Perfect Last Minute Travel Guide

I leave for Tokyo in four days! I honestly don't have time to do tons of research on my destinations, but I also want to have many great experiences during my five days in Tokyo. I discovered a fantastic travel guide that I must share with you! It's called "Five Great Days in Tokyo- A Walking Guide!" I discovered it while browsing the bookstore from my Kindle and downloaded it for less than $5 and in less than 30 seconds. This book is fantastic. It's written by an American who is married to a Japanese man and spent 12 years living in Tokyo. You could literally open this book on your first day in Tokyo and not have to do any preplanning! It outlines itineraries for each of five days that focus on different aspects of Japanese culture: food, history, art, architecture, rural life, etc. It also shows you the kanji (Japanese language characters) that you should be looking for on a restaurant sign or subway route so you can navigate without knowing any Japanese. The book gives you enough background on each activity so that it is meaningful, but not so much history that you feel like you have homework to do beforehand. I read the book in about 20 minutes and thoroughly enjoyed it. Before, I was overwhelmed with how to plan my five days in Tokyo, but now I am confident that I will have a great time and not feel like I have missed anything important. One of the days, I will take a high speed train out of Tokyo to experience a traditional Japanese village and see Mt. Fuji. I am so excited! I also took Alecia's advice and downloaded the book to the Kindle app on my iPhone as well, so that I can watch for the kanji characters as I walk down the street without having my Kindle out of my bag. Next thing on my to-do list is to figure out what to do in Shanghai! If only there were a book called "Two Great Days in Shanghai!"

INTL101: Passports & Visas Oh My!

Even though I have a U.S. passport, that won't gain me entry to anywhere I choose. Each country has it's own entry requirements and you must know them before you travel. For example, U.S. citizens traveling to Australia must apply for an ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization) one month before you travel, China requires a visa that can only be obtained via the Chinese Embassy, and Japan allows anyone to visit for 90 days without prior authorization. How does one keep track of all these requirements? A great travel resource is the website for the United States State Department. Here you will find international entry and exit requirements, travel advisories, information on terrorist activity, and a history of the relationship the U.S. has had with that nation. It is also full of information you need to know to avoid an unintended legal problem with a foreign nation. For example, it says that in China, taking photos of military buildings is grounds for arrest. Additionally, many nations will not allow you to enter or exit if your passport is set to expire within 6 months, even if your return trip is within that window. So, before you go, check out www.state.gov for important info.

Last-Minute Asian Getaway

I am about to discover just how prepared or unprepared I really am. I was just offered the opportunity to travel to Tokyo and Shanghai for 10 days with most of the expenses paid! The only catch is that I leave next week!!! It is going to be a challenge to manage work and other obligations while I am gone, but I just couldn't say no to this fabulous opportunity! I have 7 days to figure out how to spend my time in these two fabulous cities! I will keep you posted along the way. Post to the comments if you have been to Shanghai or Tokyo and your favorite experiences there. Most of the days I am there I will be exploring on my own. What are your travel tips for traveling alone?

Travel Tip: Be Prepared

Life is unpredictable and it pays to be prepared. Keep your toiletry bag packed with all the essentials. When you return from a trip and are unpacking, make it a habit of refilling anything that has been used up during the trip so you are ready for next time. Also, keep all of your travel essentials in one convenient location so you can easily access them. I keep my toiletry bag, noise-canceling headphones (airplane essential) and travel pillow in a box underneath my bed. You never know when a tragic (or wonderful) event would require you to leave town unexpectedly. Last year I received a phone call at 5am saying that my Grandmother was gravely ill and I needed to get to her very quickly. Because I was prepared, I was able to get to the airport in under an hour. I was very distressed and had my suitcase not been mostly packed already, I would not have been able to make decisions about what to pack and would not have made it so quickly. Being prepared isn't only beneficial in the sad times, but in the happy ones as well! With a mostly packed suitcase and a basic checklist, you could jet off to the Caribbean at a moments notice to take advantage of a super great last minute deal!
Life is unpredictable and it pays to be prepared. Keep your toiletry bag packed with all the essentials. When you return from a trip and are unpacking, make it a habit of refilling anything that has been used up during the trip so you are ready for next time. Also, keep all of your travel essentials in one convenient location so you can easily access them. I keep my toiletry bag, noise-canceling headphones (airplane essential) and travel pillow in a box underneath my bed. You never know when a tragic (or wonderful) event would require you to leave town unexpectedly. Last year I received a phone call at 5am saying that my Grandmother was gravely ill and I needed to get to her very quickly. Because I was prepared, I was able to get to the airport in under an hour. I was very distressed and had my suitcase not been mostly packed already, I would not have been able to make decisions about what to pack and would not have made it so quickly. Being prepared isn't only beneficial in the sad times, but in the happy ones as well! With a mostly packed suitcase and a basic checklist, you could jet off to the Caribbean at a moments notice to take advantage of a super great last minute deal!

Must Have: Convertible Bag

One bag to hold all your junk by day that becomes a tiny clutch by night? It's true! The Ibiza bag from Hayden Harnett has been on my wishlist for several years. It's a great work bag or travel bag because it's huge, has a separate compartment for a laptop (or other stuff) and can be configured and carried in no fewer than six ways! This bag is perfect to help you limit yourself to carry-on bags and would count as your "personal item" to accompany your carry-on suitcase. The large size is what you need to carry the flight essentials like water bottle, sweater, books, headphones, etc but when you arrive at your destination and no longer need such a huge bag, it can shrink to a more manageable size. Perhaps this bag remained on my wish list because of the price. A $200 price tag can definitely make me think two or three or four times about a purchase. But, can you imagine my excitement the day I discovered that Hayden Harnett created a line of bags for Target and made an almost exact replica of the Ibiza tote for less than $50?!? That bag, the flight tote, is now on clearance for $25! Snatch one up while you still can and let me know what you think!