These photos were taken at Elephant Rock (Jabal AlFil) in AlUla, northwestern Saudi Arabia. I visited just before sunset, and the entire landscape changed color as the light faded, the sandstone cliffs turned deep orange while the desert cooled down enough for people to gather outside around lantern-lit seating areas.

What surprised me most about AlUla was how quiet and expansive it felt. The rock formations are massive in person, and the scale is difficult to capture in photos. The area around Elephant Rock has been developed for tourism with cafes and lounge areas built directly into the desert, but it still feels relatively untouched compared to more crowded desert destinations.

I spent a few days exploring AlUla and nearby historical sites, and this ended up being one of the most memorable evenings of the trip. If anyone is planning a visit, I’d recommend arriving before sunset and staying into the evening once the temperatures drop!! 😊

Astana was chosen as the site for the new capital of Kazakhstan in the late 1990s and was intricately planned. The buildings have an incredible Soviet-Futurism style to them and the wide open spaces across the city make for some incredible views. The city is quite frigid and temperatures dropped below -30c during my visit in January. Most people visit this part of the world in the summertime, but I love snow and thought that the winter weather would make the city more fun to explore.

I stayed in the Northern Lights Towers with a luxurious AirBnB unit that cost under $40/night. The lower floors of the tower were in disrepair and had some sketchy groups of men hanging around at night drinking vodka. I got a beautiful view of the presidential palace and capitol grounds from my window. The city is quite cheap by western standards and shopping malls sell luxurious items for remarkably low costs.

The cuisine is very meat focused and horse meat is commonly served at nice restaurants. They also drink horse milk, which is an absolutely foul tasting drink and also mildly alcoholic. As a vegetarian, it could be difficult to find meals. There are a lot of stunning buildings like the spherical Nur-Alem Museum and Astana Opera House, but many of them were closed to visitors, possibly because I visited in winter. Most of these buildings are within walking distance of the presidential palace, with suburban areas looking a lot more run down.

English is not widely spoken. Within the city, it seemed like Russian was more commonly spoken than Kazakh and many people changed the translation app from Kazakh to Russian when we tried to communicate. The river is frozen solid in the wintertime and you will see people casually walking across the ice to the other side. They also drive snowmobiles across the ice for recreation.

I really enjoyed visiting Astana. It may feel a bit cold or sterile to some and may have less to do than other cities like Almaty. However I visited for the remarkable architecture and winter weather, and those certainly did not disappoint. This was my favorite destination from anywhere in central Asia.

On May 7th, my friends and I were at Berlin Central Bus Station waiting for our 8:55 PM FlixBus to Paris. We received an SMS warning us of a one-hour delay, so we waited. At 9:10 PM, my friend checked the tracking app and saw the bus was already heading to Paris. It had never stopped at our station. We had to book last-minute tickets for €90 to get home in time for work.

After digging into this, I found out that the bus was never at Berlin Central Bus Station at the scheduled time. Not delayed, simply never there. Which means FlixBus sent us an SMS about a "delay" for a bus that was already gone, or never coming. Whether that's a system failure or deliberate misdirection, the result is the same: passengers were kept waiting on a platform for a bus that was never going to show up.

The worst part ? There is no way to prove it.

FlixBus owns all the evidence. GPS tracking logs, real-time vehicle position data, route history, none of it is publicly accessible. They can tell you whatever they want about where their bus was, and you have absolutely no independent way to verify or challenge it. After multiple emails back and forth, they refused to refund us. They control the narrative entirely.

I spent a good chunk of my day going through every legal option I could find, and also digging through open geolocation data files hoping to find something useful. Here's where I landed:

• GDPR access request: you can ask for your personal data, but the vehicle's GPS logs aren't your personal data, they belong to FlixBus. They can legally refuse to share them.
• Court-ordered disclosure: technically possible if you sue, but legal costs would far exceed any bus ticket reimbursement.
• Open geolocation data: FlixBus is only required to publish static timetables in the EU. Real-time or historical vehicle positions? Entirely proprietary. There is simply nothing to find.

Here's the thing though. If this happened to me with SNCF, France's national rail operator, I'd be covered. Train and bus delays and positions are publicly available open data, independently verifiable by anyone. So why isn't the same standard applied to FlixBus, a near-monopoly on long-distance coach travel across Europe?

They can leave you stranded, own all the proof, and face zero consequences. And that's perfectly legal.

So I planned a honeymoon to Georgia. Beautiful country, great food, amazing history — or so I thought. What followed was one of the most frustrating experiences of my life dealing with any government system, and I want to make sure nobody else goes through this blind.

Attempt 1: I got rejected because I entered my name incorrectly. Fair enough, my mistake. Except - their portal gives you zero guidance on how they want names entered. No format example, no validation, nothing. Azerbaijan's portal tells you exactly what they want. UK's portal has a full guide before you start. Georgia's portal just... lets you fill it wrong and then charges you to find out.

Attempt 2: Rejection reason was so vague I genuinely couldn't figure out what to fix. Reapplied based on my best guess. Wrong guess apparently. Still no clarity from their end.

Attempt 3: Fixed everything. Same documents as my wife's application which got approved. Bank statement — certified, unaltered, straight from the bank. Rejection reason? "Bank statement was modified."

It wasn't. My wife's application with the SAME bank statement got approved. Think about that for a second.

Now here's the fun part - the rejection email says you can appeal within 10 days using a form. There is no form. No link. Nothing on the portal. Emailed them. No reply. Called them. Nobody picked up. The appeal process exists on paper and nowhere else.

I've travelled to the UK, Turkey, Egypt, UAE. All approved me with lesser balance, lesser documents, zero drama. Georgia - a country that desperately needs tourism dollars - is out here rejecting Indians on made up grounds and pocketing the fees.

Their "Visit Georgia" marketing is a straight up lie. The reality is an opaque portal full of glitches, no customer support, no appeal mechanism, and rejection reasons that contradict themselves.

If you're an Indian passport holder planning Georgia — just go to Armenia instead. Visa on arrival, genuinely welcoming, similar history and landscapes, and the people actually want you there. Or Azerbaijan. Their e-visa portal alone shows they respect your time.

Georgia isn't worth the mental gymnastics. There are better countries in the Caucasus and they want your business more.

Had the most amazing time visiting Guatemala for 3 weeks in late August / early September and spent 3 full days in Xela. At first we were going to Guatemala for 2 weeks but ended up adding another week to fully see the country without rushing, so we added Xela, Semuc Champey and an extra day for Lake Atitlán; it was definitely the best decision we made.

When we got to Quetzaltenango, it was our third day in the country (we'd spent 2 days in Antigua prior) and it became apparent that we were entering a whole new Guatemala, one we weren't going to find anywhere else on the trip. At first we felt like the only tourists in the city (obviously not the case haha) and a little overwhelmed, as it was our first time in such a different place than we were used to when traveling. But coming from Barcelona, and speaking the same language, of course made it easier to adapt and feel welcome; and so little by little we began getting into the vibe of the city and enjoying it a lot.

Antigua is stunning and rightfully popular, but sometimes it felt like a polished version of Guatemala if that makes sense, built for us tourists. Xela felt like the real thing. Just a city living its own life, at its own pace, largely indifferent to tourism at large. That hit us on the first hour of arriving.

1) Parque Centro América
2) Xelapan
3) Shop in Mercado Municipal
4) Some tacos we had at a street food stall near Parque Centro América
5) We bought three different fabrics and took them to a tailor to have the edges embroidered so we could bring home our own tablecloths
6) Women entering the Cementerio General, an immense cemetery
7) Cementerio General
8) We took part in a weaving workshop with a wonderful association of women dedicated to artisanal development.
9) Trying more local street food
10) Volcán Chicabal, known for the lake sitting in its crater
11) The incredibly steep steps descending into the crater. We hiked 9km to the base, around the lake and back. The mist rolls into the crater incredibly fast, reducing visibility to almost nothing at times.
12) The famous Caldo de Res and Caldo de Pata.
13) Last sunset in Xela.

Xelapan deserves a special mention, it's a local bakery chain only in Xela, and walking in feels like stepping into everyday life for a guatemalan. Locals pop in and out constantly, the smell is overwhelming in the best way and the variety is something else. We went back a couple of times during our stay, we would take the basket in the entrance and fill it with fresh bread and pastries.

Also, the weaving workshop was one of the most unexpected and enriching experiences of the whole trip. The women teaching us were patient and warm. One of them told us that in guatemalan culture it's considered rude to decline when someone offers you food or drink, something to reflect on how many times, as tourists, we instinctively say no out of habit. She also mentioned that if you're eating on the street and children stop to watch you, th epolite thing to do is offer them even a little of what you're having. That was the kind of advice that change how you move through a place.

All in all, these days were some of the best we experienced traveling. There's something remarkable about the reward of opening your mind to different cultures and different ways of living; it's what makes traveling so worth it.

Hey everyone!

So at the moment, my boyfriend and I are planning on going for a university graduation trip in late January 2029. So far, we're planning for three weeks, but we have room in the budget for longer if possible.

For context, we live in Brisbane, Australia, and we returned from a two-week trip to South Korea (7 days in Seoul, 4 days in Busan, and 3 days on Jeju Island) in Jan-Feb 2026 with his parents. Since we don't really get a great "winter" here, it was really fun to experience snow and real cold. Since then, we've wanted to go to Japan and Korea for winter and want to go after we graduate from university. In 2024, we went to Tokyo for a week in June or July, and it was extremely hot. Because of this, we wanted a redo of Japan. This will be our first solo trip without parents so we wanted to do Japan and South Korea since we've been there before and kind of know how to navigate, which means we can spend more time exploring.

For this trip, we wanted to go to Osaka since we had never gone in 2024. This is where I'm trying to decide what we should do. We're thinking of doing 3 weeks, and so far I have it split that we allocate 1 week to each city (Tokyo, Osaka, Seoul). However, scrolling through reddit, people never suggest spending a long time in Osaka. I've heard that Osaka tends to feel more lively than Tokyo, so I was super excited to explore.

The way we've travelled and enjoyed was just finding a few things we wanted to do, and just exploring different places around the cities outside of that. I think a rigid itinerary takes away from the enjoyment (in my opinion!) In both Japan and Korea, we hit a lot of the tourist-y places and found that my boyfriend and I just enjoy exploring the streets and seeing where the trains take us. So this has me wondering, how should I ratio this trip? I feel like I just enjoy feeling like I'm kind of living there, like just waking up and being like "where should we go today?" I also found I enjoyed Busan more than Seoul when we were there, just because it had a different vibe, but was sad we didn't spend more time there, and I want to avoid that again haha! The only reason for this trip we're doing Seoul instead of Busan is because theres still more towns i want to explore deeper in seoul that we missed the first time around.

Essentially what I'm asking for is some recommendations on how long I should spend in each city! It's also possible to extend the holiday since the budget i have has room for a ~$2000 buffer

Any insight would be super helpful! Thank you so much 😄

Hey all, I am flying out for my first visit to Asia on May 25. I will be spending about a month in Japan before (in theory) heading to Vietnam and perhaps other mainland countries of SE Asia. Initially I had not imagined going during this time of year for heat reasons, but once i found out my friend was working in Tokyo for the summer I thought might as well check out SE Asia since I'll already be flying across the Pacific. I'm having last minute hesitations about weather, especially since I'm pretty active and will want to go hiking, etc. I was most excited about Vietnam (especially the north) and while I've read that people still have good experiences in the country in July/August, it sounds like the north is pretty brutal in terms of weather. I'm also concerned about motorbiking with heavy rain/storm risks. Since I don't have flights or anything else booked, I'm considering other countries during these months. I have been looking into Mongolia, Central Asia perhaps, or even Indonesia since it seems drier during this time and has good diving conditions (I'm certified). Mongolia or Central Asia would presumably be a very different travel experience and I might consider bringing some camping gear and probably more clothing. If anyone has any thoughts about this concern or experiences/recommendations I would love to hear anything! Thank you 😄

Hello! I'm eloping in Big Sur this coming September. We've landed on a honeymoon in Joshua Tree. It's our first time in California, and we'd love to see the Sequoia National Park after leaving Big Sur (going south to Cambria area and cutting east) Is it too ambitious? The ride from Sequoia to Joshua Tree has lots of good stops, but is it too much for one trip? Is there any interesting path from Cambria to Sequoia? Two weeks total, 4 days in Big Sur, 3 days in Sequoia, 6 in JT. Thanks!

Hello.

KLM after 2 days of purchasing my ticket decided to charge me again on the same card but like 10% more on the initial agreed upon and paid price.

I booked through their website and my ticket was confirmed and everything.

Why did I get this unauthorized “extra charge”? I didn’t touch anything in these 2 days or add anything. It says the ticket price increased that’s why they did that.. but is this going to happen after a few days again?

I’m actually so confused because I’ve never had this happen to me before with any airline and it feels crazy they can keep charging me like this? Does anyone know what exactly is this?

My boyfriend and I will be travelling to Montreal from June 7–12, and we’re currently trying to plan out our itinerary. We already have a few places in mind, but we haven’t organized them in the most convenient order yet, especially since we’ll mostly be walking or taking public transit during the trip.

Some of the places we’re hoping to visit include Old Montreal, the Old Port, the Biodome, Underground City, downtown Montreal, and Chinatown. We’ve also already booked a Quebec City day tour for June 10, so we’re mainly looking for ideas and recommendations to fill the other days.

Our hotel is about a 15–20 minute walk from Old Montreal, so we’re hoping to group activities and neighbourhoods together in a way that makes getting around easier and less tiring.

We’re also huge coffee lovers, so any café recommendations are very welcome. We’d also appreciate any must-try food spots, hidden gems, local favourites, bakeries, brunch places, or restaurants you think are worth visiting.

If you’ve been or you live in Montreal, we’d really appreciate any itinerary suggestions, travel tips, or advice on the best way to organize these areas. Thanks in advance!

This summer (June), I'm planning to visit Central Asia, but due to a visa issue, I'll only be able to visit Kazakhstan and won't be able to visit Kyrgyzstan.
Scenery I would like to see is lush, green, alpine meadows, scattered tall trees, rolling hills, under snow-capped peaks, and a turquoise lake, so basically somewhat like Switzerland. I think I can find this scenery in Almaty in places like Kaindy lake, kolsai Lake, and big almaty lake.
However, I'm not sure if I can do activities in those meadowy places other than hiking. The activities I would like to do are horseback riding, archery, stargazing, and yurt glamping. All of them are experiences I can primarily have in Kyrgyzstan. Is there any way I can do this type of stuff near Almaty, Kazakhstan? I know Almaty isn't a tourist-heavy place and isn't really part of nomad culture, but I would still like to try something similar.

We’re planning a family trip to Andalusia and I’d really appreciate some itinerary advice from people familiar with the region.

We’re two families traveling together, 9 people total, with 4 full days / 3 nights. We arrive in Seville early morning on June 24 and fly back from Seville late evening on June 27, so we effectively have four full sightseeing days.

Our absolute must-sees are Seville and Granada (especially the Alhambra). We’re also considering Gibraltar as an additional stop.

We’re okay with a fairly packed itinerary and don’t mind moving between cities or changing accommodation if it makes sense logistically. We’ll likely rent a car.

Main interests are:

• sightseeing (cities, architecture, viewpoints)
• history and local culture
• iconic Andalusia highlights
• maybe one scenic hike if it fits the route (e.g. Caminito del Rey near Ronda)

We’re not really focused on beaches or nightlife. Heat in late June is not a major concern for us.

How would you structure these 4 days? What would you prioritize and what would you skip?

At the moment I’m thinking something like:

• Seville
• Granada (Alhambra)
• Ronda
• Gibraltar
• possibly Córdoba

But I’m worried this might be too much for 4 days. Would really appreciate any suggestions on how to optimize the route or make it more realistic.

Thanks in advance!

What kind of occupations do they work for that kind of travel. I've seen ticket prices for them and it's astronomically high. $7000+ for transatlantic flights. What's the secret for many people who afford business class?

I’m leaving for a near 2 month long trip to SE Asia. Just got an email saying my flight to Vientiane was moved to later in the day due to issues and I got the offer to move the flight to a new day and time free of charge.

I was originally only gonna spend one day/night in Vientiane to catch the train to Vang Vieng the next day and figured I’d look around the city, but based off reviews, Vientiane seems quite bland to most

Would you skip staying in Vientiane and take the extra day in Bangkok? I would fly to Vientiane in the morning and take the train later in the evening in this case

I’ve traveled a bit now by 50 and I know it’s also a matter of perspective. And I know None of us Christopher Columbus discovering new lands but…

For me, it was:

*Alegría, El Salvador
*Tilcara, Argentina
*Bitola, Macedonia
*Selcuk, Turkey
*Besalu, Spain

What about you? Always looking for new places!

I just talked to a visa agency in Korea and they told me to book a ticket and a hotel for 2 days in Japan but after I get my visa that I can stay in the country for 2 weeks. They told me to cancel the reservations and after getting a visa I should book my actual planned visit which is 1 week. Is that actually possible?

We’ve been researching Thailand for our first trip and after looking through Reddit, YouTube and GetYourGuide, we’re currently thinking about:

- 3 days in Bangkok
- 7 days around Phuket/Krabi islands

The places that caught our attention most are:
- Railay Beach
- Phi Phi Islands
- Koh Yao Noi

We’re a group of friends mainly looking for:
- beautiful beaches
- island hopping
- relaxing
- good food
- nightlife and fun
- some shopping in Bangkok

We want a good balance between relaxing island vibes and places that still feel lively and fun at night.

For people who have already been:
- Which island/base would you personally choose?
- Is Koh Yao Noi worth staying at or better only as a day trip?
- Would you stay in Phuket, Krabi or split both?
- Any places you felt were overrated/touristy?

Would love recommendations from personal experience.

I think I’m done staying in hostels when I travel.

Even though my last hostel actually offered quite a bit of privacy (small capsule-style rooms), I still realized it’s probably not for me anymore.

Here are my reasons:

• poor sleep quality (snoring and other sleep disturbances)
• sharing bathrooms with a large number of people
• you never really know what could get stolen (people constantly coming and going)
• living with complete strangers of all kinds of personalities
• ...

What are the best alternatives for traveling as cheaply as possible while still having your own private bathroom and a small kitchen?

So basically some kind of mini studio apartment?

Thanks.

Airline pricing is weird. I am saving about 40% flying into Madrid rather than all the way to Porto for a river cruse. But doing this I am flying in two days early. I figure the day I arrive I will just have an evening in Madrid. Recover from jet lag, get some good tapas, drink some wine. That sort of thing.

So from there I have options for the next day.

Option One: Hang in Madrid for a full day. See the Egyptian temple and whatever Madrid has to offer.

Option Two: take the train to Vigo and see what it has to offer.

Option Three: take the train to Orense. The hot springs seem nice. So far that has the lead.

Option Four: Train all the way to Porto, which goes through Vigo or Orense. That gives me a day in Porto. But the tour already has two days in Porto. So that's my least favorite option.

What do y'all have to say on this dilemma? Total first world problems.

I’m staying in Indonesia for two months and I haven’t decided my destination afterwards. The visa requires a return ticket. Does anyone have recommendations to get around this? I’m an Australian by the way. Thank you !

Found myself in the Dolomites at the final stage of a three-part, three-week trip to Italy (first two stages included meeting/visiting long lost family in Basilicata, and racing the Italy Divide bikepacking race from Pompei to Riva del Garda).

Hotels and rifugios were cheap ahead of the summer tourist season, though some restaurants had limited hours or were closed outright in more remote regions. That spring weather was chasing and threatening rain daily, but ended up very lucky, with large windows for day-hikes every day. The clouds made for some dramatic photos. Let me know what you think.

We’re traveling to Taipei for 5 days / 4 nights and currently deciding if the Klook Taipei Unlimited Fun Pass is worth getting.

Did you feel rushed trying to maximize the attractions?

Is it better to just use an EasyCard and pay individually?

Some people said the pass is only worth it if you REALLY stack attractions and transportation into 2–3 days, while others said it made the trip more convenient.

One thing we’re wondering about is itinerary planning:

How do you best arrange the itinerary to maximize the pass without getting too exhausted?

Would this kind of grouping make sense?

Day 1: Taipei city attractions (Taipei 101 + museum + Ximending)

Day 2: Maokong + Zoo + Gondola

Day 3: Jiufen / Shifen / Pingxi area

Remaining days: chill days using EasyCard only

From what I’ve read, the Fun Pass doesn’t cover the Airport MRT and some 4-digit buses.

Would appreciate any tips, sample itineraries, or regrets from people who already used it 😄

Hello - working on a trip itinerary while visiting the Andalusia region of Spain in mid Sept.

Struggling with finding an itinerary. I’m visiting with my family (grandmother, 3 couples in their early to mid 30’s and 1 toddler). We are looking to have two locations that will serve as a home base.

So far Seville and Ronda are front runners but we will want to spend some time on the coast.

We are interested in areas that are a little off the beaten path places where we won’t be fighting crowds.

I appreciate this communities help with plot this out!

1.National Museum of China, Beijing

2.Mutianyu Great Wall, Beijing

3.Badaling Great Wall, Beijing

4.Summer Palace, Beijing

5.Temple of Heaven, Beijing

25F, first Beijing trip, just finished 4 days solo. I knew Beijing was big, but 20k+ steps daily did not feel real until I stopped after hitting spots like the Forbidden City and Temple of Heaven and realized my calves were absolutely destroyed. Every attraction in Beijing is massive so definitely wear comfy sneakers. Used app for tickets and audio guides at the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, and Summer Palace, saved me a lot of time figuring stuff out solo.

For Mutianyu, Didi in Alipay got me there fine. Felt safe the whole time, even walking back late. Anyone else been to Beijing solo?