumination dates for 2026, what closes from 29 December, and how to keep money and data working.
Guides
Holding USDT is not illegal in the Philippines, but it is not money either, and since August 2025 several offshore exchange sites are blocked on local networks. Here is what the BSP and SEC rules mean for a visitor who plans to spend stablecoins.
Guides
You can pay for more of a trip in stablecoins than most people think, and less than crypto marketing suggests. A phase-by-phase look at what works in 2026: booking, data, paying on the ground, and the parts that still need a card or cash.
eSIM
You promised a client a 3pm call, and by 1.30pm the boat is threading between karsts with one bar flickering to none. Here is what signal on a Ha Long Bay cruise really looks like, and how to plan around it.
eSIM
Most Shenzhen work trips start or end in Hong Kong, and the border is also a data boundary. How to set up two eSIMs at home, what works on each side, and how much data a supplier day uses.
eSIM
In Shanghai the cafe Wi-Fi is a local network, so your eSIM carries more of the working day than anywhere else in Asia. What works on it, what may not, and how to size a daily plan.
eSIM
The condo Wi-Fi tested fine at the viewing, then dropped twice in your stand-up. Here is the Phuket eSIM setup that carries a working month on its own, and the point where a local SIM makes more sense.
eSIM
Direct flight in, 30 days stamped, and the villa in Ong Lang loses power for the second afternoon running. Here is the eSIM setup for a month on Phu Quoc, sized for the days the island goes dark.
eSIM
In El Nido the tour changes by text at 7am and the boat has no signal for hours. How to size data for Palawan, which network you get, what to save offline, and paying QR codes as a visitor.
eSIM
The last longtail from Railay is filling and the Phi Phi ferry ticket is in an email you never downloaded. Here is how to set up data for Krabi island hopping, and plan around the gaps.
eSIM
The climb operator sends the 6am pickup time at night, while you are at the Filipino Market with a plate of prawns. How to size data for Sabah, which network to pick, and what to settle before the mountain.
eSIM
In Jakarta the meeting moves by WhatsApp and the driver waits at a pillar number. How to size data for a short business trip, which network you land on, and why installing at home beats the airport counter.