Travel

Nonrefundable airfares are much cheaper than refundable ones, but if you cancel or change your flight, you’ll pay a hefty fee. But there are some loopholes and workarounds.

My name is Michael, I’m from Boston MA and I’ll tell you about my thrilling experience as a foreign exchange student in Kassel, Germany. For many many years now I have been hoping and praying to make a nice and long trip to Europe, and as the opportunity showed to me, I grabbed it.

In the mid 1800s, the farmers of the Shiraito plain in southeastern Kumamoto had  a problem. Rice paddies weren't receiving enough water and the peaks and valleys of the area assured that water run-off didn't quite go where the farmers desired. In 1854, local Yamato village official Yasunosuke Futa hit upon an idea. His solution?

There’s nothing quite so vibrantly, blindingly blue as the lagoon on Tikehau, an hour’s flight from Tahiti, in French Polynesia.

Dirt and gravel as far as the eye can see, jagged rocky mountains with scrubby plants, dramatic red sandstone cliffs and dunes punctuating the endless gray-green expanse; that is the Gobi desert.  It’s hostile and windy, and surprising.

Habu snakes are as Okinawan as shisa dogs, eisa dancing, awamori, coral, and castle ruins. Okinawa World theme park in Nanjo City features the prefecture's premier display of Habu and snake related exhibits.