Archived threads in /trv/ - Travel - 2. page

You have to experience it for yourself. I have taken the costal train between LA and San Diego a few times. Its cheaper than flying and its only a 2-3 hour ride. I usually would drive but a few times that wasn't an option. The trains are much slower and older than in Europe.

Taking the bus or a train is only really an option for me if flying would be much more expensive. Or if there are no airports close by.

The real American way would be to drive. Because of the distance I wouldn't personally consider any way but flying. Some people like car camping and several days of long drives. Not me. Sitting up for days on a dirty old train? No thanks.

>>1138237
>I have taken the costal train between LA and San Diego a few times. Its cheaper than flying and its only a 2-3 hour ride.
Well, yeah, that's a tad shorter. I would never fly such a short stretch, unless its a connection to a long distance flight, and its much cheaper that way. I have flewn stuff like Vienna-Graz or Stuttgart-Zürich, which is ridiculous. I guess that's one of the differences between Euros and Americans.

>The real American way would be to drive.
I thought about that too, but one way rentals are quite expensive, plus, I'd have to get hotels along the way. And while I am not really in a big hurry, making it a week long roadtrip with multiple stops along the way is too long.

>Because of the distance I wouldn't personally consider any way but flying. … Sitting up for days on a dirty old train?
I regularly take 9h train rides to visit friends and family, so I'm kinda used to it, and it seems a bit more interesting than flying (given that I have never been in that area), but the "dirty old train" I am worried about a bit, especially given the cliche that public transport in the US is only for poor people, that need to take the bus from the prison to the hood…

The bus between Vancouver and Seattle only takes four hours. You stop at the border and have to walk through customs. The train doesn't give much of a better travel experience, half the trip is going through a metropolis. The border is a lot less friendly than it used to be, but everybody gets through. You could fly Seattle-SF for about the same cost as the train.

I found the best part of starlight is the Cascades. But that's only Redding to Eugene. North of Eugene, you're in a big river valley. Lots of rivers and bridges. At least one big dam. Going north you wake up in it. But going south it's dark out during that time.

Amtrak has 2 types of riders. People wanting a cheaper option than flying, and tourists. Really depends on the route how much of each there is. Most of the commuters ride between LA and Redding. These are the people that complain about the train. It is worse than flying if you only care about going A-B. It's more the tourists who ride the entire distance. It's greyhound that gives inter city public transport a bad name. There's a cop that walks up and down the train if it makes you feel any better. It's not any dirtier than an airplane.

Driving 101 is the best option. But you would get charged a bunch for returning a car that far away. I'd say take the train.

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>>1138220
Why are you not visiting Croatia? Dalmatian coast is something you must see. All the cities on the coast are 1 day trips so It will not take you too much time. Slovenia is great as it has top tier landscape, but since it is summer I think you will appreciate coast on par with greece. That is a fact confirmed by European commision for water or something like that. I can link you articles if you want it. This is because underwater current cleans our part of adriatic and it all goes to Italian coast. Its pretty cheap for food and alcohol (Czezh prices for beer are still unreal. 0,5L Branik costs around 10 cents. And that beer is godly.). I will be posting some of the cities and beaches in Croatia. If you have anymore questions just ask. First one is of my hometown Šibenik.

>>1138220
I second Croatia.. and naturally Slovenia, my home country, which is really beautiful.

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>>1138266
Ill be posting some national parks. This is Island archipelago of Kornati near Šbenik. It is a national park and it has around 300 islands. Water is so clear you can see the bottom even if it is 30 meters deep. Ill post some more pictures of Kornati since it is a place where rich people go.

>>1138134
I don't think travel has changed my personality--- more like it has changed my perspective on some things, confirming/reinforcing some things, altering others. And I think there is a qualitative difference between understanding the commonalities and differences between humans and cultures based on first-hand experience and holding opinions on these topics based on what you've read or been told.

I also put a lot of value on friendships made around the world, plus I've seen wonders and prodigies, and such-like.

Traveling has changed me a lot.

I know it's a cliche but it's the truth for me. I was an absolutely Robot-tier guy prior to taking my first trip. I was clueless about talking to women, couldn't make small talk with strangers, and was intimidated by any sort of social situation which didn't involve at least a fifth of vodka and Bacardi 151. The only time I'd kissed girls was when I was so plastered I couldn't remember the day after.

I made friends with a few awesome refugees the same summer I graduated high school and had to get a job at McDonald's. They were going to the same university as me and have since moved on to the Peace Corps and medical school. They're very smart but socially cognizant people who helped me learn how to make friends and be normal. One of them, who's an Ahiska Turk, suggested that I take a flight to Istanbul since I'd meet friendly folks and the airfare wouldn't be too costly.

I went and ended up losing my virginity on the fifth day. It was a crazy trip - I hitchhiked for the first time, got caught up in the Gezi Park protests, which erupted five minutes from my hostel, started my first relationship, went to Iraqi Kurdistan, and did much, much more than I'd been expecting to do. I gained a ton of confidence and learned how to talk to fellow travelers. The experiences I had shaped what I've done in life in the years since, and have provided me with countless stories.

I've since lived by myself in India for a year and traveled to several dozen other countries. I've learned how to read and write Arabic, Hindi Devanagari, and Cyrillic scripts. I have friends all over the world, do well with women, and am leagues more confident than I was before I started traveling. I discovered some new passions, like lifting and martial arts, and got into Hindi and classical music. Traveling also helped me get my act together and start shooting for medical school, since I realized what I wanted to do with my life.

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>>1138146

On top of all that, I also learned to budget money, save for goals, and make do in new and strange cities. I learned how to ride a motorcycle last winter in India and loved it so much that I bought one of my own here in the States in April.

Traveling has been a huge part of my life since I started and I don't have many regrets about what I've done or where I've gone. Sometimes I wish I weren't graduating university so late, but I don't feel too old, either - one of my refugee friends who just home today for medical school is three and a half years older than me.

I think the biggest thing I got out of traveling is definitely confidence and the ability to feel sure of myself in new situations.

Of course, it's not the act of traveling that helped me improve myself - it was getting out of my comfort zone and continuously trying new things, like talking to strangers, even when I failed miserably the first and second and third and fourth times.

Pic is from my most recent trip in May and June to Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Near Cerro Negro, close to Leon. Had a fucking blast, it was my first time going off-road with a bike.

I'm looking for it, myself and it's hard to find. You can bartend for decent money in most first world countries but you can't do that forever.

Luckily, you're in the best situation. You can move around in Europe. But I think your best bet as someone who lives in one of the wealthiest countries in the world is to find something seasonal and leave for most of the year.

Your money is worth more everywhere else outside of Switzerland. Work extra hard for a portion of the year so you can relax for the other portion.

You can live nomadically and you'll always be fine/break even but it depends if that's okay with you. After 4 years, I'm tired of making lots of money and spending it all. I want to be able to save, too.

Being a translator would be easy solution, if you can find company that lets you work remote. Thankfully that's the case for most smaller ones, but good luck getting something like entry level Japanese translating job, tons of people are preying for those.
Any other kind of computer related work would also work. For example, if you're graphic designer and can get your work done with single screen without a tablet/or can carry one around it'd also work.
For this stuff only requirement would be a laptop, and planning your travelling around somewhat stable internet connection.

>>1138082
Bruh we get this thread like every week
A lot of folks work a couple years, then take a year off or so to travel, and go find another job somewhere else, rinse and repeat.
You are blessed as a native English speaker, you could teach all over SEA or central/ south America, maybe even Africa or eastern Europe.
Many people here have work online doing some kind of computer shit, programming or whatever and can work anywhere they get wi-fi.

Sadly with the attitude you seem to have you will never be a realtraveler

It's up to the airline company if they want to deploy those machines in their designated spot

>>1137937
I honestly can't recall if I have self-checkin with Delta at DCA, because I've never waited in a single line with Delta there. As I exit the metro and come by that entrance, there's an extra small counter, always manned, much as you see at the curbside at departure level.

And, yes, it's based on the airline, not the airport It saves them personnel costs, but if they don't have back to back flights at some peak hour, they should be avoiding some 200+ line pile ups. They also have space issues, why that checked bag screening is such a huge chunk of the ticket counter area, and not hidden downstairs somewhere. Reagan has less international and checked bag action, as compared to Dulles too. If you online checked in, and carry-ons, you don't need to stop anywhere but at TSA in DCA.

>>1137937
>Why don't they...

Money. They cost money.

>>1137917
Fat 115kg or muscular 115kg?

>>1137921
Fat.

Have you tried biking a quarter of that before?
If it's 115kg of fat you're carrying with you, it's gonna be quite a challenge. Obviously it can be done but doing 228 in the middle of hills and mountains will make you want to die real soon.

But good luck anyway, hoping to do a long distance route to another county myself this summer.

>>1137870
Read this and go straight to see The Mission with Robert de Niro and Jeremy Irons
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesuit_reduction

>>1137870
I went there with my dad.
We camped in the Gran Chaco among cows and horses.
One of the best moment of my life.

Also the food is delicious as fuck, they have one of the best meat quality in the world.

Is this not the country where the Government forcibly racemixed every one of its citizens?

If you happen to get overheard, while walking alongside the River Thames, pausing, pointing to the other side of the river, and exclaiming to bystanders in a booming, nasal American whine "IS THAT FRAAANCE?", then yes. Otherwise, no.

>>1137851
Backpackers aren't really a thing in the US without it being the stereotype of homeless people/off the grid types. Most people travel/tourist here with a hotel + rental car kind of experience, since public transportation is kind of lax in nearly all cities, and it's how you see the US. Since it's not such a thing, yes, you make yourself a bit of a target to criminals when you wear all your earthly belongings on your back, or have people turn up your noses at your smell. It's more acceptable for youth to travel this way, esp in an outdoorsy situation, where camping and outdoors nature pursuits make it practical.

It goes without saying that in Europe, it's a more popular thing where you can save a lot of money, travel longer on less, to do the backpacking lifestyle, but it's got some of the same issues, where you don't blend in like a local when you aren't a college student going to school yet have a backpack on. Use your street smarts and common sense to avoid risk, and not do things you wouldn't do at home. Hostels carry risk, but so do hotel rooms where staff enters your room. If rape is your primary concern? Don't sleep in non-private rooms with en suite baths. Don't go to bars/clubs to pick people up. Don't accept drinks from strangers. Keep banking hours for your sightseeing pursuits, and switch to taxis for door to door rides for evening jaunts. Have a working cellphone at all times.

>>1137851
See you in Hostel 4

Well do you want to do anything else than avoiding refugees? Theres alot of islands without refugees but they are abit diffrent from eachother you know

>>1137657
Make sure you drown any that you see coming up on the shore.

>>1137765
I'd be interested in Samos, Santorini, Kefalonia, Zakynthos, Lesbos.... For various reasons they all have their appeal, but I have no clue which are full of refugees atm..

>>1137642

Where you starting? Which direction do you intend to go?

I've done a 'tour de france' with my parents once so I've seen quite a lot.

>>1137655
First stop will be Lyon. Then Fougerolles (it's in the central region), Tours, Bourges, maybe Lyon again, Saint Etienne and then down to Montpellier and Marseille

>>1137655
Oh and I'm Italian, from Monza

>>1137592
Sorry for spelling errors. I was typing really fast

>>1137592
The fact that I do not know what lelts means indicates that I do not know the answer to your question. But what is lelts?

>>1137604
Could it be International English Language Testing System? It seems to be a British/Commonwealth thing.

You're in luck cause I'm Calgary anon.

You don't need a parka, but you need a coat. We are far from the ocean so temperature fluctuates more than ocean based cities because there is no water to stabilise the temperature.

Driving is super polite and chill. The roads are crowded and people are polite. We don't honk unless it is "important",

The Calgary tower gives you a nice view of the city. It is $20 to go up, but it is free to go up if you buy at least $25 per person at the restaurant. The restaurant is really nice and great for a date type feeling. and It slowly rotates (maybe one rotation per hour) so you slowly get a whole view of the city while you eat.

When downtown you wanna visit Prince's Island park, (it is an island park along the river and is well maintained. and the Devonian Gardens which are an indoor garden. Also all buildings downtown are connect by a 15 foot above grade walk way called the 15+. If it get snows or rains when you are there, you can still explore downtown while staying indoors.

SAIT has the nicest campus in the city. If you want to go to a redneck bar with shitty country music Cowboys is the place to go.

Don't go to the very large club formerly called The Back Alley. It is notorious for its random violence. They keep renaming it due to its bad reputation. It has a Hooters bar in front of it and is in a strip mall outside of downtown. If you end up there, go back.
I think they are marketing it as kind of a western club now.

Also watch out for drunk natives on public transit. They might try to provoke a fight and may have a non-gun weapon.

Banff has a road toll, I think it is like $30-$60? Banff is a park, but it is also a cute little tourist city with hotels and shit. Go during the week and you should get a decent rate and it will be less busy.

You can use cash, it is just less common though.

>>1137558
>First of all, how will the weather be in September? Do we need our winter coats or are light jacekts enough?
The absolute coldest it will be is 10°, realistically 15-20° . It'll be enough with a hoodie, sweater, or thin fall jacket.
>Are Calgarians good or bad drivers, agressive or courteous?
They are worse than German drivers but better than American drivers on average. You'll be fine. You won't have a case of road rage, but watch out for brown pakis (drive like maniacs, don't follow road rules) and yellow chinks (no peripheral vision or spatial skills, seriously the worst). Oh, sometimes rednecks in giant trucks will drive like aggressive dickheads, but they're uncommon.
>I have read about the public transportation system in Calgary and think that leaving our car at the place we sleep at would be good. Any advice on that?
Parking downtown is expensive and a bitch, so unless you're miles out of town, just take the bus. Taxis aren't killer either, download the Uber app and you'll get cheap airfare.
>Essentially like a road toll. How does it exactly work
Exactly like you described. Pay on your way in.
>what are good places to sleep over in the park if you can´t use a tent/camper?
You're not getting cheap hotels anywhere in the national park, they do have a YHA hostel but book well in advance. The downside is you'll be rooming with Australians, and you want to avoid Australians AT ALL costs. Some resorts will offer off season pricing but youre still looking at a minimum $100 per night, probably a lot more realistically.
>What´s the best way to deal with money issues? Are Canadians willing to accept cash or is a credit card a must?
The only time you really need a credit card is to rent a car, or book a hotel, both of which you can do online to avoid international fees. Other than that, you can pay for anything with cash. Many places actually prefer it. I'd lean towards the cash option, if your bank can't sort out a fee -free international credit card.

Thank you guys for your tips, really helpful!

After checking out AirBnB and seeing the steep prices for Banff appartments/rooms I wonder if it´d be better to not sleep there but do several day trips, each time driving back in the evening? This way we´d avoid booking two places at the same time (our stay in Calgary plus the one in Banff/Lake Louise). Though I´m not sure if that´d be more expensive because of the additional fuel we´d consume...

Also, is it a good plan to take the Bow Valley trail into Banff instead of the Trans-Canada-Hwy? I´d like to see as much of the scenery as possible and from Google StreetView it looks like it´d be better to take the (a bit slower) 1A.

Another thing I noticed is that there´s a certain area of the C-Train map that is supposedly free of charge to use. We´re in Sunalta and the next station into town would be inside that "free of charge bubble", so to speak. I wonder if it´d be viable to walk the 1.5 km to West Kerby station to save on the fare. Good or bad idea?

Also...tipping. What do we have to keep in mind? Is it like in the USA where tipping is the unofficial part of a waitresses wage or is a treat for good service, like in Germany?

A cloud is surprisingly near!
It is a Beautiful.

>>1137530
Thanks, it's pretty far up and it is the only mountain in a few kilometers

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Annyone done some tracking in there life? Tips to mountains?

What are your skills? What can you do that few British people can?

>>1137527
I'm a bartender. I'm making cocktails and working in catering/F&B since forever.
Other than that I'we been a stunt. But thanks to being extremely unlucky I got out of it, and it's pretty much impossible to go back. (at least it feels like that way.)

My girlfriend who would come with me is a special effects make up artist (Turning you to a zombie and shit.)

>>1137529
You can still come to the UK and remain here without problems for at least 2 years since the 'brexit' still hasn't even been activated yet

Chances are despite what is being said, 'some' kind of deal will be done allowing EU nationals presently here to remain, since if they don't, the 2million+ UK nationals living abroad would also be expelled (there is also the chance that freedom of movement will remain)

Do you have a chance - presently yes, it is still legal to move and work in the UK, but would you want to... that's the real question, bear in mind also that the north of England is presently more hostile to immigrants and Eastern Europeans are seen as the reason why all of their lives are shit, regardless of any facts

Given it was/is ordinance it's conceivable there may be traces of explosives still attached, which might get you in some serious shit if they have the ion scan / swab things at the airport (possible given there are NGOs that fund them for poor countries).

If you must have the thing, post it, don't take anything related to explosives or weapons arouns aviation, unless the idea of being the fuckpig in a Laotian jail is appealing, or emptying your savings account to prevent thag happening.

>>1137479
Is this some kind of troll post or are you just incredibly stupid...

You want to bring what amounts to potential live ordinance on board a pressurized paper thin metal tube that will most like be punctured resulting in the loss of life of all on board because you think it will look cool...

It doesn't really matter what part you think it is and whether or not it may still be dangerous, you arent qualified to know and if you were you'd know how stupid your request was

Go for it, OP.
A friend of mine did it and had no problems.
Pokerface your way through customs and you'll be fine.