travel

I was waiting to board a flight from Shanghai to Hong Kong yesterday, and while I was sitting by my gate, a woman approached me asking if I could take one of her luggage with me because she had "too many". I said no, and thought it was weird. The airline we were flying has a strict luggage policy and they made me check my carry-on before going through security (I wasn't allowed a carry-on), so I wondered why they let her go through with too many bags. When we started queuing to board, I saw several other people, apparently all from the same group, asking other passengers to take their luggage. I noticed one of them had a duty free bag full with several bottle of the same perfume.

What were they doing? Have you ever seen this?

ETA: I know you shouldn't travel with someone else's bag/a bag you haven't packed yourself. That is not the question.

I just returned from two weeks in Kazakhstan, which included a 9-hour layover in Warsaw (great city, a lot more modern than expected). It was one of the best countries I've been to! I had found tickets from Chicago to Astana for only $1k, so I went ahead and bought them, and that was the majority of my budget because I always stay at the cheapest places I can find.

A quick outline of my itinerary:

Astana - 4 nights

Karaganda - 2 nights

(overnight train to Almaty)

Saty - 1 night, as part of a short road trip to Charyn Canyon and Kolsai Lake

Almaty - 5 nights

Astana - 1 night

Some general thoughts:

• I had visited Kyrgyzstan a few years ago, so I was already a fan of Central Asia, and I wanted to return to the region. Even then, Kazakhstan exceeded my expectations. Its cities felt European and although the north is very flat, the south's geography is incredible. It felt like being in Colorado and Utah, with 1% of the tourists.
• Astana is the strangest city I've been to, only because I haven't been to Ashgabat or Pyeongyang. If you haven't seen the pictures of it online, check them out: the architecture is very futuristic and EPCOT-esque. At first it felt weirdly empty and I was afraid it'd be like those Chinese cities that don't have anyone actually living in them. But I found that it has plenty of lively public spaces.
• The train to Karaganda was hot and 2 hours late, but it was also very cheap, so I won't complain too much.
• I had no expectations of Karaganda and I did minimal research about it beforehand. It just seemed like a convenient stop between the two major cities. With that said, it was a very charming city of half a million people. It had beautiful walkways that went around the city, and its central park is massive. The park offers a bunch of activities (boat rides, carnival rides, gym equipment, soccer games), and it comes alive at night with street performers and whatnot.
• If you're going to ride 14 hours across Kazakhstan in a train, spend the little extra for a bed. Don't be like me.
• There aren't many car rental services in Kazakhstan. With that said, the one I used in Almaty was helpful. I rented a car from them for only a day and a half to see the southeast of the country, which is beautiful and well worth the trip alone. In addition to Charyn Canyon and Kolsai Lake, there were plenty of scenic shots along the way, including other canyons. The whole area just seemed otherworldly. I wish I could've seen Altyn Emel National Park as well, but sadly I wasn't allowed to bring the small car I rented to drive on those roads, and I couldn't find a vehicle large enough to do so. Oh well, next time.
• Almaty is one of my favorite cities on Earth. You can take a bus from it to Ile-Alatau National Park, which has some of the most difficult hiking I've ever done. But even within the city, there's something to see around every corner. I was in the city for nearly a week and I felt like I had hardly seen any of it. There were just so many parks, trails, and random city blocks that were worth stumbling upon. Also, I found an adorable Kazakh squirrel that kept me amused for 20 minutes.
• The people of Kazakhstan are extremely friendly. Unfortunately I only know a few words of Russian and Kazakh, and few people there speak English, but the people I did speak to were excited to tell me about their country.
• I started playing Pokemon Go recently (in the year of our lord 2024) and it was pretty fun to play Pokemon Go in Kazakhstan, during the less busy days.
• You should definitely visit Kazakhstan if you can! I don't see it talked about enough here.

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And I'm talking about Economy here. Unfortunately I'm neither rich enough nor important enough to fly business. But they used to be great right? As far as I remember anyway. Nice seats, good Turkish inspired cuisine with hot rolls and a cheese selection, unlimited drinks including spirits and mixers, spacious modern aircraft and excellent entertainment choices. Outside the big Middle Eastern airlines, they were definitely the best. Not anymore.

I've flown long-haul with them three times in the past six months and each time it's been god-awful. Less knee room than Ryan Air, terrible food, very limited drinks, chaotic service. The flight I took recently which was 10 hours, was genuinely the worst flight I've ever been on. I'm 6'2" and I ended up with aching knees and zero sleep. It's as though they've added more seats to their planes, made the food and drinks way worse and not updated anything for years. Terrible. Anybody else think the same, or should I just expect a bad experience on a long-haul Economy flight? I also took a long-haul Eurowings flight operated by Brussels Airlines on the same journey as the one listed above and it was far far nicer that the one on Turkish so that says a lot.

As an aside, I also really really dislike the new(ish) Istanbul airport. Consumerist nonsense. Enormous, chaotic, and so overpriced it makes Dubai seem cheap. Nothing useful there like a pharmacy, just crappy Gucci clothes and faux Turkish souvenir nonsense. Turkey used to be the hub of decent travel, now it's main airport and national airline are rock bottom of the list in both categories for me.

I've been reading your posts about Japan and finally went at the end of April. I've always wanted to go, it was at the top of my list of countries to visit but I've dreaded the long flight and kept postponing it. Well, I went with my husband and we both loved everything about it. We stayed 2 weeks in Tokyo and one in Kyoto and both cities were amazing. The people, the food, the views, the streets, we loved everything. We're already planning to go back. Just wanted to say that you were right and thank you for giving me courage!

Im looking for something cool that’s useful that I can bring back from everywhere I go. I don’t need a shot glass or a dish towel from every city.. looking for something more useful, but with longevity (meaning not food or something I’ll consume like spices/wine). Ideas?

ETA: my fridge isn’t magnetic so magnets are out :(

So is tipping the norm now in Italy? I don't remember having any obligatory tip as part of the receipt in any other european country and the service fee is included as part of the bill. Is this customary for Italy (Rome in this case) or is it how they get unsuspecting tourists to pay more?

I’m travelling from Amsterdam to Newquay on June 19. I’m planning on taking a flight from Amsterdam to London Gatwick first from 7:00 - 7:15am. Then I want to take a seperate transer flight from London Gatwick to Newquay from 9:25 - 10:45am. Is this enough time for me to transfer or is it too risky (possible delay, different terminals). I don’t have checked in baggage, just handbaggage. How does a transfer work on London Gatwick? I’m not sure if I’ll be in the same terminal so I’m afraid I might have to do passport control and security all over again.

I could also take a flight from Amsterdam to London Gatwick that lands at 9:10am and then take a seperate transfer flight to Newquay that departs at 2:50pm. This does give me a lot of waiting time. Is there a little city or place to go outside of London Gatwick on walking distance?

Which is the best option?

For those who do pay it, is it really worth the $50 anually? I'm asking because I need to book a flight from LAX to Riga, Latvia. The site shows me $600 tickets which is not that bad but the thing is I need to pay for extra luggage and that can easily add up. So im trying to figure if it is really worth to spend the $50 on the membership.

What are people’s experiences with the Express Deals? The fact you can’t see the flight info until after purchasing is a bit worrisome. But I also have flexibility for that Friday so is it worth grabbing?

If the destinations are Switzerland, France, Spain, and Portugal (20days), which sim card is highly recommended? Considering the phone is unable to use eSIM service and that I mostly use social media, Google Maps, and Spotify.

I've seen some people recommending Vodafone and Orange, but for Vodafone it's around $30USD for 22GB here. Or should I go to the local store to buy the SIM card? (the 1st stop is Geneva)

Thanks

My family is going to be in Scotland for two weeks, but half of us arrive four days early. For those first four days we will start in Inverness. I am stuck between three options: staying in Inverness, staying loch-side near Fort Augustus, and staying in a lodge in Kingussie to be in the Cairngorms. We are definitely leaning towards fishing, hiking, and other outdoors activities for those first four days BUT I also want to spend a day exploring NC500 (which has us leaning towards Inverness for lodging.) I know logistically this is ambitious but we will have a car and don't mind driving.

After the rest of the family arrives we are doing a few days in Dunan to do Isle of Skye stuff, two nights in Glasgow, and then about five nights in Edinburgh.

Hi! I have never been out of the country. Actually never even out of my state😂 so I am especially clueless about overseas travel. I made a reservation at a restaurant in Barcelona for 20:00. In my email confirmation it says the date and the time of 20:00, but it also says 1-5pm CDT (I’m central time). Can anyone tell me what time the reservation is for in the time zone Barcelona is in? I feel like a total moron right now but I’m so confused😂 The restaurant only has online bookings so I can’t call. Plus I’m too embarrassed to ask anyone in an environment that isn’t anonymous😐 thank you!

Hi all,

I have an upcoming trip to Italy on July 4^th, and am looking for some constructive feedback on whether we are allocating enough time for each city, and whether we are squeezing too much into the trip. We are meeting with our friends halfway through the trip and will head to Naples together. The general itinerary is as follows:

July 4: Arrive 12:45 PM, travel to Florence by Train

• Get a nice dinner and settle in

July 5-6: Florence

• I really want this to be about R&R and not so much hustle and bustle, we like the little things and just want good food and ambiance but will be trying to see:
  • Giardino delle Rose
  • Walk the Arno river
  • Visit Uffizi and the Galleria dell’Accademia
  • Eat and relax – Haven’t dove deep into areas here but will be doing digging and open to opinions

July 7-9: Rome

• Arrive to Rome mid-day on the 7^th and meet our friends here who just came from the Dolomites 
• Do touristy things like see the Vatican, colosseum, Roman forum 
• I want to have enough time here to see the big things but not feel crazy rushed
• I am also worried about the July 4^th rush so don’t wan to spend TOO much time, I want this to be a relaxing enjoyable trip

July 10-13: Monte di Procida / Naples

• This is where our friends have a place so we will spend time in the village and also visit Naples proper.
• Take the train either the morning or evening to Monte di Procida 
• Day trip to Naples
• Take the train ~10 AM back to Rome for a 5 PM flight on the 13^th

I’m planning a trip to Germany (solo) and im wondering what are the best places to go see and the fastest way to get around.

I’ll be in Konstanz for a week doing a school course at the university. After that I’ll have a week to do whatever I please.

Some places I noted: - Munich -Lake Ebisee - Konigsee - Neuschwanstein castle

Is this worth it? I was going to rent a car since these places are quite far from each other. Is there a better way to see Germany in a week? And what hostels or airbnbs would be central to do so.

Other option: Malta, Italy

Hello. I was under the impression that most apps are banned from China, such as whats app etc. However, after arriving here I've found that everything still works fine. Does anybody know what this is about as I'm a tad confused and don't want to get into trouble. Thanks

I need help renting a car in Mallorca; it has to be as cheap as possible, with no deposit, but still safe! Does anyone recommend something? I'm looking at the Mallocar website and it seems interesting. Thank you for your help 😁

For a two hour stop maximum. Small detours are fine.

I'm willing to go either through the Ambassador Bridge or the Blue Water Bridge.

Things I've already done: Warren Dunes, Bear Cave, Michigan State Capitol, Oil Heritage Museum

Things I like: nature, museums, architecture, history , etc

Please don't suggest anything that's actually in either the origin or destination city, only things along the way.

Thank you!

Hi All!

I am planning my first trip to Europe in mid-October of this year and am just trying to gauge travelers opinions on my planned itinerary. We will be flying in from Boston and are hoping to go to a few different places as we may be moving back to the west coast next year so want to take advantage of living significantly closer to Europe. The supposed itinerary is as follows: • Amsterdam (arrival city, 1-3 days) •Belgium (1 day) •Copenhagen - including day trip to Sweden possibly? (2-3 days)

Thoughts on how doable this would be? Should I X any places and replace with others? We are aiming to do Northern/central europe as it is much cheaper than western and southern

On what day of the holiday is best to write and send? If you’re going away for a week?

Hey,

With family (2+2; 11,9 yo) we are going to spend a week in January on Gran Canaria. I’m wondering if it’s better to stay in Las Palmas and rent a car to travel to south or stay south (Maspalomas?) and travel to the north.

We like to go to restaurant for a late dinner and after that go to see something more just than vacation homes. But on the other hand we like to spend sometime on a beach during the day. We are not looking for attractions like amusement parks etc. Just to rest, chill and have always something to eat next to the corner, especially in the afternoon.

Both options have pros and cons, one day I think that north is better and the next day the opposite 😉 so I’m looking for some advice from more experienced travelers or someone who was or live there. Thanks in advance!!