Hi there, Another new idea! Given the travel times and the complexity of public transport to get from Manila Airport to Banaue (with a 2-day stop in Capas for a trip to Pitalito), we’re thinking of renting a car for the week. We’ve started looking around, but the booking sites aren’t offering much—can’t find a small vehicle for two. If anyone has any tips to share, we’d love to hear them! And if two other travelers are interested in our itinerary, we can share the ride! (February 19–26). Thanks again for your help.

Hello everyone,

My partner and I would like to travel to the Philippines at the end of August for a 4-month stay. We can’t apply for a tourist visa in advance because (from what I understand) we’d need to provide proof of hotel reservations for the entire stay. But planning a 4-month trip so far ahead isn’t something we want to do.

So my question is about extensions once we’re there:

After the initial 29-day extension request, we’d like to apply for another 2-month extension. Do you know if the same supporting documents are required for this one (pre-booked hotel, 2000 € in the bank account per month requested)?

Or can we go ahead without risk and request the extension without these documents?

Thank you so much for reading, and for this forum existing. Take care,

Boris

Hi, I’d like to do several boat trips to go snorkeling during my stay in Florès: Islands departing from Riung, Maumere, and Labuan Bajo (Seraya). - WHO?: Do you have any contacts to organize these boat trips? - HOW MUCH?: What’s the cost for a full-day trip, including boat rental and possibly meals (picnic, barbecue, etc.)?

Hi there,

I’m looking into renting a 4x4 for Costa Rica, and like many, I’m a bit lost... I know there can be differences between what’s booked and the sales pressure at the airport to sell you mandatory insurance.

On the Booking site, I found an option for a vehicle at 642 € (with a Genius discount—I’ve attached the rate details, it’s unbeatable) for 16 days, plus a 126 € option that claims to cover everything. Total: 756 €. But how can I be sure it *really* covers everything? I can’t find any info, and there are no other insurance options at checkout. And what amount should I expect if they try to add some random insurance on the spot?

Hi there, I’m finalizing my trip to Greece and the island of Milos. Departing from Athens to Milos from 06/05/2025 to 06/11/2025. We’ve been looking at ferry options but we’re a bit worried since there are only two options for those dates. Could you recommend a company? When should we make the reservation? There are two of us adults, no vehicle. How do we get to Piraeus from central Athens? Thanks so much!

Hi,

We’re planning a Mediterranean cruise with either MSC or Costa—any recommendations on which to choose? Could you share the pros and cons of each?

We’re 2 adults and 1 young adult (18). Thanks for your feedback! Val

Hi there, I bought a flight ticket with Air India departing from Paris and arriving in Bangkok with a layover in Delhi. I didn’t include my third given name when booking, but it’s on my passport. Could this cause a problem at boarding?

Also, with an 8-hour layover in Delhi—no need to recheck bags or leave the international zone—do I need an Indian transit visa?

Thanks for your help!

Hi there, It's really tough to book seats for early February. After trying multiple times on the official online sites, everything seems to be fully booked already. Hiring a taxi is an option, but even then, there aren’t many choices—agencies prioritize tour packages. Do you have any tips for making the trip from Kandy to Ella? Thanks! Have a great day.

Hi everyone,

I’m sorry in advance if my post isn’t in the right section!

I’m planning to spend a week in Beijing using Air France’s GP tickets, trying my luck with the R2s—that is, a ticket without a reservation that only lets you board the plane if there’s space left. However, I’ve seen that to enter China, you need to show proof of a return ticket.

Have any of you experienced this situation, in China or any other country with the same requirements?

Thanks so much in advance! :)

Hi, I booked a car with Sixt from Temuco to Puerto Montt from 01/27/25 to 02/17/25. On Saturday, I got an email canceling the reservation. But the reservation is still showing up on the website (as of this morning at 9:30 AM). Can’t reach Sixt Chile. Sixt France is also in the dark (they can’t contact Chile either). Has anyone heard anything about this?

Hi, What are the entry conditions for Tunisia by boat with your own vehicle? I’ve read on several forums that you need to have a hotel reservation for the first night—or even for the entire stay—or they’ll send you back on the boat.

Hello, for Nomad bus 77429 to Dreux from Montparnasse Station, where do I catch this bus? Thanks in advance

Hi there, My questions might be repetitive, but I’d love to find a hotel close to a beach where we can swim without having to travel too far. The teens would stay at the beach while we go on excursions.

Hello, My husband and I (retired) are planning to spend a few days in Algeria around Christmas. I know a visa is required and that the application must be made in person (hotel reservation, travel insurance certificate, proof of sufficient funds), and the collection too. A few questions: -Is getting the visa easy or "problematic"? -Any hotel, guide, or points of interest recommendations for Algiers, Oran, Constantine? Thanks in advance for all your answers, and long live Voyage-Forum! Laurence

Hi everyone, I’m currently planning a trip to Malaysia for January 2025. I’ve got three transport questions for you all!

1: I arrive at 3 PM at Kuala Lumpur Airport and plan to take a direct bus to Malacca. Is booking a bus for 5 PM feasible, or is it too tight after collecting luggage? And which platform is the most reliable? Redbus, 12GO Asia, Rome2RIO, busonlineticket? Or can I buy a ticket on the spot without a reservation? Is that too risky? Alternatively, is it better to take a Grab? I saw the fare was around 60 €. Can you confirm this price? And is it easy to find a Grab from the airport for this distance?

2: Penang to Cameron Highlands (Tanah Rata) route—I saw there’s a direct bus that takes 5 hours. Can you confirm this? And is this duration realistic?

3: Cameron Highlands to Pangkor: This one’s tricky... The best I’ve found is 2 buses + a ferry + a taxi. Do you have a better suggestion?

Thanks for your help! Guy

Hi there,

I’m thinking of (re)visiting Thailand in a few months, and my planned itinerary includes an overnight train ride.

My goal is to book a first-class compartment, so I should reserve it as soon as possible...

Which website (reliable, please!) can I use to make this reservation, and are e-tickets available?

Thanks!😊

Hi there,

I’m planning—when it becomes possible again—to head to Khartoum and then travel down the Nile to Luxor.

I have a few questions:

For the Sudanese visa, it says I need proof of accommodation bookings for the entire stay. Is there another way to get it, because I really don’t want to book everything in advance.

About how long (just transport time, not sightseeing) does it take to get between these two cities?

Are all the connections manageable by public transport?

Thanks.

Hi,

We have a flight to Bastia with EasyJet in August that was originally scheduled to arrive at 4 PM. They just changed the time, and now we’ll arrive at 8:50 PM, which works a lot less well for us. Does this nearly 5-hour schedule change allow us to request a cancellation and refund for our booking? I know it’s possible with a "traditional" airline, but what about a low-cost carrier? And if so, can we get a refund for the entire booking or just the outbound flight affected by the schedule change?

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help!

Hi there,

We’re heading to Puglia from July 30 to August 31, 2020. I’ve booked a rental with a pool in Locorontondo.

But the more I read guides and forums, the more I regret booking the flight to Bari. I can still cancel the other reservations, but I’d face penalties for the flight.

It’s packed, avoid August at all costs—traffic jams, stifling heat, price hikes… I’m really having second thoughts. Our goal isn’t necessarily to hit the beach. I’m thinking we’ll get up early to go where we want and head back during the hottest part of the day.

Is it *that* bad? Thanks for sharing your experiences.

Hi there,

For our trip to Chile in November, we rented a car from Europcar for our stop in San Pedro de Atacama. We’ll pick up the car at Calama Airport and return it to the agency in San Pedro. We made the reservation through Rentalcars.

The problem is, I just noticed on the booking that it says in the "what you’ll need when picking up the vehicle" section: "Credit card: The card must have sufficient available funds to cover the excess/deposit (which will be blocked on the card for the duration of the rental)." And then it’s written in red: "Cash payments and debit cards are not accepted."

The thing is, we don’t have a credit card—just debit cards (which, by the way, is the case for most people; we just mistakenly call them "credit cards" when they’re actually "debit cards").

I’ve seen cases where the rental company forced people to purchase additional insurance if they didn’t provide a credit card for the deposit, but that was in European countries, and I haven’t found much info about Chile.

Has anyone else run into this issue with Europcar in Calama?

Do you know if they can refuse to give us the car if we don’t have a credit card for the deposit? Just to note, the rental payment has already been debited, and we’ve opted for the "Full Protection" insurance offered by Rentalcars. If they force us to take extra insurance, will it be something beyond this full protection?

Thanks for any insights...

Hi there,

I’ve got a huge problem before my trip to Istanbul, and I feel like I’m the only one dealing with this...

I made a reservation for next week through AutoEurope in Istanbul to rent a car for 10 days with a 0 € excess insurance (the final rental company is Budget).

So far, so good...

Except when I read AutoEurope’s terms, I see "debit card not accepted, credit card only"—this applies to the deposit, because even with 0 € excess insurance, there’s still a deposit, for a ridiculous amount (around 100 €, cheaper than the car rental itself). And sure enough, after checking with AutoEurope, Budget, and even other rental companies like Hertz, Avis, Europcar, etc., NONE of them accept debit cards (for the deposit and sometimes even for paying for the car!!).

But in France, 90% of people have a debit card (Visa, Mastercard, etc.) and not a credit card. So I don’t get why I’m the only one in this situation!!!!...

I don’t know what to do... I’ve contacted all the agencies, and none will accept Visa or Mastercard debit cards, so I’m worried my AutoEurope reservation is useless, that Budget will refuse me the car once I’m there, and I won’t get a refund! Worse, I’m afraid I won’t find a car for my trip at all!!...

If you’ve got a solution, please help—I’m totally stressed out by this crazy situation!!

Thanks so much!

Oh wow, what a scam!

With a name like that, I should’ve been suspicious of this online ticket-buying site! I booked a ticket on their site. I received an invoice and an online booking confirmation.

"Thank you for your online reservation. This confirmation also serves as your invoice. You will receive a second email within 24 hours containing your e-ticket."

12 hours later, I got this message:

"You booked a flight under reservation number 5TJ5HF on our website CheapTickets.be. Unfortunately, we must inform you that we cannot issue your ticket at the original price. After consulting the participating airlines, we were unable to find a solution to issue your ticket at the initial price. We can offer you an alternative that matches your request, which we have already reserved for you. The recalculated price is 161.33 €. (...) If we do not receive your confirmation by tomorrow at 9 AM, we will no longer be able to issue your ticket at the newly recalculated price and will have to cancel your reservation."

That’s nearly a 20% increase!

Is this even legal? What can I do about it?

I checked their site again—the ticket was still listed at the same price!

On top of that, calling their customer service costs 0.34 cents per minute. They keep you waiting for 20 minutes (that’s 6 €) before you get to speak to an advisor.

I’m devastated. I’ve never seen anything like this! Apparently, I’m not the only one: http://voyageforum.com/voyage/achat_billets_cheaptickets_D649310/

Are there others in the same situation? What can we do collectively?

Hi there, After booking an Airbnb last January for this summer’s vacation in Sarajevo... My "host" canceled our reservation without any reason—this has never happened to me before.

Of course, now it’s impossible to find a place to stay at a "normal" price in Sarajevo with parking... So we’re falling back on the capital of the Republika Srpska, Banja Luka, which had already crossed my mind before I booked Sarajevo.

I already have quite a few ideas in mind, without having dug too deep into the region yet. But if anyone has already been there and has suggestions? Even for restaurants—I’m all ears!

And even if it’s not right next door, I’m planning to spend a day in Sarajevo!

AVOID. Liars.

When I arrived, the Europcar agent explained in English that, given my situation (delay at the airport, my reserved car had already left), he was making an "exception", that I’d be upgraded, and that I’d keep the same terms as my initial booking.

I repeated several times that I did NOT understand the language of the contract he was making me sign. He reassured me, saying everything was OK, that the amount requested was just a deposit, that I wouldn’t be charged, and that it matched the rental I’d already booked.

Result: nearly 650 € debited on top of the initial 124 € contract! As if I’d rent a car for nearly 800 € for 6 days!

To me, this agent clearly lied and manipulated me to get my signature on a contract I’d specifically said I didn’t understand.

And as if that weren’t enough, the car I was given was defective. I reported it during the rental and have the emails to prove it. Even today, no one can tell me if the vehicle was actually checked and repaired after I returned it. I even strongly suspect it was put back into circulation without the reported issues being properly addressed.

Scandalous practices. Be extremely careful about what you’re told verbally at Europcar and don’t sign anything without having everything translated.

Hello,

I’m looking for a female travel companion (around 45 to 65 years old) for a 15- to 20-day trip to Guatemala and maybe a few days in Belize. I plan to use the services of the Evaneos agency for booking accommodations, but otherwise, I’ll be traveling backpacker-style with public transportation. I’m open to discussion! Thanks, Chantal

Hey everyone, Just sharing my experience after my road trip in a van around New Zealand: if you're looking to save on activities, I really recommend checking out Bookme. At first, I was a bit skeptical (discounts up to 50%—sounds almost too good to be true 🤪), but after 3 bookings, no issues at all. Everything went super smoothly. My experience:

Lots of activities available at reduced prices I got into the habit of checking the site before each booking Best deal: 40% off a cruise to Milford Sound booked 2 days in advance

My tips:

Always check Bookme before booking elsewhere The best prices are often 2 to 4 days before Not all popular activities are necessarily on there

In my opinion, it’s a real great tip for saving money without any hassle during a trip to NZ! I actually detailed my experience and all my tips in this article if you're interested: https://lemondeavecandrea.com/mon-avis-sur-bookme-nouvelle-zelande/ If any of you have tried it too, I’d love to hear your feedback 🙂 Happy travels!

Some trips are born twice.

Ours was supposed to happen in 2020. Everything was ready: the itinerary, the flight tickets, the hotel reservations and Machu Picchu, the rental car, the dreams of high altitudes and wide-open spaces. And then the world stopped.

Hi there, We’re two friends and want to explore Patagonia in 3 weeks, traveling from Puerto Natales to Santiago. We’d like to use public transport. Has anyone tried this before? If so, could you share your itinerary, booking tips, etc.? We’ll be traveling in December–January. Thanks!

Hello Everybody,

I already have my flight ticket—departing from Nice on December 2 at 12:30 PM and returning on December 26 at midnight—for southern India... (gorgeous!)

I’ve been creating my travel journals for 15 years, and this one is ready too. The guesthouse and hotel (few) reservations are made... The itinerary is super nice...

And the Christmas festivities to see as well!

Unfortunately, due to health issues, my travel companion had to cancel this trip.

So, I’m looking for someone just like her... and like me. Fun, easygoing, friendly, and funny.

Someone who loves to laugh, who’s okay with transportation (buses, trains, rickshaws (tuk-tuks), bikes (very little... just on an island))...

Who’ll leave their worries at home, has no health issues, and enjoys going out during the day and in the evening for a drink.

I’ll get my visa this month... If someone is interested and decides quickly, we could definitely be on the same flight... I’ll obviously show you my itinerary...

No need to reach out if you’re indecisive or just curious—thanks for understanding... With less than three months until departure, we need to move fast...

The trip is all set...

23 nights on-site, flight ticket, visa, excursions, food, etc.—budget around 2600 €. Not bad, right?

On the agenda: various visits, endless rice fields and tea plantations, beaches, markets, chilling sometimes—in short, pure happiness.

People with difficult personalities or who are easily annoyed (lol) are excluded... Just someone nice who loves to have fun and live peacefully!

I work on my travel journals for 4 months, so this is about making the trip a success and being happy... I’ve been creating my own itineraries for 15 years...

My itinerary is ready... If you’re sure you can be free for the entire stay from December 2 to 26 (I’m not ruling out a travel companion), everyone will have their own room for the whole trip—I’ve booked everything accordingly...

A passport valid for at least 6 months after the return date is mandatory!

I managed to get a round-trip flight ticket for 580 € with very little waiting time (1.5 and 2.5-hour layovers... (Iberia operated by Qatar... With a bit of luck, we could be on the same flight).... I’ll apply for my visa online by the end of September... So, be sure of yourself so we can meet up quickly and possibly validate our visas together and book your flight ticket...

Welcome,

Caroline

Hello, We already did a self-organized trip to Namibia in March 2019, covering Windhoek and the southern part up to the South African border, then heading back via Lüderitz, the dunes, the Atlantic coast, Swakopmund, and Erongo. We’ve organized a second trip for May 2026. Here’s our itinerary and the bookings we’ve made directly or through Booking. The 4x4 Toyota Hilux is reserved with Africa on Wheels in Windhoek—we used them five years ago and were happy with the service.

May 9: Arrival in Windhoek via Lufthansa; Okahandja Country Hotel in Okahandja May 10: Spitzkoppe, Spitzkoppe Tented Camp May 11: Brandberg, White Lady Lodge Tree House May 12 & 13: Twyfelfontein, Twyfelfontein Adventure Camp May 14 & 15: Palmwag, Grootberg Lodge May 16: Opuwo, Opuwo Country Lodge May 17 & 18: Epupa Falls, Omarunga Epupa Falls May 19: Etosha, Dolomite Resort May 20: Okaukuejo, NWR waterhole chalet May 21: Onguma, Mushara Bush Camp May 22 & 23: Waterberg, Waterberg Wilderness Valley Lodge May 24: Brakwater, Windhoek Gama Camp May 25: Return to Windhoek and flight home

- My first question is about the route between Opuwo and Epupa Falls. We’ll take the C43 and D3700. According to the Tracks4Africa map, it’s about a 3-hour drive. What’s the condition of the road? I’ve also heard that the local population, including children and adults, can be insistent and sometimes exhibit dangerous behavior toward tourists and vehicles, asking for food or other things. Is this accurate? After our stay in Epupa, we’ll retrace our steps back to Opuwo, then take the C41 to Galton Gate to enter Etosha National Park. - Do you know what time Galton Gate at Hobatere closes? We’ll need to leave Epupa very early to arrive before the gate shuts, as we’re heading straight to Dolomite Resort.

Thanks for your advice and experiences! Christine