Hakone is one of the most popular day-trip destinations from Tokyo.
A mountainous town, it is renowned for its onsens ( hot springs ) and year round green scenery, within view of Mount Fuji. Japanese people have come here for centuries to enjoy the natural beauty of the region, staying in the traditional inns called ryokans. Nowadays, international tourists also flock to the area, for leisure and relaxation. After the buzz and busyness of the city, we are certainly looking forward to a tranquil getaway. All we want is to be close to nature, taste amazing food and experience a Japanese ryokan stay.
I am sitting in our hotel room, on the 22nd floor, looking down over Tokyo. It is the largest city in the world. The vista never ends and I feel very strong vibes of “Lost in Translation”, the movie. This moment has been years in the making: a Tokyo overnight stopover in 2001, followed by plans for a longer trip for cherry blossom season in 2020, only to be cancelled due to Covid. Japan has been that elusive destination we’ve dreamed about visiting for years. Until now.
When our daughter enrolled in an exchange program in Tokyo last year, she nonchalantly asked “why don’t you join me at the end and we can have a White Christmas in Japan?”. That was in July. At the time, we were travelling in the Kimberley, in the confines of WA. But somehow the idea was appealing and soon flights and accomodation were booked for the end of the year.
Fast forward to December and here we are. Welcome to Tokyo! This is where our 24-day family adventure in the Land of the Rising Sun starts.
I cannot believe that we are in the third week of 2025 already. By Australian standards, I am way overdue for Season’s Greetings, for which I feel slightly apologetic. Only slightly though, because the French in me keeps remembering that the Festive Season runs until the end of January.
So, Happy New Year to you all, from our family to yours. I hope you had an enjoyable and relaxing holiday, ready to face 2025 head on.
Not sure I am yet, as I’m still trying to wrap my head around 2024, the year that was.
It was undoubtedly a great year for us, with lots of travelling and discoveries, many bucket list items ticked, and generally looking for adventure.
Touring Western Australia was always a dream, and with most of the rest of the country explored over the past 3 years in the GX, we decided it was now or never. Not wanting to do it in halves, we booked a cruise thru the Kimberley for July and made the rest of the road trip fit around it.
We started by leaving Sydney late February, driving west across the Nullarbor and enjoying the South West wedge of WA while the weather was still warm. Meeting old friends In Margaret River and making new ones in Perth are some of the many highlights.
The road trip continued along the Indian Ocean coast, the Pilbara and the Kimberley over the next 5 months.
Only interrupted by a 10-day cruise onboard Seabourn, along the Kimberley coast, one of these luxury experiences we always dreamed about. Most of the details and highlights were shared on my socials ( Facebook and Instagram) but for those who missed them, let me tell you how beautiful Outback Australia. The ancient landscape is so raw, distances so vast, and history surrounds you everywhere. No words can fully describe it, even the myriads of photos I took will never do it justice. Not for lack of trying. Since our return, 3 months ago, I have edited and compiled thousands of pictures into travel books so I can finally call myself an author. At least in my own head. Terry is now hoping I can go back thru our previous travel journals and publish more books. The man lives in hope.
In the meantime, the children have had a busy year: working jobs, studying at Uni, minding the dog and keeping our house in order while we were away ( though we did multiple trips home thru the year, courtesy of idle frequent flyer points !). We have been like ships in the night at times, living in the same house on different schedules.
So, to cap off this year of unusual travels we decided to break with tradition and have a family holiday in Japan, to celebrate the Christmas season and bring in the New Year. As I write this post, we are back in Sydney after touring the centre of the country for 3 weeks by train, covered the major cities of Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto, skied in the Japanese Alps, enjoyed the hot springs, and eaten our body weight in noodles and rice!
This last trip has been a little mind bending, coming from one of the countries with the lowest population density to one of the highest, and speaking very little of the Japanese language. But this was easily overcome thanks to the kindness and understanding of the Japanese people. We’ve been so impressed by their quiet demeanour, polite nature and respect for others, life lessons I hope we remember and carry forward with us into 2025 and beyond.
Wishing you and yours a Happy New Year. May 2025 bless you with joy, happiness and good health.
Voahangy
This Arctic Road Trip took place in June-July 2023
Have you ever thought of driving from Paris to Nordkapp, above the Arctic Circle?
Nordkapp sits at the tip of Norway and mainland Europe. It is the northernmost point reachable by road at 71deg 10’21” N
It has been on our bucket list of destinations, along with Scandinavia, for decades. Once we planned to sail there on our own yacht, when the children were young, but we didn’t make it past the Channel Islands. Then we thought we’d tour with the GX, but it was too complicated to ship it over. Last year, we flew over to France for an extended family holiday which included enough spare time for Mr T and I to go exploring. So we jumped at the opportunity to drive around in a rental, exploring Northern Europe at a leisurely pace ( by Australian standards, that is 6-8 hours drive a day !) Being in the northern summer, we called this Arctic Circle road trip, In Pursuit of the Midnight Sun.
The 4-weeks road trip was to be split between the 5-days forward journey from Paris to Oslo, via Germany, Denmark and Sweden, a 9-days return drive from Nordkapp to Paris via Finland, Sweden, Germany and Switzerland, with the Norwegian section taking 17 days.
I have already posted snippets on Instagram and Facebook, as connection allowed at the time. This post is the first of a series detailing specific details of the trip, not only for our own memory sake, but also to provide practical information for anyone who might be interested in a similar voyage above the Arctic Circle. Please note, this is not a sponsored post, all services were paid for.
Why drive to Nordkapp?
Sounds crazy, right? Incredibly long distances, endless hours on the road … only mad people like us would find this exciting in a road trip. For most people, it would make more sense to fly. I guess we’re crazy, finding the prospect of 24 hour sunlight and warm weather too great a temptation to hit the road.
However, in our case, we already had a vehicle hired on a long term lease, as we were staying in France for over 3 months. Organised in advance from Australia thru Auto Europe, the daily rate worked out half the cost of hiring a car thru the major rentals, including insurance. It also allowed us to drive thru most of Europe. Our Peugeot 3008 was probably an overkill in cities ( parking is a challenge in most European capitals ) but proved very comfortable driving and spacious enough for our travelling paraphernalia ( we are not light travellers ).
How did we organise the Norway itinerary?
I am used to do my own research and bookings, but Norway was a challenge. So many options to choose from, distances and times to consider, as well as language issues… I found myself wishing I knew locals who could point me in the right direction. Enter, Up Norway, a local travel curator, I heard of from a travel podcast. The process was simple: tell them your dates of travel, your likes and dislikes, what you’re hoping to find in Norway and your budget and they come up with an itinerary tailored just for you. We were looking for scenic drives, adventure, food discoveries, local gems… and they came up with the ideal holiday for us, including a digital guide I referred to daily. While their service isn’t cheap, it was well worth it, recommending places and experiences we would never have known or considered without them.
How did we organise the rest of the trip?
First of all, I subscribe to online travel mags and podcasts like CN Traveller, Yolo or Zero to Travel for inspiration. They feed my brain with ideas and destinations, filling up an ever expanding mood board.
Because the prize destination was Norway, our focus was on highway driving thru countries rather than sightseeing. I looked for stopovers within a 600-700km driving range or 7-8 hour drive time , whichever worked out best. A little bit like throwing a dart on a map! Then researching TripAdvisor and Bookings.com for available accomodations and possible deals.
Generally, we are aiming for midrange accomodation, including or close to a restaurant, a car park and preferably in a scenic location ( even if staying overnight, we like to wander around ). If possible, I like to book the hotel directly, for a more personal touch ( I know they appreciate bypassing the commission and I also get the vibes of the place over the phone ). From busy business hotels in Germany, to quaint chalets in France, a rough cabin on a Swedish ferry and cozy lodges in Norway, we have stayed in all kinds of accommodation!
How far in advance did we book?
I first enquired with Up Norway before Easter, not realising that this is a major holiday and the team had taken a 10-day break. By the time we connected mid-April and finalised the itinerary a month later, it was 6 weeks before our June departure. Cutting it fine for finding availability but obviously do-able. My advice would be to allow at least 3 months planning.
The rest of the road trip was surprisingly easy to book on the go. Generally a week ahead was enough, even 2 or 3 days in larger centres like Germany.
Practically it has meant:
Day 1: Paris – Osnabrück ( Germany ) 695klm/7.5 hours
Day 2: Osnabrück – Copenhagen ( Denmark ) 690klm / 7h15mn
Day 3: Copenhagen rest day
Day 4: Copenhagen – Oslo ( Norway ) via Sweden 615klm / 6h45mn )
Day 5 to Day 20: Oslo – Nordkapp
Day 21: Nordkapp – Enontekiö ( Finland ) 445km/6h30mn
Day 22: Enontekiö – Sundsvall ( Sweden ) 950klm/11 hours
Day 23: Sundsvall – Malmo (Sweden) 990klm / 10h30mn
Overnight: Malmo – Travelmunde ( Germany ) by ferry 9h
Day 24: Travelmunde – Rothenburg ob der Tauber (Germany) 640klm/6h30mn
Day 25: RODT rest day
Day 26: RODT – Interlaken (Switzerland): 490klm / 5h30mn
Day 27: Interlaken – Morzine ( France ): 225klm/ 3h
Day 28: Morzine rest day
Day 29: Morzine – Paris: 575klm / 6h
The Stats
28 days
9988 kilometers
9 countries
The Route
We’re back!
After 6 months sitting in our driveway, while we headed off to Europe, the GX was finally let loose. I conjured a foodie excuse to have dinner in Brunswick Heads, in northern NSW. It led to an 8 days meandering loop. From the lush Byron Bay Hinterland onto the Rainforest Way south to The Clarence River Gorge, and a detour to the beach in Minnie Water.
Nothing too challenging for the truck though. As usual, it was the main attraction in camps with people, dingos and cows!
Finding a free camp in NSW is becoming increasingly difficult, especially along the coast or close to towns. In the past, we have looked for out-of-the-way rest areas or hospitable pubs, but this time around we settled for paid camps with a mix of very pricey holiday parks and great value camps in NSW national parks. This was not quite the remote adventure of last year, but still a fun road trip full of spectacular scenery, historical references and food discoveries.
Let me take you thru some of the highlights of our NSW road trip.
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