Travel Tips

Retirement visa for Japan

7/20/2020 11:08:31 AM The best thing to do is contact the Japanese consulate and ask if you fullfill the conditions of any long term visa. A quick search, however, reveals one that may suit your purpose: Designated activities (Long Stay for sightseeing and recreation) 6 months, renewable up to 12 months The linked page describes […]

Can I use USD in Canada?

10/5/2011 7:55:25 AM Anecdotal answer: I’ve been in Vancouver a week now, and noticed I keep being given American coins as change. Certainly the pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters seem interchangeable; the locals never even blink at accepting them. How to go on a submarine tour? 9/6/2011 4:43:51 PM No. I’ve lived in Montreal and […]

To travel 30 km from India to Sri Lanka, do I really have to take a 1500 km, 20 hour detour?

10/3/2017 2:05:42 PM If you wish to enter your neighbour’s house, do you jump on to the terrace and climb down the stairs? Certainly not, you enter through the door by ringing the bell and asking for permission to enter. Same logic applies to a country. Every country has restricted entry and exit points. You […]

How to go on a submarine tour?

How to go on a submarine tour?

11/25/2011 6:12:40 AM What sort of submarine are you looking for? travelscience.com lists 2 tour companies that offer deep-sea submarine expeditions to the titanic, bismark or black smokers. The advenbtures.ca tour is 12 days long and will set you back ~$60.000, but im not sure how much fun it would be in such a small […]

Getting off a Flixbus

7/19/2020 10:55:16 AM In my experience with Flixbus (in Germany), the driver announced each upcoming stop around five minutes before it was reached. With passengers embarking / disembarking and loading / unloading luggage, the bus usually stayed at a stop for at least 5-10 minutes. So you don’t need to be looking at the app […]

Are there any problems crossing Kosovo's international borders or having their stamp in your passport?

1/29/2019 1:10:19 AM Bumping old post: Having Kosovar stamps is not a Problem: however, if using a passport, you cannot enter Kosovo from Montenegro or Macedonia, or by air, and then continue to Serbia – you can only travel from Serbia to Kosovo and then back. To be exact: on the way from Kosovo to […]

How to get back a backpack lost on train or airport in Germany?

11/1/2020 4:25:23 PM Based on personal experience: About one hour into a train journey from Berlin to Dresden, we noticed an expensive looking camera under one of the seats. We stopped the next conductor who told us they had already received a call and we’re looking for the camera. The camera went on the next […]

Can you book a flight from place A to C, with a connection B which is in the opposite direction?

Can you book a flight from place A to C, with a connection B which is in the opposite direction?

2/22/2023 9:19:06 PM In 2017 I flew Atlanta – Istanbul – Vienna, spent some time in Vienna, traveled by train to Budapest, spent some time in Budapest, and then flew back Budapest – Istanbul – Atlanta. The Atlanta – Istanbul flight came very near passing over Vienna and Budapest – see below. In this case, […]

Is Norway significantly more expensive than other European destinations?

9/6/2012 7:29:28 PM With Norway, it is easier to point out what is cheap rather than what is expensive. In contrast to iHaveacomputer’s answer, I find all kinds of fruit and vegetables cheap. That is because the fruit and vegetables are subsidized, and would otherwise cost a fortune. First Price is a low cost brand […]

Finding how crowded a given train connections is (by day of week, and by hour)

Finding how crowded a given train connections is (by day of week, and by hour)

10/23/2020 6:26:59 PM So far, for what it’s worth, my own preferred method is to look at the seat reservation schemes for a given train, and infer that it’s representative of the day of the week and time. For instance, if I want to compare the business level of Sunday trains, I will look at […]

What is wrong with eating while walking in Japan? It doesn't seem to be an issue in other Asian countries

5/29/2015 11:48:30 PM When I brought this subject up to my Japanese hostess, she looked at me quizzically and pointed out all the locals doing just this and said it’s fine and no one cares. But this is in Tokyo, maybe somewhere less metropolitan they care more. What harm can be done with a copy […]

Which line at British airports serves British National (Overseas) passport holders?

Which line at British airports serves British National (Overseas) passport holders?

1/4/2021 8:13:00 AM The British National Overseas passport is a burgundy colour (example below). It bears the same UK coat of arms as the new blue colored UK passports. As @DJClayworth points out, the BN(O) passport is issued by the UK and therefore is a UK passport. Moreover, as seen in the attached image, the […]

Does the 14 day self-isolation period in the UK end if a travel-corridor starts during the 14-day self-isolation period?

7/8/2020 8:49:49 PM From https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-travel-corridors Returning to England before 10 July 2020 If you return to England from an exempt country before 10 July 2020, you should follow the rules that apply on the date you arrive in England. Is it possible for foreigners to watch rocket launches in China? 7/6/2020 8:08:05 PM You will […]

Are there any issues with using credit cards in Germany?

9/23/2016 8:35:51 AM I am from the US and currently traveling through Germany. I’ve found that hotels and rental car agencies have no problems with my chip+signature Visa (I have 3 cards, all from Chase). What has been frustrating for me is that I cannot use my credit card to purchase DB tickets, either from […]

Long Term Travel – what insurances can / should I get?

8/16/2017 11:02:28 AM The bad news is: it’s such a broad topic & there are so many insurers out there that it’s very time consuming to understand which insurances are actually "good" for you. The good news is: I had the same problem & did loads of research, so read on! Regarding health-related insurances, you […]

Height on passport

Height on passport

9/23/2020 7:26:13 AM I would venture that this is a disappearing information. I remember that it was common on some European passports (in the 80’s, 90’s), now it is going away (gone for some). I believe this is the same information as with eye color – one extra bit of identification when there was no […]

Is it possible for foreigners to watch rocket launches in China?

Is it possible for foreigners to watch rocket launches in China?

3/27/2021 8:01:47 AM According to Wikipedia, non-Chinese individuals typically can’t access Chinese launch facilities: As with all Chinese launch facilities, it is remote and generally closed to foreigners. Note that the news story from 2007 you mentioned on the opening of launch sites to tourists only pertains to Chinese tourists from my understanding: It will […]

Is pickpocketing still a problem in Barcelona even though people don't carry cash anymore?

10/26/2022 12:04:22 PM As someone who’s lived in Bcn for 13 years, I can confirm that it’s still a problem, from seeing it for myself and first-hand reports. I know policemen and women and they have also confirmed as much. Going off on a tangent slightly, it’s true that pickpocketing is barely penalised, with repeat […]

Why can't you order just drinks on a French restaurant's terrace?

6/3/2022 12:23:29 PM Because since they are a restaurant they want to cater fully to people who will consume an entire meal (and spend 30 euros per person at least), instead of wasting seats (and valuable server time) on customers who will only buy one or two drinks per person, and thus only earn them […]

What harm can be done with a copy of one's passport?

3/12/2019 12:24:39 PM Another thing an attacker can do is to take over your social network account (Facebook, for example) or Gmail, by calling the support, pretending to be you who “lost a phone” and “got locked out of email”, and sending them the scan of your passport to “prove” he is you. This has […]

Prev posts
Next posts

Search Posts

Latest posts

Popular posts