48 hours is just enough time for me to enjoy all the things that I love about this city; street food, massages, the vibrant night scene, and the Grand Palace.

Bangkok, Thailand is a huge bustling city; bursting at the seams with Tuk-Tuks, cars, motorbikes, and the friendliest Thai people. When they say Thais are friendly, they're not playing! I love Thailand. It is affordable, beautiful, and super travel friendly. Whenever people ask for a referral for a solo traveler (especially a solo female traveler) I always recommend Thailand. It's easy on the pockets and relatively safe.

Where to stay:

I love staying at hostels when I'm in Thailand. I've meet the coolest people at them. I love the heart and soul of the hostel, HI Suhkumvit Soi 38. It was the first place I stayed at 10 years ago and the same place I went back to two other times. They have great staff, a dope a$$ roof top, and they are on the same street as some of the BEST street food in Bangkok (Soi 38).

Link to hostel: http://www.hisukhumvit.com/firstpage/index.php

This time I stayed at the Aloft hotel and it was pretty cool. It's such a weird experience for me to stay at a hotel in Bangkok, but I enjoyed it. The pool was dope and the décor was nice. It is also across the street from some cool bars and around the corner from a club.

Airbnb is also thriving in Bangkok. I checked out a few, but bc my friends had booked the hotel, I couldn't stay in one. I would though!

If you haven't signed up to Airbnb yet you can use my link to get $40 off your first stay. Link: www.airbnb.com/c/krodriguez25

I'd recommend staying anywhere near in Bangkok near a the train stop. The train system is affordable, super clean, and easily navigable.

What to do:

Have street food anywhere!!! My favorite place to enjoy street food is Soi (street) 38. You cannot beat the prices and everything is so yummy. The mango with sticky rice is HEAVENLY! The cart on Soi 38 is FAMOUS for being outstandingly DELICIOUS. 

Visit the Grand Palace! It's such a majestic Thai experience, but make sure you're prepared. Women must have their shoulders covered and their legs covered. Leggings won't do. They made me buy a sarong in front, which wasn't expensive, but wasn't necessary. Men must have their legs covered too. The Grand Palace is open from 8:30an to 3:30pm. Entry is 500 Baht ($13).

Go out at night to one of the many clubs and/or bars.

Get a massage, but DO NOT make it a Thai massage... OMG traditional Thai massages are so painful.

Visit as many as the temples as you'd like. They are all mostly located near the river. It's super easy to navigate to and from all the temples.

Ride in a Tuk Tuk.

What to eat:

Fresh fruit. My favorite fruit in Southeast Asia is a mangosteen. Momma Mia... so darn good. Mangos are heavenly in Thailand. Dragonfruit is easily found as well. Oh, and coconuts!!! Jut over a $1 for a fresh coconut on the street.

Pad Thai. I mean you kinda have to have some when you're in Bangkok.

Mango and sticky rice for the SUPER win!!!

Curry is always a must.

Tips for Bangkok:

Americans don't need a visa to visit. Just buy your ticket and head on over.
Arrive with space in your suitcase. There are lots of things to buy in Thailand.

I don't recommend staying on Khao San Road, but if you love to be around other foreigners that is where you should stay. If you do stay on Khao San Road, make sure you venture off of it and explore other neighborhoods.

Bargain when buying ANYTHING.

Don't just stay in Bangkok! Flights to southern Thailand can be as cheap as $75!!! Get to the south or go north to Chang Mai or travel to one of the beautiful islands of Thailand.

Live, Love, Travel!

@LittleMsJetsetter

There is so much to see and do in Tokyo... a 14 hour layover will never be enough to experience everything Tokyo has to offer, but it is plenty of time to experience some of it.

First things first, if you have a choice of which airport to fly into, Haneda is a much better option for a short layover. Haneda is only 15-20 minutes from the lit areas of Tokyo and the ride is under $10. Narita airport is a journey from the city center. It will take over an hour to get to the lit areas of Tokyo from Narita and it will cost closer to $35, to do so. If Narita is your only option there are ways to make it work. I'll explain that in another post.

For our 14 hour layover, we were lucky enough to fly into Haneda. Haneda is a BEAUTIFUL airport and it has loads of uber Japanese restaurants. We were met by my long time friend, Yosuke. He took us to an amazing kaiten sushi restaurant right in the airport. Kaiten sushi is awesome, because the sushi goes around the counter on a little conveyor belt and you grab whatever you want and get charged at the end. Of course sushi in Japan is insanely good. It seriously melts in your mouth..ahhh... I love sushi anywhere, but boy is it outstanding in Japan.   

 (        We opted to head to Shibuya after sushi. Shibuya has lots of bars (many of which are open 24 hours), restaurants, bright lights (perfect for taking pictures for the 'Gram) and places to sleep. We paid less than $10 to get to Shibuya from Haneda airport. It's important to note that the trains stop running at midnight in Tokyo. Once they stop they won't start again until 5am. If you have a long layover, but still want to sleep for a few hours, you can spend the night at a manga café also called an internet café. 
          Manga cafes are set up all over town and we were lucky enough to pick a bar right across the street from one.  Sleeping at a manga café is very normal. Many people stay at them when they miss their last trains homes. It's legit an internet café, but the room is equipped with pillows and a padded floor for sleeping. We paid $13 each to sleep at one for 6 hours. I suggest placing something on the pillows before resting your face on it #ijs. The manga café has showers and restrooms, provides free tooth brushes, coffee, and ice cream, and has a little shop where they sell snacks and instant ramen noodles. Is it a plush hotel? Hell to the no, but will it do for some shut eye? Absolutely.

We slept like champs in that tiny little space. Then we got ready, headed out, ate, and then jumped on the train to Haneda. We made it in time for our 11am flights to Bangkok.

Tips for 14 hour layover in Tokyo:

1. Aim to land in Haneda airport.
2. Get on the train before midnight (trains stop running from midnight to 5am).
3. Head to a busy part of town to ensure plenty of night time options (Shibuya, Shinjuku, Harajuku are all good options).
4. FamilyMart, 7-11, and Lawson are all open 24hours get food and necessities there.
5. Find a manga café for some shut eye.
6. Give yourself plenty of time to get back to the airport in the morning.

If you have specific questions, please send me a message!

Love, Love, Travel!

LMJ

 Wow. 2018. Hello, there! I planned on taking a travel break this year. Welp, that's not happening. This year I plan on doing a lot more travel consulting. A few weeks ago a friend of a friend hired me to plan his birthday trip. After a brief conversation, I decided the best place for him to visit, to achieve his travel goals, would be southeast Asia. 
      Whenever I plan a trip for myself, or a client, to Europe or Southeast Asia, I recommend they purchase a multicity ticket. Kayak.com is my go to site for flights. I put in his dates from NYC to Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam to NYC and my jaw dropped when the price was $424!!! I could NOT believe what my eyes were seeing!  I joked that it was so low that I was thinking about purchasing it. He laughed. Two days later, I purchased. 
        The best part is that we're flying ANA Airlines... a legit and AMAZING airline!  I did not visit any part of Asia in 2017, so you all know I cannot wait. We also have a 14 hour layover in my beloved, Tokyo. For those of you new to my travels, I lived in Japan for a year and have visited 4 other times. Tokyo... is my true love!!! My 50th country is on the horizon and I feel so very blessed that I'm able to do it

I cannot wait to document the next two weeks. If you're a faithful reader or you follow me on IG and want to know how I do it, please leave a comment and your email address below!!!


Live, Love, Travel!


LMJ