Travel tips

[cj-maranup]

It'll take a week to get over jetlag from most places

A week?! Damn sissy kiwi... If you're going to be knackered for a whole week, you'd better skip NZ altogether - after all, you've seen all the best bits in Lord of the Rings...

Seriously tho, I like to deal with jet lag (depending on the timing of the flight) by being so tired when I get on that I sleep like the dead & then get into the destination timezone as soon as possible. Also fly west if possible - it's less disturbing...

[lazarus89]

Okay, so right now, Qantas is running this hellaciously good deal where you can buy a return ticket from the US to Australia, and 3 domestic flights for about US$1200. The problem is that it is in Feb/March, which is probably not the peak tourist season. While I have no problem doing my siteseeing in isolation, I do have a problem with things being closed because there aren't any tourists around. Do any of you guys think this is going to be an issue?

If not, my plan is to fly to Australia in February, first hitting Sydney, Melbourne, and the Gold Coast and then flying to Alice Springs, and then Perth, before following the Australian cricket team to NZ for some righteous test cricket in March.

Jet lag isn't a problem, because I'm an insomniac to start with.

Also, did I say this was for 2009? My bad, I meant 2010...

[random_kitty]

It really depends what touristy things you want to see/do.

By March the school children will be back at school so if you want to go to theme parks there will be much smaller queues.

There is not going to be a definitive answer for the whole of Australia - so start thinking about what you want to see then check websites for on and off-season rates and opening hours.

[lazarus89]

Hmm, well, I don't really want to go to theme parks after a trip half way around the world. I'm more interested in the scenery, whether it be urban or rural. I've got a nice DSLR, and one of the things I like to do is just plonk down in one place and take thousands of pictures and later meld them into time lapse videos -- stopping by Ayer's Rock for 24 hours is therefore very much on my agenda... can you imagine how awesome a 24 hour time lapse vid of that place would be? (A quick youtube search says that this has been done before, but what the hey, it'll be fun).

I've always wanted to go to a Boxing Day test, but it looks like I'll miss it this time 'round... but I'll definitely go to any other games that may be on.

I'm not a hippie or anything, but I really do feel that any holiday that consists solely of going clubbing and getting sunburnt at the beach fails. Ultimately, I'd like to get a feel for what Australian life is really like. If you guys have any idea what would help me achieve this goal, don't hesitate to tell me.

[random_kitty]

Well scenery generally doesn't have opening hours. Maybe head to your local library and check out "The Lonely Plant: Australia"

[lazarus89]

That book has been my near constant companion for the last two months.

[JayDee]

Ultimately, I'd like to get a feel for what Australian life is really like.

Suprisingly enough, Australian life goes on all year round - we don't all hibernate during the non-tourist season. Melbourne, Sydney, Perth it shouldn't much matter when you are there (although there are highlights at different times) while the Gold Coast would be more tourist focused (although I'd suspect it'd be tourist season there all year round.) Anything that is only open during the tourist season is going to be the really touristy stuff, and I'm having a hard time thinking of any examples. At any rate, holiday only stuff would generally still be open well into February if it were to close.

[mothgrl]

(NOOB WARNING: I'm new to this and so apologise in advance for any heinous breaches of post-etiquette I may commit, I am open to advice and correction.)
To the NZ/Australia-bound traveller; I am a Kiwi currently living in Australia and I make yearly (at least) trips to Europe and the US. One product I find invaluable for staving off Jet Lag is the cunningly titled No-JetLag. This is a homeopathic remedy so usually I would have expected it to have the potent pharmaceutical power of a Tic-Tac, but while I am happy to attribute it's effectiveness to the power of the human mind I can swear that over the last 12 years of evil 30Hr+ flights to and from home the only times I have suffered from jetlag is when I forgot to pack these little snake oil tablets... http://www.jetlag.co.nz
You are going to have an awesome time on your trip as you are going at a great time of year and have not made the fatal mistake so many make of thinking two weeks is enough, but do bear in mind that while you can comfortably drive all over NZ (just watch out for scary hick drivers on the country roads) trying the same in Australia will see you spending your entire holiday looking at what you would swear is the same stretch of road for days at a time. The distances are simply mind boggling. So my suggestion would be to go for a Nth-Sth drive in NZ, but then to explore Australia using the surprisingly comfortable overnight bus/train options or going for the cheapest flights you can get. Don't miss the Great Barrier Reef, and if you have the time try to make a trip into the Outback on a small plane- those Aboriginal dot-paintings will suddenly make sense.

[Artemisia]

I went to Berlin a few years ago. It is a fantastic city. It is exceptionally clean in most places (I remember the streets practically shining in and around Alexanderplatz) and has an amazingly convenient underground system. When I went there I, being a silly tourist, bought a week-long train pass but never saw any railway staff at all except for those on regional trains (from the airport into Berlin proper).

I didn't actually stay in a hostel in Berlin, but hostels are brilliant elsewhere and I'd expect them to be similar in Berlin.

You've probably been to the former West-Berlin. Former East-Berlin is by far not as clean as west. Nonetheless it's a gorgeous city with a whole own vibe and I'd instantly move there if I got a good job offer. I've been there twice and I ab-so-lu-te-ly loved it.

[DarthFeltTipPen]

Hi all, me and my two compatriots are considering a road trip across the USA next year and I thought (considering the large number of Yanks on this site) this might not be a bad place to ask for advice...

I had grand schemes of hiring a hummer to make the trip...but I'm not sure my budget is going to be able to handle the hire costs and the gas that one of those suckers would guzzle...any advice on american cars that are good for long road trips? There's only going to be the three of us so even a sedan will probably accomodate us, but I'm looking at these sites for car hire and I have no idea what some of these cars are like (you must all be saying "stupid ignorant aussie"...)

Any advice on places to go to? We're all pretty nerdy and have little to no interest in national parks (although we have the grand canyon and mt rushmore on our to do list)...we're pretty loose with the timing at this point...so any advice regarding good times during the year and places of interest to the nerdy types would be appreciated...

[Kizyr]

Small sedans like a Toyota Corolla or Honda Civic will usually get the best mileage outside of hybrids (my Corolla in particular can get from 35 to 39 mpg highway). Slightly larger ones like a Toyota Camry or Honda Accord (and I think maybe a Mazda 3 or 6, possibly a few others) will also be decent and have more room, though obviously they'll be more expensive. Unless you're going to be towing something or off-roading, skip the SUVs.

Not so sure about locations you should visit... Do you have any idea what your general route would be? At least which states you'll be crossing through? KF

[Dreidel]

For finding cheap flights, I use this website: http://matrix.itasoftware.com/cvg/dispatch/login
It seems to be a test version of the database that lots of airlines and travel agencies use. Log in as a guest, enter your requirements and search. It checks all the airlines I've heard of and a few more. The interface isn't fantastic but it's a very powerful tool: you can tell it to prioritise trip time or price, to search a couple of days either side of your planned dates, etc. Although it tells you prices, you can't by any flights from them; you need to note the flight details and buy from the airline's website.

Wow! That website had the lowest fairs I've seen, by far. It was about a third of the Lufthansa site's cost and less than half of the British Airways site's cost. And the longest leg (across the Atlantic) is an overnight flight, which is a plus in my book.

Hi all, me and my two compatriots are considering a road trip across the USA next year and I thought (considering the large number of Yanks on this site) this might not be a bad place to ask for advice...

I had grand schemes of hiring a hummer to make the trip...but I'm not sure my budget is going to be able to handle the hire costs and the gas that one of those suckers would guzzle...any advice on american cars that are good for long road trips? There's only going to be the three of us so even a sedan will probably accomodate us, but I'm looking at these sites for car hire and I have no idea what some of these cars are like (you must all be saying "stupid ignorant aussie"...)

Any advice on places to go to? We're all pretty nerdy and have little to no interest in national parks (although we have the grand canyon and mt rushmore on our to do list)...we're pretty loose with the timing at this point...so any advice regarding good times during the year and places of interest to the nerdy types would be appreciated...

As a resident of the Grand Canyon State, I've been there once. I would go back, but it's so far away from Phoenix, and I'm sure I would probably say to myself before I made the turn off, "Well, I've come this far, might as well just drive a little further and hit Vegas isntead!"

I'm not saying it isn't a wonderful sight to see. It really is. It's just that it's an even longer drive to the North Rim, which is, as my girlfriend tells me compared to my experience, the better one to visit. The South Rim is very touristy. If you're not one for big crowds, then, let me assure you, the North Rim is for you. Sure, the South Rim has all kinds of gift shops, that little glass bottom bridge thing that costs too much to walk on, and an opportunity to be in thousands of tourists' pictures, but you don't want that. You want to see the Grand Canyon. Right?

[darwinwins]

my best advice is to buy a jacket that has a breast pocket whose zipper runs parallel to the main zipper. then keep your wallet and passport in there. especially when you're moving from airport to your destination hotel/hostel/et al.

before you depart for the airport at all, empty your wallet of all its contents that aren't essential. carry little cash; use an ATM at your destination to skip past most exchange fees.

and for the love of christ, don't make yourself a target by gawking at everything.

[uknowurright9]

I've driven across the US (East to west and west to east!) about 12 times, and spent every spare cent I had during my upperclassmen years in college road tripping around the southwest. I'm missing Georgia, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Maine and Rhode Island from my US experience.

Rhode Island is probably not bad to visit but trust me you don't want to live here

[MuffledScreams]

Recent update, Yahoo in all it's wisdom and list making abilities has named Rhode Island as the hardest place to "get by in America. Take that inner ghetto of Ohio and failing Auto Industry reliant Michigan. We out suck you in the you don't want to live here race... Still might be fun to visit for a weekend, go ahead by the RI shotglass... we could use the boost in local economics.

[EvilDuckie]

I will be in the Twin Cities (Minneapolis/St Paul) area next month, with probabely about a day and a half of nothing planned yet. Any suggestions (other than the Mall of America, I know about that one) on things to see and do there? I heard good things about the Science Museum in St Paul, is it any good? (I will have a rental car, so transportation is not going to be a problem)

[Kizyr]

I mentioned this in the Japanese practice thread, and thought I'd say it here (well, considering I didn't say it elsewhere in English). I'm finally going back to Japan for vacation in a couple months.

I'll be gone from June 26th to July 12th (2 full weeks). So far, the plan is to hit up: Tokyo, Nagoya/Kasugai, Kyoto, and Fukuoka/Nagasaki (possibly Hiroshima if there's time). I have friends in Tokyo and Kyoto, and my host families in Nagoya/Kasugai that I should be able to see again. So, it'll be fun.

I got a 2-week JR Pass. I amended my first post on this thread to reflect some new things I found out when purchasing this one. Namely: you can use a JR pass on the shinkansen, but just the Hikari and Kodama lines, not the Nozomi (the Nozomi is the super-express and the fastest, but the Hikari is still an express and only marginally slower, although not as awesome), and there is a 3-week pass available. I got mine from JTB; they got back to me within 1 hour of me placing my order, so they're pretty quick.

So, time to take some of my own advice. I'm also looking at visiting Hashima Island while I'm there. Seeing it on Life After People piqued my curiosity, and they just recently opened back up to tourists. KF

[zipper-chan]

I have travelled a bit, and so might be able to contribute at least something useful here, even if they may be common sense pieces of advice.

*Never carry all your money in one place. Put bits of it in your bra, socks, shoes, behind cards in your wallet, etc, for just in case. Also, don't rely on credit cards. Make sure you have some actual money on you or you will regret it if something goes wrong.

*Make sure you are aware of how you should be dressing in the country you are visiting. In most Asian countries (excluding bits of China, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore) you will want to be wearing shirts with sleeves, not singlets (or they most definitely wont let you into temples) and for women, mostly covered legs at least to the knees. If you are travelling south-east asia then you will want to be wearing a skirt (to the knees at least) and trust me on this, you will get very very hot if you are wearing tight jeans or something for fashion. Dress practically and modestly when travelling.

*Try to be as minimalistic as possible; don't bring laptops (unless its for business) because it will only be a hindrance most of the time, and will also at times act as a flag saying 'I'M RICH! MUG ME!' depending on where you are travelling to. Most countries, even some of the poorest (Cambodia, I'm looking at you) will have internet cafes, for cheap as chips, where you can get your computer fix. But think, you can use the computer at home, but how certain are you that you will ever get to return to this unique country?
Pack lightly. You never know when you may have to carry all your gear with you some long distance that was originally unplanned.

*Try to learn at least these words, for non-English countries: yes, no, thank you, hello, goodbye, 1-5 and, how much? Trust me, they will go a loooong way at times, and the native people will always feel flattered that you aren't just another ignorant tourist, in that you actually bothered to try and learn some of their language.

*Make sure you think before buying things. I sure as hell regret splurging out on a 70 euro coat, without even trying it on, while I was in Paris. When I did finally wear it, it was the right size, but thin as anything and gave me absolutely no cover from the wind when I stupidly wore it the first time on a boat ride.
Remember that things are always going to be over-priced in touristy places (Paris, Tokyo, LA) and think that really, you could probably buy something quite similar back at home for a fraction of the price, if you really need it.

*Always be super cautious. Never accept a ride from anyone, regardless of how friendly they look, and don't talk to people in situations that seem suspicious (You never know when someone will be coming around from the back trying to take your wallet while the person in front of you distracts you)



*My number one piece of advice: Avoid like the plague, the tourist tracks. Avoid them. You will get ripped off, for sure. Carve your own path! Walk the side streets of Paris to find your own view of the Eiffel tower! Explore regions you know nothing about! Often that will be most rewarding for you. What's the fun in being at a place that millions of others have been, when you could blaze your own trail through the city/country and see things possibly only seen by locals.

Hoped you found something here useful, if you bothered reading any of it xD

[sicily4u]

During travel you have to follow some tips and suggestions that can keep you and your property safety. Stay with your luggage until the luggage is checked. If you must put your bag down, keep one foot on the handle. Make sure that your prescription medicines are filled properly and labeled accurately. Never wear anything that projects affluence. No gold chains, expensive watches and rings, luggage, or other paraphernalia should be in easy view. Be resourceful and curious. Know as much as you can about your destination and prepare as well as you can, even for the unexpected.