I've traveled to a lot of countries and have been to all but one of the continents. This doesn't mean that I have been everywhere though and a few of the places I haven't been to are financially kind of out of my reach. I hope one day that I will make a bunch of money and be able to see them though because they are kind of on my "bucket list" of places that I think appear awesome and the people that I have spoken to that have been there have almost exclusively good things to say about them.
I have focused most of my travels on places that are affordable or even cheap, but that isn't going to be the case with either one of these.
Japan
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I admit that much of my fascination with Japan has to do with rather childish things such as the fact that I dig anime and video games even though I don't engage in either of these things very often. I have heard from other people that if you do travel to Japan that you don't necessarily have to break the bank as long as you avoid Tokyo. Since I am not a fan of really crowded places that would be just fine with me to skip that entirely. I have been in the airport once but I don't count airports as having visited a country.
Friends of mine that have been there have praised the ski resorts and how friendly the people are. I have heard zero bad things like getting ripped off or robbed or even experiencing any potential violence. The people of Japan that I have met are some of the most polite people I have ever encountered and while it is a small country, there are a lot of people there so being polite in crowds is really important to me. When I think about the "me first" attitude that exists in a lot of countries including and quite possibly especially my home country of USA, I think I would really appreciate a lack of crime, relative safety, and the fact that people are generally quite polite. Of course I am sure that someone that actually lives in Japan might have a different opinion but this is something I would like to prove with my own experiences rather than just take other people's words for it.
Iceland
Iceland is quite disconnected from the rest of the world and is a very unusual landmass so it is understandable why this place would be so expensive to travel to.
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I tend to avoid places that are really cold in my travels but I think I would make an exception for Iceland. While I am sure it would cost a pretty penny, I would absolutely love to sit in a place like the picture above in a hot tub overlooking some volcanic mountains. My friends who have been there rave about the hot springs and how much of a wonderful experience that was to be involved in. It is a rather large country with a very low population. Iceland has a national population of under 400,000 people and most of the cities that I have lived in have a higher population than this. I think it would be absolutely wonderful to be somewhere that is devoid of city noise for a while, even if I had to pay a lot to be there.
At the moment both of these and especially Iceland are well beyond my financial means for the time being but I hope that my luck will change and I will be able to see them before I die. I have been to almost all of the inexpensive countries in the world and if I want to experience something new I am afraid I will have to save up for the pleasure.
If you have any tips about either of these countries I would really like to hear about it. The problem with doing your own research online is that it is often a sales pitch rather than real information and I'm already sold, I just need some information.
Hello, I live in Tokyo 👋
It's actually cheaper to travel to Japan now because yen is low compared to usd. I think that's also the reason why there are a lot of tourists in the country nowadays.
Eating out can be one of the reasons why you spend a lot during traveling. Luckily there are affordable options in Japan and even in Tokyo. Try to visit local shops rather than expensive or famous restaurants esp those serving wagyu or luxury sushi, and you'll be fine. Don't spend too much on convenience store stuff and you'll also be fine.
Accommodation? I'm not sure if coachsurfing is still a thing but way back then it was. I was even a host back then. But if not anymore, maybe hostels or backpackers inn are your cheaper alternatives.
If you want to go out of Tokyo, try to avoid the bullet train if you want to save money. There are cheaper commutes like taking the bus (day bus or overnight bus) or train passes. For train passes, it's expensive to buy the JR pass - there are more passes other than this that can make you save money.
Thank you so much, this is all very helpful information and I am putting it in my log right now. This is the sort of insider information that I really like to see.
I remember couchsurfing. I was a host for a while as well and it was fine until one day a couple stayed with me and stole from me. That was the last time I did that but it was a nice concept for a while there.
I have heard japan is great, but was also told if you are fairly tall you could feel sea sick in crowds due to them being so short. I know things like tattoos are seen as taboo and visitors often cover them up. At the last rugby world cup back in 2019 players and supporters were asked by the tournament organizers to wear clothing to cover up tattoos if they had any to respect the local custom. Has something to do with the Yakuza's having tattoos and they were seen as bad people.
well i have no tatts so that won't be an issue for me. I have some friends over there right now that are sending me pictures on the regular so I hope to get some boots on the ground information about expenses.
Well that sounds exciting and I am sure you will end up travelling to Japan soon enough.