Manila Book Launch
Career or Travel,
Why Not Both?
Published by Penguin Random House SEA
Thursday, 10 September 2026
6:30 to 8:00 PM
Main Stage, Manila International Book Fair
SMX Convention Center Manila
Book signing and meet and greet
What the night looks like
Ever dreamed of working from a beach in Bali, a cafe in Paris, or a co-working space in Dubai?The question on the back of the book
For most people holding a passport from the Global South, that dream feels like it belongs to somebody else. I spent over a decade proving it does not, and the book is the game plan I wish someone had handed me at the start.
For forty minutes I will walk you through the part of the story that never fit into a caption. How I left for Kuwait at twenty with no plan. How I saved five thousand dollars in the Kurdistan oil fields and spent it on a one way ticket. How I built a career I could carry across borders, and what it actually cost.
Then the floor is yours, and I answer the questions the pages could not. After that I sign books and we take photos. No rush, no queue managers, no time limit.
The talk
The chapters I lived before I wrote them. Kuwait, Kurdistan, and the one way ticket that started it.
The questions
Whether you are a fresh graduate or a professional seeking freedom, ask me the hard ones. Visas, money, clients, fear.
The signing
Your copy, signed by hand, with your name written in it if you want.
01 Work out your total
Pre-order a signed copy for PHP 1,027 and I will hold a free seat for you at the Main Stage. Send your payment first, then fill in the form at the bottom of this page so I can match your name to it.
02 Send it to any of these
Tap a number to copy it.
- GCash Katrina Umandap
- BDO Katrina Umandap
- BPI Katrina Medina Umandap
- Metrobank Katrina Medina Umandap
Keep your receipt open. The form at the bottom of this page asks for your reference number. That number is how I confirm your seat, so please send it exactly as it appears on your confirmation screen.
Reserve your seat
Two minutes. I read every one of these myself.
03 Where to pick up your book
At the launch
I hand it to you myself at the signing table, right after the talk. This is also when we do the meet and greet.
Fully Booked booth
Cannot stay after the talk, or cannot make the date at all? Collect your signed copy at the Fully Booked booth on any day of the Manila International Book Fair.
- You send PHP 1,027 per copy to any of the accounts above.
- You fill in the form with your reference number and where you want to collect.
- I confirm within two working days by email, once your payment shows up on my side.
- You bring that email on 10 September. It is your seat pass at the Main Stage.
Before you ask
Do I have to buy a book to attend?
The free seat is tied to the pre-order. If you cannot pre-order, come anyway. The Main Stage has open seating and I would rather see you there than not. The reserved seats are just closer to the front.
Can I pay at the door instead?
The PHP 1,027 price is a pre-order price and it includes the signed copy plus the held seat. At the fair the book sells at retail through Fully Booked.
Can I send the payment for someone else?
Yes. Put their name in the form and your reference number. I match by reference, not by sender.
What if I cannot come on 10 September?
Choose the Fully Booked booth option and pick your signed copy up on any day of the fair. You still get the book, signed, with your dedication.
Can I buy more than five copies?
Yes. Message me on Instagram at @kach.umandap and I will set it up. Schools, book clubs and companies are welcome and there is a separate rate for bulk orders.
Will there be photos?
Yes. Bring your camera. I am not leaving until everyone who wants one has one.
About the book
For many people, combining work and travel feels impossible, especially when facing the limitations of a passport from the Global South. I know those limitations first hand. I am the first Filipino to travel to every country in the world solely on a Philippine passport, and I have spent over a decade building a location independent life.
Career or Travel, Why Not Both? gives you both a game plan and the unreserved courage to follow it. How to find remote work that pays in foreign currency, how to build a visa history that gets you approved, how to price yourself, and how to keep the money once you earn it. Personal stories, expert insights, and hard earned lessons. Nothing in it is theory. All of it is what I did.
It is more than a guide. It is a movement, and your journey starts now.
Opportunity can be built, even when it wasn't given to you at birth.Kach Umandap