What I liked: Wes. I totally wished this had been a dual POV! Wes is so obviously head over heels with Liz from the beginning, but he does what he can to help her get what she wants. And he had so many clutch saves when she was in a bind.
What I didn’t like: Liz. The clueless heroine is one of my least favorite tropes and I got pretty impatient with her. She goes through a big lying phase, treats her best friend poorly, does the whole “makeover for a guy” thing, gives the “it’s complicated” excuse for not communicating, and doesn’t treat Wes very well.
Neutral: This book was chock FULL of pop culture, movie, and song references. I don’t really have any strong feelings about them, but I know some do so I’m throwing it in here.
I don’t think this one was really for me, but if you’re interested in a classic-feeling YA romance, it might be for you!
⭐⭐⭐¼
At 3 “not-for-me” books in a row, I think I can’t deny that I’ve entered into the dreaded reading slump.
Okay, so obviously, this is going to vary greatly depending on the author. Processes and writing speeds vary tremendously from person to person and actually my own process and writing speed has evolved a ton since I first started. Mostly, I just wanted to post this because I get a lot of people who become very confused when I write a book and then it pops into a black hole before getting published (insert non-zero number here) months or years later.
So I made this chart of all the books I’ve written to date, when I wrote them, and their published date or status (if they are still unpublished.)
My first book, Odriel’s Heirs, too the longest by far with 8 years between finishing the first draft (which took three months) and publishing it. But for 5 of those years, I never thought I would take it beyond that first draft. Then it took me a lot of time to figure out how to revise effectively, write consistently around all the other life demands, and stumble through the querying learning curve.
My second book, The Gatekeeper of Pericael, with three years from draft to publishing, also had a long wait for a lot of the same reasons.
Then, I actually started to figure out what I was doing! Once I had a go-to writing process, everything became so much smoother. And since I didn’t query any of the Odriel’s Heirs sequels, I was able to churn those out fairly quickly (especially the novellas.)
However, the querying process was still slowing everything down. I queried the Whimsical TBA title for two years😱 (of which, I had full requests out that entire time) before it was acquired. And once the Into the Churn series had a home with Whimsical, it sped the process up again for those sequels because I no longer had to query for an indeterminate amount of time.
Then I signed with my wonderful agent, Kristen Terrette, in 2023, and everything changed for me again! Now I have entered an entirely new era: On Submission. Which, much like querying, is an indeterminate amount of time in which the literary agent pitches the manuscript to editors. And even when/if it’s picked up by a publisher, the amount of time between getting acquired and being published could be over a year!
So—when will Inky & Heater, Ninth Circle, and Midnight Falls be published? At this point, the earliest I could imagine would be 2025, and it could very well be beyond. But I still have a super exciting line-up with ITC #2.5 coming in December, ITC #3 in March, and the Whimsical TBA title coming in September 2025.
For everything else, I’ll just keep my fingers crossed for as soon as possible!
If you have any fairy dust to sprinkle on my inbox, I’ll take it!
So beta readers are a *huge* part of my revision process. I usually have around 8-10 beta readers review and critique my manuscript before I send it to my agent or publisher, and they make it *so* much better. However… feedback, critiques, and suggestions on your beloved book baby aren’t always easy to absorb. In fact, the first time I got feedback from a developmental editor on my first book, I was so discouraged, I had to put down the manuscript for three months before picking it up again. But you know, that feedback made my book *so* much better, it made me grow as a writer, and I’m incredibly grateful for it. So, I put together some tips that have helped me to work through feedback efficiently, effectively… and with minimal emotional damage.
Skip to the bottom. This may sound weird, but it’s easy to get lost in the weeds when you’re looking through line feedback. If you skip to the bottom, you’ll get a feel for what the reader thought of your book as a whole, which will help you put their feedback in perspective.
Condense their feedback. Pages and pages of feedback can be super overwhelming and scary! It looks a lot easier to handle if you condense it into a bullet list of problem points.
Reword their problem points in your own words. This helps take the emotion out of it so you can just focus on the content. (A lot of times this also helps to condense the feedback.
Change the comments into actions that you can check off. (Note: if they suggested a fix, you *do not* have to use the fix they suggested if it doesn’t feel right.) Like perhaps if they said “Chapter three drags on and on, you should just cut it.” Maybe you would write, instead: “Add tension between characters A & B in chapter three and trim dinner scene” or something. Make it as specific as possible.
If you feel overwhelmed at any point in the process, let it sit! Sometimes distance helps us process while the problem points simmer on the backburner. I always feel better coming back to feedback after letting it percolate for a while, and it’s easier to read them without emotion the second time.
And if the suggestion/problem point just absolutely doesn’t feel right to you, delete it! If I followed every single suggestion of every beta reader I have on a manuscript, it would quite literally ruin the book. Sometimes beta readers miss things, and they often have differing opinions. When you make a change, make sure it aligns with your gut!
And since beta readers *do* often have differing opinions, I recommend you have at least 2-3. (Three works great as a tie-breaker for contrary opinions.) But *please* make sure they each have their own document to work off of. If they influence each other, it’s tough to get each of their true, unswayed opinions.
I also recommend that once you read it, you don’t let them read it twice. Often, when beta readers point out a problem, they often have a solution in mind. And it may not be *your* solution. If you’re still unsure about a problem point, I highly recommend getting a fresh beta coming in with no preconceived notions.
And remember, if one beta reader says it, it’s an opinion. If two beta readers say it, it’s a problem.
If a beta reader finishes your story and has *no* feedback other than something like “I liked it,” or *only* gives you positive feedback, that’s a great morale boost… but not super helpful for making a story better. If a beta reader cannot give constructive criticism or feedback that you feel in your bones, I would find another one. If a beta reader is unsure how to give general feedback, I would point them to this awesome questionnaire by Stacy Claflin. I use it myself to summarize feedback when I’m beta ready.
Where to find beta readers
This is a question I get *all* the time. I have found beta readers all over the place. You have basically two options here. You can use professional beta readers or you can swap with another writer (where they beta read your manuscript and you beta read theirs). My general suggestion is if you’re strapped for cash, you swap. If you’re strapped for time, you pay.
I have found Fiverr to be an amazing source of professional beta readers, many with specialties in different genres. I’ve used @maddy216’s beta reading service on my last like seven manuscripts. As of this writing, her service is $35 for up to 125k words, and her feedback is honest and solid.
I also consistently use MK Editing‘s beta reading service. As of this writing, they offer a $25 standard beta read, and a $75 in-depth beta. I’ve used both depending on the book.
Update, 11 Jul 2025: No longer recommended due to undisclosed use of Gen AI.
If you’re looking to swap beta reads, the hashtags: #writingcommunity, #betareader, #cpmatch, or #critiquepartner on X/Twitter, Instagram, or Threads can be a good place to start. There are beta reader groups/forums on Goodreads where you can post your pitch, and critiquematch.com makes it very straightforward to find a good match.
For me, I use a mix of swaps and professional beta readers. While I’m most often strapped for time, there’s also a huge benefit in *being* a beta reader. It’s a great way to make lasting friends and connections in the writing commmunity, I always learn something new from each and every critique partner, and critiquing also helps me to think critically about my own work.
Anyways, hopefully these tips were helpful, and I wish you all the luck in your revisions. If you have any questions or blog topic requests, feel free to shout them out in the comments!
Happy revising! (Yes, I’m writing this as I walk on the treadmill, because multi-tasking.)
So, normally, my husband and I’s vacations are these breakneck international boondoggles where we try to cover as much ground as possible with lots of hiking and we rarely stay in the same hotel for more than two nights in a row. To be honest, that’s *my* cup of tea, and my husband comes along because he loves me. Since we’d been doing a lot of hiking and our lives have just been super busy, in April 2024, I decided to try to plan a very different kind of vacation that mostly centered around his #1 interest—food!
Although I had been to NYC before, it was either for a fencing tournament or I was too young to remember now, and my husband had never been and wanted to go. Hence, our 1-hotel, food-centric NYC itinerary was born!
As usual, our itinerary and pictures are below with my overall thoughts at the end. Hopeflly it’s helpful, but if you have any questions, let me know!
Day 1: Wednesday, 24 Apr – Leave at 0600 on Delta flight. Arrive at JFK at 12:20 – Take Airtrain and Metro to Hotel (Super easy to use. We just scanned our phones to pay instead of getting a metro card.) – 1500 lunch reservation at Tonchin (Ramen found in the Michelin Guide) – Walk to Empire State Building & Flat Iron Building – Take metro to Central Park (highly recommend): See The Plaza, Central Park Carousel, the Bethesda Terrace, Alice in Wonderland statue, the Loeb Boathouse, & Belvedere Castle. – 1900 Sleep No More show. – Stay at the Motto by Hilton in Time’s Square (great location and nice rooms, but recommend ear plugs and eye mask as you can hear others through the walls, and the lights from Time’s Square make the rooms bright)
Notes: This day went by really smoothly! My favorite thing was strolling around Central Park. It was such a pretty spring day, everything was in bloom, and it was so cool to see some of the iconic spots from my favorite movies and shows.
Okay, and the Sleep No More show. Things I knew going in: it was an immersive show, it was based on MacBeth, people either loved it or hated it, you could either pick a character and follow them around the hotel or just wander the hotel (in the dark, silently, with your plague-doctor mask on) and see what you see.
The show was SO bizarre but it makes me smile just thinking about it. Honestly, it was truly a unique experience I’m glad I have… but it just straight up makes me laugh thinking about it. However, we ran into multiple people as we toured about the city that LOVE Sleep No More and had seen it multiple times. For me, it was incredibly interesting, but not something I would do again
My husband would probably advise you against it. (There is no dialogue, and it was *very* crowded, so even when you were witnessing a scene, sometimes it was hard to get a good look at the what was going on.)
Day 2: Thursday, 25 April – 0830: Take a picture of the Manhattan bridge view from DUMBO (recommend) – 0900: Walk the Brooklyn Bridge toward Manhattan (recommend) – 1030: Chinatown and Little Italy Food Tour by Ahoy New York Food (recommend) – 1330: Take Staten Island Ferry from Whitehall Terminal to see/pass by Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island (sit on the right) – 1500: See the Charging Bull, Wall St, Trinity Church, Alexander Hamilton’s Grave – 1900: See Hamilton (highly recommend)
Notes: This was a really great day! The Manhattan bridge view from DUMBO is amazing but be sure to get their early, and we loved walking the Brooklyn Bridge. Also the food tour was so fun! We loved learning the history of both the neighborhood and spots we were eating at, our guide was awesome, and we ended up stuffed by the end. (I actually had a dinner reservation for us and had to cancel it.)
And Hamilton. (Happy sigh.) So I’ve seen the Disney+ recorded Hamilton with the original cast as well as seen a live show when it came through New Orleans, but this was my favorite rendition. It was so crazy, though, because when we saw the show in New Orleans, Nik Walker played Aaron Burr and he was *incredible*– just his charisma and stage presence is jaw-dropping After that show, I told my husband: “I didn’t realize Aaron Burr was the main character.” Nik Walker remains my favorite Burr.
Okay, well in this show, Trey Curtis played Alexander Hamilton and he *changed the show for me.* He completely stole the show, and it, with no question, revolved around *him.* And it made EVERYTHING HIT DIFFERENT. Dude. I have never cried watching Hamilton before, but I *bawled.* And I wasn’t the only one! The people to my left, right and behind me were ALL crying. Anyways, husband and I are both huge hamilfans, and even though we’d seen it before, we agreed that this was our favorite part of visiting NYC.
Day 3: Friday, 26 April – 0900 Take metro to Twin Towers Memorial & Oculus Building – 1000: Tickets to go up in One World Trade Center – 1100: Early lunch at Real Kung Fu Little Steamed Buns (found in Micheline Guide) – 1415: Greenwich Village Walking & Food Tasting Tour by Nice Guy Tours (recommend) – 1845: Comedy Cellar Show (recommend)
Notes: Another solid day. When planning our trip, I had to decide between going up in the Empire State Building, One World or the Rock. One World had a great view, but I think if I went back I might try the Empire or the Rock. The food tour was awesome (we went through Washington Park and the Friends building among other highlights in the area), and I think food tours are now my favorite way to learn about a city/neighborhood while eating my way through it. And the Comedy Cellar show was fantastic. It was so good, we thought about going again while we were there.
Day 4: Saturday, 27 April – 0830 See grand central and stroll 5th Ave, walk to St Patrick’s Cathedral, the Rockefeller Center, and the NY Public Library (I wish we’d gone in but it was closed when we walked by.) – 1015: Lower East Side Foodie Tour by Nice Guy Tours NYC (recommend) – 1400: Blue Man Group – 1800: Dan White’s The Magician
Notes: Foodie tour once again fantastic! I’ve seen Blue Man Group a couple times, but it’s been ten years, and my husband had never seen it in one of their small theaters. It turns out I totally forgotten most of it, so it was a lot of fun! The Magician was a really interesting show with a ton of audience interaction in a relatively small space. Dan White was a great performer with some cool surprises, and if you’re into magic shows, I recommend it!
Day 5: Sunday, 28 April – Go see Tom’s restaurant (from Seinfeld) – 1015: Chelsea Market and High Line Food Tour by Like a Local Tours (recommend) – 1400: The Met – 1730: Dinner at Mala Kitchen – 1830: Cheesecake from Junior’s
Notes: At this point, I was starting to come down with some kind of bad cold, but we still had a great day. The food tour was still the highlight for me, and the Chelsea Market was super cool. I also liked the High Line and its macabre sculptures but it was *super* crowded. Although we went to the Met, and the scale of it was very impressive, I think it was at that moment that I realized I’m not much of a museum person.😅 Still a great day, but at this point, I was glad we were going home the next day.
Day 6: Monday, 29 April – Fly Home at 10 a.m.
Overall Thoughts Okay, so I’m still not a city person (I still prefer hiking), but I definitely enjoyed this trip. NYC is an easy place to get around and there’s ENDLESS stuff to do there. When my kids get into their teens in seven years or so, I’d love to go back with them to see some shows and the highlights. That said, as it’s relatively easy for us to fly up there, 5 days was the perfect amount of time for a visit. I did totally underestimate how much food we’d be eating. I originally had plans for where we would eat breakfast and lunch, but it turns out the food tours stuffed us every single day. Of course, we saw a lot of the iconic NYC sights because it kind of feels like you have to, but none of them really blew my mind. My favorite things were going to Central Park, the food tours, seeing Hamilton, and the Comedy Cellar, and I would do them all again. Next time we go though, I’d definitely like to branch out and see more broadway shows.
I think that’s all I’ve got for now, but if you have any questions, just let me know!
Okay, this was fabulous. Fresh tongue-in-cheek horror at its finest. I loved rooting for Margaret, as bizarre as she was with her love for her house and her acceptance of its… quirks. Loved the deeper parallels of the cycle of abuse and strength. Even the journey of Catherine’s (audiobook listener, so I’m not sure how she spells it) understanding and acceptance of her mother. Loved how it didn’t pull punches with the graphic horror, but Margaret’s reaction to it had me smiling every time. And then that ending was just *chef’s kiss.*
Excellent audiobook narration and I already recommended it to a friend within seconds of finishing. Such a satisfying read, and highly recommend for anyone looking for a paranormal horror with a likable main character and a straight-up cathartic conclusion.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Chef’s kiss and definitely in the running for a favorite read of the year.
The thought of a whimsical halfway tea house on your way to the afterlife
Lovely writing
Most of the supportive characters were engaging and likable
The audiobook narration was good
What I disliked:
The main character, Wallace. At the beginning he is awful, and I thought his redemption and personality shift was way too quick. Honestly, I think the ending he got was completely undeserved, and the speed in which he changed everything about himself made his relationships with the other characters seem shallow.
The pacing. For me, this book progressed very slowly, with the characters 0ften waxing poetic on life and death.
So overall, I didn’t really think this one was for me, but if you’re looking for a philosophical, whimsical paranormal that takes its time, this could be for you!
⭐⭐⭐½
Another recommendation from my coworker. I love the idea of a magical tea house for obvious reasons, but I can’t even with Wallace.
I’m a sucker for a time loop, and I liked Solomon’s Today, Tonight, Tomorrow, so I picked this one up. Overall, I think it was a satisfying new adult romance with slowburn type of romance, but I also thought it was on the slow side and kind of predictable. The audiobook was well-narrated, so if you’re looking for a college time loop story very similar to Palm Springs with sweet but awkward protagonists, give this one a try.
⭐⭐⭐½
Where are all my breakneck pace books at? I need you in my life.
In 2019, my husband and I left our 1-year-old and our 3-year-old with my parents and ran away to Alaska for a much needed temporary escape. I actually spent 1st-5th grade in Alaska, so none of the locations we visited were new to me, but they were new to my husband. I absolutely love Alaska, so it was fun to see everything with adult eyes. Most of our trips are breakneck adventures, but this was much slower-paced because after the constant exhaustion of managing two under two (and one with a chronic, diagnosed health condition), we needed a vacation.
So, as usual, our itinerary and pictures are below with my overall thoughts at the end. On this trip I took much fewer pictures because I’d been to these places before and I was in maximum chill mode, but hopefully it’s helpful!
Day 1 (27 Jun): Arrive – Fly into Vancouver at 7 p.m. – Stay at Samesun Vancouver Hostel (Okay) Notes: After nearly missing our cruise ship on our Italy trip in 2015, we now are sure to fly into a port a few days in advance. Yay for being older, wiser, and less stressed.
Day 2: Vancouver – Bike around Stanley Park (Recommend) – Visit Granville Island Public Market (I only vaguely remember this) – Capilano Suspension Bridge (Recommend) – Richmond Night Market Notes: Biking around Stanley Park was lovely and we saw bald eagles, otters, and other fun wildlife. I think I liked the public market, but I can barely remember it. The Capilano Suspension Bridge was cool but also crowded so I recommend getting there early if you can. Also, I took my foodie Richmond Night Market which has all sorts of fun unusual foods, but his stomach was so sick at the time (not due to the food) he couldn’t enjoy it, and I couldn’t eat very much either, sooo you win some, you lose some.
Day 3: Vancouver – Gastown – Board Princess Cruise (Recommend) Notes: So Gastown is a nice spot to walk around and see the steam clock, but we didn’t spend much time here. I took a picture of this old statue (Gassy Jack) but when I was trying to look up/remember who Gassy Jack was just now, I found out that this statue has been removed, which is kind of more interesting then the statue. Maybe they’ll replace it with something cool.
Day 4: At Sea Notes: So what’s different about this cruise is that you stick pretty close to the Alaska/Canadian coast, so there’s usually a nice view on the port side. Other than that, my husband and I found The Princess Cruise to be nice and relaxing (just our speed this time around.)
Day 5: Ketchikan – Fishing! (Recommend) Notes: So this fishing excursion was awesome. We were on a small boat with our guide and one other guy. Caught some rockfish, went trawling for Salmon, and then pulled over onto this secluded spot on the shore where they cooked our fish and served us a meal. On the way back, our guide stopped to throw the fish parts out, and we got to watch bald eagles come down to swoop them up (and… kind of fight over them.) We stopped by Ketchikan’s historical Creek Street before we boarded again, and that night from the ship we also saw whales, porpoises, and sea otters in snow’s pass. I absolutely adore Alaska’s wildlife.
Day 6: Juneau – Mt Roberts Trail (Recommend) – Kayaking Mendenhall Glacier Notes: I *think* we hiked up Mt Roberts Trail and then took the tram down or vice versa, and there’s definitely a lovely view at the top. I remember the kayaking to be slightly disappointing though. You see so many glaciers closer up on the cruise, the kayaking was a little underwhelming. Lots of eagles and ravens about though, and we stopped by an old saloon before getting back on the boat.
Day 7: Skagway – Excursion: took the train to cross into Yukon territory (Recommend) Notes: This place was GORGEOUS and I loved learning about the Alaskan gold rush history along the way.
Day 8: Glacier Bay Notes: It’s really difficult to capture the scale and beauty of this place, and you don’t even have to get off the ship. And we got to see the glacier calve! Forget about any other glacier cruises, you’ll get your glacier fix here.
Day 9: College Fjord Notes: I literally have no memory of this day. 😂 My husband wrote in his trip notes only “yuge glacier” so there you go, I guess.
Day 10: Drive to Denali – Take bus to Anchorage – Pick up rental car – Stop by Anchorage’s Saturday Market – Drive to Denali – Eat dinner at Healy Thai Food (Recommend) – Stay in Aurora Denali Lodge (solid) Notes: I used to go to Anchorage’s Saturday market all the time as a kid, so it was a big nostalgia thing for me, and in 2019, Alaska was having a lot of issues with wildfire smoke, so I was so thrilled to be able to see Denali nearly the whole time on our drive up! Also, I’m pretty sure we ate at Healy Thai Food (it’s a food truck) every night and my foodie husband still remembers it being amazing.
Day 11: Denali – The longest bus tour they offer Notes: So, the bus tour is something my mom took me on multiple times as a kid so it also had that nostalgic gleam to it. But though we saw a ton of animals (moose, fox, eagle, caribou, bears… I’m sure there were more) I would definitely go with a shorter bus tour next time. It was fun to kind of pretend pan for gold in the back country of the park, but I’d still opt for a shorter bus tour.
Day 12: Denali – Whitewater Rafting – Hike Savage Loop Trail – Husky Homestead (Recommend) Notes: Whitewater rafting was fun, and savage loop trail was also a pleasant, relaxing walk. Husky Homestead was definitely the highlight though with lots of puppy snuggling and an interesting presentation from Iditarod champion, Jeff King.
Day 13: Denali – Drive back to Anchorage – Stayed in House of Jade B&B (Recommend) Notes: I had “hike Mt Healy Overlook” on our initial itinerary but I can find no photograph evidence of us actually doing that, and I can’t remember doing it either. 😂
Day 14: Anchorage – Hike Byron Glacier (Recommend) – Visit Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center – Fly home! Notes: We had a late flight and it was further delayed due to the smoky conditions, so we went hiking with a local friend and her daughter on Byron Glacier. It’s an easy hike and there were tons of kids running around on the glacier. We visited the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center on the way home to see the Alaska animals we missed and saw a big bull moose on the way! A great way to top off our trip.
Overall Thoughts I remember this being a very relaxing, recharging trip with lots of natural beauty. My husband and I both enjoyed it, and while there’s a part of me that wishes we had done more stuff off the beaten track, I think it was perfect for what we needed at the time. I did think it was funny on the way home, my husband said, “we haven’t seen the sun set or rise in two weeks.” Which was totally true, and I almost hadn’t noticed—definitely a fun quirk of summer in Alaska that I loved as a kid and makes it easy to fit in lots in your long, sunny days!
The most memorable highlights for me were fishing in Ketchikan, taking the Skagway train, soaking in the sights from the cruise ship, and snuggling puppies at Husky Homestead.
Hopefully this is itinerary is helpful for anyone else planning an Alaska trip, and if you have any questions, just let me know. If you want to check out our other travel itineraries over the years, you can find them here. Thanks for reading!
My husband and I took this trip back in 2017, I had to pump like four times a day because my son (who was staying with my parents) was still nursing, and it is still, to this day, the best vacation I have ever been on. I would go back to New Zealand in an instant. While it’s been a long time, I still have our itinerary (which I plan in excruciating detail), so I figured I’d share it in case it’s helpful for anyone else! You’ll find our day to day schedule below along with some notes (my husband didn’t do a trip journal for this trip, so it’ll just be from my memory after seven years) and then overall thoughts at the bottom.
Please keep in mind that we like to move really fast on our vacations and cover a lot of ground. In fact, the folder that my husband saved our pictures under is called “Breakneck Zealand.”
Day 1: (Mar 17) Auckland – Arrive in Auckland at 0555 – Rent a car – Go to PakNSav for breakfast supplies – Check in hotel (Oaklands Lodge) and spend the day in Auckland – Auckland activities: Cornwall Park and Domain Park (Recommend) – Auckland eats: (I can’t actually remember where we ate, but these are the places I had written down that were close-ish to our hostel) Best Ugly Bagles, Burger Fuel, Wok n Noodle Bar, Eden Village Fish Shop, Zool Zool, Namaste Bar Notes: Auckland was gorgeous. I absolutely loved the parks and walking around the city. However, I underestimated how tired we would be after the 14-hour flight, and I made my poor husband walk 13 miles around the city. Later on, we would discover the public buses were extremely easy to navigate, and we definitely should’ve used them! Our hostel (we stayed mostly in hostels with private rooms) was also cozy and in a good location. My husband also had to learn how to drive on the left side of the road, which is always an exciting adventure. 😂 But I think he got the hang of it much faster than he thought he would.
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Day 2: Waitomo & Drive to Tonga – Leave at 0600 and drive 2.5 hours to Waitomo – Waitomo Eats: Waitomo general store (takeout Indian not Far) – Check in at 0830 for 5-hour Glowworm Black Abyss Tour (Recommend) – Finish at 1400 and drive 2 hours to Tonga – Tonga eats: Groceries – Stay at Plateau Lodge Notes: Okay, first of all, I cannot under-describe the beauty of the New Zealand countryside, and the Glowworm tour was a blast. I also had written in our agenda ” If time/energy, visit Huka Falls & Lake Taupo” But, with the jetlag and the 13 mi walk the previous day, I’m pretty sure we were so exhausted when we got to the hostel we turned in. Plateau Lodge was a another cozy hostel with a great location, a shuttle to Tongariro, and a good kitchen that fit what we needed.
Day 3: Hike Tongariro Crossing (MUST-DO) – Use hotel shuttle and hike Tongariro Crossing (leave at 0730, return at 1530) – Drive 4.5 hours back to Auckland – Stay at Oaklands Lodge in Auckland. Notes: This is one of my favorite, most memorable hikes I’ve ever done. And not just because Mt Tongagiro is Mt Doom from the Lord of the Rings movies. Tongariro Crossing is a 12 mi point to point with wildly beautiful and varying landscape. And if you plan on summit-ing Mt Tongariro itself, you need to add about 2 hours for the extra 1.2 mi. We did not take that side hike because we weren’t sure if we would be able to make it to our shuttle in time. (There was a later shuttle but it was MUCH later and we still needed to drive back to Auckland.) In retrospect this was a good choice, because we were definitely tired at the end of the hike as it was and we would’ve had to BOOK it to make the early shuttle. Though I don’t remember it being crowded at all, as of 2023, apparently you need to book tickets for your Tongariro crossing in advance so you can be sure to get a shuttle.
Day 4: Travel to Milford Sound – Fly to Queenstown – Rent Car – Drive 4 hours to Milford Sound – Stop in Te Anau and pick up key lock and hiking tickets (see Routeburn Track Day below) – Stay at Milford Lodge Notes: This was mostly a travel day for us, but the drive from Queenstown to Milford is beautiful. I think I harbored fantasies that we might be able to do stuff on our way through Queenstown, but we definitely didn’t have time. It wasn’t a huge deal though because we had more time in Queenstown later on in the trip. Milford Lodge was the one place where we shared a room with another couple, but jet-lagged as we were, I think we fell asleep before they got there and left before they woke up. Not ideal, but lodging around Milford is sparse so we felt lucky to get a room.
Day 5: Milford Sound (MUST-SEE) – Kayak tour and hike around Notes: This is a place our photos will *never* do justice. It is beyond beautiful and just completely surreal. I don’t think the kayak tour was a must do, but in general, this place is a must visit.
Day 6: Routeburn Track Hike (MUST-DO) – Hike 14 miles and stay at Routeburn Falls Hut Notes: To this day, the best hike I’ve ever done. We did the Routeburn as a two day hike, staying at one of the bunk/dorm style huts along the way, and hired someone to drive our car from the start of the trail to the end. Even looking at the pictures makes me want to go back and hike some more. Honestly, if you’re a hiker, don’t miss this one. Pictures don’t do justice.
Day 7: Routeburn Track Hike & Queenstown – Hike 7 miles – Care ready at 1130 – Drive 1 hour back to Queenstown – Ate at Fergburger for lunch and Erik’s Fish and chips for dinner (solid eats but the crowd at Fergburger is nuts) – Drive the Luge in Queenstown (Recommend) – Stay in Absoloot Value in Queenstown (solid) Notes: Pardon the absolute glut of pictures (trust me, we have so many more), I don’t know how else to convey how amazing this hike is. I think I also entertained the fantasy of us hiking Ben Lomond in Queenstown, but we really just ran out of time/energy. We drove the Luge and walked around and that was just right for today.
Day 8: Mt Cook National Park – Drive 3 hours to Mt Cook National Park – Hike (I cannot remember which hikes we did, but I have written down: Hooker Valley Track, Red Tarns, Tasman Lake Walk, Sealy Tarns) – Stayed at YHA Mt Cook (solid.) Notes: In retrospect, if I had to cut one thing from our itinerary, it probably would’ve been this. I enjoyed the drive out to the park, but I remember being a little underwhelmed by the Mt Cook hikes after the wonders of Milford Sound and the Routeburn Track. In fairness, it was a cloudy day, but then magically, it cleared up that night, and I saw some of the brightest stars in my life. (And it’s always cool to look at the Southern Hemisphere Constellations)
Day 9: Hike and Drive to Queenstown – Hike around Mt Cook National Park – Drive back to Queenstown – Stay at Bungi Backpackers (I remember not being crazy about this place.) Notes: Full disclosure, we were starting to get fatigued and used this as a bit of a recharge day.
Day 10: Travel to Bay of Islands for Rock Adventure Cruise (MUST-DO) – Fly to Auckland – Drive 3.5 hours to Bay of Islands – Stay the Floating Hostel (The 1-day Rock Adventure Cruise) Notes: Okay, my husband and I almost called an audible and didn’t do this (it had been a long day and it was pouring when we got The Bay of Islands) but that would’ve been a HUGE MISTAKE, and I’m SO incredibly glad we did this. Like, I’m even smiling thinking about it right now. Heck, I’m even going to link it. If I ever go back to NZ, I’m totally doing this again. This was SO much fun. I have never kissed so many fish in my life (IYKYK) and my husband even caught an octopus (though he did not kiss it.) Looking at the stars as you float in bioluminescent algae, fantastic guides/hosts and just a super fun atmosphere on board. Cannot recommend enough.
Day 11: Rock Adventure Cruise & Drive to Rotarua – Spend the morning on the Rock Hostel – Leave at 3 p.m. and drive 6 hours to Rotarua – Stay at Rock Solid Backpackers (Solid) Notes: The Bay of Islands is GORGEOUS. Also have I mentioned the Rock Adventure Cruise was a complete blast? It was the perfect place to recharge while having fun near the end of our trip.
Day 12: Rotarua – Te Puia (Recommend) – Whakarewarewa – The living Maori Village & Forest (Recommend) – Hobbiton (MUST-DO) – Drive 3.5 hours back to Auckland Notes: Te Puia and Whakarewarewa were really interesting from a cultural perspective, and the geothermal activity there is really interesting there as well. We were actually supposed to go whitewater rafting today, but it was cancelled due to high water levels. So on a whim, we decided to go Hobbiton and it was the BEST AUDIBLE EVER. I like Lord of the Rings but I’m not a mega-fan or anything, so at first, it wasn’t even on our itinerary. But Hobbiton is hands down incredible. It is absolutely gorgeous and the level of detail is astounding. Somehow we managed to luck out on a random Tuesday when crowds were incredibly low, our guide was amazing, and we had a blast. It horrifies me that we almost missed out on it!
Day 13: Sydney, Australia – Fly to Sydney – See the Opera House (Recommend) – Do the Bondi to Coogee coastal walk (Recommend) – Stay at Jackaroo Hostel Kings Cross (solid) Notes: It just so happens that it was cheaper for us to go ATL->Auckland->Sydney->ATL then to do a roundtrip from ATL to Auckland. Go figure! I’d traveled around Australia before, but since my husband had never been, I wanted him to at least see Sydney. However, I would like to note that at this point, we were both getting pretty exhausted, so, as beautiful as Sydney is, we were starting to look forward to going home.
Day 14: Thursday, Mar 30 – Featherdale (Recommend) Notes: If you want to go see the bizarre creatures of Australia and feed a wallaby, this is the place to go! This was my second trip to Featherdale, and while I enjoyed it, it was a little out of the way, and we were definitely worn out and ready to go home at this point.
Day 15: Friday, Mar 31 – Fly home! Overall Notes: So yeah, like I said, this was definitely my favorite vacation I’ve ever been on and certainly the most memorable (even if we were exhausted by the end!) Whenever someone asks a recommendation of where to travel, or one place I’d travel back to it, it’d be New Zealand.
There were so many must-do and must-see things that it’s hard to pick a favorite, but if I *had* to trim a few things from the itinerary, I’d probably nix Mt. Cook and the hop to Sydney (though if it had been my first time in Sydney/Australia, I might’ve felt differently.) And what’s crazy is that even though we saw so much, I feel like there are so many things we didn’t get to do! So yeah, hoping to one day make it back to New Zealand. 💛
Anyways, hope this was helpful, and if you have any questions about the itinerary or anything, feel free to ask! If you’d like to check out our other itineraries for our other trips over the years you can find them here!
So in October 2023, my husband and I went backpacking in Japan for two weeks! It was an awesome trip and below you’ll find our itinerary in case it’s helpful for anyone else! My overall thoughts will be at the bottom.
Personal philosophy: If I can’t carry it, I’ve overpacked.
Day 1 – Travel – Leave Atlanta at 1300
Ramen booth. SO delicious!
Day 2 – Arrive in Tokyo – Arrive in Haneda Airport, Tokyo at 1250 – Pick up Ninja Wifi (Recommend for navigation) – Get a bus card (they were having shortages, so we didn’t get one of these and got around almost exclusively using metro passes) – Take metro to hotel (Nishitetsu Inn Shunjuku) – Eat at Ichiran Ramen—yum!(Recommend) Notes: We loved Ichiran Ramen. The ramen is delicious and the place is cool because you order from what looks like a vending machine, hand them your ticket through the window in your booth, and basically could eat dinner without having to talk to anyone—an introvert’s dream.) Our Tokyo hotel was nice and had a great central location, but I think I would stay in Asakusa next time, just because I preferred the more old-fashioned vibes to the business district)
Day 3 – Tokyo – Tsukiji Fish Market (eat breakfast at Marutoyo – Recommend) & Tsukiji Honganji Temple – Hamarikyu Gardens – Ginza (High-end shopping district) – Itoyo Stationary Store – Ginza Tsutaya Books – Stroll Chuo-Dori Street – Asakusa (Old Tokyo) – See the view from Asakusa Tourist Info Center (8th floor) (Recommend) – Visit Sensoji temple & Nakamise Dori (the old shopping street that leads to the temple) through Kaminarimon Gate (Recommend) – Asakusa Nishi-Sando Shopping Street – Asakusa Shrine – Eat lunch at Onigiri Asakusa Yadoroku – Ueno Park – Akihabara (Home of all things Anime & Video Games) – Kanda Myojin Shrine – Animate & Mandrake (anime shops) – Chuo-dori (main) street – Tokyo Leisure Land (arcade) – Kotobukiya (figurine shop) Notes: We got a super early start because we were way jet-lagged, and found that Tokyo’s pretty quiet in the morning. I’m not really a big city (or shopping) person, but I enjoyed sampling the food in the Tsukiji Fish Market and just soaking in the atmosphere of Sensoji temple. (The view from the tourist center was great.)
Day 4 – More Tokyo – Meiji Jinju (Recommend) – Takeshita Street (Lots of cutesy culture things) – Shibuya Scramble – Golden Gai & Piss Alley (Omoide Yokocho) – Imperial Gardens – Have dinner with friend! Notes: Definitely go to things early if you’d like it to be quiet. Definitely enjoyed a dawn walk to Meiji Jinju. Obviously Shibuya Scramble isn’t super impressive though if it’s not busy so we ended up stopping by later in the evening.
Day 5 – Fuji Five Lakes – Took train to Fuji Five Lake – Rented bikes from hotel and biked to Arakurayama Sengen Park to see the Chureito Pagoda (Recommend) – Biked around lakes to Oishi and Nagasaki Park(Recommend) Notes: Okay, this was an awesome day. I loved just biking around the small town and soaking in the area. We had a gorgeous day and I could *not* stop taking pictures. Definitely one of the highlights of the trip! We stayed in HaoStay, which had a gorgeous view of Fuji right out our window, and I think it was my husband’s favorite hotel of the trip too.
Day 6 – Kyoto – Took a train to Kyoto – Strolled around Nishiki Market & Gion(Recommend) Notes: The atmostphere of Gion (the historical Geisha district in Kyoto) was super cool, and we actually managed to catch a glimpse of a Geisha going about her business. She stepped out right in front of us to cross the street as we were wandering down a quiet alley and it was kind of a surreal experience. We stayed in Kyomachiya Ryokan Sakura – Urushitei which was pretty average in location and rooms, so I don’t know if I’d recommend it. In general, while Tokyo was obviously an ultra modern city, and Fuji Five Lakes has a more rural small town feel, Kyoto definitely has a old, traditional Japan vibe.
Day 7 – Kyoto – Kiyomizu-dera (Recommend) – Arashiyama Bamboo Forest – Okochi Sanso Garden (Recommend) – Monkey Park Iwatayama (Recommend) – Kinkaku-Ji (the gold temple) – Kyoto Imperial Palace (Recommend) Notes: I really want to reiterate that you’ll get the best experience at places if you go as early as possible. But… you can’t go early to everything, so you’ll have to decide which you one is highest priority. It was really nice to explore Kiyomizu-dera when it was practically empty, by the time we got to Arashiyama Bamboo Forest (still early) it was already pretty crowded), the monkey park was still pretty empty when we arrived, but by the time we got to Kinkaku-Ji it was PACKED. We also stayed in K’s House Kyoto on days 7 & 8 which I actually think we liked better than the traditional Ryokan (and it was way cheaper.)
Day 8 – Kyoto – Fushimi Inari Taisha (Recommend) – Higashiyama Jisho-ji (Recommend) – Philosopher’s Path – Nanzen-ji Temple (Recommend) – Nara Park (Recommend) – Todai-ji – Isuien Garden Notes: Loved the Fushimi Inari Taisha and got there first thing in the morning so it wasn’t crowded at all. Same with Higashiyama Jisho-ji. Nanzen-ji Temple was a spur of the moment thing since it was around the end of the Philosopher’s Path, but it was super peaceful and pleasant. And Nara Park is totally worth it for the bowing deer alone.
Day 9 – Start Kumano Kodo Multi-Day Hike (Recommend) – Take Train to Kii-Tanabe – Take Bus to Hongu – Hike From Hongu to Yunomine Onsen – Stay at Minshuku Yunosato Recommend Notes: Long travel day, but definitely enjoyed the history behind this pilgrimage trek and staying in the small rural towns. Relaxing in the onsen in Minshuku Yunosato after a long day and an amazing meal was perfection.
Day 10 – Hike Kumano Kodo – Bussed from Yunomine Onsen to Ukegawa – Walked Ukegawa to Koguchi – Stayed at Shizen-no-Ie (recommend) Notes: Super pleasant hike and fun to catch up with fellow hikers at the middle school turned lodging. It’s next to a river in a small town and just super pleasant and peaceful.
Day 11 – Hike Kumano Kodo and take train to Osaka – Walk from Koguchi to Kumano Nachi Taisha – Took bus from Nachisan to Kii-Katsuura Station – Took train from Kii-Katsuura Notes: We way overestimated how long it would take us to get to the train station. This leg took us around 6 hours to hike and I think I estimated 9 for our train tickets, so we didn’t end up getting to Osaka till late. We also saw two snakes today! One looked like a harmless grass snake and the other was a pit viper that scared the crap out of me before it took off into a rock wall. I thought it would be too cool for them in mid October but beware!
Day 12 – Miyajima – Take train to Hiroshima & drop bags at hotel – Take train & ferry to Miyajima (Recommend) – Take cable car up Mt Misen – Daishoin – Momijidani Park – Stay in Hiroshima (Hotel Granvia Hiroshima – recommend) Notes: So I originally thought we’d have time to see Osaka castle before we left, but our train times didn’t work out that way. It’s the one thing I wished we’d see that we missed! But just a heads up, the deer on Miyajima don’t bow like the deer in Nara.
Day 13 – Hiroshima – Hiroshima Castle – Peace Memorial Park, Museum, & Atomic Bomb Dome (recommend) – Shukkeien Garden (recommend) – Take train back to Tokyo Notes: The museum is, of course, sobering, (and the park was filled with Japanese kids on school trips) but in general I was kind of surprised by how vibrant Hiroshima feels.
Day 14 – Tokyo – Teamlab Planets (recommend) – Go see the giant Gundam (recommend) – Buy pokemon stuff for the kids – Lunch with friends – Visit the graves of the 47 ronin (recommend) – Dinner with writing critique partner! Notes: If you, too, are looking for Pokemon (and all kinds of other) souveniers for your kids, I recommend Tokyo Station. The Pokemon store there is way less crowded than the Pokemon center, has most of the same stuff, and is less out of the way. Also, I originally wanted to check out the Ghibli creampuff factory, but heads up you need to make your orders or a reservation in advance because they sell out! We were able to swing by and at least buy a few cookies though.
Day 15 – Travel home! Final thoughts: We had a great time on this trip and covered *a lot* of ground (I think we walked on average around 13 mi a day.) I think the Kumano Kodo or Fuji Five Lakes were my favorite places, and Tokyo was probably my least favorite. As someone who’s not into crowds or shopping, it really just wasn’t my scene. Because everything’s so crowded, we actually ended up eating at 7-elevens a lot. (Which was delicious, but you know, nothing fancy. Definitely recommend getting reservations if you’d like to eat at a restaurant.)
But Kyoto, Miyajima, and Hiroshima were also *all* well worth the visit, and I really just enjoyed soaking in the culture of Japan. The two things I wish we’d had time for are hiking Fuji (the hiking season is from end of June to beginning of September, so it just didn’t line up with our dates) and seeing Osaka castle. If we ever go back to Japan, I think I’d definitely like to do more natural beauty / outdoor stuff off the beaten path or maybe even head up to Hokkaido. Though in October, we were there in the shoulder season, and definitely had some pleasant mornings, after around 10 things get so incredibly crowded, it’s a little overwhelming.
But it’s a *long* 14-15 hour flight to make it over there, so I’m not sure if we’ll be able to venture to that side of the world again any time soon! Still, super grateful to have been able to go, and if you have any questions, just leave a comment!
Also if you want to check out our other travel itineraries from past destinations you can find them here. Thanks for reading!
Hayley Reese Chow 