Year: 2018

Shibuya Crossing – The Masses Are Amazing!

My favorite spot in all of Tokyo is not one that you would normally think of.  No, it is not a large shrine like at the Nikko Temple or one of the dozen of multistory electronic shopping centers; although the Sony store is quite amazing in its own right.  While it is considered a tourist attraction, the place is also practical for tens of thousands of people every day.  That is the world famous Shibuya scramble crossing, one of the world's largest cross walks.

The district of Shibuya is one of Tokyo's more famous regions, with the popular Meiji Shrine nearby as well as neon signs in just about every place imaginable.  With one of the busiest subway lines in Japan, the mass entrance and exit of people produce the biggest crossing I have ever, and probably will ever see.  Estimates for how many people cross during each exchange is disputed, but I would not be surprised if it broke 1,000 every crossing (~500/minute average).

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Contiki Tours Review – Why I Picked Them for My First Trip

Ten years ago, several months before this blog even existed, I went on my first trip overseas. With absolutely zero stamps in my brand new passport and having never traveled solo before in my life, you could say that international travel was a new experience for me.

Looking back now, after having traveled for many years in 70+ countries, filling my passport a few times over in the process, I can say that I've grown a lot as a traveler.

But for that very first trip, I was clueless and a little bit terrified. With limited time and a modest budget, I decided to go for it all and book a guided tour. One that would end up changing the course of my life forever.

It was with Contiki tours. Europe was in my sights.

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The Top 10 Things to Do in Mauritius to Enjoy Paradise

Think of Mauritius and your mind instantly conjures up images of powder white beaches and tropical palm trees. A popular honeymoon destination and a luxury hot spot for celebrities and jet setters, Mauritius is one of the closest things to paradise on earth.

Mark Twain put it perfectly; “You gather the idea that Mauritius was made first and then heaven, and that heaven was copied after Mauritius.”

Mauritius isn’t just about beaches. If you can tear yourself away from the exotic sands for just a second; there are many things to do in Mauritius including activities, historic sights and lush forests. So book your plane ticket, grab that beachfront hotel, rent a car, and hit these ten great spots!

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How Much Was Our Our Two Week Spain Honeymoon?

After returning from our Spain honeymoon, we had one question more than all others: just how much did it cost? 

Well, we are not afraid to let the world know that we spent just about $5,885 for our 15-day luxury honeymoon in Spain, or about $392/day.

While that number is high, as Spain is known for being relatively inexpensive for the budget traveler, keep in mind the fact that we went all out in nearly every aspect of the honeymoon with little regard to prices. 

Spain was actually our chosen destination for this very reason as we'd much rather spend more money in a cheaper destination doing everything we wanted to rather than skimping in a more expensive destination just to get by within a manageable budget.

But like all things on this site, we kept a record of our spending. Yes, even on our honeymoon we still worked to log every penny spent to give you a complete idea on what it would be like to travel the way we do.

Of course, as this trip was our honeymoon and is the opposite of what most people consider for budget or long-term travel, we'll do our best to highlight the reasons why our number was significantly higher than what should be required.

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