The Girl Who Goes

independent, intentional travel

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How To Eat Gluten-Free in Japan: Japan Gluten Free Restaurants + Guide

I can now officially say that I’ve survived being gluten-free in Japan. Despite the amount of research I did in advance, it certainly wasn’t easy — especially since I only got diagnosed with celiac disease two months before the trip.

While I felt super overwhelmed beforehand, blog posts and videos about visiting Japan as a celiac from my fellow gluten-free travelers made a huge difference in giving me the basics on how to get started. I’m so thankful to the gluten-free community as a whole, because we’re the ones who are always looking out for each other.

As I was planning my trip, there were a few things in particular I wished that I had in advance: a comprehensive Google Map with a clear key/guide, photos of what kinds of foods I should be looking for in convenience stores, and a list of must-visit restaurants — especially ones that needed reservations.

And of course, after I actually arrived in Japan, I learned quite a few things from my own experience that I felt weren’t really talked about online enough.

Since I didn’t have those things, I decided to make them myself. And now I’m happy to share them with you. 🙂 [Read more…]

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How To Get the Cheapest Shinkansen Tickets for the Train in Japan

cheapest shinkansen tickets - feature photo

Hello from Japan!! At long last, we’ve arrived in East Asia for our honeymoon, celebrating our first anniversary. 🙂 Right now we are in Kyoto, after spending about a week in Tokyo, and we’ll be headed to Osaka in a few days. And I’m so excited about all the new experiences I’m having and will eventually be able to share with you all!

This morning, we took the Shinkansen — Japan’s high-speed train line — from Tokyo to Kyoto. While we actually booked these tickets about a month ago, it took some experimenting to figure out how to actually get the cheapest Shinkansen tickets. So, here’s what you need to know! [Read more…]

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Why SafetyWing Insurance Is Actually NOT Travel Insurance (and Kind of Scammy)

safetywing scam

Not a fan of this super smug rejection. Like, oh I’m sorry it would be expensive for YOU to approve claims.

Update: November 3, 2025 (What Our Claim Experience Was Like)

I had originally written this post about three months ago, before our big trip to Asia. While I was of course hoping I wouldn’t have to make a claim with SafetyWing travel insurance, we unfortunately did have to submit a claim.

Briefly, here’s what happened: Our flight from Tokyo to Paris was canceled, and we weren’t able to get re-booked until the following day. Since we were connecting in Paris for a flight back to Madrid, and then a train from Madrid to Alicante, everything got messed up. Air France took care of getting us back to Madrid, but our missed train wasn’t part of their responsibility after getting us to our final flight destination of Madrid.

That’s where I called on SafetyWing, to cover the rest of our travel issues. All I requested was that they cover the cost of the new train tickets from Madrid to Alicante, which were a direct result of a canceled/delayed flight, as well as the taxi we had to take between the airport and the train station.

I submitted my receipts and documentation, only for SafetyWing to reply and say my claim was REJECTED because they don’t cover flight/train tickets due to cancelations or delays.

It turns out that they are only an international medical insurance company, despite their description saying they offer “Global medical AND travel coverage.” This lends credence to the idea that they offer travel insurance for the things that many people actually get travel insurance for — like delayed/canceled flights — but this is apparently untrue. In their Essential Plan, which we bought, it says that they cover “Lost luggage, travel delays, and emergency evacuations.”

Again, this would lead you to believe they are a travel insurance provider. But this is simply not the case. I personally believe they are misrepresenting themselves in the travel insurance space because they are truly for medical insurance only.

If that had been clear from their branding/messaging, I wouldn’t have booked a policy with them and been in this situation. So unfortunately, I cannot recommend them.

But for my U.S. based friends, other companies don’t have silly policy exclusions and are an actual travel insurance company. In fact, we’ve made two different types of claims with other companies before — medical as well as travel delay/cancellation — and they paid both, no questions asked.

SafetyWing is dead to me. 💀

Disclaimer: Policies and coverage terms can change over time. Always review the official policy wording directly from the insurer before purchasing. [Read more…]

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How To Eat Gluten-Free in Alicante, Spain: Alicante Gluten Free Restaurant Guide

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Since I got diagnosed with celiac disease two months ago, I’ve so far only experienced what it’s like to be celiac in Alicante, Spain.

Matt and I were reflecting on this the other day — when we go back to the U.S. for Christmas, it’s going to be like starting over again. Reading new labels on familiar foods at the grocery store, looking for the gluten-free symbol on menus at favorite restaurants. But for now, I’ve gotten pretty comfortable eating gluten free in Alicante!

I’ve found several guides for gluten-free eating in different cities in Spain, but I didn’t see one for Alicante. So I thought I’d write it myself — with plenty of updates to come! [Read more…]

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How To Fly to Europe for $99 and a Cup of Coffee

fly to europe - aadvantage aviator red world elite mastercard

We’ve been learning to play the travel credit card game a bit in the last couple of years, and my husband Matt wanted to share information about our latest undertaking: the American Airlines Aviator Red World Elite credit card. Thanks to Matt for the guest post! We hope you enjoy it. -Cathy

Fun fact: You can fly to Europe, round-trip, for just $99 USD. [Read more…]

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Tabarca Island Ferry from Alicante: What You Need To Know

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At our apartment in Alicante, we’re lucky enough to have a balcony that looks out over the Mediterranean Sea. 😍 (Being from Missouri I still can’t believe I just wrote that sentence.) And while we love overlooking all the port activity, sailing lessons, and cruise ships, there’s something else pretty interesting that we’re able to see out in the distance on a clear day — the Spanish island of Tabarca.

This summer, we’ve set out for Tabarca twice. First, we rented a boat with a private company since Matt has his Spanish boater’s license. But we learned there are some unique pitfalls to doing it that way — like the fact that you can’t pull into port on the island if you’re just visiting. So for our second visit, we decided to take the ferry along with most people who visit Tabarca.

Here’s what you need to know to plan your own Tabarca Island ferry trip from Alicante! [Read more…]

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Black Cab Tour Belfast: What To Expect & Why It’s a Must-Do

black cab tour belfast - bobby sands mural

Last month, we spent a week in Ireland with our friends Sarah and Kelan! We started in County Donegal in the northwest of the island before heading east into Northern Ireland — a few hours in Derry/Londonderry and then a few days in Belfast. While I’d passed through Belfast for an afternoon in the past, on my way to the Giant’s Causeway for the first time, I hadn’t done much other than visit the Titanic Museum.

On this visit, we had a lot more time to explore Belfast! And one of the things I knew I didn’t want to miss out on was a Belfast Black Cab Tour. These tours help visitors learn about Belfast’s history and the history of Northern Ireland as a whole. Having read Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe last summer, I was super interested to see all the places in Belfast where history was happening in the book.

So, here’s what you need to know about Belfast and why you can’t miss out on a Belfast Black Cab Tour. [Read more…]

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What You Need To Know Before You Visit Derry, Northern Ireland

visit derry girls

I’m not a big TV or movie person — but my friends are constantly recommending things for me to watch. Most of the time, they know I’m never going to do it. (But if I do watch something of my own accord and suggest it to them, I expect them to drop whatever they’re doing and start watching immediately.)

But a few summers ago, when Matt and I were visiting my two besties from college for a long weekend, one of them suggested: Let’s watch Derry Girls. Both of them had recommended it to me in the past and I had resisted watching, per usual. But this time I had no choice. And within two minutes of starting the show, the clever opening scene with the background of “Dreams” by The Cranberries (who else?) had me hooked. We watched the next episode, and the next… and soon we had finished the entirety of both seasons that had been released to that point. It would be more than a year before the third and final season was released, which Matt and I dutifully binged at home as soon as it came out.

Fast forward to our most recent trip to Ireland a few weeks ago. After meeting up with our Irish friends Sarah and Kelan in County Donegal (thanks to the Bus Eireann Expressway), we spent one night in Bundoran and two nights in Falcarragh. After exploring County Donegal for a few days, our plan was to continue on to Belfast — but considering the driving route literally passed through Derry, there was no way we were going to miss the chance to visit.

Whether you’ve watched Derry Girls or not, I still think it’s worth it to visit Derry on your trip to Northern Ireland. So, here’s what you need to know before your visit to Derry. (Though I might still try to convince you to watch the show before your trip!) [Read more…]