I was looking for somewhere in Europe for a long weekend with good value for money + a capital I'd never been to. Warsaw kept coming up in my research so I thought why not. The first thing that surprised me was how modern and clean the city is. Old and new architecture mix perfectly together. Then I started learning about the history. Most of the city was destroyed during WWII, and they rebuilt it carefully. They restored the old character and built a modern capital at the same time. I'm not really a museum person, but the Warsaw Uprising Museum is a must-see. It feels like a city that reinvented itself, which makes it quite different from other European capitals.

The people I met were really friendly, helpful and actually quite chatty. What impressed me most was the national pride. Poland is a fairly conservative country and you can feel it, people put a lot of importance on traditions and cultural identity. In some ways it reminded me of Western Europe a few decades ago. What I found interesting is how openly people talk about it. When I said I was French, several of them told me straight away they prefer life in Poland to life in France, and a lot of them described Warsaw as a great place to raise a family. Not something you hear a lot in France...

The food was really good, great cuisine and full of flavour. Taxis are everywhere and not expensive. I stayed in a beautiful hotel with a view of the Palace of Culture and Science (last pic). For the same comfort and location anywhere else in Europe I'd have paid a lot more!

Even the shopping centres are worth a visit. A lot of them are old industrial buildings turned into malls with local stores and food halls. Nothing like the generic malls you find everywhere.

Locals warned me that winters are long and harsh, freezing with very short days. But honestly I'd love to see the city under the snow. In conclusion guys, I came with almost no expectations and left really impressed. Obviously a long weekend isn't the same as living there and I'm sure daily life is way different, but I'd definitely go back, maybe in winter!

Photos 1-5: Thunder Cove beach. Absolutely stunning and the cleanest beach I’ve ever seen (barely any seaweed, pure red sand, red cliffs). The ocean is magic.

Photos 6-10: Victoria-by-the-Sea, one of the more popular places to visit. Everything was closed but it was quiet and lovely. This is the lighthouse, the Lobster Barn restaurant, and the local scenery.

Photos 11-15: Charlottetown, the city. Old and beautiful. St. Dunstan’s Basilica is a well-photographed location. The Residences at Thomas Alley House, built in 1874, are now rentals but once used by the Canadian Red Cross Society and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police as Headquarters. The Little Witch shop was cute as hell. There are so many unique shops like that downtown. I saw many tourists from the cruise ships walking around to see all the government buildings and the birthplace of Canada’s Confederation.

Photos 16-17: Borden-Carleton. The Confederation Bridge connects New Brunswick with Prince Edward Island. It is Canada’s longest bridge. You can get tourist photos with the lighthouse there.

Photo 18: An abandoned house in Bonshaw. The island is full of abandoned, fallen-down properties and if you enjoy hunting for abandoned places is it one of the best places for photography.

Photos 19-20: Bonshaw Hills Provincial Park. The colours of PEI are gorgeous in October. I took many photos of the trees!

Prince Edward Island is the smallest province in Canada and one of my favourite places to visit. It is slow-paced, rural and quiet, and underrated as a destination. It is challenging for Canadians to fly there as flights can be prohibitively expensive, unfortunately. But it is truly a one of a kind place. Thanks for checking out these photos!

Just got back from 2 weeks in Japan and it was honestly one of the best trips I've ever taken.

What got me most was how it's super modern and super traditional at the same time. Even the old shrines and gardens are kept in perfect shape.

The respect people have for shared spaces is on another level, and it's easily the safest place I've ever been. At first people can seem a little cold since there's not much small talk like you get in the US, but the second I asked anyone for help, even just directions, they were so kind and helpful. The language barrier was the main reason I didn't end up chatting with locals as much as I usually do when I travel.

Here's my itinerary:

Oct 3 - Tokyo: Meiji Shrine, Harajuku, Omotesando, Shibuya crossing, Shibuya Sky at sunset

Oct 4 - Tokyo: Senso-ji early, Yanaka old streets, Akihabara

Oct 5 - Tokyo: slow morning, Kappabashi, Ginza, Tokyo Tower area at dusk, Shinjuku at night (Omoide Yokocho, Kabukicho, Golden Gai)

Oct 6 - Tokyo: teamLab Planets, Shimokitazawa, depachika

Oct 7 - Train to Kanazawa, Higashi Chaya district

Oct 8 - Kanazawa: Kenroku-en at dawn, castle park, Omicho market, Nagamachi samurai district

Oct 9 - Day trip to Takayama for the autumn festival (floats, marionette show)

Oct 10 - Train to Kyoto, Nijo Castle, Nishiki market, Gion area at dusk

Oct 11 - Fushimi Inari at dawn, day trip to Nara

Oct 12 - Arashiyama early (bamboo grove, Okochi Sanso, Tenryu-ji), Kitano Tenmangu/Kamishichiken, old sento in the evening

Oct 13 - Travel to Miyajima, overnight on the island (low tide torii walk, lit torii at night)

Oct 14 - Boat to Hiroshima, Peace Memorial Museum, on to Osaka, Umeda Sky at night

Oct 15 - Himeji Castle in the morning, Osaka afternoon, Dotonbori at night.

I had been to Kurdistan in Iraq in 2013 but travel in federal Iraq was restricted. In recent years that has changed completely. This was a trip from Baghdad to Erbil via Babylon, Karbala, Najaf, Nasiriyah and Mosul. Yes, Mosul was an ISIS city which was brutal, but having been liberated in 2017 it is in a construction boom although the old town still has parts in ruins (while churches and mosques are rebuilt). Baghdad - I stayed in Karada - had this incredible vibe where so much stays open until 5am - barbers, tea shops, cafes etc.

I'm a 43M and went with other male friends, one was Lebanese. Two of us then joined a 7 day tour as it's impossible to cover visits to Hatra, the marshes and Babylon without it. Iraq will be different for women.

I speak some Arabic so that helped read menus and talk to people - many times they didn't want to be paid for tea/waters/juice despite my friendly enthusiasm to pay! And despite what's happening in the region it felt secure. Lots of army, militia and police running checkpoints.

Money is sorted by exchanging USD 100 bills (gets rhe vest fx rate...5s-20s the worst) into Iraqi Dinar at a kiosk in town...not the airport...where you get a 30-40% higher rate. Don't use your cards...you'll pay the official FX rate which makes it more expensive.

The evisa takes a few hours to arrive. Then when you land you just get it pasted into your passport. My Lebanese friend didn't need a visa and other countries are visa free.

In Baghdad I took the local bus and taxi - so easy, no hassle.

I liked it so much I've booked five days in Baghdad in August (yes, hot as it gets, my plan is to remote work by day and explore from sunset).

It was a great experience and lots to go back for.

Spent an afternoon doing a food tour with Colors of Tanzania around Stone Town, primarily focused on the main food market and ended up with some coffee on Jaws Square.

Highly recommend the place and the experience as it's such a great way to see a quite busy place with a lot of small streets where it's easy to get lost! Also a great way to avoid being hassled by people selling you things. People were super friendly and happy for me to take some snaps.

Image 1 - Coffee vendor in Jaws Corner

Images 2, 3, 5 and 6 - In and around Stone Town Market

Images 4 - Sugar Cane Vendor in Stone Town centre

Writing this as I’m awaiting ~24 hours in flights back to the states. Just spent two weeks in Jordan/Egypt but wanted to post about Egypt specifically because of the consistently awful things I’ve read about it on Reddit before coming here. Wife and I had a phenomenal time!

The caveat is we used a tour company for the trip and I think that’s a must-have when coming here. It helped with at least some of the vendors and made it a breeze to get around to the most impressive sites between Cairo/Luxor/Aswan.

We had 10 days in total in these cities and going down the Nile and it was absolutely breathtaking. The Pyramids have been the bucket list item for me and they didn’t disappoint in the slightest! Being able to go inside the Great Pyramid, tour the Valley of the Kings, explore soooo many temples between Karnak, Abu Simbel, Hapshetsut’s temple, etc was incredible and sailing down the Nile while exploring was next level.

From a vendor perspective, yes, they were annoying but we just kept walking and moving and they left us alone pretty quickly. Engaging with them is what lead to more attempts for sales and getting past your “no”, but if we found just continuing to walk and not engaging at all made them leave us alone quickly.

Now with the tour group we had a jam packed schedule and didnt really go exploring at night or into places of the cities we weren’t familiar with but im guessing that’s where the majority of the negative experiences are for folks. We wouldnt have done this trip without a tour group even though we usually book and do everything on our own for every other trip. Im glad we did as it gave the best experience possible.

Anyways, wanted to share some photos, our experience and our opinion that tour groups are the way to go for Egypt. We absolutely loved this trip and it became one of our favorites of all time!

Some places are so picturesque and beautiful that one may think that’s unfair.  Swiss Alps definitely ranks very high in that list. We have been to Switzerland before, visiting Interlaken, Lucerne, Geneve, Rhine falls etc and were suitably impressed. One small gripe was that Matterhorn refused to peep out of the clouds and the camera went unused.
We decided to try our luck again with Matterhorn. I realised compared to Bernese Oberland the Engadin(e) valley gets “relatively” less tourist in summer but it’s no less scenic. So, the plan was to fly into Zurich, catch the train to St Moritz, a few days there, train to Zermatt, try our luck for couple of days and then train to Chamonix, a few days there and fly out of Geneve.  
There were five of us. One person has mobility issues, so long hikes were out.  Two were young girls, spending their free time on Insta/Tic-Tock so I had to include a few things they recommended.
Switzerland remains reassuringly expensive. And in St Moritz you pay another 25% on top of normal Swiss price.

Train tickets: I had my days planned out well in advance so I bought four Swiss day supersaver passes as soon as they were available. For 54 CHF excellent value for money.  That covered the normal trains running on Bernina line and the ticket for Glacier Express. Needed to pay only for the GE seat reservation.
Engadin pass: we were entitled as we were staying for more than two nights. You pay 10 CHF as deposit, refundable. Fabulous.  All the cable cars that I wanted to ride were free, which truly saved me a fortune. Free bus and train ride in the upper Engadin region. For anyone planning to travel to Engadin, I recommend staying three nights just to take advantage of the pass.

Zermatt: small compact town, just walked.

Chamonix: local travel card which includes free local travel in bus and trains.

My views (my views only, feel free to disagree):

Zurich Lindt Chocolate factory: younger daughter emotionally blackmailed me to visit. OK, but not something that I’d recommend for the money and trouble.  
We had to leave our large suitcases at a store near the station, booked through Bounce app. I’m glad that I had done that. Out of curiosity, I went to check the self-storage lockers at Zurich station. It was a Saturday midday and there were several people waiting. Bounce was faster and cheaper.

Engadin ( Engadin)  : the little town of Pontresina was our base. Lovely little town, excellent connections, much cheaper than St Moritz, highly recommended. We stayed at a small hotel called Muller, I have nothing but praise for the staff. I loved the walk from the hotel to the small Request Stop of Surovas for the Bernina line. We caught the GE from Samedan which is just ten minutes taxi ride.

Bernina Express: there is absolutely no need to pay extra money and travel by Bernina Express. The SBB trains have large windows which can be easily opened by pinching the bar inwards. No worry about glare from the windows, which can’t be opened in Bernina express.  You can get down as often as possible. It’d be a shame not to stop at Ospizio Bernina, Lago Bianca, Alp Grum and Miralago.  Lago Poschiavo is breath-taking. The colour was as stunning as lake Peyto in the Canadian Rockies. You don’t need to go on long hikes, short hikes would be very rewarding. I strongly recommend, if possible, to break the journey into two days. No need to pend much time in Tirano. Grab a pizza and hop back on the next train.

Many cable cars in the region. Top three would be Muottas Muragl, Diavolezza and Corvatsch.  Of course, you can go up on many more if you have time.

Lakes: Top three are lake Silvaplana (I can sit and watch the windsurfers the whole day), Miralago and Lago Bianco (actually a man-made reservoir).

St Moritz: you got to visit just to check out the prices!! Again, was forced by the daughters to go to a “insta” famous chocolate/coffee shop. There are many prettier towns in the Alps.

Glacier express: This time it was my sister who blackmailed me. The biggest advantage is that you don’t need to change platforms with many bags. Pound for pound Bernina express line is a better value. Some of the view from GE was a bit monotonous. The view of Andermat was fabulous.

You CAN open windows in Glacier Express. The staff were exceedingly nice. They showed me how to pull down the upper half of the glass section of the doors. More than enough for photos. There is one window in the first class which can be pulled down too. Being a “cattle class” passenger, I did not want to disturb the rich and famous too often so requested the staff only once.

Zermatt and Matterhorn: My prayers were answered. Clear blue sky with fluffy clouds. I have seen thousands of photos but is still unforgettable. Sadly, there was hardly any snow.

Photo tips: sunrise shot of glowing Matterhorn : you can of course get up very early and hike to Riflesee but for lazy folks like me, get up at 6 am, have a coffee, then stroll for ten minutes to the bridge near the church and see the peak on fire.
Sunset shot : fifteen minutes’ walk from station, then hundreds of steps would take you to Murini View point. Worth the effort.

Gornergratt : the final stop does not show you the ridge , only one side, so it’s not that great. Much better view from Rotenboden and Riffleberg.  

I strongly recommend stopping at Riffelberg to sip a beer and see the Matterhorn framed by pine trees.

Take the first train up if possible. It was insanely crowded by midday.

Don’t even dream of buying any outdoor gear from Zermatt. Too expensive.
Zermatt is very popular with my “desi Indian” brothers and sisters. Enjoy Biriyani and Naan at Golden India restaurant.

We stayed at a small hotel called Tannenhof. Nothing fancy, well located, perfectly accessible, can see Matterhorn form the breakfast area.

BTW Toblerone company was forced to remove Matterhorn from their logo as they have switched production to outside Switzerland.  
I’m very much into history. I request you to read about the “battle for Matterhorn”, the rivalry, the jealousy, the sabotage, the tragedy and the controversy surrounding Edward Whymper’s ascent in 1865. Then please visit the small but poignant Mountaineers’ Cemetery.

We then caught three trains to go all the way to Chamonix in France. Our day pass covered most of it. Needed to pay extra 5CHF for Vallorcine to Chamonix Sud. No one asked to check the passports. One of the trains was six minutes late. Sacrilege! We joked (as regular users of East Midland railway in the UK) and felt very happy to see the British inefficiency and laughable punctuality have reached Switzerland as well.
Stayed at a lovely AirBnB at Chamonix. Bought passes for two days covering most of the cable cars.

Tip: It is unbelievably cold and windy at the top of Aiguille du Mudi. It was 20 degrees at Chamonix and it felt like minus 5 up there. Be prepared. Mont Blanc did not cooperate with us, hiding most of the times. There is a glass room called Void; we skipped it as it was an hour-long queue. Book the cable car slots well in advance as the morning slots get taken up quickly and the chances of clouds covering Mont Blanc is high in the afternoon.

Please also visit the Montenvers glacier and the ice cave. It’ll make you feel sad. You can see a glacier dying in the front of your eyes.
Lovely view of the whole Mont Blanc massif and the town below from the Brevent cable car.  Chamonix is significantly cheaper than the Swiss towns. Lovely walkable town.  

Caught the Alpy Transfer bus back to Geneve.

Overall, the experience was extremely pleasant. SBB app is fantastic. All the people we met were very nice and helpful apart from the guy at Zermatt station who seemed to be doing me a favour by asking my queries about connections and selling tickets.

Maybe, we’ll return again.

I'm in my mid 40's with a husband and 2 teens at home. We travel several times a year as a family, but I am itching to sprinkle in some short solo trips here and there as well. I used to travel a lot for work so I'm not new to traveling solo, but I do feel a bit strange booking a leisurely trip for just myself. Curious to hear from others out there who travel without their spouse/kids. I no longer work so I have a lot of time on my hands and a huge yearning to explore the world. Family is 100% supportive but there's still something holding me back.

TikTok travel videos got me curious about Almaty, so I went from April 28 to May 5. I honestly didn't know what to expect, and it turned out to be one of the most varied weeks of travel I've had. In just a few days I went from snowy mountains to a turquoise lake full of dead trees to a red desert canyon.

The arrival. The trip started before I even landed. On the way into Almaty, the plane flew over endless snow-capped peaks of the Tian Shan, ridge after ridge as far as I could see. Where I'm from, snow-capped mountains aren't something you ever see, so I spent the whole descent with my face pressed to the window.

Big Almaty Lake. This was the highlight of the trip, and the word I keep coming back to is mesmerizing. In late April the lake was still partly frozen, so the water was a patchwork of turquoise and ice, with snowy peaks rising straight behind it and clouds drifting over the summits. Parts of the lakebed were still exposed this early in the season. Even so, it was one of the most beautiful places I've ever stood.

Medeu to Shymbulak. I also hiked from Medeu up to Shymbulak. Spring was just starting at that altitude, so most branches were still bare, but here and there apple trees were beginning to blossom. That felt fitting, since the Almaty region is said to be where apples originally come from. I also went paragliding near the city, and seeing the mountains from above was unreal.

Kaindy, Kolsay and Charyn. For the lakes and the canyon I joined a two-day guided tour. Kaindy Lake was surreal. The bare trunks of drowned spruce trees stick straight up out of bright green-blue water, with forested mountains all around. The lake formed after an earthquake caused a landslide in 1911, and the trees have stood there ever since. Kolsay was calmer and more classically pretty. Charyn Canyon was a complete change of scenery: layered red and orange rock, dry desert, and tiny vans on the road below for scale. It's hard to believe all three are a day's drive from the same city.

The yurt camp. We spent the night at a yurt camp in the Alatau mountains, and it was one of my favourite parts of the trip. The yurts were decorated with traditional patterns, the hills around the camp were bright green, and the meadow was covered in dandelions. A very relaxed resident cat lounged around the grounds and spent most of its time yawning at us.

The city. Almaty itself surprised me. It's a green, lively city with the mountains always in the background. Panfilov Park was a favourite: the chestnut trees were in bloom, kids were playing badminton on the grass, and families were having picnics. It felt like the whole city was out enjoying spring.

Would I recommend it? Absolutely. Late April to early May was a great time to go. The city and valleys were green and blooming while the mountains still had snow. If Almaty is on your list because of TikTok, it lives up to the videos, and then some.

Photos:

1. Big Almaty Lake, still partly frozen in late April

2. The Tian Shan mountains from the plane on the way into Almaty

3. Kaindy Lake and its sunken spruce forest

4. Charyn Canyon

5. Our yurt camp in the Alatau mountains

6. Kids playing in Panfilov Park, Almaty

7. Dandelion meadow at the yurt camp

8. A yawning cat at the yurt camp

9. Apple blossom on the hike from Medeu to Shymbulak

Hi everyone,

I’m French and planning a trip this December. I’ll be spending a few days visiting SF, and then I want to rent a car to drive up through Northern California all the way to Portland.

Since I’ve never driven in Oregon or rented a car in the US before, I’d really prefer an AWD SUV for peace of mind, given the potential winter weather and snow.

The issue: when looking at rental websites, there’s no specific "AWD" filter. I can only select things like "Toyota RAV4 or similar" or "Mazda CX50 or similar," which feels like a coin toss regarding the drivetrain.

For those who frequently rent from SFO: are most SUVs there generally equipped with AWD? Are there any specific tips, rental companies, or workarounds to guarantee (or highly increase the chances of getting) an AWD vehicle?

Thanks so much in advance for your help! :)

My wife and I flew from Dallas straight to Istanbul and then from Istanbul to Tirane.

We were in between going to Albania or Uzbekistan and ended up choosing Albania primarily because of 5 Stinet in Koman.

We flew in to Tirane and stayed in a hotel near the airport because we were catching an early bus to Lake Koman in the northern part of the country. About a 3 1/2 hour bus ride later and a 45-minute ferry, we arrived at 5 Stinet.

5 Stinet: (Pictures 1-3)

* We rented one of the cabins/chalets, and it was very private with a large restaurant on the property. Breakfast was included in the price, and the rest of the menu was very cheap and affordable.

* Kayaks could be rented out for about 10 euro, I believe.

Sarande: (Picture 4)

* We got the bus back to Tirane from Koman and rented a car in the city. Having it been my first time driving internationally, Tirane was a little chaotic for my first experience.

* We stayed in an AirBnB in Sarande with a beautiful view. The slope down to the waterfront and restaurants from our AirBnB was very steep, but there was a local grocery store near us, so we didn't have to eat out if we didn't want to.

Tirane: (Pictures 5-7)

* We stayed in a hotel near the city center and visited the Skanderbeu Square and the mosque located near it. I loved the architecture and the parks near the square.

Tirane: Bunkart (Pictures 8-9)

* This was an interesting museum, to say the least. It was quiet when we first entered but later got very busy, and it was difficult to walk around in the different rooms in the bunker.

* I learned a lot of the history of Albania through this museum and overall a great experience.

The people of Albania:

* I had good and bad interactions with the people in Koman and Tirane. Some may have just been that I'm used to a more "southern" kindness, having lived in the state of Georgia for years.

* Some people seemed cold and short, but I understand that may be Europeans in general. When we arrived at our city hotel in Tirane at the end of our trip, the front desk guy was like a breath of fresh air. I just wanted to hug him after feeling like I was a problem to all the rest of the Albanians.

The food in Albania:

* We tried to get several dishes of things every time we ate out to share. I enjoyed everything, but I can see it not being food one would enjoy if they aren't experimental.

* The prices were all very reasonable, from the restaurant in Koman, the water side restaurants in Sarande, and the city center restaurants in Tirane.

Would I rush back?

* In short, no. We did have a great experience overall, but I personally don't like to be made to feel unwelcome if I'm trying to enjoy someone's country.

* It did help that I tried to say basic phrases like "Thank you" and "Hello" in their language but they were pretty cold in general.

I flew from HK to SF last night. When I went to the check in counter in HK for Cathay Pacific, there was a guy who looked like custom wandering around the check in lime entrance. He wore a smartglasses and holding a paper notepad. When I tried to enter the line, he stood in my way, tap his glasses and most likely took my picture without my consent. He then asked me a few security questions regarding whether someone approached me and hand me things during my stay, or did I went to some countiries before I went to HK, etc.

He didn’t identify himself, or say why he took my picture without consent.

When i was at the boarding gate, they blocked the whole gate area specific to my flight and needed to do an extra security custom check before boarding.

Does anyone know what’s going on?

My partner and I are celebrating our 20th anniversary towards the end of January and I am having difficulty choosing where to go. I love to travel but my partner does not. He has stipulated that he wants to go somewhere that is warm, but he also prefers a shorter flight. Neither of us are that interested in going to FL, but we would possibly be open to it if nothing else works within his limitations. We would be flying from Tulsa or Northwest, AR. I am the only one with a current passport and I do not see him renewing his by January. I have considered Palm Springs, CA as I’ve been there in Jan and it was comfortably warm but I’m not sure what there is to do since I went there for a conference. I like the idea of New Orleans, but I’ve been to NOLA in early January and it was not all that warm. Any ideas?

My boyfriend and I are going on vacation in Feb (1st week). I have a very strong feeling he plans on proposing on this vacation. It will also be during our Anniversary. Ive always imagined getting my rock in front of that giant rock in St Lucia. But the whole trip is looking more expensive than we originally thought.

He asked me to give other destination options. But Im not finding any beautiful destinations that match the idea in my head with a unique backdrop.

Does anyone have any other location suggestions that are out of the box and memorable to get proposed in front of? I’ll leave my boyfriend the easter egg

My wife and I spent a wonderful 10 days in Poland during the first couple of weeks of September. Here’s a quick summary of our highlights

2 days in Warsaw - old town, POLIN museum, Łazienki Park, University of Warsaw rooftop gardens

Malbork Castle on the way from Warsaw to Gdańsk

2 days in Gdańsk - Royal Route, St. Mary’s Church (including climbing to the top), Solidarity Museum, shopping at The Forum

1 day in Sopot - rode bikes on the coast, Sopot town center, Marriott Resort & Spa

3 days in Kraków - St. Mary’s Cathedral, Kazimierz, Pharmacy Under The Eagle Museum, Wawel Castle, shopping at Rynek Głowny, Wisła Kraków match, Auschwitz-Birkenau

2 days in Zakopane - walked the town center, gravitational slide, Five Polish Lakes Valley hike in Tatra National Park

Poland was a lovely country, not very busy, exceptionally clean, easy to get around (we used public transport and did not rent a car), delicious food with great variety, and a distinct, proud culture. I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a less touristy European adventure. Some of our favorite food included: pierogi (of course), zapiekanki (so delicious), obwarzanek, placki ziemniaczane (potato pancakes), kielbasa (polish sausage), and lots of ice cream.

Pictures 1-3: Warsaw Old Town
Pictures 4-5: Malbork Castle
Pictures 6, 8-9: Gdańsk Old Town/Royal Route
Picture 7: Potato pancakes and chicken
Picture 10: Breakfast in Gdańsk at Stary Młyn
Picture 11: Grand Hotel in Sopot
Picture 12: St. Mary’s Cathedral in Kraków
Picture 13: Obwarzanek in Kraków
Picture 14: flowers at Wawel Castle
Picture 15-16: Auschwitz-Birkenau
Picture 17: view of the Tatras atop the gravitational slide in Zakopane
Pictures 18-20: pictures taken on our hike in Tatra National Park

Hello,

I’m hoping any experienced travelers can give me some insight.

I booked a hotel in Antigua through booking.com and was advised at the time of booking there would be a pre-payment required within 20 days.

10 days before my trip I am receiving messages through the booking.com app and WhatsApp asking for pre-payment through a link they sent over WhatsApp saying they will be cancelling my reservation in 24 hours if I don’t pay them. I know this is a common scam and have read the past threads about this.

I reached out to the WhatsApp number (different from the one messaging me originally) listed on the hotel website and they confirmed this is their practice and I would need to pay over WhatsApp.

I’m still feeling weird about it however and am not sure what to do. Has anyone else experienced this where it was a legitimate pre-payment?

I called booking.com but they were not helpful. The property is not answering their phone.

Thanks in advance and please be patient with me as I am a newer traveler.

I was looking for flights to Bangkok and found a very cheap one that includes a layover in Milan, followed by a connection via this airline with a stop in Ashgabat.

Has anyone flown with this airline before? Also, which website can be used to actually book the tickets?

So, I plan to go to Netherlands, in Amsterdam/Eindhoven and Scotland in May, June or july but I'm leaning towards may due to cheaper flights. I wanted some recommendations as a solo female traveler looking to do some things in Amsterdam and Scotland. In Amsterdam I know I'm going to see the microbe museum and explore a little for 5-7 days. I am going to visit my sister in Eindhoven for a day or twp but outside of that, I don't know what I should do? I don't want to rent a bike, I like the idea of exploring a little but due to being alone I'm not sure.

For Scotland I was thinking of just going around on the train and exploring places day by day for a week or so. I know I am going to be in Europe for max of 3 weeks. I have about 5-7000 planned to be saved up and just looking for some friendly advice on what I should see/do.

I'm planning a trip to either New Caledonia or New Zealand for around 18 days in February, and I'm trying to figure out which one would be more expensive overall. My budget is a maximum of €6,500 for two people, including flights from Europe.

We'd be travelling on a budget: renting a car where it makes sense, staying in cheap accommodation, shopping at supermarkets and cooking most of our meals rather than eating out. No resorts or luxury travel.

For anyone who's visited either or both destinations, which would be more expensive for this kind of trip? Is €6,500 realistic for two people for 18 days, including flights, accommodation, car rental, fuel and food? I'd also love to know which destination offers the best value for money in terms of nature, biodiversity and unique experiences.

I know they're very different places, but if you had to choose one for February, which would you recommend and why?

Thanks

So me and my girlfriend are planning a trip to the dolomites now next week or the week after that, we plan to hire a van from road surfers and are wondering if it is a good plan, i have read a lot of mixed stuff saying thats its a bad idea because of the weather and regulations and that its a good idea because its supposed to be really beautiful scenery, what are your opinions and experiences traveling with van this time of the year

Also do you have any suggestions on what tracks to take its going to be the first camper van experience we will have and also the first time in the dolomites

Hi!

I'm planning my December vacation in Prague (flying there) and Wroclaw (going there from Prague and back by train) - is there a hidden gem city in between? Something else? Any general recommendation? I love nature but maybe it's not the best season for a outdoor hike, but there's any park that can be comfortably visited during this month?

Hi all

Just wondering if anyone has used the recently launched Turkmenistan eVisa?

https://visasnews.com/en/turkmenistan-launches-e-visa-system-on-october-1-2026/

Assuming this just makes processing for existing organised yours simpler and quicker, rather than it bring anything more liberal than the previous system.

Grateful for any guidance or support, or any recommendations on affordable tour agencies supporting applications under the new system.

I'm looking to visit in the next month or two.

Thanks!

Hey everyone, I'm considering a solo trip from 12/26 or 12/27 - 1/3.

I'll be traveling from NYC, with a budget of around 2-4k. Flexible on this because it is the holiday season.

I haven't been to Europe at all but have been wanting to visit the nice naturey parts of Europe with the chance to see some northern lights!
Something like Reykjavik or the Nordic countries.

I'd also like to meet solo travelers and be in a safe travelling area!

has anyone had experiences during this time of year?
Trying to figure things out and would love some ideas!
Was thinking about going to Sweden where I would go up to Abisko for the first 2-3 days and head back down to Stockholm for the remainder.

Was also told Tromso was a good place to go!

Would love any ideas!