Travel Blog Series Part 1

From Chicago to Tokyo: A Solo Travel Saga

I was traveling solo from Chicago to Tokyo, and the plan was…a bit ridiculous. My route went from Chicago → San Francisco → Taipei → Incheon → Tokyo. Yes, I’m painfully aware that there are nonstop flights from Chicago to Tokyo. And yes, next time I will absolutely fork over the extra money because I am not trying to get on seven planes again anytime soon. But I won a free flight on China Airlines for running the SF Marathon—so how could I not use it?

My first flight, from Chicago to San Francisco, was delayed a bit, so the airport spending spree began earlier than expected. Let’s be honest—there’s nothing to do in an airport besides walk around and spend money. I opted for Garrett’s popcorn (Chicago classic) and a salad bowl—two things I knew I’d miss quickly once in Asia. Then I wandered around O’Hare and stumbled upon the yoga room. Total hidden gem. I had the entire space to myself for almost an hour, just stretching, lying down, and charging my phone in peace. Highly recommend.

Travel Hack: steal a Mepilex pad from work and put it on your tailbone. Pressure injuries are real, and sitting on a plane with a bony butt hurts. That tiny foam pad makes a big difference.

This trip had me a little nervous. My history of motion sickness + IBS = not a fun combo, especially on a 36-hour travel odyssey. I took Dramamine before my first flight and again mid-flight to Taipei. I also paired it with magnesium citrate and tried to drink a ton of water. Dramamine helps with the nausea, but magnesium keeps the GI system moving. I hadn't pooped in nearly 48 hours by the time I landed in Taipei—TMI, I know, but fellow travelers will get it.

Another Hack: go on a long run the morning of your flight to clear out your GI system. Also, skip the fiber-heavy meals that day. It worked for me.

In Taipei, I tried to switch planes and go directly to Tokyo instead of doing a layover in Seoul, but China Airlines told me that would cancel my return ticket. So I stuck with the original plan. Treated myself to a peach aloe tea—super refreshing and exactly what I needed. There were actual peach chunks in it. I got 6,000 steps in during my 90-minute layover, sweating through parts of the terminal that felt like a greenhouse. I brushed my teeth and got ready to board flight 3/4.

Honestly, I kind of like long-haul flights. Social rules change: it’s suddenly okay to curl up in an empty row, walk around the plane barefoot, and pee every 45 minutes. On shorter flights, you're expected to sit still and not move. But props to China Airlines—they serve full meals even on short flights. I never turned down a meal and was pleasantly surprised by the quality. They really do hype their food, and honestly? Fair enough.

Now, checking in for my final flight to Narita (NRT) was a bit stressful. I had minimal communication from Air Japan and no online check-in option. If I hadn't screenshotted my original itinerary and confirmation, I would’ve doubted I even had a ticket. On top of that, Incheon Airport is huge, and since Air Japan was a different airline, I needed to change terminals. It wasn’t clear how. I think I was supposed to go through customs before re-entering security, but I was feeling stubborn and tried going straight to security instead. One security agent told me to go back. I didn’t. I went to a different line, and that agent called Air Japan, confirmed I was on the manifest, and let me through. Got my boarding pass at the gate. The agent warned me, “We can only do this once,” and I was like, “Yep, that’s all I need. Thanks!”

Also, shoutout to Air Japan for boarding back-to-front. Genius. I always want to be the last person on and the first person off. But I didn’t check a bag (too many transfers), so I was a little nervous about overhead bin space.

Finally…Tokyo.

Landing in Japan felt surreal—but the journey wasn’t over yet. It was time to navigate my way to the hotel, and now things were getting exciting: cultural learning curve, here we go.

I took the Narita Express to Tokyo Station, then transferred to the subway to get closer to my hotel in what seemed like a business district. Thankfully, I had already downloaded key apps (Google Translate, Suica, etc.). That was essential—my cell service was super slow, and I wouldn’t have been able to download anything on the spot.

I had to buy a separate NRT Express ticket and load my Suica card once in Japan. So there I was, standing in the middle of the train station with all my luggage, trying to figure it all out. And I did! When I finally got to my hotel, I felt really proud of myself. I’m a strong, independent young woman, okay?! I dropped all my stuff in the room and headed right back out—it was about 6 p.m. on May 19. Considering I left my house for the airport on May 17 at 2 p.m., I was dying to stretch my legs.

My hotel was near the Imperial Palace, which has a popular 5K loop around the grounds. There were security guards stationed every half mile and public bathrooms along the way. Lots of people were out running—mostly men in their 30s, probably post-work. It was warm, humid, and fully dark by the time I finished two loops. Then, I made my way to a nearby 7-Eleven to try some of the Instagram-famous snacks like the smoothie machine and onigiri. (Yes, the hype is real.)

My sister Kayla arrived at Haneda around 6 p.m., and like me, it took her three hours to get to the hotel. She kept texting me status updates like “oops, got on the wrong train,” but I wasn’t too worried. We flew into different airports, and I wouldn’t have been much help anyway. I went to bed and she woke me up when she got in around 9 p.m. I promptly went right back to sleep—girl needed rest!

I was exhausted but excited for the days ahead. Tokyo, let’s do this.