Hanabi: meet how a typical japanese firework festival is!

Fireworks are very common in many places in the world, but it can vary according to the celebration. In Brazil and some other Western countries everyone watches fireworks during New Year. But, in Japan normally they occur during the summer and this is not the only difference. 
Another difference is the duration. Before going to hanabi (that's how japaneses call fireworks), I was surprised when a friend said it takes about one hour while in my country it must take mere 15 minutes. 
This same friend invited me to my first hanabi when summer had just begun in Japan. I had to meet her near to the place where it would be held. I was very afraid of getting lost, but was easy to find the place because many people dressing yukata was going there. Yukata is a typical japanese clothing (similar to kimono, but a little more simple) and many people use it to attend summer festivals. And, of course, I was not an exception.

Although the fireworks were scheduled to start at 7pm, we got there much earlier, about 4 hours before to get a good spot near to the lake. We took a picnic towel to mark the spot in case we need to leave to buy food, drink or something. Everybody did the same and some people used adhesive tape to write their names on it.

By the way, it's important to buy foods and drinks in advance to avoid long lines in the tents and very long lines in the convenient stores near to the event. As we need to stay there for hours until the hanabi starts, nothing better than enjoying this time with friends having some snacks.
When you realize, the time has passed and the show has started. Yes, we could call it a show because, during the fireworks, japanese and international songs are played on the background which makes the spectacle more beautiful.

When it was done, we decided to take the way back right away and it was a big mistake because many people decided to do the same and that's when we realized how crowded the place was. Everybody had to walk slowly until the nearest station and wait a little more than usual to take the train. So, a good recommendation is staying more in your spot until everybody leaves and the streets get more empty.
This is how a typical firework event occurs in Japan. What about your country? Which kind of firework festivals happen in there? Leave a comment and tell more details. If you took pictures, upload them in Taptrip and share with the whole world!

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Online Dating: 6 steps to find your match!

Many users of social networks hope to find a match online. It´s what happens with Facebook, Instagram, Skype and Taptrip too. 
However, some people keep making the same mistakes that scary others insteated of attracting them. Are you interested in finding a soul mate online? Wanna know if you´re doing it correctly or not? According to many users, the next six steps are the best to make you get it:

1) Choose a nice photo for your profile. Nobody is interested in seing which car you have (or want to have) or how nice is the landscape of a picture you got in Google. Before seing those things, people want to see your face. So, please show it to the world and don´t forget to smile.
2) Say something nice at first. Many people only say "hello", "hi" or "hey" and expect the other person to start talking very exactly. Of course every conversation starts like this, but after it there must be something something interesting to talk about. If you meet in Taptrip, for example, you can talk about the country where the other person lives.
3) Use 5W1H if you don´t know how to keep the conversation. If you never heard about 5W1H, it´s "what, why, who, when, where, how". Through those words you can find out many things about the other person, like what she / he likes, where she / he is from, who she / he lives with and so on.

4) However, after making those questions, don`t start to ask for phone number, skype, facebook, etc. Everyone likes casual moments, so enjoy this first moment with no rush. 
5) Also avoid personal questions like "do you have girlfriend / boyfriend" if you had just met. The other person may feel uncortable with these subjects.
6) And the most important tip is NO NUDE PHOTOS. There are specific places for it. If you post pictures like this, your account can be blocked and you will lose the opportunity to meet a good match.
Hope you all enjoy Taptrip, make many online friends and - why not - find an online match!

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Do as the babies: 3 tips to learn a foreigner language!

Many people have difficulty to learn another language, specially when they are already adults. After we got used to only one kind of pronunciation, it's hard to adapt our brain, tongue and body to another idiom.
But, you can learn and speak another different language if you follow the first steps you did to learn your native one when you were a baby. In other words, you only need to apply the tips below:
1) Listen. Nobody born and starts to talk right after it. We first listen to our parents and other people talking to us and then we started to assimilate what those phrases mean. The first words probably heard were 'mom' and 'dad'. Every time you listened to these words, you probably thought about your parents immediately. Now you need to do the same with the language you want to learn. Listen to it very often until you start to assimilate the meaning of each word.

2) Repeat. After learning the meaning of main words, it's time to repeat them just like babies do when they are growing up. Maybe you can find the same difficulty as them to pronounce correctly, but you will get used to it after talking everyday.
3) Be patient. The same way as a child takes years to speak a language, the same may happen to you. So, do not rush. If takes 3 or 4 years for a kid to speak properly with adults, it's OK if you need the same time. 

Although Taptrip has a translator tool which allows you to talk to people from other countries in any language, the app is also very good to learn other idioms. While you chat with someone, you can visualize the original message and the translation below, what helps you to increase your vocabulary. 
So, keep the babies' rhythm to learn a new language and keep enjoying Taptrip to increase it.
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3 places to go if you feel homesick.

Have you traveled somewhere for a long time? During this time, have you felt homesick? It`s not unusual to miss home when we are very far from it, and sometimes doesn´t need to be for so long. I´ve met people who were homesick after being just two or three weeks far from home.

Anyway, if you feel like that and want to feel again the warmness of your country, there are 3 places where you can go:
1) Shopping Center. Doesn´t matter where you are, they are always the same. The architeture is the same (just a few different details), there is no clock (this way nobody knows the time is running and spend more time and money in there), the most expensive stores are near to the escalators and that´s where many women like to go. I´m pretty sure must be the same in your country.
2) McDonalds. Ok, maybe it´s not the same in many places. In Japan, they offer hot dogs. In India, they offer curry. In Brazil they offer salad. In France they may offer the same as everywhere else, but instead of yellow and red, the logo´s collors are yellow and black. But, you still have the big M and advertisement with Ronald which can make you feel like if you were at home.
3) Dancing Clubs. Dark, loud music and drinks. Wherever you are, all the night clubs maybe like this. The language people speak can be different, but if the music is too loud, then it doesn´t really matter. You can not hear what people say, even if you were at your home country.

After it, you will not feel so homesick and will enjoy your destination much more! By the way, you can also enjoy the virtual travels of Taptrip! The link to download is below.
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10 tips to get a Visa and travel anywhere.

Many people like traveling. Everyone surely has a destination where would like to go most, specially Taptrippers who make virtual trips and await for the day a real trip comes.
But, many things need to be done in advanced for it. For example: booking a flight, booking a hotel, plan which places you will visit and, in some cases, getting the Visa for the destination. For many people it's a terrifying theme because the idea of organizing everything to travel and have the visa denied is really bad. And, believe me, it happens more often then you think, even when the traveler has everything in order.

Because of that, here you can check 10 tips to apply and get the Visa for the destination you want to go. When you decide to travel, be sure to:
1) Have a valid passport. pay attention on the expiration date. If it expires before or during your travel period, you may not be allowed to leave your country.
2) Have a flight booking. Even countries which you don't need to apply for a Visa may ask you this. In many cases you need to buy the ticket to return in advance, so don't take the risk of making airport authorities think you will never come back to your country.
3) Have a hotel booking: it's also necessary to prove you have a place to stay during your trip. You can book a hotel online and pay only 10% of the total. Even if you end staying somewhere else, it's better to spend a few money and avoid risks. By the way, if you will stay in someone`s house, this person needs to send an invitation letter in advance.
4) Have cash, credit card and travel card. Never (I said never) travel with a few money. It's not convenient and, if you need to prove you have enough money to stay where you go as a tourist, you may have problem if you don't have the right amount. Always bring some cash with you. And don't forget to request an international credit card and a travel card. With this last one you can withdraw cash from ATMs and pay a very low tax.
5) Purchase a medical plan. It's very important and can be request in immigration departments too. Furthermore, if you need to go to the hospital during your trip, it's better to be covered by a medical plan than paying much more money for a private hospital, for example.
6) Have all the documents. Before applying to the Visa, check the website of the embassy and don't hesitate in calling them too to confirm everything you need to show. It's better asking them to explain everything like if you were five years old than having the Visa denied because one document or one detail was missing.
7) Contact people got the Visa. And contact who didn't get it too. Ask advice for who got and try to do the same as they did. Listen to who didn't get it and try to avoid everything they did during the application. 
8) During the interview, be calm. Sometimes an interview is also necessary to get the Visa. Many people get nervous or anxious this time. I know it maybe a tense situation, but control yourself and DON'T be nervous or anxious! Authorities may interpret it as if you were doing something wrong or hiding something. Anything suspicious may end in Visa denied.
9) Answer only what they ask to you. Many people talk a lot during the interview and it may have a bad interpretation because some people tend to talk very much to prove something. If you have everything in order, short answers are enough. For example:
- Which city are you going to? - New York. - For how long? - 7 days. - Someone else going with you? - No.
10) Always tell the true. Some people believe if they lie - saying they have a better job, or more money, or friends where they are going to - can be easier to get the Visa, But, for God's sake, don't do it! Have your mom ever told you to always say the true? So, have this advice in mind during all Visa procedures; before, during and after the application. 

After all those steps, enjoy your trip as much as you can! Did you have problems to apply for a Visa sometime? Had you never any problem? Please, leave a comment sharing your history. And take good pictures during your travels to upload them in Taptrip. 
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3 tips to make friends online!

Yesterday we posted an interview with Taptripper Confident Julius who made 120 virtual friends and will meet one of them in person for the first time this week. If you are also interested in meeting people from the whole world, here are some tips to make worldwide friends!

1) Join online groups. You might have some interest or hobby and it's much easier to find other people who have the same interest of you online. You can search many of them in Google. After joining a group about something you like, remember to introduce yourself and talk to everyone. This way, you will naturally meet new online friends.

2) Find friends in the social networks. Facebook and other similar pages offer the option to search individual friends according to interests. But, many of those social networks were developed for people who already know each other offline, remember to send a message introducing yourself instated of adding directly someone you don't know yet.

3) Be kind. The same way it can be easy to make online friends, it's also very easy to unmake them, it's just a matter of clicking on delete or block bottom. If you don't want the same happens to you, remember to be nice to everyone. 

Using these 3 tips, you can make many online friends, including in Taptrip app. While you join virtual trips to countries you are interested in, you can chat with many people and make new friends through Find Friends tool. 

If this post was useful for you, please share it with your friends and help them to find more friends too!


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