My 80 yr old mother and I (50 yr old female) are traveling in Spain in a few weeks. Since my phone's algorithms are now sending me every news story about how much dislike there is in Spain of tourists, can someone tell me how concerned I should be? We are polite and genuinely interested in Spanish history and culture. We will be spending a few days/nights in Valencia, Denia, Granada, Seville and Barcelona. Tia.

Edit: thanks everyone!!

Signed up for a UK ETA via https://uk-eta.online because it was the first one that came up on google. Learning now that there is an app I was supposed to use through uk.gov and that it should only have cost £10, whereas this service cost me £75.

Now, I'm embarassed and I would have been fine just overpaying, but I checked with the actual uk.gov website and they have absolutely no record of recent applications, so I didn't even get an ETA through a very expensive third party!

So yeah I have to reapply through the real site but do I have any recourse with the fake one? Can I dispute it through my credit card? Are they going to steal my information? No new charges on the card I used but I paid through Google Pay so I'm wondering if that protected my info?

So I(36F) had bought my ticket before any political shifts a few months ago. I've heard great things about El Salvador and needed to see for myself (PS — highly recommend!).

Now for passing through immigration. I was already on edge given all the recent news, but I decided to just go with it. I didn't wipe my phone or prepare myself for anything. I figured if something were to happen, I might as well see it through LOL. I flew through EWR (New Jersey). I arrived at the security guard and, without stereotyping too much, he reminded me of one of those Jersey boys that could have been on Jersey Shore. At first, he was laid back and chewing gum and asked me where I came from and where I'm going. I said I came from El Salvador and was headed home to Canada. He perked right up. El Salvador?

I then got what felt like 20 questions: Did I go alone? Did I meet anyone there? Where did I visit? Why did I visit? How long was I there? Do I travel alone often? Why do I travel? What do I do for work? And more. All while going page by page in my passport looking at all my stamps.

Now, I've passed through the US a few times—always a layover, never a visit. I know these are normal questions they can ask, but I haven't been questioned like this before.

Overall, it was a fine layover—no real headaches—but you can feel they’ve upped the security.

I am travelling to China in a week in a family trip. I am worried that I won’t be able to access the internet and/or certain apps. This is very important to me –if I don’t have internet there I will cancel the trip, and I will be a shame, as I am from Europe, and it’s a long, pre paid, expensive trip.

When I visited Africa, we used a SIM card that we bought there, and it connected to the internet.

Can I do the same in China? What apps can’t I use there? I would appreciate the help

We’re three guys traveling to South America for the first time. In the past, we’ve always traveled with our families – but this time it’s just the three of us. That gives us more flexibility, and we can explore more than we usually would on family trips.

We only have 13 days, so our goal is to see as much of South America as possible – but without feeling rushed or stressed. We’ve put together a rough itinerary (see below), and we’d really appreciate your input: Do you think the plan makes sense, or would you change anything?

Since it might be years before we’re able to come back, we want to make this trip count.

Our travel style: We like to start the day with a long, relaxed breakfast and usually head out around 11am. Then we explore a highlight or two, enjoy a nice lunch, continue sightseeing in the afternoon, and end the day in a relaxed way. We’re outdoors all day, but we’re not into intense hiking — we prefer a good balance of sightseeing, food, culture, and atmosphere.

What we’re looking for: • Feedback on the overall timing and destinations • Things, we shouldn't miss • Tips for safe travel in each place • Tips well-rated mid-range restaurants • Tips 4-star well-rated hotels, ideally well located and stylish

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May 27 ✈️ Flight: Frankfurt → Rio de Janeiro Time: 22:15 – 04:55

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May 28–30: Rio de Janeiro • Visit Christ the Redeemer (Corcovado) • Cable car ride to Sugarloaf Mountain (Pão de Açúcar) • Relax at Copacabana and Ipanema beaches

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May 30 ✈️ Flight: Rio → Foz do Iguaçu Time: 21:35 – 23:55

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May 31: Foz do Iguaçu • Visit the Brazilian side of the Iguaçu Falls (approx. 2.5 hours) • Jungle hike in Iguaçu National Park

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June 1: Foz do Iguaçu • Visit the Argentine side of the Iguaçu Falls • Boat safari at the base of the falls ✈️ Flight: Foz do Iguaçu → Buenos Aires Time: 20:20 – 02:20

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June 2–4: Buenos Aires • Plaza de Mayo & Casa Rosada (historic city center) • La Boca neighborhood (colorful streets & tango vibe) • Recoleta Cemetery with Evita Perón’s grave • Walk through the parks of Palermo

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June 5 ✈️ Flight: Buenos Aires → Medellín Time: 10:20 – 08:18 (via Santiago de Chile)

Stopover: One day sightseeing in Santiago de Chile

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June 6: Medellín • Free day for sightseeing (e.g., Comuna 13, Botero Plaza, cable cars)

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June 7 ✈️ Flight: Medellín → Cartagena Time: 09:42 – 10:52

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June 7–8: Cartagena • Explore the walled city and colonial architecture • Relax on the beaches or take a boat trip

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June 9 ✈️ Flight: Cartagena → Bogotá Time: 08:31 – 10:02 • One day sightseeing in Bogotá (e.g., Monserrate, La Candelaria)

✈️ Flight: Bogotá - Frankfurt - Time: 23:30 – 17:20

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Hi guys! I'm solo traveling to Italy in June for 12 days and looking to hit a couple cities. My flight arrives at home at 1 am and I wanted to catch a bus directly there to another city, but arriving at 5 am wouldn't be ideal, so I was trying to find a place that allowed me to spend a full night sleep in the bus.

Smaller, quaint places are welcome! Preferable down south since I wanted to head to Naples after, and I went to Milan, Verona and Venice last year so going up north isn't really my priority. TIA!

Tl; dr : Philippines could be one of the premier travel destinations on planet Earth, but can’t help but shoot themselves in the foot

This was originally a comment on a post about 1Q tourist numbers being down here in the Philippines. Here is my perspective after three weeks traveling here, my third time in the Philippines, having spent almost 6 months here in total over the years, been to every major island except Mindanao.

I’ve been to almost 70 countries and travel full-time as a digital nomad (small business owner) including some tough ones—India, Egypt, Sudan pre-war, 90% of Latin America. The Philippines is an absolute pain in the as* to travel! Easier than India, but harder than Egypt. It hurts my soul to type that!!

—nobody uses Google maps; it’s hard to overstate how much more needlessly complicated this makes things. Half of the businesses that are on Google maps don’t exist or aren’t in the place they say they are, have no reviews, no photos of the menu or food, ambience…nothing.

The other half of the businesses that do exist aren’t on Google Maps because…reasons? “Reasons” and ignorance of the benefits are the only explanation I can think of, since it doesn’t cost money and takes about 10 minutes to set up. Any business person should see that is worth doing even if it brings you one customer ever. But it would bring you dozens if not hundreds over the course of years.

It speaks to a lack of understanding of the customer and their needs. Not that it matters anyway since half the items on the menu are typically “out of stock”. I’ve never experienced that anywhere else except the Philippines, but it’s a meme here.

If you show where you want to go to a tricycle driver on Google maps it will be utterly useless to him. Because they don’t use it, they don’t think of things like intersections as directions. Directions in their mind are “go to the Santa Isabella church, turn right after the light blue sari sari store (not the dark blue or you’re screwed), drive straight until you see the McDonald’s, then turn left and drive until you see the pink house. It’s across the street from that. I think.” There are other countries in the world like this, but none of them are a flattering place to be compared to. It’s just….backwards and frustrating.

Facebook is how everything is done here and it is an unbelievably inefficient way to find somewhere to go, I hate it. Westerners under the age of 40 don’t use FB at all, for anything, ever. Some of them use messenger but the overwhelming majority prefer WhatsApp or direct messaging on Instagram/snap etc.

Use FB to find the perfect transient/hotel/apartment? Turns out it’s 10 km from where you actually want to stay. And that’s if the owner messages you back in a timely fashion, which they rarely do. Use FB to find a restaurant? It’s across town and closed when you get there because…”reasons”.

—everyone wants to charge you quadruple what locals would pay, for everything, all the time, and act insulted when you call them on their BS. This happens in virtually every single transaction— every bottle of water from every sari sari, every tricycle ride, every everything. It makes tourists feel used and abused and exhausted.

—lodging is terrible value here compared to literally anywhere else in southeast Asia, arguably the worst value of anywhere I’ve been. Medium price for a moldy roach infested Shi*hole, high price for tolerable/acceptable. Exorbitant price for Nice.

—all of that accommodation is geared towards families/groups. Bunk beds crammed into a tiny space. Solo travelers can just get Bent. I have figured out from the looks on people’s faces that solo travel must not really be a thing here, which just makes it more isolating than it already is.

—food is extremely mediocre; not as terrible as I thought it was the first time I came here, but objectively not good by Asian standards. I gain weight in most Asian countries because I legitimately love the food so much, I can’t help but over eat. I’m down almost 4 kilos in 22 days in the PH….so far. Not because there isn’t plenty of food, but because I’m never tempted to overeat, except when I’m having seafood. I want to go back in time and remove whoever introduced mayonnaise to the Philippines from history. Nothing like a nice thick slathering of “mayonnaise” in tropical heat 💀

—Infrastructure is an appalling meme; 40km can be an all day Odyssey. No direct flights from or to anywhere meaningful unless you route through Manila, which is hell on earth for most travelers.

—No seatbelts in the buses or vans that have no or weak air-conditioning or broken fans; nothing leaves on time; nobody knows where or how to do anything. For example, this morning I was going from Sorsogon to Masbate. I asked four different locals which port was the best to catch a ferry— and got four different answers!!!!!!

I could tell just by the tone of voice and body language that two of them had no idea at all. Which is another huge problem in the Philippines; people will never just tell you they don’t know. Oh, how I wish they would just tell me they don’t know so I could go get information from someone who does.

Intentionally giving someone incorrect information/directions is just inconceivable to me. I understand it’s a face saving tactic. But it’s absurd and horrible from an outsiders perspective. You have to learn to recognize this and always double/triple check!

I could go on with this rant for at least as much as I have already typed. The Philippines could be one of the most visited countries in the world, but I don’t think it will ever even be top five in Asia. Traveling here is almost miserable in comparison to somewhere like Thailand, Europe or even Mexico.

So, why am I here, before my throat gets jumped down??

For the beaches and ocean, and because it was a cheap and convenient visa run. The people are also so friendly and kind—perhaps the friendliest and kindest of anywhere I have ever been, though Mexico is a very close second.

English being spoken by virtually everyone is huge too, a game changer for the less adventurous. It’s staggering how far short of its potential the Philippines falls when it comes to enticing and retaining travelers just based on that massive advantage alone. Don’t underestimate how nice it is to be able to communicate in a common tongue!

And that is why tourists either don’t come to the Philippines or don’t return after they have been!! Did I miss anything? I’m certain I missed things….

Do you know the worst part about it all? It’s such an amazing country that I still recommended it to everyone. Unparalleled nature, the best beaches and ocean in the world, diving so good it will make you want to throw away your old life just to spend every day in the ocean. Great surfing too. Did I mention the people are lovely? So kind.

I’ll be back repeatedly, and I reckon all the same problems will still be here whenever that is.

Wondering if yall have any stories about bringing home any kinder suprise eggs from Canada/Mexico into the US. Anything bad happened?

Hi there. I have never really flown before and need help deciding on the best flight option. I am going from LAX to MEX and am not familiar with the quality of the airlines options. The first choice is a flight with United. Pros: The company is well known and hopefully the most reliable, also this is the cheapest flight for only $270 on the United Website. One carry-on bag included. Cons: both trips require a 2 hour layover making it a 6 hour total flight both ways with plane swaps. Also, this flight time is not ideal with an early departure at 0500. The next option is Volaris. The Pros: it is a direct flight at a convenient time for me. Cons: I've heard rumors that the quality of the airline is subpar, and that the trips are sometimes cancelled at the last minute. The pricing for this flight is $307 on a website called "Kiwi" that I haven't heard of. If anyone could share their experience with this airline or the booking website? Also, there is no carry-on option. The third option is AeroMexico. Pros: Its a direct flight at a very convenient time for me. Also, one carry-on bag is included. Cons: This is the most expensive option at $410, although there is an option for $382 on a website called "eDreams" but once again I question the legitimacy. I'm not sure what aspects to prioritize with these flights as I have limited flight experience. I would appreciate any advice or experiences shared. Thank you 🤗

I recently traveled to the UK with my mom, and although I am an EU citizen, she isn’t. We ran into an unexpected issue with Ryanair that I figured was worth sharing.

As most of us already know, as of this year, non-EU passport holders need to apply for a UK ETA before traveling. We did that for my mom, and her application was approved quickly. The confirmation email clearly stated:

”When you travel to the UK You only need your passport that ends in 0000. You do not need to print or show this confirmation email."

Sounds simple, right? Well, not according to Ryanair.

Right before boarding our flight to London, Ryanair staff insisted on seeing the ETA confirmation email, claiming it was mandatory. My mom doesn’t have an EU SIM card, so no mobile data to check her emails. To make things worse, she had applied using her work email and didn't realize it at first. Cue 15 minutes of panic while Ryanair refused to let us board.

We finally found the email just in time, but the whole ordeal could have been avoided if we had just saved a copy in advance. So, lesson learned: keep that ETA email handy, as the airline staff might ask for it, even if the UK government says you don't need it.

DISCLAIMER: I understand the reasoning behind requesting this documentation before boarding, and that it is probably a procedure followed by all airlines. Still, it contradicts the official ETA statement so I thought it was worth sharing.

Safe travels!

I find the hippie trail fascinating. What overland journey would you consider to be an equivalent in current times?

Hi, I am American and have a 2 week trip to Taiwan booked for May 2nd. In the past couple weeks, there have been some recent development involving the Chinese military around the island, etc. With the odd political situation going on here, my partner already had some hesitations about going, but I was able to convince him that everything will be fine up until about a week ago when he saw some news articles about Chinese naval drills.

He called Delta to inquire whether they would refund our tickets given the potentially unstable situation, and they agreed to, but he didn’t go through with it since he wanted to consult with me first. His takeaway though was that, if it wasn’t a serious risk, the airline would not recognize it as a valid reason to refund us on our economy tickets. But they have.

Despite everything, I feel pretty comfortable going, and if he decides not to go, I probably still will, just solo.

Can anyone provide any input on whether what’s going on now with Taiwan is consequential at all compared to similar historical situations? I would love for us to be able to go together, and I’m looking for any recommendations, or firsthand experiences based on travel currently.

Although I will say I’m pretty committed to going, if there is compelling evidence that it is a significant risk, I’m willing to cancel as well. Just looking for any unbiased and fact-based inputs since I need to make a decision soon! TYIA!!

First time here and I’d heard a million times that it was a bit run down & grubby etc., but I was shocked to see the state of large areas of the city centre. I’m Scottish and it reminded me of Edinburgh during the bin strikes 3 or so years ago - 8 foot high piles of rubbish everywhere. Even saw some decomposing rats lying around that had clearly been there for weeks. Was a full-time job trying to avoid standing on dog shit as well. Assuming it was dogs! One guy also definitely trying to get me to take my hands out of my pockets in an attempt to rob me, I’m in no doubt about that. It wasn’t happening, though.

I took plenty of advice from various people to find the ‘nice’ parts, but we wandered around those areas for a couple of hours and it was terrible.

Has it gone downhill recently, or has it always been like this?

Any further advice on some decent areas with nice bars etc. would be welcome. We only have tonight left and we’d like to try enjoy it as best we can. Had a great dinner last night so wasn’t a total write-off, but after it certainly was. I’d rather not go out than wander around these areas again.

What’s actually going on here?

I’m planning my honeymoon in July to go to the Bahamas and just a few days ago they issued a warning saying “The U.S. State Department advises travelers to "exercise increased caution" in The Bahamas due to crime concerns. The advisory highlights risks of armed robberies, burglaries, sexual assaults, and gang violence, particularly in Nassau” is this something I should worry about and change plans for a is it normal and just don’t be dumb at night? We booked at maratitaville

My husband passed away almost three months ago. It’s now just me and my two kids (13 & 14 yr olds). My husband and I have traveled around together, but I’ve never traveled alone.

I’m planning a trip for this fall, for me and my two children, to Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland. I have a little anxiety about payment methods, however.

Long story summarized: last spring my husband and I traveled to the UK, Norway, and Iceland. We informed our bank of each country we would be visiting and which dates we’d be in that country. However, because my husband had an amazing cash-back credit card, we’d be primarily using that for the duration of our travels. While in Edinburgh, I ran across the street to grab us some coffees and breakfast and had forgotten to grab the credit card from my husband, but I had my debit card so I attempted to use it for the purchase. It declined- over and over, it kept declining. No big deal.. I ran back to the hotel and grabbed the credit card, got the coffees and that was that. I told my husband what had happened and he thought it was odd. So later that day, we tried the debit card (Mastercard) again at a different shop and same story. We said oh well and moved on. Had an awesome trip.

I closed the credit card shortly after he passed. If I try to apply for a credit card, with my nearly non existent credit history, I’m only going to be approved for what I assume is like a $500-1000 dollar limit. That won’t work because I’ll be traveling for multiple weeks.

What are my options? Is there some sort of international prepaid card that works everywhere a credit card would work? I’m terrified of the thought of traveling all the way there, thinking I’ve done everything right, and then having no way to pay for anything. I am going to pre-book everything I can before we leave (airfare, lodging, airport transportation, ferry, and rental car) but I’m talking just our day to day spending like parking, food, shopping, and entrance fees.

Much appreciated!

Trying to get some insights on best practices from this group. Appreciate in advance.

This happened several years ago. My husband and I decided to spend our last day in Paris exploring the city on foot, wherever the sidewalk led us. After a day of people watching and window shopping, we were at our metro entrance, heading back to our hotel. A van pulled up and several people climbed out of the van and were setting up camera equipment-lights, reflectors, lots of stuff and bustling about. We stood aside and watched as a very beautiful, very tall young lady stepped out. She was dressed head to tow in a white outfit, very elegant. They were doing a fashion shoot! I started snapping pictures like crazy as they worked, posing her in front of the metro steps. Finally they started loading up their equipment and one of the people gestured to us. In broken English, we were asked if we wanted a picture with the model! We now have a picture of us standing with that lovely woman who looks just a wee bit embarrassed but smiling anyway, and I've always considered that one of the most perfect days we've ever spent while traveling. And no, the Parisians were never even a bit rude to us.

I am going to be traveling on American Airlines with my female Bichon in Cabin. Grown not a puppy. Any recommendations on soft travel carriers that fit under seat? Should I buy first class ticket for more room - dog comfort. Do you think they'll let her sit in my lap once plane is in flight - after all she is hypo allergenic. If you flown with you Bichon please give me some advice and insight. Did you pay the $150 fee? Thank you

This grocery store owner just stole 100 TL from my mother. She paid and instead of receiving all her change, the owner withheld 100 TL without us realising (it's our first day here and we are very jet-lagged hence why we didn't notice). They scam people so much here (taxis, restaurants, hotels) that you genuinely have to supect it from EVERYONE - even the small grocery store owner down the street.

I know every country has this issue to a degree, but I feel like it's especially the case in Turkey.

Hello, my parents are looking at traveling Vietnam for 7-10 days in October/November. Its their first time traveling in South East Asia. They'd like to see the rural countryside. Small towns/villages. Just get a real feel of the culture. I've been to Vietnam a few times myself and my concern is that because they won't be riding a motorbike around and they will predominantly be using buses to get to places that everywhere they go will be the typical tourist destination that is now overcrowded with tourists. I know a lot of places in Vietnam have lost their charm from over tourism (Halong Bay, Hoi An by the river at night, etc) so I'm just a bit unsure where would be best for them to spend a week and have a nice time.
I was thinking of basing them in Hoi An and doing a couple little trips from there but that time of year looks to be the worst time to travel due to the rain. Also wasn't sure if there would be any nice small towns to visit from Hoi An.
The other option I was thinking about is North. The weather looks better that time of year and they could spend a couple night in Hanoi and do a trip to Ninh Binh or if anyone had any recommendations of nice small towns to visit that aren't too far from Hanoi. Possibly surrounded by rice fields and stuff like that. Stuff that old timers would love to see.
Any recommendations would be awesome. Thanks!

Edit* They don't want to do a tour group type thing. They would prefer to travel around by themselves.

In a recent post u/robustregistration talked about walking barefoot on the Great Wall of China and really feeling the thousands of years of history.

I walked through a castle in the UK and saw stairs with dips in the middle, solid stone worn down by so many feet over the centuries. That caught my eye and really made people who lived in the castle real. The thrones and the beautiful clothing and amazing architecture are all wonderful but being able to really picture the people from that time - working, resting, laughing, struggling, tired, excited, chatting with friends, worried about their kids - I felt all that.

At the Roman Colosseum, I saw an exhibition of little things found under the seats like buttons, money, etc. It really resonated with me; all those things are found in our stadiums today.

What are the things that you have seen during your travels that made you feel truly connected to people from the past?

Hi, i’m so confused! I’m from a EU country who traveling to mexico for the first time tomorrow. . Going to the capital. But, some people say FMM (tourist card) is needed while others say its not needed, i just get more confused than wiser when googling about this because it says different depending on what page.

I applied for FMM 60 days ago and wrote on the arrival date April 6th , but due to some circumstances now won’t be able to arrive until one day later - april 7th. Will that cause any problem for me..? The thing is i’m not even sure if i completed the FMM or not, this is the page i applied the FMM at https://www.mexicotouristcard.com/ i’m not even sure if this site is legit.. i’m not able to reach them on email , seems like the email doesn’t exist? I’m not sure i have completed the FMM because its simply too confusing for me, and I haven’t paid anything when applying for the FMM..

I’m just a bit worried…if FMM is needed, the FMM i applied for online (which i’m not sure i even completed ) will it cause me any problem ? Or I’ll just get a tourist card at mexico city airport without any problems?

Thanks!!

Hello Everyone! We are a family of four with two young boys (1st grader and 5th grader). We're looking for ideas for family vacations. We want to spend lots of time outside, being active, and disconnecting! Here's what we're looking for:

• Remote wilderness / nature setting
• Hotel style rooms or standalone cottages / cabins
• Continental U.S.
• In the mountains near a lake or river (would consider oceanside)
• Hiking trails
• Programming and activities for families (sports, arts & crafts, etc.)
• Outdoor adventures
• An option to have at least some meals included would be nice

What do you know of that fits the bill?

EDITING TO ADD: we will consider rustic to luxurious accommodations!

Hey everyone,

I'm looking to book a trip to Europe from North America for later this month, and I have two options. I can either fly SAS from IAD (Washington Dulles) on their A350-900, and then connect on their A320neo, or I can fly Delta's 767-400 on the transatlantic flights. Price is comparable on both itineraries, and both itineraries involve the same amount of connections. Is one better than the other? What do you think?

I'm going to Scotland at end of May. I've chosen a company for a one day private tour that takes me to Balmoral Castle and Stirling Castle. The company advised to NOT get Stirling Castle tickets ahead of time as to not limit time at Balmoral and promises there will be plenty of time for Stirling.

Everything I've read about Scotland says to prebook Edinburgh Castle and Stirling Castle as those can be the hardest to get into. I want to trust the company's judgment, but I also don't want to miss Stirling or waste a ton of time waiting to get in. What's your experience at Stirling Castle, is pre-booking needed or is it easier to walk in than my research has led me to believe?

Thank you!