My wife and I spent a wonderful 10 days in Poland during the first couple of weeks of September. Here’s a quick summary of our highlights

2 days in Warsaw - old town, POLIN museum, Łazienki Park, University of Warsaw rooftop gardens

Malbork Castle on the way from Warsaw to Gdańsk

2 days in Gdańsk - Royal Route, St. Mary’s Church (including climbing to the top), Solidarity Museum, shopping at The Forum

1 day in Sopot - rode bikes on the coast, Sopot town center, Marriott Resort & Spa

3 days in Kraków - St. Mary’s Cathedral, Kazimierz, Pharmacy Under The Eagle Museum, Wawel Castle, shopping at Rynek Głowny, Wisła Kraków match, Auschwitz-Birkenau

2 days in Zakopane - walked the town center, gravitational slide, Five Polish Lakes Valley hike in Tatra National Park

Poland was a lovely country, not very busy, exceptionally clean, easy to get around (we used public transport and did not rent a car), delicious food with great variety, and a distinct, proud culture. I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a less touristy European adventure. Some of our favorite food included: pierogi (of course), zapiekanki (so delicious), obwarzanek, placki ziemniaczane (potato pancakes), kielbasa (polish sausage), and lots of ice cream.

Pictures 1-3: Warsaw Old Town
Pictures 4-5: Malbork Castle
Pictures 6, 8-9: Gdańsk Old Town/Royal Route
Picture 7: Potato pancakes and chicken
Picture 10: Breakfast in Gdańsk at Stary Młyn
Picture 11: Grand Hotel in Sopot
Picture 12: St. Mary’s Cathedral in Kraków
Picture 13: Obwarzanek in Kraków
Picture 14: flowers at Wawel Castle
Picture 15-16: Auschwitz-Birkenau
Picture 17: view of the Tatras atop the gravitational slide in Zakopane
Pictures 18-20: pictures taken on our hike in Tatra National Park

Spent about two and a half weeks in Hong Kong in late September. First ten days I was working out of Cyberport, then took a week off and moved over to the Kowloon side. All iPhone photos, mostly shot after work or late at night.

I thought I'd come back with skyline shots. Instead, almost everything I kept is street level. Taxis, trams, minibuses, and old apartment blocks with air con units stacked forty floors high.

Image notes:

1–2: Mid-Levels and the hillside roads above Central. The jungle just spills over the retaining walls between the towers. Never got used to it.

3–5: The trams. HK$3.30 a ride, and the front seat on the upper deck is the best view in the city. I rode them end to end a few times just to look out the window.

6–7: Yick Cheong (the Monster Building) in Quarry Bay. Residents banned photos in the courtyard, so these are from King's Road. Exterior is more interesting anyway imo.

8: Same stretch of King's Road. Half the old blocks are wrapped in green scaffold netting.

9: Taxi outside Mido Cafe in Yau Ma Tei.

10: A side street on the Kowloon side. Taxis are half the traffic.

11: Kids kicking a ball around a public pitch, squeezed in between the towers.

12: Minibuses lined up on a side street in Sai Ying Pun with the harbour at the bottom. If you're going, figure these out. They go everywhere the MTR doesn't.

13: A red taxi under a glass office tower. Old and new right next to each other.

14: Back on King's Road. Footbridges, tram tracks, and the hills right behind.

15: Monster Building again, looking straight up.

16: Happy Valley on a Wednesday race night. HK$10 to get in, beer garden in the middle of the track, skyline behind the back straight. Best ten bucks I spent.

17–18: Neon in Jordan and Mong Kok after rain. A lot of it has been pulled down over the last few years, so what's left feels worth shooting while it's there.

19: The beautiful building in the background with the crazy lines is the Bank of China Tower in Central. The one skyline-ish shot that made the cut.

20: A street corner well after midnight. The red taxis never really stop.

Only having evenings free for the first ten days turned out to be fine. The city is better after dark anyway. Cooler, emptier, and after rain everything reflects.

Stuff that stuck with me:

Transit is absurd. Octopus card and you can do MTR, trams, buses, ferries, minibuses, 7-Eleven, everything.

Old and new aren't in separate neighborhoods. A hundred year old shophouse sits under a glass tower and nobody thinks that's weird.

It is a walking city on a hill. Bring better shoes than I did.

Food deserves its own post. Short version: clear soup brisket at Sister Wah, roast goose at Tin Lung, wontons at Shing Kee. Mid-Autumn fell during the trip, so mooncakes everywhere and lanterns in Victoria Park.

Not perfect. Expensive, humid, hotel rooms are tiny. But I get why people get obsessive about this place.

Just got back from a 5 week holiday with my wife to Europe including a week spent in Southern Spain.

Was definitely one of the highlights of the trip, amazing weather, great moorish architecture, and brilliant beers in the sun.

We spent 2 nights in Granada and 4 nights in Seville and would have happily stayed in both for longer. The Alhambra in Granada is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been and was lucky to have a great morning 3 hour tour which flew by.

Seville was full of energy with plenty of things to do. Perfect weather 30 degree and sunny weather the whole time we were there which makes afternoon beers terribly appealing. Loved visiting the Alcazar and Plaza de Espana. And the Seville Cathedral is probably the most impressive cathedral over ever visited. Also enjoyed a day tour out to Ronda which is a lovely place in itself.

Andalusia is a place I very much intend to return to one day.

Pictures 1-4 - Granada
Pictures 5-14 - Seville
Picture 15 - Grazalema
Pictures 16-19 - Ronda
Picture 20 - Italica

Hi everyone! It has been a while, but I just wanted to share what will be my last update of my amazing trip to Portugal that I had earlier this year. It will be covering some of the other cities I hit up in Portugal, that are not well known as Lisbon, but are still worth visiting, including some that I preferred over Lisbon and Sintra!! I will have linked my previous updates to Sintra and Lisbon below.

Here is the photo key!

Photos 1-3: COIMBRA

1: Coimbra from bridge

2: University of Coimbra

3: Callejon in Coimbra

Photos 4-7: TOMAR

4: Main Plaza of Tomar

5: Courtyard in Convento

6: More pictures from inside Convento

7: More Convento

Photos 8-11 GUIMARAES

8: Typical street in historic center

9: From top of Castelo de Guimaraes

10: Palace of the Dukes of Braganca

11:Castelo from distance

Photos 12-16 PORTO

12: View of Porto from Vila Nova de Gaia

13-15: Churches and cathedrals in Porto (don’t remember names)

16: View of Porto from Miradouro

Photos 17-20 EVORA

17: Typical street in Evora

18: Roman temple of Evora

19: Cathedral in Evora

20: Houses built into the aqueduct

Although Lisbon and Porto are overflowing with tourists and require a lot of planning to get the most out of your experience, there are so many other Portuguese towns and cities that do not get the love they deserve. Using my Portuñol, I was able to connect with so many Portuguese locals and really get to see how kind and welcoming the Portuguese people are. This is not a definitive guide, but just my experiences in the Portugal outside Lisbon.

COIMBRA:

Coimbra was probably the city I had the least expectations for going into this trip, but it ended up being one of my favorite cities in Portugal. You just feel like you are stepping into history as soon as step foot inside this Central Portuguese city. I spent 2 nights in the city, so I could have a full day to explore the city. Coimbra is very well connected to Porto and Lisbon by train, so it also makes a great option to breakup up your stays in Porto in Lisbon. I absolutely loved all the beautiful alleyways in Coimbra and getting lost in the streets. I am also very interested in historic universities, so the University of Coimbra was a real treat for me. I did pay to see the Joanina Library inside the university (no pictures allowed) and it was definitely probably the most beautiful I’ve seen to date. The botanical gardens are also worth a visit if you are the area. If I remember correctly, the city has both an old and new cathedral, both of which are very beautiful. Make sure to also see a fado singing while in Coimbra. The Coimbran variety is unique in that it traditionally sung by males, which is not the norm in the rest of Portugal from what I understand. When I was there in May, the main street was kind of busy, and there were some day trippers around the university area, but the city calmed down a lot in the mornings and evenings. I highly recommend Coimbra if you would like to visit Portugal!!

TOMAR:

Out of all the cities on my list, I think Tomar is probably the least visited. The main draw of the city is the amazingly preserved Convento de Cristo, which was an important stronghold of the Knights Templar in Portugal in the 1100 or 1200s (if I remember correctly). I think I spent close to 3 hours here as I am a big history buff and was truly amazed. I was mostly shocked by how empty it was. I pretty much had the place to myself when I got there around 9 am. I think I maybe saw like two tour groups during that time. There are some tours that go through Tomar, but I think they only stop at the convent and then head off elsewhere. The city itself is even quieter. The main plaza is really beautiful and there was a cute café where I sat for like an hour and half just to relax. I found the whole town to be pretty charming. I think Tomar is best done as a day trip. I did things pretty slowly but was still ready to go when my train left at around 4pm. I personally did this as a day trip from Lisbon by train. It is about 2 hours one-way, so it was quite a long day. I believe I left at like 6am. I think you can also do this as a day trip from Coimbra, as the train is only one hour, but I didn’t find this out until after my trip.

GUIMARAES:

I loved Guimaraes as it gave my Portugal trip a different flavor. You can definitely notice a difference between the north of Portugal and the central and south. The architecture for one is quite distinct. The main plaza of the city looks like something out of a fairytale and is a great place for lunch (even though the restaurants are more centered towards tourists). I got to the city early in the morning and did quite a bit of café and bakery hopping which I totally recommend. This is something I recommend in general in Portugal as each city tends to have its own special desserts. Besides the gorgeous city center, I recommend visiting the castle and palace. They are right next to each other, and that whole area has parks and is just a great place to walk around. I did pay to enter both of them, but honestly I think it would be totally fine to just admire from outside as well. Guimaraes is very well connected to Porto by train and it takes about 40 minuets to an hour to get there from Porto. This is definitely one of the best day trips from Porto!

PORTO:

Porto is the most famous and popular city in Portugal outside of Lisbon. You are going to need at least 2 full days to see the sights of the city itself without rushing around. Porto is also a great base for many day trips in the region. Porto is very well connected to Lisbon, including by high speed train from Lisbon. A lot of tourists I spoke to flew into Lisbon and out of Porto, which is something I wish I had done. The city is itself is absolutely stunning and has a much different touch than Lisbon. A lot of people say they prefer Porto over Lisbon, but personally I like Lisbon better. If you are a solo traveler, just a fair warning, Porto has some serious romantic vibes to it. I think that is why the city didn’t click with me as well, but it may have also been travel fatigue for all I know. I was here in the end of May, and it was packed to the brim. To me it felt even more touristy than Lisbon, maybe because it is smaller? I would recommend visiting Porto in the off season and if not—mentally prepare yourself for the crowds!! The Porto metro is amazing! It is super modern and clean. Since my hotel was kind of far from the center, I used it daily and was thoroughly impressed. Porto is popular for a reason! It truly is gorgeous, just be prepared for the crowds and plan accordingly.

EVORA:

I will just come out and say it at the beginning. I think Evora is my favorite city in Portugal, maybe after Lisbon. Evora is the most important city in the Alentejo region of Eastern Portugal, famous for the Bone Chapel and remarkably well preserved Roman Temple. I adored the white washed houses with yellow trim and the beautiful alleys in every corner. I also think the cathedral was super stunning (make sure to also go to the top). I think Evora is super beautiful and I spent 2 nights here so I could have one full day. It was not busy at all, even during the peak of the day. In 2027, Evora will be the European Capital of Culture, so there will be a lot of events happening and it might be a great opportunity to visit. I felt at complete peace in Evora and I am sure you will too! If you don’t have enough time to dedicate a night or two to Evora, it is also a very easy day trip from Lisbon by train!

CONCLUSION

I know Lisbon gets all the love when Portugal comes up, but make sure to also check out some less visited places to get an even more authentic feel of the country. Please drop any questions below!!

I would highly recommend getting a mountainside residence with a pool if possible. My two friends and I got one for roughly $50 per day, and it really made the down time that much more memorable and fun. Monte Alban is surrounded by the plains and mountains in every direction so thats a must visit site. The Centro Historic region is by far the most colorful and rich area in terms of night life. The mezcal and rooftop bars were a delight and the cocktail bars were quite reasonably priced. I highly recommend Llevadura de Olla for dinner which is a wonderful Michelin restaurant serving classic Oaxacan cuisine.

Super late considering these are from the end of April but it was so much fun and everything was so beautiful even though the weather was stormy.

Just spent a few days in South Korea (Seoul and Busan), and honestly, I think the best way to experience this country is to have no set itinerary. Just wander through different neighborhoods, explore random alleyways, and soak in the vibes.

This is my second trip to South Korea this year, and I can’t wait to go back.

Photos

1. Temple near Ikseondong
2. a cafe in Ikseondong
3. Some random alleyway in Seoul
4. Seongsu
5. a computer cafe at a mall near DDP
6. Gwanghamun Square
7. Gyeongbokgung Palace
8. Random cafe in Seoul
9. Street cafes in Seosulla-gil
10. Jongno 3-ga = declared as the best neighborhood in the world by a travel magazine
11. 11,12,13 Haeundae Beach in Busan

Sky Capsule line in Busan

1. Somewhere in Busan
2. 16,17 Jagalchi Fish Market in Busan
3. 18,19 ARTE Museum in Busan

4. 20 Random cafe in Huinnyeol Culture Village in Busan

   we

The places of each photo (no photoshop btw):

1, 2-Pizzo (Calabria)

3, 4, 5-Tropea (Calabria)

6-Capo Vaticano (Calabria)

7, 8-Scilla (Calabria)

9, 10-Reggio Calabria (Calabria obv lol)

11, 12-Messina (Sicily)

13, 14, 15, 16-Taormina (Sicily)

I did this trip in this year's July and it has been a truly great experience, the beaches were nice (Especially Tropea), the food was top-notch ('Nduja, Tropea Onions and much more) the water was so unbelievably crystalline and there were a damn lot of nice towns in this zone, this is truly a very overlooked zone in Italy (Especially Calabria, compared to other Italian places) and it deserves much more than what it gets. AMA

I have a trip booked to Milan next May but have read nothing but negative experiences. It’s boring, it’s devoid of culture, zero nightlife etc . Which kinda bums me out because I was rather excited being in my early 20’s exploring new places. I’ll be staying in a social hostel so I’m hoping to meet people to do stuff with but I was hoping someone could chime in and tell me whether all this negative talk is warranted or if you actually enjoyed it?

Hi,

We're (parent with child) at the moment In Thailand and heading on Tuesday to Kuala Lumpur for a short stay until Friday when we fly back home.

Now we heard about the haze and the very unhealthy AQI.

So, can anyone tell us the present situation in KUL? We want the normal sightseeing, like walking in a park, walking through malls and make some strolls.

Thank you!

Hello, I (US Resident) travel fairly often, mainly in the winter for Snowboarding trips. Last year I took a trip to Calgary in Canada, and when coming back was sent to a room at the airport and had my passport taken. Once I got to the desk the lady asked me if my Passport has been reported lost or stolen, which of course I had never had it lost or stolen. I did have my passport mailed to me one time a few weeks prior as I had forgotten it when I was taking a trip into Canada, however returning from Canada on that trip I had no issues. Calgary was my first stop, and I had to get rebooked as it made me miss my flight. Upon arrival back into the US, I was taken into a room with border patrol and asked if they could search my phone, I said no problem. My phone was returned to me and I was sent on my flight. Now since then I have been to Canada on 4 seperate occassions all by car, and upon returning back into the states I am stopped at the border and have my car and phone searched. A few months ago after the 3rd search I was told by the officer that I should file a redress number, which I did and I ended up receiving one. I then travelled to Europe a few weeks ago (The country of Georgia) and when coming back into America, I got in the Global Entry line and was sent to a different booth. They asked if I had anything to declare and I told them i had about 12 bottles of wine, to which I was taken to the declare search area and had my baggage searched for the declared items, and then told I was good to go. This didn’t include a phone search, so I assumed my redress number was good and this was the normal declare process. A week later, I travelled back to Canada but flew into Buffalo and drove through. Upon returning I was again stopped for secondary inspection and had my car and phone searched. I told the officers that I had a redress number, and they told me it still hasn’t cleared up in their system. I’m not sure if it is relevant but I did enter from a different border point this time around, as google maps told me it was the fastest route back to Buffalo.

I emailed DHS Trip about this to see if they could tell me anything, and submitted a FOIA request to see if I could get more info, but haven’t heard back yet as it’s only been about a week. Can anyone tell me why this is consistantly happening to me? I don’t have any issues flying, my tickets aren’t SSSS, I have no issues checking in and getting bag tags, and I am an approved Global Entry member. Yet I consistantly get stopped.

Hey arrivals into Nz, hope you had a good trip!

Just arrived in Nz from the Phillipines, I declared my melatonin because I would rather not have a $400 fine if caught.

They said it’s my lucky day because usually they only accept scripts for 10 days. I have a script in NZ for 6 months but whatever I made it with my sleepy “drugs” yay! 😭🤣

On the other note… I have found a few expensive products missing from my bag with GHD labels.

I thought I was crazy at first but I have an inventory list on my bag… call it ADHD 😅

Has anyone experienced this before? Missing stuff arriving in NZ from the Phillipines? For note or transfer of luggage was in SYD.

I tried to book and they blocked it, and told me to appeal because they think I was throwing a party.

I appealed and said I was going to a funeral and they denied my appeal...

I have 1 previous booking with AirBnb and it was a good review. I'm just staying there with my mom and brother why would they think I'll be a bad guest or throw a party?

So disappointed why would this happen and how can I stop it from happening in the future?

My husband and I will be visiting Central America this December, starting in Costa Rica. Would it be safe to cross the border from Costa Rica to Nicaragua? Thinking of using the Tica Bus. Thanks.

Just came back from a week long trip in Paris. This is my second time visiting, and I thoroughly enjoyed what the city has to offer both times.

in my opinion, Paris is an ideal city to unwind, learn to live a slow life, spend time people watching, and eat amazing food. The city really shines at night time, parisian has perfected lighting fixtures and placement, it truly deserves the title City of Light. Go to any of the tourist attractions at night and you will be impressed: The Louvre, Notre Dame, Hotel De Ville, the Eiffel tower, or any random street and you will notice how beautiful lights are in paris.

Majority of pictures are taken in the Le Marais, Saint Germain, and St Martin Canal neighborhoods.

Food: we were lucky to sample different food at Marche des enfants rouges before it burnt down, we had plans to go visit again only to see it closed due to the fire. It was devastating.

1. Steak Au Poivre @ Bistrot Sauvageon. 10/10. Sauce was perfect.
   
2. Pastrami Sandwich @ Chez Alain Miam Miam. 7/10. I shouldnt have added lettuce to the sandwic, pastrami and cheese only next time.
   
3. Eggplant sandwich @ Levant Boulangerie. 7/10.
   
4. Whole fish @ Marche des enfanra rouges. Best fish I had in my life. 12/10.
   
5. Mackerel fish @ forgot. 4/10. Looks good, tastes like nothing.
   
6. Chicken sandwic @ Rotisserie Segar. 3/10. Chicken tastes good, has mertit. But it was cold and it’s gotten a lot more hype than it deserve.
   
7. Pastrami bagel @ Kaviar. 10/10. i’d eat anything at this store.
   

8. Confit de canard @ forgot. 10/10. Really good duck

9. Beef bourguigon @ forgot. 5/10. Wasn’t anything special.

10. Steak sandwich @ le relais de l’entrecote. 8/10. Better than I expected. there wasnt enough meat in the sandwich but i really liked the sauce and fries in it.

11. Spicy poulle sandwich @ SHWI. 10/10. Perfect chicken to bread ratio, amazing grill marks, tastes so good I came here three times.

sorry for any typos

To clarify, my original flight route involves transiting through an airport in a neighboring country, and then to Tokyo (NRT). This route was submitted in the E-VISA application

However, my local airport (first departure) is now closed, so I plan to travel by car to the transit airport in the neighboring country and board my flight to Tokyo from there. The airline has confirmed that they can adjust my booking accordingly.

My concern is whether arriving in Japan without taking the first flight part listed in my visa application could cause any issues with Japanese immigration.

Unfortunately, I don't think the local Japan embassy will reply to me before my scheduled flight, so I'm looking from past experiences or general knowledge as I'm not a frequent traveler. Thanks

https://www.reddit.com/r/travel/s/yrf83dMFFQ

Hey ya’ll

So i have just obtained my US Visa,

And i have taken time to revise my initial Iterinary (old post is available ^) and have realised that it was ridiculous and exhausting

Upon further research i have done i have come up with the below Iterinary which i would like to share and would love to hear what you think

So the plan is as follows

I have chosen mid of April 2027 till mid of May 2027 as the travel dates

6 days in NYC

Train to DC

3 days to DC (including a day trip to shanendoah NP)

Flight to Vegas

3 days in Vegas

7 days in Los Angeles

Id then do the coastal road trip from LA to S.F

3 days in S.F

I would then drive to Yosemite and stay for 2 days

Return to S.F and back home

I have also thought about the smoky mountains but would need to alter the plan

P.S: Im a solo traveller, first time in the US and would love to experience mainly the big cities as i have seen them in many movies / tv shows, and throw in a couple of NP’s, also budget is not an issue just in case.

Would love to hear your opinions and thoughts on this and if you would alter anything

perhaps a bit of a niche question, but i wanted to go to Africa in December and a) either hike Kilimanjaro or b) go on a tour through Namibia, with a focus on Etosha national park. i know two incredibly different experiences and wish i could fit in both on this go around, but wondering if anyone has done both of these and has advice / a clear favorite? am a 25 y/o woman who would be traveling alone with G Adventures, most likely. im very active and love to hike and camp, but ive also never been to Africa, and the wildlife and scenery in Namibia look nothing short of magical :’)

im soooo torn ugh.

The transportation site gjirafa has one bus per day listed but they have been wrong before and have sold me a ticket to a bus that didn’t exist in the past. Has anyone done the Berat-Gjirokaster trip in one direct bus?

It's not about social media, etc not able to track spending etc, contacting my sons,family etc

Egypt was beautiful. We visited most of egypt in our 10 day trip. There were some bad things and more of good ones im gonna name some of them:

1. Sellers are really BAD. They are at every monument at every site at every street. Ive seen condiotions people live in but this is next level. We were sitting as a group in one caffe near Khan el Kalili and literally some of the sellers were just rotating 10 times same person of 5 different people like they havent asked us more than 3 times already. We didnt even say nothing and they would put it on the table. They would lie that something is 1 dollar u give them 5 and they wont give it back instead they give u more garbage.
2. Im the same skin colour as them so some of them wouldnt ask me but they would litterally drain group of people and my gf that i was in. Following, harassing, nagging anything to get some money.
3. Go with the tour group. We had a great guide from Egypt and from our country, we had bus everywhere tickets bought for us and no hassle that taxi will maybe cancel the ride and ask for more money

4. What to say about monuments, its really something you see once in your life. Loved every single one

5. Food was great

All in all i try to not give my time to sellers and dont want to think of them when i think of Egypt. I hope the goverment makes them get licenses for selling the same bookmark 15 times, barbaric. People in hotels are welcoming nice and hard working. Thats it, sorry for my English its not my 1st language. I will not be going to African countries no more, ive seen what i wanted. Love to most people in Egypt that dont harass they tourist.🇪🇬❤️

If you have any questions feel free to ask

I'm planning a trip to Europe with my mom. We've been talking about it here and there for years and finally have some dates set for May but half of the trip will be a surprise for her. She only knows about 2 places that we had been talking about and she really wants to see. She's cool with me planning half of the trip without her input and is happy to go along with it. Her geography isn't great but she's seen itineraries I've done for some of my own trips and said they looked amazing, so she's aware of my travel style and pace. I've also made vague day by day descriptions for her so she knows when we have early mornings, transfers, a hike or a full day of sightseeing, etc she just wont know the destinations or sites we're going to see. I'm really excited because I know there are at least a couple places she's never heard of and probably doesn't even know exists but I think she'll love. I've gotten really into it and I'm working on nice itinerary pages with photos and details - I love planning as much as the travelling part. I'm wondering at what point do I let her know or show her where we're going? The night before we fly abroad? When we get to the airport for each country? Or do I take it so far as to no tell her the whole way through and just check her in for flights myself and tell her to wake up and be ready to go by 'X' time? I'm wondering if witholding for too long might ro her some anticipation and excitement? I was thinking of printing these pages I've done (1pg per country) and givng it to her when we're on the plane...

Has anyone else planned a trip like this and if so, how did oou go about it?