In this week’s podcast, Sonny and Liz talk about the culture of Japan and a few things you need to be aware of before you go.
Life in Japan is very easy to adjust to and the Japanese people are amongst the most generous and welcoming folk in the world.
But.
The Japanese do have one tiny downside…
This week’s podcast is hosted by Liz and Sonny (first one of the year!) and is an up close and personal episode looking a what happened in our lives last year that left us feeling grateful (and being able to discuss the reasons why we are grateful).
I think everyone should take stock (each day if possible) and take a look at what the things they have to be grateful for.
Otherwise, you could turn into a moaning Minnie.
And no one likes those.
Teenagers are always getting a rough time about how privileged and ungrateful they are, so we thought it would be fun to discuss exactly what (if anything) this eighteen-year-old boy (sorry Sonny, young man) and his mother feels grateful for.
Gulp.
This week’s podcast is hosted by myself and my husband Brian.
In thirty short minutes, we try our best to cram a year’s experience of New Zealand living into a helpful guide of how to move to New Zealand (and what you can expect when you get here)should you be thinking of starting a new life and moving to New Zealand from the US or from elsewhere.
This week’s podcast episode on moving to New Zealand is hosted by me, (Liz ) and my husband Brian.
We moved to New Zealand with our kids from the UK in 2009 and have now been living in New Zealand as a family (our kids are now 18 and 15) for more than ten years.
Our reasons for leaving the UK to start a new life in New Zealand were personal and rather jumbled.
It was a kind of ‘let’s give it a go’ decision and one which neither of us has ever regretted.
Not ever.
I love you India, I really do.
I dedicated an entire India podcast on what it was like travelling in India for the first time.
No matter what time of day you ask me – regardless of whether my hormones are playing up or not. I will always tell anyone I meet that travelling in India for seven weeks – backpacking across your beautiful land with my kids was one of the best experiences of my life.
But bloody hell.
Your sleeper buses? They really are something else.
My kids were 16 and 13 when my family embarked on not one, but two of India’s overnight busses and I thought it only fair to share our experience on this podcast.
Just in case you are thinking of doing it yourself one day. (*Spoiler alert – and you must! It is an adventure!)
India is, and always will be, one of my top five destinations in the world that I think every family should visit.
Whether it is to spend time on one of the many beautiful Indian beaches to meander down the gorgeous Kerala backwaters on a canoe, or to visit the breathtaking Taj Mahal.
Do it all and while you’re at it, book a non AC sleeper bus and travel overnight. Just to say that you did.
In this episode, we…
Talk about the realities of what it was like travelling in India on a sleeper bus
Answer, are there any toilets on a sleeper bus in India?
Describe the journey – in detail (probably too much detail from Liz…)
The photo that we took of us on the train is here!
We’d love to know what you think about this week’s show and if there is anything you would like to know further so that we can include it in our question time next week.
If you don’t ask you’ll never know!
The only company that I would ever suggest for all of your transport options in India is 12GoAsia. We used them throughout our trip and they were faultless.
If you love to travel but could use a few tips on how to do it more often (for a lot less?) then join me!
There’s a fresh episode each week, if you subscribe on iTunes then we will love you forever.
Plus. It means two things –
1: You’ll get each new episode delivered to your phone every week (that way you’ll never miss an episode)
2: I won’t have to listen to my son’s moaning about how doing all of this work isn’t worth it because there’s this guy on Youtube and he’s got a trillion million subs…
Liz and Sonny
After spending seven weeks backpacking around India with my kids (teenagers age 16 and 13) I thought we should do a podcast on the country (and put to bed the many myths that surround visiting India).
When I told people that we were planning a trip to India the response was…let’s say colourful.
Some (mostly those who were born before the 1960s and had spent their youth discovering Asia on a couple of quid) encouraged us: ‘you’ll love it’ they said and went on to talk about the beautiful Indian beaches or the temples in Hampi.
But others weren’t so encouraging.
They warned us about getting sick and losing ten stone and of standing for hours in line at the Taj Mahal.
They said that we might get eaten by giant rats and be left for dead— or worse, pushed out into the river Ganges on a raft made from a billion plastic bottles.
Tosh.
In this episode, we…
Talk about the realities of what it was like to backpack through India as a family. The men with no underwear, the food poisoning and the frogs.
We also discuss why India (and the Indians) are the brunt of so many memes on social media. (Sonny’s expertise not mine).
The link to Sonny’s drone video that he talks about is here.
The photo that we took on the rooftop bar in Agra is here!
The only people I would ever want a selfie with. To be asked would have been nice though…
We’d love to know what you think about this week’s show and if there is anything you would like to know further so that we can include it in our question time next week.
If you don’t ask you’ll never know!
Passage to India. Buy it here
Check out this list of Indian films for more inspiration!
The only company that I would ever suggest for all of your transport options in India is 12GoAsia. We used them throughout our trip and they were faultless.
There’s a fresh episode each week, if you subscribe on iTunes then we will love you forever.
Plus. It means two things –
1: You’ll get each new episode delivered to your phone every week (that way you’ll never miss an episode)
2: I won’t have to listen to my son’s moaning about how doing all of this work isn’t worth it because there’s this guy on Youtube and he’s got a trillion million subs…
Liz and Sonny
I’m Liz, and this is my family.
I do Travel. I do Wine. I do being a mum to big kids. Sometimes I do all three at the same time.
I don’t do hormones. Or looking perfect for Instagram. Or dieting.
Read more about who I am and why we should be friends on our about us page.