When you think of Japan, you tend to think of the popular cities of Tokyo or Osaka.  But who could blame you, these are the top two largest metropolitan areas in Japan and they both have a psychedelic tapestry that continues to attract tourists.  Despite this, there are so many other lesser-known locations in Japan that have its own magic. 

When searching for Airbnb’s, it can sometimes be quite a hassle.  There are so many things to consider: will it be clean? Is the neighborhood safe? How close is it to the airport? How close is it to what I want to see? How much is it? The list of questions can go on and on. 

The beauty of Rome cannot be encompassed by words alone.  When I first stepped off the steps of the plane and walked to the shuttle bus, I felt an immense feeling of comfort.

After adopting a lifestyle that incorporates travel and impromptu international trips, it forced me to reevaluate how I traveled, and more importantly how to travel efficiently.  On all my trips within the last few years, I have only carried my backpack and a personal bag (usually my tote bag or purse). 

Osaka, Japan is just as magical as everyone dreams it to be.  Before I visited, I wasn’t too sure what to expect. Even though I lived in the eastern side of the world for a couple of months, I would be visiting a culture that I had minimal exposure to and could only limit my knowledge to the pop cultural phenomenon anime.

Being in a foreign land where you don’t know the language, the culture, or even how to navigate your new community you realize that by not having the luxuries of living in the familiar, you are forced to have faith in yourself. You are forced to figure things out. You are forced to be your biggest supporter. 

We all experience lows, more than we’d like throughout our lifetimes. As much as we’d like to avoid them, life is life and we all must go through the ups and downs. 

I have always had quite an adventurous and open-minded spirit that created this constant desire in me to explore.  Flash forward a few years to my first corporate position after graduation, I was yet again feeling the itch to explore and place myself in a totally new environment.  But how did I end up moving to South Korea, of all locations in the entire world?

Sometimes as humans, it’s hard to see beyond the current point in time.  As if the present is nothing but a never evolving reality perpetually fueling your ideas of hopelessness.  These unprogressive ideas seem to multiply exponentially, creating a cycle that leaves you at a point of both confusion and little motivation. 

Although traveling within the United States is a great way to explore the beauty that this country has, traveling overseas can offer a whole new set of experiences that forces you to dive into a completely different perspective than you are used to. 

This idea that black people don’t travel is a pretty pervasive idea, as evident by the number of links that come up after doing a quick Google search of the topic.  But, does this idea really hold any truth in it?