The 5 Things You Need for Grad Trips

Skip this part if you're not interested in my story! 

I went on a Grad Trip with my clique to Japan this year (Aug 2015). We discussed about it fleetingly (Mar - May 2015) and initially I was one of the few who couldn't make it. 

At the very very first stages of the discussion, my boyfriend and another friend (Boy A) of ours were set on backpacking to the US of A. Girl 1 & 2 needed each other to go. I was hesitant in confirming (read: ultra sad that I couldn't go) because I had already taken a trip earlier in the year, but thankfully, my mum broached the subject with me and said that it was a rite of passage that I should take. By then, G1 & 2 were in, but bound by their job starting dates (at the same time we were bound by our graduation ceremony date). A grad trip together would be slightly rushed, but we agreed on the place and pax which now consisted of G1 and 2, their boyfriends and my boyfriend and Boy B and I. But Boy A now couldn't make it because of an extracurricular commitment. (What a roller coaster and also  very sorry for the lack of names and confusing notation.)

We went on a 10 day - 9 nights trip to Japan and hit Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto (so you know you can expect me to talk about Japan) and I am so excited to share about what I learnt, the food I ate, how I planned, and tons of other information. 

But before all of that, here are some things you really do need, as in NEED and cannot do without.

#1 Companionship

Find some friends, good friends, close friends? Not-so-close? Don't even think about whether it's going to work out yet, just grab them. Have a nice chat about where you'd like to go, if you don't like where they would like to go, move on. Don't force your best friend to come with you to some place he/she wouldn't enjoy! Find someone excited about the same places as you are, but don't be lazy or mean and knock on the places that someone else wants to go too. Take some time to research and who knows, you might like the idea of travelling to that place too. 

If you think you want to travel solo, I would say think twice, travelling alone can get very very lonely and unless you are used to being alone, truly alone, I wouldn't recommend it. Especially if you're travelling to places where you cannot, for the love of god, speak the language, it is unsafe. In general, unless you are very familiar with the place you are about to go, been there before, able to communicate and read the language, it will be scary. 

Solo travel is terribly exciting but scary in the millions of ways that it could go horribly wrong. The novelty wears off very fast and besides, who is going to recount all the nonsense you did with you? 

Seriously, who will remember the time you all ordered extra aji-tamagos because you couldn't read the menu and thought it didn't come with the meal. (and had to be refunded by the pretty lady chef with a smiling face and fistful of 100 yen coins)? 

And picture-taking! Want to stand with the monument and have a picture? No stranger in sight? Pictures don't fade if you post them or scrapbook but if you don't take a picture, your own memory will fade. Companions on the trip will help you take your pictures, no questions asked.

So we're waiting to be seated in the restaurant, separated on two benches!
Credits: Edward Loke

PS: Don't make your parents worry unduly too, you might be an adult now but you will forever be their baby! They'd be happier with someone watching your back.

#2 Money

This is a no-brainer. Of course you need money, for the airfare, the accommodation, the food, the transportation, as admission fees, etc. Countless of ways to use it, but how much are you going to need on your trip?

For a start, think about how comfortable you'd like to be on the trip. Everyone's idea of comfort is different; some people don't mind spending more on food, and some on accommodation. If you're travelling with friends like I suggested, then discuss how comfortable you want to be on the trip with your friends. Set the expectations right and be clear on what your group would like to spend more on or less on. Be the brave person and bring this topic up. There are fixed and variable costs for everyone and shared and solo expenses that can vary from one person in your trip to the next.

If you are planning the trip waaaay in advance, this is a good opportunity for everyone in your group to have a goal and start squirrelling money away because every bit counts and/or because they want to travel without the overhanging worry of not having enough to spend. 

More money = more enjoyment on luxurious stuff like Matsuzaka Beef

Nothing is sadder than looking at the things you cannot have. :'(

Of course, how much to bring is highly dependent on the next point!

#3 Location and Duration

I put these two points together because they rhyme. (no, not really.)

In general, the further you go and the longer you stay, the more money you will need. Again, a no-brainer.

Grad trips don't have to be very exotic places or far-off places and don't have to go on for months. But you don't have to agree with me. My friends and I decided on Japan, because a few of us had never been there and the others were interested in going again without being on a tour group. It was an easy decision to make and there were no arguments. 

Duration, though was a challenge. We were bound by our graduation ceremony date, and were advised to be back a day earlier to make sure that we had ample time to rest and prepare, and so we did. It just so happened that the airfare prices were reasonable and so we travelled on the dates we did. 

Settle on a duration and a range of dates because airfare prices have inexplicable differences on certain days for certain flights. Technically, before you arrive at Point #3 you should already have an idea what countries or states excite you, and your companions also have an idea of what's on the cards. Arrive at a conclusion that makes everyone happy and shop around for good airfare deals and sales, for example Tuesday Morning deals with Scoot, SQ 1-for-1. 

Now that your group has confirmed the country of travel, trawl the web for ways to get around in the country. In general, railway is cheaper than domestic flights and coach is cheaper than railway, if you're travelling between states in different countries, calculate the difference and trade-off between time and cost in travelling using the different methods. 

Example 1, plan ahead for cost savings. Confirmed plans also make itinerary planning simpler: 

Interstate travelling in Japan is expensive so we bought 7-day Japan Rail Pass which we could use on normal JR-operated trains within Osaka and Tokyo too. We managed to squeeze our interstate travelling within the first 7 days, and it was worth it just for 1 trip from Tokyo to Osaka already. 

So if you plan ahead you could get this Japan Rail Pass for all Japan Railway run train rides valid for 7 days!! Somehow I had a picture of all 7 tickets together, but I can't find them now. :( I stole this from Ed too.

Example 2, shopping around for better deals:

1 month after we bought our flight tickets, Scoot came up with direct flights to Osaka. Which we could have made use of to reduce our interstate travel and also time spent at the different states, deriving cost savings and less time spent on interstate travel.

Example 3, choosing dates of travel:

We didn't really choose, but we realised during our research that we would be in Japan during their school holidays, read: overcrowded theme parks. Kind of like how peak season is June and December, expect crowds at places we were going to. When you choose the dates, you choose the seasons, try to just avoid peak periods for a similar experience but with less the hassle.

Once you have done enough research on the MOST EFFICIENT methods, move on to...

#4 Places of Interest

After planning for three trips I sense a pattern. I usually ask for suggestions from my friends based on their experiences; good ones we keep, bad ones we avoid. Always shortlist a lot of things you would like to do and fit them in to your final itinerary. I usually bully to get complete control of most of the time because of my OCD tendencies and also my perfectionist streak when it comes to formatting, timing (I plan to the minute) and cost calculation and etc. 

This is my favourite part of the entire list because you start seeing the itinerary take shape and get really excited for what's about to come.

For us, choosing to go to Theme Parks in Japan meant spending more on the admission tickets, reading up on what rides to take and what to skip, sleeping early the night before and also buying our own small snacks and meals to last for the day and etc. etc. 

Other than the ones I put in the itinerary, I always have a separate list of places recommended in the vicinity that we can hit when plans change. 

Plans ALWAYS change, because sh*t happens.

Everybody has a part to play in choosing where you want to go, where you want to eat, and when. If you're fine with anything, be sure to reassure and affirm the person who is planning.

For all the planners out there, I feel you! Remember not to feel too bad about leaving out places that are too far off, plan the trip to be enjoyable and not a mad rush. Don't get angry when things don't go your way and always double and triple check with everyone that it's okay to go ahead. And for the record, it's fine to make mistakes, lighten up, sometimes those unplanned nights are the most memorable. Also, remember to leave buffer duration and blanks in the days for extra rest or splitting up to do your own stuff.

Here is how my final itinerary looked zoomed out :D

#5 Accommodation

Closely related to #2, #3, #4 but not quite and hence belonging to a class of its own. 

For my friends and I, we did the shortlisting of #4 Places of Interest and #5 Accommodation together (after we booked our flight). And for this, I strongly recommend Airbnb!!!! Even though this is highly dependent on where you are travelling to, in relatively well-connected places like Taiwan, Japan and Korea, Airbnb is a good choice because it is fun, cheaper than hotels and in relatively good locations. Furthermore, everyone can stay in the same apartment for safety reasons.

Even though I have heard of times when Airbnb has failed my friends' in terms of failing to book or not as accurately pictured or in sleazy environments. I have never personally met with anything like that, not that I would want to deal with those matters. I look at reviews of the host very strictly and never select something that doesn't sit right with me. Read between the lines if you have to and but my experience is that Airbnb reviewers are usually very candid and honest with their expressions. I admit, the first time walking to the Airbnb place you book is always the hardest bearing all the luggage and some places are just ridiculously hard to find. Be that as it may, I assure you the effort to search for a nice and well-located apartment is always worth it. Let me show you where we stayed in Japan!

Click: Shibuya, Osaka, Shinjuku

If you intend to book hotels, good for you! Book a place that is close to a Subway station, MRT Station and also check if they have free rides to places of interests! These always help to save money and make it easy for you to carry your luggage around and you will have a much easier time navigating. Chances are that the prices of hotels near such stations would be higher, but you get what you pay for. Hotels also mean splitting into rooms so costs are higher.

And that's all from me on what you really need! Please wait for more detailed posts on going to Japan and what to do, I promise a tell-all. I recognise that this post is very text-heavy and I am looking for some pictures to post break things up! I don't have them all because my laptop isn't doing so well these days. :( 

If you cannot wait, check out the hashtag #gradtrippinJapan for my travel/food pictures on instagram! Comment if you have questions on how we did what we did!

xx wj

edit: Pictures are up! Comment if you have some questions! I promise more posts are coming up :D