How To: Dress at an airport

Dress nicely at airports. People treat you better.

-Simon Donnan, Creative Director, Barney's New York

Just because you dress nicely in the airport, doesn't mean you can't be comfortable on the plane. If you are like most people, and don't like to wear your pajamas in public and you don't like to wear a suit on the plane, you can just bring a set in your carryon. As soon as you get on, head to the bathroom and change into your comfy outfit. You will not only be so much more comfortable on your flight, but when you change back into your street clothes you feel refreshed, and ready for your next destination.

The Great Ocean Road

If you're looking for a great day trip from Melbourne, then the Great Ocean Road would be a great adventure. It's a beautiful drive 151 miles down the Australian coast. It will take you about 4 hours, because the roads are so windy. There are also some quaint towns along the way that are worth a stop. The big destination at the end of the Great Ocean Road, is the Twelve Apostles. While I was down there I didn't make it all the way to the Apostles, which are some huge rocks out in the ocean, but I don't think I missed out on too much. This is definitely one of those situations where the journey is just as good as the destination, if not better.

The views from the Great Ocean Road are spectacular. It's similar to other coastal drives, but I can never get enough of the beach, even if it's just looking at it.

Hiroshima

Unfortunately, most of Hiroshima's fame comes from World War II, when they were a victim of the atom bomb. However, it has really grown into a bustling city, complete with a Peace Memorial Museum and Park. The museum is incredibly moving, but you definitely have to prepare yourself to walk through. After the museum, I would suggest a walk through the park, which is extremely well kept and calming. While in the park, see the memorial monument (pictured), the dome, and the millions of handmade paper cranes strung up and hanging.

If you're interested in reading about the bombing of Hiroshima before your visit, which I would suggest, Black Rain by Ibuse Masuji is amazing. The visit to the Peace Memorial is much more meaningful after reading about what happened.

Kinkakuji

The Golden Pavilion is an essential tourist destination if you are visiting Kyoto. The city has managed to survive countless wars and natural disasters, but because of its historical content, it was eliminated as a possible atomic bomb target during World War II. While I was in Kyoto for a summer class, one of the places we visited was the Golden Pavilion. It was beautiful. The entire two-story building is gold plated, and stands alone amongst trees and bushes, sitting next to a small pond.

Since I was there for a class, we had to do some reading about Japan before we got there. One of the books we read was The Temple of the Golden Pavilion, by Yukio Mishima. It is a novel based on the burning of the temple in 1950 by a young Buddhist acolyte. The story is very well written, and brings what might seem like a boring historical moment to an exciting, passionate story of a confused boy.

My favorite part of the book was painting a picture of what I thought the temple looked like while I read, then getting to see the real thing only a few days later.

Maui Wowie

I love Oahu, and it is my favorite island, hands down. But I have to admit that Maui is pretty great, and my just be the runner up. Maui is the third most populous of the Hawaiian Islands, and is frequented by over two million tourists each year, mostly from the United States and Canada. The beaches on Maui are gorgeous, and you have your pick between white or black sand.

My favorite hotel on the island is the Grande Wailea, part of the Hilton chain. It is definitely on the expensive side, but for good reason. It is a luxury hotel, with gorgeous views, and a water park attached!
The Grande Wailea is a great family hotel, with something for everyone. Dad can hang out in the shade by the Hibiscus Pool(where kids aren't allowed), Mom can have a spa day, and the kids will be entertained for hours in the activity pool, complete with water slides, hot tubs, and even a water elevator!

Even though the Grande Wailea has everything you could need, for about a week, from shopping to restaurants to day-filling activites, don't take for granted the island of Maui. The half dozen, or so, concierges will be happy to help you enrich your stay on Maui with adventures unique to Maui and Hawaii. A few I might recomend are surfing lessons, zip lining, a visit to Haleakala, and a drive down the scenic Hana highway.

And if you're a Hawaii resident, don't forget to ask for the kama'aina rate, it really makes a difference.

AFRICA: it's the place to be

Thank you, World Cup! It seems that everyone seems to be talking about Africa. Whether it's friends pictures on Facebook, a credit card commercial, or an article in this week's Time Magazine, Africa is all the rage. I absolutely loved my vacation in southern Africa, but when I went it was still a below the radar.

While I was in South Africa they were already getting ready for the World Cup. All of the stadiums were under construction, and all of the logo gear was already on sale. You could already feel the excitement for the games, and it was more than 6 months away!

We only spent a day in Johannesburg, because it's really not the safest place. While we were there we had to take hotel cars, because taxis were unreliable. We ended up taking one from the Intercontinental (a hotel attached to the airport), where we were staying, to a very nice mall about half an hour away. We had some local cuisine, which was delicious!

Later, we went on to Cape Town, which is a beautiful city! We stayed at Cape Grace, which is a gorgeous hotel a few minutes walking from the wharf, where there is a mall and excellent shopping. We, as usual, spent a lot of time shopping. Between the mall with chain stores and boutiques and the open market lined with stalls that sold handmade items, I just couldn't get enough!

The Botanical Gardens are a great place for a picnic!

And table mountain is a must! You drive a bit up the mountain, to the cable car station, and take that all the way up.

There is a restaurant up there, which had a great menu with local and Westernized options.

If we had been there for longer I would have loved to take a car toward the peninsula to a beach where there are hoards of penguins! I just love those little guys, and apparently there are hundreds that just hang out at the beach. Another great thing I wish I hadn't missed was Robben Island. During World War II, this island was used as a prison, and now is devoted to a historical landmark and museum. Both of these adventures would have been a half to full day trip. If you have been lucky enough to visit, tell me all about it!

Miyajima

Miyajima is a small island off the coast Hiroshima, Japan. You have to take a ferry to get there, but it is relatively easy, and you can buy the tickets right before you get on. Miyajima Island is a perfect day trip from Hiroshima, and is definitely worth it. Just follow the path and crowds from the ferry station over to the shrine.

There are deer all over the island, just hanging out. They sell deer food, but be careful because they might try to snack on your bag or clothes, too! They are very tame, and used to human interaction, so you don't really need to be too weary of them.

The tori, gate, that is a famous symbol of the island usually appears to be out in the ocean.

But tourists flock toward the shrine when the receding tide reveals the sand.

Local Japanese will also come down to the beach when the tide goes out, and look for shellfish in the sand.

And while you're there you absolutely must tried their famous fried manju, which is a traditional Japanese treat filled with sweat bean paste. In the area with the shops, they have these sweets available in every few shops, so pick one that looks popular and dig in!