Sunset Desires: September 2019

*This is a contributed post. All opinions are the writers own.

Japan is a unique and fascinating country. With its ancient temples, sandy beaches, and talking toilets, this luxury destination is one that all travellers want to visit. Japan is the kind of place that will open your mind, stimulate your senses, and steal a piece of your heart. While you’re sure to make lifelong memories, regardless of how long you stay, they can be tarnished by the confusion many first-time visitors feel. To make your first trip to Japan easier, here are six essential tips.

1. Buy A Rail Pass

A Japan Rail pass is a worthwhile investment for any traveller to Japan. Like similar passes available in other countries, it gives you unlimited access to most of Japan’s rail network, including the high-speed trains. That means you can venture out of the city on day trips. Although the pass is pricey, it’s definitely worth the investment, and can be found much cheaper online.

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2. Hide Your Tattoos Away

While you can wear almost whatever you want in Japan, you should cover your tattoos. Despite how pretty or artistic yours might be, they aren’t socially acceptable in the country. In fact, they are heavily associated with criminal gangs. Some places might even deny you access if you have tattoos on display. This may be changing with increasing tourism, but the transition is slow.

3. Eat All The Foods

Eating out in Japan is an experience like no other. The amount of restaurants is incredible, and the service is top-notch. Even Japanese snacks, which you can order online from websites like 99japan, taste better in the country. The standard of food in Japan is so high that it’s practically impossible to have a bad meal. This is why you should take advantage and eat everything.

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4. Carry Cash With You

Japan would definitely be described as a cash-based society. Even places where you would usually expect to take a card, such as McDonald’s restaurants, very rarely do. Because of this, you must have plenty of cash on hand. Although you can take out more money, finding an ATM might be difficult. Your best bet is to head to a local post office, Citibank ATM, or to a 7-Eleven.

5. Forget About A Tip

Even if you have plenty of cash to spend, you shouldn’t tip your waiter. Not only is this not necessary, but it might be seen as rude. No matter how exceptionally good the food or service is, make sure you keep your money to yourself. Rather than accepting your tip, the waiter will probably chase you down the street, assuming that you’ve left your change behind by accident.

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6. Learn A Few Phrases

With Japan travel apps and translator tools, there is no reason why you should have to speak Japanese to visit Japan. Nonetheless, you should try to learn a few important phrases before you visit. Politeness is a huge part of Japanese culture. When you make an effort to learn the language, you show politeness, which will be appreciated by everyone you meet.

Hopefully, with the advice above, your first trip to Japan with be an unforgettable one.

What essential travel tips do you have for the first trip to Japan? Let me know in the comments below and while you are here why not check out more of my travel-related content?
Maldives Honeymoon Guide

27 September No comments

*This is a paid guest post. All opinions are the writers own.

If you’ve been travelling for a long time, you’ll likely have found a ton of inspiration for your own home. And once you’ve finally bought a house, you can be super excited about the move. You should be, as it’s your own home! You finally have a refuge, a place to call yours, whenever you’ve come from your travels. Thing is, setting up your new home isn’t as easy as it sounds. And the house move can be a bit hassling when you know adventure is calling for you soon. However, this doesn’t mean a house move as travellers isn’t possible. In fact, your penchant for exploration might be to your advantage. Here’s how:

Visit the location and get familiar with the neighbourhood. An important aspect of pulling off a successful house move is to actually visit the location yourselves. Being familiar with your house in the moving process lets you be in the state of mind where you can decide precisely where you want to place – or where you want your long-distance moving companies to place – your furniture and belongings. Likewise, being familiar with the neighbourhood also allows you to identify points of interest like restaurants, hospitals, police stations, and malls. This gives you a ton of places to visit on move day.

Why not check out: 5 Things To Keep In Mind When Moving

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Fix your inventory and your belongings. Another important part of a successful move is to organize your inventory. Think of this as organizing your stuff while travelling – you need to make sure everything you have is organized and in order to avoid conflicts, especially in the airport. Likewise, before your move, it helps to be familiar with exactly what you own so you know what you want to sell, throw away, or keep. This also allows you to be aware of precisely what you own, and other things you want to note such as quantity, price, and what it’s made of.

Make a schedule around your routine. A mistake people make during their house move is to “revolve” their routine around their house move timetable. This can lead to a lot of hassle, especially in your personal and professional lives. Making your life revolve around the move can result in absences from work, missing out on family days, or even messing up your routine. This can hurt your relationships and your career, which we don’t like. Instead of doing this, make sure you revolve your house move timetable around your routine. Make adjustments and try to find compromises in your spare time that can be dedicated to your move, without sacrificing both your move and your life (in this case, travel) in the process.

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Dedicate packing days, and make good use of your free time. With your schedule in mind, try to dedicate a few free days or “date days” into packing days. This can be a good packing process for you and your partner or a good day for you to meditate and reflect on things while packing. Fixing up storage materials and packing your belongings can be a good way to think about your future travels, and to “free up” your mind from the hassles of your previous adventures. Think of this as a way to de-stress and at the same time focus on pulling off a good packing session.

Hire professional help for assistance. When you know you have a busy schedule, you can also hire a few extra hands for assistance. If you’re living in or moving to, New York, you can hire movers NYC to help transfer your belongings to your new home. This can be helpful on your end, as they have the skills, materials, and tools that can ensure your belongings are transferred to your new home without a hitch and without any issues.

Why not check out: Do Not Move Alone - Moving Tips And Tricks For A Stress Free House Move

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Your New Home is Where the Heart is

A house move for travellers can be just as stressful as those for people who don’t travel. If you travel for a living, a house move can be hassling as this can get in the way of your itinerary or other important appointments in other places. However, as the above would share with you, travellers who do house moves don’t necessarily have to sacrifice a lot of their hobby and their work just to pull a move properly. If the above were any indication, it seems you can also use your travelling specialization and expertise to make sure things in the house move go as smoothly as they are possibly good.

What tips do you have for a comfy house move? Let me know in the comments below and while you are here why not check out more of my travel-related posts and lifestyle-related posts?

Maldives Honeymoon Guide

13 September 4 comments

10 September 2 comments

*AD - This was a gifted press event. All opinions are my own.

When I was invited down to try the Cocktail Masterclass at The Milton Arms in Elsecar, Barnsley, I jumped at the chance. I've always wanted to try making my own cocktails and this definitely did not disappoint. We were given a welcome drink on arrival, I opted for a soft drink to save myself for the cocktails and my mum (who I invited along) went for her go-to: a white wine.

We waited while they set up the lights and the cameras, as they were filming us for a promo video for the cocktail masterclass (which you can watch at the bottom of this post). We then proceeded to make 3 cocktails which were a passion fruit martini, a mojito and a zombie. We all sat around a table and did each step together, which personally I think is so much better than other cocktail experiences, where one person will be behind the bar while everyone else watches. It takes the pressure off of yourself. We were shown every step and process of each cocktail along with how best to mix, shake and even pour the ingredients. He made it look so easy!

First up we made a passion fruit martini. This includes absolut vanilla, triple sec, passionfruit and pineapple juice topped with a floating passionfruit. I'm not going to be telling you exactly how these were made, you will just have to go along to a masterclass to find out for yourself.

Next up we made a classic mojito. In this mojito, we have fresh mint, lime, sugar and Havana rum.

Last but definitely not least we made a Zombie whose ingredients are rum, rum and more rum along with some pineapple juice, grenadine and a flaming lime cup on the top! This was my favourite cocktail, not only because it was the most fun to make (who doesn't like drinks that are set on fire?!) but also because it was the tastiest cocktail and came in the coolest glass.

As we were making each cocktail, the expert was teaching us about the origins of the drinks and more about the ingredients which were definitely interesting facts.

The details of what the cocktail masterclass includes are:

- £25 per person (£15 for the mocktail version)

- 6-12 party size

- £5 deposit per person when booking

- 1.30-2 hour class length depending on the class size

- Included in the class is a welcome drink on arrival and 3 cocktails chosen and made by the guests

- Food options and pairings are also available on request from the menu

So if this sounds like something you would like to try you can check out The Milton Arms website which will give you more info.

Overall, this was a really fun experience and I would love to do it again but with different cocktails. It could be fun for a birthday party or just something different to do for a night out. The choice is yours!

Why not try making your own cocktails at home with Fever Tree - The Art Of Mixing or any of the other range of cocktail books available at The Works.

Let me know in the comments below whether you have ever tried a cocktail masterclass as well as what your favourite cocktail or mocktail is and while you are here, why not check out more of my lifestyle-related posts.

06 September 4 comments

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