Explore with GPSmyCity

If you're a traveler who likes to explore on your own and skip group tours, then let me introduce you to GPSmyCity.

GPSmyCity is a mobile app (available in iOS and Android) that contains a treasure trove of city guides and insider tips written by intrepid travelers. There are city guides for over 600 cities and insider tip articles for over 1300 cities!

What's special about this app is that each guide/article includes a map with a detailed travel route plotted out (all maps can be accessed for a minimal yearly subscription fee). You can also create your own walking tours! Plus, these can also be saved for offline use. The GPSmyCity app lets you explore at your own pace without worrying about roaming charges or erratic network signals!

I am happy to announce that three of my articles are now available in GPSmyCity:

• Strolling and Snacking in Miyajima
• Remembering the Past in Hiroshima
• Temples and Cherry Blossoms in Yoshino (Nara)

And just in time for the cherry blossom season in Japan, Temples and Cherry Blossoms in Yoshino (Nara) full version article with GPS-aided map is available for FREE from April 14 to 28, 2025. Just click on the link and try it out! (If you haven't already downloaded and installed the GPSmyCity app, it will prompt you to do so.)

With the GPSmyCity app installed on your smartphone, you have the world on the palm of your hand!

GPSmyCity Premium Membership Giveaway

Now that the pandemic has ended, travel has come back in full swing! Woohoo! To celebrate, GPSmyCity is giving away 10 premium yearly memberships! Each membership will allow the member to use the GPSmyCity app on up to two devices for a whole calendar year.

So. What is GPSmyCity? GPSmyCity is an app containing a ton of travel articles and self-guided walking tours written by travelers like you and me. Best of all, it comes with an offline map and GPS routing capability. Searching for things to do, places to see, and food to try has never been so easy!

To claim the free one-year premium membership, all you have to do is:

1.  Download and install the GPSmyCity app.
2.  Open the app, and select Account to register.
3.  Go to More, then select Feedback and send an email to GPSmyCity with the claim code 25840922.

Go on and give GPSmyCity app a try!

Novotel Taipei Taoyuan International Airport

For our almost 19-hour layover in Taoyuan, we opted to stay near the airport since our flight the next day leaves at 755AM. We had two choices: stay at a capsule hotel in Taoyuan International Airport or at Novotel Taipei Taoyuan just two stops on the MRT from Terminal 1 of Taoyuan International Airport. If I were on a solo trip, I would opt for the capsule hotel in the airport, but since I was with my father and my sister's family, capsule hotels were a no-go.

Novotel Taipei Taoyuan International Airport
No. 1-1 Hangzhan South Rd., Dayuan District, Taoyuan City, Taiwan

Location. Novotel Taipei Taoyuan International Airport is right outside Airport Hotel Station, which is two MRT stops from Terminal 1 of Taoyuan International Airport. If you're on a layover and want to go shopping, but the time is too short to be going to Taipei City, the good news is the hotel is just a 13-minute MRT ride to Taoyuan HSR Station where Gloria Outlets is. (Gloria Outlets is an outlet mall with a foodcourt. Bonus: the foodcourt has Hawker Chan, a Michelin-starred hawker stall in Singapore.)

Hawker Chan at the foodcourt of Gloria Outlets

Free Airport Shuttle. The hotel offers free shuttle transfers to/from the airport. Since our flight was very early the next morning, the receptionist booked us seats on the shuttle. (The receptionist also speaks very good English.)

Room. My father and I stayed in a 28 sq. m. room with a king size bed and a single bed. The room also had a TV, desk and chair, refrigerator, air conditioning unit, electric kettle, cups, coffee, tea, and bottles of water. There were power outlets near the bed, and also near the TV. Weighing scale, slippers, and hangers were also provided.

Our room

Photo from booking.com

Toilet and Shower. The ensuite toilet and shower was huge, and complete with hair dryer, towels, and toiletries (shampoo, conditioner, soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, razor). The only awkward thing was that the wall between the shower and the bedroom was of opaque glass.

Price. At 4827 NTD and no free breakfast (though they did have free coffee, tea, and bread at the lobby as early as 5AM), it was way too expensive.