👋 Greetings from Tokyo! The start of this year has already felt so heavy in many ways, and I know many of us are feeling the need to consciously look for moments of steadiness and light where we can. It’s said you have to be lucky to get a clear view of Mt. Fuji, so I took it as an good sign when I got this view from the Shinkansen on my way back to Tokyo. For me, being in Japan and spending time connecting with the language and culture over the past few weeks has offered up many moments of...

👋 Greetings from Kyoto! It’s that liminal space between Christmas and the year’s end where I often forget which day it is. Do you feel it too? When traveling, this effect can be magnified. Without routine, daily habits can be harder to stick to, and there’s always something happening, somewhere to go, or someone to meet. This past week in Kyoto was a reminder of how important being social is for me when I travel solo, even at this stage of life. Somewhere in the middle of all the hustle and...

👋 Greetings from Tokyo! It feels like conversations about cost of living are everywhere right now. Housing is more expensive, travel feels harder to justify, and a lot of people are rethinking what’s actually sustainable. Ten years ago, I shared country-specific cost breakdowns during a long-term trip in order to be transparent about what life on the road actually cost me compared to staying in Hawaii. I’ve been getting similar questions again lately, so this time around I’ve been keeping...