About us

Two passports, one passion

Hi! We’re Pat & Josh, and we never stopped chasing places.

Chasing Places is the brainchild of a travel-loving, adventure-seeking husband-and-wife duo. Here’s how it started, how we afford it, and why we keep going.

Pat and Josh by the lake with Mount Fuji behind them
Kawaguchiko, Japan
Pat and Josh on Redang Island, Malaysia
Redang Island, Malaysia

Where it all began

A love story that started at sea

We met on a cruise ship sailing around the South Pacific. Not on a luxury holiday: we were both working as crew. We fell in love (cue the cheesy music), and happily, our ship didn’t sink.

The catch was that we came from different countries, with little money and fewer connections. So we did the dreaded long-distance thing. Pat kept doing ship contracts, Josh went back to school, and when he’d finally saved enough to visit the Philippines, he suggested we use the time to see more of Southeast Asia.

That month on the road, discovering new places and getting to know each other, changed everything. Travel became a passion, then a need. Chasing Places is the product of that love.

The short version

From crew cabins to 100+ destinations

  1. Met at sea

    Two crew members on a South Pacific cruise, from two different countries.

  2. A month in Southeast Asia

    Our first big trip together, and the one that hooked us on travel for good.

  3. 100+ destinations

    Trips squeezed around jobs and family, and a blog to help you travel smarter.

“Traveling is not a right, it is a privilege. A privilege that I have had to work hard for.”

Pat, co-founder of Chasing Places

How we afford it

We’re not millionaires (although we wish!)

We travel because we choose to, and that means sacrifices and compromises along the way.

  • We travel by choice

    Traveling the world is a decision we make on purpose, even when it means saying no to other things.

  • We work from anywhere

    Pat writes, assists virtually and teaches languages online. The internet is her office, so a working weekend can buy a week away.

  • Tickets over gadgets

    We’d rather save for a plane ticket than buy the latest smartphone. Every trip is funded by small choices like that.

Pat on Chasing Places

A Filipino passport, and a lot of paperwork

I’m proud to be from the Philippines, but my passport makes seeing the world harder. Most trips start with a visa application and a stack of documents proving I’m “worthy” as a tourist.

I’ve been rejected more times than I’d like, and sometimes treated badly at consulates. It nearly made me quit. I couldn’t. Travel has shaped who I am and what I value, and I honestly love who I’ve become.

What travel has taught me

  • The most beautiful things in the world are made by Mother Nature, and they’re usually free.

  • Not everyone thinks and lives the way I do, and that’s exactly the point.

  • If I don’t open my heart and mind, learning won’t happen, and change never will.

Get in touch

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