Slow Travel: Why 3-Night Stays Make for Better Trips September 3rd, 2026 • by Kristin Calkins THE CASE FOR A THREE-NIGHT STAY There’s a point on a trip when a place stops feeling like somewhere you’ve just arrived and starts feeling, however briefly, like somewhere you belong. It doesn’t happen on the first afternoon. That’s still the rush of the new—the first walk through town, the first view from the trail,… Read More »
How Hiking and Nature Can Reduce Stress: The Benefits of Natural Sound August 28th, 2026 • by Kristin Calkins Dawn arrives quietly in Crete. The first sound isn’t traffic, notification dings, or the hum of an air conditioner. Instead, there’s the soft clink of teacups from the kitchen below, the distant chime of goat bells on the hillside, and the crunch of hiking boots on an old stone path as another day begins in… Read More »
How Hiking Together Builds Lasting Friendships August 21st, 2026 • by Kristin Calkins There’s a moment every guide recognizes. It doesn’t happen on the first morning, when everyone is still learning names and adjusting backpack straps. It comes a few days later, almost without anyone noticing. Someone slows their pace so another guest isn’t walking alone. An extra layer is quietly passed across the trail as the temperature… Read More »
What to Eat Along the Nakasendō Trail: How Autumn Tastes in Japan August 13th, 2026 • by Kristin Calkins Walk the Nakasendō Trail in October and autumn follows you straight to the table. Chestnuts, wild mushrooms, persimmons, buckwheat, and seasonal vegetables appear in meals served at ryokan and along the old post towns in the Kiso Valley. On a Boundless Journeys Japan hiking tour, walking this historic route is also an introduction to the… Read More »
The Magic of Staying in a Japanese Ryokan in Autumn August 12th, 2026 • by Kristin Calkins For many Boundless Journeys travelers, the most memorable part of walking Japan’s historic Nakasendō Trail isn’t the miles covered each day. It’s arriving at a traditional ryokan while paper lanterns glow beneath brilliant autumn maples and gentle mists fade across the mountains of the Kiso Valley. The day’s hike is over, but another centuries-old tradition… Read More »