Welcome to the Passports and Places travel blog!
For as long as I can remember, travel has been my number one passion, priority and purpose. When I travel, my goal is to get as immersed in the local culture as I possibly can. The best way to the heart of a destination is through its food, dance, language, traditions and people. So I do my best to experience it all!
I’ve always been spontaneous and don’t do well following a script, so getting immersed in a destination has always been my natural way of travel. I do hit the tourist sites because they are popular for a reason and make for killer content, but the majority of my time abroad is spent in local cafes, exploring random neighborhoods, riding public transport and doing my best to make friends with locals.
I created Passports and Places so I can share what the real world looks like when you get off the beaten path a bit, and also to hopefully inspire you to do more of the same. It might be scary or uncomfortable at first, but I can promise you that once you take your first step off the tourist trail, you may never want to return to it. So thanks for following the journey! Feel free to shoot me a note, invite me to dinner in your home town, or share feedback on what you’d like to see more of. Hope to see you on the road!
My Travel Story…
Fellow travelers, it’s great to cross paths! I’m Chris Mooney, an authentic traveler obsessed with exploring the real world and the rich cultures abroad. I’ve been at this for a while, and my travel journey started much younger than most. It started in my imagination.
When I was 5 years old, I remember digging deep in my New Jersey backyard hoping I could reach China. When I was 7 years old, I packed my favorite clothes and toys and hid in the back seat of my sister’s car because she told me she was driving to California. When I was 18 I joined the US Navy because I was promised to travel the world. And when I was 24, I bought a one way ticket to South America and spent 15 months getting lost and finding myself. Sometimes I think I was born to travel. 48 countries and 6 continents later, travel is the thing I love most.
But not just any travel, but the kind of travel that makes you lose sense of where you come from. The kind of travel that makes you want to keep going, to explore one more side street, to make a local friend or to try a national dish.
That’s what motivated me to start Passports and Places. A travel blog dedicated to exploring the world in a deep, authentic, enriching way. Done right, travel has the ability to change your life and the lives of the people you meet on the road.
If I’m lucky, my travel story still has a long way to go. I’m looking forward to sharing it with you and hopefully seeing your travel story grow too!
Stories From The Road
My best travel tips, stories and adventures!
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Top 7 Unique Travel Destinations to Visit in 2025
Where I’ve Been
From South America to Southeast Asia, here’s a map of the places I’ve visited
