I totally forgot I contributed to this piece AGES ago. Glad to see it went live. I’ve always wanted a byline in T+L so I think that this is a step in the right direction 😉 Here is the entire piece.
ELENA:)
Check out the recent travel article with the wisdom of 12 contributors of The Girl Abroad series on The Style Line. One tip is from me!
ELENA:)
TOP 5 Things I learned on my trip…
1) Learn something new. Sounds simple? It is, but really travelling to a whole new country gives you ample opportunities to try something completely different. Learn something new and enhance your travelling experience. As much as i loved shopping, my feet needed a break. I took a short class on Ikebana (Japanese floral design) at the Ichiyo School of Ikebana in Nakano and learned about technique and function. Very interesting and fun!
ELENA:)
TOP 5 Things I learned on my trip:
2) If you like it, just buy it. Ok. There is this pair of knee high boots that my friend and I fell in love with. Sure they were $600 but they are so fantastic. Alas, they are suede. Rain and Suede do not mix. So i did the sensible thing and left them back in Tokyo. Wrong! Now, after emailing the designer – i have sourced out two people who could potentially buy the boots and ship them over. Sheesh. Should have just bought them when i had the chance.
ELENA:)
TOP 5 Things I learned on my trip…
3) Divide and conquer. I think that if you are travelling with a bunch of people or even just one other person, you should eventually part ways and do stuff on your own. It might not be all the time, but giving yourself a break from your travel partner might be healthy. You may end up fighting because you spend too much time together (it’s happened to me on previous trips). Think of the shopping ground you can cover!
ELENA:)