Yarrabyte’s gone missing again. Last seen behind the tapestry wool in Spotlight. No way of knowing if still there. Should we send out a search party?
Yarrabyte’s gone missing again. Last seen behind the tapestry wool in Spotlight. No way of knowing if still there. Should we send out a search party?
Parent made me go to a travel agent to get a quote, and they quoted 7k for a two week trip to Japan. That includes a tour, flights, accommodation and activities. I asked if that could be lower because I’m on a student budget, and got ghosted. I guess they weren’t going to make enough commission.
Parents want me to go on a tour because they think I’ll be bored, lonely, get lost or something might happen. I like the idea of it because everything is planned and someone is there to look out for you. Bit too exxy though. Solo travel seems a bit scary, especially as a woman. I flew to Sydney solo last year and ended up connecting with a friend. The moments alone were fine, but having a friend just made it more enjoyable. A highlight was my friend and I trying to find each other in the botanical gardens, except she was hiding from me and didn’t tell me where she was. Imagine that in Tokyo. The tour company said they can give me a discount, but I’m thinking maybe I should just wait until the end of next year. It sucks because I’ve hyped myself up for it, but oh well. I waited 20 years before I went overseas (that was added to my HECS debt), so I can wait longer.
Tours are great but you pay a premium for having everything taken care of you. Also, less flexibility in your trip. I love solo travelling but I understand the thought of it is super daunting. Japan is a great place to have your first experience with this - it’s very safe (taking the usual precautions you would anywhere else). Having to navigate a new place yourself is part of the experience, you can do a lot more than you think. And there are other ways to connect with solo travellers. I’m not coming from this with the female perspective though, you can do research on other solo female traveller experiences in Japan to see what it might be like.
Japan is super safe.
I’d say ditch the tour and just organise it yourself. Getting lost is half the fun :)
Yeah this is what I’m considering doing. Two weeks on my own can’t be that bad. Plus if I see my friend, it’s 10 days. I’m sure I’ll meet people along the way!
You can plan your own holiday and part of that might be organised day or two day tours if you are interested. It might be cheaper and easier than renting a car for longer trips.
get a big tour guide book and see what you want t do, DK or frommer is good, lonely planet is clueless. Booking is so easy now because internet.
Think of it this way, you live in a really big city so you already know how to do this :)