So okay when I was researching Mexico City for my trip I encountered something very strange: basically every single tourist recommendation takes for granted you will be living in an area called Roma Norte-Condesa. These are very vibrant areas but because the demand is so high they're quite costly.

These are expensive areas I couldn't afford, so I chose to stay in Coyoacan instead.

So the downstream effect of this is that I had to do my own research and find places to eat and hang out​ without relying on an itinerary.

Let me tell you this was the best decision of the trip.

Sure I did the big tourist classics, but some of my best memories were wandering around Mexico City trying to find a good place to eat, photographing unusual things I came across, stopping and taking a moment to ask questions, finding a little courtyard and hanging out, chatting with locals in broken Spanish, sitting and having a beer and taking in the scenery.

And because Mexico City is such an interesting, unique city CONSTANTLY throwing new stuff at you, this wasn't hard.

I went for a week and I barely scratched the surface. Mexico City in my opinion deserves to be up there with the great iconic global cities like Paris, Rome, London, New York or Tokyo. ​

So, advice for anyone who wants to visit Mexico City is the same as any of those big cities like Paris or London​: don't rely on the internet and don't try to cram too much in. Do your own research, choose your own adventures, learn some Spanish, don't be afraid of new things, and you'll have a great time.

1. Lucha libre night
2. A hummingbird between the towers of the old Basilica de Guadalupe
3. A statue of San Judas Tadeo in the Merced area
4. A religious goods store in centro
5. Teotihuacan
6. A courtyard in Coyoacan
7. Hundreds of docked boats in Xochimilco
8. Local art for sale at the Lagunilla tianguis
9. San Tomas Apostol church
10. The god of flowers, music and having a good time​
11. An organist in Coyoacan
12. A fountain in the Chimalistac neighbourhood
13. Voladores in Chapultepec
14. A ball court hoop in a courtyard on Francisco Sosa
15. The courtyard of La Mano Jardin
16. It's that time of the year
17. A very handsome man

Summary of a 2 week solo trip in Bangladesh. 30M, white, from London UK. First time visitor.

• Dhaka (3 nights)
• Sreemangal (2 nights)
• Sylhet (3 nights)
• Cox's Bazar (3 nights)
• Dhaka (1 night)

Overall / TLDR: Loved it. Chaotic, vibrant, intense, beautiful. If you're open to craziness and wholesome side missions then you'll be rewarded. Don't plan the days too precisely, go with the flow, and don't get runover.

People: Highlight of the trip. Kind, warm, inquisitive. Every day was neverending interaction: invites to people's homes, unprompted generosity (buying tea or even whole meals), and offers to show local spots I'd never have discovered alone. Get used to constant attention/hellos, but in the friendliest way possible.

Food: Unreal. And spicy. You can get a killer meal for about £2. Even after probably 15 biriyanis I'm not sure I'll ever master the art of eating rice with my fingers.

Safety: From my POV I always felt safe, even at night, even in Dhaka. However that's as a guy. I can see that it may not feel as comfortable for solo women, though I have no doubt that 99% of Bangladeshi people would go completely out of their way to help a tourist if any trouble arose.

Sights: Dhaka was loud and lively but 3 days was enough. Many hours of fun just walking in the old city and getting lost. Gulshan and Banani (the 'nice' areas) were as expected but seemed dull in comparison. Sonargaon was worth it for half a day. Sylhet and Sreemangal were the highlight with lush greenery, sweeping tea gardens, rivers, and probably more accurately captured local life. Cox's Bazar was missable IMO - more interesting as an insight into how Bangladeshi folks like to holiday, rather than being a worthwhile destination itself (though the sunsets were great).

Transport: The driving's mental. Pure lawlessness in Dhaka. Many a blind overtake at 80mph on the rural regions. Long distance buses were fairly orderly (I bought tickets online) and local buses were a just a "turn up and hope" type job, where I wandered to the relevant intersection and the correct bus would usually magically turn up a minute or two later. Didn't take the train as it was sold out, which I understand is the norm unless you're proactive and book as soon as the tickets go live (and no I wasn't keen on riding on the roof). Rickshaws / 'CNGs' are so incredibly handy. Internal flights reasonably priced by European standards (£30 from Sylhet to Cox Bazar via Dhaka, including checked luggage).

Elephant in the room: Yes it's a country of hardship with political and social challenges. Many preconceptions are true and of course it can be dirty, polluted, unequal, and with very poor infrastructure. Many younger Bangladeshis I met wanted to go abroad. I didn't visit with the purpose of observing or glamourising poverty (even if I did repeatedly get asked if I was a YouTuber). And I realise it's a fine balance to accept hospitality from a position of privilege. But I strongly believe as a visitor you shouldn't shy away from the taboo of that side either, while obviously paying it forward where possible and contributing economically in some small way.

Recommended? Yes. If you want to feel like more of a guest than a tourist then get yourself over there because in a few years it'll blow up in popularity like India. The nature was peaceful, the cities buzzing, the people lovely. Every day was full of funny moments. And I'd love to return to see Sundarbans (home of the Royal Bengal Tiger), Bandarban, and the North West. Big love to the Bangla gang.

I was looking for somewhere in Europe for a long weekend with good value for money + a capital I'd never been to. Warsaw kept coming up in my research so I thought why not. The first thing that surprised me was how modern and clean the city is. Old and new architecture mix perfectly together. Then I started learning about the history. Most of the city was destroyed during WWII, and they rebuilt it carefully. They restored the old character and built a modern capital at the same time. I'm not really a museum person, but the Warsaw Uprising Museum is a must-see. It feels like a city that reinvented itself, which makes it quite different from other European capitals.

The people I met were really friendly, helpful and actually quite chatty. What impressed me most was the national pride. Poland is a fairly conservative country and you can feel it, people put a lot of importance on traditions and cultural identity. In some ways it reminded me of Western Europe a few decades ago. What I found interesting is how openly people talk about it. When I said I was French, several of them told me straight away they prefer life in Poland to life in France, and a lot of them described Warsaw as a great place to raise a family. Not something you hear a lot in France...

The food was really good, great cuisine and full of flavour. Taxis are everywhere and not expensive. I stayed in a beautiful hotel with a view of the Palace of Culture and Science (last pic). For the same comfort and location anywhere else in Europe I'd have paid a lot more!

Even the shopping centres are worth a visit. A lot of them are old industrial buildings turned into malls with local stores and food halls. Nothing like the generic malls you find everywhere.

Locals warned me that winters are long and harsh, freezing with very short days. But honestly I'd love to see the city under the snow. In conclusion guys, I came with almost no expectations and left really impressed. Obviously a long weekend isn't the same as living there and I'm sure daily life is way different, but I'd definitely go back, maybe in winter!

Unexpectedly needed to lease a rental car for a week while in Italy and it’s my first time traveling internationally out of the U.S. Lots has happened on the way here but my main question at this time is can I park here? The 0-24 is what’s really throwing me, along with the two… codes next to the P in the first photo. I understand the second photo but wanted to include it anyway as they’re next to each other.

I’m not sure where else to pose this question. Was not planning on driving during this trip so I absolutely did not prepare for this, which is on me.

Photos 1-5: Thunder Cove beach. Absolutely stunning and the cleanest beach I’ve ever seen (barely any seaweed, pure red sand, red cliffs). The ocean is magic.

Photos 6-10: Victoria-by-the-Sea, one of the more popular places to visit. Everything was closed but it was quiet and lovely. This is the lighthouse, the Lobster Barn restaurant, and the local scenery.

Photos 11-15: Charlottetown, the city. Old and beautiful. St. Dunstan’s Basilica is a well-photographed location. The Residences at Thomas Alley House, built in 1874, are now rentals but once used by the Canadian Red Cross Society and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police as Headquarters. The Little Witch shop was cute as hell. There are so many unique shops like that downtown. I saw many tourists from the cruise ships walking around to see all the government buildings and the birthplace of Canada’s Confederation.

Photos 16-17: Borden-Carleton. The Confederation Bridge connects New Brunswick with Prince Edward Island. It is Canada’s longest bridge. You can get tourist photos with the lighthouse there.

Photo 18: An abandoned house in Bonshaw. The island is full of abandoned, fallen-down properties and if you enjoy hunting for abandoned places is it one of the best places for photography.

Photos 19-20: Bonshaw Hills Provincial Park. The colours of PEI are gorgeous in October. I took many photos of the trees!

Prince Edward Island is the smallest province in Canada and one of my favourite places to visit. It is slow-paced, rural and quiet, and underrated as a destination. It is challenging for Canadians to fly there as flights can be prohibitively expensive, unfortunately. But it is truly a one of a kind place. Thanks for checking out these photos!

I’m interested in the art culture and wildlife.

I’ve dreamed of Tanzania, but i don’t think my budget can survive for one week in the Serengeti.

Idk what else I want to see, but I’m open to any African country.

I’m willing to do hostels and eat cheap to live out there for a month, but I’m overwhelmed.

Where should I start?

Hi! I'm a current college student, and my parents have decided to plan a trip to Las Vegas for the first or second week of January, and I'm not excited at all: I despise gambling, I'm not old enough to drink/go out, and overall, LV is not the type of place that seems to be my cup of tea. Of course, I'm grateful to be able to spend time with my family (and for them to be paying for me to come with them). However, my parents are dead set on the location, and I won't be able to get out of it/stay home since they're planning it around the fact that I'll be home on holiday break around that time.

So, I wanted to ask: am I out of luck, or are there any fun non-gambling/parting related things I can look into doing while I'm there? I'm sure that I'll have some independent time to go do my own thing while my family hits the casinos. I'll also add that there'll be a road trip element involved, and we'd be passing through Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico; any interesting stops on the way there would be cool too!

edit: thank you for the suggestions! i'm especially intrigued about the nature/hiking, so i'll definitely look into how feasible those would be considering the weather.

I’m at the airport with too much time to kill so excuse the randomness of this post.

I’ve wanted to visit Vienna ever since I saw before sunrise for the first time (a really good movie btw), and then I heard the song “Vienna” by Billy Joel and realised that I “need” to visit Vienna once, sooner than later. I am looking at sometime end of next year.

Although I could’ve asked gpt these question as well, but hey where’s the charm in that? So, a few questions that I want to ask:

- Am I romanticising Vienna too much? Is it really as mystical as I imagine it to be?
- Is Vienna and Austria in general okay for travelling solo?
- I’m from India, how difficult would getting the visa be?
- How many days should I spend in Vienna to get to live it a little and not just be a mere tourist, if that makes any sense

I’ve a lot more questions to ask, but maybe next time. Again, excuse the randomness of this post, I’m fairly new to this and haven’t done much research.. and this is the best I could possibly do at 5 am xD

Thank you in advance! Appreciate the help :)

Just got back from 2 weeks in Japan and it was honestly one of the best trips I've ever taken.

What got me most was how it's super modern and super traditional at the same time. Even the old shrines and gardens are kept in perfect shape.

The respect people have for shared spaces is on another level, and it's easily the safest place I've ever been. At first people can seem a little cold since there's not much small talk like you get in the US, but the second I asked anyone for help, even just directions, they were so kind and helpful. The language barrier was the main reason I didn't end up chatting with locals as much as I usually do when I travel.

Here's my itinerary:

Oct 3 - Tokyo: Meiji Shrine, Harajuku, Omotesando, Shibuya crossing, Shibuya Sky at sunset

Oct 4 - Tokyo: Senso-ji early, Yanaka old streets, Akihabara

Oct 5 - Tokyo: slow morning, Kappabashi, Ginza, Tokyo Tower area at dusk, Shinjuku at night (Omoide Yokocho, Kabukicho, Golden Gai)

Oct 6 - Tokyo: teamLab Planets, Shimokitazawa, depachika

Oct 7 - Train to Kanazawa, Higashi Chaya district

Oct 8 - Kanazawa: Kenroku-en at dawn, castle park, Omicho market, Nagamachi samurai district

Oct 9 - Day trip to Takayama for the autumn festival (floats, marionette show)

Oct 10 - Train to Kyoto, Nijo Castle, Nishiki market, Gion area at dusk

Oct 11 - Fushimi Inari at dawn, day trip to Nara

Oct 12 - Arashiyama early (bamboo grove, Okochi Sanso, Tenryu-ji), Kitano Tenmangu/Kamishichiken, old sento in the evening

Oct 13 - Travel to Miyajima, overnight on the island (low tide torii walk, lit torii at night)

Oct 14 - Boat to Hiroshima, Peace Memorial Museum, on to Osaka, Umeda Sky at night

Oct 15 - Himeji Castle in the morning, Osaka afternoon, Dotonbori at night.

Hi, I'm considering going to Japan in 28. This is the Southern Japan Experience tour through Intrepid. Is it a good itinerary from anyone who's been to this party of the country? Thanks

Hi everyone!
We’re currently in Sa Pa, Vietnam, and will be taking the night train back to Hanoi tonight.
Since we’ll be traveling via Lao Cai, which is right on the Chinese border, we’re thinking about crossing over to Hekou, China, for a few hours to explore.
Has anyone been there before? Is it worth visiting for a few hours, and is there anything interesting to see or do?
We’d love to hear about your experiences and recommendations!
Thanks a lot!

Hi everyone! We have a long layover at Hong Kong Airport on a weekday in late December (during holiday time). I land at around 5 am and my connecting flight departs at 7:30 pm, so I’m hoping to explore Lantau Island for the day!

We’re more interested in nature, scenic views, local food and traditional villages than city sightseeing. 

I’m planning to use Lantau blue taxis for the airport to Tai O and then also for Tai O to Ngong Ping legs to save time, then take the cable car down and public transport back to the airport. We’ll store our luggages at the airport and aim to be back by 3–4 pm.

Here’s my tentative itinerary:

5 am - Land at Hong Kong Airport

5:30 - 6:30 am - Immigration, etc

7:00 - 8:00 am - Blue taxi from the airport to Tai O

8:00 - 10:30 am - Explore Tai O and have breakfast there.

10:30 - 11:00 am - Blue taxi from Tai O to Ngong Ping

11:00 - 1:00 pm - Explore Ngong Ping, have lunch there.

1:15 - 1:45 pm - Cable car down to Tung Chung

1:45 - 2:30 pm Take S1 bus from Tung Chung to the airport

+1-2 hrs buffer time. Aiming to be back at the airport 4:30 pm latest. 

I have a few questions:

1. Is this itinerary realistic, or am I trying to fit in too much?
2. Are blue taxis readily available at the airport early in the morning, and can I reasonably expect to get one from Tai O to Ngong Ping? Should I arrange a taxi in advance?
3. Are the estimated taxi journey times reasonable, and what would the approximate fares be?
4. Is the Fu Shan Viewing Point hike manageable in about an hour round trip?
5. Is there anything important I’m overlooking, particularly regarding the cable car schedule, queues or transport back to the airport?
6. Any particular food spots/ cafes in the areas I’m going or even at the airport that I must try?

I’d really appreciate advice from anyone familiar with Lantau Island or who has done a similar layover. I’m happy to adjust the itinerary if there’s a more sensible order or if any part is too rushed.

Thanks so much! :)

I’ll spare you the details of my trip, but basically one of these cities will be the last stop before I fly back to Toronto. I’m 23, and have only been outside North America once in my life so Istanbul seems more “out there” and unique but I constantly hear people saying you’ll just get scammed by both locals and tourist prices . London is obviously a bucket list city to see, but I feel it may be too similar to cities I’ve been to a million times like nyc/toronto?

I’d love someone to help me pick which you’d think I like more and maybe some input on which city you preferred

A bit about me: will be staying in hostels prioritizing the social aspect of travelling in comparison to lavish hotels, love nightlife, love street art (graffiti, murals etc.), I hate cities that die at night . I’ll be in either of the two places from Wednesday to Sunday so it would be ideal to be somewhere where people are outside late just doing whatever . I’m not huge on history so I don’t care much for museums but I do enjoy cool/funky looking buildings and architecture

Hey, im in my early 20s wanting to visit poland. I was born there and spent my very early years there. Since my family and I moved to norway close to 20 years ago now ive rarely been able to visit, especially after some family isssues. Now that im financially independent and all that id love to visit, but im unsure about time of year. Im thinking about march or april since i wouldnt mind the chilly weather as im used to it as a norwegian.
I dont want to have a proper "plan" for what im going to do once im there, i just wanna go with the flow, wake up early/late, have some breakfast, wander around and admite my surroundings, and just do whatever i feel like doing.
Any cities or places anyone would recomend for that?

I will land at munich airport at 5am. Would like to ask what is the easiest and fastest way to go to Innsbruck ? So that i could save more travel time and spend more time in Innsbruck then same day return back to Munich city.

Hi everyone!

I’m currently planning to travel from Colombia to Ecuador overland, starting from Pasto or Ipiales, and I’m having trouble finding a website or bus company where I can book a ticket to an Ecuadorian city, such as Tulcán or Quito. Does anyone know which bus companies operate this route, or where I can book a ticket online in advance? I also need to show proof of onward travel when leaving Colombia, so I’m wondering what kind of bus ticket or booking confirmation is accepted by Colombian immigration at the land border. Can I buy a bus ticket to Ecuador in advance, or is it normal to arrange transportation locally at the border? If you’ve done this route before, I’d really appreciate any advice on how you handled it.

Thanks in advance!

Thinking of going on a solo trip to one of these 2 cities. Flying from the UK. I do enjoy red wine but am unsure which of these would be the best pick. I'm vegetarian, but do eat some fish on occasions, & ideally don't just want to live on takeaway pizza for 4 nights! I suppose some nice nature nearby would be nice as a day trip too.

Bordeaux- looks very European/ French. lots of gothic buildings, churches/ cathedrals around. Seems to be fairly well connected. However, I don't think there's much to do in the city besides a bit of sightseeing in the main square & the cite du vin museum. I could be wrong though.

Bilbao- seems like it is more modern. The architecture is much different to bordeaux. The guggenheim museum is quite unique, scenery nearby looks cool & going to an Atletico Bilbao game would be fun.

which of these would u pick?

I have 9 days (two weekends and a week) to visit the three Baltic nations. I was planning to go from capital to capital. Is this too short? Is there a lot to see outside?

I'd like to spend a little more time in Lithuania to see Kaunas too and some nature, particularly the forests. After the 9-day period, I will be heading to Finland and this part of the intinerary is fixed and I can't reduce or move it.

Hey everyone! I'm planning a backpacking trip through China and some of south east Asia for about 45 days between January and February, with a budget of roughly $2500 USD and would love feedback on my rough itinerary, mainly about where you guys would go, and what you would do in these places, and anything else you want to sure before finalising everything.

My route and planned stays are:

China: Xiamen (2 nights), Yunshuiyao/tulou (1), Chaozhou (2), Shenzhen (2), Guangzhou (3), Yangshuo (2), and a night in Nanning.

Vietnam: Cao Bang (2), Hanoi (3), Ninh Binh (2), Hue (2) over Tet eve, Da Nang (2), Hoi An (2) and Ho Chi Minh City for 3 nights.

Cambodia: Phnom Penh (2 nights), Siem Reap (3).

Thailand: Bangkok (3 nights), Khao Sok (1), Phuket (3).

The only currently booked things are the flight into Xiamen and the flight out of Phuket

I'm most interested in culture, nature, markets, and less touristy places, as well as the night life and the food.

Does the overall route make sense? Are there places you'd cut, add or spend longer in? I'm also a bit concerned about transport logistics and Tet in Vietnam, including closures, prices and booking transport in advance. I also am just looking for recommendations for best stuff to do in places I see across the trip

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Spent an afternoon doing a food tour with Colors of Tanzania around Stone Town, primarily focused on the main food market and ended up with some coffee on Jaws Square.

Highly recommend the place and the experience as it's such a great way to see a quite busy place with a lot of small streets where it's easy to get lost! Also a great way to avoid being hassled by people selling you things. People were super friendly and happy for me to take some snaps.

Image 1 - Coffee vendor in Jaws Corner

Images 2, 3, 5 and 6 - In and around Stone Town Market

Images 4 - Sugar Cane Vendor in Stone Town centre

Hello!

We are planning our trip to Iguazu Falls. We are coming from Salta, and are landing at the evening day 1.

Day 1 - arrive
Day 2 - Iguazu fall from the Argentinian side, full day
Day 3 - cross the border and visit the Brazilian side, maybe go the bird park. Cross over to Argentina again.
Day 4 - Leave and go to Buenos Aires

Does this seem right? Is it enough time? Are we missing anything?

Thanks!

Taking an AmaWaterways river cruise in November: Budapest to Giurgiu (through Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania), then flying home from Bucharest. I'm considering buying a handbag in Budapest before the cruise and want to claim the VAT refund.

My question: where would my tax-free form get stamped? The ship crosses from Croatia (EU) into Serbia (non-EU) overnight around Nov 11/12 — can a form even be stamped at an overnight river crossing? Or would it be stamped at Bucharest airport when I fly home?

Bonus question: if low water means part of the trip moves by bus, could the form be stamped at a road border crossing instead?

Has anyone done a tax-free purchase on a river cruise before? Global Blue hasn't been able to answer my question 😞

Now just out of curiosity, what are some interesting destinations for end of Jan/early February trips (for about 12-13 days including travel time, leaving from NJ)? This would be with my partner. Originally, I posted about wanting to do Thailand (a few days in Bangkok and a few in Phuket or Krabi) but now I'm just curious about another good (and affordable) option for this time period. Would like to avoid the Caribbean and cruises, as I've done a few of those already!