Nomadic Matt's Travel Site

The Weekly Photo: Cherry Blossoms in Japan

2012-05-20T04:14:55Z

Cherry Blossoms in Takayama, Japan

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©Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

Breaking Down Credit Card Rewards with Brian Kelly

2012-05-17T17:35:19Z

Long time readers know I love travel credit cards because of the huge amount of points and perks they bring. (New readers now know this.) In fact, this month alone I signed up for an Amex Platinum (50,000 points) and United Airlines card (60,000 points) with more sign-ups planned next month. Points bring lots of benefits like free flights, elite status, free checked bags, and priority boarding. And, while I know a lot about this subject, there are people who spend their whole day figuring out how to maximize points. People like Brian Kelly.

Brian Kelly runs The Points Guy, a website dedicated to maximizing reward programs and credit card offers to get as much free travel and elite status as one possibly can. He knows the reward booking systems, points programs, and credit cards inside and out. Today, Brian shares his secrets.

Nomadic Matt: How did you become “The Points Guy”?
Brian Kelly: I started young. I’ve been passionate about points since I was 13 years old, when I planned a family trip to the Cayman Islands using my dad’s airline miles. By the time I was a sophomore in college, I was a US Airways elite flyer.

While working for a Wall Street bank after college, I was on the road constantly, earning tons of miles and points as well as elite status with airlines and hotels, and that allowed me to fund a great travel lifestyle in my spare time. I would take trips to Europe for the weekend using miles and points (I sat behind Madonna in British Airways first class once—that was memorable!), went on a blowout luxury to the Seychelles with my partner for just a few hundred dollars using points, and hopped all around the country.

I started blogging about news in the points world as well as my own areas of expertise, and people started reading it. Then a lot of people started reading it, and I decided to start blogging full time. That was just under a year ago, and it’s been phenomenal! Challenging and exciting and motivating all at the same time.

Over the years, how many miles have you accumulated? How many credit cards did you have to open for that to happen?
From credit cards, I’ve pulled in millions of points and miles. Literally. Last year alone, just through credit card sign-up and spending bonuses, I raked in over 600,000 points. That took me about 7 cards to do.

A lot of people are concerned that credit card “churning and burning” will hurt their credit score. What do you say to this?
I would never advise anyone with less than healthy credit to apply for multiple cards at once as “churners” often do. For one thing, you probably won’t get accepted. For another, you should first concentrate on fixing your credit so that you can then take full advantage of the lucrative credit card deals that are out there.

That said, only 10% of your credit score is based on new credit—when banks perform a credit inquiry when you apply for a new card. Otherwise, the most important factors are your payment history and the amount of money you owe, which combined amount to 65% of your credit score. So before you even think about applying for new cards, you need to make sure your credit is in order and that you have a decent score.

If your credit is good, then applying for new cards should not hurt it. Your score typically only drops a couple points for opening a new card (out of a total of 850), so the impact is minimal.

Do you cancel a lot of your cards or just keep them going forever?
I cancel some of my cards, mostly to avoid hefty annual fees for cards I am not actively using or deriving some sort benefit from. However, instead of closing the account completely, I usually try to ask the bank to either waive the annual fee or downgrade to a no-fee card so that the line of credit remains open and keeps my credit score healthy.

What makes for a good credit card offer?
The whole point of points is to find value, so if you find a credit card that will offer something of value to you, that makes it a good offer. The $450 annual fee on the Amex Platinum card seems onerous to some, but others love the $200 airline rebate you get from it, lounge access and a host of other perks including earning Membership Rewards points, whereas those looking for a lower annual fee might prefer the Amex Premier Rewards Gold card, with just a $175 annual fee where you get 3 points per dollar spent on airfare and 2 points per dollar spent on gas and groceries, but not those higher-level perks. Still others might prefer the flexibility to use their points at a fixed value, like with Capital One, to buy the airfare they want, when they want, and don’t care about flying in a premium cabin, while those who do want to fly business internationally or stay in a fancy hotel suite might want to rack up points in their airline and/or hotel program of choice by getting a co-branded card. It really depends on what you want to do with those points, and once you have a strategy in mind, go after the cards that will get you there fastest.

With so many offers out there from so many different companies, what would be your top three tips for maximizing those offers for free hotels or flights?
1. Strategize – Don’t just sign up for every card with an okay offer. If you have a particular trip or goal in mind, concentrate your efforts on the cards that will get you the most miles for the airline that’s going to get you where you need to go, and the hotel where you want to stay.

2. Don’t just concentrate on the sign-up bonuses – The best cards out there are the ones that allow for sustainable points earning through your spending habits. And, for that matter, make sure you are putting every expense possible on a points earning card so that you are maximizing your earning potential.

3. Do your homework – See what bonuses the credit cards you’re interested in have historically offered and make sure you get the best one possible.

Do you earn points any other way besides these sign up bonuses?
Of course. I travel a lot so I earn miles the good old-fashioned way of sitting in an airplane and going somewhere. In terms of credit cards, the best ones aren’t necessarily just the ones with the biggest bonuses. In my opinion, the best points-earning cards are the ones that allow you to sustain your lucrative points earning through category spending bonuses. For instance, while the current Chase Sapphire Preferred bonus offer is down to 40,000 Ultimate Rewards points from its high of 50,000, I still think it’s a great card because you get double points on travel and dining spending (basically all I do), and those categories are fairly broad so you can earn a ton of points. You could then combine those points with the Ultimate Rewards points you earn with the Chase Freedom card’s quarterly spending bonus categories where you earn 5 points per dollar spent on things like groceries, office supplies, gas stations, or specific merchants like Amazon. Suddenly you’re looking at a ton of extra points. Those are the kinds of cards worth holding onto even after you’ve redeemed your sign-up bonus.

How many miles a year do you fly? Is it all on points?
Last year, I flew about 150,000 miles, and though some of those trips were using miles (like one from the US to Mauritius in the Indian Ocean via Paris), and I recently traveled to Asia for 3 weeks using United and British Airways miles, I do pay for many of my tickets. After all, you’ve got to earn some of those miles and elite status flying.

Explain for a minute why you think these credit card offers are so good? Is it just the points you get or do you get additional benefits like elite status?
It all depends on what you’re looking for. If you want the flexibility of transferable points that you can use on a variety of airlines or hotels, then American Express Membership Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards would be programs for you to look into, whereas if you want to be able to buy any ticket any time and don’t care about flying coach, maybe a fixed-value point system like Capital One Venture Rewards is the way to go. If you are going to be flying a particular airline a lot, maybe the co-branded card is what you should look at, such as Delta’s SkyMiles Amex, which gets you elite-status perks like free checked bags for up to 9 people on your reservation (a huge value), discounted SkyClub passes and 20% off in-flight food and entertainment as well as other positives such as 2 miles per dollar spent on Delta; or the newly introduced United Club Card, which confers not only membership into the United Club at airports, but also perks like 2 free checked bags for the cardholder and a companion, priority access and elite status with both Hyatt and Avis. That’s a lot of value.

What is your favorite travel credit card?
I mentioned it earlier, but I love the Chase Sapphire Preferred card. It’s probably my favorite card at the moment. The Ultimate Rewards points I earn using it can be transferred to a variety of partners including United, British Airways, Korean Air and Southwest, hotels including Hyatt, Priority Club (Intercontinental), Marriott and Ritz-Carlton, as well as Amtrak, so I can use them for pretty much anything. Plus, I get 2 points per dollar I spend on dining and travel, which includes a lot of categories like taxis and even parking. I recently transferred the points I got for signing up to United and used them to fly business class from Newark to Singapore on Singapore Airlines for 60,000 miles and $2.50 USD in taxes/fees. That was a great redemption. Also, it’s made of metal so it feels good and it looks cool in my wallet.

For more great tips on how to use airline credit cards and (legally) milk the points system for free travel, make sure you read Brian’s blog. You can also follow him on Twitter.

©Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

The Beautiful Temples and Gardens of Kyoto

2012-05-15T13:58:54Z

I’ve dreamed of Kyoto and its thousands of temples for as long as I’ve dreamed of Japan. I love Japanese architecture and zen gardens. One day, when I own a home, my backyard will be designed as a Japanese zen garden, complete with pond, koi fish, rock garden, and little waterfall. On my recent visit to Japan with G Adventures, Kyoto was the only place I wanted to see as much as Tokyo. Though it rained (sometimes heavily) during my visit, Kyoto, with its temples and gardens, was even more beautiful than I had imagined. I spent hours wandering historic streets and darting in and out of tranquil temples. I ended up sitting down, listening to music, and staring out at one zen garden for over an hour.

But instead of yapping on about Kyoto’s sublime and blissful beauty, I’ll let Kyoto show you itself:

Kinkaku-ji, a.k.a. The temple of the Golden Pavilion

The famous rock garden at Ryoan – ji Temple (my favorite)

A torri gate at Ryoan – ji Temple

Ryoan – ji Temple

Kodaiji temple rock garden

Kinkaku-ji temple entrance

A path in Daitoku-ji temple complex

Entokuin temple rock garden

One of the many temples in the Daitoku-ji temple complex

Chorakuji temple

Entokuin temple rock garden

Editor’s Note: My trip to Japan was part of my partnership with G Adventures and was paid for by them. All gushing reviews of Japan are my own.

©Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

The Weekly Photo: Khao Sok Park in Thailand

2012-05-12T08:25:43Z

A rushing river in the lush Khao Sok National Park in Thailand

©Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

How to (Legally) Stay in Europe for More Than 90 Days

2012-05-14T10:58:32Z

As I’ve been planning my move to Sweden, I’ve been trying to figure out how to get past the 90-day limit placed on tourist visas. This is a problem encountered by travelers every year and a question that regularly pops up in my inbox.

“How can I stay in Europe for more than 90 days?” I am asked.

It’s a great question with a very complicated answer. I’ve always known it to be difficult but until I started researching on how to stay there, I never knew how difficult. But in the process of this research I’ve come to learn there are a few ways to stay in Europe longer than 90 days, they just aren’t well known.

First, it’s important to note that Europe isn’t a monolithic area – there are a number of visa rules happening throughout the continent – but when people talk about the “90 day limit”, they are talking about restrictions on the Schengen Visa, which is the visa rule that governs 26 countries in Europe. It includes all the European Union except Ireland and the United Kingdom as well as a few non-EU countries.

What is the Schengen Visa?
The Schengen visa is a 90-day tourist visa for Schengen zone countries that include:

Austria	Belgium	Czech Republic	Denmark	Estonia
Finland	France	Germany	Greece	Hungary
Iceland	Italy	Latvia	Lithuania	Liechtenstein
Luxembourg	Malta	Netherlands	Norway	Poland
Portugal	Slovakia	Slovenia	Spain	Sweden
Switzerland

Romania and Bulgaria are set to join later this year.

These countries have a border-free visa agreement that lets residents move throughout the zone without needing a passport. Essentially, it’s as if they are one country and you can move as freely as you would like. Residents of the UK and Ireland, while not Schengen, are still allowed limitless entry. For non-Schengen citizens, you are allowed entry into the zone for 90 days within any 180 day period. These days don’t need to be consecutive – the total is cumulative. Once day 181 hits, the count resets itself.

Citizens of most countries are allowed to enter the Schengen area without having to get a visa beforehand. Your passport simply gets stamped upon your arrival and departure from Europe. You are allowed to enter and leave from any country you want – they do not have to be the same. I fly in and out of different countries all the time. Once you are in, your 90 day counter starts.

However, not all countries are allowed such freedom. Citizens from many countries of the world need to apply for a Schengen visa ahead of time. You will be required to fill out paperwork beforehand and will have to fly and in out of the country for which your visa is issued. (Even then, as this post shows, you still might not be granted a visa.)

You can find the specific rules regarding your country at the European Commission website. (Spoiler alert: Citizens from African and Asian countries get screwed.)

Staying in Europe – The Easy Way

With so many visa rules, it’s so easy stay in Europe beyond 90 days as a tourist – you just need to mix up the countries you stay in. The United Kingdom has their own rules that allow you to stay 180 days. Most non-Schengen countries such as Ukraine, Moldova, Croatia, and other Balkan countries allow you to stay for up to 60 or 90 days. So all you need to do is spend 90 days in the Schengen zone, visit the UK, go to the Balkans, hang out in Ukraine, or drink wine in Moldova. If you align your schedule right, you can easily be out of the zone for 90 days but still in Europe.

That’s the easy way to stay for more than 90 days. Just vary your location. I spent 3 months in Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, and England as I waited for my clock to reset then headed back into Germany for Oktoberfest.

Can You Stay in Schengen More Than 90 days?

When most people ask me about staying in Europe, they mean staying longer in the Schengen zone. After all, it covers 26 countries and visiting so many destinations in 90 days can be a little rushed (it is an average of 3.4 days per country).

If you want longer time in the zone to travel, live, learn a language, or fall in love, then the “move around” option isn’t going to work for you. You need something else. Luckily, there are a few ways to do this – and I can’t stress the importance of the word “few.” Staying more than 90 days in the Schengen zone is not easy.

The Schengen law states that you can’t stay in the area more than 90 days. If you do, you are subject to a fine and deportation. How that rule is enforced, though, varies greatly between one country and another. If you overstay by a few days or even a week, you’ll probably be OK. If you overstay longer, you might have problems.

For example, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland, and Scandinavian countries are all very strict about entry and exit. If you overstay your visit by longer than a week, there is a good chance they will pull you aside. Two Australians I know were detained leaving Switzerland due to overstaying their visa by two weeks. They were allowed to go with just a warning but they had to book new flights.

I know of someone who overstayed by 6 months and now has an “illegal immigrant” stamp on her passport. In order to enter Europe again, she must apply for a visa at an embassy from now on and be pre-approved.

Yet if you leave from Greece, France, Italy, Spain – the southern European countries – you won’t have any problems provided you a) haven’t stayed over too long and b) didn’t catch the immigration officer on a bad day. When I left Greece, no one even looked at my passport. One of my friends met a boy in France, fell in love, and decided to not leave. A year later, when she finally did, the French officials didn’t even look twice. Another friend flew into France and didn’t get an entry stamp. Spain is notorious for not caring and Americans who decide to overstay for months mention that as the easiest country to exit from.

That being said, I do not think it is wise to overstay. No matter where you are, you can get away with a few days. Maybe a week, especially if you are heading home. But a few weeks? A few months? Don’t risk it.

Can you just extend your Schengen visa/stamp?
The Lonely Planet thorn tree forums, while a mess of random posts, are good for one thing: stuff like this. I came across one great quote: “This topic has been discussed ad nauseum here on the boards for years. If someone found a way to extend a Schengen, we would have heard of it by now.”

He’s right. Simply put, you can not extend your visa or entry stamp. There is a 90 day limit and that is that.

So then what’s a tourist to do?

Three Visa Loopholes Anyone Can Use

Unfortunately, the majority of the countries do not allow long-term stay visas for visitors. In my pursuit of a long-term visa for Sweden, I found that there is no universal long-term tourist visa for the Schengen zone. Schengen allows for a D or C class visa (letter varies on the country), which is a semi-permanent residence visa for up to one year. But the specific visa and requirements vary from country to country. Some countries are harder, some are easier, and others are near impossible despite being in the same visa treaty zone. (I don’t understand the variance either. Same zone, different rules – it makes no sense. You would think if they were to all have the same rules they would abide by the same visa.)

But there are a few countries that do offer long-term visas and these countries are the way into Europe:

France

France offers a long-term visitor visa for a period of up to one year. The application process takes up to one month. According to the French Embassy, “The ‘visitor’ visa (or visa “D”) allows you to enter France and stay for more than three months. Long stay visa holders will be allowed to reside in France for up to 12 months according to the validity of their visa and purpose of stay.”

To get this visa, you must set up an appointment at the French consulate near you. You can’t walk in – you must make an appointment.

At this appointment, bring the following documents:

One application form filled out completely and signed.
One ID picture glued onto the application form.
Your original passport, which must have been issued less than 10 years ago, be valid for three months after your return and have at least 2 blank pages left.
A letter promising not to engage in work certified by a notary public.
A letter of employment stating current occupation and earnings.
Proof of income (you’ll need bank statements or copies of your investment portfolio).
Proof of medical insurance that includes evacuation insurance.
Proof of accommodation in France. (The French consulate never returned my e-mails so I was unsure how you could have this before you even get to France. One could use a friend’s address or, lacking that, “rent” a place (one where you can get a refund) for the purposes of the interview. It’s a little fuzzy.)

Note: you can’t apply for this visa more 3 months before your arrival date.

You can visit the French Embassy for links to local embassies and consulates for more information.

Sweden

Sweden also offers a long-term stay tourist visa for a maximum period of 1 year. The process is easy but long – taking up to 8 months! It’s not something to do at the last minute. You will need 2 copies of the following documents when applying for the visa:

Residence permit for visitor’s application form.
Notarized copies of the pages of your passport that show your identity and the validity of your passport as well as copies of all the other visas/stamps you have.
A Bank statement showing the means to support yourself for the duration of your stay.
a return airplane ticket.
A letter from your insurance company stating you are covered overseas.

Applications can be delivered in person during visiting hours (no appointment needed) or mailed to a Swedish consulate.

After your documents are received, you will be required to have an interview with one of the immigration officers. Most people who apply for this visa tend to have family in Sweden. If you don’t, you will need to have clear reasons as to why you need to stay longer and show ample proof that you can support yourself.

You can find a list of Swedish embassies here.

Italy

Like the other countries, Italy will let you in if you can afford it and promise not to work. You’ll need the following documents to apply:

A long-term visa application filled in and signed at the consulate. The applicant must appear in person.
One passport-style photo.
Your passport, which has to be valid three months over the planned stay in Italy. The passport will be kept during the application process.
Documented and detailed guarantee of steady income. Proof of financial means, such as letters from the bank indicating the status of your account, including amount of money in the account.
Proof of lodging in Italy.
A letter from where you specify the reason for your stay in Italy, length of stay, and where you plan to reside.
A notarized background check.

This visa is issued solely to those who are planning to move to Italy and not work.

For more information, visit the Italian Embassy website.

P.S. – Spain and Portugal offer long term stay visas but they are geared to people who are retired and have lots of assets. They aren’t meant for people passing through but you can always apply and try.

Additional Notes:

Citizens of Australia, Canada, and New Zealand are eligible for one to two year working holiday visas, which allow them to stay and work within the Schengen zone. Applicants must apply for this visa from a specific country and be younger than 30. I would apply for this visa even if I didn’t plan on working simply to get the extended time in Europe.
Rules are not universal. In some cases (depending on your country of citizenship), additional documents my be required. You’ll want to check with your local embassy for specifics but you aren’t restricted from applying for this visa from your home country.
All of these visas will require you to show proof that you either have income, have a high savings, or both. They are adamant about not letting theses visas be someone’s back-door way of getting into the E.U. and finding a job. While most didn’t give an exact number, I would say that if you don’t have at least $30,000 USD in your bank account when you apply, you shouldn’t apply. It is hard to say for sure how much you really need as the embassy websites aren’t specific. It is most likely at the discretion of the immigration officer but the more money you can show, the better. This is about proving you don’t need to work. For citizens coming from developing countries, this number might be even higher and you may even need someone to vouch for you.

Because of Europe’s open border policies, you simply need to enter and exit from the country that issued you the visa but you can be anywhere in Europe during the length of your visa. Once a country has issued you one of these short-term stay residence visas, you are a “resident”, allowing you access to anywhere in Europe. Since the Swedish visa takes so long, I am applying for a French one but after I get to Paris, I am simply going to fly to Stockholm.

Other Ways to Legally Stay in Europe

Study – All Schengen zone countries offer student visas that are not hard to obtain so long as you are enrolled in a recognized university program. This would require you to pay for the course but it will virtually guarantee you a visa.

Marry – Fall in love with a European (or at least a friend) and apply for a marriage visa!

Be Self Employed – Germany offers a “self-employment” visa. If you are a freelancer and have some form of income, this is the visa to get. It’s perfect and will give you one to two years in the EU. This isn’t a business visa where you move your company to Germany but a visa for contract workers, artists, web folks, and other freelance type jobs. You need to apply for this visa when in Germany.

You can apply for this visa while you are in Germany and the process usually takes about a week. You simply need the following documents to your visa appointment:

A completed application form.
2 passport photos.
Bank statements – Like the other visas, they want to know you have money just in case you don’t find work. As before, the more money the better.
A copy of your resume.
Proof of residency – You’ll either need to be on a rental contract or be on someone’s rental agreement. You need to bring an official copy of the rental agreement to the immigration office. Adam of Travels of Adam, says “All i’ve ever had are short sublets. You still have to register at a local city office but all I’ve done is show up with a printed-out lease from the Internet, and submitted that. Once you do that, you get the official form from the local office and that’s all the visa people wants to see.”
Health insurance – You need to have German insurance that is valid for at least 1 year. It’s easy to get once you are in Germany and you don’t need to be a citizen of Germany to get it.

Bring a German speaker with you just in case there is a need for translation.The process is pretty straightforward. You might get lucky and get the visa that day. Or they might review it over the course of a couple of weeks. But if they do that and your 90 day Schengen visa is close to expiring, they will give you a temporary 3 month visa extension while they process your request. In theory, one could apply for the visa knowing they won’t meet all the requirements simply to get the 3 month temporary visa.

It’s very rare someone is denied for this visa if they can show they have a job and proof of income. You can find out more information here.

The Greatest Visa Trick Known to Man?

Don’t want to study? Don’t want to wait for a visa? Don’t have a freelance job? Luckily, you have one fabulous loophole to keep you in the Schengen zone past 90 days. It is by far the best loophole/hack out there.

All you need to do is enter France (Schengen zone) via the Chunnel (train service) from England. England doesn’t issue exit stamps (so there’s no outbound immigration) and France does not have entry stamps in the Chunnel. So technically there is never any proof of when you entered the Schengen zone. All you have is the entry stamp you got when you flew into England. (When you enter England, you’ll need to show proof you are leaving – I would simply buy a cheap flight exiting the country.) Since England gives allows you to stay for 180 days and Schengen gives you 90 days, in theory you could stay in the Schengen zone for 270 days, telling the immigration officer you left England on the 180^th day (180 + 90 = 270). There’s no proof you didn’t do that. And by coming through the Chunnel, it is impossible for you to even have an entry stamp into France. (The reverse does not work. When you leave France, you will get an exit stamp and receive an entry stamp from England.) This method gets you into the Schengen zone without a dated entry stamp.

Immigration officials can’t prove you were in the Schengen zone for more than 90 days, but they can’t disprove it either. It’s a great loophole. It’s also very high risk. They might not buy your argument and require additional proof to prove you aren’t lying. We are always at the mercy of immigration officials and, while the loophole is on your side, they might not appreciate you using it. If I were to use this loophole, I would fly out of Europe from one of the southern countries that is less likely to care about my entry and exit dates. I would also consider buying a train ticket leaving England on day 180. That way you can have at least “some proof” you “took” the train. (After all, who saves train ticket stubs? It’s more likely you would have a receipt than a ticket stub. )

Disclaimer: Use at your own risk. When dealing with immigration officers, nothing is ever 100%.

Addendum: Two people have noted that they indeed received an stamp by French officials when they entered the country. Then a handful of other people noted that they did not (including my friend who is currently in Europe). There is also this recent article about a loophole that lets you back into the UK without a stamp. You are technically supposed to get a stamp when entering France but as so often happens (especially with French officials), the application of this rule is unevenly applied.

The best, easiest, and most effective way to stay in Europe long term is to vary the amount of countries you visit so that you are in the Schengen area for only 90 days. As I said, there are a lot of countries not in the zone so this is easy to do.

If do want to stay in the Schengen area beyond the 90 day limit, you need to apply for one of the visas listed above. When you go to the interview, make it crystal clear that you have enough money to support yourself, you are not looking for a job, and give good reasons why you need to stay longer. I doubt “I want to spend more time drinking in Greece” will get you anywhere.

If you are like me, and want to stay longer than 90 days, be prepared to work the system. I decided not to apply for my Swedish visa because of the wait time and go for the French one instead. If I am denied that visa, I will enter on a normal, 90 day tourist visa and head to Berlin for the independent work visa. But that’s because I can show proof of income. If that’s not you, be like my friend Mike, who is currently bouncing around Europe after entering using the Chunnel trick.

In the end, it is not impossible to stay longer in the Schengen zone. By working the system a bit and using the few loopholes that do exist, one can legally stay past 90 days and enjoy all Europe has to offer without worrying about being barred for life.

©Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

The Weekly Photo: Kanazawa Castle

2012-05-06T14:19:46Z

Kanazawa Castle in Kanazawa, Japan

©Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

Why Jessica is Never Going to Ireland With Her Boyfriend But You Can Realize Your Dreams to Go Anywhere

2012-05-08T15:09:19Z

“Your job sounds like the most exciting job in the world,” the cute blond girl — let’s call her Jessica — said to me. Jessica had just overheard a conversation with some friends I hadn’t seen in years and they were peppering me with questions about my job and lifestyle. People I meet usually do, and I’ve gotten used it.

“He has the best job,” replied my friend.

“So, can you get me to Ireland cheap? I really want to go.”

“Sure,” I replied. “Tell me about your trip.”

Normally when I’m asked about these things, I talk a little bit about my travel guides section, hand over my business card, and tell the person to e-mail me. On my free time, I don’t want to turn into someone’s travel agent. But this was a good excuse to talk to a pretty face longer.

“My boyfriend (doh!) and I want to go to Ireland in the summer but we don’t know how to afford it.”

“Well, the first thing you should do is go home, and each of you should sign up for a travel-related credit card, get 50 thousand miles as a sign-up bonus, and use them for a free flight. That’s step one.” I said.

“Wait! You get miles for signing up for a credit card!? Really?” Jessica said.

“Yeah, I’ve used these bonuses to get over 400,000 miles just on American Airlines alone. I fly first class with free miles all the time.” I said.

As our conversation continued for a bit longer, Jessica was amazed at all the traveling I’ve done. “You are either rich or get paid a lot of money,” she said to me. “Nope,” I told her. “You just need $50 dollars a day, which works out to $18,000 per year.”

“Oh, that’s too much money. I don’t have that.” she said.

So I broke it down for her and had her think about her own expenses and spending habits, and she soon realized that for more money per year, she does a lot less.

“Wow! I never thought about it that way,” an astonished Jessica told me.

I gave the girl my card and wished her well. As she walked away, I told my friends, “That girl is never going to Ireland.”

After years of talking to people about travel, I can tell when people are serious. My friend’s friend who wrote down the name of companies and websites over a beer was serious. Jessica? She’s not going to Ireland with her boyfriend anytime soon.

Why?

Because while she was intrigued by all the tips I was giving her, she wasn’t ready to implement them, not even for a vacation.

She is trapped.

See, the travel industry is insidious. It shows you ads like this:

Ads like this create the idea that travel is a luxurious escape from the tedious nature of our lives. And to get to that fabulous place where fun awaits you, we have to pay for it. It’s amazing marketing, even if it is a bit evil. Magazines show high-price ads, resorts, and tours. Even budget magazine hotel “deals” are $100 dollars per night. I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t sound budget to me! The whole industry colludes to reinforce this image that travel is a luxury that can only be rarely afforded.

So what happens? Bombarded by all of these ads, we assume it is the norm. “This is what you have to spend when you go traveling,” we think. Maybe one day, you’ll find a good deal but you’re still spending thousands for even a quick trip to Ireland.

And no matter how may tips or tricks I lay out there, they are too hard to believe. Jessica might be intrigued, she might be interested, but she won’t commit. Because the weight of everything she has learned over the years is too great for me to break through. It seems just seems too fantastical to her. Like it can’t be real — and if it is, it’s unattainable for the average person.

This happens for two reasons:

For starters, people like the path of least resistance. And my way requires more effort. You have to be your own travel agent. It’s a lot more work – I spend a few hours booking flights, doing research, and comparing deals. But you know what’s easier? Going online and picking the first deal you see, packing, and setting off on your trip. The path of least resistance is usually the most followed.

Secondly, there’s no frame of reference. People have no experience with my way. I’m just a stranger on the bus. I’m just a guy at a bar and no matter how logical my argument is, Jessica will still be skeptical. Because she has no proof that this works. To Jessica, I could be selling a Ponzi scheme. But since everyone takes trips the easy way, she knows it, she understands it, and she’ll do it too.

But the girl who took notes? Since I’m a friend of a friend, I come with trust built-in. My friend has vouched for me and my ways. She is far more likely to go up, look up what I said, read my site, and book a trip using my methods.

If you are on this website, you’ve probably overcome both of these barriers. Why do I have “featured in” all over this site? So people can see that my advice has been vouched for. In the age of faceless Internet sites, trust is the most important thing out there. Jessica has no reason to disbelieve me — but she has no reason to believe me, either.

If you are from Europe, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, or some other country where people travel a lot, you’ve probably met people who have traveled around the world, thus you know this idea isn’t just for the rich – it is for everyone.

No matter how many posts I write about fear, chasing your dreams, or about how tomorrow will never come, the truth of the matter is that I’m mostly fighting a losing battle.

Even with my friends.

My friend Joe has been dying to go to Amsterdam since I’ve known him. He loves to smoke weed and gamble and there’s both weed and good poker in Amsterdam. Every summer when I go to Europe, I say “Joe, come with me.” He says “I’m busy.” Last year, he quit his job. Did he come with me? Nope. In fact, I had to physically be there while he applied for his passport to get him to do it. So while Joe overcame barrier #2, he needed to overcome barrier #1.

The old way of thinking is so ingrained into people’s heads, no matter how much I and others like me can prove that travel is affordable.

Which is why I know Jessica so well. Because her story is like so many others I’ve encountered over the years. I’ve seen it happen so many times before that based on the conversations I’ve had, I can just tell. I know how committed people are to travel when I speak to them.

Maybe Jessica will prove me wrong and take that trip — but I’d bet she doesn’t.

The best ways to save money while traveling won’t even register with her because they will be too foreign, too unreal.

Nomadic Matt’s 16 Step Plan to Realizing Your Dreams

As I reflected on my encounter with Jessica, I realized that if I was going to send someone to Ireland, I needed to make it easy. I needed to hold someone’s hand through the process as much as I needed to inspire them to go.

I don’t want to listen to people any longer as they tell me how amazing my job/life/way of being is. I don’t want people to tell me they will do it tomorrow or there is some bill that needs to be paid. I often feel like I’m banging my head against a wall screaming “YOU CAN DO THIS!” but no one listens. And I realized it’s because I’ve never made it easy for the Jessicas and Joes of the world.

I only needed a slight push to travel the world. Jessica and Joe need a shove.

They need a plan.

And so I have created this step-by-step process on how to turn your dream into reality.

Step 1 – Decide where you want to go
A lot of people talk about travel without naming where they want to visit – they talk vaguely about places. Picking a place is utterly important. It helps you plan better and makes your trip more concrete. It’s a lot easier to say “I am going to Paris” than say “I’m going somewhere in Europe.” You need a goal to work towards.

Step 2 – Plan how long you’ll be away
How much does it cost to travel? I don’t know – how long are you going away for? You can’t figure out how much you need to save if you haven’t decided on how long you’ll be there. Every place in the world is different.

These two are important first steps because you can’t know how much you need for your trip if you don’t know where you want to go and for how long. When I planned my original round the world trip, I made a list of all the places I wanted to visit and how long I wanted to be there. You don’t need to know the exact dates you will be in each place, but you should have a rough idea.

Step 3 – Determine what kind of vacation you want
Budget travel, backpacking, luxury trip, or a honeymoon – because you’re going to plan differently for each. You can travel the world on $50 dollars a day, but not every destination is equal and every type of travel requires a different budget.

Step 4 – Research costs
Research how much your destination costs at the style of travel you want so that you can create an estimate of how much money you need for your trip. You can begin with my travel guide section or simply go buy a guidebook. All you want to know here is a rough daily estimate. This way you know how much you need for your trip so you can determine the best way to save that amount.

Step 4 – Determine your expenses
Write down all your expenses. Now that you know where you want to go and how much you need, now you need to save. By writing down all your expenses you can determine where you are spending money and how you can cut back.

Step 5 – Start saving money
Follow my list of 20 ways to cut your expenses to watch your bank balance grow. Put a number to how much you need. For example, if you need $2,000 dollars for your trip that is in 8 months, that means you only need to save $8.33 USD per day. Doesn’t that make that larger number more attainable? Couldn’t you find a way to save $8 USD per day? Here are some featured tips:

Cut the coffee – That daily coffee costs you $150 per month ($5 per coffee). At $1,800 USD per year, that’s two months in Southeast Asia. What’s more important – your daily cup of Joe or getting to spend two more months on the beaches of Thailand or exploring the jungles of Borneo in Malaysia?
Learn to cook – We all need to eat but restaurants are getting quite expensive these days. Even with this recession, coming back to the US I’ve noticed that food prices are a lot higher than they used to be. I learned to cook while in college (a skill that has helped me ever since) and before I left, I cut down my eating out to two times per week. Every other meal was cooked. I cooked dinner and then used the leftovers to eat lunch, thus saving more money.
Lose the car – Cars cost a lot of money between insurance, repairs, and filling your tank with gas (Current average price: $4 USD per gallon). Learn to love the bus, take the subway, or walk. It took me longer to get to work using public transportation but you’ll find that you don’t really need a car as much as you think. I understand that this tip may not be feasible for everyone, especially those in smaller towns that don’t have a good public transportation system, but a good alternative is to sell your car and buy a cheaper used car.
Get rid of cable – In the age of Hulu and free (and legal) streaming TV, there’s no reason for you to be spending $50 USD per month on cable television.
Sign up for travel newsletters – No one likes to clutter up their inbox, but by signing up for mailing lists from airlines and travel companies, you’ll be able to get updates about all the last-minute or special deals that are happening. I would have missed out on a round trip ticket to Japan for $700 USD (normally $1,500) if it wasn’t for the American Airlines mailing list.

Step 6 – Get a rewards credit card
Get a travel credit card. While you’re working to save money, get a travel credit card so you can use those sign-up bonuses that I told Jessica about to get free flights. I have accumulated over 600,000 free miles this way and despite all the cards I’ve acquired, my credit score is still 770. Yet you don’t need a lot of cards – you just need one. Do this the moment you decide you want to travel. Don’t wait – waiting equals lost miles.

Step 7 – Get your passport.
If you don’t already have your passport, apply for one right away. The process only takes a month but you can’t book an overseas flight without your passport number.

Step 8 – Check for last minute deals
Before you hit purchase on your flight, check for deals you might have missed. You may dream of Paris but maybe there are great deals to Berlin right now. Maybe you can get a 7 day cruise for 70% off, a package deal to Hawaii for the price of your flight to Paris, or 50% off sailing trips around Greece.

While it may not be your first choice, it can be a good way to save in the long run. I always look for deals. It’s a big world, and there are lots of places I want to see.

My favorite sites for deals:

If you find something, adjust your travel plans accordingly. If not, continue on — but it pays to look.

Step 9 – Book your flight
After you have used your travel credit card and received your sign up bonus, use your miles to book your flight. It is harder to use miles these days due to less availability, so you want to book early to make sure you get your available flight.

Step 10 – Book your accommodation
If you have a set schedule, there is no reason to wait If you are going on a long-term trip, book just the first few days. Once you know the dates you’ll be in your destination, there is no real reason not to find a place to stay. My view is that waiting will just lead to you losing your top picks.

Love hotels? They won’t save you money, but you can sign up for some hotel credit cards and get free rooms, too. Marriott has a great rewards card whose sign-up bonus is equal to one week’s free stay. Starwood’s AMEX card is wonderful too, but the spending threshold in order to get the points bonus is higher.

The following booking sites offer the best rates for accommodation:

Alternative: Contact people on hospitality websites like Couchsurfing and ask if they would be willing to host you. Moreover, you can also consider apartment rental sites like Airbnb or Wimdu.

Step 11 – Plan your activities
Sketch out the major activities you want to enjoy and how much they cost. Make any last-minute adjustments to your savings so you can ensure you have enough money. This will also help you figure out if you need any reservations for your chosen tours or activities.

Step 12 – Sell your stuff
If you are going on a long-term trip (6 months or more), sell your stuff in order to earn extra money for your trip. Start doing this about 60 days before you leave. Sites like Gumtree, Amazon, and Craigslist can help you do so.

If you aren’t going away long-term, skip this step. If you are going away long-term but want to keep your stuff, move it to a friend’s house or keep it in storage. A good storage company in the U.S. is Public Storage and starts at $50 USD per month.

Step 13 – Automate your bills
Get rid of your mail, go paperless, and set up online bill payment for your recurring bills to ensure you won’t miss any overseas. If you are still going to get paper mail, use a service like Earth Class Mail. (If you are going on a two-week trip, you don’t really need to do this and you can skip this step, too.)

Step 14 – Tell your credit card companies you’ll be traveling
No matter how long you’ll be gone, it is a good idea to let your card companies know you will be overseas, that way any transactions that come up aren’t flagged as fraud and your card is less likely to be blocked. There’s nothing worse than having to sit on the phone with your credit card company instead of enjoying your vacation.

Step 15 – Pack
Pack for your trip. Here’s a suggested packing list.

Step 16 – Go have fun
Go on your trip and have fun! Head to the airport, board your plane (don’t forget your passport), and enjoy the fruits of your labor.

(You can download this checklist here and put it on your refrigerator to refer back to.)

Using these 16 steps, you can break your travel planning into small, actionable tasks. I’m a planner – I like lists. I like knowing what I have to do. Not everyone is like that – lots of people can simply keep a mental note. But no matter what type of person you are, for the vast majority of people that dream of travel, part of the reason it doesn’t become a reality is because it also seems like this unmanageable task.

I think people know that there are plenty of ways to travel inexpensively but they also don’t know how to manage it — and when you tell them how to accomplish it, it all just seems too good to be true. So people fall back to the simple method of “let’s just go to Expedia” and book a trip, which they spend more money – and the cycle repeats itself.

But there is no need to be like that girl in the bar. Go to your Ireland. Once you understand just a few secrets about travel, a trip becomes simple and easy – whether you are on a year-long trip around the world, or a week-long trip to Paris.

All you need to do is walk through these steps and out your door.

©Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

Why Sex Tourism in Thailand is Not as Black and White as You Think

2012-05-08T07:15:57Z

I can still remember the first time I heard about Thailand. I was around 15 and watching Hard Copy. It was one of those late afternoon “news” shows in the 1990s that focused on “hard” hitting journalism but were really a precursor to sites like TMZ. Hard Copy was doing an exposé on sex tourism in Thailand. The program showcased the Marines and old men who came to Thailand to buy the services of young, sometimes under-age girls (and boys). I remember being very grossed out by the images they showed.

When visitors to Thailand encounter the sex industry, their immediate reaction is something along the lines of “gross” followed by a bit of gagging. Old men, young girls – it’s disgusting. Those girls are being taken advantage of by slimy, old, Western men. Awful, right? It’s exploitation if there ever was any. For those who never get away from these places (which also happen to be tourist areas), Thailand forever becomes associated with sex and exploitation, leaving a bad impression of the country, especially with female travelers.

But sex tourism in Thailand is not at all what you think it is. It’s not black and white. It’s large shade of grey.

After living in Thailand, seeing everything first-hand, and having this conversation with expats, journalists, and Thais, I can tell you that the myth of the exploited underage girl is mostly that – a myth. The girls you see at go-go bars exploit foreign men as much as you think foreign men exploit them. (Edit: Many are reading this statement about men as “exploitation = victimization”. I didn’t mean that at all and that was my misplaced choice of wording. I meant the girls were taking advantage of a situation that benefited them. They know they can get a lot of from these men, and being smart women, they maximize the business transaction. These men are not victims, they are suckers. That was what I meant to imply.)

Before I get into why it’s not so black and white, let me preface this article by saying wherever there is prostitution, you’ll find some exploitation. You can find it in Amsterdam, America, Australia, Germany, Mexico, or Colombia – anywhere. I think that girls forced into prostitution should be freed and the people involved prosecuted. And I am not in any way advocating for child sex slavery. What I am talking about here is between willing adults – not girls sold into sex slavery.

So back to Thailand…

Prostitution has always existed in Thailand but it exploded after World War Two with arrival of western troops and then grew rapidly during the Vietnam War as US soldiers on leave came to find a “release” from the stresses of war. Following the war, Thailand became a haven for sex tourists and pedophiles from all over the world. HIV exploded, as did human trafficking and child sex slavery. It was a nasty situation. In the 1990s, following a number of exposés, news stories, and NGO involvement, Thailand finally began to crack down on sex tourism and child prostitution. They cleaned up a lot of the nastier stuff.

But Thailand hasn’t shaken its sex tourism past completely and in many ways has quietly embraced it. Prostitution is illegal — but everyone turns a blind eye. It’s hard to say how many people come to Thailand just for sex but I bet it’s a very large number. And it’s just not old men – I encounter a lot of young travelers who visit go go bars. Yet despite this, you aren’t going to find the exploitative environment that prevailed twenty years ago.

Everyone is bothered by the old man/young girl dynamic they see in Thailand but there is a lot of hypocrisy with that opinion.

Where is the outrage when it happens in the west? When you see Michael Douglas and his 25-years-younger wife Catherine Zeta-Jones, are you repulsed? Harrison Ford and Callista Flockhart? Or the reverse – Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher (before they split)? Or are you just outraged that it looks like the old ugly Western man who couldn’t get laid back home decided to come to Asia and “exploit” a poor, innocent, “naïve” girl? We become outraged when we see the old white guy holding hands with a young Asian girl but we buy gossip mags about how Alex Baldwin is getting married to a girl 26 years younger than him.

The girls you see in Thailand aren’t that young. While Asians have a tendency look young and the girl may be younger than her client, she isn’t under-aged. Thailand did a great job in the 1990s of cleaning itself up and you just can’t walk around with a 12-year-old on your arms. Those girls you see in Nana Plaza, Patpong, or Pattaya are of legal age. Does Thailand have some underage prostitution? Sure, but so does every other country in the world. But no old guy is walking into a bar and out again with a girl who is 14. Officials may turn a blind eye to a lot of things but 14-year-olds working the bars would bring back a lot of heat and Thai officials don’t want to relive the 90s.

“So what?” you say, “Even if they are legal, they are still being taken advantage of and exploited.”

But are they? I don’t think so. Most of the prostitutes come from an area of Thailand called Isaan in the northeast. It’s the poorest region of Thailand and the girls know they can make a lot of money being a prostitute. Many have families to support. Not all the girls from Isaan end up as prostitutes but many do. It’s an easy job to get, requires very little English, and the money is good. Most of these girls usually have a friend who is a prostitute and tells them about the money. And while you may have certain feelings about prostitutes, walking into a go-go bar isn’t going to bring 93,483 forced sex slaves to you.

(Note: Trafficking does remain a problem in many go-go bars as it does anywhere in the world. I’m not saying that it never happens. What I’m saying is that not every women is there against her will.)

There’s an expression called “the white man’s burden.” It relates to the fact Westerners feel that we have a responsibility to save poorer nations and people. We see these girls, think they must be exploited (why else would they be with these old men?) and find ways to save them from this awful life. But, usually the ones being exploited are the men. The older women look after the new girls and teach them the tricks of the trade – how to bat their eyes and say the right things to get the guys to pay for them. They know what buttons to push. They know what to do to get the money.

Plenty of men come to Thailand solely for a quickie. Wam, bam, thank you ma’am. In fact, stroll through Thailand and you will see a lot of men (young and old) traveling with Thai girls they bought for the week. You can usually tell by the fact the Thai girl looks extremely bored.

But there are a huge number of men who come to Thailand, fall in love with a bar girl, and then try to rescue her from her “awful” life. She’s just a girl who is stuck in a bad situation but given the right circumstances, she’d definitely go to school and make something of herself, the thinking goes.

But you know what? These girls don’t want to be saved. You are just another sucker to them, one who is going to pay their bills. And if they do end up “dating” you it’s simply because you are supporting them.

I have been in Internet cafes where a girl, ready to go out at night, is on Skype talking to four other people who are her “boyfriends.” That means that there is some Western guy who is sending her money – and she always needs money. She’s going to school, her mom is sick, she needs food, or her bike broke. There are endless reasons. And men are more than happy to provide the money thinking they are keeping that girl out of prostitution when it reality, she’s doing it all over again once she signs off Skype.

High-end escorts in Bangkok make over $4,000 USD per month. Most prostitutes you see in Bangkok make about $100 USD per “session.” To put that in perspective, the average Thai salary is $4,700 USD per year and a lot lower in rural areas.

Men are cash cows to these girls.

We look at the prostitution in Thailand through Western eyes. We think that if there is an old man and young women there must be exploitation going on and that these naïve girls are just being taken advantage of. We all want to come and rescue these girls from their lives.

But that’s because in the West we equate sex with love and view prostitutes as dirty. However, Thailand has a very different notion of sex and love.

Sex in Thailand involves a huge set of contradictory values. Thailand is a very conservative culture. On the one hand, prostitutes are generally considered lower class and the profession is looked down upon. On the other, Thai men frequent prostitutes and, despite the conservative nature of Thailand, this behavior is tolerated.

And this is an often overlooked fact – the vast majority of sex tourism in Thailand comes from locals. Western sex tourism pales in comparison to this massive industry. The difference between Thais and Westerners? Thais are much more discreet.

In Thailand, prostitution is a job and prostitutes are simply workers. Sure, in Thailand’s highly classed social structure “good Thais” would never have a daughter who was a hooker, nor would a good Thai boy marry one.

But compared to the West where we really look down at prostitutes, in Thailand the social stigma is not as great. Thais walk by prostitutes the way we walk past everyone else. During the day, the same girls you saw shaking it will be walking down the street covered up.

In fact, most of the prostitutes tend to have Thai boyfriends or husbands. Why? Because it’s just the girl’s job. It’s a job that brings in a lot of money and the Thai boyfriend doesn’t care. Work is separate from everyday life.

Thais don’t equate sex with love like we do in the West; relationships aren’t just about love. They are more complex than that. In the west, we always ask “do you love him?” as if that is all that matters. If you came home and told your parents you loved a garbage man, would they be happy? Maybe not, but “if you loved him” then that’s all that would matter. Love will find a way.

In Thailand, that is not all that matters. Class, job, and family matter just as much as love if not more. If an upper-class Thai girl found love with a cab driver the family would put an end to the relationship. It wouldn’t matter how much they were in love. A bank executive isn’t going to marry a farm girl from Isaan. You always marry up.

Class and financial security are just as important.

And so girls who go with foreigners do so because that man provides money, security, and higher social status. A man must be able to provide for her family and a Thai women who can bring home a husband that provides earns raises the status of her family.

The security and class aspect of relationships in Thailand can not be understated. It’s very important here. And in the hierarchy of class, Westerners are high up there because with them comes security, money, stability. Getting together with a Westerner (male or female) brings that security.

And while the family may not enjoy their daughter becoming a prostitute, once the money rolls in they may sing a different tune. Being a prostitute is bad until you start making money from it then it’s a good thing because women in Thailand are supposed to take care of their families.

There are villages filled with expensive mansions up in poor rural Thailand that have been paid for by Thai girls who became prostitutes, made lots of money, and were able to support their families.

At a recent dinner, one friend told me about a girl who went to Malaysia and made $65,000 USD in one year. She wasn’t going to quit because the money was good and she could provide for her family.

Thais do not see what we see when they see prostitution.

(Bangkok Podcast had a wonderful discussion with Kaewmala, a Thai woman and writer, about the contradictions and attitudes of sex, prostitution, and romance in Thailand. It’s an hour long and a must listen if you want to understand this complex attitude more.)

My point is that we look at prostitution in Thailand through our Western values and morals and declare that these innocent girls are being exploited by old men and need to be saved. And while anyone forced into prostitution should be saved, for the girls who come and consent – what are we saving them from? A life we don’t want them to lead? Are we just quieting our conscience? Or are we just grossed-out because everything is so open and we would rather these dark aspects of humanity were kept behind closed doors? Maybe the real problem is we just don’t want to know it exists.

You don’t have to agree with prostitution. I am not going to visit a prostitute and I think a 50-year-old and an 18-year-old together is disgusting but if it doesn’t bother them, it doesn’t bother me.

Is the situation gross? To me, Yes. Is what you see exploitation? Not really. Is it really any of my business? No.

The next time you are in Thailand, don’t be so quick to judge. We travel to learn about other cultures – so don’t be shocked when other cultures have different attitudes about things like sex and prostitution.

Leave a comment – I’d love to hear your thoughts on this, especially if you have spent extended time in Thailand.

Suggested Reading:
Private Dancer – A 2005 book that highlights the complex relationship between western men, sex workers, and those who fall in love with them.
Sex Slaves: The Trafficking of Women in Asia – A 2001 book that focuses on sex trafficking, especially among Asian men.
Learning the Sex Trade – An interesting account from 2005 by a British journalist seeking the details of the sex industry. Also discusses the dual aspects of the industry.
A Woman’s Work – Excerpt from a British researcher’s new book on sex tourism in Cambodia. While not about Thailand, the feelings of the Cambodian girls are often echoed by Thai working girls.
Thai Woman Talks – A blog by Kaewmala about Thai sexuality, women, and relationships.

The Weekly Photo: Sunset Over the Grand Canyon

2012-04-29T09:35:54Z

Sunset Over the Grand Canyon

61 Interesting Facts About Japan

2012-04-26T15:46:36Z

I’m currently in Japan on a G Adventures tour and I am loving every minute of it. Japan has far exceeded my expectations, though I am definitely not eating enough sushi. In 4 days, I’ve only had it twice. For someone so addicted to sushi, that just feels so wrong. I’ll be rectifying that soon enough though (tomorrow for lunch). Japan is a country with a fascinating culture and history so I thought I would share some of the interesting facts I’ve learned about it:

Japan has the third biggest economy in the world behind the US and China.

There are 127 million people living in the country.

The founding of Japan and the imperial line dates back to 660 BC. National Foundation Day is a national holiday and is celebrated on February 11th.

More than 70% of Japan is mountainous terrain.

There are over 200 volcanoes in Japan.

Mt. Fuji, the tallest mountain in Japan, is also an active volcano.

Zen Buddhism is the most common form of Buddhism in Japan.

There are four different writing systems in Japan: romaji, katakana, hiragana, and kanji.

Japan imports about 85% of Jamaica’s total coffee production.

Japan’s literacy rate is almost 100%.

There is almost no immigration in Japan. The population is 98% ethnic Japanese.

Sumo is Japan’s national sport.

Baseball is also hugely popular in Japan due to the strong American presence after World War II.

Slurping your food is a sign that the food is delicious and a compliment to the cook.

Japan is the world’s largest consumer of Amazon rainforest timber.

There are over 1,500 earthquakes in Japan each year, though most of them are very minor.

Japanese people live an average of 4 years longer than Americans.

Tsukiji Market in Tokyo is the world’s largest fish market and the majority of fish in the world go through here.

Japan still hunts whales under the premise of “research” though the meat does end up in supermarkets.

The first Japanese novel, The Tale of Genji, was written by a Japanese noblewoman, Murasaki Shikibu, in 1007.

In Japanese, karaoke means “empty orchestra.”

Raised floors in Japanese houses indicate when to take off your shoes.

Most Japanese ATMs don’t accept foreign ATM cards. You have to use the machines at the Post Office or find a 7-11.

It takes about 11 years of intensive training to become a fugu (blowfish) chef. Fugu chefs need to eat their own fish in order to pass the training and be certified to prepare the fish.

In Japanese, geisha means “performing artist” and the first geishas were men.

Many Japanese companies have morning exercise sessions for their workers.

A very popular food in Japan is raw horse meat.

Japan has the second-lowest homicide rate in the world. The homicide rate is .50 per 100,000 people.

Japan has produced 18 Nobel Prize winners.

The Yakuza, the Japanese mafia, cut off the tip of the left pinky finger as punishment for someone’s first offense.

Japan consists of approximately 6,800 islands.

The four main islands — Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku and Hokkaido — comprise 97% of Japan’s total land area.

Japan has been inhabited since 30,000 B.C.

Animated Japanese films and television shows (i.e. Anime) account for 60% of the world’s animation.

There are close to 130 voice-acting schools for Anime voices.

23% of the Japanese population is over the age of 65.

The greater Tokyo area is the largest metropolitan area in the world with over 35 million people.

Tokyo city has 13 million people in it.

Sushi used to be eaten as street food.

The world’s most expensive tuna was sold in Japan for $735,000 USD.

It is considered inappropriate to blow your nose in public.

Japan has cafes where people can play with puppies and kittens.

Japan boasts the longest reigning monarchy in the world.

The only foreign language taught and mandated in Japanese schools is English.

Contrary to popular belief, true Kobe beef is only found in Japan due to tight controls and restrictions.

Under Japanese law, Kobe beef can only came from the Hyogo Prefecture.

Japan is the only country in the world that has had atomic weapons used against it.

The Japanese constitution includes an article completely renouncing war and aggression.

In Japan, snowmen are made of two large snowballs, not three.

Restaurants give you moist towels before your meal, as well as green tea.

Japan’s Haiku poetry is the shortest in the world, consisting of only three lines.

Mount Everest’s oldest climber is Japanese – Mr. Yuichiro Miura was 70 when he reached the summit, and 75 when he made the climb a second time.

Japanese samurai were ancient warriors of great honor and valor. They were considered the best warriors.

A ninja was a covert mercenary in feudal Japan who specialized in unorthodox warfare.

Japan is nicknamed the “Land of the Rising Sun”.

The Japanese movie The Hidden Fortress was the basis for Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.

Japanese Sake is made from fermented rice.

Tokyo is the 2nd most expensive city to live in the world.

The fortune cookie dates back to Kyoto, Japan during the 19th century.

There are more than 1,600 temples in Kyoto.