To Travel is to Live

Cherry Blossoms in Japan. The Golden Triangle incl. Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka!

Sun, Mar 29 · 6:00 PM EDT

JFK International Airport, Queens, NYC, NY, US

Join us on this magical trip to Japan to experience the enchanting allure of spring, where nature paints the landscape with vibrant colors. We chose this season for the unparalleled opportunity to explore some of the country’s most iconic destinations at their best: Tokyo, Mount Fuji, Kyoto, and Osaka. We will also visit the Japanese Alps with stays in Matsumoto and Kanazawa. Each city boasts unique attractions and seasonal charm that will captivate our senses and leave us with unforgettable memories. A true Meetup Experience!

What is included:

• 3 nights in Tokyo
• 1 night in Matsumoto
• 2 nights in Kanazawa
• 2 nights in Kyoto
• 3 nights in Osaka
• Arrival and Departure Airport Transfers
• Transportation throughout by Coach
• English Speaking guide throughout the itinerary
• Sightseeing tours with admissions fees per itinerary
• Breakfast Daily
• 2 lunches, 5 dinners

Experience:

• Visit to shrines, temples and castles with amazing Spring Blossoms
• The Bullet train-Shinkansen
• Sushi Making Class
• Traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony
• Maiko Dinner (apprentice geisha)
• Samurai Experience

What is not included:

• International Airfare
• Tips for the guide and driver
• Meals not listed in the itinerary
• Items of personal nature

Japan during spring is a feast for the senses, offering a harmonious blend of natural beauty, cultural heritage, and urban excitement. We will enjoy it all and this promises to be an unforgettable adventure with our fellow Meetup travelers!

Land Tour cost $5760 per person, double occupancy
(we match roommates for those wishing to share)
Solo occupancy additional $1050
***International Airfare not included***

The only way to guarantee your spot for this meetup is a $400 deposit.
CLICK HERE for secure deposit link:

Upon submitting the deposit, please fill out this form

RSVP to the event with your email to receive additional info.
RSVP DOES NOT RESERVE YOUR SPOT.
Deposit is the only way to hold your spot.
Click Here for secure deposit link.

Your deposit is fully refundable up to 90 days before the departure.
For airfare and other info on the trip, click here to message Anna
Click Here to fill out our google info request form to receive detailed itinerary.

We believe in good decent social. This event is cross posted to several other groups and the number of RSVPs on each is not reflective.
Click Here for the main location of this event.

Still have questions? We do a monthly Q&A Travel Zoom on all our events

Come to the zoom and ask any questions. Great way to get the info you want without all the other fluff. As well as meet us and other attendees.
Click here for General Policies and useful info about our international trips.
We have a set of sister groups where we post our local free, local/regional camping, and our overseas events too.
Click Here to see all our other fun events

Live the adventure instead of only dreaming it!

SOT 2000318-10

Featured International Meetup Trips for 2025 & 2026

Wed, Apr 22 · 9:00 PM EDT

·

Online

Online

This Zoom Overseas Q & A is a monthly event.

Video Link: https://meet.google.com/irp-rnyi-fgb No software or download needed. Just open in a browser.

The date gets moved right before the event occurs. This way all the links posted to events keep working.

We have some truly EPIC Overseas events ahead. And Epic Adventure leads to Copious Questions.

To solve that . . . Let's Talk! Join us for a Q & A Zoom where you can ask all your Q's and get all your A's.

SCHEDULE

6:00 to 7:30pm PST is Q & A about our Overseas Events.
Such as Costa Rica, Japan Fall Colors, Angkor Wat, Everest Base Camp, Meetup On The Orient Express, Machu Picchu, Spain and Portugal...

7:30 to 9pm PST Is about camping stuff. Newbie Q's. Gear. Food. Camping Tips.
Including Q & A and about specific local trips/events.

Click Here for the The Local Events and Beginner Camping ZOOM event

To join the zoom FILL OUT THIS GOOGLE FORM and/or RSVP to this event. We will email direct on the day of, to remind you.

What to talk about? Most of the convo will be on the following:

Sep 12, 2025 Bali & Singapore Journey (filled)
Oct 12, 2025 Jordan: Dana to Petra Trek with Wadi Rum (filled)
Oct 19, 2025: Petra to the Pyramids. Dead Sea, Sphinx & Nile (filled)
Nov 27, 2025 Catalina & Ensenada -- Thanksgiving Weekend Cruise
Feb 20, 2026 Northern Lights. A Scandinavian Odyssey!
Feb 28, 2026 India's Golden Triangle with HOLI and Dubai
Mar 29, 2026 Cherry Blossoms in Japan
Jun 5, 2026 Costa Rica Eco Adventure
Jun 18, 2026 Mt Kilimanjaro Trek! One of the 7 Summits
Jun 27, 2026 Serengeti Photo Safari! Africa’s Best Wildlife Show
Jul 05, 2026 Gorilla Trekking in Uganda and Rwanda
Aug 03, 2026 Alaska Inside Passage & Glacier Cruise from San Francisco
Sep 09, 2026 France Culinary Explorer! Food
Sep 20, 2026 Meetup on the Orient Express
Dec 04, 2026 Vietnam & Cambodia (with Angkor Wat)
Mar 06, 2027 Galapagos Islands Expedition
Apr 25, 2027 Everest Base Camp Yoga Trek:

To receive detailed itinerary on ANY of our events . . . CLICK HERE to fill out our google form.

Our events are all very safe, fun, curated, and organized.

Questions about Hotels, Flights, Meals, Museums, Power Plugs, Converters, Money Conversion or whatever!!

All the folks currently signed on to our events are invited to come and ask all the Q's and get all the deets they want to. They will also get them in writing too, but we know a lot of folks rather a face and voice compared to an email. It's that whole human interaction thing!

**To join the zoom FILL OUT THIS GOOGLE FORM **We will email direct on the day of to remind you.

Costa Rica Eco Adventure: Waterfalls, Snorkeling, Zip lines, Rafting, Volcanoes!

Fri, Jun 5 · 7:00 PM EDT

JFK International Airport, Queens, NYC, NY, US

¡¡¡ Pura Vida !!!

Come alone, leave with friends!
This is what Meetup is all about. Being able to join and do what you wanted to do . . just not alone.

We are going to Costa Rica for 9 nights/10 days of exploration and tropical adventures. . . . Best Meetup ever!!

To see how fun it is . . . Here are photos from when we did go before https://photos.app.goo.gl/cswRyeNZp1r6WW9t9

Costa Rica is a playground for the adventurous and an eco-tourist's dream! It is an unspoiled tropical paradise.

• Beautiful beaches
• Rainforest biodiversity
• Misty volcanoes
• Roaring rivers
• Lush jungles
• Exotic flora and fauna
• And more!!

And we are going there to enjoy it, learn about it and make memories of a lifetime!

This event is a true Meetup. We are creating it from scratch, and bringing like-minded people together on this adventure. Along the way making lifelong memories and friendships.

Together . . . let’s make a Meetup to remember!

• Hike around the base of the Arenal Volcano
• Selvatura Zip Line Canopy Tour
• Guided visit to Finca Luna Nueva Farm
• Caño Negro Refuge Tour/Visit
• Rio Frio Wildlife Refuge Boat Tour
• Hanging Bridges Walking Tour
• Ecotermales Hot Springs
• Monteverde Night Walk Tour
• Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve Tour (daytime)
• River Floating Tour
• Tamarindo Beach
• Sunset Sailing
• Snorkeling Tour
• And more!

For a detailed Day By Day itinerary Click Here to fill out our info request form

Land Tour cost $3350 per person, double occupancy (we match roommates for those traveling solo, and most of us are doing just that).
If you want your own room: Solo occupancy additional $950
The only way to secure your spot for this meetup is a $300 deposit that is refundable up to 90 days before departure.
Click here for secure deposit link

When you make a deposit be sure to fill out this ATTENDEES FORM.
As we mentioned, . . . the cost is $3350. This is for the "Land" portion only. Airfare is not included. This gives you the flexibility to have a flight with timing that works best for you. Or to use points/miles.
I can also help arranging your airfare. To receive an offer, CLICK HERE and send me a message.

What is Included in this trip:

• 9 Nights hotel accommodation
• 9 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 2 dinners.
• Meet & Greet at the airport.
• Pick-up from airport to our hotel, and hotel to airport at the end of the trip
• Transportation throughout the trip
• Private naturalist English speaking tour guide
• All entrance fees and tours mentioned in the itinerary day-by-day description
• Daily water bottles for the group
• Hotel and Added Value Tax

Does not include:
x International Airfare
x Meals other than specified
x Optional Tours
x All items of personal nature (telephone calls, Laundry, room service, etc.)
x Tipping for tour guides and drivers

Want more info?
Click Here to fill out our info request form

OR

RSVP to the event with your email to receive additional info.

OR

CLICK HERE to send me a message

Whatever is easiest for you!

Still have questions?
We do a Q & A Zoom once a month.
CLICK HERE for our Q & A Zoom. RSVP on that event to get a reminder for the zoom.

Click here for the MAIN location of this event on Meetup RSVP there to post any discussion and to get notice of any comments and discussions. As well as any updates and reminders

We believe in good decent social.

SOT 2000318-10

Click Here to see all our other events

Mt Kilimanjaro Trek ~ One of the 7 Summits. This is bucket list adventure...

Thu, Jun 18 · 7:00 PM EDT

John F. Kennedy International Airport, Queens, NY, US

Our Meetup is off to another hiking adventure! Mt Kilimanjaro, as the tallest mountain in Africa, is included in the 7 Summits of the world.
It is a bucket-list item for all hard-core hikers and mountain lovers.
We did this trek with Meetup in the summer of 2024 and it was a true experience of a lifetime (see photos below)

Let's get to some numbers. It is 5,895m/19,340ft

BUT . . . our starting elevation for the trek is 3795m/12541ft

As such elevation gain is 2100m/6799ft

To compare Everest Base Camp trek, is about 2754m/9035ft elevation change. And Mt Whitney is about 1828m/6000ft elevation change.

The key to being able to succeed in this endeavor lays in the route and the support system.

We are taking the Lemosho Route via the Northern Circuit. The Northern Circuit route is the longest and newest of the seven established Kilimanjaro routes. It's one of the best routes because it has the best acclimatization profile. This results in one of the highest summit success rates. Add to that stunning views, and comparatively relaxed pace. It is also much less crowded than the other Kilimanjaro routes.

As far as our support system: We will be accompanied by experienced guides, porters and cooks. They are certified, ensuring our safety and comfort. Porters will carry our gear.

We will have a high ratio of guides to hikers. Our guides will go our pace and support each and everyone of us, regardless of fitness level and pace. In other words...you go your own speed and we all get there safe.

More about our trek/trip.
As with all our international trips, we picked the best season/time of year to go for weather and wildlife. Lemosho and Northern Circuit is a scenically spectacular and varied route. At the lower elevations it has an abundance of wildlife such as elephant, buffalo, eland and lion which come over to forage during dry season.

Each of our trips is personally crafted to offer the best places and best use of time.

But I don't have the needed gear?!
You don't need much more than the standard trekker's equipment. We will provide you with a list of what is already included and what can be rented there.

Does this include food?
All meals on the trek potion are included and a cook travels with us!

What is lodging like?
We are sleeping in new and comfortable tents (carried during the day by porters)

I am new at this.
That's OK. We do plenty of prep Zooms before we depart. And in California we have a number of local outdoor day or weekend outings you can test out with us.

How dangerous is this? What if I get sick or hurt?
We will be walking on an established, well used trail the entire time. Our trip INCLUDES emergency insurance. We are also Certified Wilderness First Responders and our guides are members of (AMREF) Flying Doctor.
Plain and simple, safety is our primary goal.

How much does this cost?
Kilimanjaro Mountain Trek $3950 per person, double occupancy. Land only (airfare not included). Solo supplement $600

Trip Cost includes:
- 9 nights accommodation
- 3 meals everyday on the trek
- All Fees & Entrances and Taxes
- Camping equipment such as tents, tables, chairs.
- Lead Guide, Assistant Guides, Porters and Cook

RSVP to this event shows your interest, but does not hold your space.
The only way to secure your spot for this trip is a $300 deposit:
CLICK HERE FOR SECURE DEPOSIT LINK
Deposit is refundable up to 90 days before the departure (less PayPal fees).

IF you need an airfare quote, Click here to message Anna
For more information about this or any of our other international events, fill out this form: INTERNATIONAL MEETUPS INFO REQUEST

To see pictures from our Kilimanjaro adventure in 2024 CLICK HERE

We do a monthly Q & A Zoom: Meet others attending, be social, or come and get any questions answered.
Click Here to RSVP to our Zoom

The MAIN location where this event is posted:
https://www.meetup.com/moretoexplore/events/302872805/
(RSVP there for any conversation and comments)

This events is cross posted to several other groups and the number of RSVPs on each is not reflective. We have a set of sister groups where we post our local free, local/regional camping, and our overseas events too.

Click Here for our other events:

Live the adventure instead of only dreaming it!

SOT 200318-10