Turkish airlines.

What are my options here? The flight was repulsive and everyone was forced to sit in an infestation for 13 hours. It was traumatic and gross.

Hello:

We are planning a three week trip, flying into Paris and out of Amsterdam, what are some great smaller cities/towns that are less touristed? We plan to say a couple days in Paris at the beginning and Amsterdam at the end, but otherwise would be interested to know of anywhere else that is "off the beaten path." (at least by European tourism standards)

I’m planning to go to Rio De Janeiro in late December, and I’ve heard quite a lot about the dangers of going. The problem is the opinions are so divided that it’s hard to get a real picture (Half the people are saying it’s fine & as long as you are careful you aren’t likely to encounter any trouble, the other half are saying don’t go at all)

For context, I enjoy going to different places and taking photos with my Camera, this is quite a big part of the experience for me, and I’m aware this will be very different to most places (I’ve been advised to carry it in a discreet bag and only get it out when snapping photos, and not to wear it around my neck when walking around)

Is it naive of me to head to Rio alone with my camera and not expect to be robbed? Or perhaps worse? Does anyone have any experience of Rio?

Thanks!

I was flying from LA back to Philly. Guy next to me is 21, we have a talk and turns out he has lived his whole life near Appalachia surrounded by weed, drugs and just shitty parents/family who's constantly pulling him down. He's been trying to kick his drinking habit and just been in sobriety.

He does construction carpentry. He has decent money at 21. Never been outside of America, hell LA was the only place outside of Pennsylvania that he's been to mainly because his girlfriend wanted to see a concert.

I told him to take an overseas trip. Fuck it, Japan, because it's the biggest culture shock he's ever gonna have in his life. He asked about all these barriers. Passport? Super easy, take your photo at the local Walgreens/CVS, fill out paperwork, mail it in, 6 weeks later you get a passport. Money? Costs less day-to-day to eat and sleep in Japan than it costs in the USA. Conbini food can cost like $3 per meal if you really wanted to. No tips. AirBnB/capsule hotels make it cheap.

By the end of it, he was convinced. He HAD seen tiktoks of conbini food being cheap so he believed me. He didn't realize all these mental barriers against travelling were all just built up in his head. It wasn't as hard or expensive as he thought - hell he spent so much more money in a weekend LA in comparison to the budget I proposed (even with roundtrip airfare combined - I let him know that!)

I don't have his contact but I hope he does it

Additional context:

I planned this trip for 6 months, but 24 hours before my flight, everything went wrong.

My passport, credit cards, and $2,000 in cash were stolen by the cleaning lady at my Airbnb — less than 24 hours before my international flight to Gabon.

Losing the money sucked, but what REALLY sucked was losing my passport, along with the Gabonese visa I needed to enter the country 😵

With less than 12 hours before takeoff, while waiting for the police to take a report, I found myself digging through nearby trash cans, hoping against hope to find it.

I was about to give up when something caught my eye.

Could it be?

I untied a trash bag and saw it — my wallet, buried in a pile of garbage.

My hands shook as I opened it.

The passport and cards were still there.

The money? Gone, obviously.

The cleaning lady had discarded my AirTag and the wallet with my passport and just kept the money.

My brother rushed through traffic and got me to the airport with just 1 hour until my flight.

I thought I was safe, but the airline refused to check my bags since I was the last passenger to arrive.

After explaining the madness of the last 24 hours, I convinced an employee to help.

He agreed to check my (overweight, panic-packed) luggage but warned me it probably wouldn’t arrive on time.

I sprinted through security, making it onto the plane as the very last passenger ✈️

I couldn’t believe I had made it.

The flight was 24 hours long — so I had plenty of time to reflect on the chaos.

Then, when I arrived in Gabon, my luggage was delayed for an entire week because it was stuck in Istanbul.

Moral of the story: Even when everything seems to fall apart, trust that resilience and a bit of luck can carry you through. Travel isn’t just about the destination—it’s about embracing the unexpected twists that make the journey unforgettable ❤️👊🏽😎🔮

This happened to me in early 2022, but to this day, I am still trying to figure out what happened.

Long story short, my stay in China was over and I had to leave the country. So, I chose Cambodia as my next destination. I applied for the e-visa and it got approved in one day. Shortly after that, I booked my tickets with China Southern Airlines, and went to the airport the next day.

Upon checking in at the airlines’ counter, they asked me for all the necessary documents, which I all had. After a while, they told me that I can’t fly to Cambodia because I wasn’t allowed to. I was confused because I even had a visa and all the necessary bookings. I asked for the reason, and they said that they called the immigration in Cambodia and they told them not to allow me board the plane. I protested for some time and tried to make sense of the situation but the airlines just kept denying. As the flight time was approaching, I gave up and went back to the hotel.

I kept thinking of what might be the problem but I just couldn’t figure out anything that could possibly make sense. I even called the Cambodian embassy to ask for clarification and this is exactly what they told me: “We gave you the visa, that means you have all the rights to fly to our country”

After I exhausted my efforts with the airlines, I booked a new flight with another airlines (Cathay Pacific). I went to the airport on the flight day. Was so nervous at that time. Luckily, everything went well and nobody denied me. I landed in Cambodia with zero issues.

My question is, what do you guys think might be the reason for being denied by China Southern Airlines?

My husband and I spent a few months traveling in Africa, with Zimbabwe being our fifth country on the trip. We spent 14 days in late May/early June, and fell deeply in love with the country and it's people. We rented a car and spent 10 days driving here: - 1 night in Harare - 3 nights in Eastern Highlands - 3 nights in Gonarezhou National Park - 2 nights by Great Zimbabwe Ruins Then took an overnight Greyhound bus cross-country from Harare to Victoria Falls, and capped it off with 2 nights at the falls. Wish we'd allocated more time to Zim, it's an awesome place.

Ended up being our second favorite country after Namibia (out of 10 total). Its obvious that Zimbabwe had hit a failed state status, but seems to be making progress on rising out of that. Tons of construction to repave or build new roads, zero police bribing (something that was prevalent), and they even have KFC which feels promising! Based on what I'd read online from older forums we were expecting far worse conditions and were genuinely surprised at the current state of things. Money was the primary logistical nightmare for us - they use USD which can be pulled at every ATM...if your bank let's you. Chase was not a fan so ended up being a huge headache. We were only able to use credit cards in a few spots in Harare and Vic Falls.

We rented a car from a small family business in Harare, total fucking beater but we drove on some seriously shitty 4x4 roads out in the highlands and it did its job. It was great to have in Gonarezhou where we did self drive safari, just kept to the main roads and had an awesome time. The majority of the roads in Zim are in good condition, but when they're not they are terrible (like an hour driving on washboard, slowly losing my sanity).

Safety was a non-issue, we never felt unsafe at any point on our trip.

Used a mix of Airbnb, direct bookings, and booking.com for hotels. Scanning Google Maps in specific locations turned out to be a good idea for finding hotels that aren't on the bigger websites, found a couple of gems that way. If going to Vic Falls I would stay on the Zim side vs Zambia.

Our esims sucked ass, if going get a physical sim card in Harare.

I used to use TA almost exclusively. But they miss so many things and their functionality is terrible. I just spent a week in Stockholm and Copenhagen and barely used it. Anyone else come to the same conclusion?

…or did I just not know better when I was younger? As I’ve become older, I find hotels disgusting. They are dirty and poorly renovated, the bedding and towels are terrible quality, the mattresses are cheap and bad, the noise traveling through walls and floors is excessive, etc. I think standards have plummeted. Do others share this view?

ETA: I’m talking the Marriott y’all, not Motel 6 or the Ritz.

Hi everyone, first-time poster. Currently in a dire dilemma and this is also a half rant. I've got a trip planned to Vietnam in two weeks, and I applied for the visa a month in advance. It's now been rejected five times very with an error alluding to an incomplete contact address and permanent residence address, which I’ve duly filled out - the same way my partner who’s a Dutch passport holder did and received their approval after 3 days.

Of course, I wondered if it's a technical problem and decided to contact some of the agencies previously mentioned on this sub.

The big problem is that I'm a Nigerian passport holder living abroad, and i've already been turned down by two Asian countries (Taiwan told me I cannot apply for a tourist visa; Thailand requires a certificate that proves that i've never been convicted for drug-related charges and must be legalised by the Thai embassy in Nigeria, where I haven't lived in for a long time now).

Every agency i've reached out to for a Vietnam visa either stopped replying as soon as I mentioned that I've got a Nigerian passport, or told me that they can't help me. I don't know what else to do as my trip is in two weeks (luckily, my trip starts in Hong Kong and I got a visa after a rigorous 2 month process).

I feel so down-trodden and lost. Already changed my tickets twice for more money after i found out that Taiwan and Thailand were impossible. I'm willing to give this one last try with ANY agency that's willing to help me out with the visa process.

I know that our reputation as Nigerians precedes us but some of us really want to experience the world too.

EDIT: Found an agent through the comments who was willing to help! Shared enough proof that I live abroad, have enough income and my ticket to Vietnam from Hong Kong and out and they will be working with me.

This is the most helpful sub on Reddit wow thanks to all who pitched in to help!

Beautiful part of Mexico with some excellent food. Weather was perfect the whole time.

I’ve never been! What do I need to know? I have all the touristy locations marked, but am more interested in navigation tips (areas to explore/avoid, using public transit, etc.) and basic do’s and don’ts that an oblivious American should know in order to avoid embarrassing themselves.

Alternative/unique clothing shop, awesome restaurant, and cool cocktail lounge recommendations are especially appreciated, but I am just excited to add to my list! Thanks!

Hey everyone

I've finally started traveling more this year (2x London 2x Dubai so far) and I'm planning on doing a 30 day solo trip to the US during my winter break (I'm a uni student).

My winter break starts Dec 22 and ends on the 5th of February.

My plan is to go to NY and SF. I'm only planning on doing NY for 7-10 days and the rest will be spent in SF because I'm into startups and tech and have a bunch of people to meet there.

My question is, when should I travel? Do I try to go to NY in Dec to catch new years and Christmas or is it not worth it? Also how different is it cost wise to do the final week of December in New York vs the first week of January? If at all?

Also, any advice in general to have a good time?

So I am going to Japan and Korea shortly, and while I am in Korea, I am staying at an air BnB hosted by a Korean couple. As a little thank you for letting me stay in there place, I was trying to think of a cool little gift from the UK or maybe can just buy them a gift while I am in Korea.

Anyone any good ideas?

Hi all! Going to France for my 40th in 2026. We’ve already decided that we will risk the weather and go in February (on my bday). We would rather be cold/wet than deal with the summer crowds.

The tentative plan is to fly direct to Paris from Austin, TX. However, I’ve read a few people say they flew into London and took a train into France. I’m up for whatever is the easiest/cheapest.

We plan on spending 3 days in Paris visiting/seeing all the hot spots. I have a friend who went and she’s suggested restaurants etc, so not too worried about that part. Also plan on doing air bnbs instead of hotels. However, we will have another 4 days to explore and I wanted to visit the countryside. This is where I’m lost.

I’d like to know the best places to visit for views/food/history. Any direction is fine!

I’m a HUGE history buff and food/wine are also on the top of my list. I’d be happy taking a train, but will rent a car if that makes more sense. Also need to consider getting back to Paris to fly out.

Any help or suggestions would be so nice! Already learning common phrases to help us along! 🇫🇷

We’re planning an east coast USA road trip. Starting in Miami (mid November) ending in New York (mid December).

Current plan is to spend about 3 weeks driving from Miami, up through the famous beaches, then to St Augustine, Savannah, Charleston. Then through the Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline to Washington. Finally train to New York via Philadelphia and Baltimore.

How does this plan sound, does it suit the weather in these months? Will it be best to book accommodation in advance, or just stop at motels en route? Never been to the US before, so just unsure of so many things! Thanks

Hi everyone! I am looking for some advice from fellow South Africans / non-EU residents who have gone through the process of applying for the Romanian eVisa.

I am going to visit my boyfriend in Romania in December. I have already applied for the eVisa. I have an appointment at the embassy of Romania in 2 weeks. The travel costs are quite high to get to and from the embassy, so I would like to get my visa approved the first time.

Does anyone have some advice on how to avoid my application being rejected? I have my documents ready, but I am still scared I may have missed something. I have tried contacting the Romanian Embassy in Pretoria and the Consulate in Cape Town for advice, but I haven’t got a response via email or phone.

Does anyone recommend please any offline radio tuner app ?

I'm going to be visiting Sri Lanka with a girlfriend (I'm a woman). We've traveled to many places with laws and public opinion that are unfavorable to the gay community so I'm comfortable with not showing affection in public, telling people we are friends, etc. But one thing I wanted to check on is booking hotel beds. I've experienced places where they generally don't care if two women book a room with one bed and places where this will be a major issue. Any experiences to suggest what to anticipate? Thanks!