travel

The original post: /r/travel by /u/Mountain_Form581 on 2024-11-13 19:10:19.

Hi everyone! I'm (25, from the Netherlands) planning a backpacking trip through Argentina, Chile, and Bolivia from early January to late February. I'm arriving in Buenos Aires on January 2 and flying out on February 24 (again from BA), total 52 days to travel.

Route -->  I'm planning to focus on Northern Argentina, Northern Chile, and Bolivia. I’d like to skip Southern Patagonia but am considering a stop in Bariloche. I feel like Patagonia is an amazing experience but is just too expensive in the high season and too far away for such a short trip. Don’t mind an intense itinerary but prefer not to rush through everything.

Budget -->  backpacking, aiming for budget accommodations (dorms or double rooms in hostels). Open to night buses to save time, and a few short flights if necessary to cover more ground efficiently. Travelling with my girlfriend so I don't want to stay in dorm rooms all the time.

I have the following destinations in mind for each country

Argentina: Buenos Aires - Bariloche - Mendoza - Salta - Jujuy - Cordoba(?)

Chile: Puerto Montt - Santiago (+ Valparaíso) - Valle de Elqui - San Pedro de Atacama - Iquique or Arica

Bolivia**:** La Paz - Copacabana (Isla del Sol/Titicaca Lake) - Santa Cruz - Sucre - Uyuni

If I'd manage all this, I have to make a circle to end up in Buenos Airos on February 24. Here’s the rough outline:

Buenos Aires - Bariloche - Puerto Montt - Santiago/Valparaiso - Valle de Elqui - San Pedro de Atacama - Iquique/Arica - Copacabana - La Paz - Santa Cruz (skip?) - Sucre - Uyuni - Jujuy - Salta - Mendoza - Buenos Aires

I could use some advice on this very rough version of my itinerary. Are there spots or hidden gems I should add? Are there places I should skip or spend a particular amount of time in? Is this a realistic itinerary, or will I never be able to see all these places? I've heard that Santa Cruz (Bolivia) might not be worth it, same goes for Córdoba (Argentina, which I didn’t include). Is it worth heading all the way down to Bariloche/Puerto Montt? I figured that going to the deep south for Patagonia is too time-intensive and expensive, but would this alternative “make up” for it? I also feel like there's a lot of room in between destinations in Argentina. If people have good suggestions for in between stops to check out

Also would appreciate tips on traveling between these areas, including reliable night buses, affordable flights, crossing borders etc. Thanks so much in advance!

The original post: /r/travel by /u/Kampai88 on 2024-11-13 19:06:29.

Hi there!

Last year I went to Panama and really liked it there; the city, the rain forests and wildlife. However, due to sickness, I didn't visited the San Blas islands. It is like a dream for me to visit a place like that; a tropical island.

Now I am looking for a destination which you could compare with it. I would really prefer that the flight from Amsterdam has a maximum of 10-11 hours. Places like Thailand, Philippines are too far away.

So, what would you recommend?

The original post: /r/travel by /u/Key_Interview_6326 on 2024-11-13 19:00:27.

Looking for a late night restaurants

The original post: /r/travel by /u/bat_mitzvah on 2024-11-13 18:53:33.

We had booked our flights to Madeira a long time ago. Our original plan was to go to on a few hikes and explore Madeira. But things have changed now as my wife is 6 weeks pregnant and will be in her first trimester when we come to Madeira.

How would you recommend we plan our itinerary? We're coming for 4 days. We can do smaller hikes but nothing too strenuous or slippery. What activities would you recommend?

Thanks!

The original post: /r/travel by /u/huachengs-eyepatch on 2024-11-13 18:50:39.

I know there’s a limit for liquids in hand luggage but is there any for the hold luggage? Can I take unlimited liquids such as perfume, skincare, makeup etc?

The original post: /r/travel by /u/Purple_Feature1861 on 2024-11-13 18:44:48.

I just wanted to talk about my incredibly experience in New Zealand. I'm heading home to England today. I always wanted to visit and while I am in between jobs I decided to have my chance.

I was originally meant to be spending only 19 days there but I extended my holiday to 25 days during my visit.

It has been honestly a fantastic experience! If you ever wanted to go to New Zealand or wondering if you should visit, then I say do it! Do the south and the north islands!

I would say my best experience was a dolphin watching cruise and Hobbington in Auckland. I loved visiting both Milford and Doubtful Sound, the scenic flight from Milford sound was definitely a huge highlight. I also loved seeing the glow worms in some caves nearish Auckland.

A highlight was also going on the Luge in Queenstown, it was a very quick experience but I loved it, going on a whale watching tour in Kaikoura and walking a three hour hike through a trail called Hookers Valley, was also a fantastic experience!

I also loved visiting Castile hill as well!

If you go to Christchurch I also definitely recommend going to Willowbank wildlife reserve and the Antarctic centre, there is a shuttle that goes to both places, anyway, and going on the Tram to explore the city centre! All fantastic experience!

I loved my time here so much! I don't plan to come back simply because of the cost and I'd rather visit another new country if I go far away.

It was a brilliant experience! Fairwell New Zealand! I'll always remember and miss these fantastic times! I miss them already and I haven't left just yet! Ha!

The original post: /r/travel by /u/Existing-Employee631 on 2024-11-13 17:48:13.

Criteria 1: has a clamshell zipper main compartment opening, with the non-opening side at the bottom of the backpack (i.e., it fully unzips around both sides and the top)

Criteria 2: has bi-directional/2-way luggage handle pass through straps, so that the backpack can go either upright or sideways on a rolling luggage bag.

The 2nd criteria is understandably difficult to find in bags, because it takes more engineering to make it work. I technically found one yesterday - the SwissGear Hybrid Travel Laptop Backpack 21.5 inch, which has the vertical strap for the backpack to go sideways on the rolling luggage, and then it has a horizontal strap at the very bottom portion of the backpack to make it go upright on the rolling luggage. However, the bag won’t stay on the rolling luggage since it’s only attached at the bottom. It would need a 2nd horizontal strap at the top to keep it in place (annoyingly, there is a piece of strap fabric at the top but it’s sewn fully into the bag - so close!).

Anyone know of anything out there? The main purpose of this bag would be as a personal item on airlines for travel within the US.

The original post: /r/travel by /u/tumamaesmuycaliente on 2024-11-13 16:53:04.

In Hanoi and planning to fly down in a few days. Anything we should know?

The original post: /r/travel by /u/PopeAxolotl on 2024-11-13 16:30:53.

Hello! My gf and I are 4 days away from our first real vacation together: a 2 week trip to Europe, also our first timing traveling internationally together, my first trip to Europe, and both of our first trips to Germany + The Czech Republic.

We’re flying into Frankfurt and have an hour to switch planes to fly to Berlin. We’re hanging out in Berlin for about a week then heading to Prague for a few days before heading back to Berlin to fly home.

With that, do y’all have advice for novice international travelers headed to Germany and The Czech Republic? Any and all advice is welcome. Spots to see, food to eat, ways to make travel less of an ordeal or make airports flow smoothly if you have any insights we’d love to hear them!

The original post: /r/travel by /u/wowlust on 2024-11-13 16:14:08.

Hello! I am currently in college studying environmental science and I have an entire month off for Christmas break. With this time I would love to volunteer somewhere cool for 3-4 weeks to help out with some sort of marine conservation. Preferably somewhere i can scuba dive. Time has gone by a lot faster than I had realized and so I am doing this very very last minute.

If anyone has any suggestions on opportunities or reliable websites to find these opportunities please let me know!

The original post: /r/travel by /u/mici_who on 2024-11-13 15:29:38.

The Bio Sphere in the Port of Genova - Itay. Photo by me, taken on Monday 11 November 2024

https://preview.redd.it/s8tzxy8mto0e1.jpg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f247e2d0dc27ec84f49ddd07e60c52b34cd9510d

The original post: /r/travel by /u/kerkenzel03 on 2024-11-13 15:25:16.

Hi y’all. Ryanair lost my luggage a couple months ago. Long-story short I had to wait a few weeks for them to confirm that they can’t find my luggage and open a dispute. When I lost it, the guy at the desk said to me that they will cover all of my necessities while on my trip. I bought a couple of essential clothes and kept my receipts. When I chatted with them trough email, they said to me that I need to fill a claim. So I did. On the claim they needed exactly what was lost in the luggage, and how much did It cost. I’ve listed every single item they lost + the price. I didn’t lie on the claim, cuz I had hope that maybe one day they’ll find it and return it. Couple months went by and still no luggage. The Ryanair employee I’m chatting with said that my claim form is accepted, but for them to return my money I’ll need to provide receipts for everything THEY’VE lost. Let’s be real, who even keeps receipts from years ago?? Also in my country e-mail receipts is not a popular thing, it didn’t even existed years ago. I also don’t have a travel insurance, it’s not a common thing in my country to have one of these. I can’t just send them random receipts I have, because I listed everything I had on my luggage. My question is - if anyone has had this issue before, or works at a similar company, please tell me how I’m supposed to proceed and get my compensation. Unfortunately I come from a poor country, and I don’t have the financial stability to re-buy everything I had. All of the stuff they lost, sums up at around 1,2 k.

The original post: /r/travel by /u/pozzan on 2024-11-13 14:01:38.

I posted this in r/TravelHacks some weeks ago about layovers in Frankfurt, and thought it would be interesting to share in this sub about my experience connecting there. But for starters: I never thought, as a traveller, that I could hate an airport so much.

For starters - remote positions for a 747 is such a dumb idea. Arriving there and a tow truck broke on our assigned gate. Not a great start. Then comes endless walking and confusing signage, coming back to where you started, the same concourse having Schengen and non-Schengen flights. I even exited the security zone by mistake and there were no signs whatsoever about this.

Then comes very rude and unhelpful staff: security agents speaking German even when you say out loud you do not speak the language. One agent before passport control pretending he wasn’t listening to what I said and acting like I was stupid. I have not seen one single smile or politeness in those people.

The mice! Right by a Lufthansa lounge, a mouse comes off the wall, grabs a piece of food from the floor and comes back. Or just casually crossing one side of the corridor to the other. Are the mice traps working? Guess not.

I’ve been to Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Madrid, Milan and all of those make sense, have centralised passport/security controls, and helpful personnel. It’s a shame that Lufthansa (which seems to own that place given how many flights they operate) allows this to happen. Not to mention the multiple passport/security checkpoints which allow you to pass them twice. It’s just a massive loophole.

The original post: /r/travel by /u/smraz1414 on 2024-11-13 05:43:02.

My husband has to travel to Europe for work end of Nov/ beginning of Dec, so we are planning a last minute trip to take advantage of the travel since we’ve never been to this region and also to see it during Christmas time!

We have 6 days planned but could extend a day and we were originally thinking 3 days in prague and 3 in Vienna. But after reading about Salzburg I was wondering if it would be too much to try to squeeze that in. I’m really excited to see the christmas markets during our time and while the markets in Vienna look stunning, Salzburg seems more quaint and picturesque being smaller and near the mountains. I think we’d enjoy experiencing it as well but not sure if it’s worth the extra travel. If Salzburg is too much of a hike any recs for other quaint smaller city markets that would be closer?

The original post: /r/travel by /u/kangagoon on 2024-11-13 04:40:20.

Hello everyone!

Im coming to Colombia next week (mid-late November) and am planning to visit Salento to do the Cocora Valley hike.

But the forecast looks like it will be non-stop rain. Will I be able to do/enjoy the hike? Will the trail be closed due to mud slides? Will I be able to see the valley views properly or will it be ruined by fog/rain etc.

Any insight will be very helpful! Im not able to find a proper answer online. I was planning to stay in Salento for 2 nights. Should I skip this for another city that would be better worth my time and money?

Thanks!

The original post: /r/travel by /u/MadamMiko on 2024-11-13 04:25:48.

I’ve seen similar posts but I’m at a loss. We rented a car during a trip to Italy September 2023. We returned the vehicle and that was that. Out of nowhere I receive this collections mail from a US based company with a photocopy of an original letter I never received from the Italian rental company saying I entered some forbidden or unauthorized location and so I owed ~100 euros.

Because I never received the said letter and time passed, it somehow went up by 5x, got acquired by this collection agency and now I’m getting harassed. I got on the phone with the agency and asked about proof / evidence was told by some overseas phone person I’d be emailed and never received anything. I continue to receive emails from this agency now saying I have all the proof (i don’t).

I’m at a total loss. $500 is no small change. I don’t even know what my legal rights are or how I make this go away. I’m super nervous this is going to hit my credit score somehow. FWIW the name they keep writing to me doesn’t match my passport / drivers license because of mix up of maiden name and middle name combo. But still.

What would you do?

The original post: /r/travel by /u/rudebi on 2024-11-13 04:23:02.

Planning a trip to Australia for the month of December and am looking at the different options. I will be visiting Cairns, Sydney, and Melbourne. I already bought tickets and Keeper for a day at Taronga in Sydney but was wondering which other zoos and aquariums are worth doing. I’m leaning for the Melbourne and Cairns Aquariums but willing to change, add, or drop them

The original post: /r/travel by /u/zappyzuckygo on 2024-11-13 04:12:32.

Hi

this is just a dream of mine but do you know or suggest any good safe villages in south america where i can go with 4yoand 11 yo kids and spend one summer without much internet or crowd, city life etc?

The original post: /r/travel by /u/redmeanshelp on 2024-11-13 03:59:48.

Two years ago, we went on the 14-day Red Carpet Tour of Lord of the Rings sites in New Zealand. It was a great way to see a lot of spectacular natural locations, in company with other fans of the books and movies.

Five years ago, we did a Smithsonian Tour that had an emphasis on learning about castles in Scotland. That was good, but nowhere near the fabulousness of the NZ tour.

We want to find another tour like the NZ one, but searching for such a thing is not turning up any strong leads. I've searched for geek/nerd tours, tours for a few other movies/books we like, and so on, but no luck.

The things that made the NZ tour especially good were:

• everyone on the tour was very interested in the books and locations. The Scotland tour had a number of people who didn't seem all that invested in it.

• the tour guides were locals, really knew their material, and were longtime fans of the books/movies (Scotland tour had two local professors, and two Smithsonian guides not from the area.)

• as a result of the first two, we (two geeky and introverted people) felt we were not amongst strangers, even though the other attendees were from all over the world.

• the itinerary was a good mix of impressive sites/sights, side adventures (like a helicopter landing high up in a mountain range that was one movie site, and another that was a Maori cultural evening), time spent with NZ craftspeople that were involved in the films (landowners/extras, calligrapher, jeweler, WETA) and time in cities and towns. We felt we had a decent overview of NZ as a country, not just as a movie set.

So you see, these things are kind of unusual, and I don't know how to find something similar -- assuming something similar even exists. It wouldn't need to be a tour focused on a movie or book.. or author, if it had these characteristics. I don't know if there are industry terms for any of this that I could use for a keyword search. I'm hoping people will have some ideas.

And, because I'm sure it will come up: yes, we want a guided/organized tour. We also go abroad on our own, but one of us has a day job essentially herding cats, and to NOT be the one in charge is a true vacation.

The original post: /r/travel by /u/corraline_jaded on 2024-11-13 03:53:19.

Hello all,

I’m new to all of this…I got an email regarding a Vietnam visa I applied “Denied Reason: Please provide a specific (expected) address in Viet Nam (including name of accommodation (if any), street, ward, district and city/province Please enter registration code, registration email and date of birth in E-visa search menu to update application. No extra fees required.”

I enter all my information like they ask, and it takes me to the Evisa website, with no way to update my application. How do I edit this tiny mishap and send it in?

Thank you so much!

The original post: /r/travel by /u/Sarastrosky on 2024-11-13 03:52:14.

Hello. A friend and I are wanting to go to La Guajira, Colombia, on january. We just aren't sure if there are any transportation options to get from Palomino to Cabo San Juan other than a personal vehicle. We would love to know that and if you have any other recommendations in general when traveling to La Guajira we would be pleased to hear them!

The original post: /r/travel by /u/LeglessVet on 2024-11-13 02:34:35.

Me my wife and 8 year old daughter take a trip every year for a month in the summer. I just booked the flights to start off in Budapest, and returning from Rome, the basic Itinerary I have right now is as follows:

land in Budapest and spend a few days there

(roadtrip leg, we will drive from Budapest to these cities and spend a few days in each)

Zagreb

Split or Zadar, havent decided yet, would appreciate input

Dubrovnik

Then we will fly from Dubrovnik to Palermo and spend some time in Sicily

From Sicily to Rome is where I am having difficulty, we could just fly to Rome, but we love train travel and have done it pretty much on all of our other trips these past few years (along the med from Barcelona to Cinque Terre then Venice, all through China...). From my initial search it seems the train from Sicily to Rome is like 12 hours/night train, I was wondering if there are any cool/nice cities to stop along the way to break it up into pieces so we are not on the train for more than ~4-5 hours at a time. Thanks.

The original post: /r/travel by /u/Dazzling_Street_3475 on 2024-11-13 02:21:37.

I have a last-minute trip being planned at the moment. Starting in Florida and spending 26 days in Europe (Lisbon, Rome, Florence, and Athens). I'll be working remotely from Tuesday to Thursday but otherwise being a tourist. I'm about to book everything but want to ensure my times, especially between each airport are good.

11/28: Flight from MCO to LHR (23:20 - 12:40) nonstop redeye

11/29: Bus from LHR to STN (14:30 - 16:10), then flight from STN to LIS (19:25-21:00)

11/30: Lisbon free day

12/01: Lisbon free day

12/02: Lisbon free day

12/03: Lisbon free morning/early afternoon, then work from 15:00-0:00

12/04: Lisbon free morning/early afternoon, then work from 15:00-0:00

12/05: Lisbon free morning/early afternoon, then work from 15:00-0:00

12/06: Flight from LIS to FCO (11:55 - 13:31)

12/07: Rome free day

12/08: Rome free day

12/09: Rome free day

12/10: Train from Rome to Florence (09:50-13:00), then work from 16:00-0:00

12/11: Florence free morning/early afternoon, then work from 15:00-0:00

12/12: Florence free morning/early afternoon, then work from 15:00-0:00

12/13: Florence free day

12/14: Train from Florence to Bologna (06:55-07:30), then flight from BLQ to ATH (09:45-12:55). There's no nonstop from Florence to Athens, so I have train to either Bologna or Rome. Net travel time seemed less by doing Bologna, cheaper as well.

12/15: Athens free day

12/16: Athens free day

12/17: Athens free morning/early afternoon, then work from 15:00-0:00

12/18: Athens free morning/early afternoon, then work from 15:00-0:00

12/19: Athens free morning/early afternoon, then work from 15:00-0:00

12/20: Athens free day (day trip somewhere in Greece?)

12/21: Athens free day (day trip somewhere in Greece?)

12/22: Athens free day (day trip somewhere in Greece?)

12/23: Flight from ATH to LHR (07:45 - 10:00), then flight from LHR to MCO (14:30-23:02, 2 hour layover in Boston)

For my transportation: Does everything look good? I feel like these times work well with check-in/check-out times for hotels, and there is ample time between buses/trains and subsequent flights. Is the 2-hour layover in Boston enough time?

For my itinerary: I know this is a lot of time in Athens, but that's the destination I feel most interested in culturally. The only thing I am second-guessing is not spending an additional day in Florence, but that flight on the 15th isn't until 21:45.

The original post: /r/travel by /u/Intelligent_Age7328 on 2024-11-13 01:52:57.

I applied for e-visa (30 days) last month, which was granted to me. However, due to change in travel plans, I am flying to India on Nov 22 now. My currently visa expires on Nov 17 (which I didn’t use). When should I apply for new visa?

Can I apply today for a 1 year instead of 30 days? Or do I need to wait until Nov 17 and then apply for the visa again? Will that be enough time to travel on Nov 22nd? (I read that I can’t apply again until previous one expires)

I want to make sure that my visa is not rejected due to applying early as I read that you can only apply for India e-visa twice a year and If this time it gets declined, I am doomed lol.

Thank you in advance.

The original post: /r/travel by /u/essendoubleop on 2024-11-12 23:06:21.

Originally, I was planning on taking the summer off in between jobs with my family to take them on a cross country trip and visit states and parts of the country we haven't been before. Because it would be a lot of time in a vehicle for kids, I was thinking about using a big RV so they wouldn't have to be strapped in the whole time.

I guess I didn't understand the laws (or my parents) because growing up we would be moving around the RV while driving, although just to read books or go to the bathroom. It's still kind of fuzzy to me because you can do that on buses.

Anyways, if we're going to be spending weeks in a vehicle with kids, is this still the best way to go? Maybe buying an old school bus? Is this like a speed limit says 70, but cops only pull you over for going 90 thing?

And yes, it is something we would all like to do. We've done days long trips, just in the SUV, but I was trying to avoid that if possible.