The Sansei Traveler

Summit County: safe travel in the mountains

Like many Front Range residents, my family and I like going to Summit County to make an escape from city living. It’s just about 75 minutes from our exit on I-70 to the first towns, Dillon and Silverthorne, on a good day.

We used to go there more often, as well as Winter Park and Steamboat Springs, when all of us enjoyed skiing. But two are more indifferent about it now, so we don’t go as much,…

7 reasons why you need a travel advisor

For years, going to a travel agency was the only way you could book travel.  With the internet, people began to do it themselves and didn’t need professional travel advisor services.

We are now in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Travel companies cancelled itineraries, and travelers could no longer go on vacation.  Now a travel advisor’s has become more crucial than ever.  Not suprisingly,…

French bakeries: the 5 best in Denver

This week’s post is about the best French bakeries in Denver, or at least the best places for croissants.  I’ll be writing more about food in the coming weeks, as I did with ice cream.

If there is one thing with food that makes me simultaneously angry, sad and disgusted, it’s mass-produced anything. That mean nearly all of the industrial-size packages from Costco put me in a horrible mood.

That’s…

My daughters and I went to Chicago a few weeks ago, which I wrote about in my blog.  The purpose was to visit a few campuses that my younger daughter is interested in to apply for college.  But it was also to just get away from quarantine at home and get a change of scenery.

Although we debated on cancelling or going, we decided on moving forward and going.  We took safety precautions – wearing…

Meditation and travel: keeping grounded

As interest in travel is slowly picking up, I’m still looking at other lifestyle areas that have become my specialties. I’ve talked about what I’m doing with active adventure and culinary travel and mentioned a little about wellness. Today, I’ll share something that helps me when I go places – meditation.

To be honest, meditation helps me whenever I’m feeling stressed and completely out of sorts.…

Welcome to The Sansei Traveler podcast!

Hi – I’m Janice Sakata-Schultze, a certified travel advisor, blogger, writer and photographer.  I have a home-based travel agency with Cruise Planners and a blog called The Sansei Traveler.  This podcast is a companion to the blog.  In this first episode, I’m just here to say “hi” and introduce you to the why of this podcast.  I also talk a little about myself and giving you a quick update on…

Land tours: Domestic Travel Is Hot Right Now

In this week’s episode of The Sansei Traveler Podcast, I share how land tours, guided travel and independent customized trips are more popular now. They are an alternative to cruises, which won’t likely sail until October 2020.  Domestic destinations, especially those in certain areas of the United States, are trending with those who want to travel now.

Trafalgar, a UK-based travel company…

Cruising: What’s Really Going on Right Now?

In the next episode of The Sansei Traveler podcast, I talk about cruising and its current status.  The situation remains fluid, and as of today cruises won’t happen until at least October 1st, and probably later.

I give you some of the official guidelines from the Cruise Line Industry Association (CLIA).  How are they ensuring the health and safety of their guests?  We look to dispel the idea…

The Sansei Traveler podcast: a new adventure

Here’s an introduction to my newest project, The Sansei Traveler podcast, which is companion to this blog,

For about a year now, I’ve been writing this blog with the aim to let you know about my unique take on travel. In that relatively short time, you’ve learned about river cruising on the Rhine, the main cities of Japan, and many hiking adventures in the American West. I’ve also told you a…

Chicago: traveling during COVID

This post goes back to my travels, after taking a culinary detour.  My kids and I traveled to Chicago this past weekend. Of course, there was a real debate on whether or not we should have.

Since NLS is considering two Chicago-area schools for college next year, this proposed trip seemed pretty harmless,  That’s especially true for just a weekend stay. versus the trip to Disneyland that we…

Cooking during quarantine: my favorite culinary resources

Continuing with last week’s food topic of my five favorite dishes, here are my top personal resources for cooking.

Thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, we essentially need to stay in our homes. Every so often, the confinement gets to everyone in my family, and we’ll have to find some decent takeout. Since the local restaurants are hurting, we try to only go to the non-chains.

But that really only…

My favorite dishes in five cities

As I’ve been writing about wellness, it’s now time to focus on culinary stuff and my favorite dishes in particular. Like with anything that you can’t readily have, especially now, I’m obsessing about anything culinary right now.

Next week, I’ll let you know how I’ve tried to cook more during I’ll write about those five favorite dishes here.

(By the way, I’m not writing about my favorite dish from…

Wellness travel: making yourself whole again

This week, I continue with my health thread and let you know what wellness travel is all about with this short post.

Imagine if you had a vacation where the sole focus was on pampering and restoring all aspects of your life.

You enjoy healthy, cleansing meals that don’t appear to be much but somehow satisfy your appetite. Expert guides take you on long scenic hikes that are so fascinating, you…

Peloton: my new fitness obsession

This week I’ll let you know about my how I’m keeping healthy with Peloton, the New York-based company that’s taking the fitness world.  This is also a preview into more fitness and lifestyle posts, like this one on running.

Ask my poor suffering hubby, RAS, and he’ll tell you I have way more than my share of fitness videos.

Sure, there are many more programs out there that I’ve never tried, and…

Ice cream shops: the 7 best in Denver

(Note: this is a repeat post from my old blog, Uncommon Traveling, about ice cream in Denver.  It was one of my more popular ones, so I’m repeating it here.  It’s a slight continuation and definite conclusion of my focus on Denver-area destinations)

Ice Cream = Summertime

Even if you’re not mathematically inclined, that’s an equation everyone can understand and appreciate. My adopted hometown of…

Denver suburbs: When the Mile High City gets pricy

After writing about Georgetown/Idaho Springs and Evergreen, I turn my attention to the Denver suburbs for places to stay in Colorado.

Back in 2002, when I first moved to Denver, things were pretty cheap.

I came from the Bay Area, where things were not, especially real estate. The two-bedroom, two-bathroom condo where I lived in Cupertino was a not-outrageous $335,000 at the time my ex-husband and…

Evergreen: convenient mountain living

Continuing with local Colorado destinations as I did with Georgetown and Idaho Springs last week, I’m writing today about Evergreen.

As you know, my family and I live in Golden.  We’re fortunate to be here, because it’s just small enough to feel a sense of community, but we’re also just 15 minutes from downtown Denver. A lot of people from the metro area come here for a short getaway without…