Travel Tips

Can I travel visa-free in Europe as a spouse of an EU citizen?

9/13/2016 2:19:33 PM The rules are quite complicated, let’s unpack this: As the spouse of an EU citizen residing elsewhere in the world (say if you would move to South Africa or anywhere else), you might still need a visa (depending on citizenship) but if you are travelling with your husband that visa should be […]

Can I buy two tickets for one person with Megabus London to Liverpool to occupy two seats for added comfort?

10/31/2016 3:16:46 PM I want to do this myself on a 10h journey. just called Megabus to ask if I can buy two seats and use them myself and they said yes. Score. How can I enter a high-end restaurant in Tokyo with my son who is under 12? 9/9/2016 10:04:27 PM Yes, you can […]

Error when applying for ESTA: "Invalid Street Name"

Error when applying for ESTA: "Invalid Street Name"

9/3/2018 12:38:33 AM Just keep clicking retry, and eventually, after a dozen tries, it will give you the option of accepting the address anyway and continuing: Asking same flight customers if they would agree to put my knife in their checked luggage Credit:stackoverflow.com‘

Is the "dark and stormy lab" in which Dennis Ritchie and Ken Thompson developed Unix still in existence and preserved?

11/17/2017 2:25:07 PM The Murray-Hill site in New Jersey is still in existence (it’s part of Nokia Bell Labs now), but I doubt the Unix lab is preserved. You can visit the Bell Labs Technology Showcase, but that’s a museum on the site, not the original offices. I’m quite certain there are some museums in […]

How to submit required forms to customs when leaving USA?

1/7/2019 8:16:48 PM Here is how it turned out in my specific case: I contacted Customs Office at SFO by phone approximately one week in advance and asked them this specific question. I explicitly explained to them that I have a layover at JFK. Nevertheless, they told me that I can submit my customs declaration […]

Does an EU citizen need to get health insurance before flying to London?

6/17/2021 11:14:00 AM Update – the UK has now left the EU, and all specifics of this answer w.r.t. EHIC cards and EU citizen access to the NHS is likely incorrect. I’m leaving the article since some of the arguments are unchanged, but the argument for health insurance is probably much stronger. (But you still […]

How can I enter a high-end restaurant in Tokyo with my son who is under 12?

10/20/2016 12:31:07 PM Just for the sake of putting in an answer to get the ball rolling, Tom has already pointed to the best answer in the first comment: It would generally be somewhat difficult to get a seat at such a place, and the secret is if anything the hotel you’re staying at. If […]

Are sunflower seeds popular in North Indian food?

6/6/2017 12:04:21 PM No, Sunflower seeds are not popular and are not used in preparing food in North India In Northern India, there is a less likely chance of the use of Sunflower Oil or Sunflower Seeds as they are most likely used to Mustard Oil and Seeds. Although being less probable, one must be […]

Asking same flight customers if they would agree to put my knife in their checked luggage

6/26/2018 9:26:25 PM An approach that you could take, if you were bent on this course of action that, frankly, seems ridiculous given the cost of a decent knife for camping is $10-30, is to use a site like Craigslist or Facebook where you can post personal ads. Your odds are probably slightly better at […]

How can I look up exactly how delayed my UK train was?

How can I look up exactly how delayed my UK train was?

3/16/2017 11:43:28 AM It is possible to look this up, just not on the main National Rail Enquiries sites! You need to use one of the new third party sites which have got access to the underlying Network Rail real-time data feeds. (Details for the geeks on what’s available described here). The sites which pull […]

Type B power plugs in Japan

Type B power plugs in Japan

9/11/2016 10:31:42 AM Earthed sockets are extremely rare. I have only seen them in private homes, in locations where large appliances are expected to be plugged in. Where available, earth is a separate wire that is screwed down onto a post. For example, here is a picture of the power cable for my Apple MacBook, […]

Airline won't let me pay to upgrade due to purchasing original economy ticket via low-fares site – what's the logic in this?

12/11/2016 5:39:17 PM BA (also One World) is consistently inconsistent about upgrading tickets booked through travel agents. Upgrading with Avios, 30% of the time, I get told I can’t as it was ‘booked through an agent and I have to contact them’ (the agent is often uninterested in helping and/or can’t do Avios upgrades). Upgrading […]

How big is "too big" for an airline seat? At what point will you be required to buy two tickets?

How big is "too big" for an airline seat? At what point will you be required to buy two tickets?

10/6/2019 6:34:33 PM I’ve flown reasonably comfortably (with an extender) at close to 400 lbs (and 6′-2″). Ask for an extender if she can’t get the belt locked, as stated above they won’t bat an eye, and there’s a good chance they’ve got one in their apron anticipating her need. If she’s pear shaped, it […]

Can photographs be taken in Istanbul as of August/September 2016?

10/11/2016 7:11:22 AM Local here. I’m not sure you already visited here or not since you said “one of the next weeks”, but I will drop my two cent. NicolasZ’s answer is quite accurate. If there is no “publication ban” (which is sometimes taken by government after some attacks for a specific area ) for […]

How can I cross the English channel with a car?

8/24/2017 6:50:47 PM It might be slightly more expensive, if you book in advance, but Eurotunnel wins every time for me: Quick to load and unload your car onto the train (you stay in your car for the journey) – just drive on and drive off again. Just 35 minutes to cross. Up to 4 […]

Saving money by booking each leg differently. Any problems that I can run into?

8/21/2016 9:04:22 AM There are a few problems you can run into: If your BOM-IST flight departure is delayed or otherwise rescheduled, it is the airline responsibility to bring you to the destination by rescheduling the remaining legs. Flying on two tickets it is your responsibility (consider change fees and possible unavailability of flights). If […]

Can a spouse of a Chinese citizen somehow visit China visa-free?

10/9/2016 11:56:23 AM To the best of my knowledge there is no such thing. While you can visit China visa-free either for transit within 24 hours under the 72/144 hour visa-free transit regime in some cities with a tour for the Pearl river delta or to special economic zones, this is not related to your […]

Can't smugglers just walk straight through E.U. customs checks?

8/20/2016 9:30:49 PM Customs officials in Britain favour intelligence-led searches, rather than random searches. That is, they will look for patterns in the flight data, x-ray/dog-search particular bags, observe behaviour on CCTV, and then stop selected people. I think this is the approach in the rest of the EU. I can’t find a better write-up […]

First-Time Greyhound Traveller

7/20/2016 9:31:20 PM Here are some things not covered in other answers: In larger cities, the Greyhound stop will be an actual station, where you will go inside a terminal, find the correct gate, and get on a bus. Unlike airlines, you do not need to “check in”. Generally the departure gates are fixed by […]

How do you avoid "tourist traps" when traveling to a country where you do not speak the language?

12/20/2012 1:24:45 AM One of the things you can do is go to restaurants that are popular with the locals. Use Google Translate to find sites that show where locals like to eat. For example, “best restaurants in buenos aires” = “los mejores restaurantes de buenos aires”. Search for that in Google and Guiaoleo shows […]

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