Hey guys, after writing over 200 blog posts in 5 years, I’ll be leaving vagablogging. It’s been an awesome ride. I still remember getting excited at seeing the “Call to Writers” back in 2008 and applying. Totally thought my “Marcus Goes Global” blog wouldn’t qualify me, so I was pleasantly surprised to get the e-mail that I would become a Vagablogging writer.

As a farewell gift, I wanted to share with you my best Japan budget travel tips. Japan is an incredibly cool place. It’s ultra high-tech, yet also wonderfully traditional. Japanese pop culture is a global export, with anime, manga comics, and cuisine.

However, the big drawback is that Japan is notoriously expensive. Luckily, there are ways to save hundreds, even thousands of dollars off your trip. Just scheduling the dates of your flight correctly and buying a little-known type of Japan rail pass can be worth a bundle. If you can’t see the video, here is the link: Japan Travel Guide – Budget Tips.

The video is for my newest project, Street Smart Traveler. Lately, I’ve become fascinated with the “travel hacking” community. These are people who are obsessed with earning frequent flyer miles, like the George Clooney character in the movie “Up in the Air.”

I started up Street Smart Traveler as a frequent flyer news website to help keep track of all the cool tricks people were sharing. Through my videos, I’ll talk about broader topics like travel tips, living abroad as an expat, and international business. If these sound interesting, you can join me there. Here’s the link again: Street Smart Traveler.