Posts by Tfcboy31

Hi there, I’m also following with great interest! And every travel journal serves travelers for many years to come, so keep it up!

Hi there, and thanks for this travel journal! I just read your first post, and we’d budgeted almost the same amount for our trip (we’re leaving on October 25th for 4 weeks): Total = 3,194 euros, which averages out to 228 € per day for 2 people. I’ll get started on the rest now! :)

And here’s our itinerary—I’ve booked all the accommodations. We’re going for 4 weeks, and I still feel like it’s a bit rushed; we had to make some tough choices.

- Arrival in Osaka on 26.10.26, then straight to - Kyoto for 6 nights (including Nara and Fushimi Inari) Then a 5-day Kansai Pass for - Himeji: 1 night - Hiroshima and Miyajima Island: 3 nights - Osaka: 2 nights - Kanazawa: 3 nights, then we rent a car (10.11) to go to: - Takayama and Shirakawa-go: 2 nights - Matsumoto: 1 night - Around Mount Fuji: 3 nights We return the car at Haneda (16.11) and head straight to - Nikko: 2 nights, then - Tokyo: 5 nights Departure from Tokyo on 23.11.26

If anyone wants to join our road trip through the Japanese Alps to split costs, feel free to DM me! :) I’ll share a full recap after our trip

Thanks so much for your comments. I’m not really into "Japanese anime" culture, so the Ghibli Museum isn’t on our must-visit list. If it rains, I’m thinking of an ukiyo-e museum or teamLab Borderless :)

I just saw, right before your message, about Labor Thanksgiving Day on 23.11. Could you tell me if the subways will be running as usual?

Ah, I was wondering if it was the same station in Vientiane too... So for now, you have to take another train from a different station... the one that goes to BKK via Nong Khai? (Before, we used to take the train from Nong Khai)

...Lukmee says: so apart from the Yunnan-Chiang Mai route (by road or by direct flight from Kunming or Jinghong to Chiang Mai), everything else by train! ** Now, the new train that goes from Laos to BKK (we talked about it in a previous discussion) starts in Kunming, Yunnan, so on this section you can take the train too. But I don’t know if a European can cross from China to Laos...

Hi there,

Back in 2017 with Lufthansa, I had to fight hard to leave despite having a train ticket from BKK to Vientiane. Check-in refused to let me board, so I had their supervisor called, and after several discussions, I was finally able to take the flight to BKK. Ever since, I always keep a flight ticket as proof of onward travel because I never want to go through that airport stress again. But does it depend on the airline? Qatar Airways in 2023: no questions at all about a possible exit from Thailand.

Hi,

So you don’t have any proof of leaving the country, then? Some airlines won’t let you depart for BKK. It’s better to play it safe—either reduce the number of days between entering and leaving Thailand or buy a flight ticket out of the country.

Hi Julien,

I can’t answer your questions since I’ve never been to Japan :) I’ve just seen and read that people recommend booking everything well in advance (several months ahead). Well, we’re leaving on 25.10 and returning on 23.11, and I’m already working on our itinerary so I can start booking soon (no youth hostels for us). For your 8 free days, I think you can find some ideas in the travel journals posted here.

Thanks for the 3 tips on my itinerary—they’re really helpful.

thanks

Thanks to both of you for your reply! This way of traveling bothers us a bit, but I’ll adapt and plan our itinerary accordingly.

Hello,

I’m looking for advice from seasoned travelers about a roughly one-month trip to Japan. From late October to late November 2026.

We often travel in Southeast Asia but have never been to Japan. Based on what I’ve read, I’d love to hear your thoughts on:

- Is traveling day-to-day, without booking hotels or trains in advance, possible in Japan? (I’ve read many travel journals and blogs that say everything was booked way in advance… but that’s not how we usually travel.)

- Will the Japan Rail Pass be worth it for us? (According to an old simulator, I’m looking at around 400 € for trains compared to 570 € for the JRP.)

Here’s our rough itinerary (which may change):

- Arrival Osaka: 3 nights with Nara - Hiroshima and Miyajima Island: 3 nights - Kurashiki or Naoshima: 2 nights - Himeji: 1 night - Kyoto: 4 nights - Kanazawa: 2 nights - Takayama and Shirakawa-go: 3 nights - Around Mount Fuji: 3 nights - Tokyo with Nikko: 6 nights (no theme parks) Departure from Tokyo

Thanks for sharing your thoughts! :)

Thanks so much for this beautiful story and the photos. I’m hitching a ride in your van so I don’t miss a thing. I visited Joshua Tree Park two years ago—gorgeous—but I’m jotting down the two others you mentioned for my next trip.

Hi there, I just read your question. I’d also go for option 1 because travel times in Laos are really long, and you only have a week. In my post here, I shared travel times and other info from 2023. Kate’s travel journal is more recent and will give you some other tips too.

Hi Richard, Kate, and your travel companions,

Thanks for this lovely travel journal—it brought back such sweet memories of my trips to Laos (4 in total: 2012, 2017, 2023, and 2025). In 2017, we still saw Irrawaddy dolphins at the 4,000 Islands. I’m really behind on reading, but it let me devour the journal in one go.

Sorry, I only know the Füssen/Reutte side!

Personally, I love eating durians :) In moderation though, since they're really expensive and fatty..

On the islands, the water will be nice and warm, and there are gorgeous landscapes around Krabi. Have a great trip!

Hi there,

From Garmisch, there are tons of things to see and especially hikes to do: among others: Olympic sites,

Full day: - Neuschwanstein Castle: book NOW! (and if it's already fully booked, get there as early as possible to buy a same-day ticket—there are plenty, but don’t plan anything else fixed for that day). Also consider the nearby old castle: Hohenschwangau. - To combine with: Füssen, a lovely town center, and Wieskirche, a UNESCO site, plus several nearby lakes for a stroll.

Full day: - Linderhof Castle - To combine with: Plansee in Austria (and Heiterwangersee, connected by boat), Ehrenberg Castle (great view), Highline 179, Reutte

Watch out if you want to take the crossing between Germany and Austria on the 179: there are often traffic jams, so go during off-peak hours. (No other crossing is possible—the other roads are blocked.)

Hikes: Full day: - Schachen Castle, after a 7-hour round-trip hike (check if it’s open yet—depends on the snow)

- Zugspitze

- And plenty of other hikes, varying in difficulty: There are several pretty gorges and waterfalls, or mountains.

Friday, November 21.

The guy at the hotel pointed me to a road, but it’s high-traffic—trucks, dust, construction—the same one we took back from our first-day walk. That’s not what I’m looking for at all. I take random side roads that lead into residential neighborhoods, not very interesting. After turning around a lot, I spot colorful flags hanging from branches along the roadside, hidden by the vegetation. I turn back—an animist cemetery?

I venture into the jungle and sure enough, I come across a cemetery with several abandoned graves.





Hi Marie-Jo, A month and a half late, I just read it. Thanks for this beautiful travel journal—it reminds me of our month in northern Laos in 2023. The cemetery near Luang Namtha is a Thai Dam ethnic group cemetery.