Japan Cruise: Kanazawa, Otaru, Aomori, Hakodate, and Bosun, South Korea

 

Our second week of the Japan headed up the western coast of Japan into the Sea of Japan and included a stop in South Korea. Here are the highlights:

 

Japan Cruise: Omaezaki, Kobe, Kochi, and Fukuoka (Hakata)

 

Our first week on the Japan cruise, we visited Omaezaki, Kobe, Kochi, and Fukuoka (Hakata) as we sailed south from Yokohama. Here are the highlights:

 

One big lesson I learned on this trip was that we overbooked excursions. I was unsure about how easy it would be to navigate from the ports. It turned out most ports had a shuttle to the downtown area or public transit.  I underestimated how comfortable we could be at navigating in Japan.

 

Japan Series: Toyko, Osaka, and a baseball game in Yokohama

 

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Our first week in Japan was great. We spent 4 nights in Tokyo, 3 nights in Osaka, and one night in Yokohama: 

Japan Series: Tips for Japan

 

Are you heading to Japan?

Here’s some things I wished I’d known before my April 2023 trip:

 

 

 

 

Japan Series: The United Polaris Business Class flight review and tips for long flights

 For our flight to Japan, we booked a United Polaris Business Class ticket from Tampa, Florida through Chicago O'Hare airport to Haneda airport near Tokyo, Japan. Polaris is United's newest version of International Business Class. 

Here's a review of my experience: 

The O'Hare Polaris Lounge is a great reprieve in the airport. It offers a small buffet, bar, showers, and a sit down restaurant. I recommend leaving at least an hour to eat in the sit down restaurant as there can be a wait. Overall, I think it's a great lounge and a nice perk for flying Polaris. 

It was so nice to arrive in Japan slightly refreshed and not in a total Zombie haze from being awake all night.  

A few other things I find helpful for long international flights: 

Market Pavilion Hotel Review, Charleston

 My husband and I just returned last week from a weekend getaway to Charleston, SC. During our visit we stayed at the Market Pavilion Hotel and I thought this was a wonderful place to stay if you are visiting the area and wanted to share our experience.

The hotel is located in downtown Charleston right next to the Charleston City Market and close to bars, restaurants, shopping, attractions, the waterfront and the cruise terminal.

A weekend in Charleston

By Katy Dehaven

 My husband and I recently spent the weekend in Charleston, SC. I hadn’t been to this area since I was a kid. I couldn’t believe all that there was to see and do! One of the first questions we were asked when we arrived was if we were in town for Bachelor/ Bachelorette parties or a wedding. Charleston has become a destination hotspot for both and I can easily see why. The historic charm of the downtown area coupled with all bars, restaurants and attractions make this an ideal location for a celebration. 

Travel Tip: How to make the most of your time off

 Want to travel more, but just can't seem to find the time?

In this video, I share how my husband and I hacked our paid time off to take more trips: 

I explain how to: 

Piggyback trips on paid holidays

Search for nonstop flights from your local airport to lessen the time in transit 

The benefits of blocking out the vacation time early and the best time to do it.