Hi. My Gf from thailand accidentally booked a 31 day ticket to come to me here in the philippines. The ticket as of the moment cannot be refunded/cancelled anymore and the visa free privileges for thai nationals are only for 30 days what should we do??

p.s People have been telling us that she can just go without visa and apply for an extension for 1 day on the day of her flight

Sorry for the editing I don’t know why it added all the slashes when I copied it.

I’m travelling to California next month for my husbands 40th birthday. I’ve spent quite a bit of time reviewing our itinerary (I’ve made a few other posts) and I think I’ve nailed it down.

A few points

-we want to drive a chunk of the PCH/highway 1 as this is a bucket list item for both of us. We know it will be a lot of driving. We come from an area with terrible traffic (Toronto.. 100km can take 2-3+ hours easy on a bad day) and we do long drives for short stays often. We’ve accounted for traffic and long car rides, we have no hard deadlines and are excited to take our time and drive and explore without our two toddlers.

-flying into SFO and out of LAX. Flights are non refundable, all hotels are free cancellation a day or two before travel so we can still change most things. Price is right is my husbands birthday bucket list item and we already have tickets so that is non negotiable.

-we are pretty chill people, we’re happy just wandering around or sitting on a patio drinking cocktails, eating good food and trying different restaurants. We like lounging by the pool or beach but this isn’t necessarily that type of trip. We don’t mind art or shopping but we don’t seek it out or plan things around it. We like a leisurely walk or bicycle ride and pretty scenery, fine dining and fancy cocktails but we also love a good dive bar and live music.

Here’s what I have right now:

November 13 - San Francisco
\\-Uber or cab from SFO, arrive at hotel around 2pm
\\-Hotel: Fairmont San Francisco, 2 nights
\\-Explore San Francisco, cable cars, pier etc and dinner

November 14 - San Francisco
\\-Guided wine tour with hotel pickup and return
\\-Muir Woods, lunch, wineries in Sonoma & Napa
\\-Relax around the hotel in the evening

November 15 - San Francisco to Watsonville 
\\-Easy breakfast and explore area in the morning 
\\-Pick up rental car from hotel and leave around 11am
\\-Drive to Watsonville - approximately 3 hours
\\-stop for lunch along the way 
\\-Arrive at friends house around 3pm
\\-Hotel: friends place, 1 night
\\-friend will take us out to explore

November 16 - Watsonville to Morro Bay
\\-Leave friends around 9:30am
\\-drive to Carmel and do 17 mile drive on the way 
\\-arrive in Carmel around 10:30am, explore and have early lunch
\\-leave Carmel around 12pm
\\-Drive Highway 1 through Big Sur, allowing time for stops (Bixby Creek Bridge, McWay Falls, Ragged Point and Elephant Seal rockery, Niner Wine Estates)
\\-Arrive in Morro Bay around 6pm
\\-Hotel: Anderson Inn 
\\-Explore Morro Bay and relax around the hotel

November 17 - Morro Bay to Santa Barbara
\\-Breakfast and easy morning, explore Morro Bay, check out of hotel at 11am
\\-Start drive to Santa Barbara 
\\-stop for lunch along the way 
\\-arrive in SB, check into hotel
\\-Hotel: harbour view inn
\\-explore 

November 18 - Santa Barbara (birthday!!!)
\\-spend day cycling the beach, eating, drinking, having fun! 
\\-Dinner at Silvers sushi restaurant 

November 19 - Santa Barbara to Price is Right
\\-Leave hotel around 7:30am
\\-Arrive at Haven Studios around 11am
\\-The Price Is Right taping, approximately 5 hours 
\\-Head to hotel when finished, around 5pm
\\-Hotel: the garland
\\-dinner, drinks and hang out at hotel 

November 20 - LA to Santa Monica to LAX
\\-check out of hotel at 10am
\\-drive to Santa Monica, arrrive around 11am - lunch at the Georgian, walk the pier 
\\-Leave SM around 1:30pm
\\-Drive approximately 1 hours to LA
\\-return rental car 
\\-Flight home at 5:30pm

Hello all,

I ask this as i was flying from SFO T2 to YYZ, I went to the T1 duty free though as it was much larger and had more selection, but i was not permitted to buy anything from it, and was restricted to only buy from the T2, which is very lackluster.

Thank you!

EDIT: All the terminals are connected PAST security.

EU citizen traveling to India for a friend’s wedding. I submitted my e-Visa application, and the very next day I received an email asking for a bunch of additional information.

Some of it I’d already provided in the application, while other questions ask for more detailed information, like my employer’s full address, phone number, and email. They’re also asking for copies of the front and back covers of my passport.

The email address looks legitimate (indian-evisa@gov.in), but the whole thing feels a bit odd, especially since they’re telling me to respond within 24 hours.

Has anyone else had this happen? Is this a normal part of the Indian e-Visa process, or should I be concerned about a potential scam?

I’ve been to India several times before and never had to deal with anything like this, so I’m a little confused.

I'll be turning 30 soon, and I was wondering how travel changes as you get older. I didn't start travelling until 25, and really enjoy it, but am starting to feel like I have to rush to get the travel in as young as possible (which I'm hoping and thinking may not actually be the case!)

I really love travelling, but as I'm getting older, I'm thinking about how my perspectives on life and the world change.

The things I'm wondering are how you interact with the world differently at different ages, the different types of things you choose to do while you travel as you get older, how the world interacts differently with you at different ages, and if you have less energy to do things.

I'm honestly a little worried that travel may not be as good at older ages, but the more I think about it, I think it may actually be better in some ways as you're older, so maybe it's good at any age, but in different ways.

Sorry if this is a dumb question, it's just been on my mind lately. I'd love to hear your stories and experiences, especially from people older than me!

We visited Thailand in November last year, and damn, I still miss that place so much. I don't think I've ever visited somewhere that left me with this much positivity even after a whole year.

The people, the vibe, the cities, the food, the overall atmosphere… everything was just amazing. One of my favorite memories is our stay at Phi Phi Island. Such a beautiful, peaceful place with crystal-clear blue water views. Just being there, surrounded by that scenery, felt unreal.

The only regret is that we didn't have enough time. We were rushing around and couldn't experience Thailand the way I wish we had.

Honestly, I feel like everyone should visit Thailand at least once in their life and spend at least two weeks there, taking things slow instead of rushing from one tourist spot to another. Explore the cities, stay by the beach, enjoy the food, watch the sunsets, and just soak in the atmosphere.

Sometimes you need a place like that to disconnect from your usual routine and reset your mind.

It's crazy how a trip can stay with you for so long. I really hope we get to go back someday and experience more of Thailand at a slower pace. ❤️

Anyone else feel this way about Thailand even long after coming back?

Looking at the various Wallet Cards, and trying to find the best one. So, which do you use to ensure you don’t lose your wallet/purse/passport.
Spotminders
Ekster
Ondrela
There are many more to chose from, which do you use?

Hey guys!

I am living in Europe and as of last year, I pretty much got everything checked off my list I want to see besides a few bigger life goals like Iceland.

It is time to leave my comfort zone now. I found a pretty fair priced opportunity for Curacao being the best option as a European speaking neither French nor Spanish to go into the region. A friend made me aware of Dengue and I am really hesitant about it.

According to my local health departments, getting a shot against it is not recommended if you never had it before, so I might not get one beforehand. The more I read about it, the more complicated it seems to get, as apparently you can only get it from a specific mosquito species biting someone else who has the disease, making it pretty random. Plus, I am a person who gets all of the bites, which increases the chances. I've been in Portugal 2 years ago and I got 30 mosquito bites just counting the ones on my left foot.

This makes me kind of hesistant to go, as I don't know how effective repellents would actually be. Is this just something you gamble on getting when you go to those regions? I'd rather not go to a country where it is kind of random to get a disease that won't be fun, but on the flip side, this apparently blocks me out of lots of places I would like to visit, especially as the countries would be perfectly safe apart from this matter and that feels annoying.

Can you get me some guidance on how to deal with the entire Dengue topic? It kind of ruined the idea to go to paradise, so I hope someone can turn it around for me (realistically)

Thanks!

My grandfather passed away early this morning. He was a ray of sunshine and made friends everywhere, and I really mean everywhere.
My memories are him and my grandma taking us on hikes, telling us stories about their recent travels, and of course the small trinket souvenirs they brought back for us.
He went everywhere, and made friends every place he went too. I miss him already but i feel so inclined to tell you to go!

Hi,

I have a flight that gets me to KL at 720 in the morning and from there I have a connecting flight to Labuan Bojo at 1045 am. Both the flights are operated by Air Asia but the ticket mentions self check in. So I am guessing I will have to re check in for the Labuan Bojo flight at KL. Both the onward flight to KL and the flight to Labuan Bojo are from Terminal 2 i. e I will be at the same terminal. To save time, I am carrying a backpack less than 7 kgs with me as cabin baggage and avoiding collecting baggage from the terminal. So here are my questions:

1) Do I need to go through immigration to check in again considering it is the same terminal as I am not technically getting out of the terminal?

2) Assuming that I do have to get through immigration, do I have enough time to catch my onward flight?

Assuming here that both tickets will be different PNRs. If they are the same PNR, I shouldnt be having to do any of this. I will also be filling the MDAC beforehand just in case thats necessary.

Thank you for the help, in advance

My sister is visiting me in sweden but she has to fly from Chile (Santiago) to London (Heathrow) and then to Stockholm.

She has to wait 4 hours in Heathrow for her flight to Stockholm

She’s flying next monday, would she need an ETA? I booked her flight, on the same website and everything. What do you guys think?

I also applied one for her but it got rejected for some reason, maybe the picture? Anyways i don’t wanna pay 300kr again to apply just to maybe get rejected again, thats bs.

What do you guys think? Thanks for helping me out

We are looking at flights from STL to Crete or Santorini (Greece). Most of the flights have a connection in another country. I have tried to have the connection in the US to avoid immigration/customs adding risk of missing our flight connection, but the cheaper flights have the international connection. Am I overthinking this connection? Any suggestions on how best to manage or what airports might be less risky? YUL, LHR and FRA are 3 of the airports coming up.

I took a 14 hour flight from london to tokyo last year and being stuck in the same seat for that long half drove me insane so I booked one with a transfer, 8 hours and 5 hours with a 3 hour layover to go for a walk and take a breather. Coming back was even worse because the main characters in front of us reclined all the way back the second they sat down and had to be told to righten their seats at meals.

What do you prefer?

Edit: this post is getting down voted by main characters 🤣 you know yta.

Hello travelers,

I am arriving in Bali on November 10th with 7 weeks ahead of me. My plan, when I booked the trip, was to mainly surf and explore the islands. I was planning to visit Bali, Lombok, Sumbawa and potentially the Mentawais. Unfortunately, I injured my shoulder back in January, and at this point I’m 90% sure I won’t be able to surf. I’m also suffering from a runners knee, so the chances of hiking a lot are also looking increasingly slim.

Have you visited Indonesia for a longer period and had a great time without surfing or hiking and what have you done? I am pretty open to suggestions.

I’m a hobby photographer, and I love to meet locals and learn new cultures and customs, so I was thinking about renting a motorcycle with a one way drop off to explore Bali, Lombok, Sumbawa and then circle back to go across Java to Jakarta.

I tend to get kind of restless, so I’m not the kind of person to kick back and do nothing for multiple days in a row.

Looking forward to hearing about your Indonesia trips that weren’t exclusively for surfing and hiking.

Edit: In regards to the motorcycle trip, my injuries are not so bad that I can’t handle a bike. At least I don’t think so - I’ll obviously test it beforehand.

Edit 2: About the route. I’m also considering swapping out Lombok or Sumba for Sulawesi.

Looking to make a different type of tip and considering a South American rainforest trip or a Borneo trip.

Have done African safaris before.

Please share any experiences or thoughts!

what would you recommend doing during that time of year?

Hey everybody, in the process of planning a trip to visit the Dalmatian Coast in August 2027! My wife and I will have 7 or 8 full days and will be flying in and out of Dubrovnik. From my own research I’ve broken us out into 2 options and would love to get anyone’s tips or recommendations who have either done the trip or live there, etc.

Option 1:
- Split our time between Dubrovnik and base there for 3/4 days. Use this time exploring the walls, maybe doing a boat tour, visiting Lokrum Island, etc. Then spending the remaining 3 days in Budva Montenegro at one of the hotels on the beaches exploring there and visiting Kotor / Perast / etc. I saw there was a seasonal ferry that runs from Dubrovnik to Budva and thought that could be better than the bus in late August.

Option 2:
- Spend 3 days in Dubrovnik doing the same as above. Spend the remaining time on Korcula, unsure on renting a car but relaxing on the island for the whole time. Considered also doing something like Hvar as well but we want to avoid moving around too much if we can.

We’re not high maintenance people, like street food/normal restaurants, not into the high end bars/restaurants that people look for on vacation. I like history as well and we enjoy swimming and beaches.

Would love to hear anyone’s feedback, maybe I’m missing something great entirely! Thanks :)

I plan on volunteering across the world in exchange for a place to stay. I've seen a lot of people getting into it and a lot of great stories so I want to try it

For context, I am 18 AFAB and have never really traveled on my own before so just assume I don't know even basic stuff

There are a few things I've done already:

- since I've been scammed before, I've got in contact with the hosts I'm interested in and they both seem very reliable so far. They hold a conversation well, are very kind and understanding, don't rush to respond or seem desperate, etc

- both of the hosts I'm in contact with have social media and websites linked to their profile, so I checked that out and it seems legitimate. It's not like they made a scammy profile the day before or anything, they both have been posting for like a decade, the pictures and videos are consistent, they post themselves and stuff often and that's consistent, there doesn't seem to be change in behavior, etc

- they have both asked to arrange a video call to get to know things and to let me ask any questions I need or want. In the past with scams, that's a telltale sign: if they don't want to call, it's fishy

- they both have pretty reliable seeming reviews about their hosting and the experience. The reviews range from 7-12 in quantity and span over the decade they've been on the platform

So I feel pretty comfortable, but I want to hear other peoples thoughts. What are some things you'd check for like red and green flags? What's something I should ask? What would you keep an eye out for? How can I keep myself safe if I go through with it? Anything along that will be helpful! Thanks!

Going to NYC in early December for just a few days. I'm absolutely blown away by the prices of hotels...

The average pricing seems to be $7,000 for 4 nights, for a 175 sq ft room.

I really want to be as close to everything as possible, while not paying an arm + a leg (+ preferably a nice view).

Any recommendations at all? I don't mind spending ~$1k per night.

Hello! I am a first time poster here, and I’m hoping for feedback or advice on our tentative japan itinerary. Thank you in advance for taking the time to read this!

Background: early 30s, traveling from the US, first visit to Tokyo. We are primarily interested in museums, architecture, cultural sites, nature parks/walks, and of course food! I am hoping this trip balances quieter locations with the bustle of Tokyo. It’s a bit of a short trip (11 days), and we will be traveling to see family for Christmas when we return to the USA. I’m hoping to give us time to see the sights without returning home exhausted.

The route is set due to two bookings: Ghibli Park tickets, and our ryokan reservation.

Route:
Tokyo (2 nights) → Nagoya (3 nights) → Hakone ryokan (3 nights) → Tokyo (2 nights)

Day 1: Arrive Tokyo
Arrive mid-afternoon at HND, check in to lodging in Shinjuku, store extra empty suit case in luggage storage (for bringing back gifts and goodies!) stop by 7-11 to buy snacks for the following day, explore the surrounding area, dinner close to lodging

*note: we are returning to the same area for our second Tokyo leg, so picking up the bag will be easy/convenient

Day 2: Tokyo
Meiji Jingu Shrine, Meiji Jingu museum, Yoyogi Park (if time allows), omakase (near Gaiemmae), The National Art Center, Omotesando winter illuminations (if energy), dinner/drinks

Day 3: Tokyo → Nagoya
Check out, store luggage near Nezu Museum, Nezu Museum, Shinkansen to Nagoya, store bags in lockers (if check in not available, otherwise move check in to this step), Atsuta Shrine, Osu Kannon, pick up bags from lockers, check in to lodging, Oasis 21, hitsumabushi for dinner (if possible!), drinks if we have the energy

Day 4: Ghibli Park
Full day at Ghibli Park. Premium O-Sanpo pass (acquired). Arrive before the park opens, check out the Lawson for snacks, Grand Warehouse timed entry at noon, check out the Nabano no Sato illuminations if we have energy.

Day 5: Free Day (Inuyama)
Train from Nagoya → Inuyama, check out the castle, Kiso river bluffs, urakuen garden, sanko inari shrine, haritsuna shrine, Nanak no Sato if we didn’t the previous day (& have energy), train back to Nagoya, dinner and/or drinks

Day 6: Nagoya → Hakone
Check out, Shinkansen to Odawara, train or bus to Hakone-Yamato, forward luggage to ryokan, taxi to Pola Museum of Art, taxi to ryokan, check in , kaiseki dinner, onsen/relax, drinks if we feel up to it.

Day 7: Hakone
Kaiseki breakfast, Old Tokaido Road, Amazake Chaya teahouse stop, Hakone Open Air Museum, dinner, onsen/chill (potentially take this as a full or half rest day)

Day 8: Hakone
Kaiseki breakfast, Tozan Railway, cable car, Owakudani, ropeway, Lake Ashi cruise, Hakone Shrine torii gate, taxi or train to lodging, kaiseki dinner, last onsen/chill night.

Day 9: Hakone → Tokyo
Kaiseki breakfast, Romance Car back to Shinjuku (booked the same lodging as the first leg for convenience, but open to changing), Takeshita Street, gifts/ shopping in shinjuku (torch torch, pokemon center, etc), dinner & drinks

Day 10: Tokyo
Sensoji Temple, Nakamise Street for gifts, sky tree, lunch at sky tree, free afternoon, pick up stored luggage, back to hotel to freshen up, pack for departure, dinner/drinks in Azabu-Juban

Day 11: Depart
Check out, last minute shopping near by if time allows, train to HND for flight home.

You made it to the end! Thank you again for reading. I appreciate any feedback or advice you might have!

Hi! I am looking into planning what feels like a last minute trip for my family of 5 to the alps for mid- late December of this year. Not including flights I’d like the budget to be $12,000 USD. I’ve looked at France, Italy (Dolomites), Austria and Switzerland options and it’s a bit overwhelming as I’ve never been to any of these regions nor do I know anyone with 3 younger kids to ask questions to. I’d love any insights on what’s a practical budget to have in mind or how to make this possible. I’m open to literally any and all insights and advice. I’ve looked at San sonnea but I haven’t commit to any one area yet as I’m hoping this is even possible with this budget. I realize this is the highest time of year to travel to any of these locations.

Hello I am a dual citizen of USA and Mexico. However I will be visiting Maldives and Dubai and curious which passport to present. I will be flying from Chicago to Dubai to Malé. It will be 5 days Maldives 5 days Dubai.

Hello, my wife and I are planning a one-month trip in mid-January 2027 where we would work remotely for 2 weeks and take an additional two weeks of vacation for exploring. Currently, we have narrowed down the choice to Thailand and Sri Lanka, but are unsure where to go. Thus, we still do not have the detailed plan. We love nature and scenery, but also enjoy exploring populated cities. Both of these countries offer both and we would like to explore them but we need to carefully plan the trip because of our work obligations.

For one, we need to have a stable and reliable internet connection to be able to work remotely. Therefore, we assume, that staying in a bigger city/cities during the first two weeks would ensure we can function normally. Which country has the overall better internet connection? Is there any difference between hotels and Airbnbs? What to look for/be aware of when booking a place to stay? What to avoid? How would you plan 2 weeks of work + 2 weeks of vacation in these countries? What would you do for the first two weeks and what for the second two weeks?
Please feel free to share any insight, from what you would do to where you would go and stay. Switching cities in the first 2 weeks is an option, as long as it satisfies the internet connection prerequisite.

TLDR: We are planning two weeks of work + two weeks of vacation in Thailand or Sri Lanka. Looking for advice on how to organize the trip, where to go, and what to do. Good internet connection is a must for the first two weeks.

The capital city is a popular place to go but for some reason it never been on my radar. Has an extremely walkable historic district full of interesting restaurants, coffee shops and small artisan run tourist oriented local products. The city is also very well maintained and clean. The streets felt safe to walk day or night, even outside the tourist district .The weather when I was there was perfect with low temperatures around 60 and high around 72. I especially enjoyed the variety of local restaurants and street food along with a ridiculous number of coffee shops. I stayed in the historic district and could walk to a local market with food and souvenirs or equally to the downtown tourist District. I took tours to Monte Alban, local cooking class, and a bus ride to the beach town of Puerto Escondido. I would definitely recommend a visit to anyone interested in Mexican food or culture.

I’ve heard that traveling with a newborn is easier than with an older baby, but I’m wondering if that still applies to a really long travel day.

I live in Europe and am considering visiting family in the US over Thanksgiving (~2 week trip) so my baby can meet some very elderly relatives. Unfortunately, there are no direct flights, so the trip would involve a layover, resulting in 20+ hours of travel.

I’m already planning to make the same trip next spring when my baby will be 7 months old. The only reasons I’m considering Thanksgiving are that I’ve heard flying is easier when babies are younger, and I also worry about waiting too long for my elderly relatives to meet my baby. But ultimately I’m not sure if it makes sense to force this trip if it’s too ambitious.

Has anyone done such a long trip with a newborn? I’d love to hear your experiences!