I have followed a blogger by the name of Jennifer link for the last year and she described her trips to Las Vegas and China. After reading a few dozen of her posts it made me think about all the places I've been and would like to go.
After the passing of my mother a year before, I had been wondering where I'd like to visit and I've always been fascinated with Asia and particularly Japan. Here's a rundown of the planning of the trip:
August 2016 - made the decision to go to Japan, read the government web sites to find out the details and time frame of obtaining a passport.
Went to Walgreens and got the passport photos taken. Filled out the application and took it to the West Chester license bureau (you can turn in the applications and pay the fees there). Passport with expedited processing was $260
Searched the web to determine when to go and what tour company to use while in Japan. Not knowing the language or any friends over there was a big part of using a tour company.
September - choose the tour company and the tour dates japan deluxe tours made the initial deposit and started saving to pay off the balance. Researched the prices for the plane ride and determined that flying from LA is far cheaper than taking a direct flight from either Dayton or Cincinnati. (about half). Reading Clark Howard's web site clark.com he had stated that international travel should be purchased roughly 120 days or more prior.
November - Thanks to working a boatload of overtime, I managed to pay off the price of the tour and purchased the fare from LAX to Tokyo and back. Received a mailer from Treasure Island for a free stay during the end of March which fit quite nicely with the flight schedules. Re-arranged the stateside flights to include a stopover in Vegas and took care of the one day layover in LA before flying the 14 hours to Tokyo.
December - The entire trip is now paid for! :-)
Januray 2017 - Optional tour packages arrived, took advantage of the Mario go cart experience through the streets of Tokyo for a few hours. Cost $90 and the International Driving Permit.
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