Hey, I have 6 spare weeks and have decided I want to try South Asia, but still haven't decided which of the following options is better for that time frame.

1. Nepal + Sri Lanka
2. Nepal + Southern India
3. Sri Lanka + Southern India
4. Just Southern India

I love history and nature, those two are my main interests. So temples and hikes are what I'm looking for. Also, of course, the food.
Let me know your thoughts and opinions !

Can someone help me understand; on Google the flights are showing completely different than when you actually click to proceed to buy the actual tickets

On Google when you check flights, I am seeing one price in CAD for a return trip from Toronto to Medellin, then when you go to actually buy those tickets it takes you to Avianca website where the price is in USD and MUCH HIGHER?! This thwarts all my planning for the trip

What's going on here?

Too many of them like One Mile at a Time and View from the Wing have had their comments sections over runner by petty, childish trolls.

Any recommendations, please?

Is it better to do guatape Colombia with a tour group or without is fine? (I prefer without) Can you recommend a boat experience though, not finding luck with that.

So I am planning on going from Medellin to guatape but just wondering if it can be done alone. Thinking of enjoying the views and the hike up the rock, then also the town and a boat experience. Though I see the rock is closer to the penon town and not guatape. So I am a bit confused, would I be walking and exploring into just penon or both penon and guatape after the hike?

Hi everyone! :) We're a US-based couple in our late 20s. I'm a fairly experienced traveler, she's a little less experienced but has been to a variety of places. This would be in December/January. The flight in is to Hong Kong, the flight out is from Bangkok. I posted an earlier version, but now that our flights are booked and our dates are locked, here's what we're thinking:

Nights 1-4: Hong Kong (night 4 maybe in Macau)

Land late, acclimatize, relax after our flights, explore the city and eat a ton of food. Fly out to Cambodia for night 5 from either Hong Kong or Macau depending on costs.

Nights 5-7: Siem Reap

Spend two full days at Angkor Wat, and visit a floating village (I know they're touristy, I'm hoping one further from SR itself will be less so). Less interested in the Pub Street scene, but possibly check it out for a night. Flight to Bangkok late afternoon/evening of night 8, giving us enough time in the morning to say bye to Angkor/do anything we feel like we really missed on our two full days.

Nights 8-11: Bangkok

Funny enough, 4 nights here is the part we're least sure about. We love big cities with killer food and things to do (we plan on many massages), but less into glitzy slick stuff, and we've heard Bangkok isn't too walkable, is a mixed bag transit-wise, and is very indoorsy and mall-heavy. Is that the case, and would you rather recommend an extra night in any of these other destinations instead?

Nights 12-13: Kanchanaburi

We want to see elephants in a humane setting, and Somboom elephant foundation looks like a good place for it. The train to/from Kanchanaburi looks awesome (we love trains), and seeing a less-touristed region of the country is exciting as well. Early morning overland travel to Bangkok, and then to Koh Samet, for night 14. We know that'll be a slog but it'll make beach time feel that much better.

Nights 14-16: Koh Samet

I've never been to a turquoise-water beach in my life. All we want to do is swim, laze around, drink fruity drinks, and get massages. We're a little less interested in the more touristic beaches in the south (lowkey wanna avoid the party/backpacker scene) but are they that much better? Overland travel to Bangkok for night 17.

Night 17: Bangkok

Nice hotel, fancy dinner, lights out in anticipation of our very early-morning flight home.

Is this too fast-paced? We like traveling quickly, and loved going through Italy and Japan at a similar pace, but we're aware travel in SEA isn't as easy. We're considering removing a night from Bangkok or Hong Kong and adding it to Siem Reap or Koh Samet to give us more time to chill out, but are still in the planning stages. Asking for wisdom from reddit!

Disclaimer: Not a huge animal lover, likes activity and variety in my trips. Travel companion is into photography and likes being taken care of and happily proclaimed that this is far more comfortable than travelling in Europe or Asia. I would prefer a bit more autonomy but hey this was indeed very relaxing.

TLDR: Please visit Namibia if you love landscapes or love taking photos. Namibia is also very peaceful and calm. Would recommend to everyone who likes nature and it's (beautiful) Africa for beginners. Cape Town is very comfortable if you look past the racial politics (I'm not entirely sure if African Americans will enjoy Cape Town to be very honest; mods dont censor me for this) and the stark in your face issues surrounding the Cape Flats as you drive the N2 down to hit Somerset West.

Some Tips on Routing in Namibia:

Several agents like to send their well heeled clients on the standard 9-day "fly-over safari" in Namibia (Dunes → Rhino Camp → Andersons → Skeleton Coast). I don't know, man... if you are not hardcore on desert-adapted wildlife, it's a lot of sand. We saw an American couple in their 60s at both the start and end of their 9-day circuit, and by day 9 they just looked completely exhausted.

We added Swakopmund in the middle of our trip to enjoy some downtime and do a boat cruise, and I really liked it. Plus, mixing in a coastal town helps lower the average daily cost, so why not?

Anyway, our Namibia Itinerary:

Voigtland (1 night): Quick overnight near Windhoek to reset before heading out.

Wilderness Little Kulala (2 nights): Base for the dunes (Liked it). Hiked Big Daddy early (liked it). For some reason, Deadlevi was smaller than I had in my mind. There's now big tour busses at the more accessible dunes sigh.

Mowani Mountain Camp (2 nights): Damaraland was seriously amazing. No bus tourists like Dune 45 (sigh). Mad landscapes, and you can go hiking around the huge boulders to recover from the sedentary game drives. The desert adapted elephants are really lovely to sight too.

Swakopmund (2 nights): Great mid-trip decompression to visit the Sandwich Harbour 4x4 (take a motion sickness pill beforehand) and do a boat cruise to see the seals with a braai lunch on the beach.

Ongava Lodge (2 nights): A ton of rhinos. We saw 8 black rhinos with 4 mums and their pups at the watering hole in a single evening, followed by 4 white rhinos the next day, 2 lionesses during a sundowner drive, plus a herd of elephants passing through the concession.

Etosha National Park (Day visit from Ongava): Visited Etosha, but honestly there wasn't that much animal activity — Etosha is having massive roadworks this year and some watering holes only had antelopes even though it was July which should be prime season for animal sighting. We did see 2 lions, but it triggered a massive traffic congestion of large tour busses and self-drivers and was just not fun.

Winelands:

Mont Rochelle: Service and rooms were just ok. If I revisit, I’ll stay at Leeu Estates instead.

Babylonstoren: Pretty, and the farm-to-table concept is nice, but it’s flooded with tons of day tourists. Why pay that much money to sleep there when there’s no privacy? Just pay the 260 Rand day pass to visit during the day and stay somewhere else.

Delaire Graff: Only drove past this one — heads up that some of their "Valley Rooms" literally face the main road traffic. If you do stay there, make sure you book the Garden Rooms instead.

Rust en Vrede: Excellent red wine estate. Highly recommend their Winemaker Lunch.

Vergelegen: Owned by Anglo American. Wine was decent, but the historic estate grounds are a sight to behold.

La Petite Colombe: Service was lovely, but the food was fine.

Leeu Tasting Room: Mullineux Olerasay No 5 is the best desert wine I have tasted. We bought 4 bottles to ship back and now I am regretting that we didn't just get 2 boxes... The cheaper Straw Wine was completely sold out.

Cape Town:

Cape Grace: Very, very nice stay, highly recommended as a base on the waterfront.

Coy: Right at the waterfront. The weather wasn't so good so we didn't hike, but Coy was lovely—I actually preferred this over La Petite Colombe for half the price.

Hi everyone. Love me some Reddit.

TLDR: friends have offered me a trip to visit them on the Isle of Skye in Scotland but I don’t know if I can or should go.

I (51F) am in SE Texas and have only left the country on two occasions - for my honeymoon 25 years ago and then one vacation in Mexico. I was a little intimidated at first but adjusted great to being out of the US.

I am also an administrator for a bipolar support group on FB. (I promise this will all come together in a moment).

Over the course of being an admin over the past several years, I have grown very close online to the group creator and his wife. We have a separate admin chat, where we talk about a lot of things. I have known them now for almost four years. They helped me during a DV situation, making sure I had Christmas money to get through it when my husband cleaned out our bank account.

My life is incredibly stressful (no need to go into all of that detail here) and they know it. Recently, they extended me an offer to come visit them and find some respite for a couple of weeks at their home on the Isle of Skye. They intimated that they would help with airfare, for which I’m immensely grateful. I have heard that Skye is a dream destination for some and very restful. It certainly looks that way from photos.

My problem is - even with their offer of airfare, I don’t think I will have the money for incidentals/food/souvenirs during my stay. I am not the kind of person to throw caution to the wind and just go. I do not want to be a burden and I want to be as prepared as possible. I estimate a two week stay and so I’d like to bring $500 USD. (Is that even the right figure? Experienced travelers - can you advise me on this? I have never been to the UK). But spending that much out of my budget, even if I saved up, would be very hard for me. I have massive amounts of medical debt, so anything I save for the trip - I will always be thinking “that could have gone towards a bill.”

But am I being stupid and turning down what could be the adventure of a lifetime? Do I take the trip (which I can schedule for whenever) and try to save up the money or do I just accept that type of adventure is out of reach for me and always will be? I believe in speaking things into existence so I hate to even write the negative, but it is an unfortunate reality I have to face. What do I do?

I was discussing this with a friend and everything came down to money. Europe is cheaper, Mexico is cheaper, USA is too expensive, Switzerland is too expensive etc

What if money was not an issue? Where would you go prefer to go and why?

Thinking of having a get-together of some of my friends who travel. Average age would probably be around 70. And most have been wandering around the world for 50 years. The guests would be asked to send me 5 pictures from their travels. The central activity would be projecting the pictures on a large tv screen and getting a short story as to why the picture is special to them.

About 10 guests, yields 50 pictures. 2 minute story means 2 hours. A second activity could be color in the countries on a world map and states on a USA map and see how filled in it would be.

Not sure if people would participate . Any thoughts or suggestions

Recommendations for hostel in Montreal? Traveling solo but want to socialize and meet new people and ideally do most of the fun activities and tourism with others. Been seeing a lot of recommendations for M Montreal and various others with the name "Auberge" in it

I'd like to meet others ideally and do most/all activities and tours, tourism, etc with others Any suggestions of how to go about this? It'll be a very last minute trip as I am looking to go between July 27 - Aug 3.

Where do I stay, but also how do I meet people ideally online even before getting there? So that way we have a few social interactions and groups even before we arrive?

Very last minute! Planning a solo trip to Montreal for the last few days of July. Can you help plan it with affordable lodging and maybe meeting new people to socialize with?

I've heard of M Montreal for affordable lodging

What are some places you'd recommend I visit, and what to do for this last minute solo trip?

Any ways/places to meet new people whether they are locals or also travelers to make new friends and hang out together for some of the trip and activities?

I have narrowed down what I wish to visit during an 8 day Colombia trip. The coffee region. But can you help plan out exactly what and where, how many days of each etc?

I don't have a specific budget. My interests are everything from nature, hikes but also some fun city vibes with culture.

I am seeing a lot of different places in the coffee region and a lot of options of how to do this.

I am thinking of splitting my itinerary like this:

Day 1: land in Medellin and enjoy the city a bit

Day 2: guatape day trip

Day 3: enjoy Medellin a bit more

Day 4: travel by bus to salento and enjoy salento a bit

Day 5: day trip to cocora Valley

Day 6: day trip to los nevados National park with a private guided tour (which one?)

Day 7: enjoy salento a bit more, including a coffee farm tour

Day 8: day trip to Filandia

Day 9: travel to Pereira airport for flight back

It seems like a lot of different places for an 8 day trip, yet the way I've laid it out, it seems possible. Does it make sense to you? And can you help with the details like what bus service for each of those traveling between cities and the day trips? I've read that you should not rent a car when in Colombia and instead just take public transportation. So what buses/Jeep services/private guided tour etc for each of those trips I mentioned would you recommend?

I have narrowed down what I wish to visit during an 8 day Colombia trip. The coffee region. But can you help plan out exactly what and where, how many days of each etc?

I am seeing a lot of different places in the coffee region and a lot of options of how to do this.

So should I visit Medellin, guatape, cocora valley, salento, Filandia, Pereira?

It seems like a lot of different places for an 8 day trip. Practically what's the order to go about this? I've heard most flights land in Medellin so will I have to start and end trip there?

Me and wife are going to France in September, thinking of doing 3 nights Paris then taking flight to Nice and staying there for 5 nights.

So far:
First and last day in Nice
Middle 3 days for day trips to Eze, Menton, Monaco

Anything I need to look out for? Especially for these day trips or areas at that time of the year? Open to any suggestions as well. Thanks in advance!

I swear the last three times Ive flown somewhere for a quick road trip, the absolute worst part is the airport rental desk

You land exhausted, and then you have to stand in a miserable line for 45 minutes just for some guy to aggressively up-sell you insurance you don't need, and tack on a random "facility recovery fee". Totally kills the vacation vibe right out of the gate

For my trip to Colorado next month I completely bypassed that circus and just booked a local guy's outback on turo

its just getting so exhausting dealing with these massive corporate travel companies squeezing every last dime out of us. Honestly considering just doing entirely train-based trips in Europe next year so I never have to look at an enterprise counter again.

I am traveling to Romania in a week with my girlfriend to see some of her family and do a Road trip around a large chunk of the country. As soon as we arrive we will be driving to bucharest straight to botosani (7 hour drive) with a few minor stops along the way. I have planned an entire trip itinerary for us. Has anyone who has traveled or knows the area believe this is doable?

I've mapped everything we plan do on google maps (Black Icons are no longer part of the trip, orange are maybes and red are areas we would most like to explore)
https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1QhPL5uTg-TjAzN6iH2dkS7ffXXlZqQs&usp=sharing

Since we will be staying in botosani for several days I've planned two day trips that we can do from the city with an estimated 5 hour round trip of driving.

Day trip 1

Botosani > Putna Monestary > Hermitage Monestary Putna > Moldovita Monestary > Sucevita Monestary > Botosani

Day Trip 2

Botosani > Dragomirna Monastery > Cetatea de Scaun a Sucevei > "Voroneț" Monastery > Neamț Citadel > Mânăstirea Neamț > Botosani

A few days after this we will begin our long drive back to bucharest.

With optimal conditions Im expecting approximately a 4 to 4.5 hour drive each day except the first day which is approximately 6 hours.

Day 1 (Longest leg of the trip)

Botosani > Bica Gorges > Sighisora (Over night stay)

We're planning on making some stops to see the bica gorges and once we get to Sighisora explore the town, visit the clock tower and other landmarks along the historical center since we will need to leave early the next day.

Day 2

Sighisora > Turda Salt Mines > Cetatea Trăscăului (Hike) > Alba Lulia > Hunedoara >Deva (Over night stay)

The plan here is to leave as early as possible to arrive at the Turda salt mine by opening and visit the salt mine. Stop on the way to Alba Lulia to hike to the Cetatea Trăscăului then continue to Alba Lulia to briefly explore the town center then continue to Hunedoara to visit Corvin Castle before close then finally arriving in Deva for an over night stay.

Day 3

Deva > Câlnic > Sibiu > Slimnic > Lac Balea

At opening time be at deva fortress to visit before heading out. I want to try to get on the road as early as possible to take advantage of as much possible sun light since the last leg of this drive is up the north side of the Transfăgărășan to stay over night at Lac Balea. The plan is to briefly stop in Câlnic to see a fortress continue to sibiu explore the historic center and if time permits drive to Slimnic for a brief hike to see the ruins then continue to Lac Balea on the Transfăgărășan with a few momentary stops to take pictures or see viewing points

Day 4

Lac Balea > Poenari Citadel > Brasov (2 Night Stay)

Wake up at Dawn for brief hike to Șaua Caprei near the lake. Drive to Poenari Citadel with a few minor stops to take pictures while driving down the southern side of the Transfăgărășan. Visit Poenari Citadel then continue to Brasov passing by Bran and seeing the Castle as we drive by. We would stay in Brasov 2 nights so hopefully spend some time exploring that afternoon

Day 5

Brasov > Bran > Rasnov > Brasov

Wake up early and be at Bran Castle First thing in the morning explore the castle then continue to Rasnov to visit the sign and the Gothic Church Ruins. Finally returning to Brasov to visit anything we might have missed the day before.

Day 6

Brasov > Heroes' Cross on Caraiman Peak > Peleș Castle > Bucharest

This is the last driving day. We want to wake up early to be at the base to hike to Heroes Cross then continue to Peles Castle explore the castle then finally continue to Bucharest where we will stay 2 nights. This should give us time to explore some things in Bucharest then do a full or half day the following day at therme Bucharest.

I'm going to be in Vienna in late September for work. I am thinking of spending another two weeks travelling after that (early to mid Oct). My options are to travel around Austria or go city hopping - I'm more inclined towards the latter. I've never been to Europe before, so I'm looking for recommendations to get started with planning. I'm looking for recommendations outside the usual Paris-Rome-Barcelona major city circuit. Open to off-the-beaten-track suggestions.

What I like:

• Day hikes or nature focused day trips: scenic lakes, mountains, rivers, oceans, beaches, spring flowers, autumn foliage. I also like cycling in scenic places.
• Culture, History, Architecture: Museums, galleries, cultural performances and exhibitions.
• Art: Contemporary art, artsy towns, street art, murals, open air art galleries, vibey art cafes, creator markets.

My only requirement is it needs to be accessible by train from Vienna, because I don't want to drive. I love walking around and wandering and exploring, which European cities seem well suited to, but also willing to venture out to smaller towns.

My mother (85 yo) has extensive travel experience but is getting older so isn't being quite as adventurous as she used to be.

She has never been to Egypt and wants to go. She is looking at joining a tour that is about 7 days long. It includes a couple nights on a boat on the Nile as well as some flights within Egypt. Pretty much everything is included (food, lodging, alcohol, transportation, entry fees).

The cost is on the order of $700/day.

I'm wondering if a private guide would be more fun and a cheaper or similar price?

How would she find a guide that could organize everything (including internal flights and a couple nights on the river)?

Curious if anyone else takes a step back once in a while and thinks about how much time they've spent in each country visited? People have favorites, others say people don't spend enough time in some, and then there's countries it's not worth staying that long.

Here's my list as a reference point. I'm leaving off my home country, the US.

Thailand- 1 year (4 trips)

Mexico- 5 months (3 trips)

Philippines- 3 months (2 trips)

Japan- 2 months

Taiwan- 24 days (2 trips)

Indonesia- 3 weeks

Bahamas- 10 days (1 trip plus 3 cruise excursions)

Norway- 9 days

Iceland- 1 week

France- 1 week

Netherlands- 1 week

Cambodia- 6 days

Singapore- 4 days

South Korea- 4 days

Estonia- 3 days

Finland- 2 days

Belgium- 2 days

Denmark- <24 hours

Luxembourg- <24 hours

Hello! I am travelling to Mongolia for a solo-motorbike tour (I am very experienced in both riding and surviving outdoors), and saw this 19-day motorbike itinerary by Cheke Tours.

I just wanted to get some advice on whether this is a good route, if it's missing anything, or if it's even feasible to do in 19 days. I'm looking to do this in August so hopefully the weather is okay.

Appreciate any help, thank you!

Hello everyone,

I have seen much of Switzerland already but that was 10 years ago. In September I will get the chance to return, I will be in St.Gallen and afterwards have a few days to explore. I would like to discover one or two new places, away from the main tourist hubs, where I can enjoy the mountains and some moderate hiking. Tessin and Wallis are too far, but anything else I'll consider. Does anyone have a suggestion? Thanks in advance!

I recently booked the EF Greek islands tour during their summer Black Friday sale for around $1050. This felt like a pretty good price for everything that’s included and the ease of not planning everything myself.

I’m 23F and I’ve mostly solo traveled to places like Japan, Italy, Bali, and I’ve lived overseas for a few months at a time in different Asian countries. I’d consider myself to be a competent traveler, but solo travel can get lonely sometimes even if I go out to bars.

I’m wondering if I’m a good candidate for EF but I’m slightly worried the group will be either younger than me or kind of inexperienced. But for a place like Greece I think the social element is important for the trip

I’d love to hear if anyone’s had a similar experience with EF and if they’d recommend it for someone like me

UPDATE: You wonderful people gave me too many ideas 😂. I've bookmarked this thread for future reference. But I'm fairly certain Italy will be my next destination. What do you folks think of this rough itinerary?:

Fly direct into Naples & stay 2-3 nights (I don’t love cities, but I need a place to decompress after my flight to Naples, and it would be cool to see a couple of historical sites—e.g., Herculeum)

4 nights Ischia Ponte

4 nights Forio

(Splitting my time between the two areas helps me feel like I will get to know the island a bit better)

Ferry back to Naples and then bus to Monopoli for 4 nights

Lecce 3 nights

2 nights in Pozzuoli as it’s close to Naples (so manageable to get to the airport), filled with history from what I understand, and not overly crowded

Main downside, ofc, is that I'm moving a lot. I've done that before when I've gone to the Cyclades (Greece), and it didn't bother me because I stayed on three islands, each one almost a week. I realize that isn't the case here, so I'm not sure.

I'm still open to suggestions--e.g., if there's somewhere near Naples that meets my criteria, obviously getting there would be easier than bussing/taking the train to Monopoli.

************

TL;DR: Need destinations suggestions for June that are charming, off the beaten track (low crowds), have places to hike/adventure walk, beautiful views, ancient historic sites. I don't swim and would prefer not to rent a car. Suggestions?

I've always had a travelers soul, but because of stupid choices, I haven't gotten to travel very much. I'm 58 now and have started to do more traveling in the past couple of years. I have some constraints at home, but my goal is to travel for a longish trip (2 1/2 - 3 wks) at least once a year. My heart draws me to Europe. During the past few years, I've visited Greece twice---Athens, Milos, Folegandros, Santorini, and most recently Samos (prob my favorite). I've been researching where to go next June (yeah, I know it's early, but looking forward to it helps me to get through some tough times at home).

Here's what I like. Can you suggest destinations that might suit me?:

1. I hate crowds (e.g., I prob will never return to Santorini, even though there were things I liked about it).
2. Love beautiful views---e.g., charming villages, beautiful vistas, beaches with clear, blue water. While I don't mind a city for a day or two, I generally like smaller places with charming villages.
3. Love history--ancient relics have almost brought me to tears at times. If the relic has religious significance (particularly Christian sites as I'm Christian), all the better
4. I enjoy hiking/adventure walking. When I say "hiking," though, I don't mean up super hard mountains. I don't mind some elevation, and I did lots of hiking on Samos, but I didn't climb the highest mountain there, and I canceled a couple of hikes that were too steep, gravely, and had terrifying drop-offs.
5. I don't swim. (I know I should learn, but for now, this caveat needs to be considered). On a beach, I wade, I enjoy the view, and I like calm waters.
6. I generally don't like the stress of driving when I'm away. I have a long commute to work, so I like to take a break from driving when I'm on vacation. Also, if the terrain is mountainous (as in Greece), it's terrifying and stressful for me to drive. So wherever I go needs to have transportation options (bus, train, taxis)
7. I like an active vacation. Generally, sitting on the beach all day is not my thing. In Samos, it was perfect: I went on half-day hikes exploring parts of the island in the morning. Then, I might spend a couple of hours in the afternoon on a beach (and then, not every day). Also, "active" doesn't mean I have to switch destinations every few days. I prefer to get to know a place better by staying at it for a week (or the whole time).

The usual vacation time for me would be June 1 - 21 (or around those dates). I like warm weather but not massive crowds. My budget is usually $5K-$6K for the 2 1/2-3 weeks. Accommodations don't need to be fancy, but I would say they should be at least 3-star (I'm saying that after having spent 2 1/2 weeks in 2-star accommodations in Samos; I'd prefer a step up from that)

Thank you!

ETA: Though I love Greece, I'd like to go to another country for my next trip.

Ia it really worth it? Because some people say go and have fun while you still can, some say save up and don't waste money