Where I Saved and Splurged on my 3 Week Vacation to Japan

A very expensive bucket list vacation (for two)

Author

Michela Allocca
July 08, 2025

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What to expect in today’s newsletter (5 min read)

  • Total spend recap on my trip to Japan/Korea with my mom

  • Where I saved and where I splurged on the trip

MONEY
My Very Expensive Asian Vacation: The Breakdown

Before reading this, here is a big disclaimer: I am AWARE you can go to Japan for less money. You do not have to spend the same amount to go on vacation.

About a month ago I got back from a 3-week expedition through Japan and Korea! My mom and I took a 12 night cruise that started in Tokyo and ended in Seoul - and it was FABULOUS!

I shared a ton of pictures on my Instagram (saved under the Japan highlight) - and I think over the course of the 3 weeks received 10000 DMs asking for more details and information around the trip and our itinerary.

I was able to gather all of the information and I talk through it in detail in this youtube video if you are interested in learning more!

Here’s a quick overview of the trip:

  • Arrived in Tokyo and spent 4 nights (Direct flight from Chicago)

  • Embarked on a 12-night cruise on the Celebrity Millennium (Japan & Korea Voyage)

  • Disembarked in Seoul and spent 3 nights (Direct flight back to Chicago)

The Budget Breakdown 💸

So this was very obviously not a budget vacation LOL. And I share how I paid for it in my Youtube video if you are curious.

This is the big breakdown of the major costs and what I think about it:

  • Direct Flights Chicago to Tokyo: $1,500 pp ($3,000 total)

    • We flew premium economy with ANA (booked via United) and the upgrade was total worth it!

  • 4 Nights at Hotel in Tokyo: $1,500 (our hotel was AMAZING)

    • We definitely could have stayed in a cheaper hotel, but I wanted to be centrally located and have access to concierge services. I also wanted a room that was big enough to comfortably fit 2 people.

  • 12 Night Cruise: $6,410 (balcony stateroom + premium drink package)

    • The cruise was awesome - it’s a great way to travel if you want to see a lot and not deal with the logistics.

  • Shore Excursions: $1,400 (ish)

    • We did a combination of cruise excursions and Viator tours. I think with proper planning you could do a lot of DIY (especially in Tokyo) but for some of the smaller ports we enjoyed turning our brains off and following the guide.

  • Hotel in Seoul: $1,400 (but free because I used points & my Amex credit)

  • Flights back to the US: $1,500 PP ($3,000 total)

    • We flew direct on Korean Air. You CAN fly cheaper - but it requires a layover. KA does 1 direct flight per day (to CHI and BOS).

    • For long-haul trips like this, I would much rather pay a premium for a direct flight and avoid a layover that extends an already long travel day by another 10 hours. Personally!

  • The rest of the budget was spend on shopping, misc food and such, and airport transfers!

Where I Saved Vs. Splurged

When it comes to traveling, I really don’t go on a lot of trips like this because they are expensive and I don’t like to cut corners. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that I am Not a budget traveler and I’d rather spend the money to be comfortable.

That being said - I am not operating with an unlimited budget so I had to choose where I wanted to prioritize my spend.

This boils down to personal travel values and preferences - for me, I prioritize comfort and simplicity.

Splurge: Comfort (premium and direct flights)

I could have saved on the flights had I chosen to do a layover and fly regular economy. However, a 13 hour flight already sucks. I didn’t want to arrive exhausted, and I didn’t want to extend the trip home via a layover.

On the way to Tokyo, I spent an extra $500 PP for premium economy. This was totally worth it to me and I would book premium economy again!

On the way home, we could have spent 50% less PP if I chose to do a layover in Hong Kong. But the difference in travel time was severe: 14 hours direct, or 30 hours with the layover. PASS!!!! Talk about miserable. I’d rather spend the money and just get home.

Save: Simplicity (cruise)

Even though this technically was the biggest expense of the trip aside from the flights, it’s where we got the most value.

Not only did the cruise serve as our transportation vessel all across Japan and to Korea, but it included all of our food for 12 days. We would have 100% spent more on accommodations, domestic travel, and food to have a similar trip without going on the cruise.

So if you are someone who wants to see A LOT of Japan without the logistics, I recommend the cruise we did.

Splurge: Accessibility (premium hotels)

On the nights where we weren’t on the cruise, I splurged on premium hotels. I did this for a few key reasons:

  • Accessibility: I wanted to be in central locations with a lot of attractions, restaurants, and transportation available to use

  • Concierge: In such a faraway country with a significant language barrier, I wanted to have access to a concierge who could help us with recommendations and tips. We had limited time and I didn’t want to waste it wandering around and waiting in line for dinner.

On top of this, I’m gonna be honest - staying in nice hotels is worth it and completely changes the experience. I’ve stayed in budget hotels before (my entire life basically until recently) and now that I’ve experienced 5 star hotels… I will be prioritizing this for future travel.

Save: Exploration (excursions)

We did a lot of DIY exploration days throughout the entire trip. The goal was to choose 1-2 key destinations in each port city and utilize the transportation options that the cruise provided for us first. This saved us a ton of money on the days where we chose not to do excursions and allowed us to splurge a bit on the days that we DID do excursions!

To Wrap Things Up

International travel is incredibly expensive. I debated sharing the full budget because the sticker price is a little shocking (it’s more than I originally planned to spend). But I think it’s important to highlight HOW EXPENSIVE traveling really is.

Yes, I upgraded some of our experience which obviously added to the cost. But even if I hadn’t… it still would have been a $10k+ vacation.

Social media (ESPECIALLY travel influencers) make it seem like you can go on vacation for $5 and 100,000 points. Not only is this not true, it’s incredibly misleading.

Points can help you save money on certain aspects of your trip, but you still have to pay for the majority of the vacation. And unless you’re spending thousands of dollars a year (like 100K+ ) already to earn enough points to cover substantial portions of your trip, they aren’t going to make as big of a difference as we are led to believe.

Anyways if you want more details on the trip and itinerary, make sure to watch this video on youtube!

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RESOURCES
What’s Happening This Week at Break Your Budget

  • This week on Don’t Depend on Daddy: I am sharing my summer state of the union!! What is in and our for summer 2025 (according to me) and how I am making my life better during this season!

  • My Full Japan Breakdown: If you enjoyed this newsletter and want more details of my trip, I talk through a full breakdown and day-by-day itinerary of my trip in this video!

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xoxo,

Michela