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Shoyu Sugar

Malia Yoshioka is a freelance Food & Travel Writer and ESL Tutor from Hawaii. She's slowly eating her way around the world, 43 countries and counting so far! Get behind the scenes news, travel tips and the best food stories from around the web in her weekly Savor the Journey newsletter.

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Is Train Travel Worth It? ๐Ÿš‚

๐Ÿ‘‹ Well, that was quite the journey! After nearly two months back in North America, I took my last planned train ride (for now!) to get from Buffalo back to New York City via Amtrak's Empire Service route which runs through most of the state. I was curious about the total mileage so I decided to add it up! In total over the past 2 months I've spent close to 68 hours on trains. The 10 segments totaled more than 3100 miles (5000 km) and took me through 2 countries, 11 US States + DC. I won't...

๐Ÿ‘‹ Bonjour from Montreal! I've spent the past few days exploring the city at a leisurely pace and have barely scratched the surface. The city is buzzing with the Canadian Grand Prix taking place here this weekend, so I'll be leaving just in time. ;) Yesterday I finally got to visit the wonderful Jean Talon Marche with journalist Ivy Lerner-Frank, who introduced me to some of her regular market vendors and favorite stops to shop and eat. (I'm working on eating my weight in fromage!) I was so...

๐Ÿ‘‹ Greetings from my next train adventure, a 13-hour day aboard the Amtrak Northeast Regional train from Richmond, Virginia to Boston, Massachusetts! I've been rediscovering how much I love watching the scenery change out the window of a long-distance train and how much I love the people watching (and eavesdropping!) I can do from inside my roomy seat. I also love a historic old train station, like the Main Street Station (above) in Richmond, VA Iโ€™ll be spending the weekend in Boston and then...

๐Ÿ‘‹ Greetings from somewhere south of DC! Continuing along my East Coast USA train journey, I spent the past week in Washington, DC with Adrienne (@TheHaphazardTraveler). I hadn't been in DC since 2016 and as you can imagine, a LOT has changed since then! One important stop was to visit the National Museum of African American History and Culture. It had just opened when I was there last and the entry tickets were impossible to come by. It was a sobering reminder of dark times in our history...

๐Ÿ‘‹ Greetings from the Big Apple!It's been a whirlwind since I've been back stateside... I landed in Miami, then started north via the high-speed Brightline train to kick off my flight-free trip up the East Coast. From Florida, we took an overnight train to DC, then the high-speed Acela to New York which arrived at the beautiful Moynihan Train Hall. I was here for my first Women in Travel Summit (WITS) in Downtown NYC, which was a great experience! My focus in the next few months will be on...

Happy Aloha Friday! Welcome to this week's roundup of tasty tidbits specially curated for you from Hawaii to Istanbul and everywhere in between... ๐Ÿ‘‹ Hi friends, Istanbul has been both in the news and on my heart recently. I'm down to my last few days here in the city, so I've been spending quality time with friends and also revisiting some of my favorite places and taking notes to update some of my past Istanbul posts, including: Best Parks in Istanbul Galataport Guide How to Visit the...

Happy Aloha Friday! Welcome to this week's roundup of tasty tidbits specially curated for you from Hawaii to Istanbul and everywhere in between... ๐Ÿ‘‹ Hi friend, Big changes are brewing around here, and the countdown is on... No, it's not an April Fool's joke. I'm actually leaving Istanbul soon! I recently heard someone mention the idea of โ€œsoulmate cities,โ€ and if I had to pick mine, it would be Istanbul. Even with the multitude of changes โ€” some good, some bad โ€” in both myself and my soulmate...

โฐ Deal alert + special bonus! ๐Ÿ‘‹ Hi Reader, If you've ever found yourself second-guessing your travel plans or wondering whether you're missing out on the best experiences, youโ€™re not alone. Thatโ€™s exactly why my friend Michelle at Intentional Travelers created her Google Maps Travel Hacks course. It gives you the confidence and know-how to optimize your itinerary and navigate smoothly anywhere in the world. ๐ŸŒ Until midnight tomorrow (April 3), you can enroll for just $37 (soon going up to...

Happy Aloha Friday! Welcome to this week's roundup of tasty tidbits specially curated for you from Hawaii to Istanbul and everywhere in between... ๐Ÿ‘‹ Hi Reader, This week I've got an exciting collaboration with Michelle at Intentional Travelers as she gears up for the relaunch of her Google Maps Travel Hacks course, a step-by-step system to help you travel with confidence. You may know that I'm also a huge Google Maps fan since it's part of my own strategy to avoid tourist trap restaurants...

Happy Aloha Friday! Welcome to this week's roundup of tasty tidbits specially curated for you from Hawaii to Istanbul and everywhere in between... This week's newsletter is a day late, forgive me. Last week, I returned to Istanbul and it feels like there's been a certain heaviness in the air, with the stirrings of change...While I was away, the weather had been warm and spring-like, but as the week progressed the temperature dropped once again. Days of clear blue sky now alternate with moody,...