Where is your favorite place you have ever been?

It’s complicated. Each place has something special about it. For overall experience, I loved rural Japan outside of Jigokudani, or Hell’s Valley. There we got to experience the macaques and the coolest “hotel” I have ever stayed in, a ryokan.

How can you fit all of your necessities into a backpack?

I usually pack one weeks worth of shirts, and four pairs of pants, and one pair of shoes. Any more than that won’t fit into a backpack. I bring my writing gear, a travel tip suggestion book for the place I’m going and one book to read for pleasure.

What type of backpack fits well into an overhead luggage compartment?

An easy pack are the Cabin Max bags. It’s got lots of pockets and one huge compartment. It’s even got a pocket to store a laptop or tablet.

What other necessities would you bring on an international trip?

My other must haves are power adaptors, a Lifestraw, and a Capital One 360 debit card that lets you pull any currency out of an ATM without a fee. I also bring a “throw down” wallet with an old ID and a few dollars cash incase I ever get mugged. I use that wallet for my daily purchases and hide my extra money and emergency money in an RFDI blocking metal wallet in a money belt tucked inside of my pants. I’ve always got a paper copy of my passport in my money belt.

 

What apps help you travel?
Mapfactor Navigator, XE Currency, Google Translate, and any metro subway app.

Mapfactor Navigator lets you use maps to walk and drive without wifi or cell service. It just requires that you do some preplanning to download country maps before your trip.

XE Currency lets you check local exchange rates to make sure that you’re getting the best rates.

 

What airline do you use for cheap flights?

Any of them! For the most part I always find my international cheap flights on skyscanner.com. I select my dates or an entire range to see what days are open. I choose leave from: anywhere in the U.S., L.A., Atlanta, or New York. If you want to see what is the cheapest place to go select: “everywhere”. Sky scanner will do the leg work for you. It’s saved me thousands. When traveling inside of the U.S. I use my Southwest points from making all of my normal purchases with their Southwest credit card (and always immediately paying it off of course!)