Japan’s Culture Through Ryokan

Few countries can claim their hotels as one of their main tourist attractions. Japan is different. Staying in a traditional ryokan provides insight into what Japan values: simple, well-made food, courteous service, tradition, a place that feels like home.

No one travels in Japan more than the Japanese themselves. Part of this is due to the values listed above, and part of this is because of the natural hot springs that dot the islands. Weekends at a hot spring resort are not just common, they’re a necessary respite from the stress of urban living. Knowing this, it’s safe to say that the country’s best ryokan are located near the country’s most popular natural hot springs.

And so we come to Nishimuraya Honkan Ryokan, a traditional yet luxurious basecamp in Kinosaki-cho, Japan.

Getting to Lake Titicaca

You get an idea of why Titilaka is so special as you land at nearby Juliaca airport. As excited as any traveler is to see stunning Lake Titicaca, the cities of neighboring Juliaca and lake-side Puno are… not a good introduction. There is poverty in Puno, there is an indigenous culture forgotten by modern civilization, there are incomplete brick buildings, there is a growing urban haze. And bad news for most travelers: most of the hotels on Lake Titicaca are within view of all of this.

But then your private driver keeps driving, and driving, and driving. Almost blissfully, the city gets left in the rear view mirror. City sounds and sights give way to family farms and the families that work them. Long views of the lake compliment the wide open sky that feels closer at this high elevation. And thirty minutes later, you arrive at your country estate.

We are always excited to introduce a new opportunity to give back to the travel destinations we love, and as Californians, we are personally all surfers at heart, whether we surf or not!

A new initiative was launched at the Volcom Fiji Pro this month that will help surfers give back to surf tourism destinations. Surf Credits is a groundbreaking partnership between 3 non-profits, the San Diego State University Center for Surf Research, the Surf Resource Network, and iJourneyGreen. Here's how it works. You go to the Surf Credits website, select a destination you want to support, then select a non-profit organization working that destination you want to support. Go to the check out and buy one or more $25 tax deductible surf credits. 83% goes to the non-profits in destinations and related research. In return for the Surf Credit you get discount coupons.

Below are four great trip planning tools that can help you budget, plan overland travel, search for the best events worldwide, and provide helpful packing tips.

Eardex -AirTreks recent blog post introduced us to this great travel budget tool. Eardex, or the Earth Index, provides information on the cost of living around the world. Eardex shows the cost of living in different towns, cities, regions, and countries by listing local prices of popular products and services, such as the price of hotels, eating out, and public transportation. Eardex users provide the data used to find these local prices and the service is free. Eardex is useful to all types of travelers, whether you’re a backpacker, expat, or luxury traveler the tool allows you to accurately budget your daily expenses.

Scott and Christy are surfers and photographers who run an inspiring travel blog, (as well as a San Diego food blog,) where they provide tips to others who want to fulfill their dreams of travel, no matter what situation they are in. You can find them on Facebook, Twitter or view their travel photography portfolio. They were kind enough to answer some questions for us, thanks Scott and Christy!

1. Where in the world are you now?

We are currently using San Diego, CA as our home base and taking lots of trips to places like Nepal, Dominican Republic, Panama, Arizona, San Antonio, Texas and Yellowstone National Park. We named our blog Ordinary Traveler because we are two people working normal jobs, but still finding plenty of time to travel the world. We want to show people that you don't have to quit your job in order to travel.

2. When and how did you get hooked on travel?

Christy has been hooked on travel for as long as she can remember. Her parents are partly to blame for taking her on annual trips to exotic destinations throughout her childhood. Scott first caught the travel bug on a school trip to Italy during his senior year in high school.