Japan

I knew I would love Japan long before I ever visited.

My first visit was September of 2023, when the Yen was low and the Dollar was high. I did the usual tourist loop from Tokyo to Kyoto, with a brief sojourn in Yokohama.

My nervous system was subdued the minute I stepped off the plane. The quiet, order and aesthetic allowed me to breathe a bigger, cleaner breath than I had in decades. After three weeks, I felt certain I would return annually and explore every inch of every island.

My second visit began 3 weeks after the first ended. Following 3 weeks of admin in NYC, mostly spent selling all of the furniture I had in storage, I rented a 2 bedroom in Beppu, Oita, the Onsen Capitol of Japan. I spent December 2023 writing, eating and soaking in the volcanic waters and the singular culture of my favorite place on Earth.

India

India is Time Travel. Despite the surge of technological advances since my first visit in 2008, life differs very little from 4,000 years ago, when Shiva lit the crematory fire in Varanasi that has burned in perpetuity through today. Women wear the same 17 ft of fabric they’ve always worn, with the colonial addition the choli for modesty. Sadly, emaciated humans still pull the pudgy upper caste in carriages like horses. Gratefully, the Brahmin Caste memorizes the Vedas by chanting them from one generation to another, so the wisdom won’t be lost in cyber attack.

It’s the the most polarizing place on the planet. I’ve heard of multiple people boarding the next plane home upon arrival at Indira Gandhi Airport in Delhi. I, myself, run screaming to it and from it. I’ve spent over two years in the Subcontinent, divided over several trips, exploring every state. I lead an annual pilgrimage to the spiritual sites of the north because I know, first and second hand the transformative power of these places.

India is a sober psychedelic, for those willing to take the trip.

Iceland

Iceland is Space Travel. It’s obvious why it was a location for filming Prometheus, Game of Thrones, Interstellar, Star Trek and numerous other movies requiring an “otherworldly“ setting. Of course, Hot Springs are a major draw for me and Iceland has plenty, so you can visit one daily, first thing in the morning, when you rent a converted van to drive around the island. The van, gas, daily bathhouse ($5-30) and groceries are your only expenses. The epic scenery is free, and you can park on any of the paved roadside pull off parking spaces overnight. It’s simply the most spectacular, diverse and accessible landscape imaginable. Ginormous waterfalls, multiple rainbows daily, volcanoes, glaciers, and, of course, the Northern Lights.

You can easily do the Golden Circle loop from Reykjavik over a long weekend from NYC or add a free week long layover en route to northern Europe when flying Icelandair or PLAY Airlines.

Italy

Italy is astral travel. All roads truly lead to Rome. The food is fresh. The light is golden. The people are focused on family and will eagerly adopt you. While the landscape is lovely and offers Mountains, Beach and everything in between, it’s the art that sets it apart. The aesthetics of every object is considered in it’s creation. Function often follows form…at least until the 1940’s. Even after the adornments were pared away, the futuristic elegance of Italian modernism is the scandalous mistress to Scandanavia’s organic tradwife woods. Italy is humanity’s muse, reminding us what we’re capable of realizing. The Sistine Chapel, The Coloseum…the simple building blocks that we take for granted, like Columns, the Arch and the self healing concrete that modern science has only just explained…it’s around every corner waiting to be discovered by each new generation. Italy is never a bad idea.

Indonesia

A day spent on each of Indonesia’s 11,000 islands would require 46 years. I’ve visited the 7 major islands, and each offered an entirely different culture to and climate to explore. There are few places that feel truly remote, anymore, and most of them are Indonesian. Bali is basic…explore other islands to suit your particular passion. Volcanoes, Marine Life, Cultural Heritage, Orangutans, Tigers and Bears, Oh My! It’s all there, hosted by some of the world’s warmest people…serving some of the tastiest food. I’ve merely scratched the surface. Indonesia is a world within itself.

My clients are a dream. The Bride shared a spreadsheet with destinations she and her fiancé had visited and which they were each interested in visiting with a $10k budget for 10-14 days in October. It was easy to filter the locations they were both interested in, had yet to visit, would be viable for those dates and, finally, where their budget would have the most bang.

We quickly settled on Indonesia. They had been to Bali already, and were eager to explore a more remote location. Neither are SCUBA Certified, but snorkleling is an option and beach time is a must. Hiking to epic vistas is a priority, but orangutans and tigers, less so. Spa time is welcome and food is a favorite means of connecting with cultures. With that in mind, I narrowed it down to 3 islands for them to choose from.

Ultimately, they chose Flores as the main event, sandwiched between Singapore on either side, over Java or Kuala Lumpur as their gateway, to offer an elegant contrast to the sand and saltwater of their deserted island experience.

14-Day Singapore + Flores Itinerary

This finalized 14-day itinerary includes flights from Singapore to Flores (via Bali), overland island travel with correct drive times, hot spring stops, cultural exploration, and a meaningful final day in Singapore with yoga, tea, and cocktails.

b u d g e t

$10,000 total = $2,000 flights + $4,000 hotels + $4,000 transport & activities

Day 1: Total $550

09:40 Arrival in Singapore
Airport pickup and early hotel check-in.
Stay at The Warehouse
Optional massage.
Lunch at Maxwell Hawker Centre.
Visit Gardens by the Bay
A Singapore Sling at Raffles, where it was created.

Day 2: Total $600

Fly to Labuan Bajo (Flores, via Bali 6 hrs)
Morning flight SIN->DPS->LBJ.
Sunset drinks at Paradise Bar.
Stay at Sudamala or Ayana

Day 3: Total $650

Komodo National Park Full-Day Boat Tour
Padar Island hike, Komodo dragons, Pink Beach snorkeling.
Private boat charter with lunch.

Day 4: Total $600

Island Hopping or Spa Day
Snorkel at Kanawa Island or Seraya.
Optional massage.

Day 5: Total $500

Drive to Ruteng (4-5 hrs)
Scenic drive, stop at Lingko rice fields.
Stay at Spring Hill Hotel.

Day 6: Total $550

Drive to Bajawa (5-6 hrs)
Visit Ngada villages en route.
Stay at Manulalu Lodge.
Evening soak in local hot springs.

Day 7: Total $550

Bajawa Culture Day
Bena Village visit.
Optional Inerie volcano hike.
Maximize hot springs.

Day 8: Total $575

Drive to Moni (7-8 hrs)
Full-day scenic drive.
Stop at waterfalls or local villages.
Stay at Kelimutu Eco Lodge.

Day 9: Total $500

Kelimutu Sunrise
3-colored crater lakes at dawn.
Chill afternoon.
Optional village or waterfall.

Day 10: Total $575

Drive to Maumere (4-4.5 hrs)
Coastal scenic drive.
Stay at Coconut Garden

Day 11: Total $550

Leisure in Maumere
Beach day.
Snorkeling, seafood, and / or massage.

Day 12: Total: $600

Fly Maumere->Bali->Singapore (5 hrs)
Stay at Ann Siang House.
Light dinner at Lau Pa Sat Hawker Centre and unwind.

Day 13: Total $575

Singapore
Private Yoga Sessions with AG & Indra Mohan
National Museum
Traditional tea service at Tea Chapter

Day 14: Total $525

Singapore
Brunch & shopping in Kampong Gelam
Transfer to Changi Airport, a destination in itself, with time to explore before
21:10 Departure

The UN’s Membership has 193 undisputed, independent states and 2 independent observer states, The Holy See, also known as The Vatican, and Palestine. There are 330 Countries & Territories according to The Travelers’ Century Club, whose membership is composed of those who have visited at least 100 of the listed places. That leaves 135 places that most folks who claim to been to “all the countries“ miss when they use the Colonizers’ Count. They’ve been to France, sure, but not the 16 current French speaking colonies, like French Guiana or French Polynesia.

While the inhabitants of the colonies (all colonies are territories, but all territories are NOT colonies.), like Greenland and Puerto Rico, are not granted the powers of self-government, the citizens of the exclaves, portions of a country geographically separated from the main part by some surrounding foreign territory, like Kaliningrad and Alaska, receive all the rights of their mainland counterparts, though wholly, physically, disconnected.

Enclaves can be sovereign countries, colonies, territories or exclaves, that are geographically surrounded by a single, foreign entity. Those that are partially surrounded by water are semi-enclaves.

Notably, 52 of the TCC’s 330 places exist on islands, the most fragile and threatened places on Earth. Of course, there are countless islands on this planet. Many of those 52 Countries and Territories are composed of multiple islands. Sweden has the most islands with a total of 267,570. Only 984 are inhabited, though. Wikipedia possesses a dubious (their word) disputed claim that The United States of America has the majority of inhabited islands with 10,000, but I’ll leave that to someone else to edit. Indonesia reliably claims 6,000 inhabited Islands, 7 of which are differentiated by the TCC…but I digress. All this talk of islands is a mere aside for lovers of geographical trivia.

Only 26 TCC members, have visited ALL the places…when there were only 328. Politics are dynamic, after all, and borders change. Presumably, no one outside of the organization has attempted or achieved it because how would they know to do it, but there may be other outliers, like myself, who are eligible for membership but have opted not to pay the dues while opting to attempt the list.

3 of the 26 have been women. All were in their 80’s when they achieved the feat. All of them were married. All were financed by their husbands. Only one, Audrey Walsworth, traveled without her spouse. Though some sources claim she was the first woman to travel to all 193 UN States in 2005, Dorothy Pine, with her husband, appears to have completed all 328 in that same year. Audrey is still living, so I may attempt to clarify that. She was definitely the 2nd woman to complete all 328 in 2011, according to the TCC. Phyllis Hansen, with her husband, became the 3rd in 2014.

I’ve been to 165, so far, and I am committed to completing the second half. At a rate of 14 new destinations per year, I’ll complete the map by my 60th birthday or, at least, by the end of my 60th year. While this may make me the 4th and youngest woman to achieve the task, this is not my purpose. I simply want to see the sites while my health is intact. I want to travel over land and sea, engaging with the environment in meaningful ways. I want to climb some mountains. I want to sail on small crafts. While a cruise or two will be necessary for, say, the 7 territories that compose Antarctica, I’m not interested in seeing the world from the balcony of my berth between buffets…at least not the first time. That may be my ideal assisted living scenario, though.

If I am the 4th female, fantastic. If I am the youngest, it won’t be for long, but The First Single & Self Financed Woman to visit all 330 Countries & Territories is a title I’d be proud to earn. One small step for a woman and one giant leap for womankind.

Yes, she can drive you from Kota Kinabalu in Sabah, Malaysia to Brunei and onward to Miri in Sarawak, Malaysia, for your onward flight.

She can also help you with everything in between, from lodging to touring you around with great English, or her native Malay & Mandarin. She knew exactly how long it would take to cross the border on a busy Saturday, and made sure we stopped by the Billion Barrel monument on the beach in Brunei, which I didn’t even know existed.

MOST importantly, she brought us to a supermarket for snacks and a sparkling clean bathroom before the 2km line for passport control. Only a female driver can understand the needs of a female passenger.

Felt so safe traveling with a woman and such a hardworking, smarty pants, at that! She’s got her degree in accounting and her hands in many different entrepreneurial ventures. I can’t wait to see her operation grow!

She was a million times better than any male driver / fixer I’ve encountered in all my travels, from first text to final selfie.

It’s easier than ever to take a great photo. Most of us carry excellent cameras in our pocket. Since the pandemic, many of us own a ring light. So why are the majority of travelers unhappy with their passport picture?

Perhaps it’s the permanence of it. Few people love the hair they wore a decade ago. Maybe it’s the discomfort of being photographed by someone else. Sure, you’ve mastered your selfie face in the privacy of your own bathroom, but most of us feel self conscious being observed through the lens by a stranger or, worse, a friend!

I believe it’s because of the strange constraint of being unable to smile. I used to work in PR. Any publicist will tell you to smile in your mugshot, if you’re unfortunate enough to have one, so that, when published, it doesn’t look like mugshot. At least 2 famous mugshots turned complete unknowns (well, known felons) into elite models!

That tactic won’t work with the US Passport Agency. If you arrive at your appointment with a picture that displays your pearly whites, do not pass go, do not collect $200…you may get a chance to run across the street to the CVS for a do over or, if it’s the end of the day, you’ve lost your appointment

When I posted my passport pic on Instagram, there was great debate about my expression. I was accused of smiling, but, alas, my teeth are concealed! I’m not grinning. I’m not smirking. Yes there are wrinkles at the corners of my mouth, but only slightly. My expression is warm, as though I’m listening to you tell me about your day.

Tyra Banks would recognize this expression as a “Smize,” a smile with my eyes. That, friends, is the secret. The camera is a living friend that you’re listening to with an encouraging expression. The rest is of less consequence. Wear your hair and make up as you would for a first date. Don’t wear a costume. Remember, you’ll be presenting this to Customs Officers when you’re jet lagged after a long flight. Keep it simple.

Finally, if you’re in New York City, visit the Rimowa Store in Soho to use their self service Passport Photo Booth. I haven’t tried it yet, but I’ve seen the results, and they’re fantastic. The variables you can’t control are calibrated to perfection so you don’t need to concern yourself with anything but your smize.

Since November 6th, 2024, I’ve spent most of my waking hours serving At Risk Americans with sliding scale sessions to share my Expatriation Expertise.

Demand exceeded supply, so I crafted a document to disperse the most necessary information as expeditiously as possible.

To that end, all paid subscribers may enjoy access to the Google Doc. Please comment with all questions and concerns so I can edit as needed.

The link is here below the paywall…

Read more