Welcome!/trv/ is a slow board, you don't need to bump more than once a day -- it's OK if your thread is not on the front page, we look several pages deep here. You can do that. too, looking for threads on your topic.Questions are welcomed, as are threads sharing experiences or generally discussing travel. For very general questions, you can get answers faster at other sites. Google is your friend. Start there, then come back here for specific questions. Some good links for basic info, and a few Pet Peeves of the board, are included within this thread.
For all those wanting information on Vagabonding:http://www.artoftravel.com/index.htmlhttp://www.vagabondjourney.com/Don't forget visa requirements:http://www.visahq.com/citizens/Happy traveling! P.S. Do not post nsfw content on this board.
im leaving to travel europe solo in a few days. and im getting pretty nervous and second guessing this decisioni could use some insight
>>1088739I get that feeling before every trip I take. Right now I'm planning a 2 month trip myself, leaving in about a month and a half. I'm getting nervous just thinking about it. It happens every time.Don't worry, the moment you get on that plane, or the moment you get off it on the other side of the world things will change. You'll realize you have to rely on yourself and there's no turning back and you'll be too pre-occupied with looking for transport, looking for food, looking for places to stay, looking at all the sights, and hanging out or partying with the people you meet to worry about things.I've been on 3 extended solo trips in my life plus many other short ones or ones with family and I still get anxious when traveling.If you have specific questions about Europe ask away.
>>1088751thanks for that im not only doing this to find out more about myself, but that is also one of my goals. what are the chances this trip would make me more confident. im a relatively attractive buy but lack confidence... will this help, or not so much?
Where to go? Zurich/Appenzell/Zermatt/Lucerne/BernInterlaken/Lauterbrunnen/Grindelwald/Wengen/Murren/GimmelwaldGeneva/Lausanne/GruyereAfter a lazy amount of research I've come up with these three areas. Any opinions or suggestions? I know most people will probably suggest skipping Zurich and/or Geneva, but they are conveniently located and accesss into the country by plane and international rail.
>>1088465I recently went to Flims for snowboarding, what is it you are wanting to do?Here is my video of our Flims holiday https://youtu.be/TKF24HGCeDE
>>1088550>touristy This is bad because....?
>>1088466>>1088587>>1088637I go to a lot of countries for many reasons. I'm interested in tjings that can only be done or seen in switzerland, which may be the most popular/"touristy" things which is fine. I want to see picturesqye villages, good scenery and mountains/the alps. Places like wengen, murren, gimmelwald are close so it seems one could see all of them if staying in the area, but perhaps their proximity means youre getting the same scenery, same stuff. So in such a case i wouldnt know which to stay at
>>1088646It's bad because some of our coolest places became literally Disneyland 2.0 just with a higher price tag to get your "I survived xy the ride" picture.
I stayed at a hotel in Basel switzerland . I ate at a restaruant and my meal was 70 chf most expensive meal ive ever eaten. then crossed the alps and drove to florence italy. Everything in switzerland is expensive due to being out of the eu. 1 liter of motor oil is 50chf i saw. even burger king food will be expensive in ch.
So it's a Tuesday, first time to organize and travel alone, and I'm just about ready to book my tickets for an Eastern Europe tour this July-October, and I just remembered: travel insurance.Do you buy travel insurance, anon?What's a good site?How much would usually spend for this?Do you buy this along with the plane ticket from the airline?(Sorry if this is a frequent question, couldn't find it in the sticky)
How many states have you guys been to?
I've done alright.
Blue-HomeGreen-VisitedLight green-want to visit
hmm, actually been to more than I thought before I actually filled this outkansas: home statecalifornia: current state
Can we qualify been toIs it set foot in? Like as in a layover or airportDriven through?Or actually visited and spent the night?
im 19
so i am going to Barcelona for 9 months i have been to Spain before but never Barcelona, i am hispanic so i speak Spanish i know that Catalan is good to know. but what else should i know about apartments. should i bring my bike? i hear it is bike friendly is it worth lugging it
>young single male in 20s, decent earning potential>i like lifting, deep house, weed, banging gingers, and artsy hipster shit>liberal-ish but not a reddit faggotWould I enjoy Denver? There's a chance I might be moving there this summer.
>>1088758FUCK OFF WE'RE FULL!!!
>>1088758It's an okay place. Downtown Denver is liberal while the rest of Colorado is conservative. stay away from federal and east Colfax, ghetto areas.
Here's the deal: I'm a 19 year old college kid who wants to have a damn fun spring break. My uncle owns a house down in Acapulco and generally wants me to come down and visit family. Considering most of my family is from Guerrero, it's meaningful to visit down there. But the dilemma is I keep up with the news and keep hearing pretty ugly stuff about the area, even for tourists. Is it still sprawling with cartels to where I shouldn't go at all? Also, I might have friends interested in coming with me, would it be too dangerous for them?
Shameless self bump
Yeah, Acapulco basically has the biggest cartel presence that's far from the US border...and it's because of all the Western tourists who become their customers.
>>1088713So I'm guessing bad vacation spot for my young white American friends huh?
>>1088763Generally the areas with the biggest cartel presence are the safest, pretty much opposite of what youd think. All that tourist shit? The cartels either are taxing those businesses or outright own it.The more crime committed against tourists in their areas of control, the less tourists that will visit and thus the less money they make. So they actually act as a sort of police - petty thiefs who get caught probably wind up being tortured to death.So yeah. Its "safe", as long as you and your friends dont treat the place as your personal playground and basically shit all over everything. Be a good goy customer and everything will be fine.
>>1088767Huh, didn't think about it like that. Appreciate it mate. Cheers.
I'm going to new york city in a few weeks and one of my favourite things is to taste food and booze from other places (I'm not from the USA).What do you guys recommend to eat and where?
Get Halal B. 53rd st and 6th avenue. You have to be drunk. Then get fake halal for comparison.Find a bullshit food truck on the nyu campus. Otherwise nobody really does decent street food. Don't eat the hotdogs
Most of the food to eat out in New York is immigrant food, of one sort or another.Chinese food in Chinatown.Indian food on East 6th Street.Pizza.Jewish Deli food.Honestly, if you want truly American food that hasn't been adopted by the global franchises, Boston or Philadelphia would be better.For booze, the Brooklyn Brewery produces decent beer, and is reasonably well distributed.
>>1087631There is also plenty of American food. Burgers, cheap Diners, Chains and American food focused restaurants high and low. These are to be found in all neighborhoods. Thats what makes NYC what it is, it basically has everything.
If you try Halal Guys whatever you do don't put the whole cup of hot sauce into your plate.It still hurts.Also Momofuku Milk Bar.
>>1087623ThisThe street food is NYC is SHIT tier.
Trying to plan a trip to Australia and came upon a lot of comparisons between Melbourne and Sydney with Sydney being the more popular one. Anyone able to refute this, even with a different location and help me out?
>>1088509I studied abroad in Melbourne and I second this post, anon nailed it. Melbourne has so many cool restaurants, suburbs, sights etc. not quite as big ticket or recognizable as Sydney but I liked it way better there.Sydney is fine too if you decide, it's not shit that's just what I recommend.
Well, each one has an amusement park named Luna Park (unaffiliated), and the one in Melbourne is superior. Melbourne is kind of like the the snobby, more-refined version of Sydney. Quality or quantity, etc.
>>1088525Alright, i went in their summer (February) and it was pretty hot, temperatures were between 25c and 41c (I'd never been in that heat before, it was crazy) with the average being around 30 probably. Doesn't seem to be much rain, in the 2 weeks i was there there was one big storm that came through and then one tiny little sprinkle, most of the time its pretty sunny with blue skys.Though everyone that lives there complains about their weather being notoriously unreliable, people were telling me it can be 38c one day but only 19 the next.
>>1088745I plan on going for about a week or so in April or May, anything you'd recommend as a must?
Was in Melbourne for two weeks in January and it struck me as a nicely designed city with interesting culture and an enjoyable climate.In 14 days there was only one that was even slightly cold, one was uncomfortably hot at 46c and the rest were comfy low 30s high 20s. It's a lot different from tropical heat though, much less humid. I've only been to Sydney briefly with family when I was like 7 so can't make any comparisons sorry.Make use of trams, explore different ethnic streets and eateries, a few pretty older buildings there if your interested in that. Victoria Street Market is quite large and very popular. Definitely spend some time in St. Kilda. Also I don't know where your from or what your skin is like but I'd recommend sunscreen because my whole back and shoulders peeled during my stay.
Flying first class tomorrow, I know the drinks are free but I am a heavy drinker. Is there a limit to how much FA can give you?
>>1088402I flew with KLM recently and they were more than happy to keep bringing me drinks. If you're on an A380 business and first class have access to the bar which is quite nice for chatting to people in and there's always someone there serving drinks.
>>1088560Yeah but Koreans are Incredible lightweights... So when they see a dude having 2 beers in the span of an hour, they're going to assume he's going to turn into a red-faced pissypants wastecase like those Koreans do...
>>1088402>Not buying at the duty free and wasting yourselfI see how much of a drinker you are, nerd
>>1088572why pay for alcohol when you get it for free on the plane
>>1088408I almost exclusively fly Korean air when it is feasable and I get piss drunk all the time. Sounds like you just had a cunt flight attendant or you are just a naturally loud and obnoxious guy who they thought was drunk.
Big Buddha editionGeneral info:https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/China (preferred, the 'new' one)http://wikitravel.org/en/ChinaHotels:http://hotel.elong.net/http://english.ctrip.com/hotels/Buses:http://bus.ctrip.com/http://www.chinabusguide.com/Trains:Comment too long. Click here to view the full text.
>>1088142* hotel bookings for every day between those flight dates* a daily itinerary for every day between the flight datesWADAFUGGAGEhow do the SUCH DETAILcannot nego hotel once land in China for best price?DAILY ITINERARY wtf maybe i go mcDonald one day, maybe KFC day 2fucking china
>>1088439>how do the SUCH DETAIL>cannot nego hotel once land in China for best price?>DAILY ITINERARY wtf maybe i go mcDonald one day, maybe KFC day 2Not OFFICIALLYYou need this to get the visa. What you do once you have the visa is your business. There's no link between this information and the visa (so far as anyone knows).Just get the visa, then throw those plans out the window.The 'legit' way to do it is to book (pay on arrival) hotels on ctrip and write out an itinerary from lonely planet/wikivoyage. Apply for and get a visa.Then cancel all the bookings and tear up the itinerary and do whatever you want. Only your flights are really set in stone.The less legit way is to fake all sorts of shit.Comment too long. Click here to view the full text.
>>1088439as previously stated, you still seem like a retard, perhaps intentionally or "ironically"nevertheless, it depends from case to case; I've had bad experiences with visas in the past, but I READ BEFOREHAND that other anons only got hotels and flight ticketsI got flights to different in/out cities, booked pay-on-arrival hotels, wrote down the addresses of said hotels as my itinerary and that was that
does it help _not_ to mention that I'll only be passing through China on the dating profile?
>>1088656>does it help _not_ to mention that I'll only be passing through China on the dating profile?Yes, Chinese girls tend to be looking for long-term relationships, not a quick fuck.If you need to ask then maybe leave the pipelining bullshit alone.
There's no Africa thread at the moment...So where has /trv been in africa. Opinions?Anyone come across any trouble or danger when visiting?Also which countries/cities are the safest and best for visiting on a budget. I've hear Lesotho is pretty safe.
>>1087665>>1087851I see what you guys mean. I arrived at Tangier med today and people kept bothering me for taxis. This dude straight up followed me in his cab for half a block trying to get me aboard once I hopped off the ferry. It was all good though. I got on a bus going to Tangier city and enjoyed being the only foreigner packed inside the bus. My plane is on Friday so I'll just have to stick it out. My Latino heritage has some moorish blood mixed in from my long dead spainard ancestors which has given me Arabian features. This didn't make things too bad once I left my backpack at the hotel. We'll see how things go in Marrakesh though.
>>1084976
>>1084976real traveler tee em
Man that "Western Sahara" thing is making me mad. Western Sahara is part of morocco.If you are planning to visit morocco take a look at :-Chefchaouen-Essaouira-Al Huceima-AgadirPic related is Imswan: a small village, near the sea very few people know of this place, there's a small and clean beach, kinda hard to find it but it's definitly worth it. There's also a small traditional port, you can buy all kind of fresh fish for 3 to 10 dollars a kg. And then you can give it to any small local restaurant to grill it on charcoal for you it's the best thing EVER. If you have questions about morocco feel free to ask.
>>1081936Nigeria, Ghana, Ethiopia and South Africaeverywhere else sucks
New Japan General:As always, feel free to ask about:>Traveling to Japan>Living in Japan>Teaching in Japan>Joining the Yakuza>Getting your wee fantasies crushed*Info on prostitution*>http://rockitreports.com/category/sex-in-tokyo/>http://erolin.net/*Note about the JR Rail Pass*Many people ask about whether or not the JR Rail Pass is worth it. It depends on your itinerary.Comment too long. Click here to view the full text.
>>1088689If you travel outside of the Kyoto/Osaka/ Tokyo triangle then you wil see less tourists, but honestly even places seemingly out of the way get a lot of traffic.
>>1088657I'm just saying if it's your first time in Japan, traveling around a bunch will likely be difficult. I definitely struggled when I first arrived and would have more if I didn't have some help from friends. So I wouldn't plan something like a 5 day 5 place itinerary unless you are very confident in your traveling abilities.
>>1088736Not the anon you replied to, but do you think that even if I spent a month in Japan, that I shouldn't do a multi city trip?
>>1088689>hipster japanophileI didn't even know scum like you exist.
>>1088757Quick ask him if he prefers Hosono over Kitano
What shouldn't be missed in Las Vegas?
Lost Wages.
>>1086996Your flight out.
hookers and all you can eat breakfasts
>>1086996The fountain in the Bellagio is kinda cool. The bellagio also has a pretty cool Dale Chihuly exhibit in the lobby.In my opinion, the beauty of Las Vegas is its improbability- splendor rising in the desert like a mirage. Facades the are logically and culturally out of place, juxtaposed against each other. Kind of funny, and if you don't take it too seriously, it's artistically a,aging in a postmodern kind of way.You can also get to the Grand Canyon from Las Vegas I hear, I'm looking to do that one of the next times I go for business.
>>1088707>You can also get to the Grand Canyon from Las Vegas I hear, I'm looking to do that one of the next times I go for business.If you're able to spend a night at the canyon. The sunrise is spectacular and spending a few hours at one of the most beautiful places in America if not the world doesn't do it justice.