Departure Lounge
Share your travel information, advice, hints and tips. Please choose from one of the countries or regions below.
Americas - Canada
Maple leaves and Mounties, Tim Hortons' and hockey, Hollywood North and more shoreline than the Caribbean
Asia - Indian Subcontinent
Not only elephants, snake charmers, price rises, immodium and curry in a hurry
Asia - South-East Asia Islands & Peninsula
Brunei, East Timor, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore
Australasia & Pacific - Australia, New Zealand & Antarctica
Do they speak English? Is there a bridge to NZ? Are kangaroos poisonous?
Australasia & Pacific - Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea
Sun-drenched beaches, swaying palms, rising ocean levels...
Europe - Scandinavia & the Nordics
Fjords and hiking, meet some Vikings - Nordic Europe will be to your likings!
Recent threads in this category:
May 19, 2013 11:38 AM
gypsygirl60
last reply
May 25, 2013 6:08 PM
gypsygirl60
2 replies
129 views
location:
Iran
Iran Visa Pickup In Istanbul
Hello
We are planning to go to Iran in Oct / Nov this year and after obtaining authorization number, wish to pick up the visa in Istanbul.
Can anyone tell us how long it takes in Istanbul to obtain the visa ( eg: roughly 3 / 5 /7 working days ? ), so we can plan our flights and time in Turkey, before we leave on the Ankara train towards Tabriz.
Many thanks for any info
May 17, 2013 10:32 AM
mananath
last reply
May 25, 2013 6:01 PM
vasenka
3 replies
131 views
location:
Ukraine
early morning flight from Kiev
Hello --
Early next month I have an early morning (06:40) international flight from Kiev. What are my options for getting to the airport? Is a taxi the only way? Am I able to flag taxis down on the street? or do I need to book one in advance?
thanks
Michael
May 25, 2013 11:02 AM
michaeldelilah
last reply
May 25, 2013 5:57 PM
Lucacic
1 replies
58 views
location:
Italy
Venice or Cinque Terre, or both?
Hello, and thank you for your help thus far!
I am trying to put together the best itinerary for my brief stay in Italy. I will be traveling from Lugano on June 22, and departing from Rome on July 2. I will be spending my last 4 nights in Rome, which leaves me about 6 nights to dedicate elsewhere. Tuscany is a must-see, 2-3 nights preferably. My final decision is le Cinque Terre or Venice. I am aware of the distance apart. I am wondering if anyone can help me to make this final decision taking into consideration travel time, budgets, flow of getting there, etc. I am a 33 year old single male traveling alone. I want to see the CT because of the beauty, but would not spend any longer than 2 nights here. I am also aware that both places will be extremely crowded with tourists and that each place is completely different, i.e. Venice much busier and the CT better for relaxing, e...
more »
May 24, 2013 8:35 PM
billabongok
last reply
May 25, 2013 5:57 PM
sbballer33
5 replies
151 views
location:
Indonesia
Riding the bemo in Bali
Hi everyone, I am planning a trip to Bali in Sep and was wondering if anyone here ever rode on a bemo out to Kuta from the airport? If yes, how was the experience like, and was it even easy to "know" when to alight?
Thanks in advance!
Near Yellowstone
We want to visit Yellowstone and Mt Rushmore this autumn. What else is in that part of the US which should be seen ? I've been told there are dinosaur excavation sites. Are they "close" ?
May 25, 2013 5:53 PM
claurianta
last reply
May 25, 2013 5:53 PM
claurianta
0 replies
14 views
location:
Mongolia
Looking to tour Gobi July-Aug
I'm arriving in UB on July 28 and leaving August 9. I'm alone and I'd like to tour the Gobi and Kharkorin. Anyone else going that time? Maybe we could split a tour or jeep...
May 17, 2013 3:40 AM
JonMW
last reply
May 25, 2013 5:52 PM
JonMW
4 replies
152 views
location:
Indonesia
Looking for Sumatra trekking partners
Hello,
I'm flying to Medan tomorrow (May 18) and will head straight to Berstagi. Sunday I'd like to hike Sinabung then Monday or Tuesday head to Ketambe and sort out a trip to Gunung Kemiri (5-6 days round trip).
Please post questions, etc, here.
Cheers.
Most overrated places in SE Asia
I'm trying to plan a trip to somewhere in SE Asia, mainland as it will be Dec/Jan. We are a couple in early 30s who have backpacked and traveled a lot but first time going to Asia. We'll do the backpack thing for a couple of week, keeping things simple but not super low budget (private rooms, public transport, some entries fees, sit down restaurant, etc). I'm trying to cross potential places off the list but my SE Asia on a Shoestring book makes every place sound AWESOME.
Can anyone tell me a place that was not worth the hype once you got there? Hopefully crossing some cities off the list with help me narrow it down.
Since I haven't been to Asia before I can tell you I found Venice to be unromantic and prettier in a picture than in real life. Ephesus in Turkey was so crowded I could not appreciate it as much as the less majestic, less crowded ruins.
Ok, your turn.
more »
May 25, 2013 10:28 AM
Realmccoyone
last reply
May 25, 2013 5:39 PM
johnabbotsford
2 replies
80 views
May 24, 2013 8:57 PM
mich1122
last reply
May 25, 2013 5:38 PM
mich1122
5 replies
134 views
location:
Spain
Accent in Seville
Hey guys, I was just wondering if anyone could tell me if they really speak significantly faster than they do in other parts of Spain (such as Madrid, the other city I'm considering) and with an accent that's significantly more difficult to understand? Basically, my Spanish background consists of what I learned in jr high/high school and an online program I've been doing recently, so I realize that getting a grasp on the language will be difficult anywhere, but I don't want to make it too much harder on myself than it needs to be.
I was also wondering if it's true that the Spanish spoken in Andalusia sounds a lot more like South American Spanish.
Lastly, how difficult would you say it is to find people who speak English in Seville and Spain in general? I've heard it's not very widely spoken.
Thanks!
May 23, 2013 2:41 PM
fchris17
last reply
May 25, 2013 5:32 PM
westwood
9 replies
219 views
location:
Australia
Possibly ruining my chances of getting an Aus and NZ working holiday visa??
Hiya,
I'm getting really confused as to whether my travel plans will effect me getting a working holiday visa for Aus and NZ.
I'm 26 and next month I head off to spend a couple of years travelling, working and volunteering through Asia. I'm aware by doing this my residency status in the UK may change from 'ordinary resident' to 'non resident'. I know that this is mainly for tax reasons and it doesn't effect my UK passport holding status but will it effect my chances of getting both Aus and NZ visa's?
After Asia I wanted to go to Aus for a year then apply for a second year then apply for a year in NZ, or maybe NZ first then Aus.
I think the first application should be OK but by the time I get to the third I will have been away from the UK for 4 years.
Any advice??
Edited by: fchris17
Edited by: fchris17
Templetour in Cambodja november 2013
I may visit Khmertemples (Preah Vihear, Koh Ker...) and others on the northwest and northeast fromt Siem Reap , , staying most of the time in SR. I will be there in november 2013, some good advice for transport?
Los Angeles - where to stay
Hi,
I'm planning my honeymoon which will be taking place in October this year, with the help of the kind people here, we've mostly got everything sorted, but we're looking for a good place to stay in LA, I have read many posts on this forum about the best neighborhoods to be in but there are so many different responses, I thought I'd give our circumstances and try and get tailored advice!
So, we'll be spending 3 nights in LA (20-23rd October), we have a maximum budget of £100 per night, we'll have a car so proximity to key attractions isn't a massive deal breaker, ideally we'd like to be nearer the beach than downtown and ideally the hotel would be situated in an area where we could walk to a nice restaurant (nothing too fancy) on an evening and get a few drinks nearby - does this place exist anywhere?!
May 24, 2013 3:23 PM
neverdenied
last reply
May 25, 2013 5:26 PM
nathalie2
9 replies
226 views
location:
Laos
want to travel laos (luang prabang)
Want to travel to Luan Prabang for two weeks for vacation, staying in hostels, is this time period too long? this would be my first time traveling outside the us/canada and guatemala, so im a bit overwhelmed by preparation not sure what i need to do to get ready so any help on that would be appreciated.
if two weeks is too long what other place could i visit before going to Laos (Luan Prabang)?
one of my biggest concerns is regarding food and water issues, is it safe to drink water, or eat outside?
also what would be a good budget to have for a two week trip?
should i be getting guides or tours?
as for when i plan to travel, i was thinking of mid or start or october or even november so i have a 4-5 months before then to plan something out and save the money i need.
May 24, 2013 7:05 AM
patsteele
last reply
May 25, 2013 5:25 PM
old_india_hand
5 replies
200 views
location:
Indonesia
Help! How to get from Medan to Labuan Bajo (Quickly!)
Hi all
Does anyone know what would be the quickest way to get from Medan to Labuan Bajo? I'm going to be in Indonesia for just over 3 weeks in Aug-Sept this year. The basic plan is to fly in to Medan, spend about 10 days exploring Northern Sumatra, we then wanted to head down to Komodo-Rinca for a couple of days prior to heading back to Bali/the Gili's to relax for a few days at the end of the trip.
It's a hectic schedule but I'd love to make it work, my only concern is that getting from Medan to Komodo looks tricky! Any advise would be greatly appreciated!
Cheers
Patrick
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