Monthly Travel Bulletin – March 2017

Many travelers have compiled a number of places that they realize must be a part of their life experience. This is often called their “travel bucket list”.

This post summarizes two articles that provide travel tips directly related to travelers with very definite ideas about those special destinations.

One of these articles covers the steps that a novice traveler will need to follow in order to compile a bucket list, and then to plan and book their trip.

However, the second article goes a little deeper into the planning and implementation process in order to ensure that your special expedition meets all of your expectations and needs.

Japan is an enigmatic destination with many different types of appeal, some of which appear at first sight to be contradictory.

Here you will find ancient temples and avant-garde cities; traditional ramen houses and Macdonalds; scenic peaks as well as high-speed trains; cherry blossoms and plasma advertising billboards, and many others.

While Tokyo, in particular, has been seen as a costly destination, many of these assumptions can be seen as exaggerated in today’s tourism market.

Indeed, travel costs in Japan for tourists are today comparable with many countries in Western Europe, and indeed lower than New York or London.

Food can obviously be expensive, but there are many eating places that offer pleasant and sustainable food at reasonable prices.

Similarly, accommodation can cost as little as $20 per night in a dorm bed in a hostel to about $80 per night for a double room in a business hotel.

However, international chain hotels are significantly more expensive, generally from $200 per night upwards.

Now that the travel season is back upon us, remember that while traveling abroad you may be more at risk from crafty pickpockets and “con artists” than back home.

While away from home, you should be especially alert to protect yourself from anything that might seem a little odd.

There are a number of ways in which unscrupulous people will try to part an unwary tourist from his or her money and possessions.

These include: pickpocketing, counterfeit change, ATM skimming and many others.

Always keep your critical items such as passports and licenses apart from your wallet or handbag to prevent their loss.

Keep your cards in at least two locations so that you don’t lose them all in the case of theft, and keep information about how to report thefts with you so that you can cancel anything that you do lose.

A recently announced call from the European Parliament may result in the need for American tourists to apply for a visa if they wish to visit Europe in future.

This has been mooted in response to a refusal by the US border control to allow people from 5 European states to visit the US without a visa.

While travelers from the other EU states are eligible for entry using the US visa waiver program, the US State Department claims that Poland, Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania, and Cyprus do not meet US security requirements.

Only time will tell if this EU decision is ratified and, if so, what the impact on US tourism numbers into Europe may be.

We visited Dubrovnik in September 2013, and stayed in this lovely part of the Adriatic for a week.

We soon discovered that the topography of the Dubrovnik region is not what you would describe as flat – very little of the surrounding land seems to be on one level.

Of course, the undulating landscape provides much more interest, but you need to be relatively fit to explore all that Dubrovnik has to offer.

One of the most interesting landmarks is that of the Walls and Forts of Dubrovnik that extend along the seafront and surround the old town. These walls run for about 2 kilometres.