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World Travel Thread

Discussion in 'Permanent Threads' started by Brother J, Oct 21, 2009.

  1. Supertramp

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    If I want to go to Kilimanjaro (and climb it) with a pair of friends. Where do I start? What's my budget? Is it dangerous?

    We're three guys in good shape, one of us is trained in the army/reserves (in case we need a gun for protection-hope not).
     
  2. Capital

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    I posted a lot in the old World Travel thread. Just gave myself a demotion.

    Last I checked, Quantas ran the cheapest flights - usually out of LA, but they just added a connection in SF that's worth checking out. But don't settle on just looking for the cheapest. Call an agency like STA and have them look at the Air NZ flights. I've done it twice where I paid about $40 more than the Quantas flight and got indefinitely long layovers in Fiji each way.

    If you're going to dump $1,400 down the shitter, you might as well get a tan and see some sharks.

    Also, I'd try to get more than 10 days. Any round-trip to NZ is going to burn 2 days in transit. Like, full, exhausting days. Maybe more with jet lag.

    Kilimanjaro is the highest walkable peak in the world. Keyword: walkable. Old people do it. Most climbers don't even attribute a standard difficulty rating to summitting the mountain. But from what I've heard, it's still absolutely worth doing. There are really only two big bitches you need to deal with if you're going to do it: Altitude and Money.

    Altitude is the only thing I've every heard of that has kept people from the top. The mountain is something ridiculous like 20,000 feet above sea level, so people who rush the ascent can get horrible altitude sickness. Avoidable with a degree of fitness and a long schedule. Going slow is the best way to avoid it.

    And it's expensive. Last I checked, the only way to get onto the trails was with a permit. And the only people who get permits are tour operators. Good-bye, $3,000. You can get cheaper, shittier, shorter tours - but with something as special as Kilimanjaro, you might as well do it properly. It's just not something you can do cheaply. But it's up there with Antarctica as something worth spending a bunch of money on.

    I've never heard of anyone doing the whole trip for less than $6,000/person (including flights from the US or UK).
     
  3. Capital

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    I'll have to ask, but I think I can repost some of those if people have specific requests. That intro might be a little dated though.
     
  4. Bird

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    Only just read this post, sorry if you've already been away and the following information is useless now.

    I live in Belfast, and what I would say is that if you are going to come here, you're pretty much coming for the history (which I assume you're keen to "see" if you will). Shopping and all that malarkey is far superior in cities of comparable expense in the UK like Glasgow or Manchester.

    But yes, I can't really offer an entirely accurate analysis of what it's like to come here as a traveler and immerse yourself in the history, since I've done so all my life, but Belfast is a reasonably compact city so you should be able to cover a lot of bases in a short period of time e.g. Ulster Museum, Troubles "hotspots" (i.e. murals and the like) and maybe some of the literary sights.

    One thing you might like to do is spend some time in Belfast and then take the train/coach down to Dublin. The journey wouldn't be too expensive but Dublin will rape your wallet. Nonetheless, it's also a very interesting place.

    Just my 0.02.
     
  5. DrunkBilliken

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    Roommates and I are headed to Breckenridge, Colorado for a ski trip just after the New Year. Already have a place to ski, but none of us have ever been before. Our place is just off of Main Street. Any suggestions on bars, restaurants, or other stuff to do see/do?
     
  6. imaronin

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    Don't know if this is too late, but I have heard very good things about this place in Tokyo as affordable, nice accommodations and good location;

    SAWANOYA RYOKAN http://www.tctv.ne.jp/members/sawanoya/

    Even the travel guide Rick Steves highly recommends it.....

    FYI: I have not made it to Tokyo myself yet, still too expensive for me. But I do plan on saying at there when I do go.
     
  7. Canadia

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    Hey,
    I'm planning on studying abroad for a semester and I have my destinations narrowed down to Innsbruck Austria, Otago University in NZ, and Griffith University in OZ
    I am a fairly experienced traveller, and I am looking to do the usual adventurous things (ex. sky diving, mountain biking, etc) Has anyone studied abroad in Austria, NZ or OZ that can give me a heads up of what to expect. I am leaning towards Austria, so what major differences are there from studying in NA compared to Austria? Cheers!
     
  8. sephedwards

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    Next semester I am studying abroad in Valencia, Spain through my university. It's my first time going anywhere on my own, and I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions.
     
  9. Nick

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    I am getting married next September, and until then, am doing my best to enjoy any slack that still remains on the proverbial leash. Bachelor party plans are in the beginning phases, and we've narrowed it down to a couple of venues. Currently at the top of the list are Reykjavik and Barcelona. I've been to Barcelona, so I'm leaning pretty heavily towards Reykjavik.

    Can anybody here [who has been to Reykjavik] comment on the nightlife, restaurants, hotels, etc.? My friends and I are all in our early 30s (mostly married, but still know how to tie one on). We all do pretty well financially, so budget is not a major concern. Most of us live in the States, but are fairly well-traveled, although Reykjavik is one place that none of us have ever been.
     
  10. BeerMonster

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    Reykjavik is awesome. You're lucky the budget isn't a major concern, because it's pretty pricey in the summer. But there's tons to do, and they definitely like to drink there. You can find any type of bar experience you're looking for - straight clubbing, relaxed cafes, or local pubs. I'm not sure what it'd be like for a bachelor party, but I'm guessing you'd find the action you're looking for. The strip clubs were alright, but not as good as a lot of other places I've been.

    One thing to be aware of is that Icelandic people tend to be a bit standoffish, especially with North Americans. Generally though, they're a pretty cool bunch, especially after some drinks. Oh, and lots and lots of hot blond women never hurts.

    Unless you enjoy walking, stay as close to downtown as possible. It's worth the extra money to be right in the middle of the action. Since you're likely to be drunk and rowdy, it might be best to avoid hotels (so you don't get thrown out). Renting an apartment is a good alternative. Castle House Apartments (http://hotelsiceland.net) has killer apartments right next to city hall, and they're pretty cheap comparatively. I'm staying there again when I go back in February. There are plenty of other apartment-style places to choose from too.

    If I had to choose between Barca and Reykjavik for my bachelor party though, I'd pick Barcelona all the way. I understand you guys want to go somewhere you've never been before, but Barca is 100x the party place that Reykjavik is.
     
  11. Racer-X

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    I'll be in the Philippines for about a week after Christmas, more specifically in Dumaguete. Most of my time will be spent scuba diving, but I'll have some free time. Is there anything that I shouldn't miss?
     
  12. cllrbone11

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    Definitely check out the aquarium there, it's a really unique looking building or set of buildings with some pretty cool exhibits. I spent two weeks there my senior year of high school and had a great time, but I'm having trouble remembering what exactly we did. If I remember correctly they have a pretty sweet park that you can walk through, in the middle of it is a big goofy looking playground thing that's shaped like a very large person. The local kids don't go out until very late, at least midnight but probably more like 2 AM so if you want to hang with the locals you need to be well rested. PM me if you have any questions, I'll try to remember what else we did in the city, we took a lot of day trips to other towns and cities so that took up some time. Have a good trip. Oh and drink/bring back absinthe, my main regret about going to Spain was not tripping drunken balls on that stuff.
     
  13. pincinelly

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    As far as Otago University goes, if you like drinking the go there. You will make a bit of money in the exchange rate (more than Aus) and you will be fairly close to some of the best skiing/riding in the Southern Hemisphere. Lots of places to go sky diving, and I'm not sure about mountain biking. Let me know if you have any specific questions.

    As far as my own traveling is concerned, my girlfriend and I are going to South East Asia on boxing day. Specifically, Thailand (Bangkok, Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, and Koh Chang), Cambodia (Sihanoukiville, Phomn Penh, and Siem Reap/Angkor Wat), then Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh, and Vung Tau). We have all our travel arrangements sorted out, and I have talked to friends who have been to those places. I was wondering if there is anyone on here who has been and has some tips for traveling in the area. Any suggestions of what to do in the places mentioned would be greatly appreciated.
     
  14. hubadub6

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    Next semester I'll be studying abroad in Amman, Jordan. The program I'm on takes side trips to Wadi Rum, Petra, and Cairo, plus I get to stay with a Bedouin family for a week. Right now I'm looking for recommendations about what to do/where to go in Jordan that might not be obvious to someone visiting the country for the first time. I know it's a somewhat out-of-the-way destination but I'd appreciate any advice I can get. Thanks.
     
  15. huh

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    hookers and philippines dried mango. they absolutely have the best mango in the world. when you get a hooker make sure she also has dried mango. better yet, nevermind the hooker, because you might forget the mango.

    delicious fucking mango![​IMG]
     
  16. PoppaBear

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    I am trying to find an internship in finance for the summer, and I figure what the hell, why not do it abroad? Anyways, what I've found so far is in Basel, Switzerland. Does anyone have any experience with this city or with Switzerland? Places to go, things to see, girls (especially the women)? I speak German so that's a definite plus--it's very rusty now, but I can always work on that if I can get the internship. Thanks guys!
     
  17. Pandaman

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    My mom was living in Basel for a while so I've spent quite a bit of time there. Overall it's quite a fun city. It's relatively small and concentrated. Definitely get an apartment near the center. There is great public transportation and you won't need a car. Basel is a great city because it is very social. There is always something going on. Some kind of festival, celebration, market, etc. Almost every weekend I've been, there has been something set up on one of the main squares. And every weekend night there are a bunch of people on the streets, just chilling and drinking. It has more of a bar scene, and I don't think it has major clubs if you're into that.

    From Basel there are a bunch of day-trips/weekend trips you can take. Basel lies on the border between France, Germany, and Switzerland so you can easily go to destinations in each of the three countries. Furthermore, traveling around Switzerland is really easy. The train network is great.

    If you're American and have learned your German there, you will have no idea what they are saying. They do not speak German! They speak Swiss-German which sounds horrible and is impossible to understand. I have had five years of German in a Danish school and I can't understand a word. Most, however, will understand English, and there are also a lot of foreigners in the city (and Switzerland in general) and you'll be able to get by. The written German is normal German so your knowledge will be helpful there. I assume the internship is at a bank with English as the main language? If not, good luck.

    Switzerland is very expensive. Unless you have funds or the internship is paid, you might have a hard time paying for your expenses. I live in Geneva and my living expenditures are ridiculous compared to the rest of the world. Basel is a bit cheaper.

    The girls in the German part of CH are not as nice as the French in my opinion. They have a very distinct German style and they are not very classy. Maybe I've become spoiled in Geneva, which is literally overrun by supermodels, but I don't really like the style of the German girls. A bit trashy. I don't know how old you are, but in my age group (I'm 20) in Geneva, the girls expect to be pampered by the men. Many people are super rich here and will easily spend a couple of thousand a night on dinner, drinks, clubbing. I think it's quite different in the German side, but I can't say because I haven't gone out there.

    Anyway, if you have a chance, take it. Switzerland is a great country in most ways. Beautiful, great people (at least in the German part), lots of culture, and a great standard of living.
     
  18. cllrbone11

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    I'm going to London with my parents and three brothers in a couple weeks and was wondering if anybody had any suggestions of things we need to see/do. I think we'll only be there for four or five days. We know of the big name places like Buckingham Palace and whatnot, and my dad is excited to go see Churchill's bunker from WWII, but any other suggestions would be great.
     
  19. krusht

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    Me and some friends are planning on renting a house/apartment somewhere in south america this summer(may, june, july), and we have it narrowed down to Buenos Aires and Rio, but we can't seem to decide what is a better choice. We are a group of 18-21 year old guys, who all play online poker for a living and will probably spend 6-7 hours a day doing that, but will be spending the majority of the rest of the time partying.

    Some things that I'm wondering about -


    Money : From what I've heard, in Buenos Aires you can live for really cheap, and pretty much live like a king on 3k/mo. I know that Rio is more expensive, but I haven't really been able to find out exactly how much more. If we wanted to live in nice place by Ipanema beach(where I hear is the best place to be?*), go out drinking around 5 times a week**, eating nice meals out a few times a week, how much money are we looking at?

    Nightlife : As far as I can tell they both have equal nightlife, is this true?

    Girls : The majority of stuff I've read about Buenos Aires say that as a result of all the guys being aggressive, the girls generally won't do one night stands and will require more work. While this isn't a huge issue, I'd rather be able to just go and find a hot girl and bring her home. Is the stuff about the girls being like this true, or are these people just incompetent?


    Thanks a lot for any info you guys can give me.

    * True/false?
    ** Pre drinking at home first
     
  20. Nettdata

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    My Mom has decided that she wants to take Dad on a 17-day cruise to Antarctica next year (December).

    They've invited me along, and I'm interested.

    Anyone have any experience visiting the area?

    Recommendations?