When I first dreamed of exploring Japan, I imagined wandering through serene temples, tasting authentic street food, and sharing stories with fellow travelers under cherry blossom trees. But I also wanted something more intimate than the usual crowded tours. That’s when I discovered the magic of small Japan group tours. These journeys offer a perfect blend of cultural immersion, adventure, and meaningful connections with like-minded explorers. If you’re craving a travel exper

Even now, when I close my eyes, flashes of that pilgrimage return like scenes from a movie. It wasn't the Himalayas that first took my breath away. It was the road leading there. Inspired by The Road to Dharma documentary series, I found myself making the same pilgrimage to Kedarnath—one of India's four sacred sites, where the ancient Temple of Lord Shiva stands high in the Himalayas. Reaching it required a two-day journey from Rishikesh to Guptkashi, followed by an eight-hou

Some of my most meaningful travel memories have nothing to do with famous landmarks. They begin with people. In 2018, our International Travel Lovers group traveled through Vietnam, from the misty mountains of Sapa in the north to the vibrant cities of central and southern Vietnam. We stayed at the breathtaking Topas Ecolodge in Lao Cai, where our room overlooked endless green valleys, rice terraces, and mountains disappearing into the morning mist. It felt like waking up ins

The Beauty of Cultural Immersion Some of my most meaningful travel memories have nothing to do with famous landmarks. They begin with people. In 2018, our International Travel Lovers group traveled through Vietnam, from the misty mountains of Sapa in the north to the vibrant cities of central and southern Vietnam. We stayed at the breathtaking Topas Ecolodge in Lao Cai, where our room overlooked endless green valleys, rice terraces, and mountains disappearing into the morning

Some journeys test more than our legs. They test our trust. During our Kumano Kodo pilgrimage in Japan, our group of ten set out on the first day’s hike from Takijiri-oji to the small mountain village of Takahara.

There are some memories from travel that stay with me because they were beautiful. Others stay because they were unfinished.

As one of eight children, each of us probably carries a different memory of him. Perhaps each of us carries a different version of him as well. We called him A Ba.

High in the mountains of Nepal, we woke before dawn to make our way toward Poon Hill for sunrise.

As I was clearing out old papers in my office, I came across something I almost didn’t keep. A simple card. It was from a trip to New Zealand many years ago. At the end of that journey, the group handed it to me — a card filled with handwritten notes from each traveler.

Some journeys don’t end when we leave. They quietly continue walking beside us. In the autumn of 2024, I walked the first 28 temples of the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage in Japan.

Years ago, I once saw a postcard of a beautiful temple in Japan — the elegant vermilion pagoda of Seiganto-Ji standing quietly before the mountains, with the soft white ribbon of Nachi Falls flowing gently in the background.