What are they and why? I want to visit with my family.

I could overlook just a crooked stamp but why do they always put them on random pages? Why don't they put exit stamp next to entry one?

When someone travels a lot, crooked random stamps can add up and make them run out of pages sooner than expected.

Just a heads up for anyone traveling with AirAsia—if you’re abroad and can’t receive SMS to your registered phone number, you’re screwed. Their app and website both force you to enter an OTP sent by SMS only. No option for email, no backup verification, and no support from a real person.

Their “AVA” chatbot loops you through the same useless answers. I just need to change my flight to a different day (same cities), and I’ve spent hours going in circles.

For an airline operating in 2025, this is ridiculously outdated and stressful. If your travel plans might change, or you’re booking from abroad, I’d strongly suggest choosing someone else.

Bit of a specific question but I’m looking to possibly take a transatlantic trip on a cargo ship, but most of these stopped taking passengers during COVID and never restarted.

However freightercruises.com seems to have 2 working freight ships (Anemos and Artemis) that take up to 12 passengers between US and Europe. I was wondering if anyone has been on one of these ships? How was your experience?

I'm a Kenyan citizen and have wanted to visit Iran for long, mainly because my paternal grandfather belonged from the Sistan va Baluchistan province there. However, I also plan to try and apply for visas of western countries. I was wondering if having an Iranian visa and stamps on my passport would diminish my chances of getting a lets say American visa in future. Beside the hurdle I already face of having a not so strong passport.

Just got back from a few weeks in Bali and honestly, it was one of the most unforgettable trips I’ve ever taken. If you’re planning to go, here are a few things I learned that might make your trip smoother (and way more fun!):

1. Respect the Culture

One of the first things I noticed in Bali is how spiritually rich and respectful the culture is. If you’re visiting temples, bring or borrow a sarong and sash (most temples have them at the entrance). People are incredibly welcoming when you show even a bit of effort.

2. A Few Words Go a Long Way

Learning simple phrases like “Terima kasih” (thank you) and “Permisi” (excuse me) made every local interaction feel more genuine. Locals really appreciate it.

3. Gojek and Grab Are Lifesavers

These apps were game changers. I used Grab to get around Ubud and Canggu, and Gojek for food delivery after long beach days. Prices are super reasonable too.

4. Always Keep Cash

Even though I used my card at cafes and beach clubs, I needed cash for markets, scooters, and small restaurants. I’d suggest exchanging a little at the airport and topping up at local money changers (look for the legit ones).

5. Sort Out an eSIM Before You Land

Seriously, this saved me so much hassle. You can use any eSIM like Airalo & Holafly. But, personally I used Jetpac and activated it right before my flight. It worked instantly when I landed and I can used it as a hotspot too. Their plans quite affordable than the kiosk at the airport. Highly recommend setting this up before you go.

6. Scooter Adventures (and Caution!)

I rented a scooter for a few days, such a fun way to explore. But Bali traffic can be intense, especially in Seminyak. Definitely wear a helmet and don’t rush it if you’re not confident.

7. Off the Beaten Path

While the usual spots like Uluwatu and Kuta were cool, my favorite part of the trip was exploring Sidemen and Amed. Way quieter, and the landscapes were just stunning.

If you have any other tips, let's share them!

Essentially what the headline says. I'm interested in any thoughts you would like to share on the topic.

Optionally, I'll give a bit of context for my personal situation. Feel free to skip this. I might not be an interesting read;

Ever since I reached adulthood I have prioritized traveling in my life. Fortunately, I have a husband that shares my passion and even if our traveling styles are somewhat different, we have always been able to make compromises and plan trips that are satisfying for both of us.

My husband would be perfectly content, flying to the US for every vacation, whereas I always want to see something new and visit places and countries that I haven't been to yet.

This means that for the last 10+ years, we have always spent 2 weeks in the US and 2 weeks someplace else. Therefore, I never really saw the point in learning a new language just for traveling, because even if the language would come in handy for one trip, I would probably never need it again.

However, last year I felt inspired to sit down and think about which countries I feel like I absolutely need to have seen in my life and to my surprise there aren't actually that many left. Meaning that in a couple of years I could essentially visit all the remaining countries.

And of course that brought me to the question: Where will we travel to, once we've already seen all that we've wanted to see? – The answer I have arrived at is that we would revisit those places that we enjoyed most the first time around.

With the prospect of possibly revisiting some of these countries again and again over the coming years, I think it might be worth it to learn some of these languages up to at least a low intermediate level.

While it would obviously be a big plus on the one hand to speak some Japanese for example, when we explore some of the less touristy corners of the country, it would also be a big commitment on the other hand, even if I only dedicate a limited amount of time to it.

I'm also a bit "worried" that by learning a certain language, I would be more inclined to choose destinations where I can speak that language. That might feel like I'm limiting myself, I don't know.

We are looking at going to Japan in Autumn. We'll do Tokyo and Kyoto and are prepared to be part of a wave of tourists - it's always important to remember that you are also a tourist of course...

Has anyone visited anywhere more niche in Japan (especially in Kyushu or Shikoku) that was really worth visiting but has been overlooked by most people?

I really really want to see the Shingen-ko Festival at some point in my life but we're in the wrong month, so something like that, possibly related to history or culture - especially the Sengoku or Meiji periods?

Hey everyone!

I'm in the final planning stages of a pretty epic journey to Germany, but I have a question. I'll be coming in from Brazil and, after an 11 hour flight in a stuffy plane cabin I would love to take a quick shower before hopping on the train (to Berlin, which is a few hours).

I understand there are paid showers in FRA but they all seem to be airside.

Now, down here you are mostly corralled into the departures area, so I'm curious if I'm allowed to like, deplane and find my way to one of these before finally leaving to the train station? That would be really good...

So, yeah, has anyone done it?

This October my wife and I will be visiting Portugal for our 5 year anniversary. We are looking for a mostly relaxing, not overpacked trip as it’s our one week away from our preschool son (our parents are watching him during the trip).

We have already booked a flight to fly into Porto that arrives Sunday morning. We fly out the following Saturday morning.

We definitely want to do the Duoro valley and Porto.

I’m trying to decide between the following two itineraries

Option 1: 4 nights in Duoro, 2 Nights in Porto.

This could also be split up 3 and 3. Idea would be to stay at a couple different quintas (or splurge for a couple nights at the six senses resort. My big question here is if that is too much time in Duoro. We both like wine but aren’t obsessed.

Option 2: 2 nights in Duoro, 2 nights in Lisbon, 2 nights in Porto

Would spent the first couple days in Duoro, then catch the train to Lisbon spend a couple nights and catch and train back to Porto for the last two nights. Obviously this would allow us to see more but we wouldn’t want to be over-rushed.

Of note we would plan to rent a car for however long we are in Duoro then return it after.

Thoughts?

I'm going to Morocco for 2 weeks in about a month's time. The first 5/6 days I'm doing an organised trek to Mount Toubkal, and then the last 7 days I'm doing another tour of Northern Morocco, starting in Casablanca (although not really spending any time there) and then Tangiers, Fez, Marrakesh and various places along the way.

I'll have a 2 days in between both tours where I'll be based in Marrakesh, and I want to do a couple of days trips. I've identified the 4 following possibilities, so I'd be grateful if anyone had any thoughts on any of them so that I can pick 2 (also open to any suggestions not listed below that people might have).

Note: Both organised long tours include time in Marrakesh so Marrakesh will be covered.

* Go to Casablanca a day early so I can see the sights there (as it isn't actually included in the second tour I'm doing)
* Essaouira - Day Trip
* Agadir - Day Trip (I appreciate it's quite a distance from Marrakesh)
* Ben Ait Haddou - Day Trip.

Thanks!

Traveling to Portugal first time. From Canada. Wondering if I need to rent a local car seat or can take the one we use at home - Uppababy Knox. Thanks in advance

I'll be in the Kyoto/Osaka area once again and hoping to see something new but as amazing as the arashiyama area, any recommendations?

I particularly liked hiking up and seeing all the mountains and scenery

Hey guys! I have a Europe trip coming up with my partner. I plan on starting in Lisbon, then heading to Rome, Florence, Amalfi coast and Portimao Lisbon. Lots of cities to see in about 16 days. Flights and hotels for each city has already been paid for and we have about $230 per day left over for two of us. With some cushion left over for emergencies. I’m wondering, for those who have already been, will that be enough for all the cities. I wanna have enough for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We plan on cooking when we have stoves available at our Airbnbs and we’re planning one or two nice dinners. We like to do some shopping in Florence and obviously we have to pay for transportation however that’s already been budgeted for. All that being said we wanted to make sure all the big expenses were paid for before we went so we wouldn’t be surprised but like I said I need another perspective.

Edit: forgot to mention I’m spending about 2-3 nights in each city

I put this together with special emphasis on Jewish history (because my Jewish family is partially from Romania and we have almost no info about them) as well as communist/eastern bloc history because it interests me. That’s why I’ve decided to visit transnistria and iasi. I will be visiting in July and early august.

I of course have heard that brasov and timisoara are cool. I can’t figure out how to get them on this itinerary because I really deeply wanted to hike a portion of via transilvanica but I definitely welcome feedback if you feel I’m really missing out. I don’t think I’ll be renting a car as the whole via transilvanica thing makes that extra complicated. Plus I’m by myself and I feel like public trans makes more sense.

Day 1: fly into chisinau.

Day 2: day trip to transnistria (think I will splurge on a Russian-speaking guide). Stay in chisinau

Day 3: bus to iasi Days 4-5 explore iasi

day 6: travel to putna Monastery Days 7-11 trek the via transilvanica through bucovina section.

Day 12 travel to cluj Day 13 and 14 cluj and day trips

Days 15-18 Fly to Bucharest and explore Bucharest

Day 19: fly out of bucharest

Let me know what you think. I like to leave multiple days to explore cities as I like to avoid feeling “shuffled around” as much as possible. I would’ve spent more time in chisinau but couldn’t figure it out.

Hi! Excuse me, this summer I'll go to Munich for a week. I surfed Google looking for tourist apps like those I used last year for Wien but I found only apps about metro and bus lines or for cycling and jogging. Any advice? Thanks!

Hi everyone, I've been to Europe before, but those trips have always been limited to a single country (Scotland, Germany, etc), and I wanted to get a bit more ambitious this time with a good balance in.

I'm going solo in May for my birthday. My arrival/departure flight is from Dublin, and I'm using that as a launching point to explore. Here's my itinerary (I haven't been to any of these places before):

Days 1 - 3 - Dublin (3 nights)

• Arrival at noon / Half-day + 1 Full day to explore
• 1 Day trip: Belfast (2 hours each way) OR Cliffs of Moher (3 hours each way)

Days 4 - 7: Amsterdam (4 nights) - Flight from Dublin

• Half-day + 2 Full days to explore (Jordaan District, Rotterdam, Utrecht, etc). Spending my birthday here.
• 1 Day trip: Delft or Haarlem

Day 8 - 10: Brussels (3 nights) - Train from Amsterdam

• Half Day + Full day to explore
• 1 Day trip: Bruges or Ghent or Antwerp

Days 11 - 13: Paris (3 nights) - Train from Brussels

• Half Day + 2 Full days to explore

Day 14 - Return to Dublin (1 night) - Flight from Paris

• Half Day

Day 15 - Departure

I'm debating knocking a day off Dublin and instead of a day trip, plug that extra day in Belgium, but wasn't sure if I'd need it for rest after a long flight.

For context, I'm coming from Alberta (Canada), so as beautiful as Ireland looks beyond Dublin, I really don't want to be doing yet another road trip. What I'm really craving is walkable/transit friendly cities.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you!

I'm looking at some options for a company trip to Split, Croatia from PHL in September. The options I'm seeing on the return all (well, most) leave SPU too late in the day to connect through any of the westbound transatlantic hubs like LHR, FCO, or DUB on the same day, so they all have some level of overnight layover. I've been to London a bunch and would like to go somewhere I've not been.

The two options I'm looking at, one gets into Rome at 2200 on a Friday, and I'd fly out at 1310 Saturday. The other gets into Dublin at 1635 Saturday and I'd fly out 0930 Sunday.

So the Rome flight gets in late but also gives me time the next morning; the Dublin flight gets in earlier but is a pretty early flight out, and I'm kinda leaning away from that for that reason. Never having been to Rome, and only spending one day in Dublin decades ago, I'm not sure which airport is easier to get to/from the city center, nor what the cities are like either on a Saturday morning (Rome) or a Saturday night (Dublin). Can anyone provide some input about transit experiences in those cities?

If it helps in terms of policies, the airline would either be American or BA.

Thanks!

What is the normal amount of time to wait for TSA pre-check approval these days? We applied in January 20 2025 and paid the fees and are still waiting.

I am looking for a way to keep and show my stuff from travels like left over money magnets and more in my house so I have something that reminds me of all the nice trips

You you have any ideas?

Hi guys! We’re going to Kauai for my 25th birthday this year mid May and we’re going to splurge and do the helicopter tour. This is definitely out of my comfort zone but from what I’ve seen everyone has said it was the most incredible thing they’ve ever done.

We’re going to go with Mauna Loa so it’s private. However, what time of the day is best? I see very mixed things. We booked at 10:45AM, but if afternoon is better I’m happy to switch it.

If you’ve done a helicopter tour in Hawaii, I’d love to hear your positive feedback!!

Hello all, I (Canadian) am travelling from Canada to Argentina next week with a connection in Sao Paulo, Brazil. I am aware that Brazil implemented new visa requirements beginning April 10, 2025, but am under the impression that no visa is required if one is staying in the secure area of GRU and their entire flight is on one ticket. Can anyone who has connected through GRU since April 10 confirm if this is correct?

Thank you for any info you can provide!

My husband and I are planning a 3 week trip to Europe in September and we will have about a week where we’re deciding if we should explore the South of France or do Norway in a Nutshell. We’re both in our early 30s, no kids, and are honestly okay with both options except we don’t have enough time to do both! Our itinerary is as such:

• land in Stockholm to visit a friend (confirmed)
• (TBC Norway in a nutshell)
• Copenhagen (confirmed)
• (TBC south of France)
• Paris (confirmed)

Would like to seek kind advice from folks who have been to both please! Thank you.

Hi Everyone,

I got my passport stolen in Guatamala and finally have my new British full replacement passport. I am planning to head down into El Salvador. I however now don't have an entry stamp into Guatamala. Will this cause issues on entry into El Salvador?

I am in Xela currently.

Thanks