World travel blog

Why You Should Hire a Tour Guide in Japan In addition to showing you the best places in the city and teaching you about the country's history, Japan's licensed tour guides can also act as translators. With the Tokyo Olympics fast approaching, many new tourists will be visiting Japan. Whether this is your first visit or your fiftieth, hiring a tour guide is the best way to get around unfamiliar parts of the country. Though many parts of Tokyo and other major cities have English signs, some don't, especially in up-and-coming neighborhoods and towns. Plus, with the nation's infrastructure pushed to its limits during the 2020 Olympics, it will be helpful to have your own source of assistance. Licensed Tour Guides Really Know Their Stuff Tour guides that specialize in a particular area will know the best local spots for shopping and dining, as well as the quickest way to get around on public transportation. This knowledge is especially important in busy...

10 “Rude” Behaviors That Are Perfectly OK in Japan Japan's culture is completely different from that of the rest of the world. This could be due to how well they hold onto old traditions, the lingering samurai spirit that affects daily life and thinking, and the country's 220-year isolationist foreign policy under the Tokugawa shogunate in the eighteenth century, where no one was permitted to enter or leave the country, thus cutting off any outside influence. Even in today's world, where trade and the exchanging of cultures and languages have never been easier, the country has many differences that lead to fascination and culture shock from visitors. Often, tourists are advised to study local customs and manners before visiting the country so as not to offend local people when we go. And remember that behaviors such as talking on the phone while riding the train or blowing your nose in public can be considered rude in Japan. But what of things that we think ...

Why You Should Visit Dubai Rich, Opulent Dubai Attention world travellers! Want to visit someplace exotic, yet where its easy to be a tourist? Have you always dreamed of traveling to the Arabian Peninsula? Its time to think about a visit to Dubai, one of the seven United Arab Emirates on the Persian Gulf. Sandwiched between Saudi Arabia and Oman is the very rich, very Westernized nation of the UAE. Dubai is most certainly not located within a Third World country. In fact, Dubai is one of the richest nations in the world, due in large part to its vast oil resources. My brother-in-law, who works for Microsoft, has been to Dubai a number of times. His one word description: opulence. Many of the residents in Dubai don't even have to work to support their luxury lifestyles. Supported by oil profits, they are free to shop and play all day! In 2003,  Condé Nast Traveler's  readers' poll voted Dubai the world's safest locale. People who live there claim there i...