Peter S.

This spring, I set out on a trip aiming to reach Singapore from Europe, travelling overland. As often happens, it didn't exactly go to plan. But it was still an amazing 10-week, 16,000km+ adventure ⬇️

@PaliparanDotCom Can’t say I’ll miss the tiny sandwich (I never got the wrap or anything other). But I do hope the drinks service will stay. It was frustrating having to pay for a “cup” of coffee on my last Iberia flight (and the AF/KL one is quite good as far as airplane coffees go!).

Air France and KLM will begin a trial on intra-European flights to replace free food and drinks with a buy-on-board menu in economy class. paliparan.com/2024/09/18/air…

@AvGeek4All It’s 90 days within a 180 day period with no way of extending visitor status for Schengen nationals. Meanwhile, it’s known to be allowed/tolerated to visa run the 30-day/60-day extended visa on arrival on UK/Irish passports.

The irony of UK passport holders only getting 30 days in UAE while Schengen countries get 90 is not lost on me…. UK governments have been so useless at negotiating anything, I hope this sensible and pragmatic government will change things

@RichardBarrow Just in case you still have issues, perhaps try applying for a business visa. No need for confirmed tickets or strict itinerary and the required support letter is easy to get (although a slight additional cost).

Does anyone have experience of applying for a Chinese visa in Bangkok? My first application has been rejected. They want to see a round trip ticket in and out of China. I have booked a flight back home from Hong Kong, but the train ticket from Vientiane to Kunming cannot be bought yet. What can I do?

@OnTheRails @ThaiTrainGuide @seatsixtyone @ZengoMay Pretty much all services I’ve been on (high season and summer) were ridiculously busy so it’s not hugely comfortable to travel with a lot of stuff. But spaces for bags wasn’t an issue (there’s a carriage assistant to help find a space if there’s a need).

Intel appreciated- how much luggage space for big bags on the new Vientiane - Luang Prabang train? Are there carriage suitcase racks at end of carriage? @ThaiTrainGuide @seatsixtyone @ZengoMay Thanks!

@PaliparanDotCom I caught Florence in the same way. No crowds and a 4* in the city centre with cooked breakfast for €45 (more than 4 times the price if you want to book this summer).

Four years ago I found myself on the fantastic Greek island of Astypalea as part of a Dodecanese island hopping adventure. Not a great summer for tourism due to the pandemic, but what a great trip I had, enjoying the best of Greece at the height of summer without the crowds..

@RichardBarrow @ThaiTrainGuide Amazing! Are you on one of the special Laos-China trains that go direct beyond Kunming, or transferring there?

Tickets went on sale today for the first international train between Bangkok and Vientiane. The inaugural train will leave on 19 July and I will be onboard. I will be documenting the trip for @ThaiTrainGuide. In October, I will embark on an epic journey from Singapore to Beijing via Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Vientiane, and Shanghai by train. This will be research for the upcoming free guidebook for @AsianTrainGuide. Follow for more updates soon.

@emmannhill I remember being in diners with TVs on and seeing pharmaceutical ads for the first time in my life on my visit to the US. Breaking up the constant political commentary (particularly intense moment in June 2022).

@TheJobfather__ @levelsio No changes in the UK

@levelsio Stripe recently did this thing where deposits are no longer made as saying STRIPE deposited X into your Wise account but as your Business name itself making the deposit. Which flags Wise's Sanction and money laundering Review system.

Never a dull day Now Wise has rejected all payouts from Stripe Why? Nobody knows

@AvGeek4All @Flighty I gave it a go both ~2-ish years ago and very recently. Both times I found it offered less instead of more info than alternative sources (most of which are free as well). I was confused why it’s so popular and well-regarded, makes sense if it’s better in specific regions.

Has @Flighty just given up on updating non US flights? It’s such a great all but the data quality is so bad!

@WiebeWkkr @Kurdistan I agree the comms can be better but the most common definition of a direct flight includes dropping off & picking passengers up on stops en-route.

@Kurdistan A direct flight is a flight from A to B while making stops in other cities without letting passengers on or off. Dates from when planes couldn't go that far. A non-stop flight is a flight that goes directly from A to B. Maybe you want to clarify this in your communications.

گەشەی زیاتر دەکەین؛ گەشتی ڕاستەوخۆی هەولێر- لەندەن دەستی پێ کرد؛ هاووڵاتییەک دەڵێت: ئیتر ماندوو نابین و زووتر دەگەین...

@RepeatTravels The tip should be check the exchange rate. The USD-PHP exchange at Puerto Princesa Airport was within 0.5% of XE for example.

The No Commission Currency Exchange Booth at the KL airport was gonna charge 30% to exchange Asian currencies. Give $35 to get $25. Bali airport currency exchange would only accept 500,000 bank notes. What a Scam!! Travel Tip Don’t Use Exchange Booths at Airports

@PaliparanDotCom I almost took opportunity of the visa-free entry for ticket owners as well but just couldn’t make the flights work. Regretting it now as no interest in visiting at the moment for similar reasons.

Visiting Russia is out of bounds now for obvious security (arresting foreigners, using them as bargaining chip) & moral reasons (their invasion of Ukraine) but I really enjoyed my visit back then. Hope the current madness inside that country ends soon.. x.com/PaliparanDotCo…

Tonight EURO 2024 will kick off with Scotland playing Germany. Can't help but think how different the world was during the last Euros, which were postponed a year from 2020 to 2021 because of the Plague. I actually visited a match that tournament, in St Petersburg of all places..

@ZengoMay @touchtheworld6 Woah, that is a shocking restriction. Good to know.

@touchtheworld6 Just travelled through Jammu & Kashmir where tourist and foreign SIM’s are blocked. Surreal experience not being able to search travel info or check-in online etc. certainly focussed the mind.

I did this as an experiment about 2 months ago, it definitely made me see how much I used and everyone I observed used their phones. My relationship with it improved and I’m back using my iPhone now, but I will change back if my habits slip in a negative way.

@CurtExplores From my brief experience, the scanning a receipt to exit is very common in French supermarkets.

I have never seen this in China. The first & only place I've seen this was Sweden. A classic case of a European looking at something European happening in Europe & saying 'What are we, a bunch of Asians?' Anyway, I'd skip the clothes shopping - you'll need to save that money for the deposit you're about to lose in the Election 🤙🏻

@touchtheworld6 Don’t think anyone who’s been to Uzbekistan would blame you. I found the food situation tough (compared to a very pleasant surprise in Kyrgyzstan). I highly recommend the cafe chain “Bon!”, the best food I’ve had in the country.

Eating like a local 🇺🇿

@AvGeek4All @qatarairways People often disagree with me on this but the managers’s behaviour is generally how I find the service in Dubai to be, even at what are supposed to be high-end establishments. Poor resolution and unprofessional to the point of being just rude.

@emmannhill Tourist eSIMs will be pushed on you because of affiliate programmes. If you’re staying somewhere for a while, a local SIM card is almost certainly cheaper & might be more convenient (I find a local number and ability to make calls makes things easier) prepaid-data-sim-card.fandom.com/wiki/Spain

@PaliparanDotCom I might be too wary after the massive Nightjet/Interrail price hike, but (thankfully, in this case) it’s a very different part of Europe.

@peter_sna It has already gone up massively in price as it was €25 just 1-2 years ago ;) so I wouldn't worry too much!

Time to say Sofia goodbye and turn back to Romania. I could have stayed another night in a Sofia hotel and take the early morning train to Ruse to connect there to Bucharest, but there are some other options to travel!

@PaliparanDotCom That’s great value! Noted for future, before it inevitably goes up.

I'm on the night train to Varna, from where I will make my way to Ruse & the Romanian border tomorrow. Why the detour and not the direct Sofia-Ruse morning train? Well, at €33 for a private sleeper it's cheaper than a decent Sofia hotel! And the sleep/wake-up hours are similar.