Of course it will eliminate jobs—it’s already started (analysts, management controllers, translators, journalists...).
But like coachmen when the railways arrived, this (r)evolution will create other professions.
Can an AI come unclog your pipes at home? That’s a stretch...
You really have to have never closely examined AI to reduce it to a pile of data, even if that’s intrinsically what it is.
Using an AI platform, just like using a smartphone, doesn’t interest me much.
For me to get into a philosophical concept, Wikipedia is enough.
It’s not that it’s good or bad—it’s just not my thing.
Otherwise, the Lonely Planet has drastically reduced the pages about accommodations and restaurants. It has to be said that in the Internet age, these pages don't make much sense anymore.
That’s some lean management without calling it that.
It just costs less to produce a guide; it means they don’t have to pay investigators, I think it’s that simple.
an AI can come unclog your pipes at home? That’s a bit much...
Did I mention plumbers?
I almost could have, given how many tutorials there are online for “unclogging your pipes yourself.”
On the other hand, when it comes to coffee, I agree with you—I’d only trust my own machine. What? A machine that makes coffee all by itself! Things were better before! 😉
"Le véritable voyage de découverte ne consiste pas à chercher de nouveaux paysages, mais à avoir de nouveaux yeux."
Marcel Proust
Young people will have less and less work, so travel...
Young people have never traveled as much—they’re traveling more than any previous generation. Just go to an airport, and you’ll see it for yourself.
After COVID, we thought travel would slow down, but we’ve already surpassed pre-pandemic levels. People have never traveled this much, even though prices in the tourism sector have really gone up.
" Celui qui voyage sans rencontrer l'autre ne voyage pas , il se déplace "
( Alexandra David-Néel )
" Ahora todos quieren ser latinos , no , ey , pero les falta sazon , bateria y reggaeton " ( Bad Bunny )
Hi Bruno, yes, things in the technical realm are moving very fast. But has the human being changed? I’m not so sure.
People still fall into two categories: those who agonize over planning and those who go with the flow.
At the Itinérance festival, which I’m organizing for the second time in the Vosges, the speakers span all ages and all belong to the second category.
Here are a few examples:
Blandine Dupuis
The soul and spirit of a true adventurer
A few of her many lived experiences, which she’s put down on paper, capture her essence better than a long CV ever could.
“One day I was born, and ever since, I’ve improvised.”
Nothing was planned. I just knew I wanted to discover the world, to slowly meet people and landscapes.
So in June 2022, I set off to conquer the globe on my trusty steel two-wheeled steed, not really sure where to begin—it’s so vast!
The cold intensified and the nights grew longer at an alarming rate. One thing I wasn’t prepared for was the long, endless nights and the lack of light. I was tired all the time. I cried often. I felt alone and blamed myself for having no energy. Riding on ice was completely new to me and required so much effort with a loaded bike... The touristy side of the trip gave way to the athletic side of the adventure.
After pedaling 30,000 km across Europe, I found myself parachuted to the other side of the world.
I spoke three words of Spanish (I never studied it in school). New culture, new language, new landscapes, new flora, new fauna, new continent—I was lost, everything was so vast. I was a little scared. A lone white woman facing the unknown... A new adventure begins!!!
I didn’t really have a destination in mind. Someone had told me about the Carretera Austral. The name sounded wild... It made me want to go see. So I did what I do best: I hopped on my bike and pedaled toward... the Andes! Dragging a sciatica that had been bothering me for months and turned excruciating a few days after departure, I didn’t expect to last more than 15 days...
As I write these lines from my tent, tucked into my sleeping bag, I’ve been on the road for 7 months, and even though the need for *‘dineros’* is starting to be felt, I really don’t want to go home—this epic has been, and still is, so rich in every way.
For her, the challenge is always lurking somewhere in her motivations. Before her big solo trips, she competed in Gravel racing. You know, those races where you ride rough trails through the mountains for thousands of kilometers, completely self-sufficient, just for the joy of hugging and smiling with other competitors at the finish line.
Brigitte Fournier
She’s a great example of someone who gave her life meaning according to her own aspirations. After earning a degree from one of the most prestigious schools, she returned to her hometown of Briançon. She devoted herself to beekeeping for a long career, moving her hives along the Durance Valley. She always managed her own schedule and, as a result, spent a lot of time in the mountains and doing outdoor sports—ski touring, kitesurfing, and long-distance bike travel.
In life, you have to make decisions, which isn’t always easy, and one of her sayings hits hard when she delivers it: “You have to choose between being a dog or a wolf.” It echoes something a long-time adventurer friend of mine once said: you always leave despite a multitude of good reasons not to.
She’ll talk about one of her trips—the one she took when she retired: 18 months solo by bike across the three Americas (North, Central, and South), aptly titled *La retraite, vous y avez pensé* (Retirement, Have You Thought About It?).
I know she’s very modest and has already scolded me for talking about her like this, but I can only encourage you to come listen to her and chat with her.
Alexandra Husha
Tata Alex is a young author from Nantes. She speaks at the pace of someone eager to move forward in life and satisfy her curiosity about the world and others.
At 31, she learned she had breast cancer. The shock was brutal.
It was while hosting a Brazilian during my treatments that I discovered the world of bike travel. Though I had lost all sense of femininity, we both fell in love. When Felipe promised to come back and take me to Romania by bike, I didn’t hesitate for a second—I bought a bike.
Thanks to Grandma Jeannine’s inheritance, I bought a bike and the gear needed for long trips. In memory of Grandma, I named my bike Jeannette!
I trained gradually, despite the treatments and their powerful side effects: pain, fatigue, cognitive issues, hot flashes...
In the end, Felipe never came back... But the call of travel was stronger than anything, which is why I set off again on June 9, 2021, for a solo bike tour of Europe. I pedaled all the way to the Black Sea, with a detour through Greece and Italy. When I got home, I’d covered 8,450 km!
This trip gave me a sense of accomplishment, especially because it gave me a goal during all my treatments—and even alone, I managed to see it through!
When I returned from Romania, my nephews were loudly proclaiming that Santa Claus didn’t exist. That was all it took for me to find my next destination!
Beyond wanting to prove those little rascals wrong, I mostly needed to prove to myself that the cancer was behind me and that my body was capable of taking on big challenges again—like pedaling into headwinds in Ireland, braving torrential rain in Wales, tackling the steep hills of Chianti in Tuscany, and sharing the road with wild reindeer in Lapland!
I made it back home in November 2022 after 6 months of adventure and 10,450 km.
I share these two European tours during conferences where I show films of my travels and sign copies of my travel stories.
Julien Humbert
List of Trips:
2002-2003 “Objective Mongolia” (http://peuplesetmusiques.free.fr/index_fr.html) North Africa, from Mumbai to Kathmandu with a trek around the Annapurnas, Southeast Asia up to Mongolia and the Republic of Tuva.
2009-2019 Tour of Europe, crossing the Sahara followed by a transatlantic sail, then 8 years in the Americas (https://grand-sapin.blogspot.com/).
2020 Tour de France
2021 Tour de France
2022 Corsica, Belgium, Netherlands, England
2024 Round trip Cornimont-Rocamadour with a tour of the Massif Central in 3 weeks.
2025 Stevenson Trail followed by a deep dive into the southwest quarter of France and a tour of Catalonia.
Coming in 2026: A major multi-year expedition starting in early May: Tour of the Baltic aiming for the North Cape—Silk Road and South Africa.
Description:
In summary, so far:
- 50 countries visited
- A total of 12 years spent abroad, including 6 on the road and 6 living in Mexico.
- Around 100,000 km traveled in total.
A minimalist and sober traveler, Julien travels without any technological equipment (no cell phone, GPS, laptop, etc.).
He also travels without a set itinerary, preferring to simply set a general direction and let encounters shape his route.
A big fan of bivouacking, he doesn’t use any accommodation apps, travels in all weather, and lets events guide him.
Julien is my neighbor. I first saw his bike—a wreck after 7 years on the road. When he comes over for coffee at 9 AM, he can stay until midnight—the traveler who lives outside of time. Like Brigitte Fournier, he’s highly educated, but he needs to escape the framework of our lives. He’s helping me organize the 2026 festival. This morning, we filmed a short 20-minute promotional spot. The immense pleasure of talking with this kind of person! I was the timekeeper, but we could’ve talked for hours. Inevitably, the conversation turned to travel—a mix of dreams, projects, and lived experiences. He made a comment I’d never considered: one of the advantages of traveling without a return date is not having to think, *I’m halfway there*. People like him radiate a contagious joy for life, despite the terrible hardships they’ve faced.
Pierre Hérant
Pierre Hérant was born in Touraine and lives near the Mercantour mountains in Nice, which serve as his playground and training ground.
Passionate about mountains, nature, travel, and reading, he constantly combines these four themes in his accounts of his many long solo hikes and bike trips.
His books are published by Éditions Christine Bonneton for his travel stories and by Chamina Édition for the photo books that illustrate them.
- « My Tour of the Hexagon by Bike – 7,600 km Along France’s Borders » (2023 for the photo book and 2024 for the travel story)
-
- « My Crossing of France on Foot – 1,750 km from Nice to Mont-Saint-Michel » (2024 for the photo book and 2025 for the travel story)
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- « My Crossing of the Pyrenees on Foot – 775 km from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic » (2025 for the photo book and 2026 for the travel story).
His next title will be:
- « My Camino de Santiago – 750 km from Le Puy-en-Velay to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port » (2026 for the practical guide and photo book, 2027 for the travel story)
These books are available or can be ordered in all bookstores.
Pierre Hérant has also self-published other accounts of major sporting trips in France and various mountains around the world on Amazon in paperback and digital formats.
Amazon.fr: Pierre HERANT: books, biography, latest updates
- « At the School of Trekking in the Himalayas – Volume 1 » (2018) recounts the Annapurna Base Camp Trek and the Great Crossing of Ladakh
-
- « At the School of Trekking in the Himalayas – Volume 2 » (2019) recounts the Annapurna Circuit and the Everest High Route
-
- « In the Mountains of Japan » (2018) recounts the crossings of the Northern and Southern Japanese Alps and Mount Fuji
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- « At the School of Trekking on Islands » (2020) recounts the crossings of Corsica via the GR 20, Réunion Island via the GR R1 and R2, and the crossing and circuit of La Palma via the GR 130 and 131
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- « Downstream by Bike » (2021) recounts a Nice-Nantes-Bordeaux-Nice bikepacking loop of 3,700 km
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- « At the School of Trekking in the Alps » (2024) recounts the Tour du Mont Blanc, the Crossing of the Dolomites via the Alta Via 2, and the Tour of the Oisans and Écrins via the GR 52.
A few other free-spirited travelers will also share their stories. I’ve decided to prioritize the sparkle in the speakers’ eyes and the conviction in their voices over drone footage. If I want to see stunning films, I’ll watch *The Big Blue* or *The Fifth Element*. I wrote *cavalier* thinking of Kessel. For travel storytelling, I try—imperfectly—to follow in the footsteps of Joseph Kessel or Ella Maillart. References that go back to the 1930s for Ella, and for Kessel, born in 1898, his stories span a very long period from World War I to the sixties.
So, some might accuse me of doing a little self-promotion for this festival. We look forward to seeing many of you in Cornimont in the Vosges from April 24 to 26 to exchange with these adventurers.
I’ll admit I didn’t read your whole message, but I don’t mind the little plug for your festival at all—especially since this forum isn’t mine 😄.
I’d even suggest you make a dedicated post about it in the bike travel section.
I’ve had the chance to follow a few of your travel journals, and I still admire your way of traveling—so free, just like you said!
"Le véritable voyage de découverte ne consiste pas à chercher de nouveaux paysages, mais à avoir de nouveaux yeux."
Marcel Proust
Young people will have less and less work, so travel...
Young people have never traveled as much as they do now—more than any previous generation—just go to an airport to see it.
After COVID, we thought travel would decrease, but we’ve already surpassed pre-pandemic levels. People have never traveled this much, even though prices in the tourism sector have really gone up.
Young people struggle to find housing. Many still live with their parents, so they spend money on travel instead. They’re also having fewer kids for a bunch of reasons.
But I’m talking more long-term. With AI changing the world of work.
And then there’s the war in Iran and rising prices.
The world is becoming more uniform—we dress, eat, and live almost the same way in France as in Thailand or elsewhere... and it’s only going to get worse.
An article yesterday from "Tourmag" got me thinking about Cuba, which has remained frozen in time, far from this uniformity. They don’t even have a McDonald’s...
It’s a country like no other in every way.
The article says that the United States is going to take over the island’s tourism by setting up major American hotel chains there.
Cuba, geographically so close to the U.S., will quickly be "invaded" by American tourists, bringing with it everything that entails: rising prices, uniformity, and so on...
It’s great for Cubans, who will finally escape the stagnation they’ve been in for so long, but in terms of tourism, the country will become much more sanitized, and relationships with Cubans will likely be very different too.
" Celui qui voyage sans rencontrer l'autre ne voyage pas , il se déplace "
( Alexandra David-Néel )
" Ahora todos quieren ser latinos , no , ey , pero les falta sazon , bateria y reggaeton " ( Bad Bunny )
Hey Sinforosa, I totally agree with that statement.
Cuba has its own unique cultural identity.
Just like many peoples around the world who have their own identity and culture.
Even better, Cuba has a soul—the soul of Havana can’t be corrupted by dollars from the American economy.
Money and finance can only buy material things.
Cubans may be poor, living in rundown houses and old, beat-up cars.
But that doesn’t stop them from having a joy for life.
It’s not like living in the U.S., where the golden rule is "time is money," so the average American is stressed out by the rat race.
But as they say, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade :)
What I’m writing might ruffle some feathers, but the U.S. is a country without a distinct soul.
Given that it’s the New World, which skipped straight to modernity.
Don’t forget that the U.S. has only about 250 years of history.
Don’t lose sight of the fact that the USA has "only" about 250 years of history.
A quick subtraction makes me think you’re starting U.S. history at the date of its independence.
That would make Cuba an even younger nation, since its independence was proclaimed in 1902 by the Treaty of Paris after more than 300 years of Spanish colonization…
And still under American tutelage until the 1959 revolution.
Anyway, we’re way off the original topic…
"Le véritable voyage de découverte ne consiste pas à chercher de nouveaux paysages, mais à avoir de nouveaux yeux."
Marcel Proust
I think a good number of those who frequent forums are already a certain age, if not quite old.
Travel forums, like travel guides, are a "old-school" thing—they’re not really used by people under 40, and even less by those under 30.
I’m picking up on this—hi again, Sinforosa, if you could tell me why travel guides are considered "for old people," I’d really appreciate it.
And as a result, what channels do younger people use instead?
The facts are pretty telling, though.
When it comes to guidebooks, we don’t know the numbers, so we can wonder... I have little doubt. For forums, if we take VF as an example, it’s clear right away: out of 10 members (among those brave enough to display their age), more than two-thirds are 60 or older!
And consequently, what channels do younger people use?
For several years now, I’ve been systematically joining French-speaking Facebook groups for my next destination (like “French people in Laos,” etc.), and I can tell you the questions (and answers) are pouring in!
I also use Instagram, but communication there is a bit more complicated.
The issue with paper guides is that their updates are slow and unreliable, which leads to some distrust. Personally, I still use them, but also because they look “nice” on my bookshelf when I get back .
I haven’t used them for accommodations or restaurants in a long time.
"Le véritable voyage de découverte ne consiste pas à chercher de nouveaux paysages, mais à avoir de nouveaux yeux."
Marcel Proust
As for guides, we don’t know the numbers, so we can wonder
We know that travel guide sales are plummeting.
When it comes to readers’ ages, I don’t know any young people under 30 who use them. When I travel, I see them looking up info on their phones—it’s the screen generation, not the book generation.
There must be some young people who still use guides, but I think they’re rare. And it makes sense—today, we have all the info online.
" Celui qui voyage sans rencontrer l'autre ne voyage pas , il se déplace "
( Alexandra David-Néel )
" Ahora todos quieren ser latinos , no , ey , pero les falta sazon , bateria y reggaeton " ( Bad Bunny )
It's hard to say how "young people" or "older folks" react...
Saying "thank you" is first and foremost a matter of upbringing, and whether you're young or old, we always come back to that.
Regarding trends, here’s what I’ve noticed:
Forums rely on just a handful of contributors (mostly older ones!),
Travel guides are selling less even though people are traveling more,
Social media is either outdated (Facebook) or just commercial advertorials for influencers (Insta and many others),
A lot of travelers set off without a plan,
People often criticize overtourism as if it’s always someone else’s fault ("the Chinese," for example—even though they’re often Korean ;) ),
The app "PolarStep" is widely used by 20- to 35-year-olds to share their "experiences,"
By 2026, I feel that a series of well-structured AI prompts could be an effective way to plan trips (for those who want to plan). I tested it for trips I’d just taken, and it’s pretty mind-blowing!
In reality, when I travel, I prepare using this forum (and sometimes others) and a few travel blogs...
Nos escapades : Le Maroc, l'Egypte, la Mauritanie, la Tunisie, l'Afrique du Sud, Lanzarote, les Etats-Unis (3 ans), le Canada, le Mexique, la Colombie, le Pérou, la Guadeloupe, la Martinique, l'Indonésie, la Thaïlande, Israël, Dubaï, la Jordanie, la Turquie, et Tahiti... pour l'instant !
I think AI is going to take up more and more space in trip planning.
As for forums, whether it's VF or others, they rely on a handful of participants, often retirees, some of whom have been around for years, and there’s no renewal, which doesn’t bode well for the future of these forums.
And today, there are fewer and fewer real exchanges between travel enthusiasts. Mostly, people come mainly for practical information or to have their itinerary made for them (they could just as easily ask AI these questions), and they don’t come back to share their own insights, help future travelers, or recount how their trip went.
Just look at the pre-COVID discussions on VF—there were fascinating exchanges about travel, fun and smart games (with lots of participants). Today, that’s all gone, and it’s the same on other forums.
I’m not sure what you mean by traveling "with the wind in your sails," but I think people today know exactly where they’re going and what they’ll see. They gather information differently depending on the generation, but they’re hyper-informed about their chosen destination, hotels, restaurants, etc.
I’m not sure there’s much improvisation left in travel these days.
Otherwise, people still read travel journals (even though you might think they’re "outdated" like forums and travel guides). Even for destinations that aren’t widely discussed on forums—I wrote a journal about El Salvador on MyAtlas, and I was surprised by how many views it got in such a short time.
" Celui qui voyage sans rencontrer l'autre ne voyage pas , il se déplace "
( Alexandra David-Néel )
" Ahora todos quieren ser latinos , no , ey , pero les falta sazon , bateria y reggaeton " ( Bad Bunny )
You only have to look at the pre-Covid discussions on VF—there were some fascinating travel exchanges, fun and clever games (with lots of participants). Now, they’re gone, and it’s the same on other forums.
I think AI is going to play an increasingly bigger role in trip planning.
Good evening, let's not forget people who travel for spiritual or religious reasons.
There are pilgrims heading to Mecca, Lourdes, St. Peter's in Rome, Jerusalem.
These folks are guided by faith, not a smartphone...🙂
I’d say it’s more like people in their fifties, even if retirees outnumber teenagers.
they could just ask AI these questions
The only time I asked AI a question where the answer was actually useful, it gave me complete nonsense.
And it wasn’t even complicated.
(Going from point A to point B in three 500-kilometer stages—all in Western Europe, so well-trodden routes.)
I’ve also tested it with other questions.
The answers are super generic. You have to really push it to get something slightly off the beaten path.
What both me the most is how sanitized it feels. You don’t get the sense you’re talking to a person—more like a sales rep who’s *way* too polite to be genuine.
It’s all so smooth and bland.
Even when you’re wrong and getting worked up, it just keeps stroking your ego.
That’s definitely not the case here…
people still read travel journals
The real issue is finding them.
Google’s search results prioritize ads, sponsored blogs, and all that—not actual travel journals.
It’s getting harder and harder to dig them up with just a few keywords.
That wasn’t the case before.
travel guides
For addresses and practical info, yeah, they’re pretty outdated.
But niche guides still have an audience.
Hiking guides, maps like those from International Photographer, pocket guides with day-trip itineraries, or ones focused on history, landmarks, local life, etc.
Édifices religieux : concours de photos amical d'août 2026
Rubrique Jeux Voyages
C'est le moment de poster vos meilleurs clichés !
I think AI is going to play a bigger and bigger role in trip planning.
.
Hello,
As someone who uses AI, I tried it out for planning a trip—just out of curiosity.
I simulated wanting to visit a city I love and know pretty well: Beijing. I asked ChatGPT and Gemini to whip up an original itinerary for me.
I was blown away by the results. While ChatGPT’s suggestions stayed fairly classic, Gemini’s ideas were really unique and matched my request well. But be careful—at this stage of AI development, it’s probably risky (or premature) to rely on a chatbot for a ready-made trip. That said, it can be a great starting point to get a rough idea based on your expectations.
Anyway, it's common knowledge that paper guides are outdated when it comes to accommodations, and even more so for restaurants...
A few days ago in Tunisia, I was in a café reading a travel guide that mentioned it. The owner came over to ask if his place was in it and took a photo of the paragraph about his establishment.
I asked him what year they had visited, and he replied, "They never came—it's just because I have a good reputation!"
This confirms what I wrote above. These days, with the internet, the pages in paper guides about hotels, restaurants, and cafés are completely useless. With Google Maps, you can see where the place is located, and by reading several reviews on Google or TripAdvisor, you can get an idea of the quality.
Not to mention that establishments featured in travel guides take advantage of their reputation to charge higher prices than other places that are just as good, if not better.
Personally, I’m considering ditching travel guides altogether (I realize I consult them less and less). Their only advantage over the internet is that the information is all in one place, which helps avoid drowning in a sea of sometimes contradictory details.
" Celui qui voyage sans rencontrer l'autre ne voyage pas , il se déplace "
( Alexandra David-Néel )
" Ahora todos quieren ser latinos , no , ey , pero les falta sazon , bateria y reggaeton " ( Bad Bunny )
Long gone are the days when we’d just set off with “South East Asia on a Shoestring”—like 250 pages covering 10 countries.
These days, you can just head out with your phone, and that’s what more and more travelers are doing—not just those in their twenties. On your phone, you’ve got all the info you need, and you don’t have to lug around a heavy, bulky book anymore.
Travel guide sales are steadily and consistently dropping because they don’t offer anything you can’t find on your phone.
" Celui qui voyage sans rencontrer l'autre ne voyage pas , il se déplace "
( Alexandra David-Néel )
" Ahora todos quieren ser latinos , no , ey , pero les falta sazon , bateria y reggaeton " ( Bad Bunny )
Sure, but a phone needs recharging, needs a network, needs Wi-Fi, needs a SIM card to check things offline.
Plus, too much information kills information, and details like photos are becoming less and less reliable—commercial links are always pushed to the top, and photos are heavily Photoshopped. With AI, you can even fake selfies from a trip you never took...
And then, you’ve got to know how to use it properly.
A book, on the other hand, can be consulted anywhere, anytime. Depending on the collection or the authors, the commercial side is less intrusive, photos are less manipulated, and practical info isn’t drowned in disguised ads (like those links to official ticket-selling sites, for example).
I find the internet less and less useful for finding real, lived-in, basic experiences. It’s turning into one big shopping mall.
Édifices religieux : concours de photos amical d'août 2026
Rubrique Jeux Voyages
C'est le moment de poster vos meilleurs clichés !
on mobile we have all the necessary information and we no longer need to lug around a heavy, bulky book.
True, but what makes travel guides special is their curation of the best addresses. Not all the addresses you find online are necessarily worth it. It’s like Gallimard editions, for example—they receive thousands of manuscripts and have to make a selection. Or the Michelin Guide. Plus, as I mentioned earlier, on TripAdvisor in particular, there can be fake positive reviews.
Especially on Tripadvisor, there can be fake positive reviews
As I mentioned earlier (post 77), travel guides recommend places they’ve NEVER actually visited, so it’s no surprise that people later come to forums to say that a place recommended by a guide was terrible.
For reviews on Tripadvisor and Google, I read several and only pay attention to those posted by people who’ve shared MULTIPLE reviews. I never trust reviews from someone who’s only posted once, whether it’s positive or negative.
By following this "method" and looking at the many photos, you can get a pretty accurate idea of a place—I’ve verified this afterward several times. I think it’s much more reliable than a travel guide or a review from just one or two people on a travel forum.
Nowadays, the hotel, restaurant, and café pages in paper guides are completely useless. And as I mentioned earlier, places listed in guides take advantage of their reputation to charge higher prices than other equally good—or even better—establishments.
As I’ve said before, the only advantage of travel guides is that everything is in one place, so you don’t drown in a flood of sometimes contradictory information.
" Celui qui voyage sans rencontrer l'autre ne voyage pas , il se déplace "
( Alexandra David-Néel )
" Ahora todos quieren ser latinos , no , ey , pero les falta sazon , bateria y reggaeton " ( Bad Bunny )
I think AI is going to play a bigger and bigger role in trip planning.
.
Not just in planning, but also on the ground:
A few months ago, we were dining with a group in a restaurant in a small town in Brazil. We wanted to order wine, but the wine list only had bottles from South America.
One of the guests said, "Wait, let’s ask AI for its opinion on this wine list." So we did, and we ordered the one with the best rating. Well, it wasn’t very good… *sigh* Can’t even trust machines anymore…
One of the guests: "Wait, let's ask the AI for its opinion on this wine list"
And why didn’t you just ask the server? 🤔
I think to get a satisfying answer, you need to be pretty specific in your questions—maybe by specifying your wine preferences, you’d have gotten a more tailored response.
But your example (and there are others like it in the forums) shows that today, almost everyone—not just 20-year-olds—uses AI for everything, and in a few years, it’ll be the norm, and no one will bat an eye.
And if people are gradually getting used to asking AI, it’s because, overall, they’re satisfied with it—otherwise, they wouldn’t keep doing it.
" Celui qui voyage sans rencontrer l'autre ne voyage pas , il se déplace "
( Alexandra David-Néel )
" Ahora todos quieren ser latinos , no , ey , pero les falta sazon , bateria y reggaeton " ( Bad Bunny )
I agree with you—once you're there, a good old-fashioned paper map, a Michelin map, and a bit of intuition. The old-school way! 😛
And for prep: blogs or forums with recent info.
On the spot, a good old GDR
And for prep: blogs or forums with recent info
Often, the GDR is really lacking compared to its competitors. It dedicates a lot of pages (useless, in my opinion) to hotels, restaurants, cafés, or souvenir shops and completely skips entire regions of some countries.
For example, for Guatemala, the GDR doesn’t mention Nebaj or the Ixil Triangle, while Lonely Planet and Petit Futé do. It’s a shame because it’s a stunning region (and super interesting for anyone into the country’s history), and travel blogs barely cover it (it’s an isolated mountainous area).
Lonely Planet has changed its format and cut down the space devoted to hotels and restaurants. For instance, in their Tunisia guide, they dedicate just one page to hotels in six cities, whereas the GDR gives at least one page per city.
Lonely Planet realized that with the internet, those pages are becoming less useful—especially since so many travelers now stay in Airbnbs.
These days, anyone can find a hotel in a few clicks. You don’t need a travel guide’s recommendations. I spent a week in Joyabaj (Guatemala), a city that doesn’t appear in any guide or blog, and I had no trouble finding a hotel on my own.
Beyond travel guides and blogs, visiting tourist offices (when they exist) can be helpful. It was on the advice of the Chichicastenango tourist office that I went to Joyabaj—a city I’d never heard of—and it ended up being the most memorable week of my two-month trip.
As for travel forums, no matter which one, I haven’t found much of interest since the pandemic. For my last big trips (Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama), the most useful info came from pre-COVID discussions. Latin American forums were super active before the pandemic, but now they’re either dead or overrun with ads for guides or agencies.
For my most recent trip, Tunisia, it’s the same—there’s hardly any recent info on forums (on VoyageForum, the last travel journal was from 2019).
" Celui qui voyage sans rencontrer l'autre ne voyage pas , il se déplace "
( Alexandra David-Néel )
" Ahora todos quieren ser latinos , no , ey , pero les falta sazon , bateria y reggaeton " ( Bad Bunny )
I really enjoy browsing on Google Maps or Maps.me.
The backroads, the viewpoints, the photos—usually still without added effects for landscapes—and the spots where there just aren’t any yet, or so few! 😛
Guidebooks for the history, geography, etc. of the country, but also the main tourist highlights for a first look at the destination!
And travel journals. 🙂
Édifices religieux : concours de photos amical d'août 2026
Rubrique Jeux Voyages
C'est le moment de poster vos meilleurs clichés !
Of course AI will take over, even for asking for wine list recommendations.
Because the problem is that the vast majority of people working in restaurants, or even travel agencies, don’t know anything about what they’re selling. They’re only there to push a product, but when you need precise, in-depth explanations... there’s no one around.
Of course AI will take over, even for asking for wine list recommendations.
Because the problem is that the vast majority of people who work in restaurants, or even travel agencies, know absolutely nothing about their subject.
AI will take over because it's the easy solution—this had already started with smartphones.
Nowadays, who asks a human for directions? If people are lost, they just look at their phone—it's so easy.
It's a shame because asking a person for directions can be nice.
I still don’t have a smartphone—I just have a basic Nokia with buttons that I never take on trips. I travel with a tablet that I leave at the hotel, so when I’m lost, I *have* to ask someone for directions, and it often leads to a conversation. The same goes for getting information about a place.
For example, in Italy, I’ve asked several times what certain buildings were that I didn’t recognize, and the people I spoke to launched into long explanations. I could’ve gotten that info from AI, but I find it nicer to ask people—and it helped me practice my Italian.
Other recent examples: I asked a man for directions in the medina of Sfax, and he took me to visit the four floors of his shoe-making workshop. In the dyers' souk in the medina of Tunis, someone showed me the machines dyeing fabrics. In Tunisia, I was often surprised when I asked someone for directions while they were eating cookies, fruit, or a snack, and they offered me some—a "custom" that doesn’t exist in Europe.
And I have plenty of similar examples in other countries besides Italy and Tunisia.
If I’d had a smartphone, I would’ve missed out on these interactions with locals.
I’ve tried to resist buying a smartphone so I don’t spend my life glued to it, but I’ll probably get one soon because I’m going to South Korea for nearly two months, and I think it’ll make life easier for translations and getting around. But I’m really tempted to go like I usually do—without a smartphone, without apps, just with a tablet that stays at the hotel (not so long ago, tourists managed just fine without these tools)... and keep asking humans for directions (and information).
" Celui qui voyage sans rencontrer l'autre ne voyage pas , il se déplace "
( Alexandra David-Néel )
" Ahora todos quieren ser latinos , no , ey , pero les falta sazon , bateria y reggaeton " ( Bad Bunny )
If I had had a smartphone, I would have missed out on those interactions with the locals.
Not necessarily—one doesn’t rule out the other.
For me, a smartphone is essential, or nearly so. 😉 Some apps are really useful when we travel. I couldn’t do without Organic Maps or my translation app anymore. I also use a hiking app, a weather app, a level app when we travel with our camper, and an app for the northern lights, etc. But that doesn’t stop me from chatting with people or asking for directions.
Réflexions de voyageurs › Amérique du Sud · 2 replies
Voila que depuis quelques jours je me penche sur les taux d homicide...rien de tres rejouissant en lui meme, mais bon sur le forum amerique du sud, la question…
Décidemment, moi qui me plaint de trop d'écrans en tout lieu, il y a quand même des lectures qui font plaisir (ou déplaisir) à lire... surtout quand ce sont…
Réflexions de voyageurs › Amérique du Sud · 286 replies
S’installer de manière durable en Amérique latine ne détruit-il pas le mythe? C'est un long et vaste sujet, je pense que les deux opinions sont totalement…
Fini le privilège du voyage sac à dos pour les plus jeunes ça fait maintenant quelque temps que les retraités revendiquent aussi ce droit de routard comme un…
Nous sommes bien sûr tous des voyageurs et c'est ce qui nous rassemble ici. Mais nous avons tous une vision différente du voyage et n'y accordons pas la même…
Hi everyone,
I’m Loulou, a French expat who’s been living in Southeast Asia for about fifteen years, currently in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. A passionate walker at heart, I’ve trekked in Nepal (Thorung La, Mardi Himal), India, Vietnam, and I’m still planning new hikes (Char Dham, Langtang, Annapurna).
I’ve just published my first travel journal, recounting three months of walking and encounters across India. A portion of the sales goes to an educational center I support in Kep, for children whose parents work in the salt marshes.
I’m also working on a second book about Nepal with a musician friend, focusing on the Mardi Himal trek—two independent perspectives on the same journey.
Happy to swap stories with you about the Himalayas, India, Southeast Asia, or just the urge to hit the road and walk far from home.
Safe travels,
Loulou
Hi! It was totally by chance that I stumbled upon VoyageForum (an ad online and a story lol), and I’ve been reading some really old posts from 2011 about Thai massage schools—discussions on how to get by, accommodation, prices, etc. It reminded me of my own experience: I kept things simple by staying with a local family during my entire trip. I only shared all the expenses with them, which, I’ll admit, was super cheap… and I often traveled with them, which naturally opened a lot of doors for me. To start, at the school in Salaya, my Thai friend immediately connected me with Teacher Phong (the school’s mentor and teacher of teachers, a former monk). I was supposed to join a group session with other foreigners, but for some reason I don’t know, I got two days of private lessons for free with this expert… incredible! And on top of that, he loved France! It was an amazing experience. I "discovered" massage by chance—the Thai family just told me: "Try it, you’ll see!" (I’d had a pretty intense massage in the capital before 😅… but the next day, I felt unbelievably great!))
Every morning, I’d take a taxi (chosen by the Thai family at prices that beat all the competition) to this school—I’ve forgotten the name of the little village now… right in the heart of the countryside. Then, in the evenings, I’d keep practicing massage on all the family members… and they’d teach me Thai at the same time!))
Since then, I’ve practiced a bit, with lots of positive feedback. Following Teacher Phong’s advice—he thought my pressure was deep, firm, and precise—he strongly encouraged me to take this seriously.
I love Thailand so much. It’s a whole different way of living… and it’s a real blessing, even if I couldn’t live there full-time. Anyway, that was an unforgettable memory, and sometimes the Thai family and I still say hi—from 2011, 2013… right up to today!
Who’d like to share their best and worst travel memories in a few lines?
For me, it’s watching the TAJ MAHAL at sunrise and getting chased by dogs at the top of a mountain pass in GREECE on the way back from ISTANBUL.
THANKS GUYS
"It seems to me that poverty would be less painful in the sun" wrote Aznavour...
Not sure...😕 Who can prove that people in hot countries are happier than others?
What do you think?
Is it better to live in Montpellier than in Lille?
Are the Pygmies happier than the Inuit?
Are Canadians less happy than the people of Louisiana?
Are there more French expats in hot countries?
And your travels? Do you choose your destinations based on the climate?
Do you rejoice when a bit of sunshine appears?
Hi everyone, just this once I’m not posting for a travel story, but to share a thought for Venezuela.
If you didn’t know—since it’s not making headlines—the country was hit by two 7.5-magnitude earthquakes last week. Over 2,200 people have died, more than 50,000 are missing, and some coastal towns have been completely destroyed.
Maybe when the scale of the humanitarian crisis becomes clear, our media will cover it a bit more... especially since earthquakes with this many casualties usually make the front page, but there’s been nothing in France.
So here’s a thought for this country, which, whatever you think of its politics, is a true jewel of South America, both for its landscapes and its people.
hi there
I’d like to invite you to discover my coastal province in central Vietnam: Quang Ngai.
This year, my province has really improved its infrastructure—mountains, countryside, and sea are all authentic here.
No harassers or thieves, and no Russians either.
A local lunch costs around 1 €.
A *** hotel room is about 25 €, and you can find hotels right on My Khe Beach.
We have a specialty: *banh xeo*—10 crepes for just 1.5 €.
You can rent motorbikes to explore the province and maybe visit the many ethnic minorities.
I live here—I’m not selling anything, but I can help if needed (my father-in-law is a traditional Vietnamese doctor and he’s very skilled).
Hi everyone! 😉
I’m Typhaine, 35 years old. Five years ago, I left France for a solo round-the-world trip—no planes, just a van, hitchhiking, cycling, and even a canoe in the Amazon! Today, I work as a naturalist guide in Argentine Patagonia.
Wherever I go, my compass stays the same: observing and photographing wildlife, which I deeply admire and respect.
My project: I’d love to share this experience through a sustainable, authentic, and immersive nature tourism initiative. But to build something meaningful, I need to understand how other nature enthusiasts experience their own adventures.
If you:
Are over 20 years old
Have a true passion for Nature
Have already taken at least one trip lasting more than 3 nights (in your country or abroad) in your life
Promise: I’m not selling anything, this isn’t marketing. Your answers are 100% anonymous and will only help me shape this wild project.
A huge thank you to everyone for your help and kindness! Looking forward to chatting in this thread 😛
(Dear admins, this is purely a collaborative effort for my project study, with no commercial purpose. Thank you so much for your support!)
Photo: Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos horribilis), female on the left and her cub on the right. Photo taken by me in Alaska, Denali National Park.
I spent 3 weeks in Bali last summer (+ 3 nights on Gili Meno and a day trip to Kawah Ijen in Java). So I wanted to see what ChatGPT could suggest for comparison...
Here’s the prompt I gave:
"You’re a local expert guide for Bali.
- Plan a 20-day itinerary for Bali with a side trip to Gili Meno and a day trip to Kawah Ijen in Java without staying overnight.
- I’m traveling with my wife, and I love visiting historical sites, hiking, relaxing at the beach, snorkeling, and exploring rice terraces...
- For the duration of the stay, I don’t want more than 8 places to sleep, and I’d like to stay at least 2 days at each stop to avoid unpacking too often. Except for the last night, where I’m okay with just one night near the airport.
- I prefer neighborhoods that are walkable and try to avoid typical tourist traps, though I don’t want to miss the must-see spots. So suggest a mix of iconic sites and hidden gems.
- Recommend hotels or guesthouses with a budget of 50 to 100 € per night, including breakfast. Make suggestions in areas popular with travelers, specifying the vibe (I prefer quiet), and consider safety and proximity to attractions.
- For lunch and dinner, suggest two to three restaurants that are well-rated by customers.
- Give me a day-by-day program with details on travel times, visiting times for each point of interest, and recommendations for transportation (taxi, train, bike, etc.).
Estimate the total cost of the trip, including accommodations, food, transportation, and activities, and suggest two tips for saving money in each category.
- Don’t make anything up—be realistic about travel times, take into account the opening dates and hours of sites, and give me the entry fees for places to visit.
- Ask me all the questions until you’re 95% sure you understand what’s being asked. Don’t generate your response until you’ve understood."
The AI asked for a few clarifications:
"Great request—I can build you a really optimized and enjoyable itinerary, but to be 95% sure I hit the mark, I need a few key clarifications (this will really influence the pace, areas, and accommodations)."
In the end, it proposed a program very close to what we actually did.
I’ll skip its accommodation and restaurant suggestions...
Its proposal:
"Ubud (4 nights) => we did 5 nights
Sidemen (2 nights)
Amed (3 nights) => we’d planned 2 nights
Gili Meno (3 nights) => we did Gili between Sidemen and Amed
Munduk (3 nights) => we did 2 nights before Pemuteran
Pemuteran (3 nights) with Ijen => we did 4 nights
Sanur (2 nights + 1 last night) => we chose Jatiluwih instead of Sanur
It suggested "activities" (and accommodations too):
IN UBUD:
- Walk around central Ubud (1–2h)
- Campuhan Ridge Walk
- Tegalalang Rice Terrace
- Tirta Empul
- Gunung Kawi
- Massage / market / slow café
IN SIDEMEN:
- Rice terrace hike (2–3h)
- Cooking class
IN AMED:
- Snorkeling
- Japanese Shipwreck
- Beach + relaxation
- Volcano sunset
ON GILI:
- Snorkeling at Gili Meno Turtle Point, Nest Underwater Statues
IN MUNDUK:
- Jungle & waterfall hike - Munduk Waterfall + Melanting Waterfall
- Loop: 3–4h (perfect for your level)
- Ulun Danu Bratan Temple
- Twin Lakes
IN PEMUTERAN
- Snorkeling: Menjangan Island
For Kawah Ijen, it detailed the day well:
👍 from Pemuteran = best possible option
12 PM: leave hotel (we left at 10 PM)
1 PM: ferry
3 PM: arrival in Java + transfer
11 PM: start ascent
2 AM–6 AM: volcano
Return to Bali around 11 AM–12 PM (we got back at 4 PM)
👍 still very intense, but doable with an agency
💰 ~80–120 €/person all-inclusive
IN SANUR:
- Relaxation
- Quiet beach
- Proximity to airport (30 min)"
I’ve kept the habit of blowing my nose in the sink and then washing my hands—a custom I picked up in India. Sometimes, non-travelers are shocked when they catch me in the act... 🤪
Also, when I run out of toilet paper, it doesn’t bother me—unless I’ve got company over... 🤪
Just got back from walking a friend’s dog (while they’re on vacation), wearing a djellaba and Tibetan boots... 😏😏😏 Oh, for sure, if I’d run into locals, I probably would’ve shocked them? 😏
Anyway, as long as I’m not spitting on the floor at a restaurant or squatting on the side of a highway with a water bottle in hand...
After taking a little trip around the world, I came back a few months ago with an idea in mind.
I mostly do diving, and I love observing animals in their natural habitat without disturbing them.
During the trip, I realized it was quite complicated to know where and when to see certain species.
For example:
where to dive with sharks or manta rays
where you might get a chance to swim with whales
I even discovered thresher sharks during my trip… I didn’t even know this species existed before, even though they’re incredible to see.
We spent a ton of time searching for info all over the place, especially on social media, without ever getting a clear picture.
So I started putting all this together on my own, in the form of a map, to make it easier to visualize where to go depending on the seasons.
I recently put a first version online (it’s called Fauneya).
There are probably mistakes, inconsistencies, or things to improve, and that’s partly why I’m posting here.
I’d really love to know how you all go about planning this kind of trip.
As part of my Master’s thesis, I’m currently conducting a public survey on a topic that concerns all of us when planning a trip: artificial intelligence and the role of human contact in travel planning.
These days, we’re using more and more digital tools to find ideas, compare options, and book trips... but is the role of human advisors still essential? At what moments? And for what types of trips?
The survey is anonymous and takes about 7 minutes.
It’s aimed at anyone who travels (or has traveled) for leisure, whether you plan everything yourself or go through an agency.
While browsing the forum to gather info for my upcoming trip to Thailand, I often see the terms "traveler," "great traveler," and also "tourist"—so what’s the nuance for you?
I've traveled quite a bit in Vietnam over the past few years—from the southern delta to bustling cities and even some small islands—but what really sticks with me is the north, the high mountains.
Up there, there's something different—maybe slower, more raw. The morning markets with ethnic groups, women in traditional clothes, the colors...
The stilt houses, kids following you and laughing for no reason, the terraced rice fields—it almost feels unreal at times, so vast and quiet, yet so human and simple.
You often hear that Sapa has become too touristy, and that's partly true, especially in the center. But as soon as you move a little farther away, everything changes quickly. The landscapes open up, encounters feel more natural, and you rediscover something truly authentic.
I think it's that contrast that struck me—the difference between what you imagine before going and what you actually discover when you take the time.
And you—what memory do you hold onto from Vietnam? A particular place that touched you more than others?
Hello,
We’re finalizing the plans for our upcoming trip to China in May 2025. The second-to-last stop will be in Zhangjiajie, where we’ve planned to stay for 2 full days before heading to Shanghai.
We’re traveling solo using local transport and have arranged to stay in the city of Zhangjiajie.
We’ve seen that there’s a lot to see:
Tianmen Mountain, the Grand Canyon and the glass bridge, Zhangjiajie National Park, and that the sites are quite far apart with fairly expensive entry fees.
We’re thinking of dedicating one day to the national park and the Grand Canyon (glass bridge) and one day to Tianmen Mountain.
But we’re not sure if this plan is realistic—any thoughts would be much appreciated!
I should be serving a warming drink to the participants in the discussion about gardens and parks that provide us with beautiful photos, I could mention the delicious buttery scent wafting from bakeries in the thread about returning to France, but my heart, its powerful pulse that nourishes my entire being, is elsewhere.
Dasht-e Lut, Yazd, Esfahan, Bam, Kerman, Qeshm, Hormuz—a melody, a prayer at the heart of desire.
A dream, an unattainable fantasy? No. Not anymore.
A very serious Italian travel agency is organizing this trip for 6 people this winter. I’m signed up, I’m going, I’m living. Maybe.
"But you’re completely crazy!!!!"
I know... I know that every civilization, every society has a vital need to create scapegoats to define and justify itself, pathetically. And Iran is one of them, top of the list. I laugh or sigh, and it doesn’t bother me.
But that unchanging red, deep red and garnet, so beautiful in itself, in all the Western chancelleries repeats, whispers, shouts: don’t go, don’t go, don’t go, you’re putting yourself in danger and we can’t do anything for you. You’ll be turned into mere bargaining chips, into arguments for endless negotiations. Fear must be instilled, its power absolutely preserved, no concessions made to the enemy. The information (how many French hostages, real or fake, compared to the number of travelers?) is always lacking.
Traveling becomes a merciless confrontation between desire, the vital pulse, and anxiety, its ghosts.
Hi everyone, here’s our itinerary. Arriving on the evening of December 13th. Departing on January 7th.
Thanks in advance for your tips and valuable feedback.
Manila – 1 night
Coron – 4 nights
Coron to El Nido cruise – 2 nights
El Nido – 4 nights
Port Barton – 5 nights
Flight from Puerto Princesa to Vigan
Vigan – 2 nights
Sagada – 2 nights
Banaue – 2 nights
Bagabag – 1 night
Manila – 1 night
I’ve only booked the flight to Manila and the Manila/Coron flight so far. Is it possible to book boat trips, accommodations, and the Puerto Princesa flight last-minute?
Really disappointed with Costa Rica! Pura vida? The scam of the century!
(Costa Rica pure emptiness).
The country where animals are free and people are in cages.
3 weeks in December in this country and never again. Imagine the trailer of a movie that seems interesting, and when you go see it, you realize it’s a flop and the best moments were in the trailer.
Well, that’s exactly how we felt with Costa Rica pure emptiness.
My wife and I have traveled quite a bit and didn’t expect to be so wrong about a place.
On the main routes, we visited:
San José
Alajuela
Limón, Cahuita, Puerto Viejo, Manzanillo (Caribbean side)
Jaco, Quepos, Manuel Antonio (Pacific side)
And a few short stops in intermediate towns.
Our dissatisfaction grew gradually like this:
When we arrived at the hotel, the taxi dropped us off on a small street in front of a white metal gate with ground-floor windows barred. We looked at it skeptically, but the sign matched.
He approached the gate, rang the bell, the buzzer sounded, and the door opened slightly. The hotel wasn’t bad for the price, a 10-minute walk from downtown, but with a "Fleury-Mérogis" vibe guaranteed.
So far, so good.
After showering and regaining our bearings, we headed downtown.
What started to unsettle us on the way was seeing houses with bars on the ground-floor windows and even on the second floor.
At first, we thought the hotel’s neighborhood wasn’t great.
Downtown San José:
It’s a generic city, not very exotic, with a pedestrian street and a small mercado where you can eat local food without frills. Very few tourists—if any—which let you blend in with the locals. We had lunch and struggled to make ourselves understood because, aside from one or two shops, English wasn’t spoken.
On the way back to the hotel, we took a different route, and while chatting and strolling, my wife pointed out a beautiful two-story white house completely barricaded like Fort Knox.
From that moment, we started noticing the facades of houses and buildings, and wow, it was creepy—most looked like prisons, some even with barbed wire.
Though put off, we told ourselves it was probably a big-city thing and the rest of the country couldn’t be like this.
So far, so good.
We relaxed at the hotel and had a drink at the bar. Night falls early, around 5:30 PM. By 7:30 PM, we headed back downtown for dinner. A bit unsettling for a capital—downtown was almost deserted, and aside from fast-food chains, very few restaurants were open, with hardly anyone on the streets.
Bars with security guards out front.
I won’t say we felt unsafe that night, but once it got dark, we realized the bars on the windows weren’t for nothing. First day in, and our impression was already mixed.
The next day, we explored the city and surroundings, and our feelings didn’t change.
So far, so good.
Off to Cahuita by bus—4 hours of travel.
The landscapes are very green but quickly become monotonous. The road runs alongside the forest and passes through a few towns and villages, and even in the countryside, there were just as many prison-like houses.
The bus dropped us off at Cahuita’s terminal station—only four of us got off. It’s a village, or rather, a small town. Cahuita is basically one straight road and a perpendicular one, and honestly, doubt started to creep in.
A few restaurants that add 13% tax and 10% service charge—so 23% extra. We dropped our stuff at the hotel and went to explore. In 20 minutes, we’d seen it all. We had lunch and planned to check out the famous park.
Entry is by donation—well, the "entry" is a joke. There’s a path along the forest by the sea, and that’s it.
Nothing’s going right anymore.
We thought it was a total scam, but since we hadn’t gone far, we decided to come back the next day to explore further.
We returned to the hotel, relaxed, and around 8:00 PM, we went out for dinner. Only two restaurants were open, and the streets were deserted.
Creepy!
The next day, we explored the so-called park more thoroughly and really got it.
A path along the forest by the sea—2 hours there and 2 hours back, where you see animals that feel like showing their faces.
A total joke—"all that for this?"
The beach was full of wood debris and coconut husks. We wondered if the photos online were edited because the sea, very rough, wasn’t the azure blue we’d seen in pictures.
But calling this a park is a joke—it’s like a new concept.
When we thought about the reviews online, we started to suspect that professionals with interests in the country were monitoring and countering any negative feedback that could harm their business.
Too bad we didn’t check the negative reviews beforehand—we did while we were there, and it helped. We wondered if we’d become too demanding after all our travels, but no—when something’s bad, it’s bad.
Manuel Antonio’s park is even more ridiculous—there’s a short path along the sea for about 500 meters, and then nothing. You have to climb through mud and hack your way through the forest. We ended up barefoot because the mud was up to our calves. All that to see a raccoon and a few parrots flying overhead.
We didn’t expect Noah’s Ark, but we’ve seen more animals in Bali, Mexico, and Thailand while visiting temples or just walking around than in these so-called parks!
Puerto Viejo, not far from Cahuita and supposedly livelier—well, it couldn’t be worse!
According to Lonely Planet, it had a Caribbean vibe and wild nights, but maybe that was a long time ago. The good reggae music playing everywhere isn’t enough.
In the evening, Puerto Viejo was a bit livelier than Cahuita, but that’s not saying much. Very few tourists—if any—no night market, just two or three shops open selling $20 T-shirts. Same vibe as San José.
No big deal—we enjoyed the beach and the sun, which was reliable.
Our itinerary was supposed to include Tortuguero Park, but after talking to other travelers who’d just been, we changed our minds, knowing we’d be visiting Manuel Antonio Park on the Pacific side.
To get back to the Pacific side, you have to take the bus and go through San José again—5 hours this time—then switch bus terminals and another 4.5 hours to Quepos.
A stopover town to get to Manuel Antonio’s beach and park!
A town just like the others we’d seen—deserted as soon as the sun sets, and not exactly bustling during the day either. (Where are all the tourists?)
Still as many bars on the windows and that feeling of being in the wrong place.
7 km later: Manuel Antonio beach and park.
The beach is very beautiful and quite large, but don’t expect turquoise blue water—the waves stir up the sand, giving the water a brownish color.
Along the beach, shops and restaurants for about 300 meters, and then nothing. At night, after sunset, the town shuts down too.
Manuel Antonio Park is highly praised for its wildlife, so we were eager to see it. When you express dissatisfaction with Cahuita or Manzanillo parks, the response is always, "But you should’ve gone to Monteverde or Manuel Antonio!" No matter what you do or say, they’ll tell you, "You should’ve gone there or here."
Back to our famous park—entry was about $16, and contrary to what we’d heard, it wasn’t crowded!
Guides at the entrance with spotting scopes offered their services for about $30.
The park: a mix of boardwalk and dirt paths through the forest, sometimes running alongside beautiful coves and beaches.
As soon as we entered, a crowd was taking photos of a deer eating leaves.
A little further on, a guide with a group of five stopped. The guide raised his arm and set up his spotting scope! He showed them, about 100 meters away, a hummingbird perched on a branch. Some, looking through the scope, exclaimed, "Oh my God! Amazing! Incredible!"
For a moment, we thought they’d discovered a unicorn or were in Jurassic Park and had just crossed paths with a T-Rex!
The concept is comical—looking at a bird or another animal through a spotting scope because it’s too far away. Isn’t that what TV is for?
For our part, we saw monkeys, ants, an armadillo, an iguana, and the backside of a sloth climbing a tree. Amazing, incredible!
We stayed a few days in Manuel Antonio to enjoy the beach, changing hotels often because prices varied wildly from one day to the next for shameful services. On top of that, they’d quote a price in dollars and convert it at their discretion—thieves!
Alajuela, a city near the airport, has a two-story mall and a local market downtown! No interest except its proximity to the airport.
What we liked:
The climate and, in hindsight, San José—the most authentic city we visited.
What we didn’t like, in addition to what we’ve already mentioned:
Costa Ricans aren’t very friendly or communicative. English is barely spoken, not even by doctors at Quepos Hospital, where my wife ended up with food poisoning (thanks, Google Translate). The widespread obesity among Costa Ricans, who eat like Americans. The insecurity. The eco-hipsters who leave their $150 lodges in minivans with guides to visit parks and other sites, then return to barricade themselves in their fortresses at nightfall (oh my God, amazing, incredible). The blue signs at the entrance of towns that accept this payment method: "We accept American Express." Parking lots that become paid just because a guy is watching your car. Prices displayed in dollars. The cost of living (hotels, restaurants, taxes). Landscapes that are too green and not flowery enough. Beaches—nothing exceptional. Pollution in cities where big American trucks rule. Sewage dumped directly into the sea. Aside from the jungle, there’s nothing to visit—no ruins, monuments, or anything worth seeing.
In short, my wife and I think the hype about this supposedly eco-friendly country is overrated. It’s just the trendy destination of the moment. There are much better, cheaper, and more authentic places.
In hindsight, we keep the good memories and our beautiful photos, but if we had to do it over...
Before signing off, a little message to those who don’t like hearing opinions different from theirs:
Well, some things aren’t up for debate. And to those who’d have us believe that in 3 weeks, we don’t have the right to criticize a country or express our feelings—how can you praise it in so little time? What a scam. Costa Rica is a money pit. Pura vida? Pure cosmic emptiness.
If you like spending your evenings barricaded in your cozy hotel after dark, this country is for you.
For everyone else: run!
Hello,
Since the war between Russia and Ukraine, nothing is simple anymore for traveling to Belarus due to sanctions.
No more direct flights from the EU to Minsk.
Driving is a huge hassle, especially crossing through Poland at the only open border in Brest—you can wait 2, 3, or even 4 days just to get through by car.
The least painful driving option is to come via Lithuania and cross at the only open border, with a minimum wait time of 8 hours, sometimes up to 20 hours or more!!
Controls are very strict and annoying on both the Lithuanian and Belarusian sides. Avoid bringing alcohol, food, or cigarettes—everything will end up in the trash, especially when leaving Belarus for Vilnius, where the Lithuanians are tough, even with EU citizens.
The joy I once knew when visiting my wife in Minsk is sadly over—it’s now a real ordeal.
The fastest solution is to fly. My wife travels to France by taking a bus to Kaunas in Lithuania, where you can catch a flight (though not daily) to Paris Beauvais or Charleroi in Belgium with Ryanair, for example.
For the return trip, it’s the same: a flight to Kaunas and then a direct bus from the airport to Minsk.
The bus crossing is quicker than driving—the 250 km journey, including border checks, takes about 6 to 8 hours for buses leaving Lithuania around midnight, but controls are still strict at the border.
The biggest challenge is finding flight schedules that align with the bus routes between the two countries, given the unpredictable border crossing times.
Now, my wife travels via Charleroi in Belgium (near Brussels), and you can take a train to Paris. Alternatively, you can fly into Beauvais and take a bus to Paris (Porte Maillot).
For those driving, note that EU insurance and assistance policies no longer work in Belarus or Russia. You’ll need to get local insurance, usually limited to third-party liability (I don’t think full coverage exists?), as well as mandatory medical insurance. This is available at the border.
You now have to pay highway tolls—no more BELTOLL boxes. Instead, you pay a flat fee for the duration of your stay. Stop at the first gas station after crossing from Lithuania to fill up on fuel and cigarettes.
From what I know, Lithuania bans carrying more than 60 € in cash, but there’s no limit for USD (though it’s capped at $10,000??).
With a Visa card, you can now withdraw 1,000 rubles per week (about 270 €)—two months ago, it was only 500 rubles!!
For now, you can still pay by card in shops and gas stations.
However, major retailers like KORONA (which may be Russian-owned??) no longer accept foreign Visa cards.
Unfortunately, the additional sanctions announced by the U.S. on August 5, 2025, against Russia—and possibly Belarus—aren’t promising for the future.
After 20 years of visiting Belarus, I’m truly saddened to see the joy of living in this country with my wonderful wife turn into such a bleak situation, all because of human folly.
Hi everyone!
I’m putting together our travel itinerary for Veneto at the end of April. And the more I look and research potential sites to visit, the more I find!
We’ll only be there for a week—my family and I—including 3 days in Venice. So we have to make some choices...
I plan to rent a car when we arrive in Venice and head straight to Bergamo, which would be our first stop. We’d leave the car at the airport when we return to Venice so we can explore the city at our leisure.
What do you think:
1 night in Bergamo (a 2h15 drive from Venice airport),
1 night in Garda,
1 night in Verona,
1 in Padua, and
3 in Venice—would that be doable?
Thanks in advance for your tips and experiences! :)
Now that the curtain has fallen on the past year, it’s time to see what’s happening around here.
It seems pretty quiet, but I’ll read more in detail later.
First, I need to tell you all an anecdote.
My eldest little girl, in her third year of law school, was really scared she wouldn’t pass the year.
I told her:
“Trust yourself, you’ve worked so hard, and worst case, if you fail, you’ll just redo the year.”
“But I don’t think I’ll make it—they changed the rules, and if I mess up even one unit, I have to start all over.”
I knew her grades weren’t exactly stellar, and with what I was about to say, I wasn’t taking much of a risk.
“Here’s the deal, sweetheart: if you pass, I promise I’ll take you to India, just the two of us.”
I have to admit, India is a country I’ve talked about so much to all my grandchildren that in their minds, it’s become a magical, mythical place (hmm).
July had barely begun when my phone rang, her name flashing on the screen.
“Mamido, I did it!”
My promise came rushing back—oh no, oh no, oh no!
“Congratulations, sweetheart!”
A little shyly, she said:
“Is the India trip still on?”
And me, replying:
“Of course it is!”
And that’s that—a promise is a promise, or you risk losing that precious trust that keeps hearts warm and at peace.
We’re leaving in February. Only 8 days—yikes, the carbon footprint!
But we can’t miss her tutorials, or she’ll be kicked out.
Personally, that works just fine for me.
Going to India has become a challenge for me. It’s far, it’s exhausting, I sweat, I hate mosquitoes, the spices bother my mouth when I used to love them. There’s noise all the time—at night, the dogs bark nonstop, and we almost get run over. I’ll get lost in the streets because my sense of direction has vanished. I don’t like rice anymore. All that chaos and those cultural differences that once enchanted me now just overwhelm me.
But I promised.
The upside—and it’s a big one—Raman, the same driver I’ve had forever, will be at the airport with a sign with our names. We’ll stop at the same little shop for chai (or tea, plain and simple) with that aroma that intoxicates me, halfway through the trip.
It’ll be a tiny trip—staying with friends, I’ll show her a few places I love: Chidambaram, Mamallapuram, and the clinic where I worked. Then we’ll head back.
My little girl will go home to her parents.
As for me, I’ll leave right away for our Scottish island with Homme for our chilly winter.
How can you love a country so much you want to live there, then suddenly reject it, no longer able to appreciate what once made it special?
That’s the mystery of love, I guess.
I’ve visited the U.S. four times myself, including two long road trips. The last one was just this past August...
I won’t be going back. I already felt guilty last August, but recent policies have finally convinced me: the humiliation of Zelensky, authoritarian excesses, Gestapo-like methods for detaining people of foreign origin, the murder of innocent people (a mother shot dead), corruption, insane "tariffs," skyrocketing healthcare costs for Americans, the abduction of foreign figures to secure oil, the requirement to disclose social media accounts, and now... threats and blackmail to forcibly take Greenland—a region that belongs to Denmark and thus the European Union!
The reality is that simply posting this could get me denied entry to the U.S.!
In this context, I just can’t keep spending money there. I loved my trips, but there are so many other countries with stunning landscapes to explore.
So I get why you’d want to travel there. I did, and I loved it. But once a country no longer respects any of the values that made us love it, why go?
How can we even consider traveling to a country that threatens to take one of our territories by force?
Hello everyone,
Controversial topic? Not necessarily—maybe just a reflection on a world to come.
I spent the last 15 days of August on a cruise in Greenland, from Kangerlussuaq to Tasiilaq.
I was utterly amazed by this unique world of rock and ice, the little houses in every color, a simple life that’s also complicated by isolation and climate, among other things...
I carry in my heart the kindness of the people I met, the raw and gentle majesty of the icebergs, the colors of the sky...
So, I can’t even imagine a massive presence of raw material prospectors, heavy machinery requiring roads to be built—if that’s even possible—changing their way of life... putting sled dogs out to pasture!
Do fast food and Greenland’s northern lights really mix?
I wouldn’t trade my memories for an ESTA!
All opinions are respectable, which is why this isn’t a controversy—but I’m sorry, I have a soft spot for *my* Greenland.
We’re a couple aged 58 and 63. We’ve just returned from a wonderful trip to South India in Tamil Nadu and a few days in Kerala. We traveled with a local French-speaking guide and his friend, the driver. They both live in Pondicherry. We spent 3 weeks with them in the most authentic way!
We covered just over 2,500 km and visited not only temples but also archaeological sites, museums, and small artisanal businesses making tiles, tea, sculptures, bronze, and silk spinning. We were lucky enough to visit a public school, attend a wedding, and even a death announcement in a small countryside village. We were fully immersed in the culture, food, noise, and colors—it was incredible!
The hotels and guesthouses we chose were very clean and mostly quiet. We’re returning from India with amazing discoveries!
We’re happy to share more info if you’d like!
M-Claire and Jean
This catchy and somewhat mysterious title comes from several questions I’ve been asking myself.
VF has been back open for a reasonable number of weeks and months now.
The number of visitors overall matches past averages, but the number of members online in the last 24 hours seems relatively lower than what we used to see.
Yet, to my surprise, I’m seeing fewer travel journals, way fewer messages, and way fewer questions.
I don’t see many new registered users online, and I notice a number of members who are logged in but either aren’t participating or have stopped participating.
Something’s not adding up for me because, in my opinion, VF is still appealing, and I don’t see which other sites could really compete.
Was there a real break between pre- and post-Covid?
Does it just take more time for some people to discover the site or learn that it’s active again?
Do people now prefer quick consumption on sites like FB or others I’m not familiar with?
Where have the site’s old-timers gone, and what are they doing with their time now?
What’s really going on here?
This isn’t exactly a traveler’s question... I’d like to know who handles the technical side of this forum?
I run a similar forum on a different topic (unrecognized children), and we’re dealing with a few technical issues that are slowly killing our forum... so I’d have one or two questions to ask 😊.
Also, I was wondering who created this forum... who the administrators or moderators are, etc.
I think this forum is great. Much better than Facebook, which I’ve been using since it shut down (so I’m happy to see it’s working again...)
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