Archived threads in /trv/ - Travel - 297. page

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Check out the Area of Havanna. Still pretty original, few tourists, beautiful villas next to shabby communist architecture and less stressing than the Oldtown.

sorry actually forgot to name the area, its called Vedado.

>>1171098
Be careful of hustlers.

I got got by this one > Someone will come and talk to you, seem friendly and ask where you are staying. They then wish you a good day and leave. 10 minutes later someone else will approach you and say they met you at your hostel last night, know your name and where you are staying (the first guy phoned them). They will tell you there is a cigar festival on and that this one day of the year they get commission on cigar sales and if you buy some you will help the locals. Tell them you aren't interested. Never buy cigars from people on the streets.

WIFI is few and far between so dont rely on it. The locals buy the access cards and will sell them to you at a slight mark up. The queues for the cards are usually long so it is kinda worth it to just buy from locals. They also won't tell you where to get the cards from directly so ask a hotel or research yourself.

Not many people speak English well although Havana and Varadero are the best two places for it.

A taxi from Havana to Varadero will cost more than the coach, but from Varadero to Havana a taxi (shared, they will find other passengers) will undercut the coach if you haggle. Just walk towards the coach station the day before you want to leave and someone will probably approach you.

If you get sick of Casa Particulars and want an all inclusive hotel at Varadero get on wifi and book online. We got a very cheap all inclusive resort from sunwings.ca - it is sometimes cheaper to book flights as well as the room and just not fly so check that.

Ask and I'll see if I can answer specific questions.

Bumparoo

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>>1171012
Read sticky re: bumping.

That said, I have no idea about the topic you raise, other than to suggest tracking down some ex-pat Aussies in Canadia and asking them. They probably have some social forums or something.

I could definitely help you find a job and a place.

I won't though, on account of you being an Australian.

Stay home.

> inb4 Cologne

>>1170749
Id recommend copenhagen
Close enough to overnight bus it and not a shithole like paris or brussels

>>1170749
Berlin has the best nightlife in europe

>>>/int/

Very boring.

>>1170720
I liked Krakow alot, even more than Prague.

>>1170888
the women arent boring.

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I guess what I'm asking is: If you don't know which locations in a country are worth the visit, is it a better idea to follow some predetermined program some company has thought up? I've done a lot of research, but I don't want to miss out on some stuff just because some books/the internet haven't represented a site well enough to me.

I'm specifically planning on doing a tour of Australia that visits a lot of the hotspots, but leaves out Perth and Darwin.

I wouldn't mind going on a tour for a country of which I don't speak the language, and has little tourism infrastructure. However, you're looking at Australia. Just look at detailed descriptions of different tours and look around further on the internet and I'm sure you can easily go to Australia by yourself without needing a tour.

>>1170676
Cancer. I've been on a couple with my parents when I was younger - they were fine doing Europe on their own, but Arab countries scared them too much and they went with package tours.
What you can expect is rushing from sight to sight at the speed of light followed by mandatory visits to friendly souvenir shops that take as long as visiting actual historical places. But most of all, there is zero sense of adventure. You are constantly surrounded by people who speak your language and everything is planned out for you - from transportation to food. You're touring a foreign place in a giant bubble that prevents you from experiencing it properly - contact with locals is extremely limited and you do not learn anything about their daily life - you just move from tourist trap to tourist trap in a coach, avoiding everything normal. And not to mention, you're paying a premium for that dubious luxury.
I hate package tours with a passion, they remind me of school trips and are a huge waste of vacation.

>>1170461
Radiation kills. It's cumulative. Just kicking up dust is stupidly dangerous. Why do you want cancer? Take a daytrip like a normal person.

I took a daytrip. There are also two-day trips available. I don't think any official tours will have days of walking through the woods. Far too risky.

>>1170466
I agree its dangerous, the radiation wont do shit to you if your some days there.
>>1170469
How was the daytrip for you? I heard its even forbidden to sit on the ground.

The best is to get a cheap burner ticket out. Either one you won't use because it's cheap, or get one with a flexible date. Airlines are pretty strict about this so they most likely will ask for your return ticket and not let you board if you don't have one.

If you're getting a Thai tourist visa before you go you'll be staying max 3 months. So book an air Asia flight to somewhere youll want to go after 3 months.

I've heard people arrive on one way tickets and have no issue, but being SEA the rules are constantly changing and it's a lottery of who you get at immigration, so there is no definite answer.

>>1170460
What do you think about the other countries I listed? I can't find the same issue with atleast Cambodia Laos and Vietnam as how it is with Thailand

Are you going by rental car? Parking will be a bitch, I'd honestly recommend you cancel the car and do it by train, but don't know if that's possible. Otherwise look for Park & Ride places, where you can park for cheap and enter the city through public transport.

Regarding Amsterdam; you could fill up 2 weeks if you want to see every museum, but I'd go to the Rijksmuseum for sure, or Stedelijk Museum if you like contemporary art. Nightlife is centered around Leidseplein and Rembrandtplein. Skip the entire Red Light District as it's a shitfest. For food just go to a snackbar and eat random stuff, it's great hangover food. Buy some picked herring from a fish stand, and some stroopwafels from a market. Try some Indonesian food as well, it's delicious.

For other cities/sights, it kinda depends on what you want to see. Close to Amsterdam there are cities like Haarlem and Utrecht, which are great for a daytrip. You could also go to Rotterdam if you want to see a completely different city, as it was bombed to pieces in WW2 and completely rebuilt afterwards, with lots of skyscrapers and funky looking buildings. Also a big art scene I believe. Furthermore you could see Naarden vesting, or typical Dutch towns like Volendam, Marken and Zaanse Schans.

Also if you want a more scenic route to the north, take the A28 highway past the Veluwe.

>>1170408
+1 for Groningen, my hometown.
What are you going to do here?
Need tips, or not since you're with friends anyway?

>>1170436
Nope, I will be doing it all by train/bus. Rotterdam definetly looks cool and so does Utrech so I'll stop by any of them if I have the time.

I was thinking about spending 3-4 days in Amsterdam, including a daytrip maybe. I know it's not nearly enough to see all it has to offer but you reckon it will be fair enough?

I was already pumped to go to the Rijksmuseum so it's cool to see it recommended. About the nightlife, will it be very dead during the weekdays? As I said I'm planning to move it to Groninga for the weekend, but would still like to go out at least once in Amsterdam.

>>1170439
I did expect my pals to show me around Groeningen and Berlin but I'll take any advice you can give me, specially coming from a local!


Thanks for the replies guys!

>>1170162
If you can get into one Schengen country you can get into all of them.
So if you are traveling within the Schengen Area, plan on a country that will be easiest to enter and exit.

Or you could travel by raft from Northern Africa or Turkey if it seems too difficult otherwise.

>>1170162
It really depends what your criminal record is for...

>>1170165
This is good advice. Go to some shitty country, then hop.

I got a driving conviction just before travelling to USA and had no issue

As anon said it depends on your crime.

Driving conviction is least issue
Violent crime and drugs and a different story
Fraud Is probably automatic no.

Ask her.

>>1170113
She may be a citizen but she knows nothing of moving from non-EU to EU.

>>1170115
Wait she doesn't live in Spain now? Where is she from/ where does she live now?

>China
>Vietnam
>Cambodia
>Thailand
>Burma
>India

That would be my trip, in that order (or reverse), I would also try to squeeze in Iran if at all possible.

>>1169632
From India and Nepal I'm guessing you like hardy people, industry-heavy countries, and would rather "rough it" than stay in nice, convenient cities, so I'd say:
>Vietname
>Cambodia
>Mongolia
>Thailand
>Phillipines

would be the natural order. Personally I like more structure, but still don't like yuppies, so I did:

>Taiwan
>China

If you want yuppies, add:
>Japan
>SK

>>1169632
>Mongolia
>Burma
>Laos
>Finland
>Korea
>Japan

Just lower your expectations and you'll be fine.

>>1169617
Seems like you're spending a lot of time in big cities, so i think it sounds pretty shit.

I found the mountains in the north to be my favorite part, but to each their own. I really think you ought to escape the large cities and see some more rural areas where there is less people and shit everywhere.

>>1169655
>>1169655
I would really like to, however do you think it would be feasible with only 9-10 nights in the country?

>>1169658
Tbh with you OP, that is not enough time to spend in India. I wouldn't go for anything less than a month. You have to understand that things work a lot slower than what you're most likely used to. If you spend time only in the cities, trying to dash around and see everything, you may miss the true essence of India.

>>1169522
>I don't get how people want to spend their money differently than me!
>There must be something wrong with them!
Financially, eating out isn't the best choice. But try to tell that to late millennial women

>>1169540
All women dude. And It's mostly women that have that hunger for eating out. They just want to take pictures of the food in a restaurant so they can get those likes.

I really enjoy eating out as a guy.
Whats not to like? Someone else prepares your food, which hopefully, is better than the stuff you make yourself. You get to try out new dishes and tastes which you wouldn't (be able to) make yourself.

My gf hardly ever takes pics of food and if she does it never gets posted on soc med.

Or just go out with friends and make it a social thing instead of a date.

I wont argue on the financial aspect though. Its crazy expensive when you realise a nice one time dinner = a bunch of clothes you could end up wearing for years.

>>1169269
It's a relatively big country, do you know where inside the country you are likely to be?

The old city on Cartagena is lovely, but it is generally hot as balls (and slightly more humid than balls) so take that into account. Beaches at Cartagena are pretty crappy, but there are some lovely areas near there, do a bit of Google and make a plan before you go.

The Catedral de Sal near Bogota is worth a stop, an old salt mine, in which miners took to carving little shrines into the walls -- when the mine closed, one of the large galleries was turned into a church. It's maybe a bit touristy, but still, very beautiful. When you reach the lower liits, scout about a bit for the guys who will take you back up "the back way," away from the lighted and church-ized parts, they'll do the traditional "turn off all the lights and marvel at how freakin' dark it is, you can squeeze through some unimproved corridors to get a feel for how crappy it must have been to work there, and get a chance to swing a pick and understand how ridiculously hard it was to dig through the salt deposit.

I did not get to Medellin but friends who went on said it was fun. Maybe you'll see Pablo Escobar's now-feral hippos.

Colombia is largely free of fake bullshit -- their tourist industry has never really recovered from the FARC/Escobar days. Between now and the time you go, keep an eye on what happens as FARC reacts to the plebiscite rejecting the government's peace treaty with the rebel group, and understand where the "no go" areas of the country are.

>>1169269
>bringing sand to the beach

But nah in all honesty

A few places you gotta see are the Rosario islands and old Town Cartagena

OP here. Also i'm staying 3-4 weeks. I know there are some places I surely shouldn't go, not worried about that.
>>1169275
>he guys who will take you back up "the back way,"
I'll have an eye on that, sounds really interesting.

>>1169267
Either B or C, bro. You won't like Shanghai... I was in Vietnam and Cambodia 3 years ago and loved it.

Last year I went to Shanghai and just hated it.

Four days is a solid trip to Angkor. It's also about as long as I could enjoy Siem Reap, a town of which I am not fond (parts are OK, but it's been insanely overdeveloped for tourism--sort of feels like the entire city is Khao San Rd, albeit a bit higher-end).

>>1169281
what did you hate about shanghai? I'm thinking of going for a few days at the end of the year.