Hey there Reader,

We’re still having a ball here in Ho Chi Minh City — bouncing between old favourites and new discoveries, and yes, the street food still knocks our socks off every time.

Our social calendar’s filling up fast and there are lots of mates confirming visits.

But even if you’re not bunking in with us, don’t be shy — feel free to reach out for insider tips, advice on what to do and see, or a chance to meet up. We’d love to play tour guide and show off a few of our haunts.

On the personal front, I’ve been waging war on my allergies with a mix of smoothies, balms, natural supplements, and a proper focus on sleep, relaxation, and hydration.

The fresh produce here makes self‑catering a breeze, and Vietnamese food is the perfect combo of healthy and delicious. My first 72‑hour fast to reset the system was a real eye‑opener: deep sleep on day two, turbo‑charged productivity on day three (oops — another three projects added to the list!), and surprisingly little struggle despite being surrounded by all that glorious food.

We’ve also picked up a nifty new gadget to capture videos and photos of our adventures, so keep an eye on Facebook for those updates from around town.

And behind the scenes, our migration to a new tech system is ticking along nicely — more on that soon.

In This Week's Issue:

Top Stories in Travel This Week​

​Top Deals:Black Friday Highlights

​Travel Tips: Lessons From The Road​

​Travel Plans: What's Ahead​

​Travel Resources: Worth a Look​

​A Quick Favor

📰 Top Stories in Travel this Week

✅ Vietnam launches 5‑year talent visa
​ Vietnam has introduced Phase 1 (of 3) of its visa shake-up - a new long‑term visa aimed at attracting skilled professionals, entrepreneurs, and creatives.

👉 Vietnam Has Launched Its 5-Year Talent Visa—Here's Who Is Eligible​

Sharyn’s take: This is a promising step toward making Vietnam a hub for talent and innovation. Can’t wait for stage three, which is more likely to apply to us.

✅🚆 European transport strikes could derail Christmas travel
​ Holiday travelers face major disruption this December as strikes hit Italy, Portugal, and France, targeting trains, local transport, and even airports.

👉 Read more from The Traveler ​

Sharyn’s take: If you’re heading to Europe, book flexible tickets, allow extra time, and keep apps handy for real‑time updates.

✅🌐 Tourist visa exemptions expand in Vietnam
​ As of August 2025, Vietnam now grants visa‑free entry for up to 45 days to citizens of 12 additional European countries, including Belgium, Croatia, Switzerland, Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia. This policy runs until August 2028.

👉 Read more here on MyVietnamVisa​

Sharyn’s take: Big win for European travelers — easier, cheaper access to Vietnam’s beaches, cities, and food scene. For Aussies and others, fingers crossed more countries get added soon.

💸 Top Deals

🔐 NordVPN - Essential Online Security

Timeline: Ends December 10, 2025

Offer: Up to 77% off + 3 extra months with a 2‑year NordVPN plan

👉Grab The Deal​

Sharyn’s take: A VPN is essential for safe browsing and streaming abroad — NordVPN is one of the best, so grab the deal before it vanishes.

​

🌲 AllTrails - Premium Navigation when it counts.

Timeline: Ends December 5, 2025

Offer: 50% off AllTrails Plus

Code: CYBER2025

👉Grab The Deal​

NOTE: At the checkout, select "Apply Coupon" under "BILLED TODAY". Then enter the code for the discount.

Sharyn’s take: Perfect timing for holiday hikes — This deal gives you half‑price access to premium trail maps worldwide.

🌍 Tour Deals

1️⃣ TagThai SEA Games Campaign

Timeline: Ends January 31, 2026

Offer: Save 15% on all Thai Passes

Discount Code: TTSEAGAME15

👉 Get The Deal​

Sharyn’s take: Great chance to explore Thailand during the SEA Games buzz — save while you discover temples, food, and culture.

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2️⃣TourRadar BF/CM/TT Deals

Timeline: Extended to Dec 6th

Offer: Up to 70% off over 50 000 tours worldwide, including the loads in Vietnam — one of many reasons to come visit us here!

👉TourRadar Deals​

Plus here's some extra $$$ off with our unique code. SharynN50

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👉 Looking for savings beyond flash sales? Check out our Evergreen Deals page for year‑round offers.

🛠 Travel Tips: Lessons From the Road

📍 Google Maps Lists are a game‑changer

Recent changes to Google Maps are gold. You can now create Lists of saved places that sync across devices. You can share them with mates, add notes, and even download them for offline use. There's lots more info in these two articles.👉 Afar overview and 👉 Roaming the Americas guide​

Sharyn’s take: Lists are brilliant for trip planning and on‑the‑ground exploring. I’ve started using emojis to mark coffee shops ☕ and noodle joints 🍜 — makes the map look like a treasure hunt and much easier to decipher than the usual hearts, flags, or stars.

✈️ Don’t always book direct with airlines

Conventional wisdom says “book direct,” but our experience tells a different story. Unless it’s a super‑budget carrier like Ryanair or something obscure like Turkmenistan Airlines, we almost always book through a third-party platform. We’re always scanning for the best mix of price and support, but at the moment our "Go-To" is Trip.com.

Why? Better deals (sometimes by 100's), excellent app support for check‑in, gates, delays, and flight changes, plus a transfer guarantee that’s there if you need it. Add in Trip Coins that knock down the cost of future trips, and it’s a no‑brainer.

We’ve booked dozens (and dozens) of flights this way over the years, saved serious money, and had zero issues. In fact, some airline support has been far worse than what we’ve had from third‑party apps.

Sharyn’s take: I respect that some people swear by booking direct, but lived experience has convinced me otherwise. The savings and reliability speak for themselves. ​
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🧺 Laundry Leaves + Scrubba bag = laundry sorted

Forget lugging detergent bottles or messy powder. Laundry Leaves are compact, cheap, and environmentally friendly. Pair them with a Scrubba bag, and you’ve got a portable washing machine that beats splashing around in a basin. And here’s the kicker: a single load of washing in Europe can set you back €9–10. It doesn’t take many loads before the Scrubba pays for itself.

Sharyn’s take: It’s the ultimate combo for long trips, especially active ones like our cycling tours— clean clothes without the hassle, eco‑friendly, and a genuine money saver.

🗺 Travel Plans: What’s Ahead

With our Vietnam visa only good for three months, we'll need a visa run at the end of January. So I set up some regional alerts for housesits and struck gold this week - Hong Kong’s the lucky winner for 10 nights.

We're now locked in to stay in an awesome apartment right by the mid‑level escalators with one low‑maintenance (super-cute) cat for company. For those who don't know Hong Kong, that's the perfect launchpad to explore.

My little checklist’s already underway:

• ✅ Checked Hong Kong’s entry requirements (every man and his dog seems to have a travel app now).
• ✅ Smart Traveler advice bookmarked.
• ✅ Following the consulate and Hong Kong weather bureau on socials.
• ✅ Updated Google alerts to keep on top of the latest news.
• ✅ Next up: tracking down blogs for insider tips.

Flights are sorted at $90 USD each way, and the one extra night’s accommodation came in at $55 USD on Trip.com thanks to an awesome Black Friday deal and a few Trip Coins.

And here’s the fun bit: I’m working with Grok‑AI to craft the perfect 9‑day itinerary — hitting the main areas, foodie haunts, and all those outer islands and territories. The process is quite eye-opening and it's come up with some incredible suggestions (which -of course- I'm double-checking! Because, well AI hallucinates A LOT!)

The Challenge - Keep costs (All-inclusive ex flights) to under $50 USD/day.

Obviously 9 free nights accommodation in a well-located apartment for zero cost is a big factor, but I'll combine that with public transport, local food haunts, and strategic use of Hong Kong Pases for activities to nail the rest.

Place your bets. Do you think I can do it?

And if you want to find out more about housesitting around the world

👉 Start HERE​

📚 Travel Resources: Worth A Look

🏠 Kindred — House Swapping

​ Kindred is a growing house‑swapping platform. It's not yet worldwide, but it is expanidng quickly across North America and Europe and looks a great (and safe) alternative for those with their own homes who don’t want the responsibility of pet care that comes with housesitting.

🔔 Google Alerts — Stay Ahead of the Curve

I've mentioned that I use Googe Alerts to stay informed about current and future destinations. Someone asked me how to set them up, so here's a guide. Play with the wording of the alert to filter the info you want.

🌱 What’s Working for Me (and might for you too)

It's no secret that I'm working on health remedies atm. As usual, I've gone down multiple rabbit holes to seek information. So while, these aren’t the exact resources I’m using, cause that would be a looooong list — they’re excellent references that contain the principles I’m applying. Saves you the legwork:

1. Habit Stacking — Atomic Habits by James Clear is an excellent intro into forming habits. He’s got free resources on his website, in his newsletter, and in the ATOMS app.
   ​Travel angle: I’m experimenting with so many different things atm that it’d be easy to lose track. The goal is to figure out what sticks, then build it into a simple daily routine that travels well when we get back on the road.
2. Beginner Tai Chi — Tai Chi for Beginners. Great for breathing, focus, and controlled movements. I'm using Tai Chi in conjunction with my long wanders around Saigon as exercise.
   ​Travel angle: Quick, easy habits that slot into travel days with minimal equipment. Tai Chi exercises both body and mind, and you can do it anywhere — hotel room, park, or even an airport lounge.
3. Better Sleep — Mayo Clinic Guide to Better Sleep. (Comes as an audiobook too, and there are massive savings on Amazon Audible right now.)
   Travel angle: Being on the move in different rooms, beds, and places can wreak havoc on sleep — which in turn messes with health and mood. I’m trying to find habits that will travel with me, without relying on gadgets or bulky sleep aids.
4. Optimising Hydration — Quench: Beat Fatigue, Drop Weight, and Heal Your Body Through the New Science of Optimum Hydration. Also available as an audiobook.
   ​Travel angle: Hydration is one of the easiest things to neglect on the road. I’m experimenting with techniques that improve it without needing fancy supplements or too much extra gear — just habits that can stick wherever I am.

Sharyn’s take: While I'm happy to buy "stuff" and experiment while we're in one place, I am NOT planning to lug around a backpack full of “wellness gadgets” once we head off again. So I'm hoping that these and other resources will help build habits that are portable, practical, and easy to weave into life on the move.

Watch this space!

Want to connect between newsletters? Find us on Facebook & Instagram for daily updates and behind‑the‑scenes stories.”

That's all for now.

✈️ Until next time, may your visas be smooth, your flights on time, and your noodles extra tasty.

Tim and Sharyn

PS. If you enjoy receiving this newsletter, please feel free to BUY US A BEVERAGE. 😉 ☕🫖🍻🍷

Every $ helps keep us motivated and the show on the road.

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Tim and Sharyn Sharing our passion for independent budget travel Email: timshazz@catchourtravelbug.com Website: https://catchourtravelbug.com ​Facebook Instagram​

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