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About Sarah Puckett
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About Sarah Puckett
Asia
North America
Oceania
South America
Travel Planning and Budgeting
Contact Me

Asia

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Long-term travel with a side of 9-5
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Playing hide and seek at the Fushimi Shinto shrine

Playing hide and seek at the Fushimi Shinto shrine😜
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The Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto is known for its seemingly endless red toriis that lead the way up the nearby mountain (considered sacred). In Shintoism, one walks under torii gates to cleanse his or her soul before entering a holy place. If that’s true, you would leave this site with its 10,000 gates with the cleanest soul ever!
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Travel Tip! There are always many people at this shrine, however if you want to get pics without other people all you have to do is climb up enough. Eventually the crowds thin out as you get further from the entrance.
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Swipe for more photos from this spot!
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#Japan #japantrip #japantravel #japanawaits #japanphoto #fushimiinari #fushimi #toriigates #ilovetravel #lonelyplanet #tasteintravel #traveldeeper #traveltherenext #thewanderingtourist #citizenfemme #damestravel #girlsborntravel #journeysofgirls #shetravels #sheisnotlost #sheexplores #outdoorwomen #nomadgirls #girlsborntotravel #girlsabroad #girlslovetravel #explorerbabes #femaletravel #girlsthatwander

Day 3 of Destination Japan is coming to you from A

Day 3 of Destination Japan is coming to you from Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, one of the most popular and heavily touristed destinations near Kyoto. .
Tim and I visited in the mid-morning and it was already packed, so I recommend visiting as early as possible to beat the crowds. .
Once you're there, the forest itself actually isn't that big. I had always imagined it being large and expansive with long trails, but you really only need 30 minutes to walk through, and an hour if you want to explore the town a little bit more. .
The easiest way to get to the forest is by train from Kyoto. You'll want to get off at the Saga-Arashiyama Station and then walk to the forest (about 10 minutes) from there.
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Swipe for more photos from this iconic spot!
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#japan #japantrip #japantravel #japanawaits #japanphoto #arashiyama #kyoto #kyotojapan #bambooforest #girlslovetravel #sheisnotlost #backpackersintheworld #iamtb #girlsborntravel #journeysofgirls #worldnomads #lonelyplanet

Day 2 of Destination Japan comes to you from our m

Day 2 of Destination Japan comes to you from our most relaxing and delicious authentic Japanese experience.
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We spent some time in a small mountain resort town called Hakone, just a few hours from Tokyo. It's a popular hot springs (called onsen in Japan) destination for locals and foreigners alike.
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We stayed at a traditional ryokan (Japanese-style guesthouse). Our room was laid out on mats, with a seating area on the floor for tea. Instead of chairs, there were cushions around the low table.
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The hotel offered a multi-course dinner for only $25/person, which included as much sake and beer as we cared for. Our dinner was elaborate and delicious – many appetizers (the shredded chicken and oyster boiled in soy sauce were standouts), a generous hot pot dinner (veggies and meat you boil yourself on a hot plate on your table), a divine piece of fish broiled with cheese on top, and a sorbet dessert. YUM.
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After dinner, we relaxed for a bit before our private onsen reservation. Bathing is a special ritual in Japan, and hot springs are taken very seriously. It was so quiet and peaceful having the garden and hot springs to ourselves. .
In the morning our hotel served us breakfast, which was again quite elaborate. We had a whole fish, a soft boiled egg that is meant to be mixed with rice and a special sauce to create a delicious soup-like dish, steamed veggies, and the best miso soup I’ve ever had (I think due to what I later learned are small coils of straight up gluten). Everything about our experience at this hotel was relaxing and indulgent – and surprisingly not particularly expensive. We only spent $100 per person for everything! .
Would you stay/have you stayed at a ryokan?
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📍 Ashinoko Ichinoyu ryokan
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#japan #japantrip #japantravel #japanawaits #japanphoto #mountfuji #mountfujijapan #ryokan #onsen #ilovetravel #lonelyplanet #tasteintravel #travelawesome #traveldeeper #welltravelled #travelstoke #seetheworld #traveltherenext #iamtb #thetraveltag #backpackersintheworld #womenwhoexplore #gltlove

You voted for JAPAN 🗾🇯🇵for this week's FE

You voted for JAPAN 🗾🇯🇵for this week's FEATURED DESTINATION!
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Japan was the first country we visited on our 500 day honeymoon and was an epic way to start the trip. From the food, the scenery, the temples, and the cities, we loved every minute in Japan.
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This week I'll share with you some of my favorite experiences from Japan, starting with the day we visited Mount Fuji and the Aokigahara Forest. Seeing this perfectly symmetrical volcanic cone covered in snow looming in the horizon is something I'll never forget!
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Mount Fuji has been a sacred site for followers of the Shinto religion since the 7th century. The first person to ascend Mount Fuji is believed to have been a monk in the year 663AD, although his name is unknown.
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Mount Fuji is also an active volcano, and it typically has erupted once every 300 years. It last erupted in 1707... You can do the math there 😉
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What questions do you have about traveling in Japan and what would you like me to cover in my posts this week?
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#japan #japantrip #japantravel #japanawaits #japanphoto #mountfuji #mountfujijapan #ilovetravel #lonelyplanet #tasteintravel #travelawesome #traveldeeper #welltravelled #travelstoke #seetheworld #traveltherenext #iamtb #thetraveltag #backpackersintheworld #womenwhoexplore #gltlove

Happy Mother's Day!! Tim and I are thankful for ou

Happy Mother's Day!! Tim and I are thankful for our moms and grandmothers every day, but especially today ❤️💐🎂
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This year we feel especially grateful. Our moms and grandmothers are staying healthy, following all the safety guidelines for COVID-19, and we're keeping in touch more frequently than ever.
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It's a little bittersweet, though, too. Tim's parents were planning to visit at the end of March and had to cancel their trip. I was supposed to be in Virginia this weekend to visit my mom and grandmothers and celebrate a super special college graduation.
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But here we are in Wisconsin, thinking of our moms from afar instead.
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As much as I'm eager to travel abroad again, the first place I want to fly to once it's safe to do so is my hometown in Virginia. It's funny how a pandemic reveals what's really most important to you ❤️
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To all the moms out there, happy mother's day! You are superheroes and you are so loved!
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#happymothersday #mothersday #ilovemymom #travelcouple #travellingcouple #couplewhotravel #traveltogether #coupleswhotravel #coupletravels #inspiringwanderers #travelcouplelife #journeysofcouples #globecouples #backpackersintheworld #gltlove #iamtb #thetraveltag

Quarantine Day 58. . Right about now my urge to tr

Quarantine Day 58.
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Right about now my urge to travel again is really starting to kick in. I keep daydreaming about luxury resorts and poolside pina coladas and cheesy nachos (you know, the kind with the weird bright yellow cheese that aren't even that good 🧀🤔). And the funny thing is, this isn't even how Tim and I normally travel. We've only done the all-inclusive resort thing for special occasions with friends or family trips. We're normally much more interested in exploring local spots and having authentic cultural experiences, not just drinking and eating in the sun all day at a resort. But there's something alluring about the "do nothing" vacation right now, in a time where everything feels more uncertain, more inconvenient, and more stressful than before.
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This photo is from one of our most luxurious experiences ever. We stayed at the @fijimarriottresortmomibay in 2018 using rewards points, and they upgraded us to an over water bungalow 😍😍
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Everything about this resort was perfect. The food was incredible, the pools (multiple!) were stunning, and the bay was great for swimming in (right off the patio on our bungalow 🙈). I feel beyond lucky that we got to experience a place like this. .
I definitely never thought I'd stay in an over water bungalow in FIJI!!
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And you know what, we didn't leave the resort once. After backpacking through New Zealand for 2 months, unwinding in luxury here was something we wanted to savor every moment of.
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Are you currently itching to travel again? What kind of experience are you seeking for your first post-pandemic trip?
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#fiji #marriottbonvoy #islandlife #infinitypool #islandliving #islandvibes #beachesnresorts #paradise #welltravelled #travelstoke #seetheworld #traveltherenext #travelmood #thewanderingtourist #citizenfemme #damestravel #girlsborntravel #journeysofgirls #shetravels #sheisnotlost #sheexplores #girlsborntotravel #girlslovetravel #explorerbabes #femaletravel #girlsthatwander

To wrap up this week's feature on New Zealand, I'm

To wrap up this week's feature on New Zealand, I'm sharing a simple but stunning sunset overlooking the mountains and lakes around Queenstown. Our friends @ruhrow87 and @unblairable had rented a glampsite on this hill and invited us up for dinner one night. The views were certainly something special, as was the company 🤗
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Did you know that New Zealand isn't the country's most accurate name? The Maori people who are indigenous to the islands call it Aotearoa, which means "land of the long white cloud."
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The Maori attach spiritual significance to the earth and nature, believing that gods and the spirits of their ancestors inhabit the wind, earth, trees, etc. Glaciers are the result of tears from a goddess, and the earth itself the work of a god who was tired of living in the dark all the time and pushed his parents (the sky and the land) apart.
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And thanks to all this space between the sky and the land, we get sunsets like this one 🙌how beautiful is that?!
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#Queenstown #newzealand #newzealandroadtrip #newzealandadventures #nzmustdo #nztourism #thisisnz #newzealandsouthisland #travelnz #coupletravel #coupleswhohike #coupleswhoexplore #adventuretogether #travelsandchill #romancetravel #travelduo #travelustcouples #marriedtravelers #globecouples #journeysofcouples #backpackersintheworld #passionpassport #mytinyatlas #iamtb #thetraveltag #gltlove #couplestravelgoals #travelmoments

For today's New Zealand feature, I'm taking you to

For today's New Zealand feature, I'm taking you to Franz Josef Glacier on New Zealand's South Island. .
There are few places on earth where you can feel like you're on another planet, and glaciers are one of them. It's a terrain unlike any other where you are immersed in blues among silence, save for the crunch of ice beneath your feet and the occasional calving in the distance. .
This photo is from our first ever "helihike", where we rode in a helicopter up to Franz Josef Glacier in New Zealand. It was also my first helicopter ride and the two month mark of being on the road with @timjohnkub for our 500 day honeymoon!
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Tips:
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❄️If you want to helihike Franz Josef Glacier, make sure you give yourself a few days in town. The trips get canceled 60% off the time due to weather, so the longer you stay around, the higher your chances of getting on the ice!
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❄️The helihike is an expensive experience ($400+), but websites like bookme.co.nz sometimes have tickets for over $100 off the usual price!
. ❄️If you don't want to splurge on the helihike, you can still enjoy amazing views of the glacier from afar. My blog post about Franz Josef Glacier covers all the main hiking options you can experience in the area! . ❄️For more info about helihiking Franz Josef Glacier, whether it's worth the price and how it compares to other glacier experiences, check out the blog post linked in my bio and below to read all about it!
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https://organizedadventurer.com/franz-josef-glacier-helihike-is-it-worth-it/ .
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#franzjosef #franzjosefglacier #newzealand #newzealandroadtrip #newzealandadventures #nzmustdo #nztourism #thisisnz #glacierhike #newzealandsouthisland #travelnz #backpackersintheworld #passionpassport #mytinyatlas #iamtb #thetraveltag #gltlove #travelmoments #womenwhohike #womenwhoexplore #iamtb

Day 3 of Destination New Zealand is my FAVORITE da

Day 3 of Destination New Zealand is my FAVORITE day from our entire 2 months spent road tripping the country.
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I'd been wanting to hike the Tongariro Crossing for years, long before we'd even started thinking about planning a New Zealand trip. The day before we were scheduled to do the hike, the weather forecast looked rainy and cold, meaning the hike might get canceled, or we'd go through with it but not be able to see much through the clouds.
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The next morning we set out to start the 12 mile hike, hoping for good weather. As the photo shows, the weather couldn't have been better. When we got to this spot, the most iconic viewpoint on the trail, I couldn't help but tear up with gratitude and awe that we were experiencing such a spectacular place. .
The Tongariro Crossing passes over the volcanic terrain of the multi-cratered active volcano Mount Tongariro, passing the eastern base of Mount Ngauruhoe.
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The landscape is like something from a different planet, with smoking fumeroles and vibrant lakes set amid hardened lava flows. All the while, the peaks of volcanos loom above you with every step you take into the volcanic ash below you.
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Would you hike here? If you want to find out what it takes to plan this hike, check out my guide to preparing for the Tongariro Crossing and what to expect on the trail. Link in bio and below!
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https://organizedadventurer.com/tongariro-crossing-hike/
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#capturenz #destinationnz #discover_newzealand #gottalovenz #ig_newzealand #newzealandfinds #newzealand #newzealandguide #tongarirocrossing #coupletravelgoals #traveltogether #coupleswhotravel #coupletravels #inspiringwanderers #earthcouples #travelcouplelife #journeysofcouples #globecouples #backpackersintheworld #iamtb

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