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January 19. Instagram Today I get to wake up in a hotel and go back to sleep in the same room for only the fourth time, and last time, on this trip. I don't have much on my itinerary for today, so I could go all the way up to the Aquarium if I really wanted to, but that's two hours one way. It's the same with the Peace Memorial to the south, over an hour to get there each way. I'm kind of tired, and there's a few things to do closer to downtown, so I'm going to stick to my plan of laying low and seeing sights. More island cats, Okinawa. There's a seaside park behind the hotel called Umisora Park, and that's going to be my first destination. This park is very pretty, showing off views of the Pacific Ocean, and there are so many wild cats here too as well. There's a an area where the public can relax and have a barbecue, but being the winter this all appears to packed up and blocked off. I find this funny though, because it's 62 degrees ...

January 18. Instagram My flight to Okinawa is at 9:55am, so that means heading out from the hotel around 7am. Fukuoka airport is a very quick train ride from the hotel, as the airport itself is basically in downtown. Once again the airport experience was a breeze and I made it through checkout in a heartbeat. I grabbed a little katsu sandwich from an airport kiosk and waited patiently for my flight. Fukuoka Airport Art, Fukuoka. Katsu Sandwich, Fukuoka. First view of Okinawa from the plane. Preparing for landing at Naha Airport. One thing I learned on arrival to Okinawa was that I don't have the option to drop my bag at the hotel, and I didn't learn this until I walked up to the hotel to find the door locked and a note that said the lobby is only open from 3pm-10pm. It would be a 15 minute walk to get back to the train station to drop my bag at a coin locker, or my next best option, make it up on the fly. Street Cat, Okinawa. Street Cat, Okinaw...

Criteria The most important thing when it comes to traveling, first and foremost, is where I'd like to go and what I want to accomplish: Criteria . A real vacation should cover these six fields: Sightseeing/Tourism, History, Food, Shopping, Weather, Leisure. Sightseeing/Tourism : If it's ancient or brand new, if it's a cool building, a fun event, a "must-do" whether for locals or travelers, I want to do all of it, or as much as possible. I'm a tour guide in Boston, so I love to see what other cities have to offer. History : Square and a rectangle with sightseeing, not all sights you see are necessarily historic, so if I'm going to a new country/city, I need there to be a draw in terms of its history. Food : When it comes to being at home, I honestly order almost the same thing every week from the same places, and maybe have 7-10 recipes I rotate through. When I'm in a new country, I love to just go wild trying every new dish I possibly can, and ...