The Social Travel Experiment

Are you using Couchsurfing to get to know locals (or travelers from all over the world) and to share cultural experiences with them? Do you want to further intercultural understanding by providing an authentic place to stay for people interested in you and your country, and not just your couch? But you are getting tired […]

Our first stop on our trip around the world was Hong Kong. Why? Because it was the cheapest destination from Nagoya, and because we both had never been there. In 5 days we explored quite a bit of this fascinating country/city, and in this post, I would like to share with you the things to […]

Hi, future world explores, My own gap year is now only days away, and I finally started packing my new backpack the Osprey Sirrus 50 liter for real. A couple of weeks ago I did a packing trial run, to see if everything fits and whether the designated gap year backpack is too heavy or […]

Our first stop on our trip around the world was Hong Kong. I had never been there even though it is only a 4-hour flight away from Japan and it can be reached quite cheaply using LCCs like Hong Kong Express. And the first thing I wanted to do in Hong Kong was a walking […]

The wait is almost over. I am going to start my gap year around the world in only a couple of weeks. In a little more than a year, I went from an idea all the way to the actual start of my trip around the world. In between, there was much to consider, decide, […]

My first and only day trip to Nikko was 3 years ago. It was my first day trip with Taka and the first time I got out of Tokyo after arriving there 2 months earlier to work at a Japanese IT consulting company. The trip has been a fond memory ever since, and I feel […]

The first clear drink I came across in Japan was Yogurina a clear yogurt drink. I thought it was strange to have a bottle that looks like water but tastes like yogurt, but it got me curious (which is probably the whole point of making a yogurt drink look like water). So I bought a […]

If you are considering to take a gap year from your job or after school or university and you want to use it to make a RTW (Round The World) trip, then you have come to the right place. In this post, I will teach you where to start with your considerations and your planning […]

In May of 2018, we made our fourth trip to the Fuji Five Lakes. This area located in Yamanashi prefecture lies 2 hours east of Tokyo and is a perfect day trip destination. If you were looking for day trips to view Mount Fuji from Tokyo, you probably stumbled upon the following things: Fuji Kawaguchiko, […]

Visiting an Onsen (a Japanese Hot Spring) should be on every visitor’s Japan bucket list. The Japanese hot springs are famous for its healing powers and long tradition similar to the Roman baths. There are areas in Japan that are famous for its Onsen waters which are pumped up from sometimes hundreds of meters below […]