Travel
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Riding the Hello Kitty Shinkansen Train in Japan!
The cutest way to travel around western Japan is with Hello Kitty as your train’s conductor. Take advantage of the JR Pass and ride this Hello Kitty-themed train to western destinations such as Osaka, Kobe, Himeji, Hiroshima, and Yamaguchi. While staying in Osaka I was able to ride the Hello Kitty train to Kobe. Even though it was a short ride, I still got to experience all this super cute train had to offer. The Hello Kitty train is a white, gold, and pink bullet train decorated with Hello Kitty and her signature bow. It has both passenger and non-passenger cars as well as reserved and non-reserved seating. It is…
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A Magical Time at the Studio Ghibli Theme Park (& How You Can Visit It Too!)
Ghibli Theme Park The Ghibli Theme Park is an interactive park dedicated to the world of Studio Ghibli. You will find yourself immersed in scenes from our beloved Ghibli classics as you explore all this park has to offer. It is located in Aichi, Japan, and is not to be confused with the Ghibli Museum which is located in Tokyo, Japan. The Ghibli Theme Park is still fairly new and undergoing expansion, so this post will only cover information on the parts of the park we visited- Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse. However other areas of the park include the newly opened Mononoke Village, Dondoko Forest, and the Hill of Youth. To…
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Eating Bear-Shaped Food at Rilakkuma’s Tea House in Kyoto, Japan!
Did you know there’s a renowned Rilakumma-themed cafe in Kyoto, Japan? I didn’t until I started doing research on themed cafes for my most recent visit. Nestled close to the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove is Rilakkuma’s Teahouse, a store and cafe dedicated to the popular San-X bear, Rilakkuma, and friends. Themed cafes, especially in popular areas, tend to get busy quickly and it may prove troublesome to try and get a table. My original gameplan was to head straight for Arashiyama Bamboo Grove and then find our way to Rilakkuma’s Teahouse, but I was surprised to see a giant Rilakkuma statue directly across the street as we headed to the bamboo…
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Must Visit Black Sand Beach in Bali
Whenever I plan to go on a trip, I always make a huge list of points of interest and places I might want to see. After I make the list, I go into my Google Maps and begin pinning the places all over the map. For Bali, I had about a dozen beaches pinned. This wasn’t abnormal, Bali is a tropical destination and known for its beaches. However, I was hardly planning to spend my time at the beach when there was so much to explore so I decided to pick one beach I had to visit. That beach was Pantai Pasut. On Tuesday, I had a tour planned and…
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I Stayed At the Most Beautiful Villa for $107/Night!
The most enticing thing about a trip to Bali is how strong the U.S. dollar is. Everything is unbelievably affordable, whether it be food, entry tickets, transportation, or shopping. This mainly includes the accommodations, as you can find an incredibly nice hotel for unreal prices in Bali. I stayed in two different accommodations during my trip to Bali. The first was a boutique hotel in Ubud near the Monkey Forest. I stayed here from Thursday until Tuesday and paid about $140 for the entire stay. My second accommodation was a private 1 bedroom villa with a pool in Seminyak. I stayed from Tuesday until Thursday and paid about $243 for…
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Travel Essentials Every Travel Junkie Needs to Have
As an avid traveler, there are several items I’ve come across that have changed the efficiency of preparing for or during a trip. Here are the things I consider travel essentials that you need! RFID Blocking Wallet or Passport If you don’t currently have an RFID-blocking wallet or passport cover, consider getting one. Many people pass through and around airports and there are countless stories of people having their card information stolen without encountering anyone. Hard Shell Luggage Set You’re traveling all over the world now, it’s time to get matching, hard-shell luggage. First, it’s good to have matching luggage if you ever travel with more than one bag or…
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Tirta Gangga Water Palace
Out of all the places I visited in Bali, Tirta Gangga Water Palace was in my top 3 if not my ultimate favorite. It’s a major tourist destination in eastern Bali and if you’re planning on visiting the Gates of Heaven, you can’t miss out on this water palace either. We headed to Tirta Gangga directly from my buffet lunch so I can’t say exactly how far it is from where I was staying in Ubud. Additionally, there was some sort of festival or ceremony going on so there was already a bit more traffic than usual to get there. However, you do get an incredibly scenic view on the…
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Watching the Sunrise Over An Active Volcano
One of the most unique activities I had planned for my trip to Bali was a sunrise jeep trek with KLook. If you plan to travel to Bali someday, this is an excursion you can’t miss out on. At 3 am I woke up to get ready for my early 4 am pick-up with KLook. They met me at my accommodations in Ubud and drove about an hour to North Bali. As much as I wanted to sleep, it was an incredibly scenic drive once we were out of the Ubud area and further north, with a view of the mountain and the lake. We arrived at a parking lot…
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20 Hours in Singapore
Changi Airport, located in Singapore, is often regarded as the best airport in the world. Not only this, Singapore Airlines is considered one of the best airlines in the world. This is why I chose not only to fly Singapore Airlines for my trip to Indonesia but also to have a long layover at Changi Airport. Whoever said that Changi Airport was the best airport in the world was telling the truth. The airport is home to many gardens, places to see live animals and even a 24-hour movie theatre. However, that's just scratching the surface of all that Changi offers.
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Solo Travel: How to Make the Leap
Solo travel is an absolutely beautiful thing that I think everyone should experience at least once in their life. It's not as simple as just planning a trip and hopping on a plane however, many people desire to venture into solo travel- but simply don't know where or how to begin. My hope is that I can provide some tips and insight into solo travel that will have you scrambling to book a flight by the time you finish reading this.
