travel
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Japan [food and shopping]
And now for my FAVORITE part to write – the food and the shopping!! You’ll definitely want to bring an extra duffel bag or maybe even cop a suitcase from a Don Quijote store (they’re reasonably priced!) for the souvenirs and gifts you can get in Japan. Now that you have the context from my…
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Japan [places and things]
Part 2 – oh the places we’ll go in Japan! I felt like locations and things to do needed its own highlight. You can take quite a few day trips from Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo. Staying at all three of these main hubs and doing day trips is how you see the most. However, I’d…
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Japan [best timing and travel strategies]
Japan, oh where do I even start?! I’ve been procrastinating writing this because it’s such an overwhelming undertaking to summarize our 2-week trip. I’m going to start off by saying, we visited during the small window of peak cherry blossom season, so tourist numbers were at an all-time high, not to mention 2025 has seen…
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Thailand (Bangkok/Phuket)
Thailand has been on my travel bucket list for as long as I can remember! I felt very overwhelmed, and wanted assistance planning this trip, so I enlisted kimkim to help. It was the BEST decision! Tina was super helpful and planned the entire 8-day itinerary for me. She gave me a few options and…
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Marrakech (and Morocco generally!)
If the city could be defined in one word, it would be “commercialized”, as in on the touristy side, unfortunately, but that means it has upsides and downsides. I learned Morocco has different vibes, depending on where you are in the country and what you want to experience! A brief description of other cities, and…
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Fes (or Fez)
So far, my favorite Moroccan city to date. The city is full of families who have lived and worked there for generations – in the same house and trade for years! The people all rely on each other to get what they need for daily life. There are bakeries, potters, mosaic tile artists, tanneries, clothing…
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Bali
Where do I even begin – Bali has an incredible natural beauty in its many volcanoes and beaches, along with cultural richness in its temples and unique traditions!! This trip was so relaxing for us. Bali is a great place to focus on your health and overall wellness. It’s easy to find vegan/vegetarian (and generally…
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Crete
The largest and most populous island of Greece features more traditional villages and mountain ranges. Crete was much less expensive to eat and travel around on, and less touristy than some of the other Greek Islands. While we also traveled via ferry to Mykonos Island, a northern island closer to Athens, I’ll focus this post…
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Florence
A small quaint city, with walkable narrow streets and amazing food. This city is known for its artwork, with the region of Tuscany in its backyard! While only here for a few days, we maximized our time with a wine tour, cooking class, and museum visits. Also known as Firenze, it has a small-town feel…
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