We’re getting our passports! We’re going to be spontaneous (which is very unlike me) and just randomly pick and go. I’d love to know if anyone has any countries they feel has the best bang for your buck (including air travel).

Please let me know of the best websites to use too. Thank you.

I am curious to know if there is such a thing as obtaining a foreign ID/passport with minimum requirements for the purpose of business or travel. Also because there are some financial services and exchanges that are restricted for some residents of certain countries. Perhaps set up a company and obtain the ID? I'm an American citizen by the way.

Tried amending my application by fixing my given name and 1 day later I go to check my status and it says no results found...later that day i cant even access the site (From US)

Air travel isn’t just about getting from point A to B — it’s hours of sitting in a metal tube with strangers. But what if those hours could mean something more?

What if, on long-haul flights, airlines offered a “Cultural Connection Seating” program, where passengers could opt to sit next to someone from a completely different cultural background? Imagine the conversations, the stories exchanged, the “Wait, you eat what?!” moments. It’s a chance to break stereotypes, form unexpected connections, and experience cultural exchange — all while cruising at 35,000 feet.

Here’s the twist: This would be entirely voluntary. Passengers who are curious, open-minded, and eager for a deeper connection could choose to be part of the experience. It’s not about forcing interactions but offering a unique opportunity for those who want it. For travelers who prefer solitude or a more typical flight experience? No problem — this program is optional.

To make it even more enticing, passengers who opt in could earn loyalty miles or points as a reward for participating. It’s a small gesture with big potential: encouraging travelers to engage with new perspectives while also gaining a little something extra for their next trip.

Of course, there would be challenges. How do airlines ensure comfort and respect? How do we avoid cultural assumptions while fostering authentic conversations? These are important questions that would need thoughtful solutions. But with careful planning, a program like this could transform air travel from a routine journey into a meaningful cultural experience.

Why limit cultural exploration to destinations alone? Travel is about connection — and what better place to start than in the very seats we occupy as we cross continents? By turning a flight into an opportunity to connect before even landing, airlines could offer something deeper than just a ride across the sky.

It’s just an idea for now. But perhaps it’s time for airlines to make travel about more than just the destination. Imagine making connections, one seat at a time.

Chandra Taal

At 4250 meters above sea level, Chandra Taal is situated in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh's Spiti Valley in the Himalayas. Although Chandra Taal is well-known for various reasons, locals and tourists are baffled by the supernatural phenomena near the lake.

I'm solo traveling around Europe for the first time in June of next year (I am female) and keep hearing horror stories of solo travelers so what's your best solo travel story?

Me and my boyfriend wanted to take a little trip in Europe in early April next year. We would have 4-5 days for the trip, traveling from Finland. We were looking for suggestions for a smaller town or city, preferably still with an airport or fairly close by to one, so we don't waste time with land travel. It would be a plus, if the weather would be nice and springy there in April already, but we're Finnish, so we're used to shit weather too. It isn't a deal breaker. 😅

We like to go museum hopping, but for this vacation we're looking for a really chill time, just a little break from everyday life. The location doesn't have to have loads of attractions or anything special to do. Just looking for a nice little place to stay for a few days to relax. We usually go to bigger cities, so this would be a nice change of pace for us.

Any suggestions come to mind? Thanks in advance!

Has anyone ever had issues editing passenger details on the Singapore Airlines website?

I have a booking for 2 people in March - I'm putting in our country/citizenship and frequent flyer details. When I click 'Update' it still says there's fields to review for the 2nd passenger, however there is nothing highlighted and nothing that isn't optional that isn't filled out.

I've tried in Safari and Firefox on macOS, and Chrome on a windows machine.

Also, our United MileagePlus account numbers are not reading as valid numbers in the freq flyer section.

I tried calling customer service and the difficult to communicate with fall center person was no help.

Hello everyone!

My mom haven't had vacations in a while, and although we are on a huge budget, I wanted to plan something nice to her as she plants to have vacations on the middle of January, or around that time. I know that flights get highly expensive on the first weeks of January, but I was wondering, where would you advice to go if she wants vacations? It's been YEARS since she's been on a plane so she's pretty much hyped around the idea. We are traveling from Jersey.

WA (Seattle):

Pros:

- We have never been to the West Coast, so that's a plus.

- Beautiful and nature!

- Space Needle!

- Fairly nice views, interesting and beautiful city, and just a great starter to know a city!

- If we rent a car for a day or two, we can explore Washington State, even go to Portland for a day (2 hours I checked last time?), or Mount Rainier National Park if we have the time?

Cons:

- Expensive.

VT (Burlington):

Pros:

- Close to Jersey.

- Very nature-y too!

- Have flights be that expensive, we can easily go by car and just explore the state

- Visiting parks and soooo much maple! :-D

Cons:

- Expensive-y?

- Cold.

OR (Portland):

Pros:

- I've always had an interest in Oregon and the West Coast so for that reason, I would totally be geeked by that.

- Very nice city! Close to the beach and to forests! :-D

- Cheaper than Seattle.

- We can easily go to Seattle too if we rent a car.

Cons:

- Flights are expensive last time I checked, way more expensive than Seattle.

- Still can be a very expensive city, more expensive than Vermont too.

I feel that from all the options Vermont makes the most sense, but at the same time, I was wondering what itinerary advice do you guys have. It would be like from the 6th of January to the 11th, or the 13th to the 18th of January.

Thank you so much again guys! <3

I really want to do a wildlife/"big 5" tour through the jungle in Borneo but when I look online any tour I find is around 8000 MYR. Does anybody have any experience with any cheaper tour companies? The ones I'm seeing look quite luxurious but I'd be happy to live very basically if this kept the cost down.

I understand a multi day tour will never and should never be cheap to pay for permits, guides, accommodation, food etc. but I was hoping there would be something available for more like 3000 or 4000.

Hello!

My husband, toddler (age 3) will be heading into the south of Spain and I need some help with how long to spend in each location.

We will be arriving in Seville by train on December 12th, and will be flying out of Malaga on December 25th. We won’t have a car and will need to travel to each location by train. Although Id love to see Cordoba, I feel like packing us all up to move to multiple locations probably won’t be ideal for our situation (toddler and husband has broken hand) so I would probably think to keep this to a day trip.

Here is our current itinerary, with a toddler I’d like to move slow and enjoy any small moments and keep things as flexible as possible. Open recommendations for : Christmas things, family things, other day trips etc!

Dec 12- arrive in Seville 7pm, staying in city center

13- Plaza de España, Parque María Luisa, Jewish Quarter (eat, relax, explore)

14- Real Alcazar

15-day trip to Cordoba

16- Seville Cathedral + La Giralda

17-Day trip to Cadiz

18- Triana, Palacio de las Dueñas

19- Train to Granada

20 - Arab quarter and historic center

21- Alhambra and Generalife

22-

23-

24- Malaga - Picasso Museum

25 - depart from Malaga airport

Let me know any advice! I don’t want to have every moment jam packed but given the trip is last minute I could use some advice :)

We are planning a 13-day trip in February. Our goals are to experience the nature and outdoorsy aspects of New Zealand as much as possible, so there isn't too much focus on cities. I'd also like to learn more about Maori culture. I know folks are split on doing activities the day you land vs giving a rest day to adjust; we booked the Air New Zealand premium economy specifically so we could sleep on the plane and be ready for the day once we land.

I think my big questions are:

1. Which Maori cultural experiences in Rotorua are best? I know there is Te Puia or Te Pa Tu or Mitai Maori.

2. Any thoughts on Doubtful Sound vs Milford Sound from Te Anau?

3. Any great hikes in Fiordlands National Park? Taking a water taxi to Brod Bay and then hiking up to Luxmore Hut sounds incredible but is quite a full day.

4. Good star gazing in Fiordlands National Park? We wanted to do it in Lake Tekapo but we will be there close to the full moon, so Fiordlands probably works better for stargazing.

Any input is appreciated!

My fiance and I will be having our honeymoon in Croatia for 7-10 days mid June and want to add either Montenegro or Albania for another week or so. Of the 2, which do you folks like better? We are wanting a mix of relaxing and exploring, nothing too intensely touristy where we can help it, and some beach time but not so much I get antsy. We also love the outdoors and greenery and definitely want to do lots of walking and some hiking if that helps you recommend one over the other.

Also, does either have an amazing city that can be done in 2 days to do all 3? Thanks for the recs folks!

So I'm traveling to Andermatt and I'm trying to book a stay at a place. The website that I used is:

https://www.andermatt-sedrun-disentis.ch/de/

When I click "buy and book", it takes me to a different URL:

https://tportal.tomas.travel/andermatt/ukv?globalReset=1&lang=en

And that's where I found a place I liked, Andrea Gerber's Penthouse:

https://tportal.tomas.travel/andermatt/ukv/house/Andermatt-Apartment-Andrea-Gerbers-Penthouse-TDS00020014727378826

I am going through the booking process and have been in contact with the owner, but she ONLY accepts a wire transfer. She agreed I can pay a percentage upfront and the remainder when I see the place, after a bit of back and forth.

Is this a scam?? Has anyone used this website before for booking places?

Thank you!

I cannot get a straight answer from the company whether the security benefit works if your listed address is in the US and you are traveling over 150 miles from home in the US. The chat rep on the site says, yes, but...

Their website is all over the place and the small print in the contract reads: “Qualifying Security Event” – Is an occurrence where a Member(s) that has purchased a Security Membership Upgrade is temporarily located in a Foreign Country and: (i) officials of such Foreign Country or the US State Department, for reasons other than medical, issues a recommendation that travelers should evacuate such Foreign Country; and/or (ii) the Member has been expelled or declared persona non grata in writing by the authority of the government of such Foreign Country, and/or (iii) security events have created a situation in which the Member is in danger of imminent grievous bodily harm, as determined by Company, to the extent that the Member must be evacuated; AND (iv) the Traveling Member cannot obtain commercial transport to the nearest safe location within time to avert imminent grievous bodily harm or to comply with the time allowed to leave such Foreign Country pursuant to the orders of the recognized government of the Foreign Country."

I recently got dropped off by my mate to Heathrow Terminal 5 in the short stay car park. There is a £5 charge to be paid online as there are no barriers to make payment as you leave.

I said I would make the payment and completely forgot about it until yesterday while I’m on holiday. It has actually been 2 days since we flew out but I was still able to make payment. Will this be fine as there was still an option to select the day i flew out but today i can no longer select the date?

Hi everyone,

I’m an Australian passport holder planning to travel to the UAE on emirates, where Australians are eligible for a visa on arrival. However, there’s an issue with the name format on my passport:

My full name is written entirely in the "Family Name" field, and the "Given Name" field is blank. I called the UAE embassy in Canberra, and while they said this name format is not accepted, the person I spoke to seemed unsure. At the same time, I’ve read on forums that people from other countries with similar name formats have successfully traveled to the UAE.

Has anyone traveled to the UAE (or anywhere in the Middle East) with this name format on their passport? Did you face any issues at immigration or with airlines?

Thanks in advance!

Hi all, we're going to be visiting Eastern Europe on a group trip that ends in Prague and then we're going to be extending for a week. We're gonna be in Prague for 2 nights but most of it will be inside; all we do in Prague is a walking tour and a river cruise.

We're planning on spending a little more time in Prague (1-2 nights) and then Vienna (2-3 nights) and Budapest (3 nights). In Prague, we will have to change from a hotel near Vrchlického Sady Park to a different one which can take some time. Should we do Prague: 1 extra night and Vienna: 3 nights or Prague: 2 extra nights and Vienna 2 nights?

Hi just wondering and I know this may sound dumb but I just was wondering as my passport is expired and I have renewed it via mail in however since Canada post is on strike my new one is just sitting waiting to be sent. I am wanting to book a trip to Mexico for February with my friends but I’m not sure if I should book in case my passport doesn’t come in time… however I do have nexus would I be able to fly without my passport and just nexus?

My girlfriend and I are trying to figure out where to go for New Years. She's from Spain and we want to explore the USA. We're both about 30 y/o. We're starting from Los Angeles on Dec 24/26 - Jan 01/04 (slightly flexible departure and return). Budget is cheap as possible. I'd say $300 round trip flights. I saw Vegas, Atlanta, and New Orleans are amongst others that would fit in that budget.

Cities we've liked... I know they're outside the US, but when we traveled to Mexico City and Oaxaca City it was our favorite because it was action packed with culture and activities. New York City would've been awesome but we've already done it and it might be on the tad expensive side. We've been to Vegas before and that was also great - maybe it'd be good to go back if being there for NYE is especially fun.

We're overall quite flexible with if the draw to the city is more cultural, adventurous, nature, party, etc. I think we just want to have a memorable experience and there's cool stuff going on - especially going out for NYE.

Hi, I am looking for a travel recommendation.

Looking for:

• swimming weather during February
• near a beach
• hotel that has water slide for older kids
• in an area we can explore to eat in local restaurants and check out local museums
• not an all inclusive

We loved San Juan, PR, it checked all these boxes, but would like to try somewhere new.

We are coming from the northeast US.

I’d love to hear any location or hotel recommendations. Thank you!!

Hi, I'm planning an anniversary trip in January.

Day 1 - Arrival in Geneva at 10pm Day 2 - Take train to Interlaken, base here Day 3 - Day trip to Lauterbrennan/Grindelwald OR Jangfraujoch. Take train back to Geneva. Day 4 - Departure at 9am from Geneva

We are both budget travellers so would like to use the cheapest mode of transport wherever possible. Please share recommendations. Happy to indulge in an experience which is highly recommended. We are both not interested in winter sports so nothing like hiking or skiing. I really want to go to Jangfraujoch but it is roughly £400 for 2 so I am having second thoughts as that is more than half our budget. Or is it better to do a day trip instead from Interlaken?

Thanks for your help!

my partner is planning to drive in europe and needed to get his australian license translated. he went through internationaldrivingpermits.com and paid A$165, without seeing the official AAA website. they claim to be an intermediary and uses the data provided to make an application through AAA. wondering if this is a scam, should he just take the loss and apply through the AAA anyway?

Hello! So I was in Vienna last year and went to this restaurant for schnitzel - it was really good and would like to go again. Only problem is I forgot the restaurant name, I think I found it on Google Maps. I looked through my bank transactions but I think I paid in cash.

It was pretty large restaurant, not in the main tourist areas - I remember having to walk a fair bit. It’s in a small alley that leads to a court yard, there were dining tables outside, then you enter the indoor restaurant. I remember it being sectioned off in 2/3 areas. It has quite an industrial vibe? Definitely not a traditional family restaurant style. I’m sure it was full of locals, a few tourists here and there. They had veal schnitzel on the menu. Also a wide selection of beers on tap (not useful information I know).

Hope someone can help identify the restaurant. I’m heading back to Vienna this weekend and would love to dine there again.

My wife and I will be visiting NYC in April (13th - 20th) next year. It's a surprise for her birthday and I've got a loose itinerary. I've got a few specific questions I can't find the answers to online:

• is there a website to buy MetroCards online in advance or are we best buying these in person? When I search it, there are multiple websites that aren't 'official', just tourist clickbait information type sites without that much information, or irrelevant local sites showing my local MetroCard options.

• can we load MetroCards into our Google/Apple wallets on our phones or do we need physical tickets?

• is there a website worth checking out that shows events/ 'what's on' at different times of the year so we can keep an eye out for things we might want to attend?

• I read that most places take contactless payment now which is great. Do some places physically take cards for payment? (If so I'll need to sign my card in advance just in case). Is it worth taking some cash with us too for tips/cash only vendors?

• Is Uber or a taxi is more cost-effective to & from JFK Airport? Is the subway worth considering as an alternative? (we arrive in the evening) we're staying in the financial district a short walk from the 911 Memorial.

Me, my wife and her sister want to go to Central America for 10-14 days in April/May 2025 but I could use your help with choosing which country :)

We're in our early/mid-30s and are experienced travelers. My wife and SIL actually backpacked around Central America in 2011 for two months and rave about Guatemala so that's where we're leaning but I'm open to Nicaragua or Panama too (also wouldn't mind revisiting Mexico).

Some things about us:

• We're Canadian and flying from Toronto.
• Traveling with a two-year-old and a one-year-old (they're okay with flying---been to Japan and Jamaica already).
• Pace will be slow. Probably 1-2 bases with a couple day trips. Guatemala (Guatemala City, Antigua, Lake Atitlan). Panama (Panama City, the canal and maybe Boco del Toro if possible). Nicaragua (Granada, Apoyo Lagoon, San Juan del Sur)
• Budgeting around $8,000CAD all in.
• Probably staying in 2-bedroom rental apartments or hotels (bye bye hostel life lol).
• We're pretty adventurous: love to explore, try new foods, have a good drink, and especially visit nice beaches.

So, where would you go?

Been really struggling on how to see as much as possible while still allowing for some downtime. Landing in Auckland 1/20 and flying home 2/2 to Chicago on 2/2. Was curious if the schedule makes sense, is doable, or would it just be complete overload. I haven't filled in a lot of the finer details yet, the main thing is just where we are going to be each night. Thanks!

1/20 - Land in Auckland at 9:00 am. Day in the city

1/21 - Waiheke Island Wine Tour, dinner in Auckland

1/22 - drive to rotorua Hobbiton/Gloworm Caves, stay in Rotorua

1/23 - Ziplinining, Geothermal, Louging, SPA. stay in Rotorua

1/24 - Drive to Auckland, Fly To Queenstown

1/25 - Open day in Queenstown

1/26 - Milford Sound

1/27 - Drive to Franz Josef Glacier, stop along the way, stay there

1/28 - heli-hike Franz, drive to Nelson along west coast, stay in Nelson

1/29 - Abel Tasman National Park, stay in Nelson

1/30 - Drive to Christchurch

1/31 - stay in Christchurch

2/1 - fly to Auckland

2/2 - back to Chicago

My GF and I have about 10 days between our stay in Santiago and our trek in Patagonia, and ideally want to spend it on some spots in between the two. We also have about 10 days in Chile after the trek to catch up and explore.

Any recommendations on towns, cities, national parks, south of Santiago that you’d recommend going to, or that you’d recommend avoiding. Most posts I’ve seen just recommend flying down to Patagonia, but we would like to try and see some of the places a little off the beaten path.

Currently looking into going as far south as Chiloé, and driving or ferrying from Puerto Montt to Puerto Natales.

Thank you in advance for your help and responses!

This is my first time having to pay for something other than my flight tickets, so I would like some help.

I have a suitcase that I know will be overweight (over the 23kg allowed) and I know that I am able to pay for that overweight up to 32kg. I am flying two airlines on one ticket, hence am not able to pay for overweight online. So my questions is, what exactly do I do? Show up at the airport, check in and go to drop off my bags as usual. Do I pay at the baggage drop off by card? And then just continue to TSA etc. like normal.

I am asking in general, but flying American Airlines so specific information regarding AA is welcome.

Thanks in advance, I know this is probably a very stupid question

Hello, my wife and I are planning the trip of a lifetime. We are planning on "settling down" soon and starting a family, but before we do, we want to see New Zealand!

We are starting and ending in Auckland. The trip is being planned for late September/ October. We are from America and have never driven on the opposite side of the roads, so I am nervous about that, but I need to in order to make this trip happen.

I'm a huge Lord of the Rings fan and Hobbiton is a must see. I also want to visit Tongariro National Park, but we cannot do a 6+ hour hike to see Mt. Doom. I am looking for any tours or hacks to still hike a little of the national park without a 6+ hour hike in unknown lands. The glow worm caves are also high on the list. We are mostly looking for itinerary advice on where to stay and how long. We plan on booking AirBnBs while there and I am comfortable with staying at 3-4 places, budget wise. Any advice would be much appreciated. Please feel free to message me or anyway you want to help.

Thank you!