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Aliquid posted:Quick question: I just renewed my passport and the woman at the post office swore up and down I'd get my old one back with all my cool stamps and visas. The new passport came in the mail just now and the old one isn't there. What's up? It will come in another week or two in a separate package. You will get it back with all your cool stamps and visas but there will be 2 holes near the opening edge.
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Jun 21, 2014 17:17
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iloverice posted:It will come in another week or two in a separate package. You will get it back with all your cool stamps and visas but there will be 2 holes near the opening edge. Cool, thanks! She mentioned the holes like Vegas cards but didn't mention the extra waiting time.
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Jun 21, 2014 23:15
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Aliquid posted:Quick question: I just renewed my passport and the woman at the post office swore up and down I'd get my old one back with all my cool stamps and visas. The new passport came in the mail just now and the old one isn't there. What's up? All the supporting documentation is returned separately. It will show up within a few days.
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Jun 22, 2014 03:19
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In regards to traveling to the Schengen area as a US citizen (http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/go/schengen-fact-sheet.html), how exactly does it work with the three months/90 days regulation to travel without a visa? Per the State Department's website, "During each six months period, you will have three months of visa-free travel within the Schengen area." I traveled to a Schengen area country in early April and stayed about 18 days, so I assume that "started" the six months period and would be counted towards the time limit. If I were to visit any of the Schengen area countries again in the near future, would I have a little over two months left of visa-free travel time? Luckily I recently renewed my passport so it's good until 2024.
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Jul 12, 2014 02:11
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Kitsch! posted:In regards to traveling to the Schengen area as a US citizen (http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/go/schengen-fact-sheet.html), how exactly does it work with the three months/90 days regulation to travel without a visa? Yeah, so say you enter the Schengen zone on January 1, and stayed 15 days, you'd still have 75 days of travel until it resets on July 1. Remember that countries still can look to you for a few things - proof you aren't going to be working illegally (aka do you have the funds to support how long you are staying) and proof of how long you are staying (Aka Exit ticket) This is fairly rare and I've been booking people into Europe on one ways (warning them each time) for years now and never had an issue but still can be picked up on. Be careful with stamping in and out of the Schengen zone as well. Some people forgot to stamp out if they enter like, Turkey or the UK, and it looks like they are in the EU for a lot longer. Borders within the Schengen zone are very lax though, as in don't even need to show your passport half the time.
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Jul 12, 2014 11:06
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teacup posted:Borders within the Schengen zone are very lax though, as in don't even need to show your passport half the time. All the time, really.
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Jul 15, 2014 22:25
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Except when you're flying somewhere. And sometimes they check on the train (ok, just from Holland cause  )
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Jul 15, 2014 22:37
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There's no passport check when flying within Schengen. Sometimes the airline does to confirm your ticket, but I haven't shown anything on my flights the past year.
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Jul 15, 2014 22:52
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Do we have a cruise thread?
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Jul 19, 2014 06:13
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https://www.roadtrippers.com - Neat app and website to plan road trips. Visually good way to see things to see, do, eat on the way to your destination. https://www.splitwise.com - useful for sharing costs when travelling in a group.
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Jul 23, 2014 05:14
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I've got a cousin's wedding coming up on September 13th, in Massachusetts. I'm in Michigan. Looking through flights and such, looks like the flights are around $250+. They have a special rate at the Hilton for $118 a night, I'd want to stay Friday night and Saturday night. I'd also probably need a car. Am I crazy for considering renting a car from Avis (discount through work gives me a sub-compact for $98 Friday-Monday) and just driving there? Through Canada it's about 1400 miles round trip, so if the car gets an average of 35 MPG (says 38 highway, 27 city) I'm spending about $170 in gas. Not a huge savings, but I've never been to New York and it might be nice to just drive through it. Am I setting myself up for disaster? It says "unlimited" miles but I've never looked into renting for that long. I'd take my own car but it's a Jeep that averages about 17 MPG. 
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Jul 28, 2014 15:47
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Medullah posted:I've got a cousin's wedding coming up on September 13th, in Massachusetts. I'm in Michigan. Looking through flights and such, looks like the flights are around $250+. They have a special rate at the Hilton for $118 a night, I'd want to stay Friday night and Saturday night. I'd also probably need a car. I completed a trip where I drove from Detroit to Cleveland and then up to Niagara. It's not a terrible drive, but it's not particularly awesome either. Unless you really enjoy road trips and the airfare is sky high, I'd fly. $250 round trip isn't bad. If you do decide to drive it, you can rent a car and unlimited miles means unlimited miles. You pay for the time you have it and that's it. One thing to consider with such a long trip is the LDW insurance, though; I have primary coverage through a credit card so I use that, but it's very much a YMMV situation.
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Jul 28, 2014 16:45
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I booked an American Airlines international flight on Expedia and would like more baggage allowance. AA's website indicates it's $60 per overweight bag and $150 per additional bag. Is there a way to do this without incurring such hefty charges?
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Jul 31, 2014 11:31
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I ended up deciding to just fly to my cousin's wedding. Are there any good tips on car rental while I'm out there? I'm assuming renting directly from the airport will end up being more expensive.
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Jul 31, 2014 13:46
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Vegetable posted:I booked an American Airlines international flight on Expedia and would like more baggage allowance. AA's website indicates it's $60 per overweight bag and $150 per additional bag. Is there a way to do this without incurring such hefty charges? Take less stuff? It's actually $100 for tickets purchased after April 8, 2014, assuming you're going to Europe. The only way to get around it is to have elite status on AA.
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Jul 31, 2014 13:55
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Medullah posted:I ended up deciding to just fly to my cousin's wedding. Are there any good tips on car rental while I'm out there? I'm assuming renting directly from the airport will end up being more expensive. Airport rentals are usually more expensive due to the taxes. You can try to find a car rental location off-airport that you can get to via public transit but the law of diminishing returns can kick in very quickly. You can also try services like autoslash.com and see what they can find for you.
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Jul 31, 2014 13:56
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Mackieman posted:Take less stuff? These three words are a necessary (though not sufficient) component of an enjoyable travel experience.
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Aug 1, 2014 04:57
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Is there a place to ask about booking excursions? I'm looking to book two excursions for my vacation today, because they both have deals like "save 30% off for booking 5 days in advance!" and the like. My wife thinks it'll always be cheaper to book through the hotel when we check in, but if it isn't, then we'll be losing out on a decent chunk of money that'd otherwise be used for souvenirs and food. Does anyone have experience with this? Should I call the hotel and ask what their prices are for them?
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Aug 28, 2014 16:55
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There isn't an insurance thread, is there? I'm trying to find a reasonable priced insurer in the UK without a billion clauses and it's a nightmare. One forum recommends one, the next forum will call it the devil.
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Sep 12, 2014 18:01
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Wanted to get feedback from you guys on a project I'm working on that provides customized answers or planning for anything travel related. We have tried to create a large travel network of experts to source from and currently trying to see if this would be useful to anyone. http://incredigo.com We're completely free for the time being - we just ask that if you do use us, to fill out a short survey afterwards so we can be sure that we're useful to you. Our goal is to simplify the process for planning for travel as much as possible. Standard searches online aren't enough usually since everyone has a completely different way of traveling, hence having an actual person helping people out.
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Sep 25, 2014 00:39
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I need some help on travel insurance please! I'm 23, from England and have spent the last year in Australia. I had insurance that I brought in England but that run out and they wouldn't let me renew since I wasn't conning back home. In the next year I'm going to at least Canada, USA, USA and maybe Bali/Australia. Now I've been trying to find insurance but every English company I look at says I have to start my travels in England and any Australia/NZ company says I have to be a resident of their country. Both things I can't do. Does anyone have any companies they can recommend or advice on where to find some?
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Oct 1, 2014 10:34
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SPM posted:I need some help on travel insurance please! World Nomads is the only one that I know of that will let you extend a policy when you're travelling, or start a new policy if you've already left home.
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Oct 31, 2014 04:06
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Posting from the U.S. -- I'm doing research for a honeymoon in Tahiti and not really sure where to start. Do any of the links in the OP specialize in travel "packages"? I'm assuming that's the way to go, unless you actually save lots of money by ordering air fair and hotels a la carte. The wife and I aren't really interested in the"excursions" that tend to get pushed in the packages I've seen (snorkeling/rock climbing/zipline/etc). We really just want a badass hotel experience, like one that sets you up in those isolated bungalows on the water; swim-up bars, things like that. Any pointers in the right direction would be appreciated. Just wanna make sure we don't spend thousands more than we need to . Thanks 
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Dec 15, 2014 19:51
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When I did the Maldives using a travel agent for hotel only saved us a non-negligible amount of money vs booking on the web. This was compounded by the sea plane required to get there which is a pretty unique thing to the Maldives so this advice isn't always applicable. Do your research, find the properties that have the room and amenities you want, note the costs, and take the short list to a travel agent online and see if they can beat a deal. What you'll find a lot of times in those packages is a lower level room than you want. But like anything else it kind of all depends on budget and the level of property/service you expect. Also with over water bungalows think about things like distance walking to beach/pool/food, if you want a pool within the bungalow for night swimming, proximity to snorkeling, etc. I highly recommend overwater bungalows if you have the means as its a sure fire way to avoid being next to loud families as kids almost always can't stay on the overwater bungalows. Don't book any excursions until you get there. When you get done traveling and get to the room you might realize that it and the beach are all you need. If you have any further questions feel free to PM me. Our honeymoon was pretty complex and outside the realm of every travel agent I spoke to and I like helping with this sort of thing. Not to mention doing it yourself can cut out the crap. sellouts fucked around with this message at 09:11 on Dec 16, 2014 |
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Dec 16, 2014 09:07
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goodness posted:Do we have a cruise thread? I poked around here for one and couldn't see it. If there is one floating around somewhere else, I would also like to see it. Trying to plan on a cruise next year and some of the helpful sites I've looked at are overloaded with information.
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Dec 26, 2014 03:25
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Cruises are pretty simple in the grand scheme of things and are made largely for people who don't want to worry about much. You should post your questions and I'm sure people can answer.
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Dec 26, 2014 07:50
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Anyone traveled to Saudi Arabia? I am a US citizen. My brother in law is moving there for work. My understanding is that I can't visit him and family visits for residents are limited to immediate family and father/mother in law. Any way I can get into the kingdom?
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Jan 5, 2015 05:33
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I'm looking for some advice on dealing with a cancellation through Expedia. (Assuming this is the right thread for that?) I went to book a hotel room through them for 4 days in April, and a vital part of my search was that the reservation be fully refundable. There will be a decision point several weeks before the trip and I need the option to cancel this reservation. The page I reached via Expedia said in two places "Free cancellation before [Date]" but buried in a link on that page was the caveat that only the first night is in fact refundable. The last three nights are not at all. This became immediately obvious once I'd actually booked it, as every successive itinerary/email said in big bold letters that "This reservation is non-refundable and cannot be cancelled or changed." So I immediately called Expedia to complain. They explained it's the hotel's policy and they can't do anything about it. They called the hotel to try to cancel for me but to no avail. I said it's Expedia's responsibility, because it's their website that was highly deceptive. I went to their site specifically looking for a refundable reservation, and only made that one because it said as much. They didn't seem to care, and the supervisor I spoke to wouldn't do anything more. I called the hotel, and they said I'd have to deal with Expedia. I tried to ask the hotel to simply cancel it now, since I just booked it today and they haven't even charged me a deposit for it, but he eventually hung up on me. Am I screwed now or is there another option here? I thought about just disputing the credit card charge but I don't know if that's likely to get me anywhere when it won't even happen for another 2 months, and the hotel's official policy is "no cancellations.'
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Feb 17, 2015 01:33
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Hey thread. Not sure if this is the right thread to ask this. My parents booked a trip for the three of us to Toronto. My sister tried to book us some accommodation in an apartment but the woman we talked to said she had given the apartment away so we're forced to find other accommodation. Does anyone know of any good places to stay for 7 nights in Downtown? We were hoping to find an apart-hotel since we like to cook for ourselves but can't find anything that suits us. We'd also consider a decent hotel. Any recommendations would be welcome.
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Apr 3, 2015 00:42
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Oxygen Deficiency posted:Hey thread. Not sure if this is the right thread to ask this. My parents booked a trip for the three of us to Toronto. My sister tried to book us some accommodation in an apartment but the woman we talked to said she had given the apartment away so we're forced to find other accommodation. Have you looked at vrbo.com? I've not done it in Canada but I've done it several times in the US as well as a few times in Europe with great success.
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Apr 4, 2015 12:45
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Use airbnb over vrbo. Bigger and better community, better more transparent payment system, better interface in general. Actually have a thread on it in my title.
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Apr 6, 2015 14:05
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We've used airbnb already, it's where we found the apartment that declined us. I didn't know about vrbo though, I'll check it out if just as a comparison.
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Apr 6, 2015 14:23
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I much prefer vrbo renters to airbnb. Vrbo usually has executed paperwork far in advance. Airbnb's cancellation policy leaves too much flexibility for either side to cancel. Airbnb is cool to browse through though. Sometimes the properties will have their own sites you can browse to and booking through that vs airbnb can be cheaper.
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Apr 6, 2015 16:10
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sellouts posted:I much prefer vrbo renters to airbnb. Vrbo usually has executed paperwork far in advance. Airbnb's cancellation policy leaves too much flexibility for either side to cancel. In my opinion, No it doesn't. There are three typical policies you can adhere to, and the strict policy of a 50% refund up to one week in advance of stay is reasonable imo. You can also request super strict which provides 50% up to a month in advance. As a guest, all you have to do is look for a superhost [which is unachievable for any host that has cancelled a reservation]. Different strokes, but you're the only person I've heard of that prefers vrbo to airbnb after experiencing both. Dead Pressed fucked around with this message at 16:39 on Apr 6, 2015 |
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Apr 6, 2015 16:26
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Yep. When I am putting together trips for people from multiple destinations with flights I want a house locked in before people have to book tickets. Often I am looking for rare properties with certain features that eliminate most other options. I've had 2 airbnbs cancel after having availability and one try to lure me into discussing terms offsite. Airbnb apologized for that one immensely. If it was just me and my wife or another couple, airbnb could be cool because we could almost always just stay in a hotel or find another property. But figuring out that poo poo with a week to go limits availability and is a pain. I guess I am an outlier.
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Apr 7, 2015 20:52
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Oh man. Yeah, don't blame you there. My wife and her family went to a bowl game [college football] this winter and the vrbo host was somehow able to pull out at the last second, so it transcends platforms.
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Apr 7, 2015 21:20
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Can anyone recommend any articles or resources on car rental in the U.S.? I'm particularly concerned about insurance since we're not US residents and our credit cards don't offer international car insurance.
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May 12, 2015 05:01
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Ur Getting Fatter posted:Can anyone recommend any articles or resources on car rental in the U.S.? I'm particularly concerned about insurance since we're not US residents and our credit cards don't offer international car insurance. No articles per se, but some creative searching can yield rate codes which include LDW. You do take the risk of them not honoring the LDW if you can't prove access to the rate, but yeah. Alternatively, you can buy the LDW, but it can be $25 or $30 per day.
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May 13, 2015 01:18
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i don't know if this is the right thread, but here goes. i'm traveling to london next week and i'm not sure how to avoid crazy cell phone fees with verizon. i think i need to buy a micro SIM and slot it in when i get there. but which SIM? what provider? what settings do i change on the phone? thanks in advance for either answering or redirecting me.
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May 13, 2015 02:49
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Abel Wingnut posted:i don't know if this is the right thread, but here goes. i'm traveling to london next week and i'm not sure how to avoid crazy cell phone fees with verizon. i think i need to buy a micro SIM and slot it in when i get there. but which SIM? what provider? what settings do i change on the phone? Depends on which phone you have. Verizon uses CDMA which doesn't exist in the UK so your device may not have a SIM card slot. Verizon has an international desk you can call to figure out your options, vzw.com/international I believe.
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May 13, 2015 23:42
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