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Some more info:

The name of the island is Brother Island. It is on the very northeast coast of Palawan, about 2 hours by van and boat from El Nido.

The owner of the island's name is So we, and he is awesome. Originally, the island could only accommodate something like 12 people, but he hired a bunch more staff to build bamboo hits, a 40+ person table, a bar, and more just for us. When you rent the island you get all the food and drinks included.

The island itself has a huge beach on one end, and then small hiking paths that lead up to the back. In the back there is a small building with window-walls on all four sides that rests on a cliff.

If you have anymore questions, let me know.

P.S. I don't work for him in any way. He just went above and beyond for us and made our wedding amazing. I feel I should return the favor.

It varies and depends where you are... some people don't like having their photo taken, but usually asking a few people you will find someone. It helps if you stop and chat with them for a bit. Here's my photos from faces around the world:

https://imgur.com/a/zwXOH

I knew this was going to be an album and I wanted all the photos to be coherent and flow regardless of lighting so I made a Lightroom preset that worked regardless of the varying light. It was impossible to schedule every stop during the best light so I did my best to make due and find interesting ways to use it!

The preset I used for this one is called Matte Blue Hue. I have a lot of Lightroom presets and Photoshop actions on my mediafire free to download and use. I use them for teaching. You can download them all here:

https://www.mediafire.com/folder/rfjrhzmi3toy9/Actions

Since it was through a 3rd party, you pretty much screwed.

If you at any point got a proper PNR and electronic record - you should be good but I don't think the 3rd party ever booked you.

Looks like it is the 3rd party that fucked up royally. https://www.trustpilot.com/review/www.travelgenio.com

Here is the link! It's called Colle dell'ara. The place has many rooms to chose from, in the main house and above the main house. The hosts were absolutely incredible. I highly highly recommend it. They do cooking classes as well there! I could go on for hours about this place.

Kayak's Flight Explorer is also a great tool if your travel dates and destination/departure airports are flexible.

http://www.kayak.com/explore

Google's ITA Matrix is probably the best tool, in terms of flexibility, in my opinion.

https://matrix.itasoftware.com/

You are going next April? I cannot possibly recommend THIS place enough. You absolutely should stay there. I am Facebook friends with the girl who lives below (and cleans, and helps you with everything) along with the guy who drove us everywhere for like $35/day. Send me a PM and I can get you some great suggestions.

I don't see a reasonable justification for imposing a $200 limit.

A limit would be reasonable if it were just a free coupon, i.e. an offer to get $25 off your next stay of $200 of more.

However, AirBnB is running a referral program. You have to drive a sale to AirBnB in order to earn the credit. On top of that, during the promotional period, that sale needs to be $200+.

AirBnB collects about 12% in fees on a transaction. For a referral, they're paying your friend $25 and you $25. But two $200 transactions equals $48 in fees, and that's assuming you're hitting the minimum right on the nose. In short, even though they're already getting a free sales lead in the worst case scenario - they've gone further to try and make credits lapse, to save cash.

AirBnB is probably aware that their policy sucks. There's a reason why it's not disclosed on the main page, not even in small print. It is disclosed on the Terms & Conditions pages to cover their ass, but it's obvious that they're intentionally being sly.

I could not disagree with you more. There are things to do in pretty much every major European city and the surrounding towns. If you were bored, it's probably because you came unprepared or lack the resources (language/money) locally to do more. I like to schedule days during a vacation where I do nothing but ask for and take recommendations from people who live in the city. You get way more out of it that way.

At any rate Amsterdam is far from boring.

Some people are going to confuse this hotel with the Zhongshan International hotel which is located in Zhongshan, Guangdong Province (http://www.zsih.com.cn/ca/). The hotel in Zhongshan is the first result on a Google search. This hotel certainly hosts foreigners as I lived in the area and knew many that stayed there. They also hire foreign staff in their kitchen and management positions (a friend from France worked there).

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g297417-d304905-Reviews-Zhongshan_International_Hotel-Zhongshan_Guangdong.html ^ THIS IS NOT the hotel OP is referring to...

Awesome - I live in Amsterdam. There are lots of choices for a day trip, but Utrecht is one of my favorites. It's really easy to get to and (as you can see) beautiful. I wrote a blog post about my visit to Utrecht with the highlights and some recs -- the cathedral is great as are the two museums in town (musical clock museum and railway museum). And if you visit on a Saturday you can catch their flower market.

There's a bunch of other Netherlands content on my blog, too, so feel free to poke around or ask and I can point you in the right direction :)

Absolutely, it was just a case of opening my mouth before engaging my brain.

If anyone wants some more information on it though I've recently finished a book called A Line in The Sand by James Barr that's based on the most recent documents that have surfaced. If that's a little dry for you there's a Podcast called Martyr Made that does a really good job of explaining the Israeli Palestinian conflict and why it's still going on.

> Note that security measures above and beyond what you might encounter in most countries are taken for flights both to and from Israel - these, of course, are undertaken for your and other passengers safety and security. Arriving at the terminal at least three hours before your flight is well advised, as Israeli security procedures can be time-consuming. Bag inspection, both by machine and hand, is routine and should be expected, in addition to repeated interviews about your time in Israel. Keep your cool in what can be a frustrating time - it really is done with the best intentions, if not always the most elegant execution. Having the telephone number of friends or colleagues you may have spent time with in Israel, and who can vouch for you, always helps the process. If travelling as part of a group, they will usually question you separately before cross checking your accounts.

Source

They were deemed a risk, due to her Arab heritage, her previous trips to Israel, and her time spent in other Arab countries. Like it or not, Israel is engaged in an ongoing ethnic conflict with the region's muslim arabs, and the state of their border security reflects that.

She may have gained entry had she downplayed her arab heritage, focused on her interest in history and archaeology, and been more obsequious and less combative. You're right that they probably would have denied her anyways, but once she started talking back to the border guards her fate was sealed. That is quite simply never a good strategy.

> Yes, sir. No, sir. How high, sir?

We went to Java and got to release baby turtles into the ocean.

Almost every night turtles make their way to the beach at Sukamade on the south eastern part of the island Java in Indonesia.

Guards watch the turtles laying eggs and collect them all after the turtle leaves for the ocean. They are kept until they hatch at which point the turtles are brought to a nursery where they stay until they are big enough to be let into the ocean.

Info about Sukamade: http://wikitravel.org/en/Sukamade

There's even a report of someone in TripAdvisor who said that they were caught by Hurricane Irene and was unable to make it due to the state declaring an emergency and they were still charged. The owners said that there was nothing wrong with the weather. Read the hilarity here.

I found two websites that are really useful. Tripit will automatically get your airfares, hotel bookings etc out of your email and arrange it into an itinerary. Tripomatic shows you the attractions around your destination and let you arrange it into a beautiful list.

Both sites have apps for your phone too.

The Boston Public Library's Print Department is home to more than 350 vintage travel posters, most dating from the 1920s-1940s, the “Golden Age of Travel.”

Also look at maps.me which is an offline map application similar to Google maps. Both applications allow you to place pins but maps.me also you to attach notes to the dropped pin.

Probably not a problem in the USA, but I noticed a lot of differences between Gmaps and maps.me concerning coverage and accuracy when in more remote areas. Using both really helped.

wow, thanks for posting these. I had no idea... Looks incredible. Wikitravel cautions people to stay away from the border region with Turkey, but this looks pretty safe.

http://wikitravel.org/en/Iraqi_Kurdistan

I was just there recently as well, and I thought the place we stayed was good for what we needed. It certainly wasn't luxury, but it was walking distance from the park entrance, so it was easy to beat the crowds. It seemed like a good value. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/13812312

Visited Lisbon summer 2015.

• Sintra is definitely worth the day trip or maybe even two days. We were there all day and only saw Castelo dos Mouros and Quinta da Regaleira. Definitely take the bus between sites - walking ate up a lot of our time. Also, the hike up to the Castelo dos Mouros is killer.

• Highly recommend the Time Out Market at Mercado da Ribeira. It's everything you want from a food hall - jam packed with tons stalls representing local restaurant/chefs. I had a tiny waffle cone filled with ham (?), a Francesinha (!!), port, and gelato. I've read complaints that the prices are high compared to other Lisbon restaurants, and that's true, but I thought it was very fair compared to what I would pay for similar quality in Texas. It was super crowded, but we didn't have trouble finding seats. Clean, free bathrooms.

• Thought the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos was beautiful and worth the trip out of the way.

• We stayed in the Alfama, which I highly recommend. Our Airbnb was near the Museu do Fado, right off Rua Jardim do Tabaco, so it wasn't deep in the Alfama and was easy to find. I loved wandering around the Alfama - it felt very safe during the day. The restaurants on Rua Jardim do Tabaco seemed very hit or miss - I think they cater to a lot of tourists on cruises, maybe? Better to eat in the neighborhood. Restaurante O Beco was delicious - I had bacalhau com natas. When we arrived, we got giant sangrias at Gil & Riveiro Lda for like, 2 euro. Then, we got breakfast there every day (pastel de nata!).

• We got the LisboaCard. Not sure it was worth the price, though I appreciate not worrying about public transportation tickets.

Edit to add: You have to try the roast chicken (is this called Frango no Churrasco?) and ginjinha.

One thing I suggest you add is a light weight laundry bag with a strap that can go over your shoulder. I have backpacked 35 countries and this is one of the most helpful things you can pack.. It is a good way to separate your dirty clothes from clean in bag while trekking. I have seen people make them out of a pillow case by sewing a draw string at the top that connects to one of the bottom corners. Im not sure where to buy one but a google search came up with This

Look into soroche pills (which you can get when you arrive in Peru). Not sure where you're from but in the US, it's called Diamox and requires a prescription from a doctor. I always get it prior to when I'm doing a high altitude climb.

You can buy it everywhere in Peru though at a significantly reduced price. It helps deal with the symptoms of altitude sickness. Note - you do have to drink a ton of water - https://www.webmd.com/drugs/2/drug-6753/diamox-oral/details

Norwegian Airlines Flight 7016, JFK to LGW for only $199 ($450 round trip) for most of January and February. And that's on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner too (if you're a plane nerd).

In case you don't know, Google Flights is awesome!

It's a fantastic photo, and a perfect example of how a great photo doesn't need to tell the truth. The guy is risking his life for a conflict that has nothing to do with him. Or maybe he's not, because it's a commissioned art/advertising piece from South Africa's Die Burger newspaper.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/x1brett/2151645768/in/photostream/

Do you have a job lined up? How about a roof over your head?

Figure out which places that you want to live, or have considered. Do some research. Following is a basic calculator for comparison of cost of living from Buffalo to London.

https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=United+States&city1=Buffalo%2C+NY&country2=United+Kingdom&city2=London

Here's a basic of what steps to take on an American looking to move & work in the UK.

https://wise.com/us/blog/moving-to-uk-guide#:~:text=Moving%20to%20the%20UK%20from,work%20visa%20and%20family%20visas.&text=For%20instance%2C%20when%20you've,for%20a%20Tier%202%20visa.

If I could recommend one thing OP, since you stated that you haven't even traveled out of NY yet alone...

Do that first. Go somewhere stateside by yourself. Somewhere close at first, but outside of your comfort zone. See how it goes.

As you get used to traveling, you can find places that maybe you like more than your hometown. Then, start doing research. Compare and contrast the cost of living. Types of jobs available, and things like transportation, entertainment, etc.

Going out on a whim is exciting, but times are much different now than they were pre COVID-19.

I hope you find something OP!

150+650 = $800 for NYC-SE Asia round trip...

Right now, with hardly any research or playing with departure dates, I can book NYC-BKK round trip for $730 (China Eastern is good, I've done this route with them in the past.)

Toronoto-BKK round trip is $806.

I remember when this deal came up and when the Milan deal came up. But in the end, you save money on one leg, but spend it all on the return leg... I couldn't find a flight back to make it a decent deal worth dropping things for.

Of course the important thing is that you actually got a little push to book and did it. But it doesn't really look like you saved much on this deal. Personally, I also appreciate 1 way tickets because they offer more flexibility and I don't get stressed out as my departure date approaches.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g297417-d304905-Reviews-Zhongshan_International_Hotel-Zhongshan_Guangdong.html

^THIS IS NOT the hotel OP is referencing

The above hotel is the actual Zhongshan International hotel in Zhongshan, Guangdong Province, which I know for a fact can and will host foreigners.

Oh man, you're in for a treat! Do you have accommodation booked? I highly recommend Arte Vida. it's in an excellent location, the room was beautiful, the staff was extremely nice, and it's easy to enter/exit as you wish. It's more of a boutique hotel, very nice and comfortable.

The Monkeys Cafe-Bar was a great place to grab a beer or a latte (we stopped by in the morning and evening) for a great view of the fortress and to hang out for a minute with a drink to use wi-fi, enjoy the scenary, and talk to some locals. The owner is very nice and will give you tips on things to see. It didn't feel touristy at all, it was a refreshing place to get away from some of the more hustle-n-bustle areas.

The cafe up in the fortress itself had great food and really good beer. I'm not sure what beer you like, but they had several amazing hefeweizens there.

Be sure to see the Salzburg Cathedral, the Mirabell Palace and Gardens, and spend time walking around the Old Town - there's plenty to see and do all throughout there! Oh, I don't remember its name, but there's a really cool church and cemetery below the fortress. There are catacombs to visit, too! (I think it was 2 euros). Very cool place to walk around!

EDIT:

About an hour south of Salzburg is the Hohenwerfen Castle and the Eisriesenwelt ice caves (from the album). I highly recommend them as a day trip (just be sure to check their hours during the time you're visiting). Both can be easily done together, they're not far apart. And the train ride/drive down is gorgeous.

Montenegro is amazingly gorgeous and awesomely cheap!

Examples:

• airbnb.com/rooms/19675536

• airbnb.com/rooms/5472809

I'm not 100% pleased with how the story went because I ran out of time, but here it is. My first week on Trail.

So you are not medically qualified to know anything is wrong, but you automatically assume the doctor is shitty because he/she did not follow the advice of someone with no medical experience?

Second, you want to find someone to do an x-ray, at your own expense, with the high likelihood you will not get reimbursed for it?

Third, what medical treatment do you expect to come out of any discovery that you may have a cracked rib?

I spent 15 seconds and googled this for you. There is very little to do for a cracked rib except pain relief. They don't even wrap them anymore. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/broken-ribs/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20350769

there’s a whole book on these, very worthwhile

https://www.amazon.com/Empire-Death-Cultural-History-Ossuaries/dp/0500251789

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-most-beautiful-dead-photographs-of-jeweled-skeletons

If you're pale and burn easily, a tan is really no different than a burn; they both damage the DNA of your cells, which can lead to skin cancer. Look for a sunscreen that says "broad spectrum" and has SPF of 30-50. Any higher than 50 is not significant. This article explains SPF pretty well.

>US citizens can apply for a visa at the Iranian Interest Section of the Pakistani Embassy in Washington, [2]. However, US citizens must have an MFA-approved guide to accompany them for the entire trip and must have an exact itinerary. This generally precludes crossing into Iran at any border, as your guide would have to meet you at the border. Tour guides, however, are generally friendly to Americans, understand the process, and can work with you to set up a custom itinerary for you. > >To get the visa, US citizens must work in advance with an Iranian travel agency to set up a guided itinerary; only then, that travel agency may apply for a visa authorisation number from the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Once approved, the authorisation number is transmitted to the interest section. At that point, the applicant can then apply for the visa. Turnaround times can be as short as a week, but the interest section does not reliably answer emails or phone calls.

http://wikitravel.org/en/Iran#Visa

My final route

Total Cost - $2,500

Broken Down:

Food - 435

Gas – 1,150

Campsites/lodging – 669

Parks Pass – 80

Oil changes – 47

Laundry – 22

I didn’t keep track of my miles but it was about 8,500 in total. Drove through 15 states and hit 16 national parks. All pictures were taken with a Samsung Galaxy S7. And I did this thing solo. I bought a 2006 Envoy at the beginning of summer so I lived out of that. I had a tent but it was a little too small for me, so I just folded my back seats down and slept in the car most of the time. I just graduated in Spring and had a job lined up starting at the end of Summer, so I had the entire summer off!

It's awesome, isn't it??? It's called Frontage, and for $55, you get regular, bold, 3D, the bulb effect, and shadows. It's effing awesome. I lusted after it for ages, and finally bought it.

Was in China just last month. Though I was in Shanghai so it may be different to your trip.

I used ExpressVPN and it worked really well. It's paid but has a week free which I took advantage of.

Download DiDi which is like Uber. Useful for getting around as taxis can often have 'mysterious' surcharges for foreigners.

You can download an offline version of Google Translate. This is great because you can just take a picture of the characters and it'll translate it.

Public transportation was very easy to use (at least in Shanghai) and most signs are in English.

Airbnb was significantly cheaper than hotels. We paid <$40/night for a full apartment the center of Shanghai.

Cycling enthusiasts, you must ride whats called the Transfăgărășan. Top Gear called it the greatest road in the world. It's very tough going but sooo worth it.

One spot I particularly enjoyed in Romania is Sibiu (http://wikitravel.org/en/Sibiu). I highly recommend it if you want to chill in a smallish town for a few days.

I flew on British Airways Concorde back in November 2001 just a few days after they restarted service after the crash. They had a special deal of $5k roundtrip.

At JFK they had the Concorde Room lounge where you would board directly to the plane. You could order full meals there, free alcohol, etc.

Boarding the flight it's amazing how small it was inside.. the cabin was not really that much bigger than some regional jets (2.63m wide vs 2.18m on a CRJ). Seating was 2x2. The toilets were crazy tiny. The windows were also very small as well compared with any other flight I'd been on. I felt pretty cramped in the seats (I am 6').

Takeoff was crazy fast and loud. I don't remember anything specific about passing Mach 1 other than the sign on the wall (it didn't hit supersonic until out over the Atlantic). Eventually we hit Mach 2 and 50k feet. They had a special menu and meal. I still have the menu somewhere. The windows got quite warm/hot during the flight.

The flight was only a bit over 3 hrs to London. I spent a few days there to visit my granny then flew back LHR-JFK.

Ah.. found the article about them announcing that fare sale: https://web.archive.org/web/20011127103251/http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/011016/nytu079_1.html

I combined the deal with a trip to New York to see the 9/11 memorials.

Probably referring to these two - took this photo earlier this summer https://unsplash.com/photos/wxKT5C8dtZo Big one is meant to be a giant, smaller one is a hag- legend is they were trying to pull the island but the rope kept slipping or something, can't remember honestly lol

That is a legitimate question. It is mostly for perspective and scale. Not actually good for planning the road trip, more of a reminder of how grandiose our initial plans can be. If you would like a real planning resource check out this site. Much more practical. I'll post a link on the sub in a sec too.

If you are interested in more we are actually releasing a newsletter soon with actual helpful road trip resources and inspiration. This little post was something I saw this morning. I didn't really think it would get much attention.

Awesomely done!

Instead of using Photoshop, try using Hugin--it's specifically made for stitching panoramas, and can automatically correct exposures and stuff. There's a bit of a learning curve, but it's so worth it.

That one happened on Desert Road in Freeport, Maine.

Here is the location.

You can see the shiny new culvert that was installed ater it happened.

I'd recommend Duluth, MN right on Lake Superior. It's very pretty in the summer or fall. Canal Park is the main tourist area, and you can also venture up the North Shore to visit Split Rock Lighthouse and Gooseberry Falls.

I've had good luck with airbnb, actually! We could have gotten a lot more rustic place for cheaper but didn't want to rough it too much. No centralized booking sites that I'm aware of, but you can always pop over to r/Philippines-- we're a pretty friendly bunch and people are always happy to make recommendations.

> A jack is something that comes with the car when you buy it and I think that's because it's part of basic car safety.

A) That's simply not true. And B) if the car gets damaged, YOU pay for it. This isn't about being "avoidable" or not, and this isn't about fairness. It's not fair at all, but it's the reality. Like I said, I had to pay to replace a broken sideview mirror for something that happened to a rental car when I wasn't even in the car.

I'm sorry, but you're not going to win this one.

Edit: Check out this recent article from Consumer Reports.

> Nearly all car companies are eliminating spare tires from their models. ...Carmakers say the reason to skip the spare is due to increased pressure to squeeze more miles out of every gallon of fuel. And ditching a 40- or 50-pound tire and jack helps to increase mpg. A reason they don’t mention as often, though, is cost.

So even NEW cars don't come with jacks anymore!

I just checked.. it's a 2 hour flight with allegiant.

A 2 hour flight isn't enough time to really experience an airline's shittiness. A 5-12 hour flight would be hell though.

I've never flown with allegiant. All I can tell you is that for a short flight, quality isn't nearly as important as for a long one.

Delta isn't a lot more expensive and I vouch for Delta being solid.

Perfectly easy. April 18th good enough for you?

13 night cruise, with awesome stops in Haiti, Puerto Rico, St Maarten, and the super duper Canary islands.

Pop off in Malaga,Spain. Trains suck everywhere but Barcelona in Spain. So, fly to Barcelona for 43 bucks.

Trains there go throughout Europe. $449 cruise, Cheaper than a flight I can find. Leaving Florida at that. $43 trip to Barcelona. Under $500 lovely dollars for two weeks of awesome and cheap transportation.

Don't forget to tip &#3232;_&#3232;

There’s a great amazon prime movie about this man called Upon This Rock that goes through his day to day life. Movie Link

I quit my job the second day after I got back from holiday. This was only a few days ago, on Tuesday this week. I realised I hate most of the people, I hate the bureaucracy, I hate the 9-5 Monday to Friday bullshit, I hat sitting down at a desk staring at a screen all day. I was negatively influencing all aspects of my life.

> it's not like I hate my job or anything, but being in an office from 9-5 is depressing and gets old

> it feels like I'm throwing my life away.

These are your own words. Let me tell you clearly that if you hate the current routine then you should quit and not look back. Why are we doing this to ourselves? For money? Fuck that. I've got 40+ years to earn a living and I'm not going to spend my twenties or thirties in some office typing away my life on a keyboard and mouse on a desk just for a pay check.

I need a good reference from my job so I've got a couple of weeks left at my job before I can pack up everything, but in the meantime, I'm looking at other jobs, just in a cafe or bar so that I can earn some money and then go back to university in September or January. Along with exercising daily and reading, Coursera is helpful with the free online courses as it means I am still being stimulated academically. I've signed up for a bunch of courses again for the first time since roughly December 2014 and they look interesting.

Find out what you want to do - that is the hard part - and then go and do it!

Oh god, go to the Robot Restaurant in Tokyo! It's the most ridiculous, over-the-top floor show I can imagine. I had so much fun - I immediately wanted to go again, as soon as it was over.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g1066457-d4776370-Reviews-Robot_Restaurant-Shinjuku_Tokyo_Tokyo_Prefecture_Kanto.html

Not the right time of year for climbing Mt. Fuji, which is my only other 'absolutely should do' recommendation. You'll have a blast, whatever other choices you make.

/r/Denmark has a nice guide that is continually updated. See if you can find anything there and add your own stuff when you find something cool.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WNxC_W376qIbjxAXs90ZT-obcIh7oD5DG26v9onkn18/edit?hl=en_US

1) You're blaming your mom for your passport being expired. Don't.

2) What is your nationality? If you're a US citizen, these are the requirements for traveling to Canada. If you're traveling with part of an organized group (church, school, etc), you should be fine.

https://www.google.com/flights

Put in your departure airport and "Central America" as the destination then click "Explore destinations". Once the map shows up it will default to "1 week trip in the next six months" change that field to your desired month and options will appear.

As mentioned, last minute flights will be more expensive than flights purchased in advance.

Great photos! As another foreigner visiting DC, I took this photo with a compact film camera many years ago. I visited twice, but I'd like to go back and take better pictures.

New Orleanian here... You're thinking of the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge between Lafayette and Baton Rouge

Insurances do not cover incidents that already occurred. Since you haven't purchased the insurance prior to your friend passing it will not assist you in any way.

Where are you right now?

I see flights from London and Paris for about $300 on WOW Air.

Fly to the nearest major airport on a budget airlines then take a flight to Chicago.

Looking at non stop flights out of MSP:

• Austin $128
• Denver $145
• LA $166
• DC $207
• Orlando $216
• Seattle $224

Stretching the budget and/or adding a stop:

• New Orleans $150
• New York $245
• San Francisco $277
• Cancun $298

http://wikitravel.org/en/Tips_for_flying#b Covers some of the basics, I glanced over it, but from self experience, mid week, tuesday wednesday and sometimes thursday are cheapest flights, actual timewise I've never seen a difference.

Ok :)

You can see the itinerary here: https://www.polarsteps.com/ElineVandeVen/3549774-northern-italy-2020

We spent around 2 weeks in the Northern part of Italy. Flew to Milan, and immediately took a train to Parma (COVID was still quite scary in Milan to us haha). We stayed some days in Parma, then rented a car and drove to Verona. We wanted to take trains first, but we preferred being flexible in the Dolomites. We had a lake day at Garda, and then drove off to the Dolomites. The last days we spent in a relatively quiet Venice! If you want I can also share accommodations/restaurants/other recommendations, just let me know.

I think OP did the whole Tre Cime di Lavaredo hike. We're already planning on going back and spending our full time in the dolomites + do the rest of that hike as well. It started raining really hard when we were halfway, and since we had booked a stay at the rifugio we decided to go there instead of finishing the hike. The hike is not that long, so I would recommend to not stay at a rifugio.

Hope you can go soon :)

I never understand the point of this, but it's always very easy to figure out which flights they are. It's this set of flights on whatever dates you chose. The set of flights you see there probably even shows up just a few lines after this "secret" fare on Kayak.

Here ya go Brah.

https://www.google.com/flights/

Type in Denver for departure, the dates you want to go, and just move around on the map until you find somewhere in the world in your budget.

Enjoy!

Check airbnb. I'm now looking at Zurich and see a couple of rooms for 40$

Travel is easy enough by train. There are signs. Not stressful if you keep calm.

I googled. Travel power strip Europe amazon and got this

Just let me know if there is anything you would like me to google for you!

Search for world map posters (on amazon or so) and then get a nice frame. The standard poster size is 61cm x 91.5cm.

This is a good example (Amazon US, you can see a bit more on the customer pictures). 10-15$ seems to be what most posters (and I assume) of those dimensions and quality cost.

Or if you are willing to spend a bit more for something a bit nicer and possibly bigger then you might wanna look into National Geographic's World Maps although I have honestly just assume those are nicer, NG is known for their great maps but I its also owned by 21st Century Fox/Murdoch, so no clue if quality is still what it used to be.

I went to china for a few weeks some time ago and I had a good experience with NordVPN, all my apps worked just as before. There was a little slowdown in internet speeds but that's what you can expect from any VPN provider. I've been using Nord even before travelling so it was an easy decision for me.

> delete all my social media and banking apps

That's unnecessary advice. You won't be able to access some of them but no one will check your phone/computer.

Skype usually works. Facebook messenger won't. If you really want you can get a vpn - ExpressVPN is $9 for a month. Alternatively set up Wechat accounts on yours and their phone - wechat is completely unblocked.

> low tolerance for spicy food

Just say "bu la", phonetically: boo-lah, or show them "不辣". Means "no spice". Even if the menus are pre-planned, meals are very rarely entirely spicy - the veg and the rice should be edible. Could also pick up some yakult/yoghurt in any 7-11 type corner store and enjoy the spicy food.

OK...you're right...but it looks like it's a maximum of $100 penalty and only if you do it twice within 6 months.

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/990/i-m-a-host--what-penalties-apply-if-i-need-to-cancel-a-reservation

My wife and I stayed here in 2008 and it was amazing. The food was some of the best we had on our trip, here's an album of some of our photos from there

England and Ireland are deadly dangerous. According to my research, 1400 people die in the UK every single day. Over half a million people every year die in England and Wales alone. It's too risky for you to attempt a visit alone. Even celebrities can't escape this fate: last year famous Irish actress Maureen O'Hara lost her life. I'm not making this up, it's true, you can look it up.

So here's my proposal: You stay home, but book a flight and hotel in my and my wife's names. We will go to England and Ireland in your place and check it out and make sure it is safe. We will taste the food and drinks you would consume, visit the locations you would visit, etc. If we manage to return unharmed, then you can make the trip after I get back, with full confidence in your safety.

In the future it's recommended to read the post in its entirety before posting. Take a glance at your calendar, then read the post. Feel free to double check. I was asking for advice to see if there's something I can bring to the appointment that might help. If there's nothing that's fine, I already said it in the post.

You approach every thread with this attitude and it's just a drag on a mostly decent sub.

It is 100% possible for you to travel there on this notice and get lodging. If this is the last chance you'll have to travel for awhile you should totally do it! I went to SE-Asia this past summer through Vietnam and Cambodia and I loved it.

I'm not sure what exactly your price-range is or what cities you're going to travel in but I recommend using TripAdvisor. For example, a highly rated hostel with available rooms on your date run just $20-50 in Bangkok sometimes less. Like this one

If you're willing to spend more money you can get even nicer places for not much more .

I stayed here in Hanoi, Vietnam and it was the best place I think the whole trip. Rooms are only $50 bucks and it's in the greatest location in the Old Quarter. They even offer free airport pick up and drop-off so local travel costs are null.

So long story short, you should definitely just do a little research and it'll be an amazing and cheap experience! For travel inside the country there are trains, cars, short hop flights, a lot of different stuff available for all price-ranges. Unless you get a little "out there" in more remote places say in like Cambodia.

If you end up going to Vietnam/Cambodia let me know I have some tips if you let me know where you're going and anywhere in SE-Asia is awesome :) good luck!

Edit: I should mention if you go to a country that needs a visa make sure you get one ASAP from a rush place it possible!

> You have peaked my interest.

I apologize in advance...but I have to do this. It's a compulsion and I can't help myself.

It's piqued, not peaked.

Peaked means to reach a height of popularity or colloquially to have reached the top of a mountain.

> Is my budget realistic to stay at a relaxing hotel while being able to source our own outings, eats, and night life?

Yes, more than enough.

Look, I just found this place in like 10 seconds as an example: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/4047064

Look at this fat apartment for only $129/night....WAY more chill than a giant corporate dildo hotel. Look at all that space. A pool that's relaxing (it still appears to be shared but with a few apartments not 2,000 tourist zombies)....your own kitchen/fridge...a case of beer is less than $15 in Mexico...$10 gets you a fifth of decent rum/tequila, $20 for pretty good stuff.

Yeah, it's 10 minutes from the beach but who cares? Are you really going to spend THAT much time ON the beach?

Check out all the cool shit to do there: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g150813-Activities-Tulum_Yucatan_Peninsula.html

Ruins, cenotes, caves, jungle, snorkeling/boating.

And yes, you can plan all that shit on your own. I don't care if it's your first time.

Anyhow, that's just one example...I've never even been to Tulum.

We stayed in the downtown area, this was the AirBnB. We paid $280-ish for flights from Chicago to Mexico City on short-notice and stayed three nights.

Common Questions:

• Did we feel safe? Yes. It felt no less safe than, say, Istanbul. We did wander through a slightly sketchy area, but suffice it to say that it's extremely apparent when you're in a bad area. We made the mistake of walking to Plaza Garibaldi. Oops.

• Was it cheap? Incredibly. One Peso ($MX) is about $.05USD, and a torta on the street costs about $35MX. When we went to a nice sit-down restaurant, we paid about $22 USD for two people, otherwise we ate for about $2USD while walking around. I bought a sweater for $8USD. We went the AirBnB route, but there are also a ton of cheap hotels in the area.

• Was the air quality bad? It was never particularly bad, but it wasn't good either. It was more apparent when we left the city, and when to Teotihuacan. You could see the smog cloud permeating from the direction of the city. Neither of us were sensitive to it, but that doesn't mean you wouldn't be.

• What was the food like? It was very carb-y but the tamales were top-notch, I tell you.

• Favorite Part? The people were all very nice. Sure, we paid a tourist tax a few times, and our Spanish combined was barely passable, but people were really welcoming and patient of our making an effort to speak Spanish. More than a few times, people gave us directions without asking because we just looked like lost gringos.

• Would I go again? Yes.

Absolutely! My wife and I produce travel videos and just returned from shooting an 11-day Antarctic cruise in January (left from Ushuaia). Was hands down one of the most awesome trips we've ever taken. Here's the video we made, which might help give you an idea of what to expect. Cheers! https://vimeo.com/90266482
(Also have an Ushuaia video if you're at all interested)

There are numerous shipping companies that offer this service - the one I can think of off the top of my head is Hamburg Süd, but you will have to call their reservation offices to find out. Also in order to avoid going to many ports of call in the USA before the vessel returns to Europe, you may need to travel to the particular vessel's final port of call in the USA. Miami, New Orleans, and Savannah are common. Some even cross the Panama Canal to get to West Coast ports before returning to Europe. Also some vessels may continue on to Mexican, Caribbean, and Central/ South American ports before returning to Europe, so just make sure you find the schedule that suits your needs and won't force you to go somewhere you don't want to go.

Here s the relevant article on Wikitravel - http://wikitravel.org/en/Freighter_travel

Also - /u/jippiejee is correct, the typical prices I'm seeing are being quoted anywhere from $85/night to $110/night.

What exactly are you looking for? You want to visit art museums? You want paintings? Public art? Ancient Art? Sculpture? Contemporary art? Dutch Masters?

Are you looking to purchase art? You want to visit an area where there are working artists, a contemporary vibrant art scene?

Of course the usual suspects for museums would be London, Paris, Rome, Florence, Berlin, Athens, St. Petersburg, Amsterdam.

Here is a listicle of Top 10 cities for art lovers, does that help? This list is: Berlin, Chicago, Florence, London, New York City, Paris, Rome, San Miguel de Allende, Vienna, Washington, D.C.

And here's a TripAdvisor list of the 25 top museums in the world. Not all of them are art museums, though.

Looking at the available routing options, my guess is that you'll end up going on either:

Cologne > Berlin > Toronto > Havana

Cologne > Istanbul > Havana

https://www.google.com/flights#flt=/m/01v8c.HAV.2018-10-04;c:GBP;e:1;sd:1;t:f;tt:o

Neither is a particularly pleasant routing (long layovers)

The airline is obliged to pay for overnight accommodation and meals in these situations. Keep your receipts for reimbursement.

Plenty of good information here. Although I wouldn't go to Tibet and support Chinese government right now, but that's only my opinion. Laddakh, India is strongly influenced by Tibet and is very similar and much easier to travel in.

On that budget and time, I'd suggest Costa Rica. You can take JetBlue to get there. Basically, you get on a plane from JFK, switch in Orlando for San Jose, Costa Rica. The great thing is that you will have more time at your destination. If you fly to Asia, you will be spending approximately two days in the air, which is not the best use of your time.

I've never been to Costa Rica, but I suggested it based upon your budget, time, and likes. Check out the wikitravel page on Costa Rica.

This isn't r/history but since you are a smartass

Here: https://www.amazon.com/Abyssinian-Christianity-First-Christian-Nation/dp/0615652972

&#x200B;

Now that you got your source. Don't reply until you READ IT.

You arn't even the person I replied to...

On Android, I use GPX Logger: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.eartoearoak.gpxlogger&amp;hl=en

On iOS I used to use Pocket Earth Pro, but there are simpler alternatives that just log to gpx right away.

The process is as follows.

1. Start the logging app recording the GPX log to your phone.
2. Open up the Clock app on your phone - anywhere where you see the time accurate to the second.
3. Take a photo of the phone screen with your camera. This gives you a way to later account for differences in time between the camera and the phone.
4. Take photos.

When at home,

1. Get an app like HoudahGeo for Mac (I haven't researched Windows alternatives but I believe there are free ones)
2. Load the GPX track and photos into the app. Any decent GPX/Photo matching app will be able to handle time drifts. Work out the time drift between the camera and the phone from the picture you took.
3. Tag the locations!

Some Gotchas:

• Your camera won't have a timezone field. It definitely won't know about daylight savings. This is a problem if you're near/crossing time zone boundaries because then your phone's time also changes. It's just messy. HoudahGeo for example can tag your pictures with a timezone if you set everything properly. I recommend you do that with your pictures anyway.
• Some Camera/Phone connection apps (Looking at you, Olympus) automatically set your camera time to your phone time. This is annoying when it happens halfway through a shoot and then your drift is wrong...

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with any of these apps.

There is a really cool little village about 20 miles up the road called Slunj that you should check out. I wasn't able to stop there because I was on a bus, but it looks awesome!

DUDE! Here's a cabin ON a waterfall!

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/13057435?location=Slunj%2C%20Croatia&amp;s=eqofJgrK

Probably you should avoid the most unsafe airlines: http://www.jacdec.de/airline-safety-ranking-2015/

That being said, air travel is still, statistically, among the safest modes of transportation, so even the most unsafe airlines are probably safer than getting in an automobile on your local freeway. (Disclaimer: I didn't do the math)

Airline customer service is far more difficult to measure, because when bad things happen (lost bags, cancelled flight, etc.) we will take them very personally, which distorts our perceptions of the situation. Additionally, there are many factors in air travel which are beyond an airline's control, yet the airline bears the full responsibility for making the customer happy. But if you want a comprehensive list of aggregated customer reviews, this is as good as any: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Airlines

As a general rule, budget airlines may offer great deals on fares, but not a lot of customer service when things go wrong typically. "Premium" airline brands may offer more customer service, but they typically cost more. And neither of these "rules" is guaranteed.

My strategy when choosing airlines is to look at all options starting with price. After eliminating flights outside of my price range, I next look at itineraries. I try to minimize the amount of time I have to spend in airports and on airplanes, so this means choosing flights with the fewest number of changes. Once I've identified the ideal itinerary, I look at prices and make a decision from there. With online fare inquiries, it's not at all difficult to compare a lot of flights very quickly and find one that meets my needs.

I recommend staying in the 2nd, 3rd, 6th or 18th. If you can't find anything under $100 on Airbnb in those areas, just stay inside Boulevard Périphérique so you aren't too far out.

I stayed here late last year and l liked it a lot, though there was some street noise on Friday night. The location was perfect, the apartment was clean, and the price was right. The other Airbnb I stayed in isn't on the site anymore.

Interesting that they're ranked #19 out of 331 on TripAdvisor with 450 Very Good & Excellent reviews compared to 23 Poor & Terrible.

I'm sorry that you had a bad time there but from what you described there simply isn't enough wrong in my eyes to warrant a boycott of the place.

Anyhow, I blame myself for starting this internet argument. Enjoy the rest of your trip.

> most attractions I assume would be closed at that time.

I believe you would be wrong. Kalakaua Avenue is the main thoroughfare in Waikiki, and it buzzes from 5 to 9 and later. You'll find many vendors on the street hawking firing ranges with automatic weapons, sunset cruises, and more. You'll see the inevitable metal men, caricaturists, and other performers, brides & grooms getting their photos taken at a variety of locations, and more.

The whole of Kalakaua Avenue is a shopping center with some shockingly expensive togs and accessories. Ala Moana Mall is just outside Waikiki on the Ewa side, but it's walkable; someone has mentioned Ward Center, which is a little further toward Ewa.

If you land at 3, I'd guess you'll be checked in, unpacked, and ready to head out about 5. I'd suggest walking to the beach and strolling in the sand from one end to the other. Wash your feet off, and stroll Kalakaua Avenue and window shop, go in and look at high end clothes and price tags, and admire the tourists and street performers.

Dinner may be tough because of lines, but you could call Dukes or The Banyan Veranda when you get to Waikiki and ask for reservations. Dukes is more casual than the Veranda, but you'll be fine either place. If you can't get reservations, then just hang till you get a table. Eating under the banyan tree at the bar of the Moana Surfrider is very enjoyable, and they have live entertainment nightly.

Drink alcohol lightly, refresh yourself with water-based beverages instead so you're hydrated after that long flight and strolling on the beach. Have fun!

(Oh, and don't forget there's an Oahu reddit.)

I would recommend visiting Mariano Zamorano' sword shop when you're there. Toledo is famous for its history of sword-making, dating back to the Middle Ages. And Zamorano still makes them by hand and runs the shop himself. It is a tiny shop with a big selection of beautiful sword, daggers, that kinda thing. They're not super cheap (I think the ~2 foot blade I got was 150-200 dollars), but its definitely one of the cooler souvenirs you can get in Spain.

The El Greco museum is also pretty neat.

Cappadocia (Goreme) is one of the best places in the world to go Ballooning - looks like you're on the moon, and you can stay in Cave hotels.. pretty cool experience.

Check out the tripadvisor link on the Ballooning: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g297983-d1134547-Reviews-Ballooning_Cappadocia-Goreme_Cappadocia.html

>I know with Cuba the food won't be exceptional but that's a small price to pay.

Depends. State-owned restaurants? Terrible. The few private restaurants? I loved their food. Black market langoustes were everywhere.

In Trinidad, for example, we loved this restaurant. Live music, good food, cheap, lovely setting.

You can actually somewhat trust TripAdvisor in Cuba since it's not mass-touristed yet and so reviews aren't skewed by the foreigners eating shitty Mediterranean food just to get away from local foods.

People like different things. Personally, I think Vegas, L.A. and/or Miami would be fairly similar to each other and fairly boring. On the other hand, they may be just what you want.

I would suggest San Francisco, San Diego, Legoland Carlsbad, New Orleans, and maybe some westarn national parks to round things off. Maybe Vegas if you really think that's your scene. That way you'll spend less time traveling around and more time seeing stuff.

If you google "best places to visit in the USA" you'll find a ton of listicles, I think they would be a great place to start.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-Destinations

http://travel.usnews.com/Rankings/best_usa_vacations/

You should be fine - as the other comment mentioned you will be able to get by with English in most situations, esp. in cities and with younger people. Initiating and closing the conversation (hello, goodbye, thank you) in the local language is a polite gesture, though.

That said, it will make your trip significantly easier (navigation & travel, menus, etc) if you have a bit of reading comprehension and familiarity with some basic vocabulary. I am a huge fan of Duolingo - it's free, fun, and they also have an app so you can practice on the go. You have plenty of time between now summer to learn!

I believe you're referring to the 867 bus. Multiple sources I saw before I took the trip indicated that that bus no longer runs to the Great Wall, and also may have never run during winter months.

This info is provided here:

> August 29, 2014 updates: Mutianyu tourism bus 867 no longer stops at Mutianyu–It ONLY drops you off at Hongluosi (Red Snail Temple / 红螺寺), which is about 20 km away from Mutianyu. Re-opening is unclear.

Also here:

> The only direct bus to the Mutinyau Great Wall section is a special service of the 867, which only runs during the tourist season (15 Mar-15 Nov) [...] The special service of bus 867 to Mutianyu had been cancelled since June 2014. If you still want to get to Mutianyu by bus, it is still possible-you will need to take the bus 867, get off at the Honglousi, the final stop of it, and wait for a special bus service at the return stop of Honglousi (which is opposite the road from the place you get off). The special bus service costs ¥4 each way (¥1.6 with metrocard) and will only depart at 10:00 and 12:00 from Honglousi, and 14:00 and 15:00 from Mutianyu.

In fairness, at a more popular travel time (I was there on the Lunar New Year, when most people are spending time with family), when the drivers can take more people, it's probably easier and cheaper to find the transport from Huairou to the Great Wall. I appreciated the freedom, and adventure, associated with doing the trip myself, but hearing how much people paid for transportation on those tour buses made me think that may have been a better way to go.

Seriously, just fly. You'll get way more out of NYC than you will on some exhausting multi-day slog on a bus or train. It's unfortunate but public transit isn't pleasant like it is in Europe or other places.

Google Flights says there are 5 different flights from Detroit to NYC on August 20, four of them are direct. Spirit airlines comes up with two flights at $201 USD including a carry-on and checked bag. Do that. https://www.google.com/flights?hl=en#flt=/m/02dtg./m/02_286.2019-08-20;b:1,1;c:CAD;e:1;sd:1;t:f;tt:o

Flights out of Columbus in May are around $1000-1400. If you can fly out of Cleveland or Cincinnati you can save quite a bit. Looking at a 2 week window from May11-May25:

$747 to CLE-AMS or $849 to London (both roundtrip)

You can stay in hostels for $30-50 per night in May. Probably closer to $30 but well use $40 for the average.

Train tickets will depend on how far out you buy them if you buy individually. There's actually a sale right now on Eurail. You can get 7 travel days for $516. Can definitely still beat that buying individually in advanced or using buses but well use that $516 number for this exercise.

For the rest well use $50 for food and drinks and $25 for local transit and tourist activities. You can definitely save money on either of these by only going out once a day and not partying too hard... up to you though lol.

• Airfare $1200
• $40*14 = $560 accomodations
• $516 for travel
• $50*14 = $700 food and drinks
• $25*14 = $350 for local transit and activities
• TOTAL = $3,326
• Additional days would be the last 4 bullet points added up divided by 14 soooo $152/day including your train transit. Closer to

If you take that Cleveland flight you can save $500 which would mean an additional 3-4 days of travel. You can probably get travel down another $200 too which would be another day. Amsterdam sets up a nice loop potentially though with budget airlines you can pretty much get back to Amsterdam at the end of the trip from anywhere.

You should consider an open-jaw ticket - BOS-TYO/OSA-BOS - for roughly the same price as BOS-TYO-BOS roundtrip.

You save the $100 on the Shinkansen and you probably don't need a JR pass. Just pay for the trains and the one-way shinkansen from Tokyo to Osaka anyways - it's $100. JR pass is useless inside Tokyo anyways.

> Especially the part where they say "These amounts may vary during promotional periods." in bold font. Like...literally the only bold font on that page.

Are we looking at the same page? The invite page I linked does not have that text. In fact, even if you click through to linked terms and conditions, you won't find mention of the promotional period under the "Qualifying Reservation" section. You have to dig through Help Center -> Account & Profile -> Manage Your Profile -> References and Referrals to find the real terms and conditions page. And even then, the amount ($200) is never disclosed.

> Chillax.

I don't understand where you are getting the impression that I'm hot and bothered. I've only stated my impression of AirBnB's policy based on how they've presented their promotion. Which is, in short:

1. AirBnB has marketed a generous referral credit.
2. However, AirBnB's redemption terms for referral credits are atypically restrictive compared to similar programs.
3. These restrictive terms are tucked away where most people won't see them.
4. This seems misleading.

You're welcome to disagree, but my opinion is that when a company has a referral credit policy that is more restrictive than the norm, it's pretty sly to not disclose the terms on the face of the promotion and instead stick it in a help/support page.

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/735683 - Best view in Hvar like the name says. The inside was actually just completely remodeled. It was amazing having the private terrace, 2 rooms, and a kitchen for $70 a night. We ate every meal on the terrace plus additional wine and cheese breaks. Easy walk into the center of town and a great nightlife on the island.

actually hitler jokes were a very popular meme 1-2 years ago and social networks were flooded with videos of the raging adolf with subtitles being situational humor, to the point that it got boring. still you have to consider differences between youngster humor and reception by the general public - one club in Warsaw made a poster with hitler inviting to a party http://i.wp.pl/rozrywka//gallery609157/2011/02/07/plakat_1297867983.jpg , the target audience bought that, but shit got serious in the media and they even got threatened by prosecutors - no hitler fun allowed [okay guy].

http://translate.google.com/translate?js=n&amp;prev=_t&amp;hl=en&amp;ie=UTF-8&amp;layout=2&amp;eotf=1&amp;sl=pl&amp;tl=en&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dziennikwschodni.pl%2Fapps%2Fpbcs.dll%2Farticle%3FAID%3D%2F20100119%2FKRAJSWIAT%2F229419957&amp;act=url