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Our experience in Tanzania and Zanzibar was the same. All the drivers we used (some recommended, some we just chose) were reliable and safe. We also kept cards and used same drivers where possible. On long journeys we also found them excellent to chat to and get insight into local life.

Sorry to jump in ahead of @BriarFlyer, but for us finding private drivers was as simple as contacting the lodge for recommendations. And WhatsApp is widely used for communication. For shorter journeys, the usual RideShare apps (Uber, Bolt etc.) are available and you can check ratings. Suspect...

Hi again - forgot to add I think the main starting point is to consider what you would most hope to get out of a trip. Cultural interaction, animals (notwithstanding that specific sightings of large predators are never guaranteed), just chilling etc. That will probably be your best guide to the...

How exciting! I am not sure I am any sort of expert and have only two sets of experiences to call upon: 27 years ago as a backpacker in Southern/East Africa (Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania and Kenya), and just over a year ago Tanzania and Zanzibar with a substantially increased budget and level of...

Thanks for the TR. Always enjoyable, always informative.

Since being in photos is not my thing (only taking them) the photogenic level of the shoes is not so important to me. The fact that I would probably trip and break my ankle in those ranks a little higher on my list of things to consider.

Amazingly in some of the videos people looked to be wearing rather everyday shoes but I think I would just end up on my backside. I also plan to take my hiking poles to assist in my efforts to stay upright.

Your Salomons look nice. Our hiking boots are also Gore-tex and what I figured would do in the main. We are not planning super-rural. Would definitely like to do a few walks where I think cleats, as you suggest, would be useful. Walking up to Yamadera for instance. I have viewed videos of people...

Great photos of all the snow. Looks amazing. Which brings me to asking a rather mundane question. Our next trip to Japan will be January and although the exact itinerary awaits finalisation, snowy regions will definitely be involved, such as around Sendai perhaps further north. We are none of...

I particularly like the inside back pocket you added. Sadly don’t envisage being close by in the next few trips. But should be a possibility in trip envisaged in Jan 2028. Yes I am the sort of person who plans trips years in advance. This is why I need notebooks!

That is so cool. And 19k well spent in my opinion. I shall definitely have to get there one day.

Trip to UK to visit Mr ShelleyB’s family. Coming home via Tokyo (as we have to come home via somewhere after all) but only there for 3 nights. Have a longer trip planned for January 2026, with exact details awaiting confirmation of leave dates for Mr. ShelleyB

it’s no worse really than any big Australian city. And better than some smaller towns in the UK.

We are staying at the Ginza Dormy Inn in October for 3 nights in a superior triple and it was just under 20K per person per night, just as you say. Does include breakfast and a private bathtub on the balcony though. I think this is excellent value given the current price of Tokyo hotels.

That just makes me keener to visit.

I look forward to seeing a photo of the cover!

I believe @rbjhan has indeed commenced a new trip report. It can be found here: https://www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au/community/threads/snow-onsen-and-crab.116801/

We use the Value all the time, even for day journeys. My personal experience has been that the short term car ppark while closer is often so full it can take ages to find a park, cancelling out the time saved by avoiding the bus. I have never had to wait more than 5 minutes for the bus at either...

This happened to me the other day. Had to try a few times, and then for some reason it worked. I don't recall doing anything different the time that worked versus those that did not.

We have used Ubigi in Japan twice - first time in 2023 for 3 weeks, most recently a month or so ago for 10 days. Both times we have been very happy with the service. Excellent connectivity even in rural areas. Prices for Japan are very reasonable. On the most recent trip we used the 3Gb/30 days...