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Author: jake@henak.com

Don’t Give Up on Your Dreams! Work Hard, Dream Big!

Don’t give up on your dreams, even when it feels like a battle.

Sometimes our dreams feel like such a struggle. We’d like to think because they’re our dreams that everything will just fall into place. You know because it’s what we want it should be easier?

Well, that just isn’t always the case. In fact, it usually isn’t. Dreams take hard work. I know some people decide to pursue a dream, and it seems like every step falls into place for them, thus confirming that they were on the right path. However, just because it doesn’t fall in to place or come easy, doesn’t mean you’re on the wrong track. Behind the most successful people are their failures – the difference is they chose not to give up.

One of these people was Thomas Edison. He was told when he was a child that he was too stupid to learn. And as an inventor, he was no stranger to failure. He wasn’t afraid of failure, and we shouldn’t be either.

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” ~ Thomas Edison

This article “15 Reasons People Give Up On Their Dreams” hit a lot of the reasons why I felt like giving up on my dreams. My fear of failure, fear of what others thought, and not believing in myself are a few that spoke to me on this list. I wanted to start blogging for about a decade now, but I wasn’t ready to commit and get over my fears and give it a try. Even so, my dreams were there, just bubbling under the surface, waiting for me to have the courage to start them. Then at the beginning of 2018, I decided that this is the year I will make it happen!

And you know what?

It has felt like pulling teeth on a unicycle while going uphill in a blizzard and trying to hold a hot potato in one hand.

OK, strange word picture, I know. The point is, I feel like, with every step I take, something keeps getting in my way. It is such a struggle that I feel like I am fighting and clawing to hang on to this dream.

I often feel like giving up on my dreams. But I am not a quitter, and I know that when I do see it through that, it will be so rewarding to know that I didn’t give up, no matter the setbacks, the roadblocks, or the nagging voice of doubt inside my head.

“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time…” ~Thomas Edison

So I speak to anyone else out there that may be trying to pursue a dream or a lifelong goal. Or maybe you’ve just been thinking about it. Don’t give up.

It may feel like everything is fighting against you but just hang in there. It isn’t going to be easy, and it will require hard work, but your dreams are worth it!

“The three great essentials to achieve anything worth while are: Hard work, Stick-to-itiveness, and Common sense.” ~Thomas Edison

Even if you only take three steps forward and one back, you’ll have still made two steps of progress. That is what I choose to focus on. My growth feels really, really small, and I often question whether I can make this work. But, progress is progress. Last year, I didn’t even have a blog name, I didn’t have a website, and I hadn’t made any steps forward towards this dream.

So hey, I’m not where I want to be, but I’m not where I was. It’s a journey.

“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” ~Thomas Edison

So start dreaming again, start doing and start believing in yourself! Don’t give up on your dreams! They are a part of who you are, and they are beautiful!

“If we did all the things we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves.” ~Thomas Edison

What dream are you working on? Maybe you feel like you don’t have a dream, that’s OK too, it’s a good time to start dreaming. I’d also love to hear from those of you who have felt like giving up but didn’t and where you’re at now.

Maybe your dream is to travel, but you don’t know how to get started. Check out Trip Planning 101, Choosing Your Travel Destination, and How to Book Your Flight & Find the Best Deals!

Happy Dreaming & Happy Planning Everyone!

December 4, 2018
Choosing Your Travel Destination: A Beginner’s Guide

I think most people have a bucket list of places they’d like to visit and this is usually the starting point when planning their next vacation. Budget is also a deciding factor when choosing where to go. And the last factor is time. The amount of time you have for your vacation and the time of year that you plan to travel. So let’s review these three factors when choosing your travel destination.

Bucket List Destinations:

For some people, this is Hawaii, Disneyland or even Alaska — the last frontier! For me, I want to go everywhere! But I do have specific places that I want to visit that I have prioritized over other destinations.

My husband also has places that he is more interested in seeing than others, and so we usually start going over these destinations together when trying to decide where we will go on vacation next. We try to come up with our top 5 destinations that each of us would choose to go to next. So for example maybe it would be Thailand, Tahiti, Iceland, Alaska, Norway. Then we start looking at the other factors of budget and time.

Budget:

As much as we’d all love to have bottomless budgets for which to plan our vacations, most of us do not, and I find that budget is one of the most significant factors for deciding where to go.

I plan for years where I go on smaller trips locally or in the U.S. and save up to go on “bigger” trips every few years. There are places like Tahiti, which are on my bucket list that has been pushed down the list as I know that it will be one of the most expensive destinations on my list, so it is a destination that gets saved for a later time, perhaps for a special anniversary or milestone celebration.

Timing:

My husband and I have wanted to visit Thailand for years, and from my research, I read that the best time to visit is November thru March, as the rest of the time is during their rainy and hot season.

So if we planned to take two weeks off in August, we probably choose to travel somewhere other than Thailand. As it’s unlikely we’d want to visit Thailand in the absolute hottest, rainiest and most humid time of the year. Now if for some reason that was our only time to travel and that was “the” place we absolutely wanted to go, then we would go, and we would make the most of it.

So do your research and plan accordingly, and if you feel you “must” go to a place and you don’t want to wait for a better time of year, or maybe it’s just not possible for you to go any other time, I say go! Just know what you’re going to be dealing with, pack accordingly and don’t forget to bring your adventurous attitude.

There are benefits to off-season travel, fewer crowds, and lower costs being the two biggest benefits. So it’s always worth considering that option.

Length of Vacation:

If you only have seven days for your vacation, then you will probably not want to spend 40 hrs round trip flying to say, Thailand. You will most likely want to spend less than 10 hours total in flight time, 20 hours would probably be the max most people would spend with that short period of time.

The traveling portion of a journey takes up usually two days of the trip, one day getting to your destination and one day returning home. So if you had seven days total and you are flying somewhere, then you only have 5 full days in that destination.

Typically if I will have 20+ hours round trip of flight time I prefer to have at least ten days at my destination.

Consider all the things you want to see and do and whether or not you will have enough time to really make it worth the trip.

A couple of other things to consider:

You will want to factor in whether or not you’ll need a visa or passport to travel to your intended destination, and if so, determine how long it will take you to get the necessary documents. If you are making last minute travel plans, this may play a big role when choosing your travel destination.

The more time you have to plan, the better you will be able to research what to do and the best deals. Some destinations require more research and planning than others.

Some Final Thoughts on Choosing Your Travel Destination

It is essential to know who you are.

If you know you’re the type of person who hates the heat and only wants to go outside when it’s fair weather, then be honest with yourself and your traveling partner(s) and plan to avoid traveling in conditions where you are likely to only huddle inside your hotel room.

You can never plan for “everything.”

You can plan and prepare extensively, but life has a way of throwing us curve balls and sometimes things don’t go as we want them to, so you have to roll with the punches when this happens and choose to have a good time no matter what. Remind yourself: “I could be sitting in a cubicle right now.” “I could be cleaning my bathroom” “I could be ____” You fill in the blank, but rarely are things so bad on a trip that you can’t find the positive and still enjoy your adventure.

Always keeping in mind that things can change unexpedtedly and happiness is a choice no matter where we are.

Hopefully, this helps you think through your options when choosing a travel destination. For more on how to start planning a trip, check out Trip Planning 101.

Or check out this article on Booking Your Flight.

Happy Planning!

September 23, 2018
Nikko The Grand Spring Festival

We got up early to get some breakfast before catching our train from Tokyo to Nikko. And although our “there’s always something open in Tokyo” concept may have worked the night before when we were getting ramen at 10:00 at night, we discovered, that not even Starbucks was open at 8:00 in the morning in Tokyo! Coming from Seattle we were not expecting that!

Thankfully I pack a backup breakfast option, my own personal French press and also some instant oatmeal packets. These are great when you don’t have time to go out or if you just want to save some money.

So we returned to our hotel to eat in our room.

Eating our instant oatmeal with chopsticks. Note to self: bring plastic silverware next time.

Then we were off to Nikko. We discovered that our trip coincided with their annual Spring Festival or the Shunki Reitaisai. So we were excited to be able to join in the festivities. The festival celebrates the funeral procession for one of their great leaders Tokugawa leyasu and is a memorial to how his remains were transported to Nikko in the early 1600’s.

We chose to walk from the train station all the way up to the top of the town where the procession would start. There was the option to take the bus, however, the lines were very long for that. The walk turned out to be a scenic one and with the crowds only took about 30 minutes.

River running through part of the town.

Shinkyo Bridge in Nikko

It was wonderful timing for us to be able to experience this celebration and local custom firsthand. They even had English translations during the procession to explain what was happening and what each of the men in the procession represented.

We stopped to eat some dango on our way back down to the train station. These yummy treats are sort of like mochi, they boil them and then grill them. You can see in the picture he is grilling one over charcoal. You can choose from different sauces and styles. I highly recommend them!

A mid afternoon snack, grilled Mochi anyone?

We also passed by a restaurant with these displayed in its window outside. You will find this to be very typical of restaurants in Japan to have rubber replicas of the food so you can see what each thing will look like before deciding whether to go in or not.

They sure can make rubber food look appetizing!

One very big bowl of rice!

Nikko is a very beautiful and charming town with little shops and places to eat. It is only a two and a half hour train ride from Tokyo, making it a wonderful day trip option. I highly recommend it on any trip to Japan!

Getting to Nikko from Tokyo:

We chose to purchase a 14 day Japan Rail Pass prior to our trip and we absolutely loved having this. It saved us so much money and was so easy and convenient to use. You can just hop on and hop off trains as needed. For more information about the pass and how to use it to visit Nikko check out the website Japan Rail Pass website.

July 19, 2018
Trip Planning 101: A Beginner’s Guide
This post is the beginning of a series of articles that I will write tailored towards the beginner traveler. I have friends and family who are new to trip planning. Many have never planned a trip that involved booking a flight or planning an international trip. In the beginning, this may seem scary and a little overwhelming. But rest assured, it is not as hard as it might seem.

Here are the 5 questions to ask yourself as you begin your trip planning.
1. Why are you going?
2. Where do you want to go?
3. When do you want to go?
4. How long will you be gone?
5. What do you want to see?
Why are you going?

Ok, so you should never need a “why” to travel. You travel because in the words of Hans Christian Andersen: “To Travel is to Live.”

For many people, they are traveling to fulfill a dream, to take their family to Disney World or to celebrate a milestone. Traveling creates those lifelong memories, the moments we look fondly back on, the ones that inspire us to do more and also give us the satisfaction of a dream fulfilled. So take the time to figure out what you want to get out of it so that you can make the most of your adventure.

Where do you want to go?

With any trip, you must first decide where you want to go. If you’ve got a bucket list, I’d say choose based on where you want to go most first. Or if you’re restricted to a specific time of the year, I’d choose based on which destination has the best weather or best deals during that time. Or you could toss a bunch of places written down into a hat, and randomly pick one out and go with that! Most people don’t choose this option, but it doesn’t mean you can’t!

I am currently planning a two month trip through Europe where I will be traveling to different countries. I will plan each one as a trip in and of itself. So for my “where” in this example, I will choose France.

When do you want to go?

My friend Moe and I decided to leave in September. That was when we went on our very first trip together as teenagers, and so it is fitting for us to leave again at the same time. Plus, it works out best for our schedules and our budget. Leaving in September will be a little cheaper, and as we move into the shoulder season, our costs should go down significantly from what it would be to travel during the summer or peak season.

You will need to decide “when” based on your own needs. Traveling in the shoulder season or off season can be much more cost effective, but you may need to contend with colder or rainier weather and certain attractions not being open. If you are okay with that, then I recommend you look at that as an option for deciding your “when.”

For example, I traveled to Italy in February, and there were a lot fewer crowds, and yet once you get down to Rome and further South, I didn’t even need a coat most days to go out, just a sweater or light jacket.

How long will you be gone?

This is often decided based on your work schedule and how much vacation time you have to take. Just know that whatever amount of time you have, you can always plan another trip. So soak in everything you can on this one, but don’t despair if you don’t have the amount of time you would wish to spend. You can’t see it all in one visit.

What do you want to see?

Okay, so we’ve got the when, where, how long and now onto the fun part, what to see, and do!

This is where you’ll want to start your must-see list. For example, I’m planning a trip to France, and I know that my must-see list includes: Paris, Normandy, Loire Valley & Lyon. I know that in Paris I want to see the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, The Louvre and so on.

There’s a good chance you already have a bucket list of places you want to see for your intended destination. However, if you don’t, the next step will help create your list of must-sees.

Research your destination.

Do a search online and also pick out some books thru your library (and yes books are still useful), our library system has a vast assortment of Ebooks as well as printed. I like to use both internet resources as well as printed books.

I will generally start by doing an online search of “France Itinerary.” Then I will begin combing through the results to see what inspires me and sounds like a place I’d like to visit.

You want places that make you smile just thinking about them. Those should be on your must-see list.

So for my trip, I know the following:
- Why: To fulfill a bucket list dream and celebrate a lifelong friendship
- Where: France
- When: October
- How long: 10 days
- What to see: Paris, Normandy, Loire Valley & Lyon
It is just as easy as deciding where you want to go, when and for how long, then you make your list of what to see and you edit to fit your trip length.
Trip Editing

If you’ve only got three days in France, then plan on staying in Paris and maybe a day trip just outside the city. But you’re not going to have time to travel to the Loire Valley or Normandy and give Paris any reasonable amount of time in only three days. This would be true of any major metropolitan area.

The same principle applies whether it’s one week, two weeks, or two months. You will always need to edit and make some hard decisions on what is important to you for this trip and what you will need to wait to see until your next trip.

This makes it especially troublesome when you only have one vacation per year, or you’re only able to do one major trip every five years and so on. So I understand the need to make the most of every trip. I also know that trying to cram in too much can leave you exhausted and frustrated.

This is an adventure, a dream come true, and it should be enjoyed and always remembered fondly. So accept the limitations of each trip and then make the most of the time you have.

For more on how to choose where to travel next check out Choosing Your Travel Destination. Or if you already know where you want to go next, check out the post: Booking Your Flight. Feel free to ask any questions in the comments below or send me an email. I’d love to hear from you!

Happy planning!
July 11, 2018
Single Serve French Press: Traveling With Coffee
Ahh coffee…that first cup in the morning, it’s like a cozy sweater you wear on a rainy day or that friend that you want to chat with for hours. I’d call it a comfort food, but I know it’s technically not a food, or is it? I do eat coffee beans, so perhaps I can call it a comfort food after all!

Let’s face it, most of us start thinking about that first cup of coffee not long after our eyes open and we begin to get ready for our day. The same is true whether you’re at home or whether you’re traveling.

IKEA French Press

I spent almost 4 months in China on a scholarship through the University of Washington. And it was during this stay that I realized how much I valued my coffee. The dorms that I stayed in did not provide coffee. Also, water had to be boiled in order to drink it or to brush your teeth. I didn’t want to go out every morning before class to buy a cup of coffee so when I found this mini French press at an IKEA in China I was so excited!

Since I already had to use a tea kettle to heat my water, the French press made perfect sense! I bought some ground coffee, which I also found at IKEA and my mornings at the dorm got a WHOLE lot better!!

This was a good reminder to not take things for granted.

Things like clean drinking water. At home, I can just go to my sink and drink the water without fear of getting sick. Or things such as my morning coffee, that at home is so easy to come by. Or even things like a good pillow, traveling will definitely make you realize all the little things we don’t think about, until they aren’t there.

Traveling causes me to appreciate what I have and reminds me to be thankful for the little and big things in life. There is always something to be greatful for.

I continue to pack my IKEA French press on other travels, it saves me time and money and it is also a fun way to sample local coffee while traveling. I wrap my IKEA French Press in a T-shirt and pack it in the middle of my clothing, to protect it. You could also stick it in inside a shoe too for extra protection.

REI French Press Coffee Mug

REI is a store that was started in Seattle back in 1938 and they sell every kind of possible outdoor gear you could want as well as a large selection of travel gear.

I use this REI French press coffee mug for camping and backpacking. It is not made of glass, and therefore is better for the rugged demands of camping and hiking. It also has a little storage container built into the bottom where you can store extra coffee grounds.

Steps to Making Your Single French Press Coffee:
1. Boil some water.
2. Put in your coffee (3-5 tablespoons – adjust to taste preferences)
3. Stir the grounds a little.
4. Wait 1-3 minutes (again adjust according to your desired strength)
5. Push down the filter and whether you’re out under the stars or in a hotel room in another country, you are set for all your coffee needs!
In case you don’t live near an IKEA, here is a similar style single serve coffee maker you can purchase from Amazon.

I also discovered that REI is no longer selling the French Press mug that I use for camping, however this GSI Outdoor Java Press would make a good substitute. And if REI doesn’t deliver to your location, Amazon also sells the GSI Java Press as well as this Travel Coffee Mug that is very similar to the one I use from REI.

For more travel ideas check out these travel itineraries: Fun Things to Do in Lisbon, First Trip to Thailand and the Ultimate Maui Itinerary.

Happy Travels!
July 11, 2018
Bucket Lists & Good Friends: Bonding Thru Travel

“A friend is one what knows you as you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become, and still, gently allows you to grow.” —William Shakespeare

That is the type of friendship I have with Moe. We’ve known each other since grade school and grew up together in the same small town, and even as adults, we have remained close friends. That kind of friendship is rare and is a blessing. It is a friendship birthed from the desire to travel and to discover.

Our love of travel and our desire to learn and grow as individuals has been a constant theme throughout our friendship. Just after graduating high school, we went on a two-month road trip around the U.S. We had spent months beforehand pouring over books and mapping out our route through the states (Google was a thing of the future).

The trip was an adventure we’ll never forget, just two young girls driving across the country in their Chevy Lumina. We were two free spirits, going wherever the wind was blowing us. Initially, we planned to sleep at campgrounds along the way, but soon this turned into driving all night adventures and sleeping in the car wherever we happened to stop. The tent was used once.

See, here’s our proof!

It was so much fun, and to our friends and family in the small town where we were raised, we were considered “world travelers.” Thankfully over the years, both she and I have genuinely become “world travelers” and have been fortunate to go on multiple trips together as well as with our husbands.

The Great Wall, China

Terracotta Soldiers, Xian China

Enjoying a break in Maui with our hubbies.

We are currently planning a two month trip through Europe. Over a year ago, we discussed how to celebrate the 20th anniversary of our first trip together. And a backpacking trip around Europe quickly became the decided upon adventure. A homage of sorts to our road trip as young girls.

We are still very much those two young girls with adventure in their hearts. Since that first road trip, we have both married, moved to different cities & changed as individuals. Yet, we still have the young dreams in our hearts that have never left us.

I look forward to learning more about ourselves on this journey and once again reminding each other that no matter how much time passes, our passion for travel, our love of all things new, and our friendship are constants. Travel brings people together. Whether it’s loved ones or strangers, it is one of its many benefits.

So without further ado, let’s get to planning! Oh wait, but first…coffee! A cup of hazelnut coffee, to be exact, it’s one of my favorites. Then on to planning!

Check out Trip Planning 101: A Beginner’s Guide to Planning Your Next Adventure and get started planning your next trip!

July 11, 2018
Traveling to Japan & Fulfilling a Dream

Japan: Our First Night in Tokyo
It was my husband’s childhood dream to travel to Japan and he was finally getting to accomplish it. His interest in video games, computers and all things technology started as a very young child. So this trip was a bucket list trip for him. I was also excited to be traveling to Japan, but I think on this trip his anticipation beat mine.
Here’s a picture of him at the airport waiting for our flight to Tokyo. He’s just a wee bit excited!
Waiting for our flight to Tokyo
Side Note:
I happen to like airplane food. Okay, not really the food I guess, but the experience of the food they give you. Depending on where you travel you are typically served food that is consistent with that area. Since we were traveling to Japan we were given options like miso soup, udon noodles and green tea. When I’m flying I look forward to seeing what mystery meal I will get. I know I’m weird and easily amused, but there you have it!
The chicken option.
And the beef option.

First Night in Tokyo:
We arrived at our hotel in the Ikebukuro neighborhood of Tokyo at around 8:00 p.m. and after checking in and freshening up, (and learning how to use the toilet) it was nearly 9:00 p.m. by the time we headed out for dinner.
Fancy controls on our toilet
We don’t normally eat that late, however with our internal clocks still set for Pacific time back home, we decided: Hey, it’s Tokyo, there’s always something open!
So we did a quick Google search to find the nearest restaurants and decided to go to Mutekiya, a ramen shop that was just a short walk from our hotel in Ikebukuro. Mutekiya got great reviews and this would be our first experience eating authentic Japanese ramen vs those $0.20 packets of dried noodles we were fed for lunch as kids.
A staple food for both kids and college students.
It took us a little bit to actually find the place, as Google maps was having difficulty getting a lock on our GPS, we weren’t sure if it was due to all the tall buildings, or some other interference.
This is a common issue you might have when traveling, it can also depend on the SIM card or local cell phone service you get when you arrive, we chose to use a data only SIM by DoCoMo, which we purchased at an airport vending machine. (Another cool thing about Japan, you can buy almost anything from a vending machine!)
Shortly after crossing the street we found the restaurant and also a line that wrapped around the building and up the street! I couldn’t believe that we were waiting in line at 10:00 at night to eat ramen!
Painted sign outside restaurant detailing the ramen we would soon eat.
45 minutes later we were seated on two bar stools discovering a new love for ramen. This is not your store bought ramen! Wow! The ramen was delicious! The broth was full of flavor, the soft boiled eggs were cooked just right and mine had delicious crispy garlic toppings. It was a great experience and the perfect way to begin our time in Tokyo.
The most delicious bowl of ramen we had ever eaten.
I recommend that you jump right in when you first arrive at your destination. It forces your body to get adjusted to the local time zone. Even if it’s only for a couple of hours before you go back to your hotel and crash. It sets your trip out on the right foot and the excitement you get from exploring your new surroundings will usually overcome your jet lag – at least for a few hours.
Traveling to Japan opened our eyes up to the country’s varied and delicious cuisines. And although eating a bowl of ramen at almost 11:00 at night was never on my list of to-dos, it turned out to be a great first experience in Tokyo!

Try Something New Today!

February 23, 2018