Things to do before your trip.

learn more… | top users | synonyms (2)

34
votes
9answers
1k views

How can I do a “broad” search for flights?

Several airline and trip planning sites will allow you to check "I am flexible with my dates" or a similar option. Is there any way to also search more broadly for location? For example, if you ...
45
votes
11answers
1k views

Is there a good website to plan a trip via trains in Europe?

My wife and I have decided to move across Europe by train. Do you know of any good sites for planning a trip via train (schedule and maybe prices)? We're going to go across Europe from east (Russia ...
14
votes
7answers
258 views

Is there a list of online public transportation planners?

For Oslo in Norway you can go to ruter.no, punch in where you are and where you want to go. It then gives you options on how to get from point A to point B using various public transportation (and ...
11
votes
4answers
252 views

What's the easiest way to find a vacation rental?

I've rented a few vacation homes and really liked it but it always takes hours and hours to find a good one. It seems like there are 100+ different sites that all list different homes (some with a ...
16
votes
5answers
5k views

What is the minimum time to consider with a connecting flight in the USA?

Given the extensive time taken for immigration formalities in the US, what is the shortest time to consider between connecting flights in the US, when coming from abroad? Until now I have always ...
11
votes
1answer
299 views

How to see the Norwegian fjords?

I am currently working in The Hague area of the Netherlands. This summer is too cold to spend weekends on the beach, so I've decided to spend 3-4 days seeing the Norwegian fjords instead. I ...
12
votes
1answer
1k views

What is the cheapest way to get from South America to Australia

What is the cheapest way to get from South America to Australia? I found several flights mostly from Buenos Aires and Santiago de Chile, however the prices are quite prohibitive. Do you recommend ...
6
votes
2answers
185 views

Intuitive Trip planning websites where you can “pin” interesting activities, hostels etc based on location?

Just had this idea came in mind, where you can find great pictures, activities and stories etc online, collect them together, and group them based on location(eg. neighbourhood, city or country? I'm ...
14
votes
1answer
232 views

An online map indicating the status of all open and closed international borders

I like to make up my own interesting international routes on my longer trips rather than always following conventional routes. But often it's tricky to plan a route in lesser-known parts of the world ...
13
votes
5answers
235 views

What kind of questions should I be asking about tropical destinations?

Tropical destinations have to be one of the most popular categories, which means there are always deals popping up, so it's hard not to be driven by these deals. If I'm merely looking at the ...
8
votes
3answers
499 views

Comparing travel costs in Europe: rail vs bus

I wanted to compare costs for travelling around in Europe by bus and rail. While I don't have a firm itinerary yet, for the purposes of this comparison let's assume that it will be close to the ...
11
votes
4answers
3k views

How do you prepare for long haul flights?

I'm always feeling a bit unwell during and after long haul flights. I lose my appetite, can't sleep in the plane, food has no taste no matter what. However, I'm pretty sure it's not the flying itself, ...
11
votes
5answers
170 views

How to plan routes that aren't covered by Google Maps?

For the next summer I'm planning to drive to some countries that aren't covered by the route planning tool of Google Maps. What other possibilities do I have to calculate the route approximately in ...
10
votes
5answers
229 views

Good locations in Spain for hiking, nature, architecture, and photo opportunities?

I'm thinking about visiting Spain sometime in September or October. I'm interested in hiking, nature and historic architecture and am constantly looking for great photo opportunities. Which parts of ...
10
votes
1answer
738 views

Paris on a Tuesday - are the Louvre and the Pompidou Centre the only “big” attractions that are closed?

One that's caught me out before is that the Louvre is closed on Tuesdays. It looks like the Centre Pompidou is also closed Tuesdays (French - Tuesday=Mardi). However, the Paris Modern Art Museum ...
7
votes
6answers
186 views

Availability of local train tickets in France

The airplane tickets are easily ordered from travel agency. But what about local transport? I have no idea how to reserve the local transport using online reservation. For instance, I can see that ...
3
votes
3answers
89 views

Guidebook helping to choose travel destination

Is there a travel guide exist that would cover a number of countries and only list some general information about travelling there? E.g. what are the main attractions (with photos and pictures), and ...
16
votes
2answers
785 views

What is the best time of year to visit Reykjavík?

When I ask for the "best" time of year, I am looking for a reasonable balance of the following criteria, in order of importance: Mild weather. Ideally, warm enough to have coffee outside in a light ...
10
votes
3answers
1k views

Scotland in one week: What to see and do?

I'm planning to visit Scotland this August with some friends, but we only have one week. We have already made a sketch of our trip and so far we have in mind to visit Glasgow, Stirling, Kyle Of ...
10
votes
5answers
357 views

Avoiding or minimising altitude sickness

From my personal anecdotal experience, I've seen firsthand some horror stories with altitude sickness. I will always tell people now to acclimatise, drink fluids, and follow the local tricks like ...
10
votes
5answers
294 views

Driving into Germany over Easter weekend

There's a Demoscene party (Revision) that occurs every year on the Easter weekend in Saarbrücken (Germany), and I'm thinking of attending this year. I live in England and am looking into methods of ...
7
votes
1answer
133 views

Is there any travel management software / webportal available?

All my sportive trips such as biking or hiking, I enter in an online portal called www.hikr.org. This portal allows to enter tour description, mark waypoints, and share the tour with others. ...
7
votes
4answers
173 views

What is the best way to fit the sites I want to see in Rome into two days?

Definition of "best": Cheap, time-efficient, in that order. I'm going to be in Rome for two full days and I want to hit up the following sites: Day 1: Colosseum Pantheon Spanish Steps Roman Forum ...
7
votes
2answers
402 views

What time do the city buses start running in Istanbul?

I want to get an early start tomorrow morning taking bus 83O from Taksim Square to the Bayrampaşa Otogar bus station to the west. I can't find by searching in English what time the Istanbul public ...
6
votes
1answer
117 views

What is the best way to visit both Lake Khövsgöl and Lake Baikal?

I am interested in a trip to visit both Lake Khövsgöl and Lake Baikal. Khövsgöl seems to be in an extremely remote area so I'm not sure what is the best way to visit the lake. What is the best way ...
5
votes
1answer
78 views

Preparing home for your trip

I was wondering how I can prepare my rental apartment for a two-week long trip. It's a rental apartment therefore I don't want to invest in any expensive equipment for surveillance. I rather would ...
5
votes
4answers
310 views

Paranoid about missing my return flight home from Rome. What to do?

I haven't been to Europe in 11 years. My wife and I (and our 8 year old son) will be taking a trip to Italy this late November. We will be traveling from Venice to Florence to Rome. We will be ...
4
votes
2answers
299 views

Find direct flights to specific airport for specific date (from any departure airport)

I try to minimise my flying, and have done all my travel without flying for the past couple of years, in order to minimise my environmental impact. I've decided to allow myself a holiday by flight ...
4
votes
2answers
191 views

Is it better to book a car rental in advance, or once I'm in South Africa?

I'll be traveling to South Africa this spring, and we're in the midst of planning our itinerary. Because we have items on our to-do/to-see list that span a large geographic area, friends have ...
3
votes
4answers
92 views

Finding all flights from an airport to a country [duplicate]

Is there a place to find all (or nearly all) flights going from a certain airport during a certain time period? If the "departure announcement board" at the airport was much longer (covering months ...