Year: 2026

How to Visit the Tuna Auction at the Toyosu Fish Market

Ever since my first visit to Tokyo in 2010, I’ve always wanted to see the famous tuna auction. Back then, the market was located on Tsukiji, and, although I got to visit the market later in the day, the tuna auction was out of reach due to poor travel logistics so early in the morning (but more on that later).

When we returned to Tokyo, the market had been moved to a massive new facility nearby and renamed as the Toyosu Fish Market. Much like our first trip, the logistics made it tricky for us to try to go to the tuna auction, and we only visited the facility in the afternoon once sales had ended for the day.

But on our third trip, we were staying nearby, threw our name into the lottery to score tickets for the auction, and won the chance to view the tuna auction the very first morning of our trip. Being five minutes away and winning the tuna auction lottery? You couldn’t ask for better luck.

So in this one, we wanted to share what you need to do to win tickets to the tuna auction, more about those pesky travel logistics, and share additional details to keep in mind- including that you can still visit the auction even without winning the lottery!

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How To Fix a Hole in a Backpack in a Few Simple Steps

Not but three weeks into our year-and-a-half-long journey around the world did I realize my backpack had a hole in it.

Not just a tiny hole, one that you’d see after it was scraped against something sharp, but a big gaping hole along a seam that was only going to get bigger with each passing day.

Although my pack was almost 5 years old at the time, I was surprised that this had happened so quickly.  Not only that, it was at the bottom of the bag, one of the worst places it could have occurred.

Cue panic.

After a few minutes composing ourselves, we figured out a rather robust repair that lasted the duration of our trip.

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How Many Days Do You Need on Easter Island?

Ahu Tongariki on Easter Island

When it comes to helping others with their trips to Easter Island, we seem to get one question over and over again. 

It is simply this: how many nights do I need?

Considering Easter Island is only about 60 square miles and you can drive around it in a few hours, you may think you only need two or three night there.

But in order to truly see it all, we have determined that the magic number is five nights to visit Easter Island, and we have a very good reason for it.

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Pros and Cons of Visiting Northern Europe in the Winter

While many travelers like to visit Europe in the summer months (and oh is it busy), we’re starting to travel more and more in the winter months.

Part of this is to enjoy winter activities like seeing the northern lights or other outdoor activities (snowshoeing, skiing, etc.). But another part is because Europe in the winter is often much quieter (apart from select destinations) and gives us a chance to go slower and enjoy a different style than what we were used to in the summer months.

In a way, visiting northern Europe in the winter is like a double-sided coin. On one side, we have perks for traveling in a slower season. On the other side, there is an associated drawback because of the winter season. So while we do love visiting northern Europe in the winter, there are many pros and cons to consider!

Note: We should reiterate that this article focuses on northern Europe in particular over the Mediterranean. Some of these cases may apply further south, but we’re looking at places that are cold, dark, and, depending on the temperature, snowy here!

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