ABOUT ME

Hi! I’m Amy.

Cebu, Philippines

I’m Filipino and I live in Hawaii.  I grew up in the Philippines, but I was born in Hawaii. I have been back and forth between the Philippines and Hawaii – maybe that’s the reason why I love to travel so much.

To be honest, I’m a broke traveler. I usually spend months saving and planning my trips. I graduated from the University of Hawaii at Manoa with two degrees: Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Bachelor of Arts in Philippine Language and Literature, which means… I have student loans! But that won’t stop me from traveling and going on mini (or large) adventures.

Currently, I’m working full time with bills to pay so as much as I want to travel full time, life has to come first. I can’t afford to travel full time anyway.

I love planning! As Antoine de Saint-Exupery said,

“A goal without a plan is just a wish.”

It’s definitely my motto.  Traveling has always been a goal and only until recently did I decide to let go of my fear and began booking tickets to see the world. Check out my (incomplete) travel list.

I’m working towards the biggest goal I’ve had since middle school: to be a lawyer. And I believe that my travels will open my eyes, not only to food and amazing views, but also learn about different cultures and how to adapt to different personalities, socio-economic backgrounds, history, etc.

I have always contemplated on whether or not I should be traveling or just save the money. They said the best time to start saving money is in our 20s because then we’ll be saving a lot more compared to if we start in our 40s, but they also say the best time to travel is in our 20s because we won’t have the same energy as we would in our 50s or 60s. So which one do I choose?

HOW AMY’S GUTLESS TRAVEL BEGAN

Right before discharge 🙂

As of October 19, 2018, I only have 10% of my stomach; hence, my blog GUTLESS TRAVEL. In a less medically complicated explanation, I was diagnosed with Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor or GIST, a tumor that grew in the muscle of my stomach. According to my doctors, it is a rare type of sarcoma. I had surgery as soon as the oncologist determined it was cancer to avoid further growth. No chemotherapy, radiation, or medication can help me so surgery it is. Luckily, it was a benign tumor.

I have to watch what I eat, but I’ll still travel (almost) gutless. I haven’t been cleared of the cancer because I still tested with a positive margin so my doctors and I are always on the lookout for whenever the tumor comes back. The fight continues on and while that’s happening, traveling continues on.

I will post yearly updates on my progress each year aka my personal journey post-gastrectomy. Click here if you want to know how I am currently doing.

If you need someone to talk to or if you want to learn more about GIST, please email me at amysgutlesstravel@gmail.com.

This blog will document all (if not majority) of my travels and I hope you enjoy it!