Curiosity Saves

In an era of greenwashing, I’m naturally skeptical of environmental claims, but I will say that after staying at .treehouse, I’m blown away by what they get right.

The founder, Satoru Kikugawa, designed his dream treehouse as a place where nature could thrive alongside humans. This is a core value, not just a marketing afterthought. All the treehouses and AeroHouses are built to be mindful of the environment, including everything from microscopic organisms in the soil to insects, the forest, river, and native endemic species.

While these examples are specific to this property, if you are looking to cut through greenwashing, look for companies with clear, transparent, and evidence-based approaches regarding:

💧Water use
🗑️Waste management
♻️ Circular concepts. Reducing and reusing before recycling
🌲Environmental impact
⚡Their energy use and emissions
🤝Their social impact on the community

Are these values core to what they do?

Treeful was a non-sponsored splurge, but we could see where the money goes. As a fossil-fuel-free property, they use solar and supplement with certified renewable energy, which costs more in Okinawa.

By hosting fewer guests to reduce disruption, they prioritize the ecosystem over big-hotel profits. They’ve invested in circular water systems, hire and build locally, and offer high-quality, locally sourced food.

Sustainability doesn’t all look the same; it is site-specific. I always say there are different types of eco-friendly experiences for many types of budgets and travel styles, from rural and rustic homestays to mid-range boutique hotels to luxurious and bespoke accommodations.

During our time in Japan, we got a taste of a little of everything: lower-priced capsule hotels, working on reducing plastic and saving space; mid-range, simple rural homestays and traditional ryokan; and more eco-lux places like this treehouse.

I typically travel on a budget that lets me choose the best option for the place's needs. Sometimes that is rustic, other times it's a splurge.

What kind of local susty property do you look for?
•Lower price point homestays
•Mid-range boutique stays
•Eco lux
•A mix, depending on the situation.

The Earth Day 2026 theme may look the same as last year's. It makes sense, really, given the necessity of sustained multi-year action. But this year’s theme takes on a slightly new meaning.

As violent men wage wars and g3nocide, as defense companies profit off war, as the AI boom drives mass data center development consuming water, and as the fossil fuel industry pushes many countries to scale back renewable investments, the time for collective action is now. 

As a select few multinational tourism conglomerates drive mass tourism models that exploit local communities and resources, the time for collective action is now. 

As marginalized communities bear the brunt of these impacts, tourism is and always has been uniquely positioned to uplift marginalized communities. Collective action can help us move away from extractive models. 

I love that this year’s theme highlights both the literal power (moving away from fossil fuels) and our collective power (agency and advocacy). 

I know one of the most frustrating things can be taking on the burden of individual action. While we travelers carry our water bottles with us, the powerful try to keep us down. 

But I have always found comfort in being the change, in joining a collective movement to fight for the industry I love. To fight for a more just and equitable tourism industry is to fight for the alleviation of poverty and gender rights. It is to fight for climate action and to deliver on all the Sustainable Development Goals. 

Tourism is a product. Tourists are consumers. In this economy, consumers have more power than they know. How you spend money matters, how you portray places matters, and how you speak up matters.

Of course, we are all imperfect, living in a world of impossible systems. We can’t do everything right all the time. But, together, doing what we can, doing what we are able, we can make a change. 

This is by no means an exhaustive list of things that are important for sustainable travel, it is just the intersection of this year’s Earth Day theme. 

Our Power. Our Planet. Earth Day 2026
How do you use your power to protect our planet, air, water, and nature as a traveler?

Looking to add an incredible experience to your Canadian summer road trip? Canada's Inside Passage ferry sails between Northern Vancouver Island and Northern British Columbia for a once-in-a-lifetime experience. See breathtaking waterways, whales (hopefully), forested islands, and First Nation villages.

Ditch the short-haul flights and multi-national cruise lines for this unique experience.

But logistics and securing your reservations can be tricky. My first YouTube video is a deep dive, where I hold your hand every step of the way, so you can experience this too.

Sail Canada's Inside Passage with BC Ferries - Must Knows for Planning and What to Expect Are you curious about sailing Canada's Inside Passage with BC Ferries? Embark on an incredible journey through breathtaking waterways, sailing from Port Hard...

Snapshots and musings from Osaka, a place of polar opposites for me— lots to like, but a lot wasn’t for me. Admittedly, I probably needed more time.

Known as Japan's kitchen foodies love it but there are many problematic foods. Don’t @ me unless you wanna talk about evidence-based extractive fishing practices and wagyu beef. 

So, the vegan restaurants were a treat. 

🌱Pivot BASE: vegan takoyaki
🌱Genmai Sushi TEC: fresh, healthy vegan sushi

We had fun Misono Universe (sadly, now closed). Misono was a large, multi-story building with 30 small bars, each themed to its owner's personality. We liked chatting and sipping drinks with a few other travelers and residents.

Osaka is so bike-friendly with bike garages and amazing bike paths. 10/10 public transit too!

I wasn’t a fan of the famed Dotonbori with unethical animal cafés and overconsumption. We found solace listening to monks.

Osaka is grappling with poor behavior by tourists. When I posted about this on Threads, the discussion got HEATED.

People ditch their 🧳 and it reached a breaking point during Expo 25. Visitors shop so much, then intentionally abandon perfectly good suitcases in hotel rooms, alleyways, train stations, and airports after upgrading to a bigger 🧳

Hotels store them for a period, hoping they will be claimed, before arranging for the disposal of bulky items with waste management. 

Sure, hotels responded by adding extra fees to rooms to manage the cost of waste. But it is just irresponsible behavior.

The discussion got heated because, many travelers have ditched their suitcases when traveling because they broke and felt called out.

Others were defensive, saying they didn’t know how to handle bulky trash in a foreign country, the hotel does… spoiler alert: you either pack a larger bag or just buy a few items that fit in the bag you brought… Self-control and such, and not adding unnecessary waste.

AND, there’s a difference in having a suitcase accidentally break on you and reaching out to a hotel to help you manage the situation, and intentionally ditching a perfectly good suitcase in public areas or leaving it at the hotel without informing them. 

Thoughts?

Are you headed to Japan and curious about hiking the Kumano Kodo? SAVE this guide.

The Kumano Kodo is a UNESCO World Heritage pilgrimage route that
blends natural and cultural heritage. It is the perfect activity for those visiting Japan who are looking for something active, yet still highlights Japan’s ancient cultural traditions.

While a well-known trek, it is a bit off the main tourist path, perfect for reflection in nature. 

Hiking the Kumano Kodo offers an unparalleled experience in the shrine-filled forests and mountains of the Kii Peninsula. 

If that sounds like a dream experience—whether you want to spend more than a week hiking the main Nakahechi route, venture off on a more adventurous hike up Mt. Kōya, or just spend a few days enjoying small hikes around the Hongū area, I’ve got a guide for you!

For us, one of the hardest part was the planning and logistics. 

While resources and information out there are growing, making it easier to plan, we still ran into a few challenges. 

First, the information out there was helpful for getting started, but we mostly found a collection of hard-to-read/navigate websites, experiential travel blogs, or travel forums with a few nuggets, but nothing helpful for really planning from start to finish.

The second was that we realized, as important as hiking the Kumano Kodo was to include in our month-long itinerary, we didn’t really want to spend 5-7 days on a through-hike, due to dietary needs and some ethical concerns with towns on the east coast. We thought we could, instead, do some day hikes, taking advantage of a home base.

We finally cobbled together an itinerary that let us hike a small portion while using one accommodation as a home base, so we didn't need to hike with all our luggage. Our approach also lets us depart and return to Osaka easily, rather than hiking and ending up on the other side of the peninsula. 

I did a ridiculous amount of research and created a comprehensive guide to hiking the Kumano Kodo, including everything you need to plan a week-long Kumano Kodo trek or just spend a few days on the Kii Peninsula doing day hikes following in our footsteps.

Comment GUIDE for more!

Ever see those "cute" videos of capybaras or otters in animal cafés?

Whether your gut says it’s wrong, or you’re tempted to visit— what you see or think you know is just the tip of an iceberg of a deeply concerning industry.

•Malnutrition, tiny cages, and animals tied down
•Premature death
•Wildlife trafficking and animal trade
•Mass breeding schemes
•Risk of zoonotic diseases

In the latest episode of Veggies Abroad podcast Rebecca Gade-Sawicki and myself from Curiosity Saves team up to reveal what happens before or after your 45-minute visit, even if everything "looked fine" to you.

We help you understand why your gut reaction is telling you these places are bad, but maybe can't fully articulate why your feeling that way.

Have you seen these cafés? What was your gut telling you?
Have you maybe been to one and maybe realized things weren't what they seemed?

Listen w/ link in comments 👇