Let’s recap the 9th edition of the TTI Bootcamp, featuring an epic 72-hour adventure in Ho Chi Minh City!
To say that The Travel Intern (TTI) Bootcamp was enjoyable would be an understatement. But to say it was simply memorable wouldn’t give it justice too.
Welcome to TTI21 Bootcamp in Ho Chi Minh City!
Going through the TTI Bootcamp is a rite of passage for new interns, before you’re officially welcomed into the family. While travelling the world, creating content, and getting paid for it sounds like a dream job, it’s definitely not all sunshine and rainbows.
You will get lost, make mistakes, and sometimes even question why you signed up for this job in the first place (LMAO).
Every intern is acutely aware that this trip would challenge us and push us out of our comfort zone. I knew for sure that the experiences we go through would offer us valuable lessons that would change the way we are, as travel content creators.
So without further ado, dive in and join us for our exhilarating week at the 2026 TTI Bootcamp, in Ho Chi Minh City!
Team Wellness: When Self-Care Meets the Hustle
Team Wellness: Joelle, Brina, Trini, Su (from left to right)
Our girls’ team, Team Wellness, filled their three days in HCMC with spa visits, shopping, and all things self-care. Not gonna lie, the entire office was so jealous watching them indulge in what looked like the ultimate wellness getaway.
From sipping on a humongous 2L cup of matcha at Kocha Matcha Spot…
to shopping at local boutique stores…
to soaking by a spa pool…
Their itinerary felt straight out of a whimsy girls trip. I genuinely couldn’t believe this was part of their job. It looked like SO. MUCH. FUN.
Imagine singing karaoke at a spa for your job. That’s insane, to say the least!
But as I later found out, their wellness journey wasn’t all that rosy.
With only three days and multiple wellness spots to cover, the team had a packed schedule filled with deliverables at every stop.
Between travelling and content creation, their days stretched late into the night, turning what looked relaxing on the surface into something physically and mentally exhausting.
Oh, and did I mention that there was heavy rain on our second day? That meant our girlies had to brave the downpour in their ao dài (traditional Vietnamese costume), while riding on motorbikes.
Our girls having a mini crash-out from the pouring rain…
Not exactly the serene self-care experience you’d imagine. Jialat potatoes.
Read also: Ho Chi Minh City Weekend Itinerary for the Girlies — All Things Beauty, Cafes and Shopping
Team Adventure: Smooth-Sailing… Until It Wasn’t
Team Adventure: Dat, Pearl, Aloysius, Brendan (from left to right)
In the meantime, Team Adventure looked like they were having the absolute time of their lives. Their itinerary was jam-packed with exciting activities…
from a hands-on Vietnamese coffee-making workshop,
to café hopping around the city,
and even go-karting at the longest track in South Vietnam!
It looked like it was a really easy journey for this peace-loving team.
But the inquisitive lizard in me was insistent to find out if they had any crazy moments from their experience.
As it turns out, the heavy rain didn’t spare them either. On Day 2, their plans to go paddleboarding along the Saigon River were almost derailed by a torrential downpour. At one point, it genuinely felt like there was no chance the activity would happen.
Rain, rain, go away…
But after some waiting (and a bit of optimism), the rain eased just enough for them to go ahead with it.
So there they were, paddling, balancing, and vlogging all at once. Till today, I’m still wondering how they were able to do all of these under the rain.
And just when everything seemed to be ending on a high note… things took a turn.
Right after disembarking, Brendan lost his balance and injured his leg — probably from all the standing and wobbling on the board. It felt like déjà vu, bringing us back to our 2022 Vietnam bootcamp, where he tripped on the beach and lost a toenail.
Oh no.
Not Aloy just calling out all of our seniors… LOL
At this point, it might be safe to say that Brendan and water activities in Vietnam are just… not meant to be.
Team Adrenaline: Trust the Process, Not Your Boss
Team Adrenaline: Hendric, Jing En, Kai Xin, Jeriah (from left to right)
And that brings us to our third team, where we took on the cultural and exhilarating sides of Ho Chi Minh City.
As the only intern teamed up with our big boss Hendric (a.k.a Uncle Potes), I made it a personal mission to leave a good impression… mainly by showering him with extra care (and food) during every meal.
I’d like to think I left a great impression on Bossman himself.
The next day, we embarked on a street motorbike food tour, where we got to try a wide variety of local delights across the city. It was also my first time riding a motorbike for that long in Vietnam, which was both scary and exciting!
And when I say we ate a lot, I mean a lot. From grilled oysters, banh mi to beef noodles, it was honestly impressive — and slightly concerning — how much food we managed to finish in a single session.
This one is Travel Intern or Feasting Intern?!
After all that binge-eating, we made our way to Dam Sen Water Park, one of the most famous water parks in the city.
Fun fact: I hadn’t been to a water park in over a decade, but I ended up having an absolute blast.
While the other teams had to deal with gloomy rainy weather, we were somehow blessed with clear blue skies for the rest of the day. I’d like to think it was just our team’s sunny energy at work.
From the water rides to just fooling around as a group, I’d gladly do it all over again.
Me attempting a backflip… but failing horribly.
To wrap up our time at Dam Sen Water Park, we decided to take on one of the biggest rides there — the Boomerang.
At first, it didn’t seem like a crazy ride… until we went down the mega slide. That’s when I knew our meme-worthy expressions were about to live on forever in the legacy of The Travel Intern.
Man oh man… what a crazy ride it was!
Just when I thought things couldn’t get more exciting, we tried the Human Claw Machine at AimBox in Vincom Plaza.
As the youngest (and self-proclaimed funny) intern, I was the obvious choice to go up the claw machine. Needless to say, I was extremely thrilled, and perhaps, a little too goofy.
But what I didn’t expect was Uncle Potes plotting his revenge for all my terrible jokes… because at one point, he decided to take control of the crane and literally left me hanging mid-air for 2 minutes straight.
In the name of content creation, man gotta do what he gotta do. Though I’m pretty sure I may have scared off the staff at the booth in the process… woopsies!
At least I was picked up for the first time in my life… UWU.
If there’s anything you should take away from this story, please never fully trust your boss.
Read also: 3D2N Ho Chi Minh City Budget Itinerary — S$1 Banh Mi, Local Water Park, Accommodation Under S$200
Chiong Party
The atmosphere in the room wasn’t looking the most upbeat as I entered the ballroom. After 2 and 1/2 full days of intense activity and travelling, it was time for the long-awaited finale of our bootcamp: Chiong Party.
For those wondering what Chiong Party even is, it’s a final exercise that culminates everything we’ve learnt over the past month. We have to produce media deliverables overnight, like articles, videos, and/or Instagram carousels.
The next morning, we present them and receive feedback from our seniors.
Rabak tomato… how to finish everything in one night?!
After the briefing at night, everyone locked in. The deadline? Next day, 8AM.
Our writers furiously typed away, churning out paragraphs, and speed-editing photos. Meanwhile, videographers hastily sifted through footage, stitching clips together to match their angles and storylines.
But of course, after two jam-packed days, exhaustion caught up with us.
As midnight passed, people slowly succumbed to the Z monster. One by one, our teammates knocked out in different corners of the hotel, and of course, we couldn’t resist documenting those unglamorous moments.
Goodnight lah…
And no Chiong Party would be complete without crash-outs. I was a victim to a few — especially when my WordPress decided to crash and send my images completely haywire. HALPS.
At around 4:30AM, I realised I was the only one still awake, panicking over finishing my full-length article.
That was when Trini casually said, “You know you don’t actually need to finish the full article… right? Did you pay attention to the briefing?”
I quickly re-opened the assignment brief, and realised I only needed to present a few parts of my article. Meanwhile, I had been obsessively trying to perfect the full article the entire time.
Oh my golly!
So I focused on my slides instead and finished them in an hour. With adrenaline at an all-time high, clarity returned, and by sunrise, I produced something I was genuinely proud of.
And soon, it was time for our presentations.
Our seniors reviewing our deliverables after a long 8 hours of hard work!
Despite the sleepless night and a few unfinished drafts, the quality of work produced within just 12 hours was honestly impressive. Looking back at our articles and videos, I was reminded of how much our potential stretches far beyond what we often believe.
More importantly, it’s understanding the purpose behind what we do that allows us to work smarter, not just harder.
Sometimes, the toughest nights reveal the greatest lessons.
Is the Destination or the Journey More Important?
Our team bonding activity… at a horror escape room!
Watching ourselves survive the TTI Bootcamp in Ho Chi Minh City felt surreal. I was immensely proud of the entire team for pulling through the three long days of adventure and chaos.
Nonetheless, I’ve come to realise that every experience was intentionally designed to test our resilience, ignite collaboration, and teach us to travel better, smarter, and braver.
As we looked back at the highlights of our trip over dinner, a question came to my mind: “What matters more, the destination or the journey?”
I’d like to think in fact, it’s the people.
Immensely grateful for my fellow interns for growing with me on this journey!
I enjoyed the places we visited — not only because they were beautiful — but because of the people who were there with me. Their laughter, their energy, and their kindness made everything all the more wonderful.
Even documenting our trip home on the plane could bring so much joy <3
Is Travelling for Work Really Worth It?
As I get older, I’ve been seeing my friends work in their corporate jobs, getting burnt out, complaining about their colleagues — and I didn’t like that feeling.
I wanted to find work that still felt like play.
Was that even possible?
Through this TTI Bootcamp, I had the time of my life with my team travelling and creating content for our job. I realised, yes, this reality is indeed negotiable.
I genuinely believe it is possible to find work that truly feels like play.
Arguably, travelling the world for work is not all glamorous as people would assume. There’s always a perennial struggle in balancing whether to live in the moment, or cover as much content as possible.
Yet, looking back on these memories, the struggle feels small compared to the reward. If my work inspires even one person to take their own leap of faith, and discover what the world has to offer, that’s really all that matters.
I don’t think I’m the best traveller, content creator, or even the best version of myself yet. And there are days I beat myself up for that.
But learning from all of my teammates reminded me of this age-old wisdom: “The outcome is for the ego, and the journey is for the soul”.
In spite of all my imperfections, I’m already becoming better with each lesson. All I have to do is stay on this path, trust the process, and continue sharing the adventure with the people who make it worthwhile.
TTI21 Bootcamp, signing out!
Till the next one, I’m ready.
If you’re feeling kaypoh for more exciting tea, check out what happened on our bootcamps over the years:
– The First TTI Bootcamp in Penang — 72 Hours of Madness
– The Bánh-tastic & Un-phở-gettable — TTI Bootcamp in Vietnam
– 8 Screw Ups That Every Traveller Fears — TTI Bootcamp in KL
Interested in joining us for the next The Travel Intern bootcamp? Let us know in the comments below!
