Who are we?
We are George and Corinne, founders of the Terra Encounters and Japan Encounters websites. After our first ten-month backpacking trip across Europe, we became addicted to travel. We are avid hikers, culture vultures, nature lovers, and passionate photographers. Our goal is to give clear advice to fellow travellers. We offer in-depth insights so that you will get the most out of your trip. We reveal the unique things of each country and place that you must see.
Are You Overwhelmed?
Are you planning a trip but are overwhelmed by the conflicting recommendations of various web sites? What should you see on a 7, 11 or 31 day trip? Should you go to place A or place B? Are you not sure whether to travel on your own instead of a guided tour? How do you get the best value out of your trip?
If you ask these questions then you are not alone. We ask these questions every time we plan one of our own trips.
Our Mission
Our advice is not based on a one or two-week tourist trip. Our recommendations are based on extensive living and travel experience –– including backpacking through Europe for 10 months, backpacking Round The World (RTW) for 3 years, living in Europe for 7 years, and travelling extensively in North America.
Our recommendations are written to help you make informed decisions rather than promote destinations or sell travel services. By using this website, you can spend less time searching the Internet and being overwhelmed with conflicting information
We are independent travellers at heart. While we have gone on interpretive walks and museum tours, we have never taken a tour vacation package. We hope our posts will provide you the confidence to travel on your own using our self-guided itineraries and maps. Moreover, we spend less money on a one month trip than people do on a one week tour package or all-inclusive resort.
Our Travel Philosophy
What sets us apart is our approach to travel. We do not go to places just because of Instagram, Facebook, or name recognition. We focus on what makes a country or region unique. We reveal the reasons why you should visit a specific city or site. Our approach to travel is in-depth learning and understanding rather than drive-by or Instagram tourism.
We met a backpacker in Europe who used the Eurail Pass as his hotel. He would flit from one city to the next every night. When we asked if he had visited Stockholm, he said, “Been there, done that”. Our philosophy is that you do not “do” a city or country. Give up on the idea of seeing everything. Travel is about making choices.
You need to slow down and spend several days experiencing a place. Our rule of thumb is that you need between two to three days (i.e. four nights) for an average destination. For culturally rich cities like Rome, you need at least four days (five nights).
Our approach is that the more you understand something, the more you can appreciate it. For instance, do you know the significance of the Three Monkeys frieze in Japan?
As we began our 3-year Round-The-World (RTW) backpacking trip, we met many backpackers returning home. They all seemed burned out. They had lost their love of travel. We coined the term templed out or museumed out for this travel syndrome. We learned that the more you understand something, the more you can appreciate it. Without this understanding, the significance of each tourist site goes over the heads of most travellers. It all becomes a blur.
In every country, we bought guide booklets for the sites we visited. This ensured we knew what to look for and why it was significant. This was particularly important in Asian countries whose cultures and beliefs are significantly different from ours. We also bought many cookbooks. Our trips have affected the meals we cook — Corinne is a superb chef. Today, we often cook Thai, Indian, and Chinese using authentic recipes and ingredients.
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All photos and text © Terra Encounters
Japan Encounters is a subsidiary of Terra Encounters
Terra Encounters 
We have booked a 15 night trip to the South Island of New Zealand starting on December 24, 2024 and plan on self driving- but feel overwhelmed on where to, see & stay ? Please advise ?
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Use Agoda (subsidiary of Booking.com) to find and book accommodation. Use Google Maps to get ratings as it includes the opinions of locals and is more trustworthy. Book family-run B&Bs or cabins in campgrounds since you also get to meet the locals. You must book the Christmas period in advance as the Kiwis are already booking now.
In order to book, you need to determine your itinerary, stopovers and nights for each stopover. First read all the posts I have done on South Island, which come with maps — each post represents multiple days — at least one day per stopover destination (not sight) in that post.
Additional must sees are listed in the next post
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Hi you two..thanks SO much for all your writings. We are arriving in Calgary Sept 20th oyr whole trip is 12 days , renting a car and will stay in various places, the 1st being Banff abnb. This is our 3rd trip to Banff/British Columbia. I also am a passionate photographer. We are 71 and 72 years old. We still have some “hiking or sauntering” in us!
We’re so hoping that the I F P will be open the rest of the way to Jasper by the time we leave. What do you think?
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You are welcome. I would say the chance of the Parkway being opened near Jasper the town is from zero to none. There are still forest fires. Moreover, after a forest fire the fire continues smouldering underground until the fall rains or snow puts it out.
However they are opening the Parkway until the Athabasca Glacier on Friday. It would be difficult to open up any more due to lack of anywhere for so many vehicles to turn around.
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