Nara

JR KANSAI-HIROSHIMA AREA PASS Review – Is It Worth It?

Early last year, my friends and I purchased the JR Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass for our trip around Hiroshima and the Kansai Region. We used this pass to travel to Hiroshima, Nara, Kobe, and Himeji from our base in Osaka.

Today, I will give you an in-depth look at this area pass and whether it’s worth purchasing. Read on below to learn more.

JR Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass

The JR Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass is an unlimited rail (and bus) pass offered to foreign tourists who wish to travel around the Kansai Region and Hiroshima for five consecutive days. The pass includes unlimited Shinkansen (bullet train) rides between Osaka and Hiroshima.

Price & Inclusions

The JR Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass costs ¥17,000 for adults (12 years and older) and ¥8,500 for children (6 to 11 years old). The pass is valid for five consecutive days from the date of the first trip/ride.

According to the West Japan Railway Company (JR-West) website, the JR Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass covers the following:

Unlimited use of the Sanyo Shinkansen (including Nozomi and Mizuho) between Shin-Osaka and Hiroshima, including the Hello Kitty Shinkansen
Unlimited Shinkansen seat reservations on ordinary cars
Unlimited use of local, rapid, and limited express JR trains in the JR-West coverage area
Unlimited use of the JR Ferry to and from Miyajima Island (Itsukushima)
Unlimited use of Kyoto Tango Railway going to Amanohashidate
Unlimited use of Wakayama Electric Railway
Unlimited use of local JR buses around Hiroshima, Kyoto and other West Japan JR buses within the covered areas
Free bicycle rental at Ekirin Kun outlets in the designated areas

Limitations

This area pass also comes with certain limitations. First, the pass is only available to foreign visitors/tourists (with valid landing permits) in Japan. It is not available for purchase by locals or residents of Japan. Second, the pass can only be used by a single person. It is tied to the person’s passport details, so it is not transferable. Additionally, the pass holder must always carry their passport.

Third, the pass does not cover the Tōkaidō Shinkansen route between Shin-Osaka and Kyoto. It also cannot be used on any other Shinkansen routes outside the Shin-Osaka and Hiroshima route. Fourth, Shinkansen seat reservations via ticket machines can only be made up to six times. Any seat reservations beyond the 6th must be made at the offices.

Where To Buy

The JR Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass is available for purchase on the West Japan Railway Company (JR-West) website. It is also available through accredited local travel agencies worldwide. You can find the list of accredited travel agencies here. The area pass is also available for purchase on online travel platforms such as Klook and KKDay.

Please note that the pass must be exchanged within 3 months from the date of purchase.

How To Use It

Each purchased pass must be exchanged at designated JR-West ticket offices or selected JR-West stations for physical tickets. These passes can also be exchanged at green ticket machines labeled e5489. The machine will require the customer to present the reservation number, e-ticket QR code, and a foreign passport with an IC chip. Seat reservations can also be made at these green ticket machines.

The JR Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass works like any other single-journey ticket. The ticket holder must insert the JR Pass along with the seat reservation ticket (if applicable) at every station checkpoint and retrieve them after passing through.

Japan Rail Pass Fare Calculator

Websites in Japan have created JR Pass fare calculators to help determine whether purchasing a particular pass is worth it, depending on your itinerary.

The JR Pass and Japan Travel websites offer fare calculators for the standard 7 to 21-day passes. The Japan Guide website provides a more detailed fare calculator that includes all available regional passes.

Where Did We Use

My friends and I purchased our JR Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass from Klook. We paid ₱6,346.00 each and exchanged our pass vouchers at a green ticket machine located at Osaka Station.

We used our passes for 5 consecutive days and traveled the following route: Shin-Osaka to Hiroshima via the Nozomi bullet train, Hiroshima to Miyajima Island (Itsukushima) via train and ferry (round trip), Hiroshima Meipuru-pu sightseeing bus to our accommodation, Hiroshima to Shin-Osaka via the Nozomi bullet train, JR line from Shin-Imamiya Station to JR Nara Station and back, Shin-Osaka to Shin-Kobe, Shin-Kobe to Himeji both via the Nozomi bullet train, Himeji to Shin-Osaka via the Hikari bullet train, and Kyoto Station to Arashiyama Station and back.

We used the pass to visit Hiroshima, Nara, Kobe, Himeji, and Kyoto all within 5 days. We didn’t use it for our trip to Kyoto (because we found a faster and more convenient option), but we did use it for the return train service from Kyoto to Arashiyama.

Was It Worth Purchasing?

Was the JR Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass worth the purchase given our route above? The answer is YES. With the help of Google Maps, I manually checked every ride we took. The total fare cost of everything listed above without the pass was around ¥33,000 per person.

The pass only cost us ¥17,000 per person. Including all bus and local train rides, it saved us around ¥16,000 per person. That is almost double the original pass cost! What a steal.

At the end of the day, the pass will only be worth it if you carefully plan your itinerary and make sure to maximize its inclusions within the 5-day usage period. While it may not be the most affordable option for visiting the Kansai Region and Hiroshima, it can become a valuable investment with proper planning and usage. If you plan to stay solely within the Kansai Region, you can consider these cheaper alternatives: the JR Kansai Area Pass and the JR Kansai WIDE Area Pass.

What do you think of the JR Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass? Is it something that suits your travel style? Share your thoughts in the comments section below. Do you have any questions about the pass? In addition to posting below, you can also send them via email to contact@thewkndtravel.com.

Thanks for joining me in today’s pass review. In case you missed it, my friends and I flew to Japan for 20 days to experience the cherry blossom season from March to April 2024. You can find all posts related to this trip under the Sakura 2024 category.

Before you go, I hope you can like, follow and share my social media pages – Facebook and Instagram. This will help me increase my reach; it will also keep you up-to-date with the latest blog posts, itineraries and flight reports on this website. Thank you and see you next time!

PS. Photos were taken using my OnePlus 9 Pro.

Sakura 2024: NARA, KOBE & HIMEJI Photoblog [March 2024]

Last year, my friends and I flew to Japan to experience the world-famous Sakura season. We had planned to be in most cities during the forecasted full bloom period, but to our surprise, the bloom was delayed by a little over a week due to colder-than-usual temperatures. We continued with our plans and enjoyed the trip despite the delay.

We started our journey in Takayama and Shirakawa-go, then went down to Osaka for a few relaxing / working days. We traveled further south to Hiroshima and Miyajima Island, then returned to Osaka. During our second visit to Osaka, we decided to explore nearby cities such as Nara, Kobe, and Himeji.

Allow me to share some of the photos I took during these short visits to the cities. I had been to Kobe in 2016 and Nara a few times (2016, 2019 and 2023), so I did not take many photos.

Accommodation & Osaka Base

My friends and I stayed in Osaka again for a few days after Hiroshima. Just like during our previous visit, we stayed at The Stay Osaka Shinsaibashi.

It has become my favorite accommodation in Osaka. I have stayed at this property during my last four visits to the city. I wrote about why I love this property in one of the recent “Hostel of the Day” features. I hope you can check out why this is my favorite here.

A few years ago, I wrote about how to apply for a Japan tourist visa. Click here to learn more about getting one for yourself.

JR Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass

We purchased the JR Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass for our visits to Hiroshima and the three cities. We paid ¥17,000 each for a 5-day pass that allowed us to take unlimited Shinkansen rides between Osaka and Hiroshima, as well as limited express and local JR trains and buses within the area. We used this pass to visit the three cities, take bullet trains to Kobe and Himeji, and use the local JR line for Nara.

I took an in-depth look at the JR Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass and evaluated whether it was worth purchasing. I hope you can check out my review of the area pass here.

Nara

We visited Nara to see the world-famous deer park. It was one of my friend’s first times visiting the city.

Kobe

We went to Kobe mainly for the Kobe beef. We had lunch at a local steak restaurant and walked around the nearby temple area while waiting for our Shinkansen to Himeji.

Himeji

We took the Shinkansen to see one of the most beautiful castles in Japan, Himeji Castle. Our visit coincided with the local cherry blossom viewing festival, despite the Sakura not yet being in full bloom.

Our visits to these three cities were full of amazing sights, great food, and memorable first-hand experiences. Despite the delayed Sakura bloom, we thoroughly enjoyed exploring the cities and their unique attractions.

Have you been to Kobe, Nara and Himeji, or are you planning to visit soon? I would love to hear about your experiences or any questions you might have! Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below. If you have any further questions or need more details, you can also reach me directly at contact@thewkndtravel.com. I am happy to help with any clarifications or travel tips.

Thanks for joining me in today’s blog post. In case you missed it, my friends and I flew to Japan for 20 days to experience the cherry blossom season from March to April 2024. You can find all posts related to this trip under the Sakura 2024 category. You can also check out our Takayama, Shirakawa-go, Osaka, and Hiroshima visits.

PS. Photos were taken using my OnePlus 9 Pro.

2024 in a Nutshell: Back to Where It All Started

It is now 2025. Happy New Year!

The last three months of 2024 were so busy that I got sick during the holidays. Our relatives from overseas also came home for the New Year. Apologies, I did not have the time to write and post my 2024 recap during the break. Well, it may be a little bit late, but here it is.

Despite being very busy with work, I continued to travel in 2024. I visited different cities, stayed in various hostels, flew with new airlines, and continued to travel on a budget. I did not post much about my trips last year, but I will give you a preview of where I went. After the “revenge travel” year of 2023, I basically returned to the places I first visited about a decade ago.

Kansai, Japan

I flew to Japan with my relatives in February 2024. I toured them around Osaka, Kyoto, and Nara for five full days.

We visited the usual sights like Osaka Castle, Dotonbori, Umeda Sky Building, Universal Studios Japan, Shinsaibashi, Nara Deer Park (in Nara), Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, Kinkaku-ji, and Fushimi Inari Taisha (in Kyoto). We also spent some time shopping around Shinsaibashi and Namba.

Japan Sakura Trip

I, along with two friends, flew back to Japan a month later to experience the Sakura season for the first time. This was also my 10th trip to Japan in 9 years. Our journey began in the cold and snowy Takayama and Shirakawa-go, followed by a few workdays in Osaka, and some relaxing yet educational days in Hiroshima. The full bloom of the Sakura was delayed by one to two weeks due to extreme cold weather.

We caught the start of the full bloom during our few days in Kyoto and finally experienced it in its full glory during our final days in Nagoya. We traveled around Japan for 20 days, chasing the cherry blossoms, and we were thrilled to catch the best views during our last days.

Cebu, Philippines

In April, my sister and I took our house “ate” of 10+ years on a free weekend vacation trip to Cebu. We enjoyed the beautiful views from the Sirao Flower Farm, the Temple of Leah, and the Taoist Temple. We also had the famous Cebu lechon for lunch, strolled around Magellan’s Cross and the Sto. Niño Basilica, and bought goodies from Tabo-an Market.

The following day, my sister took her to Cebu Ocean Park. I joined them afterward for dessert, arcades, and dinner. We flew back to Legazpi on our third day. Cebu was the first-ever domestic destination I visited as a solo traveler back in February 2012.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Last May, I flew to Kuala Lumpur with my colleagues for a weekend getaway. During our trip, I took them to some of the city’s most iconic landmarks, such as Bukit Bintang, the Petronas Towers, Chinatown, and Genting Highlands.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, was the first city I visited outside the Philippines when I traveled there in April 2013. It holds a special place in my memories as my first international adventure.

Hong Kong SAR

I joined my aunt and her family in Hong Kong last July for her birthday trip. We spent a day at Hong Kong Disneyland, where we enjoyed as many rides as we could due to the shorter-than-usual queues (only 40 minutes max, compared to 125 minutes in December 2023).

We also visited The Peak, Lantau Island, Ngong Ping, and Citygate Outlets. Looking back, Hong Kong was the third destination I visited with my Philippine passport back in October 2013.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam

In August, my friend and I flew to Saigon to rediscover the city. We stayed and explored for five full days. We went on day tours to the Mekong Delta and Cu Chi Tunnels. We also walked around the city and checked out the War Remnants Museum, Ben Thanh Market, Bui Vien Walking Street, Saigon Opera House, the Coffee Apartment, and many more.

The last time I explored the city was back in May 2014, during my fourth international trip out of the Philippines.

Sydney, Australia

I flew to Sydney, Australia, in September for business. After the work portion of the trip, my colleagues and I decided to extend our stay by two days and explore the city. We visited the usual sights, including the Sydney Opera House, Harbour Bridge, and The University of Sydney. We also made our usual stops at Coles and Chemist Warehouse for some shopping hauls.

Sydney holds a special place for me, as it was my first-ever trip outside of Asia back in August 2018.

Jakarta, Indonesia

I flew to Jakarta for work last November. I visited our local office and attended a trade show. Unfortunately, I did not have the chance to go out and explore the city, as I was there for a full 48 hours and focused solely on work.

It was during this trip that I had the opportunity to fly with our flag carrier, Philippine Airlines, internationally for the first time. I will post about this flight in the coming weeks.

Seoul, South Korea

I flew to Seoul, South Korea, the same day I returned from my Jakarta work trip. I stayed and re-explored the city for a little over a week with my high school friends.

We visited the usual spots like Hongdae, Myeongdong, Nami Island, N Seoul Tower, Bukchon Hanok Village, Insadong, and Hangang Park. We also checked out areas we had not visited during our previous trips—Seonsu-dong, Seoul Forest Park, Starfield Suwon, COEX Starfield, and Dong-myo Flea Market.

South Korea issued my first-ever tourist visa back in 2014. I visited the country twice—once in November 2014 and again in November 2015—but had not been back since. It was great to see Seoul again after 9 years.

Looking back on these trips, it is amazing to see how much travel has shaped my experiences and memories over the years. From rediscovering familiar places like Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur to exploring new districts in Seoul and Saigon, each journey has brought something special.

Whether it was business or leisure, solo adventures or trips with friends and family, I am grateful for the opportunity to see the world and create unforgettable memories. I look forward to more discoveries, new and renewed friendships, and the joy of exploring even more of the world this year.

Wishing everyone a travel-filled 2025! May all your dream trips come true.

Kansai 2023: OSAKA & NARA Photoblog [April 2023]

Last April, I went on a quick trip to Japan for the first time since Fukuoka in October 2019. I did not make any concrete plans on where to go or what to do since I revisited the same places I had been to a few years ago: Osaka and Nara.

I booked my ticket in November 2022 when Cebu Pacific Air offered a ₱1 base fare sale during 11.11. I flew in via Fukuoka, and then I took a domestic flight to Osaka afterwards. I stayed in Osaka for 6 nights and decided to just go around the city and the nearby cities for the rest of the trip.

In case you missed it, I have been to Osaka and Nara several times in the past. Here’s the list of blogs related to these 2 cities: The Japan Series | 3 of 3: OSAKA (2015), Going Solo in Japan Series: KYOTO & OSAKA (2016), Going Solo in Japan Series: NARA & KOBE (2016), Japan Highlights 2019: UNIVERSAL STUDIOS JAPAN – A Theme Park That Brings You Back to Being a ‘Kid’ Just for a Day (2019) and Japan Highlights 2019: NARA – A Morning Visit To The Deer Park (2019).

This post will be different since I will not talk about where you should go or what you should do in these cities. I will only share random photos of the places I have been on this trip. Spoiler alert! I still saw some cherry blossoms in Nara. Enjoy!

Osaka

Dōtonbori

Hozenji Yokocho

Kuromon Ichiba

Shinsekai

Todai-ji Namdaimon

Tōdai-ji Chumon

Nara Deer Park

Kōfuku-ji Chukondo & Kofuku-ji

It felt surreal visiting Dōtonbori again after a few years. It also felt amazing to see the world-famous cherry blossoms for the first time in x years of going to Japan.

Thank you for joining me in today’s photoblog. I hope you stay tuned for Japan-related content in the future. I hope you can also visit and follow my social media pages –Facebook & Instagram! Thanks again and see you in the next one.

PS. Photos were taken using my OnePlus 9 Pro.

2019 Rewind: Crossing Borders & Making Dreams Come True

Another year of travels is coming to an end. Those of you following me since 2016 know that I always post a year-end blog detailing what happened to me & where I went in that specific year. 2016 was all about travelling solo, exploring places by myself; 2017 was exploring relatively known & unknown places & 2018 was all about reuniting & travelling with friends. 2019 is a mix of all 3 years of recaps. I went & explored places by myself, I flew & took trains to both & unknown places & I had a few trips with my friends. I can say 2019 is my best year yet for travelling – I’ve crossed many borders & made my long-time dreams come true.

Allow me to share with you details of my 2019 in terms of trips taken. I will also give insights of the interesting content developments here in my website.

trips recap ✈️

SORSOGON 🇵🇭

I started off the year with a day trip to the beaches of Matnog, Sorsogon. I didn’t post about this day trip in this website but I believe it’s worth sharing here. My cousins from Australia welcomed the new year in our hometown. Days after the new year, we took them to the islands of Subic, Matnog in Sorsogon. We first went fish feeding in a sanctuary then continued to Subic Beach. It was a fun day spent with cousins in the beach.

JAPAN 🇯🇵

Back in February, I flew to my favorite Japan for 9 days. My supposed-to-be trip to Nagano, Kanazawa & Toyama turned into a family trip around Tokyo & Kansai Region (Osaka, Nara & Kyoto). I flew with them to Tokyo then took a side trip to Nagano then met my sisters in Osaka afterwards. It was a delight seeing the snow monkeys in Nagano & spending some alone time in a very cold & snowy place in Japan. I then flew to Fukuoka to spend a day around the city before catching my flight back to Manila. I may not have been to Kanazawa & Toyama in this trip but I’ll make sure to go next time.

I didn’t post much about this but I went to Japan again a few months ago. My friend & I decided to surprise another friend in her flight to Fukuoka & to ruin her first ever solo trip. We spent 48 hours around Fukuoka, Japan, went to pretty interesting places, savored every Japanese meal & drowned ourselves with the Lipton milk tea drink.

Blog List:
Japan Highlights 2019: TOKYO – 36 Hours In The Land Of The Rising Sun’s Most Famous Metropolis
Japan Highlights 2019: NAGANO – 48 Hours In The Inland Prefecture Of The Snow Monkeys
Japan Highlights 2019: UNIVERSAL STUDIOS JAPAN – A Theme Park That Brings You Back To Being A ‘Kid’ Just For A Day
Japan Highlights 2019: KYOTO – Japan’s Ancient Capital In One Day
Japan Highlights 2019: NARA – A Morning Visit To The Deer Park
Japan Highlights 2019: MATSUMOTO & FUKUOKA Stopovers

BACOLOD 🇵🇭

Office friends & I went on a spontaneous Bacolod weekend trip last February. We flew to the city & went to the famous Ruins then had chicken inasal for dinner in Manukan Country. We then went to the town of Don Salvador Benedicto to check out Negros’ Little Baguio. After a few hours around the mountains, we went back to the city & decided to just eat out until we flew back to Manila.

Blog: Spontaneous BACOLOD Weekend: 48 Hours In The City of Smiles

MELBOURNE 🇦🇺

I flew to Melbourne, Australia with Leng & Shane (from Sydney 2018 trip) during the Holy Week break last April. I spent 8 days around the city & the nearby suburbs. We also went to the Brighton Bathing Boxes, Great Ocean Road, Phillip Island & Yarra Valley Wine Country. My friend Lord, who I was with on It’s The Ship 2018, joined us on our first few days in Melbourne.

We didn’t make out Melbourne itinerary that busy compared to our Sydney one. We just enjoyed our time there, strolling around the beautiful city, trying out different cuisines & hoarding every single interesting item in the supermarkets.

Blog List:
N9 In Straya Series: Walking Around MELBOURNE Part 1 – Parks, Gardens & Heritage Sites
N9 In Straya Series: Walking Around MELBOURNE Part 2 – Hipster Laneways, Communal Spaces & Modern Areas
N9 In Straya Series: BRIGHTON BATHING BOXES – Iconic & Photogenic Bathing Boxes Found In A Coastal Melbourne Suburb
N9 in Straya Series: GREAT OCEAN ROAD – A Day Trip To The World’s Largest War Memorial
N9 In Straya Series: PHILLIP ISLAND – A Perfect Day Out With Nature & Australian Wildlife
N9 In Straya Series: PUFFING BILLY RAILWAY & YARRA VALLEY WINE TOUR – Victoria’s Heritage Steam Railway & Wine Region In A Day

TAIWAN 🇹🇼

It’s been years since our last family trip to Singapore. My parents decided to bring the family to Taiwan for the Fathers’ Day weekend. We went to the city of Taichung on our first day as per my sister’s request. She wanted to see the flower farms in Taichung plus take nice photos with the family. We then went around the city on Fathers’ Day – went to church, strolled around Daan Park, ate at Din Tai Fung, hiked the Elephant Hill & walked around Raohe Night Market.

On our third day, we took the Klook guided tour to Yehliu Geopark, Jiufen Old Street & Shifen then finished the day around Ximending. We spent our fourth day in Chiang Kai Shek Memorial, Liberty Square & in the airport for our flight back to Manila. I met with my good friend Richard, whom I knew in Komodo, Indonesia in 2018, for a few nights in Taipei. He was also in the city waiting for his flight back to Europe. It was fun catching up with this man over food & drinks!

Blog List:
TAIWAN All Over Again – Family Long Weekend In Taipei
TAICHUNG Photo Blog: Picturesque Places Outside Taipei
YEHLIU-JIUFEN-SHIFEN Klook Tour – Perfect & Hassle-Free Taiwan Northeast Coast Day Tour

YOGYAKARTA 🇮🇩

One spontaneous trip I took this year was that to Yogyakarta. I saw a piso-fare ticket to Jakarta last June for an August trip & decided to buy that ticket. I contacted Yudi, a friend I met on Its the Ship 2018 who is now based somewhere in Indonesia. We then agreed to meet in Yogyakarta & volunteered to take me around.

Lord of LordAroundTheWorld, who joined me in Melbourne last April, decided to join me a week before the trip. We then met with Yudi & his friend Dallin in Yogyakarta & we went around the city. We went to different temples (Borobudur, Prambanan, Taman Sari) & also took the lava trail tour in Mount Merapi. We ate in different local restaurants & tried several local dishes. We spent most of our time in Yogyakarta in the road, in restaurants & in our hotel. It was a relaxing trip; not the usual busy one. It’s nice to step back for a while & just enjoy chilling.

Blog: The Wonderful Indonesia Series: YOGYAKARTA – A Relaxing Weekend In Indonesia’s Special Monarchy Region

BORACAY 🇵🇭

My buddy Rick & I flew to Boracay last September to surprise our high school friends having their holiday in the island. They didn’t know that we were coming so we decided to show up on the afternoon of their 2^nd day, right after arriving in the island. We ate in nice restaurants, walked along the shore, swam on the beach & spent some quality time with the group.

Rick & I stayed for 2 more days in the island & just spent most of the time relaxing, eating, walking & drinking. I didn’t expect this September trip to have its 2^nd part after the Bohol weekend in 2018 but I hope there will be a 3^rd installment in 2020, 4^th installment in 2021 until this becomes a regular trip with them. By the way, I didn’t join my family in Hong Kong to join these people plus I also don’t have my passport during this time.

E-U-R-O-P-E!!! 🇳🇱 🇧🇪 🇨🇿 🇩🇰

Finally, A TRIP TO EUROPE! This is the highlight of my 2019. It was a dream come true. I haven’t posted anything about this trip in the website but I’m happy to share that this long-time plan of going to Europe happened last October to November 2019.

One of my Europe trip highlights – a trip to Český Krumlov. This town is picturesque & peaceful. 🇨🇿

It all started with an affordable ticket I got from the Singapore Airlines & BPI promotion last January 2019. I got tickets flying from Manila to Amsterdam, Netherlands & leaving from Copenhagen, Denmark, both via Singapore. I saved up the whole year, planned my itinerary, booked my hostels & booked the inter-country flights ahead of time. I applied for a tourist visa on my own – no help from any agency & got it after a week.

Nyhavn – my favorite place in Copenhagen… It’s where the Danish Christmas market is found! 🇩🇰

And the trip happened. Due to busy work schedule, I didn’t have time to do more research & make my final itinerary. I arrived in Amsterdam with no plans, not even a single idea how to go to my hostel. I got scared at first but I ended up having the best days of my life around Europe. I went to 4 countries (Netherlands, Belgium, Czech Republic & Denmark), explored cities & small towns, reunited with friends I met from previous trips, met cool new friends along the way, took walking tours in every city / town, drank more beers than waters in a day, walked thousands of steps & tens of kilometers a day & ate all local food I can in every place. I did all of these alone! Yes, I FLEW TO EUROPE ALONE & I SURVIVED. It was probably the bravest thing I did this year.

Obligatory photo with the canals of Amsterdam in The Netherlands.. Can’t wait to go back here! 🇳🇱

I have so much to share about this trip but I am reserving that for the individual posts. I hope you’ll watch out for those write-ups.

Blogs: TO FOLLOW.

blog highlights ✨

Aside from the usual blog contents I post, there were 2 significant developments in this blog. First is the continued posts for the Tuesday Tips & Hostel of the Day features. I had 3 Tuesday Tip posts & 7 hostel of the day features published in my website solely for 2019. I still have a long list of Tuesday tips to share & hostels (especially the ones from Europe) to publish so watch out for those. My main goal of posting these Tuesday tips & hostel features is to show the world that there are nice things out there that don’t need hefty amounts of money. You can have the same fun & memorable experiences by paying small amounts.

Blog List:
Hostel of the Day: DOT HOSTEL NAGANO – Wooden House Turned High-Rated Affordable Hostel
Hostel Of The Day: KHAOSAN WORLD ASAKUSA RYOKAN & HOSTEL – Clean & Affordable Traditional Japanese Accommodation In The Heart Of Tokyo
Hostel Of The Day: NEW WORLD INN OSAKA – Simple, Affordable & Modern Property Near Tennoji
Hostel Of The Day: FUKUOKA HANA HOSTEL – Fukuoka’s In-Demand & Best Valued Tourist Accommodation
Hostel Of The Day: FLINDERS BACKPACKERS MELBOURNE – Budget-Friendly & Extremely Popular Hostel In The Heart Of The City
Hostel Of The Day: UINN TRAVEL HOSTEL – Modern, Space-Themed & Excellent Taipei Hostel
Hostel Of The Day: MAD MONKEY HOSTEL BORACAY – Paradise Island’s Hidden Party Hostel Gem
Tuesday Tip: 4 TRUSTED HOSTEL GROUPS To Check When Looking For AFFORDABLE ACCOMMODATION in JAPAN
Tuesday Tip: 6 WAYS To SAVE MONEY In MELBOURNE
Tuesday Tip: Do-It-Yourself SCHENGEN TOURIST VISA Application With VFS NETHERLANDS

This year, I introduced a section in my website called Flight Reports. You guys know I love flying & my interest in aviation is something else. I thought of sharing my flight experiences with different airlines – how the service is from check in to boarding to in-flight services & cabin crew service. Since I started the section in June, I already published 8 flight reports about 5 local & international airlines. I didn’t expect this section to get hits but I’m happy that I get regular website visits for these specific posts. I still have about 5 or 6 flight reports to share with you, most of them from my European trip. I hope you’re excited for these flight reports as I am!

Blog List:
Flight Report: EVA AIR BR 277 – Taipei to Manila – Taiwan’s 5-Star Airline For An Affordable Fare
Flight Report: CEBU PACIFIC AIR 5J 328 – Legazpi to Manila – ₱600 ($11.50) Flight Back To Manila
Flight Report: CEBU PACIFIC AIR 5J 759 – Manila to Jakarta – ₱1,236 ($24) International Flight To Indonesia
Flight Report: INDONESIA AIR ASIA QZ 7550 – Jakarta to Yogyakarta – Low-Cost Domestic Flight To Indonesia’s Royal City
Flight Report: INDONESIA AIR ASIA QZ 7551 – Yogyakarta to Jakarta – Redemption Flight Back To Indonesia’s Capital
Flight Report: CEBU PACIFIC AIR 5J 905 – Manila to Caticlan (Boracay) – Short & Relatively Empty Flight To Paradise Island
Flight Report: CEBGO DG 6244 – Caticlan (Boracay) to Manila – Quick Turboprop Flight Back To The Metro
Flight Report: SINGAPORE AIRLINES SQ 915 – Manila to Singapore – 5-Star Economy Class Experience In A New Generation Boeing Dreamliner

By the way, this just came in. This website has finally hit 90,000 site views! This is another milestone hit before the end of the 2019. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for the endless support – from sharing my articles & posts, to commenting & liking the posts that appear on your timelines to your comments & questions. I appreciate all of these.

Thank you for giving me the reason to continue sharing more content in this website. I can tell you this is not the end, it is just the start of more tips, flight reports, itineraries & blog posts. I have a long list of topics to share & upcoming trips & flights to take. You’ll definitely see more in this website next year.

Here’s to an adventure-filled 2020. Happy New Year, dear readers!

PS. Some photos were taken using my HTC U11. Shout out to my friends Junelle, Mark & Richard for allowing me to use your photos in this post.