Kyoto, Japan

Japan 2025 Cherry Blossom Forecast & Kyoto Sakura Season Viewing Guide

This guide to sakura season in Japan and cherry blossom forecast for 2025 covers our favorite spots, best temples & shrines in Kyoto, tips & tricks for avoiding crowds. We also take a deeper dive into the topic, highlighting hidden gems where you’ll find fewer people and no busloads of tour groups. (Updated January 21, […]

Tokyo, Japan

Robot Restaurant in Tokyo, Japan: Review, Reopening & Replacement

Robot Restaurant is a crazy dinner show in the neon district of Shinjuku in Tokyo with samurai, dancers, monsters, etc. This review shares whether it’s worth the money, photos from our experiences, and info about its replacement and reopening. (Updated January 21, 2025.) The bad news: Robot Restaurant has now been temporarily closed for the […]

Laguna Beach, CA

2025 Laguna Beach, California Planning Guide

Laguna Beach is the perfect relaxing vacation destination in Southern California, and this planning guide offers tips for visiting, things to do in 2025, hotel & restaurant recommendations, and what to know before your trip to Orange County. (Updated January 4, 2025.) We love Laguna Beach. It’s our favorite of the beach cities, and one […]

Los Angeles, California

FREE Travel Email Newsletter & Planning eBooks!

Our free newsletter offers travel tips & tricks for Japan, California, U.S. National Parks, and other favorite destinations. Beyond that, we cover the latest news, vacation planning guides, step by step itineraries, and more. Get Our FREE Emails! Name: Email: Upon signing up, you’ll also receive our FREE Japan on a Budget eBook. After subscribing via the form […]

Paris, France

Ultimate 2024 Paris, France City Guide

Our 2024 Paris travel guide offers info for making the most of your vacation, including things to do, transportation tips, hotel recommendations, where to eat, and more. It also covers how to efficiently see the city–where to stay and step-by-step itineraries. (Updated February 28, 2024.) Paris is a world capital of culture: everything from art to food […]

National Parks

Top 10 Things To Do In Glacier National Park

Here are my tips for visiting Glacier National Park, and top 10 things to do–from hiking to eating. This guide covers my favorite things I’ve done on trips to Montana, and isn’t be viewed as comprehensive. You’d need a month or more to even approach doing everything in GNP, and even then you’d miss plenty. […]

Universal Studios

2025 Universal Studios Japan Guide & Tips

This guide to Universal Studios Japan offers tips & tricks for visiting Osaka’s popular theme park, which is home to Super Nintendo World, Harry Potter, Jaws, and more! This includes USJ strategy & info about where to eat, what to do, how to avoid crowds, minimize wait times, and more! (Updated January 3, 2025.) After being […]

Hawaii

Volcano House Hotel Review: Hawaii National Park Lodge

Volcano House is the National Park Lodge located inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park with views of Halema’uma’u Crater at the rim of Kilauea caldera that costs ~$300 to 500 per night. This review features room photos, my experience with the accommodations & amenities, and thoughts from my stay. Volcano House is “Exhibit A” in the […]