Greetings, travelers!
This summer, I'm planning a trip from my home in continental Europe up North, over Calais to London and Edinburgh. Now my question is: what to do between London and Edinburgh? I know I could just sit on a bus for 9 hours and get to Edinburgh that way, but that doesn't sound appealing, so I'd much rather make the most of it and see as much as I can on my way. What lies between the two that I should not miss? Are they easily accessible by bus/train? Are there cheap places to stay?
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
>>1123855
York, nice historic city with good transport links. From York it's a short train ride also to Durham, and from Durham there is a direct train to Edinburgh.
Or you could stop off at Berwick and check out the Northumberland coast and places such as Alnwick and Bamburgh, though that would mean looking up timetables for local buses which might not run very often
You should be able to find plenty of cheap hotels or hostels in York with no difficulty, not sure about Durham or Berwick though, might be a bit pricier. You'd need to work out the best way of doing it. It's easy on the train but not that cheap, but there should be buses running between these places as well.
>>1123868
Agree with all this. The railway line from Berwick to Edinburgh is one of the most scenic. Maybe somewhere to consider near your route, outside London, is Cambridge. Beautiful and interesting historic university town, of course.
>>1123868
So for instance London -> York -> Durham -> Berwick -> Edinburgh? Thanks it definitely goes on my list! Hadn't considered York! How long should you stay in Durham and Berwick to see the sights? I know that Durham has a cathedral, but other than that, I don't know much about it.
Does anyone have any protips regarding airtravel?
Are there any secret/great websites that you use to find the lowest tickets and/or good deals and discounts?
Thanks.
>>1123582
>wat is sticky
>>1123582
Use KAYAK to search all airfaire sites at once, this is the best method.
>>1123585
Didn't Google Flights make Kayak obsolete?
Hi /trv/. This is my first visit amongst many future ones. To cut to the chase, I've been looking towards moving out of the US permanently (specifically Alabama). My sights are set on Finland (don't ask) and I've never travelled more than a few hundred miles in my adult life. What do I need to know and expect? I only have experience as a cook and want to waltz in prepared. I know not everything is so black and white, but perhaps someone well travelled can help me out. I would like to begin saving soon.
Bumping for interest, another american thinking of visiting helsinki but not moving permanently
>>1121334
>permanently
As a legal immigrant, or as an illegal? If I were in your position, I wouldn't be wasting time on what I "need to know and expect." I'd be finding out what I need to do to immigrate legally (I doubt it's easy) or if it's even possible (or worth it) to become an illegal. Everything else is secondary; everything else is just a fantasy.
>>1121356
Legal. I realized I'm not interested in the US or how shit it's becoming. I don't care about who's president, it's just becoming more of a shit-hole. I used to have a friend from Finland that spoke pretty highly of it. Also the statistic comparison between it and the US makes it seem phenomenal.
Alright trv, you've never given me a bum steer. So I come to you for sage advice once again.
My sister and I will be traveling to Italy at the end of August. First time traveling overseas, we're landing in Venice, probably going to book a hotel there, and we'll be staying for eight days. She has no specifics she wants to see or do, but she wants to travel to Florence, Milan, and San Marino. I really want to explore as much as possible, so I want to know what traveling to Italy is like. How bad is the language barrier? If we're traveling to those four cities, will public trans cover it or should we rent a car? Must-try foods, and must-avoids, if any? Thanks for your help, as always!
>>1125603
>sage advice
"Sage goes in all fields"
You got it
Trains are fine for city hopping, get frecciarossa if money is not a problem little, rent a car if you wanna explore little old towns, tuscany is the best area to do that.
Milan is not thar great for a tourist and will be super hot in august.
Food: of course pizza and traditional pasta is a must, its generally very good just avoid restaurant near main attractions that blatantly cater to tourists, go where the locals go.
You can get by without knowing the language in cities and touristy places, but expect awkward english and lots of gestures, it.can be fun tho.
Never order cappuccino after 11am and never ask for ketchup with steak.
Haha this board
Hello guys,
Is it possible to book cheap flights for 20?
All the engines offer up to 9 people.
>>1125270
Call the airline and ask.
>>1125321
I doubt I'll get a good price
>>1125349
20 should be enough to qualify for a group discount, but that's one of those things they only offer if you call.
What's up /trv/ first time post here. I'm gonna be driving from California LA to Anchorage Alaska all by myself in my truck. I'm gonna be fishing on the Yukon river for a week.
Any suggestions and tips for the road. I'm gonna be on the Al-Can! Also any places I should stop to take a look at. Any good eateries or bars. I'm 19 so drinking is a go for me in Canada. Any bars I should stop at?
Hit up a couple titty bars, there usually littered among the roads up north for truckers, tell someone where your going and bring bear spray or a gun so you dont get eaten alive by bears.
Oh shit OP I'm leaving for a similar trip in a little more than two weeks.
Chicago to Washington to Alaska and back home east through Canada, about 9,000 miles in 27 days.
>>1125239
lets meet up in sopkane. I'm leaving July 17
I'm in Portland for the next few weeks, what is there to do here? I'm not 21
>>1124777
Drugs
>>1124777
Buy a ticket to fly away from Portland.
I'm thinking about going to Colombia in June and July. Hoping to check out the architecture, hikes, food, coffee, and nightlife.
>How's the weather for the next two months? Too rainy?
>Any experience with hiking to Ciudad Perdida?
>Hot spring recommendations?
>Surf lessons?
>Coffee plantations?
>Your highlights?
>>1124420
I'm flying out tomorrow! Note sure I'm going to do yet :O first trip I haven't really planned much beyond my first three days. I, too, would love some advice about hiking or trekking! Does anyone know any good companies to go on outings with?
Sorry OP, can I piggyback your thread?
Was wondering from anyone with any experience there what this would be like.
I know the pay is below cost of living, it's not a problem. More looking to get some initial experience not in SEA.
>>1124845
No idea! Maybe someone else will have some idea.
So my relatives want to stay at a fancy beach in California. They want a hotel that's really, really, top of the line fancy. What are some nice beaches in California that have good hotels?
So far I can think of
>Pismo Beach
>San Diego
>>1124191
There are some nice hotels in Santa Monica.
>>1124191
I live in Coronado, CA and the Hotel Del Coronado is pretty famous for being top of the line in terms of "beach-side luxury" and San Diego has tons to offer. Might be biased because I love living here but its a suggestion.
>>1124196
Cool, they've decided on Coronado. I just found out about Catalina Island though, but I think they made up their mind.
It's cool but it sounds like Catalina Island has hiking, horse back riding, snorkeling and etc.
What are the restrictions on flying international flight on an ultralight aircraft? Specifically from the states to canada then to Ireland and back? What documentation would you need and where would you have to check in for customs and such?
>>1123965
Lol
>>1123999
how helpful anon
>>1123965
In America you're not supposed to fly an ultralight father then 50 miles from where you took off. They're also limited to 5 gallons of gas.
If you really want to do it look into a sport pilot license, that way you can carry enough gas to get somewhere. Also, float planes for flying over the ocean, but they need calm water to take off again.
Every time a Cuba thread is posted, the only recommendations I ever see are "walk around Havana" or "eat pizza at XYZ" or "the beaches are nice"
Is there anything salvageable about this dumptruck of a country? Why go to Cuba when there's a million other beach-like destination islands nearby with better nature, more activities to take part in, and better sights and museums?
>>1123865
The truth is that if you want an all inclusive beach resort vacation you will find better quality elsewhere in the Caribbean. The all inclusive stuff in Cuba is okay, but mid-tier at best because the food is terrible. Perhaps this is slowly changing since the U.S. lifted the embargo, but I went 4 years ago and with small exceptions the food was disgusting. What I did find incredibly interesting was going to art galleries/shops and leAfing through the prints in boxes out of the main thoroughfare. I found some paintings that were certainly not the government approved sort, like a naked Cuban soldier with clown makeup on with a big fake smile. I asked the curator about the obvious political commentary, and she was not straying from certain party lines. She probably thought that I was some kind of gov agent checking on her establishment. I found it all very interesting to see a society holding onto the last bits of communism while in the process of opening up to the world. I loved witnessing the transition.
And yes, Havana is beautiful.
>>1123865
As a Miami native, but who isn't hispanic, I grew up with enough political asylum citizens back with Batista and with Castro both. I will not give a single dollar to their government (or the men who operated the hotels) as a tourist, and I don't think it's entirely safe either, you're jailed just for being in a vehicle that had a car accident. There isn't going to be a true embassy with true relations to protect travelers who get into any trouble for a long time. Though I won't go yet, I do know quite a few people who have seen family or touristed there. (My grandparents honeymooned there).
I'll explain the mystique generally first and specifically later. Generally, there are few places left in the world that aren't touched by technology in a big way, and this time capsule of a country lets you experience travel in a fashion of all the pre-jet age heydey where only the wealthy were getting in pan am clippers or taking cruises and writing about it for others to armchair experience. Cuba was ridiculously prosperous once (as was Haiti for that matter), where all the second sons from Europe made their fortunes and lived in paradise, a kind of colonial empire of nostalgia befitting a James Bond movie. Cubans are awesome people, always were quite unique with that class background and work ethic, it'd be cool to see the make-do attitude the preserved the Hershey train, not just the cars.
As far as better nature, not sure about that. With Cubans denied access to boats, there's been precious little fishing, or destruction of the natural habitat. Miami Metrzoo's Ron Magill went down there and thinks there might be 150 species of insects, birds, and other wildlife that are unique, kind of a Galapagos effect. They missed out on that era of scientific research that classified and studied all of them.
Architecture is falling down, but was once grand, and a few examples of modern art no-expense-spared public buildings are interesting to the scholarly types.
>>1123865
As far as food goes, it might be better now than >>1123896
experienced 4 years ago, because a recent starvation issue gave a bit of relaxation on some of the restrictions and entreprenuers who supplement their incomes with in-house restaurants from their own gardens have been given some leeway. They were starving afterall. But old fashioned cuban food? Not the really good stuff like you can get in miami, with rice that uses real saffron or platter sized palomilla steaks with mountains of fries. Try Rio Cristal in Miami for a back-in-time menu before flying down there.
For great resorts, in the old style of grand old buildings or surf resort old small and quaint, those are getting harder to find, but the one thing they all have in common is being more remote, and therefore your costs are higher to fly there and get to the location. If the airfare is cheap, go one more town or island away from the airport, and find some of the more amazing beaches or cool properties. Cayman Brac has no one there, but Grand Cayman's hurricane caused the end of some of the oldies that are not Cancun style rebuilt giant all inclusive style Ritz's.
It's a 50/50 you will enjoy the people or be bothered by them. All the disgusting people of the world who travel to abuse sex workers are all there with you, its a hot destination for that since it's a part of black market income for people who have rationed beans and rice, and minimal income. The average Cuban gets 1 pair of shoes a year. Expect women to be walking up and down Varadero for "work" and some not so private displays of affection. You will however hear music that is great, and see baseball kids blow away your mind. If you do some of the more interesting things like talk to the political dudes in the square gabbing, or playing dominoes, you invite trouble from the govt for them and for you. You won't be allowed to bring your relatives/locals into the major hotels to dine or drink with you. It's an odd feeling.
So what's the rundown on prostitution in Vienna? I'm here for a month studying and I know there's some places to go. But I thought I heard it was technically illegal and I don't want to be going anywhere too shady.
>>1123809
>But I thought I heard it was technically illegal and I don't want to be going anywhere too shady.
it's not. If you go to the Gürtel, there's plenty of places left and right (usually easily recognizable). If you have a car, you can pick up a hooker on the Ausstellungsstraße around Prater. I also heard good things about the FKK Saunaclub Golden Time though I've never been myself
I am in Vienna now, and was at FKK Goldentime yesterday. Would recommend. It works just like FKK clubs in Germany. Pay 90eur to get in, then for sex acts with a girl it's 60eur starting, and 50-60 more for extras like come in mouth.
So I'm going to travel to Tampa and the surrounding areas sometime soon, just wondering if you think it's worthwhile or if I'm going to find myself bored out of my mind like I did in Orlando. I plan to cross the Sunshine Skyway but I don't know of anything else specific yet.
>>1123550
If you thought Orlando was boring, you'll probably kill yourself in Tampa.
>>1123556
Either way, any suggestions?
>>1123556
tampa>>>orlando
t. visited both last month
Is it worth traveling to Faroe Islands? I've always wanted to visit a scandinavian country. My original idea was Iceland but recently I've been leaning more towards F.I.
Is there anything worth doing? Seems like a chill place. Has anyone been there? Experiences?
I was there for only five days but it was a very great time, rented a car and drove around and thought the landscape was fantastic. I would tie it into a trip with Iceland (I flew in and out of rekyavik) and do them both, if you have to choose, prob Iceland is cheaper and more worthwhile, but I really loved FI
What are faoese(lol is that a thing?) people like?
>>1123453
Do it, anon. I'll go Iceland and Faroe Islands in september
Which do you think is "better": exploring a little bit of a wide range of countries or exploring a smaller amount of countries really in-depth?
It seems like a lot of travelers I've met are more into the former, and one's worth is judged mostly by the amount of countries they've been to.
>>1123415
I do both, within reason.
I like going to new places and won't bother traveling if I don't have at least a week to spend in any given country. I've been trying to explore more of Latin America since my first visit last year and am currently on a quick ten-day trip. However, I don't have any guilt about going back to the same few spots over and over again. I've been to Turkey a handful of times since 2013 and have been to India five or six times as well. I've had friends in real life ask me why I don't just go somewhere I haven't been before, but I'm not bothered. I've spent more time in Delhi than any other city in the world aside from that in which I currently live and it really does feel like a second home to me. I have a ton of friends there I miss and can't make myself stay away.
So I guess I don't feel the need to "get to know" every place very in depth. If a particular city or country rubs me just the right way, I'll stay there longer or keep going back. I don't think there's any one right way to travel, although I do believe it's a little silly to gauge the worth of a person by the number of countries they've been to or how long they've spent in each. Just to do what floats your boat.
I feel like I'm relatively well traveled and am definitely the best traveled at the hostel I'm staying at. But it doesn't matter; other people I've met are awesome and enjoying their trips, and you'll always meet someone who has been to more places. I met a british lady last year who had been to almost every country in Africa.
i prefer spending a short time in a lot of places. i don't socialize well with strangers and i don't make new friends easily, and i'm okay with that, so i don't feel the need to spend a lot of time in one place to get "in" with the locals and learn all the small secrets of an area.
that being said, i do have a respect for people who like to really get in-depth in just a few countries or cultures.
takes all kinds, ya know?
>>1123415
I prefer to spend a long time in each place because it's
1) less stressful - I fucking hate travel days and I don't understand how people can pick up and go every other day and not want to kill themselves
2) more rewarding - I don't think you can really experience any city worth visiting in 1-2 days. I try to do at least a week and even then I realize I'm barely scratching the surface
But to each his own. I can see the benefits of traveling widely and quickly, but I can't fucking stand people who pop into Paris or Amsterdam or whatever for a night or two just to say they've been there. No you haven't.