Je me présente un peu... Je suis étudiante et je réalise un mémoire sur le tourisme solidaire et éthique.
Aussi je souhaiterais recueillir vos impressions, vos commentaires et votre opinion sur ce thème....
Pensez-vous qu'il existe réellement un tourisme humanitaire? Ou alors est-ce un moyen détourné pour les opérateurs de faire des affaires tout en se donnant bonne conscience?
N'est-ce pas également pour les voyageurs un moyen de se donner bonne conscience?
Vous qui étes partis dans ce contexte, quelle expérience en retirez-vous?
Pensez-vous qu'il existe réellement un tourisme humanitaire? Ou alors est-ce un moyen détourné pour les opérateurs de faire des affaires tout en se donnant bonne conscience?
Oui .......
N'est-ce pas également pour les voyageurs un moyen de se donner bonne conscience?
Oui .........
Mais je pense et j'espère que d'autres voyageurs te développeront d'autres arguments, moi je risquerais d'être un peu sarcastique et moqueur ......
Juste une chose, à savoir que même si on n'utilise pas les services d'un T.O pour voyager, et que l'on se targue de voyager en voyageur individuel ..... et que l'on apporte à titre individuel notre petite pierre quant au mieux être des personnes en souffrance, je pense que l'on effectue cette démarche également pour se donner une bonne conscience, mais en fait peu importe si les résultats sont au bout de notre démarche, et j'aurais tendance à dire la même chose pour le tourisme humanitaire ...... je dis bien " tendance " ..... 😐
Mais comment faire autrement aussi devant les " énormes besoins " de notre monde actuel ......
On peut pratiquer une certaine forme d'éthique quand on voyage. C'est à dire éviter certaines destinations dont les gouvernements ne respectent par les droits humains élémentaires. Mais si l'on voulait appliquer cette règle, on ne se déplacerait plus du tout sur la planète, et souvent même à l'intérieur de son propre pays ! 😉
D'autant plus que lorsque l'on voyage, une certaine courtoisie veut que l'on ne se mêle pas de politique par respect pour le pays ou la région qui nous accueille.
Toutefois, rien n'empêche le voyageur de rencontrer les autochtones, de discuter, de nouer des contacts et surtout prendre des images, pour montrer à ses proches, ses amis, quelques difficultés auxquelles le pays est confronté.
Sous la terminologie "tourisme solidaire" on découvre un vrai fourretout ! Bien souvent ce n'est qu'un label que l'on s'attribue parce qu'actuellement c'est vendeur.
De toute façon le tourisme dit solidaire ne peut fonctionner que dans la mesure où il reste marginale. En effet si cette forme de tourisme se développe énormément, il lui faudra de grandes capacités d'accueil, ce que par définition elle est incapable de fournir. On serait dans l'impossibilité de loger tous les touristes qui visitent l'Egypte ou Cuzco par ce biais.
Et puis les structures qui au départ prétendaient pratiquer le tourisme solidaire ou équitable, deviennent rapidement des business plus ou moins gros.
Personnellement je préfère viser le "tourisme intelligent". C'est-à-dire le tourisme qui permet d'avoir une véritable approche de la réalité d'un pays. Cette façon de voyager n'a rien à voir avec la logistique choisie.
Il y a des voyages organisés en hôtels 4 étoiles qui sont une vraie découverte d'un pays, et il y a nombre de routards qui se comportent comme des imbéciles ou des irresponsables.
Attention toutefois de ne pas croire que sa manière de voyager est intelligente quand elle ne l'est pas plus que celle des autres ;)
cela dit ce n'est pas parce qu'on a une vraie approche du pays que c'est forcément solidaire et équitable.
Et honnetement j'ai du mal à voir ce qui peut etre solidaire dans le voyage de tourisme (pour différencier les voyages professionnels) à partir du moment ou on passe par des structures (locales ou françaises) dont le but est de gagner de l'argent. cela n'a rien de déshonorant de gagner de l'argent mais bon il faut rester objectif.
Sinon une anecdote sur le commerce équitable cette fois. dans ma ville il y a (avait ?) un magasin de commerce équitable qui vendait de l'artisanat africain et sud-américain. Le problème c'est que les produits vendus étaient nintéressants (par rapport à ce qu'on peut trouver sur place), d'une qualité lamentable et surtout très très cher... (je veux bien payer plus cher mais pas 10 fois le prix qu'on payerait sur place : je doute très fort que les salaires des artisans aient été multipliés par 10...).
De toutes façons le probleme des pays du sud c'est pas que les touristes voyagent avec nouvelles Frontieres. C'est plutot qu'ils subissent une concurrence artificielle des pays du nord notamment concernant l'agriculture (subventions à la production européenne qui empeche les produits africains d'etre compétitifs, etc...). Le libéraslime seulement quand ça nous arrange...
J'ajouterais ma pierre à l'édifice. Certains parlent de tourisme éthique, solidaire, voire durable. Bon. Des concepts intéressants, même si l'oxymore est assez proche. Des concepts récupérés pour la plupart, cela vient d'être dit. D'autres, comme Trans, parlent de tourisme intelligent.
Moi, je voudrais parler de tourisme conscient. Conscient des conséquences de nos actions, conscient de la pollution qu'on engendre, conscient de où va l'argent qu'on donne, à qui, comment, conscient des modifications comportementales sur les populations après notre passage. Toujours se poser des questions est la clé de tout. Je n'ai rien contre les voyageurs qui se posent ces questions, et corrolaire à priori évident, qui y répondent avec une réponse acceptable, qu'ils soient routards ou pas. En effet le problème n'est pas là. Ceux qui me dérangent sont ceux qui font du tourisme sans se poser aucune question sur les conséquences de leur voyage. Par exemple, quelqu'un qui part "en routard" en Inde pour seulement deux semaines, mais en avion, celui-là a un comportement plus nocif que celui qui part un mois en Inde aussi, en routard ou pas. Je repense aussi à tous ceux qui sont allé au FSM (Forum Social Mondial) en Inde, pour quelques jours, il y a quelques années: la pollution aérienne engendrée par le déplacement de ces centaines de milliers d'activistes (ou pseudo activistes, combien y sont allés avec de réelles convictions et une réelle raison d'y être?) fut absolument scandaleuse. Reflechissons avant de consommer, que ce soit du tourisme, du déplacement a priori politique, ou des biens de consommation.
Peut être que ce concept de tourisme conscient est proche du concept de tourisme intelligent. Le second terme est juste un peu plus prétentieux, selon moi.
bonjour,
je ne sais rien des tourismes utilitaire, ecologique, solidaire, intelligent ou conscient
chacun voyage à sa manière et va tenter de trouver ce qu'il cherche.
dernierement, j'ai sejourné dans des villages hani, miao, etc en chine du sud, là ou on n'avait pas encore vu de blanc; depuis j'ai créé une assoc et on parraine la scolarisation d'une centaine d'enfants
ca, on peut le faire tous, ça aide vraiment et c'est en chine, pays totalitaire. avons nous tort d'y mettre les pieds ?
cependant, mefiance vis a vis de ce type d'assoc. je connais une assoc de parrainage de scolarité d'enfants puor la province du guangxi qui demande 20 euros par mois aux parrains alors que la scolarité ne coute que 16 euros/an !!! (ou va le reste ?)
si certains aiment jouer les riches dans des **** et se prelacer à pattaya phuket etc, tant mieux pour eux, tres peu pour moi !
cela dit ce n'est pas parce qu'on a une vraie approche du pays que c'est forcément solidaire et équitable.
Et honnetement j'ai du mal à voir ce qui peut etre solidaire dans le voyage de tourisme (pour différencier les voyages professionnels) à partir du moment ou on passe par des structures (locales ou françaises) dont le but est de gagner de l'argent. cela n'a rien de déshonorant de gagner de l'argent mais bon il faut rester objectif.
Sinon une anecdote sur le commerce équitable cette fois. dans ma ville il y a (avait ?) un magasin de commerce équitable qui vendait de l'artisanat africain et sud-américain. Le problème c'est que les produits vendus étaient nintéressants (par rapport à ce qu'on peut trouver sur place), d'une qualité lamentable et surtout très très cher... (je veux bien payer plus cher mais pas 10 fois le prix qu'on payerait sur place : je doute très fort que les salaires des artisans aient été multipliés par 10...).
De toutes façons le probleme des pays du sud c'est pas que les touristes voyagent avec nouvelles Frontieres. C'est plutot qu'ils subissent une concurrence artificielle des pays du nord notamment concernant l'agriculture (subventions à la production européenne qui empeche les produits africains d'etre compétitifs, etc...). Le libéraslime seulement quand ça nous arrange...
Je suis d'accord qu'il n'y a pas forcément de rapport entre la "vraie" approche du pays et le fait de voyager solidaire/équitable.
En revanche, pour moi, si, une structure qui a pour objectif de gagner de l'argent peut également être solidaire/équitable, dans la mesure où elle garantit un certain nombre de critères, notamment le fait de faire travailler des locaux dans des conditions normales, à savoir pour le moins respecter la législation du travail locale. De plus un des objectifs de la structure touristique, peut également être d'augmenter le niveau de développement local, possible si elle reverse une partie des bénéfices à une association locale de développement, et/ou si cela permet de créer des circuits de distribution pour des artisan-e-s isolé-e-s.
Et cela, pas uniquement dans les pays dits "du Sud".
Bien sûr je pense préférable que le projet soit géré directement par les personnes qui en seront bénéficiaires. Mais je ne suis pas sûre que ce soit possible dans tous les cas, en tout cas au démarrage.
Sinon pour ton commentaire sur le commerce équitable dans ta ville, sans revenir sur l'intérêt et la qualité des produits dont je ne peux juger (mais je te crois volontiers), non, le salaire des artisans n'a sans doute pas été multiplié par 10. Mais même dans le commerce classique, les plus gros coûts ne sont pas liés à la main-d'oeuvre, c'est bien connu, mais à l'emballage, la promotion et la distribution. Le loyer de ce magasin devait bien se répercuter sur le prix des produits, ainsi que le salaire des vendeurs et vendeuses.
Et je suis d'accord à 100% avec ta dernière phrase. Par extension, on peut dire que les microprojets de développement, c'est bien, les politiques globales, c'est mieux.
Yo no busco la felicidad. Busco la libertad, porque ser libre es lo que me hace feliz.
un petit élément de réflexion: pour un véritable tourisme solidaire et éclairé, y a t-il vraiment d'autres moyens que de changer notre société dans sa globalité ? Le problème ne vient pas que des touristes-consommateurs, conditionnés par notre système économique, mais aussi de ceux (pauvres ou riches) qui les encouragent par intérêt personnel (intérêt personnel qui gouverne malheureusement chacun de nos agissements)...
"à force d'aller au fond des choses, on finit par y rester" (Alain)
Je suis assez d'accord avec les personnes qui disent que les termes de tourisme humanitaire, solidaire etc. sont un peu superfétatoire. Dés lors que l'on voyage avec l'envie de rencontrer l'autre, d'autres paysage, d'autres modes de vie, d'autres usages, ne sommes nous pas guidés par un sentiment "humaniste" à défaut d'être "humanitaire ?
Ceci dit, en voyage en Roumanie dans les Maramures en CC l'été 2004, nous avons rencontré une personne qui, sous l'appellation de "tourisme solidaire" organise des visites de sa région, qu'elle connaît parfaitement bien, en proposant des chambres d'hôtes chez l'habitant. C'est sympa, ça donne un complément de revenu aux familles accueillantes, et ça permet de visiter dans les meilleures conditions les monastères et églises peintes.
Tout le monde est content, que demander de plus ? Tout le monde n'est pas Mère Thérésa et ce n'est pas en quinze jours, trois semaines, ou un mois de séjour qu'on peut imaginer soulager la misère ( misère mesurée à l'aune de notre gaspillage ) d'une région.
P.S. Je peux par courrier privé donner l'adresse de la personne qui organise les séjours dans les Maramures. Elle parle le Français et l'Anglais, il est donc tout à fait facile de prendre contact avec elle.
Catherine
" La lucidité est la blessure la plus proche du soleil" René Char
Sortir de chez soi, marcher en direction de la grande rue, interpeller un passant, parler à un clochard, me parait une forme de tourisme solidaire et humanitaire.
Les voyages améliorent les sages et empirent les sots.
😏 C'est un peu radical, mais pas très loin en fait de ce que je pense et en tous cas plus "humanitaire" de mon point de vue, que de distribuer deux tee-shirts et trois stylos usés en se prenant pour un "spin-doctor", à des gosses qui n'en finiront plus de mendier pour le plus grand dommage à leur dignité.
"La façon de donner vaut mieux que ce que l'on donne" et parfois donner rabaisse tellement celui à qui l'on donne, lui inspire tellement d' illusions au sujet d'un hypothétique monde qui serait meilleur que le sien, qu'il est, toujours de mon point de vue, plus "humain de ne pas donner.
Catherine
" La lucidité est la blessure la plus proche du soleil" René Char
Le tourisme solidaire commence chez soi.
J'ai rencontré plein de gens qui partaient et jetaient des stylos ou bonbons par la fenêtre de leur bus...
Pour ma part, le tourisme solidaire c'est par exemple organiser autour de chez soi une collecte de quoi... demandez à des orphelinats dans le pays où vous vous rendez leurs besoins... n'amenez pas n'importe quoi.
Je me rends au Vietnam en décembre, les gens me connaissent et savent comment je voyage.
Je fais des brocantes et revends tout ce que je peux récupérer, l'argent servira à l'orphelinat pour acheter un vélo, du lait et des paquets de soupe dans les magasins d'état, amener les enfants faire un tour de manège, amener quelques bonbons par trop (conseil des institutions en place) mais surtout donner de son temps, rester avec eux.
J'ai déjà obtenu pour l'orphelinat les faveurs d'une société qui accepte d'acheter une machine à laver (une grosse pour 120 personnes) il faut presque compter 450 €, une autre accepte aussi d'acheter les dictionnaires vietnamien/français et vietnamien/anglais, une autre encore m'amène quelques petites voitures ou poupées (des petits jouets aux normes de sécurité, là-bas aussi c'est important)
Les magasins où je suis cliente, un me donne des sacs fantaisie, un autre des babioles, un tas de chose que je pourrais revendre en brocante.
Une pharmacie va faire une collecte pour m'obtenir des pansements point de suture, des compresses nettoyantes etc...
Je vais recenser tout ça et voir ce que je pourrais réellement emporter car tout n'est pas permis.
Le tourisme humanitaire c'est selon comment on l'aborde, du fond de ses tripes, les gens participent. On a ça dans le coeur ou pas, libre à chacun de l'interpréter comme il veut. En plus de cela je cotise auprès d'associations car elles sont tout aussi importantes dans leurs actions, et heureusement qu'elle existent. En france je me rends disponible pour tenir un stand de commerce équitable, d'ailleurs j'achète mon café commerce équitable, un stand qu'une association organisera, je suis là aussi, dans mon village dés qu'il y a une brocante à but humanitaire je n'hésite pas je fonce aussi. Par contre si les temps deviennent un peu plus serré, je donne uniquement de mon temps et je cherche à regagner de l'argent, c'est comme ça ! Enfin chacun fait comme il veut. Ce n'est pas se donner une bonne conduite c'est agir selon ses propres visions des choses... selon comment vous avez été élevé et selon aussi vos envies. Celui qui n'a pas cette fibre humanitaire a peut et certainement d'autres qualités toutes aussi importantes !
Chacun sa philosophie et à chacun de la respecter !
Se donner les moyens de réussir son rêve... " Où que tu ailles, vas-y avec tout ton coeur". CONFUCIUS
Mon intention n'était pas de contester ou d'amoindrir ton action personnelle que je ne connaissais pas, mais de parler du "tourisme humanitaire" en général et de la façon dont je l'ai vu pratiquer. A chacun ensuite d'agir selon sa conscience et je suis presque certaine que bien des personnes ici, ont fait des tas d'actions généreuses, naturellement, sans éprouver le besoin de venir en témoigner tu ne penses pas ?
Catherine
" La lucidité est la blessure la plus proche du soleil" René Char
Oui, un maximum de gens participent sans mot dire, sans bruit !!!
Et d'autres, véhiculent l'information avec leurs propres mots, leurs propres actions !
Pour votre information,
L'année dernière, j'ai parlé des actions faites à l'orphelinat de Sadec... une personne m'a contacté... après entretien par téléphone... un contact s'est fait aurpès de l'orphelinat... Cette année, les nouvelles sont là... je viens d'apprendre que ces personnes agissent dans l'ombre d'internet car ils n'utilisent pas l'ordinateur comme moi, ces personnes-là que j'admire aujourd'hui proposent des lotos dans leur ville de Ste Foy dans le 85 pour financer les besoins de l'orphelinat de Sadec. Ils souhaitaient venir au Vietnam mais le financement personnel est honéreux et ce n'est que partie remise. Ils ne souhaitent pas le faire financer par l'association ce qui est tout à fait normal à mon sens. Aujourd'hui + de 200 personnes participent à ces lotos et l'agrandissement et le surrélévation du dortoir des garçons c'est grâce à la participation de toutes ces personnes. C'est avec le coeur ouvert que ces gens de tous les coins participent et c'est avec le coeur grand ouvert que les organisateurs proposent ces lotos, et c'est avec le coeur grand ouvert que je vous le raconte ! Je suis emplie d'émotions devant l'élan de chacun !
Merci à tous les intervenants qu'ils soient anonymes ou pas !
Et avec ma tchatche comme on dit par chez nous, je vous en fait part sur VF.
Voilà Catherine, peut-être un autre aperçu de tourisme solidaire et éthique, beaucoup restent chez eux et voyagent ainsi en faisant du tourisme solidaire et éthique.
Beaucoup participent et donnent de leur temps aux associations sur place et lorsqu'ils voyagent, ils proposent de se rendre là ou là selon, les instructions des professionnels.
A tous les intervenants, un grand merci !
Se donner les moyens de réussir son rêve... " Où que tu ailles, vas-y avec tout ton coeur". CONFUCIUS
Tu as choisi le voyage et pour soutenir ta décision, tu as choisi le voyage humanitaire. Il n'y a rien à dire à ça, c'est ton choix et tu fais bien.
Ce que je voulais souligner et excuses moi de ma brutalité, c'est que le proverbe africain qui dit :
" Si ton frère à faim, au lieu de lui apporter un poisson, apprends lui à pêcher" me paraît à moi très "humaniste".
D'autre part et il semble que ce soit assez mal vu finalement sur ce forum mais je persiste " faire de l'humanitaire est un acte éminemment "politique". ONG veut dire organisation non gouvernementale, c'est à dire organisations qui agissent en dehors des options des gouvernements aussi bien des gouvernements des pays riches que des gouvernements des pays en voie de développement.Ca ne veut pas dire que l'action des ONG n'a pas d'impact politique, en Occident, comme dans les pays où se déroule leur action.
Les missionnaires, pour la plus part, partaient avec des intentions pacifiques et avec l'idée de bien faire, mais ils emportaient dans leurs bagages, peut-être malgré eux, je n'en sais rien, les marchands et la colonisation. C'est un fait historique et vérifiable.
Ce que je crains, c'est que, et, il y a de tout dans les ONG, mais imaginons qu'il n'y ait que des ONG de bonne volonté, avec notre aide nous n'emportions aussi nos modes de vies, nos schémas, nos valeurs, dans une sorte d'ethnocentrisme qui supposerait que ce sont les seuls modéles valables pour l'humanité. Une sorte d'écrasement des différences, de la diversité qui aboutirait à une sorte d'écrasement des valeurs culturelles qui ne sont pas celles de l'Occident.
Ceci dit, je sais bien qu'il y a eu et qu'il y a des actions menées dans le monde qui sont splendides, utiles, et d'une extrême générosité. Comme pour les bons missionnaires, l'un n'empêche pas l'autres.
Mon point de vu personnel, mais ce n'est que le mien, est que la diversité est plus riche pour l'humanité que l'uniformité et qu'il faut y faire attention, en tenir compte, dans notre désir d'aider.
Ceci dit bravo pour ta décision et ton courage . Bonne continuation.
Catherine
" La lucidité est la blessure la plus proche du soleil" René Char
Ton idée de vendre des brocantes est bonne, je pourrais m'en inspirer pour mon voyage au Maroc.J'ai une copine qui s'occupe d'une classe pour enfants avec un retard scolaire, c'est nouveau comme projet au Maroc.Je pourrais peut-etre leur apporter du matériel scolaire.
oui par chez nous cela se fait beaucoup, et en plus si tu mets des photos et que tu commentes, alors là les gens sont trés solidaires dans l'ensemble !
Moi, je ne force jamais, libre à chacun de donner ou pas d'acheter ou pas ! je respecte tous les avis !
Pour le matériel scolaire, voit avec l'association sur place ce dont ils ont besoin ! C'est important de contacter les responsables.
Je vends en brocante car sur place j'ai besoin d'argent pour acheter le tissu pour les vêtements, les chaussures, les denrées alimentaires au magasin d'état... c'est selon les besoins de la Soeur qui gère l'orphelinat.
Bon courage !
Se donner les moyens de réussir son rêve... " Où que tu ailles, vas-y avec tout ton coeur". CONFUCIUS
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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
This is my 15,000th post, and it's a message I would have preferred never to write.
Patrick—Yangguizi—won’t be returning from his trek in Uganda. His health betrayed him in the mountains.
Like many of you, I laughed until I couldn’t anymore at his travel stories. I met him in Shanghai, then in Istanbul... We scoured restaurants—he was an incredible expert on world cuisines. We relived Korea, China. Always brilliant, so sharp, so funny, so down-to-earth. Being even a little bit his friend was something to be proud of. I think I envied him.
Patrick is still out there, of course...
He found his happiness running across the world. He’s on his path. He never doubted that "the traveler doesn’t even know if he’ll return one day."
Not sure this would’ve suited him, but his departure devastates me.
Alright,
Farewell, you foreign devil. Safe travels.
hello to all travelers with their eyes wide open to the desert...
I’ve always wondered what I was "doing" on this earth. And why my father, who died a few months after I was born—a former youngest French resistance fighter—joined the First Saharan Motorized Company in Atar and spent the rest of his life repairing army engines in Algeria, Mauritania, Senegal, Mali (which didn’t exist under that name back then), Morocco, and finally Algeria, where my mother was born and raised. (Believe me, it’s not "cool" being the child of a soldier in a country occupied by France, and even less so the child of a "pied-noir.")
Of course, I never got an answer: the dead don’t talk, and the army doesn’t either.
But here’s the thing—I had photos...
So naturally, one day I hit the road. I wanted to see, to understand.
It’s thanks to VF that I was able to do a little research on crossing the Morocco-Mauritania border, and I’m grateful to its members, just as I’m grateful to all those who welcomed me on the road for 14 years.
For the past few weeks, I’ve been wondering if I should talk about this or not...
It turns out the Mauritanians changed my life by asking for my help... And that started as early as February 2012... (Did I owe them something? No answer to that question.)
Ah, the irony—they saw me coming. But when you’re handed sick children and begged to do something, what would you have done? I’d worked in a hospital, so I knew a bit about the rules to follow. I didn’t hesitate.
And well, over all these years, I met doctors, surgeons, and together we organized care, evacuations of children, training for surgeons—even trying to stop children from having to travel outside their country. It was never easy. I’d like to thank those who supported us, as well as *La Chaîne de l’Espoir*, *La Fondation Face au Monde*, and everyone who built bridges between our two countries.
Unfortunately, despite the constant efforts of Mauritanian doctors and surgeons, some children couldn’t be helped in time. Today, I want to talk about four siblings—orphans of their mother—suffering from congenital glaucoma causing irreversible blindness. Their case was entrusted to me in 2020, just weeks before the big lockdown. We couldn’t do anything for them then, but when their father asked me for a gift, I rushed to my computer and wrote a story.
Through a tale, the children take a great journey, explore their country, and fulfill a dream. I never thought this book would be published—it was, in 2023.
This book pays tribute to Mauritania. It’s a message for those who know nothing about the hardships of life there, carrying both the harshness and beauty of an immense desert where you can travel by 4x4, bike, on foot, or by camel in complete safety. It bears witness to the kindness of Mauritanians toward travelers.
As a woman traveling alone in my vehicle—a now-rusted old Mercedes that no longer runs—I had the most beautiful encounters of my life there (I’ve seen other parts of the world...). The blind children of Choum, Atar, Nouadhibou, and Nouakchott will forever be in my heart.
Volunteer readers transcribed the book into a free audio version for the visually impaired. It’s available in sound libraries in France, the *Fondation Valentin Haüy*, and the Swiss Romande library.
I made my last trip to Mauritania in my old 4x4 to distribute the book everywhere, especially to its heroes and the school for the visually impaired in Nouakchott.
After that, I thought it was time to close the chapter because I no longer have the means or the strength to travel.
My publishers chose this title for it: *The Blue Eyes of the Desert*.
This publication helped a mission of Swiss volunteer ophthalmologists come to operate on glaucomas in Mauritania. I’m thrilled because they come back every year!
This adventure is ending, yes—everything must come to an end—but ultimately, it was born here, on the VF site!! So yes, I had to say it: THANK YOU!!!!!
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!
"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.
It’s something we often notice in this forum—and many others—this behavioral shift.
A long-time member, or even a new one, asks a question.
They get one or more answers, some brief, some detailed, and then... nothing???
Not even a simple thank you!!!
From what I’ve gathered, if the answers don’t align with what they wanted to hear, it seems natural for the asker to just disappear!! 😕
Unless—(and I fear this is the case)—basic politeness is no longer part of our society????
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
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