Results for "Garde+|+9+>+215"

Hi fellow travelers, I’m looking for a nice hotel in Agadir, in a lively neighborhood, with a room that has a private bathroom, toilet, and AC (not essential). We’ll be staying for 2 or 3 nights before heading south. We land in the late afternoon—definitely not the best time to go hunting for a place to stay, especially since it’s our first trip to Morocco. Thanks for your tips!

Has anyone already done the 40-day cruise in Oceania with Holland America? I’d love to hear your thoughts on the ship and the destinations. Thanks

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.

Best regards,

Hi there, I’m heading to Kenya in July 2026. I’d like to travel from Nairobi to Mombasa in 5/6 days, passing through Amboseli, Tsavo West and East, and Taita Hills. Unfortunately, I can’t find any group tours for this itinerary—only private options, which makes the prices skyrocket for camping accommodations. I’m realizing it might actually be cheaper to rent an SUV from Hertz and stay in much more luxurious lodges on my own! My partner drove for a month from Cape Town to Johannesburg, so left-hand driving doesn’t scare him, but I’ve seen a lot of warnings about chaotic traffic... Has anyone tried this? And what about safety (fake police checks, carjacking, etc.)? Alternatively, should I take the train and book directly with the lodges? But I’m worried about wasting too much time. Thanks for your help! Gaëlle

Hi there! Every year, we go on a cycling trip abroad with panniers, lasting about two weeks. We stay in step lodgings, guesthouses, and the like. We mostly take small roads and really enjoyed northern Montenegro and Albania last year.

We’d love to hear from anyone who’s cycled in these countries before: tips on finding quiet roads, highlights of the regions we’ll pass through, how welcoming the locals are, and so on. Thanks in advance for any replies or exchanges!

Hello, I’m continuing the Antalaha–Maroantsetra discussion but for some info in the other direction, specifically about hiking from Maroantsetra to Antalaha.

In mid-December, I plan to take it easy from Tamatave to Antalaha. I’m thinking of making a few stops, like Nosy Atafana—has anyone snorkeled there? Is it nice? Can you find bush taxis on the Soniera–Ivongo / Maroantsetra stretch?

After that, I’m considering walking from Maroantsetra to Antalaha and figuring things out as I go, since the path seems well-used, so I’m not planning on a guide. Good idea or totally foolish? Should I bring a tent and some camping gear, or, as I’ve read multiple times, are there several villages with lodging and food options along the way? Any spots worth stopping at or nothing special to see?

In Antalaha, I saw the recommendation for Villa Malaza in the previous discussion, so I’m keeping that in mind. If there’s space, I’ll plan to stay there. In Antalaha itself, are there any places to visit, things to see, or activities you’d recommend?

Thanks in advance to everyone for any tips—they’ll be really helpful!

Hi there! We're heading to Athens in April 2026 with our three kids (ages 7 to 14). We won’t be renting a car and plan to stay in Athens the whole time. What do you think of this itinerary? - Day 1: Arrival and first stroll around Athens (Anafiotika, Monastiraki, Psiri, Areopagus Hill) - Day 2: Acropolis (+ museum?), Plaka, Koukaki or Filopappou depending on how we feel - Day 3: Day trip to Hydra, overnight in Aegina - Day 4: Aegina - Day 5: Changing of the Guard, National Garden, Lycabettus Hill, Panathenaic Stadium, Plaka - Day 6: Organized Peloponnese excursion - Day 7: Athens Riviera, relaxed pace - Day 8: Organized Delphi excursion - Day 9: Departure Thanks in advance! ☀️☀️☀️

Hi everyone, I’m trying to make sure this provider is reliable—they organize private tours in Bali with French-speaking guides. I’m currently in touch with them for a 15-day/14-night trip in May 2026. If you’ve heard of them, I’d really appreciate your feedback—it’ll help put my mind at ease (or not...). Looking forward to your replies,

Hello,

We’ve booked our tickets for July—there’ll be 4 of us, maybe 6 (all in our sixties). We’d like to visit 4 islands: Arrival in Praia on July 8th Return from São Vicente on July 29th

Between those dates, I’m not sure how to split our time across each island. We’ll definitely spend at least a week on Santo Antão. We’re planning to visit Santiago, Fogo, São Vicente, and Santo Antão. We’re looking for easy hikes, diving, sightseeing, and a little beach time (but not too much). How do you think we should divide the 3 weeks among the islands? Is 3 days in Fogo enough? Are guides essential, and can we easily find them on the spot? Should we rent a car, given we won’t just be hiking?

Thanks in advance for your advice, tips, warnings, and anything else you can share… and I’ve still got plenty more questions! Valéry

Hi there, I’m reposting this because the two replies to my question were really nice, but one was from someone who traveled to Colombia five years ago, and the other from someone who’s never been. Plus, my question got buried in a completely off-topic discussion. To clarify, I’d love **RECENT** info on safety in Colombia right now. So, here it is again.

I’m planning a trip to Colombia this summer. I’ve read a lot about safety there—everything and its opposite. You, Colombia experts, after your recent return from Colombia, would you say it’s a country where you can travel safely today? We don’t plan to visit narco or paramilitary zones. What about the current political situation? We’re traveling as a couple, without a tour. Thanks for your replies.

I'm looking for a travel companion (male or female) for a trip of about 2 to 3 weeks in Sri Lanka in early 2026—a country I haven’t visited yet. I’m passionate about travel, especially Southeast Asia.

My only non-negotiable is that the trip ends by mid-February at the latest, since I’ll then be heading to Thailand to spend 2 weeks with my daughter.

I’d like to explore the central, western, and southern regions, which enjoy better weather at that time of year.

Hope to connect soon and get to know each other better!

Hello, I’d like to spend 4 weeks in Santo Domingo next January, preferably near the beach for a relaxed, no-frills stay. I’m a senior, and my goal is simply rest and relaxation. Could you share any tried-and-true tips to help me out? Best regards

What if your travel memories had a place in a real journal? 🌍

Back-to-school season is when we get back into our routines, but it’s also when we look back on the great memories from summer. We often promise ourselves we’ll organize our photos, jot down our stories… and then life gets busy. Those memories slowly fade, stuck in our phones...

Travel journals from MyAtlas are here to change that. They let you gather your stories, your images, and your emotions in a beautiful keepsake you can hold onto and share. It’s like a personal diary, but illustrated by your travels.

Creating your journal also extends the travel experience: reliving your photos, rediscovering details you’d forgotten, and bringing those moments back to life.

Use the code BIENVENUE10 for 10% off your first album ;)

Zou! is the public transport service for the Région Sud Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. We're Canadian and our plan was to hike the Mercantour Great Crossing (GR52). After landing in Nice, we needed to find transport to the trailhead in the village of Entraunes. It took us two months to figure out that the only service available was Zou!'s shuttle, and—after countless calls (not easy from Canada)—to actually speak to someone at the company. Even though they confirmed our reservation, on the day of the trip, they weren’t waiting for us. We ended up stranded in Guillaumes because the driver hadn’t been "informed" that he was supposed to go all the way to the terminus that day. In 40 years of traveling the world, I’ve never encountered a situation where customer service was this nonexistent and access to a region this difficult. I just wanted to share this experience to warn you if you’re planning to rely on public transport to reach the GR52...

Hi there,

We’re back from our 3-week trip to South Africa in July. It was a family trip with our four grown-up kids (ages 18 to 25).

First off, I’d like to thank everyone on this forum for their great tips—they really helped us plan this trip!

The trip: We spent 15 days between Port Elizabeth and Cape Town, then a week around Kruger (including Blyde River Canyon). We found South Africans to be welcoming and always ready to help. We never felt unsafe (just followed basic safety rules). The police are very visible, especially on the roads.

Logistics: We’d booked our accommodations in advance but made a few changes on the spot based on how we felt at the time. We rented two vehicles from Firefly (Hertz). No complaints—recent cars, quick returns, and the deposit wasn’t charged. We’d gotten our international driver’s permits... which stayed in France! Luckily, no one asked for them. Driving on the left wasn’t an issue (it wasn’t our first time). The roads we took were in good, even great, condition. Only a few tracks to lodges or parks were rough and required extra caution. Lots of pedestrians on the sides of roads, even highways. And plenty of very slow trucks. But they pull over to let you pass. It’s also common for cars to cross into the opposite lane to overtake, even with white lines. We took two domestic flights: one early in the morning (Johannesburg to Port Elizabeth) and one in the late afternoon (Cape Town to Johannesburg) to save time.

We had some highlights and a few disappointments—all part of the journey! More details coming soon.

Hi, I went to submit my visa application to visit my partner’s family. We’re religiously married in France. I provided an accommodation certificate, pay slips, travel insurance, and a document stating we’re religiously married—signed, etc. I want to travel with my partner’s son, who has both Algerian and French passports and is a minor. So, I told them he lives with us. Since his father has custody, they didn’t charge me anything and said they’d call me back because my file is going to a committee. I also told them I needed to leave by July 15th. This is the Lille consulate—has this ever happened to any of you?,

Hi everyone, I’m heading to the United States in August, specifically Grand Junction, Colorado, and I’d love to hear about your experiences with renting a car in this slightly tricky situation:

I still have my old French driver’s license (the pink paper version, still valid),

I didn’t have time to get an International Driving Permit (IDP),

And I plan to use a Visa debit card, not a credit card.

I’ve booked a car with Budget. I’ve seen that they *can* accept debit cards under certain conditions, especially at airport locations, but there are often high hold amounts for the deposit, and sometimes requirements like a return ticket or an extra ID. - Has anyone rented a car in the US under these conditions before? - Was the paper license accepted without any issues? - Did the debit card cause problems when putting down the security deposit? Any tips, personal stories, or warnings are super welcome! 😊 Thanks in advance!

Hello there!



Here’s the recap of a little week we spent as a couple in Saint Petersburg in early May 2019, just before the *annus horribilis* of Covid. Since then, there’s also been the war in Ukraine, which has made things quite complicated, but tourist stays in Russia are still possible (see the discussion thread for the post-2022 situation). Looking back, early May was a bit too soon in the season—the trees were just starting to bud, and the wind was pretty chilly. It’s better to go at the end of May to enjoy the gardens.

Below is our 5-day itinerary. I’d brought along the inevitable Lonely Planet and the Blue Guide to Saint Petersburg, just to get a basic understanding of the architecture of the buildings I’d be admiring. I’d prepared two complementary routes on G**gle Maps in advance to cover the essentials of the city center in two days. That left the other days completely free for the big highlights: the Hermitage Museum and Peterhof Palace. We tried to adapt based on the weather, visiting Peterhof and its gardens on what was *supposed* to be the nicest day. We’d saved the Hermitage for a day when the weather was really bad, but in the end, we had more or less the same weather every day (sunny but windy and chilly).

Itinerary:

Day 1: City center north of Nevsky Prospect, up to the fortress (Route 1 on the map) Day 2: Peterhof Day 3: City center south of Nevsky Prospect up to Mariinsky (Route 2) Day 4: Canal boat tour during the day + nighttime boat ride on the Neva Day 5: Hermitage

Evening activities:

On the 3rd day, we saw an opera at the Mariinsky I, On the 4th day, we saw a ballet at the Mariinsky II, then headed back to the embankments at half past midnight for a nighttime cruise on the Neva—magical!

Hi everyone,

First post here to share a quick recap of our west-to-east bike trip along Algeria’s coast in January 2025. It was just the two of us—my partner and I—with French passports and not a word of Arabic. No friends or welcoming hosts in the country.

Under those conditions, we’d strongly advise against going.

Our original plan was to follow the coast from Algiers to Tunis. We ended up cycling from Algiers to Béjaia, then took the train from Béjaia to Annaba (with a stop in Constantine), and finally biked to the border. We were tailed by police the whole way—whether on our bikes, on the train, or even on foot while exploring towns. On top of that, we couldn’t wild camp and were limited to the few state-approved hotels that accept foreigners. Under those circumstances, connecting with locals was especially tough.

With such an omnipresent and intrusive police presence, we’d definitely recommend against this destination for bike touring. A really sad situation that completely cuts you off from the local population...

We’d been warned, we went to check it out, and we weren’t disappointed!

You’ve been warned.

Hi everyone,

I’m planning and budgeting a trip to Australia for August 2026, lasting 40 days.

Here’s the current itinerary: Arrival at Port Macquarie Airport in New South Wales and return from Cairns Airport in Queensland. - South West Rock - Cap Ridge Park - Springbrook Park - Stradbroke Island - Maleny - Noosa - Rainbow Beach - K’Gari - Gladstone - Heron Island - Airlie Beach - Townsville - Magnetic Island - Cairns - Cape Tribulation

My main issue is transport to cover all of this.

The first leg is already tricky—I haven’t found a way to rent a car in Port Macquarie and drop it off in South West Rock. And if we keep the vehicle until Cleveland (8 days) before taking the ferry to Stradbroke Island, it’s already around 1000 €.

- Are there any systems where we could buy a vehicle in Port Macquarie and be sure it’s bought back at the end of the trip in Cairns?

- Do you know of any Australian online car rental sites?

As for trains, they’re not really an option for our stay in New South Wales. In Queensland, I found the Queensland Rail Travel website with a Brisbane–Cairns line, but trains don’t run every day.

- Do you know of any other train companies in Queensland that connect coastal cities from Brisbane to Cairns?

For flights, I checked Queensland with Qantas, and most routes require a stopover in Brisbane, which wastes a lot of time, and the prices are still high.

Do you know of any low-cost airlines for domestic flights in Australia?

Thanks for your tips!

Hi everyone, I’d like to travel to Senegal with my two dogs—an Amstaff and a French Bulldog (who can’t fly). I’m wondering if you think it’ll be complicated or if the formalities are easy to sort out. I’m giving myself a year to prepare for this trip.

Thanks in advance for your replies

Hi there,

We’re planning a trip to Central America and South America, but we’re still unsure about the destination. It’s for a trip in July 2025, so weather is definitely a factor. For Ecuador, the weather seems favorable, but my wife knows an Ecuadorian woman who told her that the security situation has really deteriorated, especially on the west side (beaches, etc.).

Has anyone traveled to Ecuador recently (in 2025) and could share their experience? (security situation, recommended itineraries)

In terms of things to see (typical villages, landscapes), weather, and prices, Ecuador seems more appealing to us than Costa Rica or Panama, which we’re also considering.

Hello, For a CroisiEurope cruise on the Rhine, specifically the "Four Rivers" cruise in June, is there a gala evening with a particular dress code? Also, what about for meals and daytime wear? Thanks so much!

hi there same old question when you arrive in MOROCCO where’s the best place to exchange euros for Moroccan dirhams at the best rate? thanks.

Hi there, I just got the "congratulations" email last night letting me know that our first-choice access to The Wave for June 16, 2025, was approved in the March 1st lottery draw! We thought we’d missed out since we hadn’t heard anything on the 1st or 2nd of March... It’s true that for the past two years, it’s no longer 10 and 10 people like before, but 48 and 16 who are allowed to enter the site through the two lottery processes. That helps balance out the surge in applications that must come with the place’s growing global fame... I haven’t found any info on this, but does anyone know how many applications are typically submitted each month per date for the Advanced Lottery? So, my somewhat lucky track record for 3 attempts: 2 successes for April 2009 and June 2025, and one miss for September 2011. We’re still a little nervous about the likely high temperatures, with hardly any shade or water on-site 😛. At Easter 2009, it had snowed a bit the day before... From what I remember, the access trail from Route 89 to Wire Pass Trailhead was doable without a 4x4, with a bit of ground clearance and careful driving (obviously no storms). A simple Toyota RAV4, like the one we’re planning to rent, should be fine in dry conditions? We’ll be heading there from Page on the morning of 06/16 (how long’s the drive?), then heading to Kanab for 3 nights in the evening. Thanks for any tips you might have! 😉

Hi, we’re traveling as a group of 4 (2 adults and 2 kids aged 9 and 12) in April. I was thinking of renting a car in Mahé and Praslin, then renting a bike on La Digue. When I look at car rental companies, there’s a whole bunch of them! For those who’ve been there before, do you have any recommendations? Thanks!

Sandra.

Hi there,

For our second trip to Japan, we’ll be spending 22 full days in Kyushu. 😎 Here’s our draft itinerary:

1 - FUKUOKA 2 - FUKUOKA 3 - FUKUOKA 4 - FUKUOKA / SASEBO / OJIKA 5 - OJIKA 6 - OJIKA / SASEBO / NAGASAKI 7 - NAGASAKI 8 - NAGASAKI 9 - NAGASAKI / KUMAMOTO +++ car rental +++ 10 - KUMAMOTO / ASO 11 - ASO 12 - ASO / KUROKAWA ONSEN 13 - KUROKAWA ONSEN / KUMAMOTO +++ end of car rental +++ 14 - KUMAMOTO / KAGOSHIMA 15 - IBUSUKI / CHIRAN 16 - SAKURAJIMA (car?) 17 - KAGOSHIMA / YAKUSHIMA 18 - YAKUSHIMA (car?) 19 - YAKUSHIMA (car?) 20 - YAKUSHIMA / KAGOSHIMA 21 - ??? 22 - FUKUOKA

We’ve deliberately skipped the eastern part (from Beppu to Miyazaki…)

We still have a few questions about our itinerary:

Car: For most of our travel, we plan to take the train or bus, except in the Aso region where we’ll rent a car. We’re wondering about Sakurajima and Yakushima: is a car necessary there?

Ojika: Would one night be enough?

Yakushima: Are two full days (plus two half-days) sufficient?

If we keep the schedule as is, we have one extra day to fit in somewhere—any suggestions?

Thanks for your help! 🙂

Hello, I have a TX400. We're heading to the Andes this spring, and I wanted to see about changing my cassette to switch from an 11-35 to an 11-42 so I can tackle the big climbs more easily. So far, I've only found discussions from cyclists who switched from a 48-36-26 chainring to a 44-32-22. Has anyone kept the original chainring and just changed to a larger sprocket?