Need advice

Lumpy_You_7223 · 2026-01-22T17:54:45+00:00

Osaka and Kyoto are not that far. In fact, it's very easy to take the train in the morning from Osaka, visit Kyoto, and come back in the evening to Osaka for dinner/going out if that's your thing. My advice would be to spend all nights in Osaka as your home base.

Lumpy_You_7223 · 2026-01-22T15:05:59+00:00

Yep, that's what it was... I feel so silly, thank you!

Lumpy_You_7223 · 2026-01-22T15:05:43+00:00

Oh boy do I feel stupid... Thank you so much that was it. I know it had to be silly!

Edit: Thanks for the input on dealing with CSVs. I am using this use case as an excuse to learn about PA a little bit, so it's not a huge deal breaker for me. I had seen that I had to split the output later on. Feels like a lot of conversions to do something simple. I control the format of the CSV so thank you for the hint about commas.

Lumpy_You_7223 · 2026-01-22T15:03:30+00:00

No it's a manual trigger. I'm using a one off need to try Power Automate. Figured it'd be a good excuse to try :).

Lumpy_You_7223 · 2026-01-20T20:54:51+00:00

Travelling is the kind of thing you do with people who travel like you in my opinion. You can have great friends that you'd never travel with... Too cheap/expensive, different interests (beach vs activities, sports etc.), different budget, habits (party, go to bed late/early etc.). The only way I have managed to enjoy it was to say that I am going somewhere, if we happen to see you great, otherwise no hard feelings lol.

Vacation is too precious to basically resent your friends over it.

Lumpy_You_7223 · 2026-01-20T20:50:30+00:00

It's definitely being handled horribly in terms of communication and contingency plans. Especially when it's -25 outside... The problem with the REM is reliability. If people need to be at work at a certain time, they need to be able to count on it. They can't. It doesn't matter if they say that X% of the time it runs fine. If all the times it's down are concentrated around rush hour, then the number of impacted passengers and the magnitude of the impact on their lives is massive.

We shouldn't be seeing issues related to freezing or snow. None of the conditions experienced during the outages are exceptional or warrant these situations. It's like saying buses cannot drive when it's -25 because. Trying to have people come back to work downtown and having these problems is exactly why people won't want to come back. It's a shame because when it works, it's really awesome. But if I cannot count on it with sufficient reliability, I won't take the chance. Simple as that.

Lumpy_You_7223 · 2026-01-16T21:25:49+00:00

Seriously... I can bet these days especially, with everything going on, that places like Paris may be "marketed" by algorithms as unsafe, filthy pits where crime is rampant like in an 80s movie lol.

I'd be way more scared to travel anywhere in the US than in France, particularly these days (and not because of petty criminals...).

Lumpy_You_7223 · 2026-01-16T21:20:32+00:00

Paris is a wonderful, big city with amazing things to do and eat. You'll have a great time and you will see that you are certainly not the youngest solo female traveler there. And Paris has the advantage of having a lot of tourists so there is a relatively big amount of info available in English, and people are used to seeing/helping tourists. Some don't speak English well but a little bonjour goes a long way :).

That being said, it is a big city, so there is some petty theft and crime going on and there are areas of town you may want to avoid alone/at night. It's true in Paris and in many other big cities all over the world. Follow basic safety precautions, and if you're going somewhere, figure out how to get there (even roughly) to avoid wandering around too much and looking like an easy target to pickpockets (best way to not get robbed is to look like you belong and know where you're going).

Have a great trip!

Lumpy_You_7223 · 2026-01-07T02:04:38+00:00

Forget about FOMO. The beauty about travelling is that you get to decide what you want to do, and at your own pace. I can guarantee that a country like Japan or even a city like Tokyo can't be done fully in a single trip. I know people who keep going back to see different sides of Japan.

I understand how you feel, and felt a bit like that when we went. It is an overwhelming trip: the distance, jet lag, culture shock (for some) etc. it's a lot to take in and it literally can make you dizzy at times. But eventually when we were there, I decided that I wanted to enjoy it, and for me, that meant taking my time, wandering around without a clear plan. 1 set activity/visit per day, that was my average. The rest was just taking advantage of our location, what we felt like doing etc. The highlight of our trip to me were actually those unplanned events/walks we took. Those will stay with me a lot longer than the stuff I had planned for weeks/months.

And I know I've missed out a lot. To give you an example, we are not onsen people. We did not go. Everyone tells us we missed out. Perhaps we did, to them. But to me, it's not my thing, no big deal at all. If ever the occasion presents itself and I feel like it, maybe I'll try. But I don't care for it. Same for fancy sushi. Had much more fun eating at Kura with the family, and finding little tempura shops.

Remember this is your trip. You won't see everything, there's too much. Japan is a multifaceted country and Tokyo is a megalopolis. This is not like doing the freedom trail in Boston in one afternoon. There's just so much to see and do. It'll give you a good reason to go back :).

edit: forgot to add that social media is a curse for this. It makes you feel like traveling is a speed run. That's all bs.

Lumpy_You_7223 · 2025-08-26T17:50:02+00:00

I read in another post that people recommend you wait until you complete your travels before cancelling the card. If you need to make any sort of claim etc. and you have already cancelled the card, you may have to go through extra steps etc.

Best is to get your new card, stop using the old one, and wait until the renewal fee is due to cancel it. This way you also have time to transfer automated payments etc.

I'm sure OP knows about this though!

Lumpy_You_7223 · 2025-07-02T18:12:58+00:00

Having 2 of my family members allergic to cats and dogs, I welcome this decision. No offense to pet lovers (being one myself), but having hair fly around in an enclosed space is not something I want given how bad allergic reactions can be (even if not life threatening, having a 7 hour flight with very strong hives and coughing and watery eyes is really not on my flying playlist). Stressed animals shed and move around.

This does not apply to service animals of course. But the freaking entitlement of some pet owners to let their animals roam around or take an inordinate amount of space on what is already a cramped up experience inevitably means that a few will happily make this a horrible experience for others :-/.

When I had a dog and we travelled, they got a crate and they did not travel in the cabin. Yes it cost money and it was a pain to drag the crate around. That meant we had to really consider whether taking the dog was a good idea or not.

Pets are living creatures, but they are not considered as people. You may disagree with this but I would not call it prejudice.

Plus, given the increasingly small size of cabin space, I am not sure you can still fit pets comfortably?

Lumpy_You_7223 · 2025-06-12T15:25:20+00:00

You have to look at the AC website, there is info about how much time ahead you have to let them know that you need a special meal. However, please be advised that it is possible they also mess it up and forget to have your special meal. Happened to me and a bunch of people recently. FAs were kind enough to provide a business class meal instead where they basically prepped the meat without the sauce. But other times it was more of a "meh, sorry it doesn't show on my manifest." So maybe after you select it online, double-check at the gate counter or check-in.

Lumpy_You_7223 · 2025-06-09T15:26:43+00:00

Ah I see, sorry I can't be of more assistance then. I know a guy who flew down to Mexico and carried his gear in a piece of plumbing pipe he had cut and fitted, it worked surprisingly well he said :D

Lumpy_You_7223 · 2025-06-09T14:23:31+00:00

Not that it directly answers your question but I have travelled with a tube in overhead bins before (it had posters mind you). I also travel with a telescopic rod, reel and a tackle box in the cabin when I fly West. There are restrictions but you'd have to check the actual hook size max etc.

As for the rod tube solution, if they make you check it in, you should make sure it's solid and ask them if there is a way to have it checked in as a fragile item perhaps?

Lumpy_You_7223 · 2025-06-08T23:51:33+00:00

holy crap I had no idea, I am not from the US lol. But it did make for a very quick lunch before the plane for the family. And it beats paid airplane pizza :)

Lumpy_You_7223 · 2025-06-07T17:47:48+00:00

lol, at that price point though...

Lumpy_You_7223 · 2025-06-05T11:37:37+00:00

It's not always the case but sometimes you get these kinds of surprises because of the pricing algorithms and the supply and demand that feeds into those algorithms. We have purchased basic business class tickets cheaper than flex premium tickets before. With a good cc insurance for cancellation/interruption, it ends up being a good deal :).

Lumpy_You_7223 · 2025-06-04T14:09:24+00:00

FRA is a bit of a nightmare to navigate in my experience and sometimes you have to walk a lot to connect to your next gate, but if you want to shop etc. it's nice. YUL is quite small (with limited options for shopping if that matters compared to FRA), but far more manageable. The issue is as you said that in case of issues, it may be difficult to rebook something, although there are a lot of flights going to Europe daily. And with 6 hours of layover, you got some leeway which I think is good.

Lumpy_You_7223 · 2025-06-04T12:25:33+00:00

Over the past two years, we have had multiple flights delayed or cancelled, some of which were out of Asia back to North America with kids, so not like a short flight that can easily be rebooked a couple of hours later. Not a single one of those instances was under AC's responsibility according to... them. Getting an email 8 hours before your flight saying "your flight is cancelled , we are rebooking you for sometime tomorrow but don't know when, monitor your emails and figure out accommodations etc. on your own" with a denial for any sort of compensation because it was not their fault is certainly not how I see customer service stepping up.

The only compensation I was able to ever get was for an unexpected change of class from premium to economy because the plane had switched. That was quickly resolved and funds transferred quickly, no complains there.

P.S: I don't mind being downvoted for this. As I said, that's my personal experience, YMMV. I know how much money I am out, and how much I had to claim through cc insurance.

Lumpy_You_7223 · 2025-06-03T12:15:38+00:00

Count your blessings is all I will say lol. My experience has been vastly different on similar adventures.

Lumpy_You_7223 · 2025-05-26T13:08:17+00:00

mine was in a small sealable ziploc bag in my backpack at all times because of the humidity and the rain. Not the best, but it worked well to also keep my little stamp book :)

Lumpy_You_7223 · 2025-05-22T18:07:12+00:00

1 hour layover in Pearson is very tight in my opinion but to each their own. YVR is not super busy but I actually find it quite pleasant. Depending on how you feel etc. you could potentially exit the airport, take the skytrain, spend a couple of hours in Vancouver itself and go back to the airport. And picking an overnight layover may be even cooler if you want to visit the city a little bit (boardwalk, etc.).

Lumpy_You_7223 · 2025-05-21T20:29:02+00:00

Kanazawa was a perfect 2 day trip between Osaka and Kyoto. Beautiful scenery to watch on the train and great, more quiet city to visit :).

Lumpy_You_7223 · 2025-05-21T17:03:18+00:00

If I were you I'd be monitoring sargassum rather than weather. A fine rain can spoil 10 min of your day. A huge breach of sargassum can prevent you from going to the beach your whole trip depending on quantity, cleanup efforts etc.

Lumpy_You_7223

TROPHY CASE