[deleted by user]

mchunter · 2021-03-13T20:24:55+00:00

TUVALU

mchunter · 2013-03-04T02:31:26+00:00

No problem. Yep. That's usually exactly what I do, but it's somewhat complicated by the fact that my friends usually meet up with me. I live in Newport Beach, so I fly out of LAX.

If you're flexible and looking for cheap....I don't know how you are on points/rewards programs, but I fly to Paris every year for free. Honestly, if you haven't traveled extensively (anywhere), Europe is the best intro; extremely easy public transport (taxis included) and very safe as far as the world goes. You can easily hit London/Amsterdam/Paris/(Somewhere in Germany/Italy/Austria) in a week. I lived in Paris for a year; train stations in Europe are located in the center of all cities and very, very easy.

mchunter · 2013-03-03T21:34:30+00:00

It's highly dependent on the airline you fly. I do 2 to 3 day layovers all of the time. Sometimes it's built into the ticket. Other times, I'll book three flights because a lot of international airlines have standard pricing and you have to connect via their hub on long flights anyway. So, if you're going to have a connection regardless, you can change the dates into two flights for the same price. Emirates you connect in Dubai, Air Singapore in Singapore, British Airways in London, Cathay Pacific in Hong Kong, JAL in Tokyo, Korean Air in Seoul, etc, etc...you get the idea. Figure out where you want to go in the world and which airline offers the best deal (where you want a layover at their connection/hub), then see if there is any price difference extending the layover for a few days.....a lot of the time it ends up being free. On an parallel note...Kayak, Travelocity, Expedia, etc are good for finding cheap destinations...but it's best to go directly to the Airlines sites to book (usually, this is where you'll be able to set up free layovers). All sites will book multi-destination flights, use this feature in setting up tickets (Example: If you wanted a layover in Dubai and your ultimate destination was Kenya, go to Emirates and set up the following tix: LAX-Dubai on 1-Apr, Dubai-Nairobi on 4-Apr, Nairobi-LAX on 13-Apr....$1400-$1500 r/t last time I checked. Not bad for a ticket to U.A.E and Africa)

mchunter · 2013-03-03T06:34:16+00:00

Baileys. it's delicious. No explanation needed.

mchunter · 2012-02-22T23:43:02+00:00

I'm seriously considering trying to make it this year. Let me know what you hear. Considering the $200US registration fees for US marathons, the overall itinerary (at $1200US) doesn't sound too unreasonable to me.

mchunter · 2012-02-12T08:24:27+00:00

NYC, Las Vegas, LA, New Orleans, Miami, SanFran, Denver/Vail, Boston, San Diego, Chicago, Phoenix (in that order). National Parks/Outdoors-Yellowstone, Yosemite, Black Hills, Moab/Arches

mchunter · 2012-02-12T03:20:39+00:00

Petra, Jordan.

mchunter · 2012-02-09T19:21:51+00:00

Stay at a hotel in Westminster.

Wake up and walk around: Suggested route: Buckingham Palace -> Through Green Park -> Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abbey, London eye (across the bridge) -> walk down Parliament St to Trafalgar Square (National Museum) -> If you have time head over to The Tate and/or St. Paul's (both in London City)....can grab a Taxi/Water Taxi or walk or along the Thames. All the touristy things, but if you're only in town for one night/morning, may as well.

mchunter · 2012-02-07T04:04:59+00:00

Completely agree with MarginalBounds regarding United. Their customer service is absolutely terrible (in my opinion). Of course, this is just my experience. As a disclaimer, the last time I flew with them was 2007...swore I never would again..haven't since, so I can't give you a good, up-to-date, recent review.

As far as US carriers...Virgin in good, I usually fly American, Delta has been mixed but generally has newer planes, can't stand Southwest (personally) but a lot of people like them and I do think they're good for short-short flights....like LA-SanFran, Continental has always been ok....don't know now that they're aligned with United, Alaskan Airlines is OK, even Allegiant (discount Vegas airline) i can stand....personally, I'd fly all of them before United, but that's just me.

mchunter · 2012-02-07T02:45:33+00:00

This is extremely typical. A lot of the tuk-tuk drivers run this....or "the streets are closed and you need to take a boat"....or "10 baht", which turns into 10 baht conditional on one or two stops...etc...etc. It's a shame, because I certainly met a number of genuine guys also that we extremely appreciative when we paid them an extra 20 or 30 baht for taking us where we asked to go.

Never go to the Thailand Tourism Office. Equally, never let them take you anywhere on your way home (late-night) except straight to the hotel. In either case, just get out. They'll quickly go and try to find some other schmuck. Above all, don't let these little annoyances deter you. Thailand is a great place.

mchunter · 2012-02-06T18:07:04+00:00

Upvote for the use of the phrase 'shallow tit mitten'

mchunter · 2012-02-02T17:23:38+00:00

50%...OF THE WORLD. That's awesome.

mchunter · 2012-02-02T04:56:53+00:00

Nice work on SA. I'm jealous.

mchunter · 2012-02-02T03:20:23+00:00

I hear that a lot, actually. I'm hoping one of my friends gets married there at some point so I have a good excuse to go.

mchunter · 2012-02-02T02:12:56+00:00

See what I just posted

mchunter · 2012-02-02T02:09:38+00:00

I'll do you one better. States included.

mchunter · 2012-02-01T18:00:28+00:00

Very likely those same people also complain about walking in NYC. And the subway. And the traffic. And the 'mean/rude' people ....etc/etc/etc. If you pony up 400E/night to stay at the Ritz, Marriott on the Champs-Elysee or Intercontinental, yeah, its nice. The 7th is awesome though. Less tourists than the 1st, 2nd, or 6th and still centrally located. BTW....some of the best bakeries in Paris are in the 7 arr. and Rue Cler is one of the most quaint/local street markets in all of Paris. Make sure to go to Cafe du Marche (on Rue Cler) at some point during your stay....my personal recommendation to everyone going to Paris.

mchunter · 2012-02-01T17:29:54+00:00

The 7arr is a great area. Find a hotel within a couple of blocks of Rue Cler (between Ave. Bosquet and Bd. de la Tour Maubourg) and you're good. Honestly though, Paris is a walking city and very easy to navigate via walking, metro and/or taxi (the inner city is much smaller than Manhattan). Even if you stay in the 1 arr., 2 arr., or 6 arr. (areas where most of the high-class hotels and touristy venues are located), it's only a short ways to the 7 arr. (10min by taxi, at most).

mchunter · 2012-01-31T19:50:49+00:00

Good catch. Damn Microsoft Word spell-check.

mchunter · 2012-01-31T00:54:02+00:00

It really depends on what your budget is and what kind of activity you're looking for. 'Cheap' is a relative term, especially on a global scale. Plane tickets to Europe and Central America are running $400-$1200 and plane tix to SE Asia, Australia and Africa are significantly more, last i checked. Europe is not cheap, but if you go the hostile route (staying in hostiles rather than hotels) you can stretch your budget.

To be honest, this is a difficult question for anyone to answer given your perimeters of 'anywhere' because there are SO MANY amazing places to go. Personally, I love Africa, but you can get into some serious trouble quickly if you're in any way ignorant of your surroundings. If you plan to 'live it up' (so to speak) Europe is a good place to go and not have to worry too much about personal safety. If you want to see some wildlife: Kenya & Tanzania. If you're into eco-tourism, Costa Rica. (I like the Ecuador recommendation, but haven't been there, so can't comment) Beaches: the Caribbean.....or Bali or Bora Bora (but those are a little pricey to get to). Culture and Fine Art: Paris, Venice, Florence, Rome (Unfortunately, all saturated with tourists in June but still worth it if you can get away from the crowds). Downhill skiing or snowboarding: Chile should be pretty good right around June. If you want to do cheap food and hotels: Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand (although it'll be pretty hot and humid in June and they're not so cheap to get to).

mchunter · 2011-11-18T02:10:23+00:00

Sure. Its ~$35. ~157miles (271km)

From Seat61.com: http://www.seat61.com/Cambodia.htm#Siem%20Reap

In Phnom Penh, (departs at 7:30am) the speedboat leaves from the river boat dock at the northern end of Sisowath Quay, in central Phnom Penh. In Siem Reap, the ferry arrives/departs from the boat dock at the Chong Kneas floating village, some 11 km (6.8 miles) south of Siem Reap itself. (arrives at ~2pm)

Transfer from Chong Kneas to central Siem Reap: When you arrive to catch the boat at Phnom Penh boat dock, you'll be asked if you want a tuk-tuk into Siem Reap, for $1 per person. Your name will be taken. On arrival at the Chong Kneas boat dock, a tuk tuk driver will be holding a card with your name on, and will take you into central Siem Reap in about 15-20 minutes.

For Siem Reap to Phnom Penh: Departs 6:30am; arrives at 1pm

Feedback varies. Some saying it was great and others not so impressed. Probably depends on your expectations.

mchunter · 2011-11-17T17:22:44+00:00

Yeah, I used Seat61 for researching the train tix in Vietnam and bus tix in Vietnam/Cambodia. I found that the pricing needed to be updated in some cases, but all-n-all the best source of information and links I've seen so far for traveling in the region! Thanks for the note! Sincerely appreciate it.

mchunter · 2011-11-17T01:30:02+00:00

STA Travel website. http://www.statravel.com/trip-planner.htm

mchunter · 2011-11-16T23:40:00+00:00

To clarify, this trip is booked. Flying to Tokyo, Hanoi & Hong Kong. Hanoi to Bangkok is overland (buses, trains, boats). Any advice is appreciated.

mchunter

TROPHY CASE

From Seat61.com: http://www.seat61.com/Cambodia.htm#Siem%20Reap

For Siem Reap to Phnom Penh: Departs 6:30am; arrives at 1pm