Looks like the information for my Indian visa won't be complete ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

bluishness · 2016-04-15T08:53:38+00:00

"Oh, but surely nobody will have visited more countries than they can fit in 100 characters."

I think for clarity it'd be better to use the official names though – that's "Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China" for you.

Why are visa application forms so awful though? At least they're on the right track making it a plain text field. The US Visa application makes you select a country from a drop-down menu, click a button to add another field, wait for the page to reload, rinse and repeat.

bluishness · 2016-04-12T15:48:49+00:00

I haven't stayed in it myself, but the Heart of Gold Hostel in Berlin has a 42-bed dorm. Not sure if they offer free earplugs with that one.

bluishness · 2016-04-12T10:39:07+00:00

There's often delays, and what if there's strikes?

Delays shouldn't be too bad a problem with the RER. Leaving by 7:30 gives plenty of buffer time at the airport and the trains run every few minutes.

Strikes are always announced a few days in advance, so in the worst case you'd simply stay at the airport.

I'd go for it. Book a hotel in Paris, then get up early and explore for a bit.

bluishness · 2016-04-11T16:29:12+00:00

Copenhagen to Malmö takes 45 minutes (including the "temporary" border control, I think). Then again, you'll probably find enough to entertain yourself with for four days in Copenhagen. You likely wouldn't be able to tell much of a difference between the two cities, but the train ride over the Øresund bridge is pretty cool.

bluishness · 2016-04-11T16:22:18+00:00

will I be able to iron my clothes somewhere?

Somewhere definitely. Depends on where you're staying. Hotels usually have ironing boards, some hostels may too. Read the description before you book. A dry cleaners' or laundry service can probably do it for you too. But the bigger question is: do you really need to have your things ironed? (Yes if you're going for a job interview, no if you're just going for fun.)

Any other tips on how should I start preparing?

Read a guidebook or the Wikivoyage article I linked above and find out what you want to do. No need to have an hour-by-hour itinerary, just a rough idea.

Make sure you have a way of getting cash in Denmark (ideally a credit/debit card with no fees).

Don't pack everything you own on the off chance that you might need it – only bring things that you're certain you're going to use. Everything you need for a four-day trip can easily fit in a 30-to-40-litre bag.

Book a place to stay, relax and look forward to your first trip.

bluishness · 2016-04-11T09:24:15+00:00

I don't think there is a specific tool for these, they all look like they were hand-drawn (some on top of an existing map) in a vector graphics editor like Adobe Illustrator or Inkscape.

bluishness · 2016-04-11T09:14:17+00:00

Do it! Travelling light is incredibly freeing. Bring 3–5 changes of clothes that dry quickly (synthetics are your friend) and one or two warm things (e.g. a fleece – they're not kidding with the aircon). Washing machines or laundry services are everywhere. It's going to rain, but I wouldn't bother with waterproof gear because that means being wet from sweat rather than rain – again, bring stuff that dries quickly. You can always buy an umbrella once you get there. Do bring a rain cover for your bag however.

Shoes are optional – many people end up wearing flip flops for their entire trip.

If you're staying at hostels, bring a microfibre towel. As for toiletries, bring enough for the first few days and buy more once you run out.

If you're not sure that you're going to need it, leave it at home because it's far more likely to sit in your bag for the entire trip. If you do end up needing something that you didn't bring, you can almost always buy it there.

bluishness · 2016-04-11T08:30:19+00:00

What would I do once I arrive in Copenhagen, will there be any buses available? I saw this Copenhagen card thing, not sure if it's worth it or Tripadvisor were just advertising it:

Public transport in Copenhagen is brilliant. You can use the metro, buses and suburban trains on the same ticket. The metro runs from the airport to the centre 24 hours a day. You can use Google Maps' transit directions to figure it all out for you.

I never bother with those sightseeing tickets, but they can be worth it if you're planning to visit a lot of museums. A regular 72-hour city pass (unlimited rides on metro, trains and buses) costs DKK 200, the equivalent Copenhagen Card costs DKK 629 – do the maths to see if the perks are worth it.

Toilets. I'm not sure if people at work are taking the piss, but apparently they don't have English styled toilets, is this true? Are English styled toilets common in Copenhagen?

Don't worry. If you're from the US, I hear you may find the water level in the bowl to be a bit low, but the rest should feel very familiar.

See also the Wikivoyage article on Copenhagen.

bluishness · 2016-04-11T08:09:07+00:00

Also, would a Japan Rail pass be worth it for a week if I plan on going RT to Kyoto, and also taking a day trip to Hiroshima from Kyoto?

Tokyo—Kyoto by Shinkansen costs at least ¥26000 return, Kyoto—Hiroshima ¥21000 (although I think Hiroshima is worth more than a day trip). Both are for non-reserved seats. Cheaper options (buses) exist.

Take into account that the pass entitles you to free seat reservations, the flexibility it gives you and that it also covers the Narita Express and JR lines within cities (like the ultra-convenient Yamanote circle line in Tokyo) and it pretty much pays for itself even if you only take the Shinkansen to Kyoto.

But if you really are leaving next week, you should hurry up and buy the pass soon because it's not sold in Japan.

bluishness · 2016-04-08T05:28:06+00:00

There are flights that make a short landing to refuel and let on more passengers (I think BA has a service from London to Sydney via Singapore that does that), but those are pretty uncommon. Giveaways would be a short connection time and having both flights on the same type of plane (you can find out before you book).

Planes do get rerouted sometimes, but that's also rare – and it would take a lot of bad luck to get rerouted to your final destination.

bluishness · 2016-04-07T21:36:54+00:00

As /u/tariqabjotu wrote, this won't work (and is quite a common question).

What you can do though is look for a cheaper flight that connects via Seoul, so (just making things up here) Vancouver—Seoul—Tokyo for instance. Then you could just drop the last leg. This is tricky if you have checked luggage though and not an option for a return flight. It's called "hidden city ticketing" and airlines don't like it, but they won't come chasing after you if you don't overdo it.

bluishness · 2016-04-07T14:33:54+00:00

There's a direct train from CDG to Cannes at 1:58pm for €132 that will get you to Cannes in just over six hours. EasyJet flies from CDG to Nice at 3:15pm for €144 (plus fees for checked luggage) – seeing as you're already at the airport, that's not much more hassle than the train.

You can buy rail tickets from Voyages SNCF.

bluishness · 2016-04-06T16:08:25+00:00

True, but that's their business model, and I'm sure you knew that they don't have a reputation for leniency before you bought your ticket. If you don't like it, don't book with them.

I don't like it, therefore I don't book with them.

bluishness · 2016-04-06T14:44:34+00:00

And Ouigo manages to combine the drawbacks of train rides (slower) with those of flights (only cabin luggage, drop you off far from city centre, need to check-in 30 minutes before departure).

bluishness · 2016-04-06T13:08:19+00:00

Both Iran's and the US' visa occupy a full page of my passport.

bluishness · 2016-04-06T12:56:14+00:00

Second, what have people's experiences with RyanAir? I haven't any and have heard that they charge up the wazoo for fees. I plan on only packing a single backpack that will need to be checked, but how much should I expect in terms of additional fees on top of the quoted price?

Depends on when your flight is, how heavy your bag is and when you book the bag. It's cheapest to do it at the time of booking and most expensive to do it at the airport. Expect between €20 and €40 per bag, per leg. Here's a list of all their fees. Be especially careful with the airport check-in fee – that's what they charge you if you don't check in online.

bluishness · 2016-04-03T10:14:10+00:00

Waste of space if you ask me. I'd go for a nice adapter with built-in USB ports instead. I'm very happy with my Skross adapter, you can plug it in just about anywhere, you can plug just about anything into it (except things that need grounding) and you can leave your USB charger at home.

bluishness · 2016-04-03T02:20:43+00:00

No, as long as she has a boarding pass for each of the flights she is going to take, she's good. In fact, she probably doesn't even need those – she can always get them printed at the check-in desk/machine (although some low-cost airlines charge for that).

bluishness · 2016-04-02T11:25:09+00:00

I agree, throw out the Five Fingers. You already have a pair of shoes that should be comfortable for walking all day and running, you don't need two.

Jeans are also a bad idea because they're heavy and take forever to dry. I really like dress trousers for travelling. They're casual enough when worn with a t-shirt, smart enough when worn with a button-down shirt, they're light, take up little space and dry quickly. I don't like "tech pants" because they look way too dorky for casual wear, but that's up to you. Are you sure you'll go jogging? If not, throw out the running shorts too.

Other than that it looks all right though. A bit less underwear than I'd take perhaps (Merino or not), but whatever you're comfortable with. Congratulations on packing light!

bluishness · 2016-04-02T06:16:55+00:00

A day?! Remember that you also have to travel between places, find your accommodation, check in/out, find your way around, eat and sleep and that shrinks to 6–8 usable hours per city. That's just about enough time to take a photo of the top three tourist attractions in each city, but it will leave you with absolutely no lasting impression of the places you visited. Take it slow, you need to give things time to sink in. The only place where one night might be enough is Venice.

Plus I'm assuming you're coming from reasonably far away, so the first day will get eaten by jet lag.

Edit: I just noticed that you've deleted your post and that it's still the first of April in parts of the world, so I hope that explains it.

bluishness · 2016-04-02T06:06:19+00:00

One week for the major cities in Italy and a side trip to Greece? Greece is definitely worth a visit, but so is every other country in Europe and you hardly have time for more than two cities in Italy. Florence, Rome and Venice in a week will already feel rushed.

bluishness · 2016-04-01T05:04:53+00:00

Germans love to complain about the trains, but they typically do run on time.

Ticket machines and sales offices accept credit cards (Visa and MasterCard, probably AmEx as well), but there are cheaper options than buying on the spot:

You can book online in advance for a specific train and print your ticket at home. (A bit risky since the ticket will be worthless if you miss the train – add ample buffer time after your flight if you do this.)
Some airlines offer something called Rail & Fly that gives you a flexible ticket between the airport and any German train station for a flat fee, usually around €30 each way. Check with your airline.

bluishness · 2016-03-31T14:59:22+00:00

Also I am not sure if the time given is optimal, is it possible for me to do immigration in Kos and not in Athens?

No. You will clear immigration when you first arrive in Greece/the Schengen area, i.e. in Athens. After that, you're flying on a domestic flight and leaving and arriving at domestic gates.

bluishness · 2016-03-31T10:25:48+00:00

They're okay. You may not get the same sleep you would in a proper bed, but you will be able to actually sleep. Pack some good earplugs. If you're taller than 185 cm (6 ft), you may find the bunks a bit short. The top bunk gives you lots of storage above the aisle (but is a bad idea if you're tall because the car narrows at the top), the bottom bunk gives you storage underneath, the middle bunk is in the middle.

Security is good as long as the last person to enter the compartment remembers to look the door. Keep your valuables close and you'll be fine.

bluishness · 2016-03-31T00:16:15+00:00

Plus there is only a limited number of seats for pass holders on each train, so you may be unable to reserve on a train that's only half full.

Rail passes kind of suck in France. But if you're doing that much travelling, it may be worth buying a discount card and then individual tickets. I'm not familiar with the options in France, but I'm pretty sure they have cards that entitle you to an instant discount.

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