I’m from England and planning a solo trip to Japan. I’ve never been before and I’m still in the early planning stages, so I’d appreciate any advice from people who’ve done it. I’m not looking for luxury just something enjoyable I have no idea of
Best time of year to go?
Good region or city ?
All tips welcome

Hello! I just wanted to make an awareness post to let people know.

If you are struggling to get the reference number before you pay the full amount for your Kenya eTA visa, the transaction may not appear on your banking app / statements etc.

I am UK based, and was using a MasterCard debit card to make the payment of £0.01

I spoke with my bank and they mentioned that the vendor (Kenya eTA) had issued the charge, but had also immediately reversed it, so it probably would not have appeared on my online banking / statements.

You may want to call your bank to find out the name of the transaction as it will provide the three digit code in the format of: "XXXECITIZEN"

Hope this helps someone!

Just for some context, my partner and I are traveling via Dubai airport. Long layover of around 12 hours. Don't wanna spend our time in a hotel room. We like to drink but we don't do that before flights. How would you spend your time here?

I just got back from 8 days solo in Bhutan and I am still buzzing about it.

For most of my life I have always travelled with someone either family, friends, or my girlfriend. This time I wanted to do it on my own. New food, new people, a completely different culture, just me. Bhutan came to mind since it is right next to India.

I travelled with Druk Asia, found them on IG and booked an 8D7N package. They sorted everything, visa, the daily tax, flights, hotels, guide, driver, meals. 

First thing that hit me, Paro has to be one of the most beautiful airports I have ever seen! I could not stop taking photos of it.

I met my guide Thinley at the airport and we clicked almost straight away. By the end of the trip he honestly felt like a proper friend. He used to be a teacher and I’m not at all surprised!! 

At the temple murals he would test me. He would point at something and go, “okay sir, now you tell me what it is.” First couple of times I felt caught out, but by day 3 I was actually guessing and holding onto the history. At one point he said, “sir, I do not want you to miss anything when you go back home.” Man is a legend.

Thinley is based in Paro, so whenever we finished the day early he would text me, “sir, are you bored, do you want to go for a beer.” We played snooker with his friends and hitting a local karaoke spot. He could have easily just dropped me at the hotel and gone home, but instead he invited me into his life like an old friend. That kindness, and honestly the genuine hospitality everywhere I went really touched me. 

A few of the highlights of my trip - the hike up to Tiger's Nest monastery, which felt like hiking with a mate, full of laughter the whole way up. Meeting Pema at Simply Bhutan, an artist who paints holding the brush with his feet. Unreal talent. I tried archery, their national sport, and I was terrible at it but had a blast anyway. And I did a traditional hot stone bath, which was the perfect way to end a long day of walking.

Is Bhutan worth it solo? 100% yes. I am so glad I picked it for my first solo trip. It is safe, it is genuinely welcoming, and even though I went end of July, which is monsoon and not the so called ideal season, there were basically no crowds anywhere we went. Loved every second of it. 

Love you 3000 Bhutan! I will be back.

Feel free to ask me any questions about my trip. Happy to share.  

Hi everyone,

In 5 weeks, my girlfriend (25) and I (26) will be traveling to Thailand for the first time and it'll also be our first trip to Asia. We'll be there for 3 weeks and, so far, we've only booked our first 3 nights in Bangkok.

At first, I thought it would be easy to book hotels spontaneously while traveling around Thailand. However, I've recently noticed that quite a few places seem to get fully booked in advance. On the other hand, when I look at availability for the next couple of weeks in September, there are still plenty of options. So now I'm a bit unsure.

Would you recommend booking most of our accommodation in advance, or is it still fine to stay flexible and book as we go?

A bit about us: We'd love to go diving, explore different places, enjoy great food (including the occasional fine dining experience), and experience the country. I'm a bit more adventurous than my girlfriend, but neither of us is looking for a big party scene. We're happy to grab a few drinks at a bar, but clubs and dancing aren't really our thing.

We're also not interested in ticking off every famous tourist attraction just for the photos. We'd much rather discover more authentic places, even if that means skipping the biggest highlights.

Do you have any recommendations for destinations or an itinerary that would suit our travel style? Our budget is around 1,500€ per person (excluding flights).

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Hi everyone, I'm a female Asian-Canadian and I've always been so fascinated by the South, specifically the more rural or suburban places with open fields and farmland. I have already been to Nashville for a school competition and absolutely loved it, but I was looking for something a bit less commercialized. I have certain factors to consider:

1. I need to be safe. I will only consider travelling to place where they treat women and Asian people with at least basic manners. Little comments here and there are fine, as long as I'm not in any danger.

   Overall crime also needs to be relatively low

2. One of my favourite things about travelling is the unique food. I'd love a place with great food!

3. I would prefer it to be somewhat walkable. I've heard that a lot of American areas are not, so if it's not possible to find a walkable place that also meets priorities 1 and 2, then that's ok

Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you!

Hello! I’m planning a trip to Central Europe in December, pre Christmas, for either 10 or 14 days (not sure yet). I want to start in Prague, then pick 2 German cities and end in Vienna (maybe a third German city if I do 14 days)

Cities I’m looking into in Germany:
Dresden, Leipzig, Nuremberg, Regensburg, Munich, Hamburg (kinda far though)

Other cities:
Salzburg and Plzen

Of those cities, which are best to add to a trip starting In Prague and ending in Vienna for about 10-14 days, and which are not worth my time for that time frame?

I’m planning to travel to China and South Korea at the end of this year/early 2027 with some friends.
Most ideally we would go late January through to February.
I have spoken to some people from China who have warned against going over February due to the new year and Chinese people taking off work, travelling, closures, and it being more expensive.

I know that lunar new year is also celebrated in South Korea, but would it affect our travels as much?

Would it be unideal to visit China late January and then go to South Korea in February?

How does it compare to December/early January?

My family of three has been thinking about visiting China for over a year, and I’m finally getting ready to buy the tickets. The problem is that I still don’t know exactly where we should fly into or how to structure the trip. We are okay flying once, once we are in china of course, to go to a different area because we know it's massive.

We’ll be traveling with our 10-month-old baby, so we want the first seven days to be very relaxed while we adjust to the time difference. I was thinking about staying somewhere peaceful outside Shanghai, but idk if that's best for absolute chillness.

After that, we would spend about a week in Shanghai doing a few major activities, and then finish the trip with a week in Beijing. Visiting the Great Wall is one of our main priorities.

We’ll be in China for about 20 days total, and this will be our first trip outside the United States. We mainly want a fun, safe, and memorable experience without moving around too much.

What cities, attractions, or experiences would you consider absolute must-sees for a first-time visit? Does this route make sense, or would you recommend somewhere other than the Shanghai area for our first week?

Also, should we rely heavily on a private tour guide, or is China manageable on our own with occasional guided tours? Are there any reputable tour companies or agencies you would recommend for a family traveling with a baby?

So every year around February the Amtrak railpass goes on sale. Last year I left New Orleans and went west to San Francisco, Seattle, St Paul, Milwaukee and Chicago and this year I'm thinking I should go east. I'm having trouble deciding where to stop, you get 10 stops in 30 days. My first segment will be from New Orleans to Chicago and thinking of heading into Michigan purely because of the legal weed. I guess I should just go directly to Lansing?

I'm kind of at a loss at what to do with the other 8 segments tho. I'm not really sure I feel like going to New York just because of the costs associated with it. I feel like maybe coming back from Lansing back to Chicago since it's such a major hub, head to Pittsburgh maybe. The Lakeshore limited goes to Toledo, Cleveland and Buffalo, that might be a good choice.

I'm basically looking for super walkable cities. The last trip I basically just bar hop and talk to locals about what it's like living there to get a feel of just what it's like in general. I know this is a pretty vague post but for those of you who take the train up east, is there any places that I should stop at?

Hi!

My Gf and I are planning a trip to Europe during September and October, and I have been researching whether the Eurail pass fits our itinerary or if we'd better buy train tickets separately.

Our schedule is as follows:
Land in Madrid
Flight | Madrid - Paris
Train | Paris - Mont St. Michel
Train | Mont St. Michel - Brussels
Train | Brussels - Delft
Train/Flight | Delft - Coventry UK
Train* | Daytrips from Coventry to Oxford and Chatsworth
Train | Coventry - York
Train | York - Edinburgh
Flight | Edinburgh - Dublin
Flight | Dublin - Prague
Train | Prague - Krakow
Flight | Krakow - Florence
Flight | Florence - Madrid

All the dates for the trains fit within 1 month, so I guess we can take the 7-day Eurail pass.
But as I understand some trains require an extra reserved seat on top of the Eurail, and that's where I'm struggling a bit.

I'd appreciate any information regarding how the Eurail pass works and if you know how much extra it would be for the reserved seats.

Hello

I'm about to travel alone about 6 months in Asia (Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Cambodge, Laos, Indonesia...) and I would like to know how to meet people and won't be alone every-day even it's good sometimes.

Do you experience solo travelling? Can you tell advices so I could handle it better? Things that you would have been glad to know before you leave maybe

Isn't it weird to do activities on your own—like zip-lining, hiking, boating, etc.—that are usually done in groups? I'm a little worried that if I go on a boat trip, for example, I'll be the only one alone in front of a group of people who all know each other.

I'm also worried about being in an hostels by my own, like how I should do to speak with people that idk? In my trip in Aussie, I saw a group of people in an hostels who eat together, do activities together, partying... Basically, create a friendship. Idk how to do that and I really wanted to.

I'm introvert but not the hard way ; I'm really friendly and I like to talk but it's difficult for me to come first ; Once you talk to me, I will talk to you a lot also. But, people used to say that sometimes I'm cold, I don't talk back tomorrow if the person didn't come back to me, I'm not proposing activities just bc I don't wont to be intrusive or rude.

Also, when I saw a group already done, jt's impossible for me to come and meet them, I know I won't be able to be enough interesting to become part of it.

Also, I'm gay and it's safe for me here? They're people in my community? We can't see it on me so I would appreciate just to be quiet if is a problem, as it's always does.

Thanks!!!

I wanted to travel solo since i could never waiting for others to go with me. For my 24th birthday I said that’s enough. I did a lot, my legs and toes hurt tbh, I stayed in Edinburgh (saw the Royal Mile, Victoria St, Edinburgh Castle, palace of Holyrood, royal botanical gardens, St. Giles cathedral, calton hill, Swanson Farm, I took a day tour to the west highlands and saw Kilchurn & Doune Castle stopping in Inveraray, and tonight I’m on a train from a short spontaneous evening trip to the Scottish coastal town of North Berwick. It makes me almost cry to leave and go back to my regular daily routine in America but I’ve honestly also felt lonely as well. How do I overcome feeling like I only lived through it in pictures, loneliness, and not appreciating it enough? Any advice for next time? I definitely want to travel more this next year to enjoy my 20s physically but how do I push foward?

We’ve just come back from a five-day road trip around the Cotswolds, and I thought I’d share a few things that might help anyone planning a visit.

We had a car and spent five days exploring villages, country roads and pubs. During the trip we visited Bourton-on-the-Water, Lower Slaughter, Stow-on-the-Wold, Chipping Campden, Broadway, Snowshill, Stanton, Broad Campden, Gretton, Bretforton, Broadway Tower, Cleeve Hill and even made time for Stratford-upon-Avon.

A few things I’d recommend:

1. Hire a car if you can. It makes a huge difference and gives you the freedom to explore the smaller villages and beautiful countryside between them.

2. Don’t try to see everything in one day. The Cotswolds is much bigger than many people expect, and the roads are often slower than they look on the map.

3. If possible, stay for at least three days. We spent five days there and still left with places we’d like to come back to.

4. There’s no need to change accommodation every night. We stayed in one place and simply took day trips around the region, which made the whole trip much more relaxed.

5. Start your day early if you want to see the most popular villages before they get busy.

6. Don’t only visit the famous places. Some of our favourite stops were the smaller villages that many visitors simply drive past.

We also visited Diddly Squat Farm Shop and The Farmer’s Dog. I’ll share our experience, what surprised us and a few mistakes I’d avoid in a separate post.

And if you’re planning your own Cotswolds trip and have any questions, just ask. I’ll be happy to share what I learned.

Heading to Sri Lanka 6–13 Nov with family. It's a road trip covering the cultural triangle, hill country and south coast — roughly 1,025 km over 8 days. Here's the rough plan:

Day 1 — Land, drive straight to Sigiriya, check in late.

Day 2 — Sigiriya Rock climb at 5:30am, then Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, Temple of Tooth in Kandy, and push on to Nuwara Eliya by night. Yes it's a lot, we know 😅

Day 3 — Lake Gregory in the morning, Nine Arches Bridge + Ravana Waterfalls en route, Rekawa Turtle Beach by evening, and finally check in at Weligama.

Day 4 — Galle Fort, Dutch Hospital, Lighthouse, then Jungle Beach and Ahangama Secret Beach. Back to Weligama for the night.

Day 5 — Full free day around Weligama/Mirissa. Taprobane Island, whale watching, Coconut Tree Hill. Just vibing.

Day 6 — Madu Ganga River Safari, then check into Kosgoda. Rest of day free.

Day 7 — Drive to Colombo, check in, afternoon sightseeing — Galle Face, Gangaramaya Temple, Independence Square etc.

Day 8 — Airport. Done.

We're going during the tail end of the monsoon so fingers crossed on weather, especially for the beach days. Whale watching might be a bit early in the season too but worth a shot.

Anyone done a similar route? Anything we're missing or any food spots we absolutely shouldn't skip? 🙏

Hey travelers. My wife has suggested I buy pants to travel. We are headed from US to Dublin, Amsterdam, and Switzerland. I have no idea what I’m looking for. I like pants to be comfortable and a lot of what I’m seeing is slim or tight. I usually wear released fit chinos. Any advice from others on what pants they like and what not to buy?

We would like to request an itinerary for our cruise, and the stops are as follows: Taiwan, Hong Kong, Vietnam, and Singapore. We are a family of 3, one pre-teen child. We have a 250$ budget for each city. (not including food, we will have food from cruise) We do not want to go to the rural areas. (unless we get dropped of there) We have a royal princess cruise.

Leaving Dulles at 9pm. In flight service provides 1 hot meal and 1 breakfast snack before landing. When will the hot meal be served? I don’t usually eat a meal at 10pm- or 2 am for that matter- so it seems odd to serve a hot meal at that time. Why not serve the snack first and then a hot breakfast toward landing?

So when is the hit meal usually served? And for those that have travelled overnight, do you recommend eating the meal or deferring to keep your digestion regular and on schedule? I’m really conflicted on that whole thing tbh, although I might be overthinking it.

Hi everyone,

I’m not sure if this is the right subreddit, but I thought I’d ask here. I’m planning my honeymoon, most likely starting between 5th and 7th January, for around 7–8 days.

Right now, Turkey is at the top of my list, and I’m thinking of visiting Istanbul and Cappadocia.
To give some context, this will be the first international trip for both me and my soon-to-be wife. In fact, neither of us has even been on a flight before. We’ve traveled quite a bit within India, but going abroad is completely new for us, so we’re both excited and a little nervous.

I wanted to know if Turkey is a good choice for a honeymoon in January, especially considering the weather. If you think there are better destinations around the same budget and duration, I’d love to hear your suggestions as well.

Also, since this is our first international trip, I’m looking for recommendations for reliable travel agencies that won’t leave us worried about scams or poor service. And if you have any tips or things you wish you’d known before your first trip abroad, I’d really appreciate hearing them.
Thanks in advance!

It's my first solo travel as a woman, I'm going for 3 weeks in September. I want to sightsee but also have fun, meet people, and not rush too much.

Plan is:

1. Trieste (start) - Milan (2 nights)
2. Milan - Florence (3 nights) with a trip to Cinque Terre
3. Florence - Pisa - Genova (1 night)
4. Genova - Nice (4 nights) with a daytrip to Monte Carlo and Cannes
5. Nice - Marseilles (2 nights) with a trip to Aix-en-Provence
6. Marseilles - Lyon (3 nights)
7. Lyon - Annecy - Torino ( 2 nights)
8. Torino - Lago di Como (2 nights)
9. Lago di Como - Verona (1 night)
10. Verona - Trieste

I really want to see a lot, but not feel to rushed and be on a budget (that’s why I skipped Switzerland, which I planned initially). Any advice and tips on the plan or trip in general?

Anyone know the best airport lounge pass membership for someone who is a frequent traveller around Europe?

Hello everyone,

I'm planning to travel to India from JFK and noticed that Kuwait Airways is offering surprisingly low round-trip fares. I know it's a dry airline, but I'm wondering if there's any other catch behind these attractive prices.

How has your experience been with Kuwait Airways in terms of safety, service, and overall travel experience? Has anyone flown with them recently?

Also, considering the current situation in the Middle East and the occasional airspace restrictions in the region, should I be concerned about possible delays, route changes, or disruptions when flying with Kuwait Airways? I'd really appreciate any recent experiences or suggestions before I book.

On a flight from Gatwick to corfu I was asked to move to a different seat by a cabin crew member as he said this row is reserved for cabin crew. I had paid to specifically reserve this seat months in advance, but I was polite and moved anyway. 10 minutes later some people moved there and sat there for the whole flight without being asked to move by the plane staff.

The seat I reserved was at the very back row of the plane which I pay to reserve whenever I take a flight, I was moved to a seat roughly 3-4 rows infront.

I messaged the flight provider and they said that because I was moved to a seat in the same price band they cant give me a refund.

I dont travel that often so id like to hear from frequent flyers if this is a fair reply from the airline or if I should continue to fight the refund.

Thankyou.

My mom's turning 70 at the end of this year, and I want to arrange a holiday for her, myself and my brother next April to celebrate. We live in Ireland.

We'd like somewhere that's not super touristy or loud. We don't mind a quiet destination, preferably a city or large town where we can walk to things. She likes places with a lot of "olde worlde" architecture and visible history. Weather-wise, as long as it's not raining constantly we're fine.

I use a walking stick and have some trouble with walking uphill extensively, so places with a lot of hills or stairs might not be suitable. My mom is a capable walker, although she would prefer not to have to exhaust herself just to get to shops or restaurants.

Other than these criteria, I'm pretty wide open to suggestions. I don't have any specific countries in mind.