Fiance and I are discussing honeymoon spots. We're getting married a year from today. We want some place warm that won't kill us on airfare to get there. We don't want to go on a cruise, and we're kind of leaning towards an all-inclusive since the idea of paying one bill for our room, food, and booze (within the resort) is appealing. But we're not dead set on that if another, better option arises. We're wary of the Caribbean because of the time of year we'd be going and the chance that a hurricane could pop up and screw thigns up for us, so we're thinking Pacific side. Any ideas or suggestions?
My sister is renovating her condo in Gulf Shores right now as we speak. Gulf shores has made some lists as being the most family friendly or cleanest or something. Let me know if you're interested in more info. Edit: Yeah, it was cleanest: <a class="postlink" href="http://blog.al.com/live/2012/06/gulf_shores_beaches_named_amon.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://blog.al.com/live/2012/06/gulf_sh ... _amon.html</a>
Aruba. You're far enough south that you're out of the hurricane belt, there are plenty of all-inclusives, great beaches, lots of water activities and a cab to downtown Oranjestad is cheap so you don't need a car.
Hey everyone, In need of some help. I am leaving on my trip to China, Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos on January 22nd. Aside from the must do and see things out there, My big question is money. I need to know how to go about getting local currencies in each country, When I was in China last (2009) My Canadian RBC debit card worked no problem out there, aside from the $5 charger per transaction. But now that we've upgraded to chip cards I want to know if I am still going to be able to take out money or not. I would really rather not be bringing all of the cash for the trip with me, Don't want to lose it. So does anybody have any advice on how to go about getting local currency out there? Thanks!
Can help with Cambodia. Essentially, they use US Dollars as their defacto local currency. All the ATM's dispense dollars and my Australian chip card worked fine when i was there last year. If they have to break a dollar for change that is the only time you will see the actual local currency (the Riel) being used.. and you will never get rid of it. One thing to be aware of though, always check the money that is handed over to you in change. If there is the slightest rip or tear in a US dollar they will not accept it and the banks wont change it. Lots of dodgy fuckers try to hand off their torn/ripped US Dollars as change to unsuspecting tourists who then have to hang onto them for the rest of the trip because no-one else will accept them.
I can second this. You'll be fine with US$....they only use paper money, not coins, and occasionally the actual Cambodian currency (Rial) is used in lieu of cents. $1 US is worth around 4000 Rial, so if something costs $5.50 and you give them $6 US they might give you 2000 Rial back. As for Thailand, there are ATMs all over the place if you're in the tourist areas (and anywhere in Bangkok and I would assume other major cities), only thing is they charge a 150 baht ($5 US) fee for each transaction on top of the $2-3+ your bank is going to charge you (possibly more if it's a foreign transaction). Go to an ATM at the airport as soon as you land and take out as much as it will let you and you should be fine. Haven't been to China in years and have never been to Laos so can't speak for those.
Laos is a crapshoot anywhere other than the capital and the handful of tourist hubs. Fortunately, about $30 worth of 5's and 1's can hold you over between ATMs and cash-out points. The banking infrastructure of Chinese cities is only a few years behind their Western counterparts (and about on par in Shanghai and Beijing). The only places you'll have trouble getting cash are way out in the countryside. Again... just carry some with you. DO carry cash. Especially in Cambodia. I had to bribe a cop when I was there. Would have been a huge pain in the ass if I didn't have any money on me. And there's no need to carry so much that you'd miss it if you get mugged.
I fly out for New Orleans in a few days. We're there from Saturday until next Wednesday, and are looking for things to do. We're going to the Saints game on Sunday, but other than that, we're wide open. Obviously we'll be there for NYE too, so if anyone has any recommendations for things to do while we're there or knows somewhere good to be for New Years, I'm all ears.
Actually, having been there a few years back on NYE I'd say skip Bourbon St as it is a fucking shitshow unmovable mess. There was a cross street I cannot remember the name of that was a whole lot better as far as masses of humanity was concerned. I can't remember the name of it at the moment but it seemed to be well known enough for most people who were there. I got blacked the fuck out wasted and the name is slipping my mind.
Re: Re: World Travel Thread Skip Bourbon street, unless you like the smell of piss and puked up draft beer.
I just booked a trip to Brazil with my wife, 11-day trip in April. As far as an itinerary is concerned, here is what I am considering: stay in Rio - likely in the Ipanema neighborhood (4-5 days), then to Ilha Grande (3 days), then Paraty (2 days) before heading back to Rio and flying home. Does this sound like a good itinerary? We've never been to Brazil and are looking to have a good mix of relaxation, cultural experience and some nature-y hikes. If anyone has suggestions regarding things we should see in Rio/Ilha Grande, etc. (or a different itinerary altogether) I'm all ears. Also, my plan is to take a bus to Ilha Grande / Paraty - anyone have experience using Green Toad Bus or Easy Transfer Brazil? From what I read it's possible to skip using a private tour company, but it's less convenient (no shuttle to the bus station) and also might be tricky for someone like me who speaks zero Portuguese.
So the wife wants to do Times Square during Thanksgiving this year, I have never been to NYC as an adult, I have no interest in going at all but gotta keep the wife happy. My question is am I just screwed and should just plan on spending a shit ton of money? Or is there ways to save a little bit? She's already told me I have to suffer through a Broadway show. FML
Just my opinion, but if you go to Brazil and don't swing past Iguazu Falls, you are missing out. I've been around a bit, and this is hands down one of the most amazing places I've ever been. (Also, if you do go, make sure you check out both sides; the Brazilian side is average, but the Argentinian side is spectacular, and you can cross from one to the other via shuttle bus. No need for elaborate visas or anything.) God I love that place.
Hardly "world travel", but I'm going to be in Maryland for a few days at the end of February for a conference, specifically in National Harbor. Any good restaurants around there, or decent places to grab drinks with clients?
I should have resurrected this thread yesterday I think, but oh well. This summer I am headed to Barcelona, Pamplona, Paris, Munich, Prague, Amsterdam, London, and possibly another city or two this July. If you have experience with any of those and would like to share any thoughts, I would greatly appreciate it.
How long do you you have in London and when exactly will you be there? That'll change what I might say you should see
Speaking strictly from a tourists' point of view: Paris I loved it completely, even for the traditional touristy shit. That "touristy shit" is still galvanizing to see here. Notre Dame is a must, even more so Ste. Chappelle Cathedral across the street in the police station. It's hidden, but find it. You pay a few buck to see the most incredible stained glass windows on the planet, I'm not kiddin you it is fucking astonishing to be inside. If you're not claustrophobic find the catacombs, an ultra-long underground tunnel lined entirely with millions of skeletal remains. People tend to chill out and drink around the river at night rather than party in bars from what I saw. It's kind of a cool social climate, the locals were extremely friendly to us no matter who we talked to there. Maybe we were lucky, on the other hand my wife was visibly pregnant on our trip. If you want to take the river boat tour, only take the daytime one. The "City Of Light" was evidently dark as fuck after dusk. The Louvre's Marly Horses and Winged Victory are worth the price of admission alone, but there are countless wonderful museums all over the city. Pere LeChaise Cemetery is an eerie, amazing-looking and fucking enormous cobblebricked graveyard in the east end that houses the graves/crypts Oscar Wilde, Chopin and Jim Morrison amongst others (look for the static policeman to find Morrison's grave). The subway system is REALLY easy to follow, fast, and fairly cheap. Buy passes. It's not the cleanest but damn for a guy who is unfamiliar with subways I found it a snap, and it goes all over the place. Amsterdam You can guess that I have my obvious reasons to love this town, but even if you're not into the cannibis culture, this is a bee-utiful city with amazing buildings and loaded with canals and bikes and people yelling at each other in Dutch, which itself is awesome because it sounded like somebody is firing an AK-47 at a gong. Ann Frank Huis is easy to find: look for the towing Westerkerk bell tower and it's two doors down from it. Get there at least 20 min. before it opens in the morning, trust me on that. Heineken Brewery was closed for renovations when we were there, I guess it has some corny attractions to go with it now. It's spitting distance from Rijksmuseum which is a beautiful building and a must if you like art (it has Rembrandt's The Night Watch amongst others) and Van Gogh's museum is also a couple hundred yeards away. Also, take the night boat tour instead of the day, the canals and bridges are lit up very cool at night. The Red Light district, besides it's moniker as a tourist trap is a real hoot to walk around at night, it has an electric atmosphere and its filled with insane party maniacs (beware of blue lights=ladyboys). In the Neuwekerk (New Church) there's a wooden hand-carved pulpit inside that place that should be a Wonder Of The World. Everything in this city is walking distance. It's shockingly small, and always carry change because you'll be paying the use the bathroom everywhere. London Pricey food. I was only here for two days, so we tore ass but there's a large amount of sites in walking distance. I thought Piccadilly Circus was amazing-looking at night and it was neat to be a the site of that infamous werewolf massacre back in 1981. The Tower of London was enormous and awesome, you'll see the crown jewels and the original gun collection, an entire army's worth of firearms and weapons. DON'T pay for the tower bridge tour, it's boring. Take pictures of it instead. If you can get to Hampton Court it's breathtaking. Buckingham, nope. Speaker's Corner in Hyde Park is a blast, you can go listen to a man with an incredibly classy accent explain to you how the government and his ex-wife are all evil robots who want you dead. The London Eye is the biggest fucking rip-off in the universe.
Respectfully disagree. If you book online, you can get a day/night pass which gives you 2 rides for about $20. Expensive? Sure, but its a cool experience and the views are absolutely unreal. There are so few tall buildings in London, and the surrounding area is so flat that you can see everything. My friend has 3-4 framed prints from pictures he took from the Eye during the day and at night. Everyone from my friends who visited, to my friends who studied there for a semester, to a friend who has lived there the last 5 years recommends it. I'm not completely surprised that Crown would shit on it however. Any of our current or former London residents can recommend more interesting stuff I'm sure, but I really loved going up to Camden. Cool area with alot of personality and the flea market of sorts built into the old stables is awesome and fun shopping. If the weather is nice, I definitely recommend exploring some of the parks too.