Travel Tips

Travelling into UK with a wooden chopping board?

1/26/2023 10:04:43 AM Travellers can bring non-alcohol and tobacco goods into the UK worth up to £390 (e.g. perfume and electrical goods) without paying duty and/or tax in the UK. The goods must be for your own use or as gifts. Anything over this amount must be declared. Source: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/946504/6.7005__SE_CUS_v3.pdf There are some restrictions on […]

What is the penalty for US citizens entering/leaving the US on a foreign passport?

4/9/2019 3:51:03 PM I think the requirement for US citizens to bear a US passport is so that you can prove citizenship on any subsequent re-entry attempt. If you left the US without a US passport, authorities might not believe you are a citizen and might not let you back in, especially not as easily […]

Can I fly from the US to Iran with an expired Iranian passport?

1/27/2023 11:06:54 PM The problem is that the airline isn’t sure that your home country will let you enter. And if your home country doesn’t let you enter, then the airline has to take you back immediately and that’s a major pain for them. Imagine the plane is supposed to go from the USA to […]

Is speeding tolerated in Japan?

4/21/2023 1:00:55 AM TL;DR: Yes, it’s common, but exceeding the limit by more than 10 km/h risks getting stopped and fined by the police. Japanese speed limits are indeed very low: the kind of straight, wide country road in Hokkaido that would have a limit of 100 in Australia will be 50, and even grade-separated […]

Is there a way to find hotels along a subway/metro line?

Is there a way to find hotels along a subway/metro line?

12/31/2022 1:40:16 PM As an alternative to using google maps, you can use OpenStreetMap data though the excellent app OsmAnd. This allows you to download all the map data and view in offline mode, so before you start your journey you can know for sure that you will have all the map data you need […]

Does a Ghana citizen need $3000 in hand to travel to the USA?

12/26/2016 12:03:37 PM Aside from the obvious answer by RedGrittyBrick (‘this story just screams “scam” with every fibre’) there is a second reason why this cannot be true. Immigration officers and visa approvers don’t just require visitors to have access to a certain amount of funds $x. They want to know which funds you have […]

While on vacation my taxi took a longer route, possibly to scam me out of money. How can I deal with this?

6/18/2019 10:36:39 AM There is no polite way to do this. As a Turkish citizen I also not want to use taxi in Istanbul because you need to argue with them to not get scammed. Just say I’m calling cops and determinedly call 155, then you can solve your problem. If he doesn’t step back […]

Am I entitled to compensation after flight delay due to aircraft problem blamed on a "hidden defect"?

12/10/2016 3:47:20 PM Table of Contents In summary.Your right to compensation.Technical problems are not usually exceptional circumstances.‘Hidden manufacturing defects’.Back to your question. In summary. A special exception to the usual right to compensation was created by a recent ECJ judgment, where it considered hypothetically that ‘hidden manufacturing defects’ might be exceptional circumstances allowing a carrier […]

How can you buy a Presto card upon arrival at Toronto's Billy Bishop Airport?

11/10/2022 1:56:16 PM Even if there were a vending machine, you wouldn’t have been able to buy the physical card, as only some stations on the GO Transit and UP Express (Toronto Pearson International Shuttle) support buying at a surface vending machine. If there were a subway station, you would have been able too, though. […]

Do Paris authorities do plain-clothes ID checks on the subways?

Do Paris authorities do plain-clothes ID checks on the subways?

4/8/2023 1:22:03 PM In addition to the other answers, it is worth noting that while the majority of agents are in uniform, since 2016, agents without a uniform are allowed (there are all sorts of additional rules for them, though). They must have a distinctive sign and show a professional ID when they actually stop […]

Schengen visa to Norway to visit my wife refused

12/6/2016 9:46:55 PM You may be aware that your case should be governed by directive 2004/38/EC concerning the right of freedom of movement of EU citizens and their family members. Chapter VI of the directive says this: RESTRICTIONS ON THE RIGHT OF ENTRY AND THE RIGHT OF RESIDENCE ON GROUNDS OF PUBLIC POLICY, PUBLIC SECURITY […]

Do I have to declare personal items at Customs in Dublin Airport?

10/3/2022 4:34:34 AM The 450 euro Customs exception is for goods you intend to leave in Ireland. As a tourist, you will be bringing your camera, laptop, used underwear etc with you back out of Ireland when you leave, so the limit does not apply. Formally, this is known as "temporary importation" and it’s possible […]

Travelling on Nightjet as a mixed-gender couple

Travelling on Nightjet as a mixed-gender couple

2/5/2023 6:23:27 PM For future reference, when booking through nightjet.com, there is an explicit option to book an entire compartment. This is possible for couchettes and seating carriages as well. As an EU citizen, what will UK authorities do if I overstay my 6-month visitor visa by a few days? 2/4/2023 6:32:29 PM Does that […]

Can my 10 year ban be overridden by my new Canadian citizenship?

9/25/2022 2:54:44 PM Your Canadian citizenship does not make you a new person and the rules apply based on your personal identity. But the ban in this specific case only applies to visa applications. The mandatory automatic refusal for 10 years due to previous deception only applies to applications for an entry clearance (visa), as […]

Will a tourist have any trouble getting money from an ATM India because of demonetization?

12/7/2016 7:55:56 PM I went in October and left just after the ATMs were disabled in November for the switch in currency. I went to a Wells Fargo bank and did an exchange (had to order the currency) so I had some rupees prior to going for taxi etc. Just make sure you do not […]

Why are some pedestrian traffic lights covered in shades in London?

Why are some pedestrian traffic lights covered in shades in London?

9/18/2018 2:35:56 PM We use these in the USA and that is the only place I have noticed them. There are at least 2 general “shade” types, “visors” and “louvers”. Visors: Horizontal “shades” like the ones you posted are most likely to block the sun overpowering the light as this intersection probably faces roughly East/West. […]

As an EU citizen, what will UK authorities do if I overstay my 6-month visitor visa by a few days?

1/30/2023 8:28:36 AM Will they send me a letter requiring me to leave the country within 30 days? The UK cannot know for sure whether or not you’ve left the country as you could’ve traveled to Ireland overland without this being recorded anywhere. So they won’t be sending out letters, unless you happen to get […]

How can a child with one Chinese parent, but a non-Chinese passport travel to China?

9/28/2016 7:23:23 PM The first issue is whether the child has Chinese (PRC) citizenship. According to Article 5 of the PRC Nationality Law, a child born abroad to at least one Chinese-citizen parent will automatically have Chinese nationality at birth, unless at least one parent was a Chinese citizen who has “settled abroad”, and the […]

Refund for cancelled DB train but I don't have a bank account with BIC/IBAN

1/26/2023 8:00:26 PM One possibility is to create an account with a service that provides you with a BIC/IBAN and the possibility to transfer to your american account, like Wise (formerly Transferwise). By opening a Wise account, and then creating an account in Euro within Wise, you get access to BIC/IBAN details that allow you […]

2 round tickets plus 1 back ticket to Thailand

9/11/2022 5:09:45 PM With immigration, probably not since you can show them the return ticket within visa validity. With airline, however, they will check if you have a valid visa for the period of your ticket. Since your visa is only 30 days they may not accept you for the flight. If you show them […]

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