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It’s been a very busy week for me, as I prepare for our family vacation to Tokyo, Hong Kong and Macau. This looks like a ‘busy trip’ for us - full itinerary, that’s what I mean.

Whenever we go on family vacations, hubby and myself tend to choose walking more than taxis, unless it’s a place like Australia where we need to drive more than walk. But when you travel to places like Tokyo, HOng Kong and especially macau, they say - be ready to walk! I believe this is great for those who are fighting weight loss issues since they wouldn’t need to take any fat burners during their trip - lol!

I am now deciding which shoes to bring along so that I can walk for great distances without getting sore feet and leg cramps. Looking for good walking shoes for your next walking itinerary, check out the FREE SHIPPING at TheWalkingCompany.com with $100 purchase.

During these turbulent economic times, people are more careful with their finances and spending in every area of their lives. It seems that this holiday season will see more domestic travel as people shop for best buy in air tickets, room accommodations, hotels, car rentals and vacation packages.

For those who have a bigger family, you need to budget well in your family vacation to avoid blowing the vacation budget. Choosing a hotel accommodation under a budget is possible with careful research and planning. Even for our upcoming family vacation, I’ve been spending lots of time choosing a value for money one that is within our budget. Most people know that accommodation in Japan and Hong Kong can be expensive if you are not careful. The good thing about using a hotel comparison search tool is that I can view in one glance the hotel accommodations with the lowest rates. With that, I can be certain that I am getting the best hotel prices for my travel destination.

Plan well this holiday season as for your family vacation.

I’ve been trying to squeeze time into my schedule for our family vacation to Tokyo. Due to the language barrier in most Japanese websites, it’s been a little challenging planning our itinerary. Unlike most of our family vacation trips, planning a trip to Japan requires more research in the forums since travelers’ reviews posted in English would help heaps!

(picture courtesy of http://www.ito-yamatokan.jp)

Navigating around Tokyo is easy but finding an affordable, nice, cosy, comfortable, luxurious ryokan can be confusing. Since most travelers would spend a few days in Tokyo and Disney Tokyo, it’s usually a day trip to Mt Fuji or Hakone. But if you take time to do your research in Trip Advisor (which happens to be my favourite travelers’ review website), you will find many free and easy travelers who trek outside Tokyo.

After all that research, I’ve found a liking in several luxurious ryokans. In Japan, ryokans (japanese guesthouses) are divided several styles which determine the pricing during your ryokan stay:

• Category D: 7,000-10,000 yen per guest
• Category C: 10,000-15,000 yen per guest
• Category B: 15,000-20,000 yen per guest
• Category A: 20,000-30,000 yen per guest
• Category A+: 30,000-50,000 yen per guest
• Category A++: 50,000-70,000 yen per guest
• Category A+++: 70,000 yen and up per guest

The best place to understand what a ryokan is, the pricing, the style, ryokan etiquette, ryokan dining options and the different cultural explanations is to check out http://www.japaneseguesthouses.com

I’ll be posting my ryokan research for our family vacation to Tokyo in the next few posts.