Hello, I’m looking for a retailer that carries the Morocco maps by Huber Kartographie, from the *marokko-erfahren* collection at 1/120,000 scale. I’ve found most of them at Le Vieux Campeur and La Compagnie des Cartes, but I’m missing the following sheets: J13 / N10 / 012, and neither of these retailers can supply them. Online, I only ever find the maps I already own, not these specific numbers. Could any of you point me in the right direction? Or maybe recommend another collection? Even with a GPS, I always prefer paper maps—they’re so much more "expressive." Thanks! Dominique

Hi,

I’d like to know if you can buy reef-safe sunscreen sprays at 7-Eleven. If so, how much do they cost? We’re traveling with backpacks, so we’ll either buy 100ml here or in Thailand.

Hi, I’ve seen mixed info about e-cigarettes in Argentina... Do you know if I can bring my own gear for personal use? Thanks in advance! !

Hi there, This might seem a bit out of the blue, but I really need some info, insights, and advice—especially tips! I’d love to go volunteer in countries that need help. Thanks, and please keep any negative comments to yourself

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

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

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

Be careful if you're in Konstanz—your phone might connect to a Swiss carrier in certain spots (for me, it was a parking lot near Switzerland and on Mainau Island). You could be charged at least 30 € for roaming if your phone stays connected. I'm with Poste Mobile.

For those in France near the Swiss border, don’t stay in roaming mode. For those like me in Germany, turn off mobile data or get a Swiss plan for 15 €.

Hello, We found an English-speaking guide, but do you happen to know a French-speaking one? He’s offering 6 days for $1,700/day per person. There’s just the two of us.

Thanks so much! Planned for July/August 2025 LesBretonsdu56

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

Je n'arrive plus à accéder aux rubriques " derniers messages " ou " dernières discussions " , on m'affiche " désolé , votre recherche n'a donné aucun résultat " .

Et si je veux voir les messages d'un membre du forum je n'ai accès qu'aux (très ) anciens messages , pas aux plus récents.

Même constat , pour moi aussi . C'est la faute à la chaleur, ou peut être à nos gouvernants ... 😏

Salutations

Bonjour ,

Je n'arrive plus à accéder aux rubriques " derniers messages " ou " dernières discussions " , on m'affiche " désolé , votre recherche n'a donné aucun résultat " .

Et si je veux voir les messages d'un membre du forum je n'ai accès qu'aux (très ) anciens messages , pas aux plus récents.

Bonjour, j'ai eu le même problème depuis mercredi. C'est résolu depuis ce matin, peut-être grâce à votre signalement !

Hi there! I have to leave Ivato/Antananarivo on December 16th. I have a lot of ariary that I’d like to exchange for euros since I might not be coming back to Madagascar (after this 21st trip). I think the exchange office at Ivato also buys ariary back. If any of you have seen the rate for this buyback in advance, thanks a million!

Même problème depuis environ 15j.

Bonjour ,

Moi c'est beaucoup plus récent .

Le fonctionnement n'était déjà pas pratique mais là on ne peut plus voir les nouveaux messages qui n'ont pas encore eu de réponses , ni les forums qui n'apparaissent pas dans la rubrique " en cours " , c'est le cas du concours photo , du forum croisières , compagnons de voyage, etc....

Hi, We’re leaving for South Africa soon (on 10/9) and I was wondering if there’s a need for things like paracetamol, since we can bring some! And if so, how should we go about it—can we drop them off at a private lodge, in Kruger, in Cape Town...? Thanks for any tips or experiences you can share—quickly, since we’re leaving soon! 😉

Hi,

Not sure if this is the right section, but just wanted to warn future travelers...

Where’s Cape Vidal? It’s in iSimangaliso, an independent park in KZN Wildlife, stunning and just a stone’s throw from St Lucia (KwaZulu-Natal, Maputaland). It’s the beach spot at the end of the Eastern Shores road. You can swim, fish... but watch out for waves, currents, and sharks... There’s a really nice game drive where you can get out of your car at certain points, especially at Cape Vidal. That’s where the camp with bungalows and campsites is. The vervets and samango monkeys (endemic to the area, and the males are pretty big) can be a bit of a nuisance if you’re trying to braai... They’re super persistent and not shy at all—don’t let them intimidate you, and stay alert because their speed at snatching food is impressive. Anyway... I’m reporting two recent attacks by these hyenas... who were *not* in a playful mood... The first one happened at night—a hyena tried to bite a camper’s nose off in their tent... and succeeded. The other night, a camper returning to their tent in the early hours was violently attacked by two hyenas... and they had a close call! So, if you’re camping there, be careful... Measures are being taken, but for now, it’s a bit risky.

Imagination or reality, fiction or true story. Everything blends together, and if the characters really existed, if their story is partly true, I freely transcribed what Surya told me in her English as precarious as mine. Have I already posted this on vf? I can't find it. Maybe on the small forum Wapiti created to continue our wild stories that went on for pages and pages and no longer pleased anyone on vf.

No matter.

I heard from Bavani—life is crazy, isn’t it?

That’s why I’m bringing her story back.

I’m settling into the -miscellaneous- section; I like being away from the noise.

When the house is overrun with running feet, laughter, arguments, and music, I go to the barn turned into a honey house. It’s cool, it smells of wax and honey, and among the disorder of hive frames, supers, and stacked jars, I refocus.

Here, in -miscellaneous-, no one rants. I can let my fingers glide over the keyboard in peace.

Alright, enough digressions. At the end of the notebook, I’ll tell you what became of this little girl.

Bavani

“Bavani, stop daydreaming, work.”

I’m not daydreaming, I’m thinking.

My teacher is Surya, and she asked us to write a story. She doesn’t like us—I heard her talking to the teacher in the little kids’ class. She said: I stay here because the white people pay better than in government schools, but it’s a shame to teach gypsies. Filthy street urchins.

I’m not a gypsy, I’m a Narikuravar. Grandmother told me: you’re going to this school, you’ll learn English well, and when you come back, you’ll be richer than the others because you’ll beg better from the tourists. Grandmother makes necklaces and sells them, but often she sells nothing at all.

There are lots of tourists in my town, Tiruvannamalai. Before, I lived behind the temple with dad and mom. We had our spot and were happy, especially when mom cooked rice on the brazier. Then we’d lie down, and I’d press my back against mom’s huge belly, and it would move inside. One day, mom told me: stay here, I’ll be back very soon. I waited a long time, and neither dad nor mom came back. After a long time, dad came, and we went to Salem to my grandmother, who’s dad’s mom.

I asked: where’s mom? “Shut up, two was too many.” “Two what? He didn’t say.”

So I went to Salem to grandmother’s hut, and there was no rice, and Muriga came to get me with his minibus. Now I live here. We eat several times a day—yellow rice, then white rice to digest, and eggs and bananas.

And we have to study.

Papom *

.../...

Papom: in common language, it’s the equivalent of -see ya-

Hi fellow travelers... I'm going on a bike trip, and I'd like to know if I can exchange euros or Swiss francs in Norway... Can I withdraw cash from ATMs? Can I pay in cash at supermarkets or grocery stores?

Thanks, best regards, safe travels...

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

Hello,

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

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

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

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

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

Thanks.

Hi, Without changing anything in "my settings," I no longer receive email notifications when a PM arrives or when one of my public posts gets a reply. (I don’t have any followed threads)

Is this a temporary glitch or has the feature been removed?

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

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

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

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

Hi everyone, the Groupe Militaire de Haute Montagne recently carried out a rescue operation for two extremely skilled mountaineers in the Himalayas. You might think it sounds like a Christmas tale, but no—just listen:

https://www.defense.gouv.fr/actualites/defcast-sauvetage-lhimalaya

Merci beaucoup. Evidemment, nous sommes toujours à l'écoute des bugs et ferons de notre mieux pour les résoudre. Mais les menaces de quitter le forum, le code s'en fiche. Nous, moins, car nous croyons dur comme fer en ce forum et au fait qu'il peut encore apporter des informations de qualité même face à l'influence grandissante de l'IA.

I left my heart’s country eight days ago and returned to my adopted one—or was it the other way around? Scotland-Morvan, Morvan-Scotland, I’m not quite sure anymore.

After a quarter without dragging my slippers around here, even though I’d loudly declared I had no interest left in this site, here I am again!

My imagination never stays fallow for long. Just enough time for my inner land to rest. It gets overgrown with fresh nettles, the kind you can pick without getting stung. Then, it’s time to till the fragrant earth and let the story grow.

I hesitated over where to set this story. Maybe the Highlands, maybe the Hebrides, maybe the Orkney Islands, maybe the Shetland Islands. All of Scotland is myth—easy to embroider. But in the end, no. I’d almost be too afraid to bare my soul.

The story will take place at home. Simple, practical.

1)

This morning, I was up well before dawn, feeling a bit grumpy, but nothing a bowl of coffee won’t fix. I love my bowl, and no one dares take it. It’s porcelain, edged with intertwined blue flowers. On the bottom, it says "Revol." The factory has existed long before the Revolution. It was my great-grandmother’s bowl. She drank roasted barley from it during the war, then her Leroux chicory.

Last year, a little guy dropped it. My bowl broke into three pieces. A black anger vibrated deep inside me. The little boy was so upset, on the verge of tears. How could I scold him!

I picked up the three pieces and took Little Boy in my arms. His hair smelled of the light, sweet sweat of toddlers. A gentle hug that healed—his budding sorrow and my anger—everything vanished, and time carried on.

Today, my bowl is even prettier. Man fixed it using the traditional kintsugi technique, except he didn’t use gold powder or lacquer but superglue, and he delicately painted the cracks with woad blue. And my bowl is even more beautiful now.

I’m lingering, I can tell—it’s just that a story wraps itself in life, and life can’t be told in the snap of a finger. Life is long. Like in architecture, you start with a rough sketch, called a "sous-cul" (the initial pencil drawing), then you make a tracing, which is the work itself, the one you later carefully roll up in a wooden tube. Life is like that: you erase, you start over, you use the nub of the pencil until it’s tiny, but you keep going—dreaming, loving.

"Living is a full-time occupation, a unique adventure. Always a surprise and a wonder, which sometimes turns into astonishment. And, from time to time, happiness."*

Alright, enough digressing—this introduction is definitely too long. Tomorrow, I’ll get to the heart of the matter. (I hate that expression; it feels like I’m cutting into someone’s skin.)

*Jean d’Ormesson

2)

Hi everyone,

I just found out there’s an update on the international driving permit. What was bound to happen has happened: it now costs (for now!!) 7 50 €. https://www.service-public.gouv.fr/particuliers/actualites/A18833

There’s also a link at the bottom of the article for the list of countries where it’s mandatory.

Have a great day! 😊

Christelle

Hi, I’m landing in Quebec and then heading to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. I’d like to rent a pick-up. My question is: does this vehicle come with a cover and is it secure enough to store luggage in? I’ve heard two conflicting opinions. Thanks

Hi there, I’m Laura, and I’m looking for a few people to answer some questions so I can understand your travel wishes and challenges. It won’t take long—I can chat here, by email, or by phone. Don’t worry, I’m not selling anything! 😊

Hi everyone, I’m looking for a website that would let me plot my travel route in advance so I can print it out. The idea is to create a map with a little “me” on a bike that my parents can move along as I progress, since I’m planning to cycle all the way to Nepal. If any of you have done something similar or know of a good tool, I’d love to hear your tips! Thanks in advance! 😊

Hello,

A white rental Toyota Land Cruiser 4x4 carrying foreign tourists was attacked at the entrance of Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park in the village of Bekopaka, western Madagascar, yesterday. So far, there’s been no response from the central government to curb these repeated armed attacks—usually between Malagasy people, but this time targeting foreign tourists.

Hi everyone,

Facebook is giving me a hard time trying to access the Chiang Mai Marketplace from France. I’ve tried using a VPN, clearing my browsing data, and even using a browser not linked to an account—but no luck. The app is even worse since it checks the phone’s location data.

Any tips on how to get around this?

Thanks in advance! Olivier

Hi everyone. We’ve been feeling like there’s a big drop in activity on our forum... Probably due to the current situation... Have any of you canceled or postponed your upcoming trips? The forum is also facing competition from social media like Facebook and others, which play a big role in the political situation but are pretty limited when it comes to planning an individual trip. The mandatory ads for new members on the forum are also a major turn-off that should be removed. As for the current situation, I’m in Nosy Be, and there’s no problem here. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the future. I feel like this crisis is different this time and could lead to real change. Hope I’m not wrong! Thanks for your replies!