Travel Tips

How would Japanese people react to someone refusing to say “itadakimasu” for religious reasons?

6/16/2019 4:56:51 AM As Peter said, nobody thinks of itadakimasu as having anything to do with religion. To answer the original question, if explaining that you for religious reasons don’t want to say itadakimasu, people would probably just get the impression that you are very serious about your religion, and they would probably worry if […]

What flight has the highest ratio of timezone difference to flight time?

What flight has the highest ratio of timezone difference to flight time?

3/30/2019 4:53:47 AM Clearly there are multiple short flights that will meet this criteria. In fact, I can easily get a ratio of over 100:1 by flying my drone across a timezone boundary. (30 seconds to do, 60 minute difference, ratio of 120:1!) Once you exclude the flight of less than a few hours things […]

What can I do to prevent passport stamps being put on blank pages?

What can I do to prevent passport stamps being put on blank pages?

6/28/2019 2:45:28 PM I’ve been using bright red post-it notes on each blank page (so they can’t fall out or be easily removed) that say “no stamp” in the 5 most common languages. I’ve never had anyone say a thing when they’ve seen them, except one agent in Spain pointed at the note and started […]

Do the speed limit reductions due to pollution also apply to electric cars in France?

2/22/2019 1:27:29 PM Yes, the speed limit applies to all cars. The information can be found here: https://www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F10332. It’s in French obviously. Here is a translation of the relevant parts: What measures can be taken? The prefect defines the concerned areas and may decide in particular on the following measures: Moderation of the recommended circulation […]

How can I avoid or minimize jet lag on flights?

12/16/2017 2:09:20 PM What really helped me, flying east w/ 8 hour time difference: Sleep earlier and earlier on days leading up to the flight. I change my waking time from 8am to 4am gradually. This translates to waking at midday in the destination timezone. Important because you can only adjust by 1 hour a […]

Using oyster card in buses

2/8/2019 11:17:26 PM They do not need to – there is a fixed fare per bus journey (£1.50 at the time of writing), no matter how long you travel. It gets a little bit more complicated if taking more than one journey – with the new ‘Hopper Fare’ you can make unlimited journeys (on busses) […]

What are these chair-like things in hotels?

What are these chair-like things in hotels?

4/18/2022 1:27:41 AM As a comment by Schmuddi says, one term for this item is "Luggage rack" Dancrumb offered "luggage valet" or "suitcase valet". I’ve found that "Luggage rack" gets good results on shopping websites if you want to confirm. How do airlines determine ticket prices? 2/12/2020 3:27:11 PM As mentioned, they are for luggage. […]

Unbookable column of seats on 777-200

1/2/2019 8:16:08 PM United Airlines has multiple versions seat layout on the 777-200, and are in the process of refitting more and more of their planes to the newer layouts. Some of these layouts contain economy seats in a 3/3/3 format, with the seats labelled ABC-DEF-JKL (or on some, ABC-DEG-HJK, although these are very quickly […]

Why can't airline tickets be booked far into the future?

4/8/2018 10:56:06 PM Making my comment into an answer, by popular demand. Note that with this system, there is never an ambiguity about which day is intended for a purchase. Buying a ticket for the wrong year in this era of non-refundable tickets would be a problem. I will live on a boat while in […]

I will live on a boat while in the US. What's my "US street address" for the customs declaration form?

12/18/2017 10:29:04 AM I actually asked an immigrations officer about this about 15 years ago (before ESTA, you filled out the same questions on a paper form on the arriving flight) as I was going to stay in 3-4 different locations during my stay in the US, and the answer was simply: Pick one, preferably […]

Is there a general clue on whether a flight serves meals?

Is there a general clue on whether a flight serves meals?

10/4/2017 5:29:43 AM I think there are a few things here that need to be accounted for: Does the flight itself have catering services. How many meal services there are (this depends on the length of the flight) Is the meal service free, complimentary or charged What constitutes a “meal”. The answer to all the […]

How do airlines determine ticket prices?

6/12/2016 8:00:36 PM This answer is moved from a question which is being closed as duplicate. There is no excuse for it, bad for environment as people land and take of more often and quite often also travel more land miles to make use of a cheaper airport. But Airlines do it as they can […]

Third Reich eagle on a pots & pans shop in Osaka – why?

12/7/2017 3:04:27 AM That first link has some interesting information / speculation. The first half of the top line 世界の冠たる can be taken as a translation of the German phrase “Über alles in der Welt”, which has Nazi connotations. The company was founded in 1918, which invites the possibility that the logo was adopted during […]

What is the most remote airport from the center of the city it supposedly serves?

What is the most remote airport from the center of the city it supposedly serves?

9/16/2021 7:29:09 AM There’s an airport in the german city of Memmingen that is often referred to as "Munich West". The issue is that it is just 120km away from Munich. Can I ask for two meals for my flight without paying extra? 9/13/2021 6:04:58 PM This example doesn’t really count, but it’s amusing. Avelo […]

How to buy a car for a road trip in the United States?

10/31/2019 6:39:35 PM Tourists can easily buy a car in the US for a road trip – registration and insurance are the tricky parts. (Full disclosure: my company, visitor.us, helps international visitors buy, register, and insure vehicles as an alternative to renting.) Each state has its own laws for vehicle registration. For instance, Tennessee requires […]

Are there advantages to a dedicated GPS?

3/15/2017 8:12:17 AM Dedicated GPS devices are still better than phones in offline use. Commercial maps are more compact than offline areas (on my GPS, both France and Germany are under 100MB, compared to 800+MB in case of Google offline areas) so you can fit the whole continent on the device. Plus, my GPS has […]

Can I ask for two meals for my flight without paying extra?

6/11/2020 11:48:42 AM Airlines: Emirates Route: Dubai to India (CCU) Well, I got encouraged by the answers here and asked. The answer was a “No”. In the airlines defense, I asked for a Hindu meal, which maybe was limited in number. But, guess what my co-passenger told me. If you had asked it in your […]

Why would I want a hard-shell suitcase (for air travel)?

Why would I want a hard-shell suitcase (for air travel)?

3/2/2017 8:58:39 AM There are two kinds of hard case suitcases being sold, or at least named. The lightweight and the more massive non lightweight (?) ones. The lightweight kind is somewhat of an hybrid- it’s not nylon but still have some elasticity to it. It’s not easily punched, but it’s not bullet proof. I […]

Where do I find this building in Tbilisi, Georgia?

3/23/2019 8:33:19 AM The information about the Kalantarian family is slightly digfferent; The builder was not Mikhael but Mkrtitch Kalantarian(my grand grand father). He was born in Akouliss, lived and Baku and later came to Tbilissi. He lived in Brussels till he died. The name in official papers was in fact Kalatariantz. He came with […]

Why are airport wheelchairs often "attendant-propelled" only?

1/12/2017 2:45:47 AM There are two types of wheelchairs provided at most airports. The traditional self-propelled ones you mention are often used by those passengers that need assistance walking long distances but are able to walk for short periods of time. For example, my mom uses these all the time at large airports because of […]

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