Miscellaneous

Hello everyone,

Some of you may have noticed this morning that when you’re not logged in, advertising banners appear. We’re currently running tests, which is why they may show up in different formats.

A quick clarification: these ads will only be visible to users who aren’t logged in.

They’re necessary for the site’s survival. A website like VF incurs significant costs, whether for hosting or for the team working behind the scenes—we can’t keep it running on love and fresh air alone.

A member generously offered to help out after François’s departure, but we still need a new developer, and all work deserves fair compensation.

Hervé, from myAtlas, who took over VF, has no choice but to monetize the site to ensure it can continue to exist.

We sincerely thank you for your understanding and loyalty. Your support is essential to ensuring VF’s future.

Thanks to you, we can keep this site alive and continue sharing our shared passion.

Hi there, Our trip is just around the corner—only 10 days to go! Quick practical question: what’s the easiest and most budget-friendly way to use my phone while I’m there? Thanks in advance! Céline

Hi there! Every year, I go on vacation with my family (there are a lot of us), and we used to use Splitwise. With their recent updates, we’re a bit frustrated because we’re limited in adding our expenses. Do you have any other alternatives (preferably free ones)? My son suggested Tricount, but I’ve never heard of it before! PS: If you have any tips for Mexico City this year, we’d love to hear them! Thanks!

I seem to remember that the earthquake was located around there. Is the road from Marrakech to Taroudant via Tizi n'Test in good condition?

Hi there, Back from Sri Lanka, we have some local currency left. This could be useful for you. Here’s what I’m offering: 1 x 5000-rupee note 3 x 1000-rupee notes 2 x 500-rupee notes 3 x 100-rupee notes 2 x 50-rupee notes 6 x 20-rupee notes That’s a total of 9520 Sri Lankan rupees, or 31 €. This way, you can start your trip without having to withdraw money right away at the airport and without paying any fees. For reference, here are some typical costs: Bottle of water: 130–160 Rs, tuk-tuk ride: 100–500 Rs, bus trip: 50–200 Rs, meal with a drink: 1500–2500 Rs. Possible to send in an envelope.

Hello,

As a tea enthusiast, I’m a bit frustrated that I can’t find anything on this topic in the forum.

I’m familiar with the concept of Chinese tea shops where you can stay a while and sample, but are there any travelers here who have experience or tips to share for finding, buying, and bringing back good tea at fair prices? Tourist traps to avoid, expected level of negotiation, good/bad spots (for tea and maybe even equipment), reasonable prices, visiting gardens independently, etc.

Just to clarify: my budget is limited. I usually spend between 10 and 15 € per 100g on Chinese websites.

For my part, I’d love a closer look at these areas:

Hangzhou and the entire West Lake area for Longjing and maybe Anji bai cha Huangshan and Tangkou for Huangshan mao feng and Qimen/Keemun. Wuyi for yan cha (oolong rock teas) and jin jun mei Xiamen and Anxi for Tie guan yin and white teas (Yin zhen, Bai mu dan, and Shou mei) Shanghai for… everything!

Thanks.

We're planning a trip to Vietnam with La Palanche, a travel agency in Hanoi. If anyone here has used them, could you share your experience with this agency, please? Thanks

Huge disappointment. I’d seen that Friendly Shoe Shop was recommended by a blog. I went there with the intention of buying a small leather backpack. I visited once for a look around, then went online to compare prices with shops in Europe, like Marius, which specializes in leather. I realized that for the same price ($145 US), I could find the same thing in Paris. I went back to Friendly Shoe Shop and tried to see if it was possible to negotiate. The saleswoman immediately reacted. With a smile, she took the bag, put it back on display, and told me: "If you want to negotiate, go to the market!" Basically, she was telling me to get lost. You can easily apologize by saying prices are fixed and non-negotiable, but it’s unacceptable to react that way when the prices are excessive. It’s really taking tourists for a ride.

When you know the cost of living in Vietnam, this price is nothing short of a scam. I’m not questioning the quality of the product. If the workers were paid 3 or 5 times the normal rate, I wouldn’t mind. But there’s no indication that’s the case.

In summary, in Hoi An, you have the choice between: - Quality shops where you’ll pay the same price as in a European capital, which gives the owner a huge margin since they don’t pay import taxes, transportation costs, and manufacture directly, etc. - Counterfeit shops where you won’t pay much for mediocre quality.

Friendly Shoe Shop has nothing friendly or fair about it. It’ll suit people who travel for two or three weeks, have the means, and want to say when they get home that they bought a bag or shoes in Hoi An. For everyone else, there’s nothing fair about it…

Hi everyone, I’m not sure if you can help us out. We’ll be in Venice from June 8th to 17th. We arrive at the airport on the 8th and planned to take the Alilaguna waterbus to St. Mark’s Square to get to our Airbnb. We’ve estimated arriving at St. Mark’s Square between 11 AM and 12 PM. We didn’t realize we’d be arriving on the day of the race.

Because of the Vogalonga race taking place on June 8th, is the Grand Canal still navigable? If not, from what time will it be accessible again?

Thanks, Jacques

Hi there, Everything’s in the title. For those who’ve already been to South Africa, I was wondering if our French type C plugs work with the sockets you’ve encountered in your accommodations there. Apparently, South Africa uses types D, M, and N, and type C plugs are only compatible with type N sockets. Do accommodations mostly have type N sockets? Or are they mostly D and M, which would mean buying an adapter? Thanks for your replies!

Hi, Disconnected from all browsers, on all devices (but of course logged back in to post this message), I still appear online and active.

What I mean is, when I refresh (while logged out) the "who's online" page, my profile doesn’t move down the list... it even regularly jumps back to the top as if I were active on the site.

I’ve checked several times...

Any explanation?

What are your positive and negative experiences with dental implants in different countries around the world? Looking for something like 4-5 dental implants, good quality-to-price ratio.

Thanks.

Hi, I’m thinking of using GPS on my phone for a trip from the Peloponnese to central and northern Greece, as well as Cephalonia and Paxos. Based on the local networks, does this seem doable, or should I get a pocket Wi-Fi or something else? Thanks for your help

Hello,

I got a traffic fine for an offense in the state of SP, but I don’t remember why…

The receipt says: EST.VEI.NOS ACOST

I have no idea what that means—anyone know?

Thanks

Bonojour,

Nous partons 15 jours à Salvador de Bahia (que nous connaissons) en février 2011. Nous souhaitons passer 3 jours, soit à Mangue Seco, soit sur la Péninsule de Marau.

Nous hésitons car nous ne trouvons que des informations sommaires dans les guides sur ces deux endroits. Nous craignons que Marau soit très touristique et aménagé ; en revanche l'accès à Mangue seco semble très compliqué.

Votre avis ?

Merci

Bernard

Hi everyone, I’m spending 15 days in South Korea. I’d like to know how I can get a guitar while I’m there. Since I’m a guitarist, I’d love to keep playing while I travel around the country. Thanks for your help! Have a great day, Titi

Hi I’d like to know if anyone has used a Revolut Visa debit card to pay in Wyoming and Utah and whether it’s widely accepted. Thanks

After more than 11 years, I’ll be returning to Vienna soon. I remember from my last visit a beautiful restaurant with columns and stunning vaulted ceilings near the "Am Hof" square, but unfortunately, I’ve forgotten its name. Does anyone have any idea which restaurant I’m talking about?

Hi, where can I find multicolored bougainvillea seeds in Chiang Mai or Bangkok, please? Thanks so much and have a great day!

Hi, I just got back from Argentina and I have some cash left that I didn’t have time to exchange. Get in touch if you're interested! Thanks

Préparer sa retraite ! Ou ? comment ? pourquoi là ? Domicile actuel La Réunion > c'est bien . Bon avec un peu trop de monde sur cette ile...Voir un futur beaucoup trop cher pour vivre raisonnablement sans trop dépenser. Donc rayonner dans l’océan indien. Vos idées sont les bienvenus ;-) Un peu de Bali un soupçon de Rodrigue quelques semaines à Maurice, l'été à Nosy Be et l'hiver à La Réunion. En camping car...peut être.

Mes neurones disjonctent, je pense trop, je réfléchis trop, trop d'interrogations... Alors je viens vers vous, vous aux avis éclairés et tranchés, vous allez m'aider, j'en suis certaine !

Voilà, je ne sais pas quoi faire de ma vie, je veux parcourir le monde mais je crois qu'il faut de l'argent, est-ce que je dois travailler pour me constituer un pécule et ensuite partir ? Et si je suis au chômage, est-ce que je peux partir quand même ?

Oui, mais partir où ? Si je vais à Cuba, je vais tomber amoureuse d'un mec qui voudra qu'on se marie, si je vais dans les Pays Arabes je ne pourrai pas me promener en short, si je vais en Inde, je verrai des rats partout et des mendiants qui meurent dans la rue, si je vais en Argentine je rencontrerai sans doute des Extra-Terrestres, si je vais en Afrique je verrai plein de Noirs qui vivent dans des cases et au Canada je rencontrerai des ours (bon, ça c'est pas trop grave, j'aime bien les ours)... Je pourrais encore vous donner d'autres exemples mais vous allez fatiguer !

Et puis je ne parle que français, comment je vais faire dans les pays où on ne parle que la langue du pays ?

Et puis qu'est-ce que je vais manger dans tous ces pays-là ? Je ne trouverai pas des frites partout, c'est sûr !

Mais je veux quand même partir pour aller à la rencontre des gens et aller à MA rencontre ! Si, c'est important d'aller à SA rencontre, et pour ça, il faut aller ailleurs, c'est vous, ici, qui le dites, alors...

Sauf que j'ai peur de prendre l'avion... Je l'ai déjà pris quelquefois et même que quand on atterrit moi j'applaudis tellement je suis contente d'être bien arrivée ! Et paf, voilà que je viens de lire que c'est très con d'applaudir, c'est pour ça que je suis toute seule à applaudir dans l'avion ! Tous les autres savent que ça fait con, c'est peut-être que je ne voyage qu'avec des gens intelligents ?

Bon, pendant que j'attends vos avis lumineux, je vais préparer mes bagages. Ah mais voyons : valise à roulettes ou sac à dos ? Pfffffft, que c'est compliqué de voyager ! Et si je m'installais sur mon canapé pour regarder les émissions culturelles sur les voyages, genre Pékin-je sais plus quoi ou Ko-machin ? Mes neurones resteraient à leur place et je ne me poserais plus de questions !

Oui, mais si je ne me pose plus de questions, pourquoi est-ce que je suis ici alors ? Un forum, ça sert bien à poser des questions pour avoir des réponses ? Non ? Ce n'est pas fait que pour ça un forum ? Parfois on s'engueule ? Parfois on s'insulte ? Parfois on se marre ? Parfois on s'ennuie ? C'est comme dans la vraie vie alors ? Même pas drôle...

Dolma

... or when a well-intentioned initiative can turn out to be harmful.

Hi there, Why does highlighting a post in the "Suggestions" section result in it being removed from the subforum where it was originally posted?

If it's to draw attention to this worthy topic, wouldn't it be better to leave it in its original forum too, like "Destination + country" when it's a travel journal... ... and maybe add a special symbol next to the title (the opposite of the padlock, so 🤪) to show it's been featured?

I saw this photo online and it doesn’t say exactly where this unnamed structure is... I’d really appreciate an answer to my question. Thanks so much in advance! Simon

Could you recommend a skilled tailor in Puducherry to make a dress or skirt with local fabric? I’ll bring the designs.

Hi there,

I have CyberGhost VPN on my tablet, which I only use for watching TV shows/series abroad. I’d like to install this VPN on my smartphone (to avoid bringing my tablet along), but my phone has several apps I use often.

My question: Are VPNs (including CyberGhost) actually secure on smartphones? I’m worried someone might sneak off with some of my data here and there...

Thanks

4 years without you all was really tough. Well done to the admins for their hard work. 👏 Long live this Forum! 😄

Hi there, I just found out that VF is back...!! What a joy....

A huge thank you—this site is so rich in exchanges and the range of information you can find here.

Bravo to the team for your perseverance and courage in getting through that difficult period.

You're coming back strong.... I wish you a long life and nothing but good things ahead...

Hello,

After 20 years of operation and a 4-year hiatus, we were happy to rediscover this forum following its acquisition by Myatlas.

At the very beginning of the adventure, there was a section allowing members to share their ideas—good or bad, feasible or not—with the team in charge to help perfect the forum.

So, to help VoyageForum regain its momentum and adapt to new audiences and a new environment, why not put our heads together and suggest some improvement ideas in this thread?

I’ll get the ball rolling!

Travel journals are limited to 300 photos because photo storage is expensive. This limitation is completely understandable, and Myatlas found a solution by offering a paid subscription for those who wanted to exceed the free photo limit. Maybe this approach could be adapted here? Limiting without offering an alternative is a reason members leave.

Hi, what TV options are there in Morocco? How much is a package with internet and phone? Is it possible to watch other UK or French channels?