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EXCERPT
The popularity of do-it-yourself and solo travel augmented by discounted airfares offered by budget airlines is evident on social media— something that my friend and I often take advantage. With similar interests in Asian society and culture, as well as travel and photography, we decided to go on our first adventure together. Korea may have been our country of specialization in graduate school, but that did not diminish our interest in Southeast Asia. Fortunately, the visa free agreement among the member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) made it easier for Southeast Asians like us to travel within the region for up to 14 days (ASEAN n.d.). However, many Filipino tourists are still not familiar with Lao PDR—aside from some Philippine television crew shooting on location for a documentary while we were there. Probably, the lack of direct flights from Manila to Laos accounts for this.
BIONOTE
Marian F. GONGORA is a faculty member of the Department of International Studies at Far Eastern University, Manila where she teaches courses on Geography and Global Challenges and Comparative Foreign Policy of Major Powers. She obtained her master’s degree in Asian Studies (major in Northeast Asia – Korea) at the Asian Center, University of the Philippines Diliman, and her Bachelor of Arts in Asian Studies at the University of Santo Tomas, Manila. She was also an exchange student at Seoul National University. She previously worked for the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the Philippines and has undertaken research projects at the UP Asian Center and UP Korea Research Center. Her research interests include international relations, area studies, geopolitics and human security, popular culture and public diplomacy, and women’s issues.
ARTICLE INFORMATION
Type of Manuscript: Travel Narrative
Volume, Issue, Year: Volume 59, Issue 1, Year 2023
Pages:
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