I’ve written a lot about Japanese rail passes, but never about one in the Kansai region, which includes Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, and Nara. A short visit last month helped change that– let’s take a look at the JR West Kansai Area Rail Pass. I want to skip the JR backgrounder, and go right to the […]
Tourism
The World’s Smallest Escalator
After all, the world’s smallest escalator still involves travel. As usual, there’s an unrelated backstory involved. While studying abroad in Hong Kong in 2005, I used to walk around Kowloon Walled City Park. The park was built on the foundation of the infamous Kowloon Walled City, which was entirely demolished in 1994. Then, after having […]
Hong Kong Chase Sapphire Lounge
The Hong Kong Chase Sapphire Lounge — formally, Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club HKG — is a decent addition to Hong Kong’s pack of lounges. Plus, it’s Priority Pass-accessible. Which is neat if you have that, but less neat if you also have the Chase Sapphire Reserve card (in other words, competing with more […]
What is a Positioning Flight?
If you have ever come across the term “positioning flight,” it doesn’t always have to do with human locomotion. To clarify the first definition, it simply refers to when an aircraft gets repositioned from one airport to another, generally for operational reasons. These positioning flights don’t take on passengers or cargo. Whisk me away to […]
Pakistan Makes it Easier to Visit for 126 Countries
If Pakistan has been on your travel list, but for whatever reason you haven’t been able to visit, I bear good tidings for you. As of 14 August, there have been monumental developments in tourism visa procedures. Although an application will still have to be filled out — save for visitors from GCC (Gulf Cooperation […]
What’s Right with Hotels.com?
Whether or not you’re a fan of hotels.com, today’s criticisms of its consumer-facing existence are unfortunately not unique to that company. Bullet points, now! Go use another OTA (online travel agent), one might say. Book direct, chimes another. Chill out, at least you’re traveling. Nice rose-colored glasses you’ve got there. Start your own. Hmm. Feel good? Good. […]
What are some Non-Traditional Benefits of Priority Pass?
I have been a Priority Pass member for a number of years, owing to a couple of credit cards. In that time, I have visited countless airport lounges — and a few restaurants — around the world, mostly through Priority Pass membership. Click here to skip down to the main topic It’s fair to say […]
Retro Milk Stand at Akihabara Train Station (Tokyo)
There’s more to Akihabara train station than bags of electronics on their way to be resold abroad. But to enjoy this post, you will first need to get a train ticket.* *Well, I should clarify that requirement. In Japan, there’s something called a platform ticket (入場券 にゅうじょうけん nyuujouken) that you can buy, allowing you to […]
