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How to Find Secret Spots and Hidden Gems (9 Resources to Help You Find Adventure Off The Beaten Path)

By Jackie|2024-04-19T00:30:04+00:00November 11, 2020|Eco-Friendly Travel, Travel Tips|



	
	
		
	

		
			
						
		
			

					
					
				
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						Here’s a 2-week Japan itinerary I bet you haven’t seen yet 🇯🇵 

Creating this itinerary was so fun (full on flow state) because I never got around to sharing much from our trip to Japan, but it was one of my very favorites! 

I’m fully aware that this is NOT how 99% of people choose to see the country on their first visit to Japan, but we wanted to cover a lot of ground and see some places that were extra special and off the beaten path. 

Our route looked like this:

* Day 1: Fly into Tokyo (NRT), spend the night
* Day 2-4: Kyoto 
* Day 5-6: Osaka
* Day 7: Take the Shinkansen alllll the way down to Kagoshima, spend the night
* Day 8-11: Hop on the ferry to the island of Yakushima and rent a car (don’t forget your rain jacket! This is on of the rainiest places in Japan)
* Day 12-14: Take a short domestic flight back to Tokyo and visit the city before you head home

 🗓️ WHEN TO GO: Right now during spring for cherry blossoms or Oct - November for the fall 

Sometimes you can find flights as low as $500 from JFK or LAX 

🇯🇵 Save this itinerary for when you start planning. And say ‘JAPAN’ for my (very informal) list of notes, saved spots + must-do’s along this route 

#japan #travelguide #itinerary
						
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						3 things I stopped doing so I could travel more affordably 👇

(Like this post if you find this helpful!)

1️⃣ I stopped choosing the destination first and started chasing the flight deals instead. When you’re open to exploring any destination, you can look for the cheapest flights because airlines often have special offers, last-minute deals, or less popular routes that are way cheaper than usual.

Here’s a tip: Use the Google Flights explore tab to put ‘anywhere’ as your destination. It will show you a list of the cheapest flights from your chosen airport. 

You can also sign up for a cheap flight notification service like Going, which sends cheap flights from your chosen airport directly to your inbox. 

✈️ Say ‘Cheap Flight’ and I’ll send you a 🔗 to sign up 

2️⃣ I stopped paying for flights out of pocket and started paying for 75% of my flights with points and miles. 

An easy way to start accruing miles is by funneling all of your necessary expenses through a dedicated travel credit card. @pointsforfamilytravel , @thepointsguy and @letstraveltalk have great resources for getting started 

3️⃣ I  stopped unnecessary spending in my everyday life. Something that helped the most was to start thinking about things in terms of travel. Like how going out to eat once a week averaged about $400/month, which could have paid for a rental car for 1 week abroad. Or how getting my nails done was $60, but so is the cost of checking a bag. 

Of course this isn’t an exhaustive list of things that help me travel on a budget, but with summer travel around the corner I figured I’d share a few things that have always worked well for me! 

Let me know if this helps you save some money on your next trip 💰 

✨Follow for more travel guides, tips, and destinations 

#travelhacks #budgettravel
						
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						8 things that surprised me the most about Japan 🇯🇵 as an American 🇺🇸 

1. The silence. The cities, subways and train stations are so QUIET. You rarely hear more than the train whirring by and the clicking of people’s shoes as they hurry along. In the cities, there’s no honking, screaming, or crazy commotion

2. The book covers. Everyone on the train has covers on their books so you can’t see what they’re reading. Then I learned it’s the norm when I bought a book and the book store automatically covered it for me! It’s still one of my favorite souvenirs

3. The lack of garbage cans. And the lack of litter, even though there’s no garbage cans 🙌🏼

4. The fact that you can just leave your bicycle outside in Tokyo without a lock. Or that you can reserve a table in a crowded room by leaving your WALLET on the table. (Seriously, where else in the world can you do that?!)

5. The juxtaposition of old world and new age architecture everywhereeee you look. It’s surreal to stand on the balcony of an ancient temple overlooking a modern city 

6. Everything runs on time. Like everything. Planes, trains, buses, ferries. Down to the exact minute, pretty much every single time. I write this as I wait for a train currently running 20 minutes late in NY 🙄

7. Toilets that play music and automatically open when you walk in, the vending machines on every street corner that only sell canned drinks, red wine served ice cold, and the fact that I didn’t find Japan to be that expensive (unpopular opinion I guess)

8. 3 beds per room. This was the first time I’ve seen triple rooms, where there are 3 twin sized beds lined up in a row. It seems very popular in the bigger cities like Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto 

🚆We spent 2 weeks traveling from Tokyo allllll the way down to the tiny islands off the coast of Kagoshima and I’ve been dreaming about going back ever since. Japan is easily one of my favorite countries in the world 

Have you been to Japan yet?
						
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						This underrated Caribbean vacation is only a 4.5 hour flight from NYC ✈️ 

📍 @alaiabelize on Ambergris Caye, Belize. Say ‘Alaia’ and I’ll send the info to your inbox

We love Belize and were so excited to relax for a bit on Ambergris Caye. We flew into BZE, hopped on a 15 minute puddle jumper to San Pedro, and checked into
Alaia, a beachfront resort with a rooftop pool, great food and beautiful views.

Here’s a sample itinerary if you’re planning a trip:

✈️ Airport: Philip S.W. Goldson International (BZE) + Tropic Air hopper to San Pedro (SPR)

⏰ Time Needed: 4–5 days. Piggyback with a weekend and you’ll only need to use 2-3 days of
PTO!

🌴 Itinerary Highlights:
Day 1:
• Fly to San Pedro + check in at Alaia Belize
• Sunset sushi at Vista Rooftop

Day 2:
• Morning yoga + beach breakfast
• Rent a golf cart from the front desk at Alaia and head to Secret Beach. On the way back,
browse the San Pedro Artisan Market and grab lunch at the local food trucks

Day 3:
• Relax in a poolside cabana or book a diving or snorkeling excursion to Hol Chan Marine
Reserve
• Treat yourself to a spa treatment at K’in Spa (I highly recommend the deep tissue
massage!)
• Sign up for mixology class or grab dinner at The Deck Restaurant on site

Day 4:
• Blue Hole flyover. If you’re going to splurge on one thing, make it this! (as long as you’re
okay with very small planes)
• Book a sunset sail through Alaia to watch the sunset and maybe spot some dolphins
• Fancy dinner at Sea Salt Restaurant with live music

🌴 Is Belize on your radar? Say ‘Alaia’ and I’ll send you the info to book your stay!
						
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						Our world is SO BEAUTIFUL 😭

This is The Great Blue Hole and the Belize Barrier Reef in Belize and I highly recommend adding it to the top of your travel wish list. You can scuba dive into the hole, but I think it’s best seen from the air on a scenic flight with Tropic Air. 

Just make sure to take your Dramamine before you go if you get sick on little planes! 

———

🌴 🇧🇿 Belize is one of my favorite countries in the world and I have tons of free guides on my bl0g, The Adventures Atlas, to help you plan your next trip, including:
• The best things to do on Caye Caulker
• The places to see in Belize
• A complete road trip itinerary including Mayan Ruins • Tips for renting a car and driving in Belize

Check the 🔗 on my profile or Say BELIZE and I’ll send it to you!

Follow for more adventures and places you might not know about ✨
						
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