Questions tagged [tips-and-tricks]

Hints for solving a variety of travel issues, especially problems that require experiential knowledge to solve or are not covered by traditional travel books or resources.

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4 votes
1 answer
714 views

Is there a tool for planning "nested" round trips?

We want to go to Japan. We've checked some flights, and reached an interesting conclusion. First, a normal round trip: A round trip from Tel Aviv to Tokyo, Sep-26 - Nov-5, costs $880. There are very ...
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16 votes
3 answers
2k views

Avoiding the Sydney, Nova Scotia error [closed]

A Dutch student has flown to Sydney, Nova Scotia, a town with a population of 32,000, instead of the one in Australia, population five million. It's not the first time it's happened. There are ...
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6 votes
3 answers
913 views

How can I tell if the aicraft for my departing flight is at the departure airport? [duplicate]

How can I tell if the aircraft (a.k.a. "equipment") that I will be flying on is at the departure airport? For that matter, is there a general way to tell where it is (e.g. in flight from another ...
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10 votes
1 answer
193 views

Is there a way to determine which UK rail trips have variable prices, based on advance purchase, vs. those that do not?

That is, is there a way to determine this without doing an actual search for each route on multiple days to see if the price changes? I am traveling to London and considering several day/overnight ...
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45 votes
4 answers
9k views

So what can I do to avoid being "that" passenger with bad hygiene?

What can I do if I'm seated next to a person with bad hygiene on an airplane? I've been that passenger several times, typically on connecting flights after a transoceanic leg. I really try hard ...
user avatar
5 votes
2 answers
166 views

What's the most cost-effective service for calling landlines while travelling?

During my last trip, my credit card were cloned and locked, so I had to call my bank to understand what was happening and how to proceed. This call was very expensive so I decide to prevent this kind ...
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31 votes
6 answers
6k views

Are there advantages to a dedicated GPS?

The GPS on in my phone is becoming indispensable lately! I find it much easier to follow the verbal on-time direction than following a map or even print-outs of directions obtained from Google Maps. ...
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1 vote
0 answers
74 views

What's the cheapest sim cards with mobile internet available for Tourists in Paris? [closed]

I'm traveling to Paris for 5 days and I think the best way to communicate with French friends is if I have a local number and a mobile internet as well. And also, how much is it? and how much data can ...
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14 votes
1 answer
1k views

Proper technique to wash laundry in hotel sink?

What are the proper steps to wash clothes using a hotel sink? Assume that I have no supply of proper laundry detergent either. Can bar soap be used? What about liquid soap or shampoo? Which would ...
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6 votes
2 answers
351 views

How to get work done on a train, if I am easily distracted by others?

I am travelling often across Germany. I would love to use this time to work, especially because there is internet connection on board of the ICE trains. However, I often feel disturbed and cannot ...
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42 votes
9 answers
14k views

Driving in the UK for the the first time - rules & to-dos that are different to India

I'm planning on renting a car in the UK for my trip through London, York, Edinburgh and the rest of Scotland. Having driven in Mumbai, India, I understand there must be things I should keep in mind, ...
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11 votes
3 answers
2k views

Avoiding spicy food while touring South Korea

My tolerance of spicy food is below average for westerners. Can I avoid spicy food while visiting South Korea, preferably without eating all the time at McDonald's? I plan to mainly visit the ...
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31 votes
7 answers
12k views

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

I'm about to buy a suitcase (something I don't do often). I've only ever had fabric-shell rather than hard-shell cases, and I'm almost sure that's what I'm going to buy again, but I was wondering - ...
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1 vote
2 answers
496 views

Are there types of fasteners that are more pick-pocket resistant?

If we're trying to avoid pick-pockets when travelling, are there types of fasteners for clothing or bags that are more difficult to pick-pocket? I'm thinking in particular of velcro since it takes a ...
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3 votes
1 answer
142 views

What's a packing list one could use when traveling to a place with hot weather?

I'm traveling to a place with hot weather for a few weeks. What's a good packing list I could use to prepare myself and make sure I don't have to buy anything from the local stores (except food)? ...
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6 votes
2 answers
422 views

Travellers to Massachusetts Who May Be Affected By the Ban, "To Do" Prior to Travelling?

With respect to the Presidential Executive Order: Protecting the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the United States and the people affected by it and further to the special case of people ...
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50 votes
8 answers
35k views

Are there any rules of thumb for the most comfortable seats on a long distance bus?

I traveled recently by bus and I was wondering about comfort. In a plane there are a couple of rules of thumb when it comes to picking a place that provides a bit of extra comfort. (E.g.: sitting in ...
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6 votes
2 answers
500 views

Does purchasing tickets for the Empire State Building in advance allow me to skip the queues?

I went to the Empire State Building today and it was obviously very busy. The queue to get in was 1h30m long so I decided to come back later, and maybe even book tickets in advance. Now, I see that ...
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27 votes
3 answers
10k views

Does a Ghana citizen need $3000 in hand to travel to the USA? [duplicate]

I have met a girl online and wish to bring her to the USA. We have talked on the phone and via video chat. All documents are in order but they say she needs $3,000 (USD) in hand to travel. Is this ...
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16 votes
5 answers
4k views

How to tell scam taxis from legitimate ones in Bangkok? Does it make sense prebooking?

I know that most horror stories never happen, still I think it might be good to know how to tell apart legitimate taxi drivers in Bangkok from ones that will overcharge you... Does it make sense to ...
39 votes
7 answers
6k views

How to make sure that you get off at the correct bus stop in Thailand?

I find it extremely difficult to get off at the correct bus stop in Thailand, mainly for the reasons as: The bus stop usually doesn't have a recognizable sign on which stop it is. Thai characters and ...
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4 votes
2 answers
8k views

Entering Emirates Stadium, Block vs Turnstile

I have never been to Emirates Stadium and have tickets for the match tomorrow (10 Dec) with a friend. The instructions say that unless we enter at the right place we can be refused entry altogether, ...
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7 votes
2 answers
2k views

Public transportation tickets in Washington DC / arriving at Dulles Airport (IAD)

I am going to be in Washington DC for 7 consecutive days. I have a couple of questions please: 1- I am planning to buy a SmarTrip card. What are the cons of using such a card? 2- On the website, it ...
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2 votes
1 answer
18k views

Things cheap in UK London comparing to India [closed]

What are the things that are cheap in UK-London when compared to India-Bangalore. I am currently in London for a couple of weeks stay. I have decided to purchase few things like Mobile phone, External ...
6 votes
1 answer
240 views

How can a person living in the tropics be better prepared to travel to snowy areas?

I live in a hot and humid part of India, and plan to vacation for a week at one of the hill-stations close to the Himalayas, to experience snow for the first time. This might involve a bit of light ...
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11 votes
4 answers
5k views

What are the remedies for land sickness?

I suffer from land sickness after flying and it usually lasts around 2 weeks for me. Does anyone have any tips or tricks to prevent this?
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15 votes
3 answers
2k views

Problems associated with booking flights inside another set of flights?

I am planning two trips back to the UK from Australia, one over Christmas and one in the late Spring. I have found that booking the tickets differently can reduce the price I have to pay: Type 1: ...
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-10 votes
1 answer
318 views

What are some reputable 'high risk' merchant account providers? [closed]

I am in the planning process of starting my own travel agency business. I periodically will have to charge client's credit cards for hotel upgrades, flight class upgrades, taxes etc. I thought I would ...
25 votes
2 answers
4k views

Public huts to stay overnight around UK

While traveling around NZ, I've stayed in many public huts around different ranges like the Tararuas and Ruahines. Are there any public huts around the UK (England, Wales, Scotland, etc.) where anyone ...
7 votes
1 answer
197 views

What is the cheapest/shortest way to travel from Paris to Stuttgart?

My boyfriend lives in Stuttgart in Germany and so far when I am visiting him I take the train from Paris where I live. However this is very pricey (> 120 € round trip) and I have to leave work early ...
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13 votes
2 answers
3k views

How to buy low cost airline tickets while airlines are offering big reductions

A few days ago I wanted to buy Pegasus airline tickets because it was offering a 50% reduction on normal fares. I wanted a few tickets but couldn't even buy a single one. I tried different places with ...
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22 votes
4 answers
6k views

How can one travel with X-Ray sensitive equipment or electronic devices?

While analog film is probably still the most common X-ray sensitive item encountered at airport security, there are some emerging electronics technologies that use MOS floating gates as precision ...
85 votes
18 answers
53k views

How to cope with too slow Wi-Fi at hotel?

So many hotels I stayed at (3~4 stars ratings) provided too slow Wi-Fi. The speed is somewhere around 2~3Mbps, and it frequently falls down to <200Kbps. However, once you find that your hotel ...
  • 14.7k
48 votes
15 answers
14k views

What's an easy way of making my luggage unique, so that it's easy to spot on the luggage carousel?

I've bought a new piece of luggage which is great in every way except that... it's completely black and looks like half the other bags. What's an easy way of making my luggage unique, ideally ...
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55 votes
2 answers
5k views

How to search for a flight when dates and cities are flexible but non-direct flights must not pass through a particular country?

Sometimes when booking a trip you can be very flexible with many factors but any route passing through a certain country cannot be considered. Say you're going from country A to country B either ...
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4 votes
4 answers
2k views

Help with packing for staying at multiple hotels for 2 week trip

We are flying out to Utah; getting a rental car and doing about 13 days of Utah Parks/Grand Canyon then Vegas for our last 3 nights. We will be staying at a total of 8 different hotels from the time ...
5 votes
2 answers
4k views

How can 1 carry-on suitcase be tied to 1 checked suitcase, to enable 1 hand to pull both?

Instead of pulling 1 carry-on (e.g. the following 55 cm Spinner by Samsonite) and 1 full-size checked (30") suitcase separately, one with each hand, how can the carry-on be attached or fastened to ...
user avatar
16 votes
6 answers
51k views

Tolerated amount of weight exceeding upper limit for hold luggage

Recently, I was booked on a flight on EasyJet between two European capitals. I had a ticket allowing me for one bag of max 20 kg. However, when my bag was weighted at the check-in counter, it ...
14 votes
5 answers
8k views

How to do a web search in English in China without a VPN

I've just got a humble smartphone with no fancy apps on a hotel wifi network in Canton, China. My search engine of choice seems to be unavailable for some reason. How can I search the web in English ...
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5 votes
1 answer
929 views

Louvre Trip Planning for multi-day visit [closed]

I am planning a first-time trip to the Louvre for this month and have allotted 4 days because of its size. On what days is the Museum the least busy? Are there any days with cheaper tickets? Can I ...
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17 votes
9 answers
5k views

Japan cheapest way to travel? Is carpool/ride share common in Japan?

I will be travelling to Japan for 2 weeks and found train tickets little bit expensive. Usually i travel like a backpacker and always travel with a budget. I will be staying different cities in Japan ...
  • 11.8k
3 votes
2 answers
479 views

Is it more convenient to live in Brussels or in Leuven? [closed]

In September I will start my master at Brussels. My boyfriend is a student in Leuven, and we could rent an apartment together. In this way, I could save money from the renting fee, but I would have to ...
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16 votes
10 answers
7k views

How to avoid re-stinking my freshly washed laundry when I only have one laundry bag?

So you were smart enough to remember to take a nice big tough bin liner on your travels to carry your dirty clothes in to keep them separate from your clean clothes. Now it's laundry day. So just ...
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5 votes
4 answers
2k views

Tips and tricks surviving a long-haul flight departing at midnight

I am going to travel from Seoul Incheon to Beirut via Abu Dhabi. I have looked up many sites that give tips on traveling long-haul. However, these are not helpful in my case, because there are some ...
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4 votes
0 answers
93 views

What are the main obstacles to seeing the Northern Lights in Reykjavik in December? [closed]

We are looking at visiting Reykjavik in December to see the Northern Lights. I have done some initial research on the weather in December and I know there will only be about 4 hours of daylight, so it ...
53 votes
11 answers
11k views

How to safely store my locker key in a hostel at night?

When staying in hostel dorms I usually place my valuables in a locker provided by the hostel and lock it, typically with my own key-padlock. When I go out I take the key with me and I'm perfectly fine ...
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4 votes
0 answers
29 views

How is winter time in Busan, South Korea? [duplicate]

I will travel around early January. I want to know from someone who has been there around this time if it's extremely cold?
12 votes
1 answer
641 views

How can I enter a high-end restaurant in Tokyo with my son who is under 12?

Next year I will be visiting Japan, and I am going to try to get a reservation at Sukiyabashi Jiro for myself and my son, who will be 11.5 years old at the time. He enjoys sushi and his restaurant ...
user avatar
7 votes
3 answers
3k views

Will 15 litre IKEA FÖRENKLA qualify as a personal item?

I'm shopping for a new backpack. I like the features and especially the price of IKEA FÖRENKLA, and there are two versions: 903.135.63 — 11cm×28cm×39cm, for a total of 12 litres (12012cm³) or 3 ...
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1 vote
1 answer
176 views

What are important tips for a complete noobie regarding a layover at Mumbai via GoAir?

I have researched the web about what is a layover and came to know that if flight number is different, then I have to change the plane. DOMESTIC FLIGHT: Do I need to worry about my checked in ...
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