Your Literary Travel Guide: Musical Awakening ✈️🌵🌴🇬🇧

Some books are set in one place. Musical Awakening is set in a feeling — and that feeling lives in a lot of places.

When I started writing June Snow's story, I wasn't consciously building a travel itinerary. I was writing from memory, from real places I had been, real corners I had sat in, real cities that had changed me. But looking back at the finished novel, I realize I had quietly mapped out an entire world — one that stretches from the high desert of New Mexico to the cobblestone streets of Oxford, from the California coast to the banks of the River Thames, and finally to Florence at golden hour.

If you've read Musical Awakening, this post is for you. And if you haven't — consider this your invitation to a world worth visiting. 🎶

Your 1st Time in NYC

I just took Spencer to NYC for his very first visit. I had planned a LOT! Then we decided to go to Japan the following week, I toned down the NYC itinerary to show him the best of the best and I thought I'd share that with you and let you share YOUR NYC tips as well! I just love this city so much. It really makes me feel alive and shows the best parts of America.

My Top Tips for Japan Travel

It is so quiet in Japan! This is the first thing I thought on the plane, at the airport and on the train. That being said, represent your country in a way that is respectful to their culture. I loved the order, respect and thoughtfulness of Japan so much. I hope that I can bring a bit of it back to America. Here are some of the things that surprised me most about Japan and I hope can help in planning your vacation there!

The Best Day In Kamakura

This was the day we had been waiting for! By this time I had fallen so in love with the country of Japan, its people and culture, I couldn't wait to see and learn more. We narrowed down the list of my mom's favorite shrines and temples and set the agenda for the day!

Tokyo DisneySea

From Tokyo we were able to take a train directly to Tokyo DisneySea. Once we arrived at the park, we took a second train that took you to each of the Disney Parks and hotels. We had all our stuff from spending the night in Tokyo, so it was nice to be able to drop our stuff off in the lockers, right outside the train station. I think it was about $5 for us to use the lockers and they were pretty big!

Tokyo Starbucks Reserve Roastery // A 100 Cups Of Coffee Adventure

Starbucks has only 5 Reserve Roastery in the world: Seattle, Shanghai, Milan, New York and Tokyo. Coming Soon....Chicago. So for a coffee nerd like me, I just had to get to the Tokyo Reserve Roastery (the first I've seen)!

What is Starbucks Reserve Roastery? An upscale boutique coffee experience with educational opportunities and handcrafted coffee.

One Day in Tokyo

We only had one day in Tokyo so we had to make the most of it. And boy did we! We were all over the city seeing many different things. Luckily we had a pretty central hotel. It was a military hotel (my parents live on a military base in Japan) so the hotel was cheap and amazing! First things first, though we rode from their home into Tokyo and stopped at our first stop. Kimono Rental!!!

How to Spend a Rainy Day in Yokahama

Our first day in Japan was rainy. And I don't mean it sprinkled a bit. It POURED and was WINDY! LOL Raining sideways, so windy my umbrella broke. BUT we didn't let that stop us. We only have 6 days here in Japan so there was no time to waste! First stop:

Vacationing with Only a Carry On

When I went on my first LONG vacation (10 days) I knew I wanted to only bring a carry on and I knew I wanted to challenge myself to make sure everything fit with no problem. No extra clothes, no un-needed accessories, jackets or shoes. I was going to minimize and be versatile! Could I do it?.....