Danielson Airport

traveling costa rica alone

Trekking in the Himalayas can be a great, even life-changing experience. Good planning of your trekking trip increases your chances of a successful trekking trip. Go through this little check list to make sure you remember some of the essentials in your planning.

1. Trekking alone or together with others

As a general idea, trekking alone in the Himalayas is not advisable. The main drawback is that in case of an accident or a sudden bout of altitude sickness, you can be stranded for days far away from civilization. You usually can’t just pick up a phone and call for help. But it is possible to trek alone. The best thing about trekking alone is that you will be in complete control of when and where you stop for a break, camp or settle in for the night. On the popular trekking routes you can usually talk with other trekkers and locals. To avoid trekking alone, ask for trekking partners on some of the online trekking forums. You can also hire a guide to go with you.

2. Trekking with a guide

Especially if it is your first trek, a guide can be a good idea. You just need to make sure that it is a good guide who understands and respects your wishes. If possible, a face-to-face meeting with a guide prior to trekking is always advisable. In many parts of the Himalayas, a local guide can be hired without having to pay a fortune.

3. Camping trek vs. tea-house trek

If you bring your own camping gear on a trek, or if you are booking a camping trek through a trekking agency, you will have extra possibility of exploring the more remote mountain areas. It is a great way to get away from the beaten track and avoid the crowd of other trekkers. But it requires a lot more gear. In places like the Nepal Himalayas, it is easy to go on a tea-house trek where you will be staying in family-run lodges along the route. Typically, these village lodges / tea-houses are found up to 4000 meters / 13,500 feet altitude and are open all year round.

4. Best time to trek in the Himalayas

Trekking in the Himalayas can actually be done all year round. But the best time to trek is usually considered September-October-November for the southern side of the Himalayas, and July-August-September for the northern side of the Himalayas, also known as the trans-Himalayas. Trekking in the winter season, December-January-February is also a good option, as there won’t be so many other trekkers and the weather is mostly clear. But you need to be prepared for high mountain passes that are closed for days or weeks due to heavy snow fall. So if you are on a tight schedule, you may have to abort your trek during this season. March-April-May-July (pre-monsoon) is generally considered the second-best time for trekking in the Himalayas. The weather is usually good, although it can be a bit hazy.

5. Trekking style

If you are trekking with friends or other people, make sure you all agree on your common ‘trekking style’. Are you going quickly or slowly? Are you following the trails or will you be doing off-trail expedition style trekking? Are you doing lightweight trekking or carrying a lot of ‘extras’?

Whether you are an experienced outdoor person or completely new to trekking, proper planning and a bit of background knowledge is always helpful. Visit my trekking blog that is stuffed with information about trekking in the Himalayas. Everything you need to know is there – how to get started, gear up and how to find the best areas to go trekking in. See you on http://himalayantrailtrekker.blogspot.com – Happy trekking!

What are some good non-touristy sites in Costa Rica?

I’ve been to Monteverde and Arenal, and now I’m looking for some places to hike around, and sites to see that aren’t overrun with tourists.

If you want to get away from the tourists, head south. The southern zone is sparsely populated. Head to Osa Peninsula. The beauty there is unbelievable. Oh! But take your mosquito repellent, sturdy hiking boots and rain gear. Also, you will probably need a 4 x 4. It’s the rainy season and some of the roads get washed out or really damaged, making the trajectory almost impossible in a regular automobile. If you need any other information about Costa Rica, try the TicosLand website.

Arenal Volcano experience – Costa Rica rural travel tip

traveling kyoto

In todayÂ’s busy world, we often do not have enough time to spend with our families. This is one reason why family vacations are cherished by both the adults and children in a family. It is a time where you can bond, make memories and just have a good time. Before you set off with your family, however, there are a few things that you need to ensure that you take care of.

The first step in planning your family vacation is deciding where to go. Many families chose to stay close to home, but others like to travel overseas to someplace like France, London or perhaps even one of the fine villas in Tuscany. You should make sure that your destination has activities that are appropriate for all the people in your family and that you set up a tentative schedule for what you want to see while you are there.

After selecting your vacation destination, you will need to make travel arrangements. The sooner you start scheduling, the better as many times prices increase the closer you get to the travel date. If you are traveling by airplane, make sure you read the regulations so you know whether you need to purchase a seat for your young children or if you can carry them in your lap. You will also need to find out how much luggage you can pack and any weight restrictions. If you are driving in your own car, you should take the car in for a quick checkup. Make sure that your tires are in good shape and that all your fluids are topped off. It is a good idea to have your oil changed as well. Check to make sure that your spare tire is in the car and that you have the necessary equipment to change a tire in case you need it.

If you are traveling overseas, you will need to ensure that all the members of your family have passports. Passport processing can take awhile, so you need to plan ahead. You should give yourself plenty of time to apply for a passport so that you wonÂ’t need to worry about it when the time comes to leave.

You also will need to secure lodging for your stay. There is a large variety of places to stay, and you should find one that best suits your family and your lifestyle. You can pick anything budget motels to Tuscany villas. Many families like to stay in all inclusive resorts where you get food included in the price. If you have a large group, you could consider renting a beach house if youÂ’ll be hitting the ocean or Tuscany villa rentals if you will be going overseas.

Once you have figured out where you are going, how you are going to get there and where you are going to stay once you are there, the rest of your vacation planning will be a breeze.

Natalie Aranda writes about family and travel. The first step in planning your family vacation is deciding where to go. Many families chose to stay close to home, but others like to travel overseas to someplace like France, London or perhaps even one of the fine villas in Tuscany. There is a large variety of places to stay, and you should find one that best suits your family and your lifestyle. You can pick anything budget motels to Tuscany villas. Many families like to stay in all inclusive resorts where you get food included in the price. If you have a large group, you could consider renting a beach house if youÂ’ll be hitting the ocean or Tuscany villa rentals if you will be going overseas.

Is it possible to travel to Mt. Fuji, Kyoto and Okinawa in 9 or 10 days?

Me and my friend are planning to visit Japan at the end of July. We will be arriving in Tokyo on a friday/saturday and will travel straight to Mt Fuji via bullet train for the Fuji Rock Festival. Monday morning we plan to travel by bullet to Kyoto for 2 days and then fly to Okinawa for 3/4 days before we return to tokyo to fly home to London.

It’s possible. You already know that you won’t get to see that much of each area so pick the places you must see and head for those first. 2 years ago I gave my friend and her sister a whirlwind tour of Japan where we spent 1 week in mainland (Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Nara) and 1 week in Okinawa, minus international travel times so more like 5 days each week for a total of 10 days. We only had 1-2 days to see each mainland city. We went budget and stayed at hostels and super cheap hotels. We didn’t eat fancy but did allow to splurge here and there.

For Kyoto I recommend seeing the most famous things like Kiyomizudera and Kinkakuji. Kinkakuji isn’t that great because you can only see the outside but you really have to see it since it’s so famous. Also I recommend Sanjusangendo for the 1001 kanon statues. You aren’t allowed to take photos there so maybe you’ll be content with just viewing web sites. The daytime geishas in Kyoto are tourists just like you who paid to dress up. Do try to eat at a local restaurant–it’s the one place in Japan to splurge on a meal. We found one in the Gion section (go there to see old Kyoto style architecture) that was right along a little stream. Nijo-jo is called a castle but it doesn’t look like a typical Japanese castle. (They have squeaky nightingale floors but so does Sanjusangendo.) For that take the bullet train over to Osaka, very close, and see Osaka Castle. For cheap accommodation, I recommend the hostel Kyotokko (Kyoto Cheapest Inn). Do print out a map and bring the phone number because the taxi drivers only know the hotels. It’s close to Nijo-jo actually. http://www.kyotofashion.com/kyoto-inn/

The bus system for the major tourist sites is pretty good in Kyoto. The routes are near the sites and the bus stops indicate how far away the bus is. Please see the links at the bottom for Kyoto resources. I used those to plan my last trip.

Of course, to go to Okinawa you have to fly. Depending on your budget, you could either fly from Osaka or Tokyo to Okinawa. Roundtrips are cheaper than one ways so buying your ticket roundtrip Tokyo/Okinawa might be best. We also bullet trained it from Tokyo to Osaka and then returned to Tokyo to fly to Okinawa. For us, buying a JR pass was cheaper than buying bullet train and other train fares separately so it probably will be for you too.

Okinawa is not convenient like mainland Japan. There are no trains. You will rely on buses and taxis. If you stay in the Naha area, you could have a decent time but I don’t know of any good beaches there. (Okinawa is the place for beaches in Japan.) In Naha you want to check out the major shopping streets downtown and the Shuri area for the kingdom’s castle and royal mausoleum. South of Naha are a lot of WW2 sadness in terms of memorials and caves people died in. The middle area of Okinawa, Okinawa City and Kadena area are more where I’m familiar with ‘cos that’s where I lived and such. North in Nago area are some things to see but I don’t think you have time and it might cost too much to get transportation out there. Naha is the capital and largest city. It will be more lively and you can go bar hopping at night. There are some museums as well. Try the local brew aomori. Some stores may still have bottles displayed with a habu (pit viper) in it but I think you’re not allowed to do that anymore. I can’t recommend anywhere to stay in Okinawa ‘cos I’ve never stayed in a hotel there.

Also, you’ll have much better chances of communicating in English in Okinawa due to the American military presence. You’re more likely to find western toilets, menus in English, tourist information in English, and people who can communicate to some degree if not very close to bilingual. But just because someone has a non-Japanese face, don’t assume they know English.

Japan – Ryoan-ji templem Kyoto – Travel – Jim Rogers World Adventure