Stacked-rock cairns at Angkor Wat (all photos by Tsuyoshi Sahara)
by Meghan Hahn

In August Meghan ventured to Cambodia overland, along with Tsuyoshi Sahara, crossing the border from Thailand. The following is a photo journal of a few segments of the trip.

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Tsuyoshi had attempted the infamous border crossing from Bangkok to Cambodia years before the new road had been paved. At that time, pick-up trucks were the de rigueur mode of transportation. Ten years, however, was apparently sufficient enough time for Beyoncé to supply us with an upgrade: we would be traveling in …

It’s not hard to see why Thailand is a common vacation destination for many JETs. With friendly people, incredibly cheap travel costs, and deliciously spicy food, it’s a great place to spend an extended national holiday week. Phuket in particular provides an oasis from the heat and humidity in Thailand and is a welcome destination after exploring the steamy streets of Bangkok or Chiang Mai. My friends and I visited the island for five days over Golden Week this year and loved every minute of it. For those considering going, here are my Top Ten tips on traveling to Phuket.

I must blame the writer and chef Anthony Bourdain for introducing me to the gluttony hell that is Singapore. A while ago, I watched an episode of No Reservations shot in Singapore and I just knew I would wind up there one day. Living in Japan just made this foodie dream easier. If you need a break from Japan and you love food, then Singapore is the place for you. How could Singapore be described? Well… think about your typical super mall in America, multiply this by a thousand, coat it with several layers of luxury, throw in some amazing colonial architecture and you’ve got a pretty good image of Singapore.

When it comes to out of the way places, nowhere is so far away from everything else as New Zealand. Which is all the more reason to travel there. Vast stretches of natural beauty, friendly people, and a relaxing atmosphere make it an ideal place to spend a winter vacation away from Japan. I took a trip to New Zealand last winter and had an amazing time. And so I present to you a top 10 list of reasons to visit New Zealand.

Finland. Escape to a place where the pure white snow crunches beneath your feet and the breathtaking Northern Lights dance in the skies above; where exquisite cathedrals nurture the soul and steaming hot saunas cleanse the body; and where, after you’ve worked up an appetite with some cross-country skiing or snowmobiling, you can fill your belly with a hearty moose steak.

Hong Kong is like one of those massive space hubs seen in science-fiction movies, where all sorts of aliens and other life forms can be found interacting, dealing, and living together in relative harmony. The cityscape itself is a sight to behold, and although it would be entirely possible to spend months there and not experience everything Hong Kong has to offer, it would certainly be worth your while to check it out on a long weekend, or one of the shorter holiday periods.

A country that mixes tragedy and celebration, ancient temples and modern skyscrapers, cheeseburgers and dog meat soup, Korea is an eclectic mix to say the least. Though it may be hard to feel it at times while plodding along the harsh lines of a canyon of buildings amid the din of K-pop and Samsung advertisements, a vast reserve of history and culture is beating strongly all around you. Experiencing this diversity doesn’t need to take weeks or require traveling at a break-neck pace. In fact, it’s easy to get a heavy dose without straying from the capital for more than a daytrip.

Palau is one of those places that you only hear about in wacky travel magazines or on mass emails that you get from that hippy guy/ girl you hung out with that one time in college. It’s a place that exists in the real world, but that no one you take seriously ever goes to. For instance me.

Cambodia’s a country that some might find a little too easy to overlook. It’s sandwiched between Thailand and Vietnam, two countries with very distinct cultures and bustling tourist industries, so that people often pass through only to drop in on Angkor Wat. In terms of tourism infrastructure, as the saying goes, Vietnam is five years behind Thailand and Cambodia is five years behind Vietnam. Lodging can be rough, many of the roads are terrible, and street vendors and beggars are just a little more desperate and numerous. But Cambodia’s also cheap, friendly, culturally interesting, and in my opinion well worth at least a week’s visit.

With winter vacation right around the corner, many an ALT are spending their time trying to figure out what to pack in order to survive in the harsh world of international travel. If you’re like me, you’re probably going to pack quite a few fun-filled, and expensive, gadgets. But wait! Think carefully about traveling with your gadgets. There are a lot of questions to consider. What to buy? What to pack? What not to pack! Oh the humanity! Relax. Take some tips from a well-traveled gadget geek and put your mind at ease.