I visited Japan 6 years ago, on a stopover on my way from Malaysia back to the U.S. I always thought that if I ended up in Japan I would be visiting Tokyo. But because the stopover was at the Narita International Airport and my family only had a night and a day to spend there, we stayed in Narita, Chiba. In Japan, New Year's Day (Shohatsu) is the most important holiday. In fact, it isn't even celebrated on just that day. Many businesses remain closed until January 4. We were in Japan on January 2, the second day of...

Read More »

Figured out your travel plans this year? How about more travel destinations? Bhutan: Under the Radar Few people know about Bhutan and travel to this extraordinary country. For one, it is quite expensive, where visitors pay about $200 (US) to go around the city, but do get have their own personal tour. According to a travel website, Bhutan is "the Nepal for the jet set". It's not going to be cheap. Decide beforehand if you want to go trekking or bird-watching in Bhutan. Or if you'd rather schedule your visit to coincide with one of the numerous festivals in the country,...

Read More »

Have you made plans to visit the first six destinations I've listed for the favorite travel and vacation spots of 2009? Here are more places to add to your list! Nepal If you're up for a different kind of adventure, I suggest planning a trip to Nepal in Asia. The Republic of Nepal is a small country surrounded by both China and India. Full of mountains and plains, yaks and Sherpas, Nepal is the best place for some serious walking and trekking. Trekking in Nepal is not about conquering wild expeditions, but, rather, it is the only and most natural way...

Read More »

In "Airports Around the World," you got a chance to learn about four notable airports: Los Angeles International Airport, Sydney Airport, Changi Airport, and Heathrow Airport. Here are a few more worth mentioning: Incheon International Airport, Seoul, South Korea - The Icheon International Airport is the largest airport in South Korea. It was one of three airports (the other two being the Hong Kong International Airport and the Singapore Changi Airport) to receive the full 5-star ranking by the aviation research company Skytrax and was named "Airport of the Year" for 2009. It is quite a...

Read More »