2024 quarter life crisis world tour + recommendations!

Last year, I had a quarter-life crisis, quit my former dream UX design job, spent 6 months traveling around the world (20+ countries), and hosted many parties. 

I’ve been back home in San Francisco after traveling for 4 months straight lately! It feels good to be locked in again and building some exciting new products with Design Buddies and UXGO to help designers

This is my second big trip of the year. I previously spent a month in Europe and wandered around the US & Canada before this trip. Here’s where I went this time and some recommendations:

Seoul, South Korea 🇰🇷

It all started when Justin and I decided to host a 1-month creator/hacker house in Bali. There was no direct flight from San Francisco, so we went to Seoul first. We found a $300 flight from SF. I had a wonderful time in Korea and hosted a fun designer + founders meetup with EO and Design Buddies!! 4 days in Seoul was not enough, and I will be back

Seoul favorite spots: Gyeongbokgung Palace + wandering around the neighborhood, Lotteworld, Myeondong for shopping & street food, and running around Seoul tower

Singapore 🇸🇬

After Seoul, we went to Singapore! Vibed around, caught up with some of my buddies there, and had a few business meetings. I also hosted a wonderful event with Singapore Product Design and Design Buddies! 10 days was too short, and I didn’t get a chance to catch up with everyone. I’ll probably be back in Singapore every year. We’re hosting something big in Fall 2025 there. 

Singapore favorite spots (got a ton bc my family is from here, and I’ve been many times): Gardens by the Bay, Art Science Museum, Sentosa Island, Marina Bay neighborhood (like an instagram walk along the water), Museum of Ice Cream, Singapore Zoo, Hawker Centers, Chinatown, Orchard Road, Southern Ridges hiking

Bali, Indonesia 🇮🇩

Justin and I hosted Bunny Villa here!! We rented a nice villa for a month and invited our content creator friends to join us. It was a fun month of adventuring around Bali, jamming on content, and hosting parties in our Villa. The digital nomad community there is awesome. I liked swimming in the ocean and at the beach clubs the most. 

Bali favorite spots: Climbing Mount Batur volcano + hot springs nearby, snorkeling and climbing the beautiful beaches in Nusa Penida, beach clubs (luna, potato head), doing yoga at the studios, and Tanah Lot 

In between, I flew from Bali to Miami and then back to Bali. 60 hours on a plane in a week. Adobe flew me out to Adobe MAX and paid for everything. I made a lot of new friends and had some fun memories at MAX. Most importantly, got some more business partnerships, justifying why I would spend 60 hours on a plane. I networked HARD. 

Bangkok, Thailand 🇹🇭

After Bali, we spent a month renting a condo in one of the tallest buildings in Bangkok. There are so many exciting events, night markets, awesome people, 7-Eleven, pretty sights to see, culture, local life, and more. Haha, we also went to a bunch of crypto party events. I’m not in crypto but there was DevCon, a huge crypto conference. I learned to surf at one of them. We also hosted our largest international event here - a design holiday party with an awesome community here. 300+ designers showed up in person. 

Bangkok favorite spots: A hop on/off boat through the river and see all the big temples, floating market river tours, IconSiam + the art district nearby, Chinatown, Asiatique, Khaosan Road (nightlife and street food), and running around Queen Sirikit park

Saigon, Vietnam 🇻🇳

We made a short trip to Saigon, Vietnam, during our stay in Bangkok. Explored the city, did some touristy things, and hung out with some friends! Only 5 days there, but I would love to come back! 

Saigon favorite spots: Mekong river boat tour + island hopping, Bui Vien (most intense nightlife), Ngyuen Hue Street, Landmark 81, and wandering around Quan 1 to see many historical sites

Lisbon, Portugal 🇵🇹

We stayed in Alfama, which has been inhabited for almost 1000 years! The digital nomad community here has been my favorite so far because I had the most luck making friends. I love running here, and this city reminds me a lot about San Francisco, but it is older and more character-filled.

Lisbon favorite spots: Sintra castles, wandering around the old streets in Alfama, LXFactory, Barrio Alto and Chiado neighborhoods, Castleo De Sao Jorge, party boat in the water, and running along the water! 

Antarctica!! 🇦🇶

I embarked on a 3 week cruise with my parents. We started in Buenos Aires, then to Punta Arenas, Chile (Patagonia), Ushuaia, Argentina, Antarctica, Falkland Islands, and Montevideo, Uruguay 

I loved hanging out with all the penguins, and seeing all the different shaped icebergs, huge glaciers, whales, birds, and more. I also have a hard time making friends on cruises (bc everyone is like 50 years older than me) but I managed to make some new lifelong friends here!!

Buenos Aires, Argentina 🇦🇷

I spent a few days here before and after my cruise. I loved hanging out with my local friends here! I traveled solo for the first time here for a few days, and they helped me feel less lonely. I’m so grateful they took me out all day to show me around! I even hosted a Design Buddies meet up with Sara and Ivonne! 

Buenos Aires favorite spots: Palermo neighborhood (also loved staying here), Eco park, La Boca/Camito colorful neighborhood, Obelisco + wandering around the streets, and running around all the parks near Palermo! 

My key takeaways: I only want to plan my life one month at a time. No more signing one-year leases. 1 to 2 months is ideal to spend in a new place to get to know it. There are cool people and communities everywhere, not just in San Francisco. 

Quitting my corporate job was the best decision I’ve ever made. But I wouldn’t be here today without that experience. 

I’m Grace Ling, and I do many random things. I founded Design Buddies (150,000+ members, 2 million+ on socials). I draw, travel the world (40+ countries), host events, run, and more. Join me as I share my adventures here on my newsletter!

I hope you slay your day! Let’s stay in touch: LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Twitter.