Couldn't recommend Mexico City enough, it's beautiful but a bit overwhelming especially as I'd never travelled outside of Europe before.
We visited the Anthropology Museum and Chapultec park/castle and did a lot of walking about. The Temple del Mayor was awesome as well.
Got around using uber.
We spent most of the week in Texcoco which is a town about 45 minutes east of Mexico City. Not much to do there but it's where my wife was put by her work. The hotel had a small family restaurant attached where we are every day. Ate like a king for about £15.
SharpyVII on
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thatassemblyguyJanitor of Technical Debt.Registered Userregular
Hi travel thread! I'm in the early planning phases of a trip to northern Italy in late May, early June. I'm primarily going for a yoga festival/retreat being held in Merano, Italy. The retreat covers 6 days, and since I've never been to Europe before, I'd like to try to book end it with a week on each side to explore.
Right now I'm thinking about flying into Vienna and traveling down through the Tyrol on the way to Merano. I adore being outdoors and it sounds like there's a lot of amazing hiking and rafting in that part of the world. I'm still thinking about whether or not to fly back out of Vienna, head south and see more of Italy, or go north and visit Munich.
If anyone has any tips or suggestions about routes or stuff to see, I would be very grateful!
Having just gotten back from Italy, I can highly recommend Milan and Venice and also Ravenna!
Rome was impressive as well (and gorgeous, best weather of the trip hands down) but some douchebags stole my mom's purse there so fuck them.
@firewaterword - For reals, if you're traveling in Italy get yourself a money belt that you wear under your clothes. Use it to store most of your cash, passport, credit cards. Keeping small change in your normal pockets is p. OK because having to pull the money belt out everytime you want to pay for a cafe that is only €0,90 will get annoying real quick. Plus, having € 0-10 lifted from your normal pockets isnt gonna destroy your travel in the same way as losing your passport, credit cards or €200.
If you have people traveling with you that normally use purses, have them switch to small daypack style backpacks with sturdy straps that can't be cut easily, and can be worn infront instead of in back. If they insist on traveling with their purse, then have them wear it messenger bag style. Just be as alert as possible and be willing to slow a transaction down, or give yourself a good pad to get to your train, etc. The thieves and scammers rely on you being distracted/easily distractible. The more you're not anxious about the actual travel, the easier it is for you to keep an eye open.
Finally, note that the crime is basically all non-violent. The thieves don't want things to get violent. They want to get your goods and get going. Violence draws too much unwanted attention to one or more of the thieves involved in the scam.
First leg of the trip is done. Now 2 hours waiting in Rome for the flight to Athens.
This airport has pretty nice restrooms.
Also for some reason chrome on my phone never let's me connect to these free airport Wi-Fis. It works on the tablet though which is old and really sluggish. Problems, right?
Man airports have been terrible this past week, I was visiting England and then spent a few days in Dubai and now just made my way to Australia. The fog has been a pain in the ass holding up practically every flight.
I'm now in Melbourne (Wantirna I think the town is called specifically) for the next 2 weeks then back off home to Canada. The worst part is my connecting flight is at LAX and I despise that airport.
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Blake TDo you have enemies then?Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.Registered Userregular
I haven't been through LAX a lot, but I have yet to have a problem at LAX.
I usually get through LAX with no problems -- it's not a place that has its own weather delays or anything.
But it still sucks, just an awful place to be and have to exist in for any length of time.
It's not the worst airport ever but it's pretty bad. Most of the domestic terminals have garbage waiting areas, and as a filthy foreigner the immigration is a real pain, though it's better nowadays if you're on an ESTA.
The employees at LAX, though, are the grumpiest I've ever encountered. Including de Gaulle.
Hi travel thread! I'm in the early planning phases of a trip to northern Italy in late May, early June. I'm primarily going for a yoga festival/retreat being held in Merano, Italy. The retreat covers 6 days, and since I've never been to Europe before, I'd like to try to book end it with a week on each side to explore.
Right now I'm thinking about flying into Vienna and traveling down through the Tyrol on the way to Merano. I adore being outdoors and it sounds like there's a lot of amazing hiking and rafting in that part of the world. I'm still thinking about whether or not to fly back out of Vienna, head south and see more of Italy, or go north and visit Munich.
If anyone has any tips or suggestions about routes or stuff to see, I would be very grateful!
Having just gotten back from Italy, I can highly recommend Milan and Venice and also Ravenna!
Rome was impressive as well (and gorgeous, best weather of the trip hands down) but some douchebags stole my mom's purse there so fuck them.
@firewaterword - For reals, if you're traveling in Italy get yourself a money belt that you wear under your clothes. Use it to store most of your cash, passport, credit cards. Keeping small change in your normal pockets is p. OK because having to pull the money belt out everytime you want to pay for a cafe that is only €0,90 will get annoying real quick. Plus, having € 0-10 lifted from your normal pockets isnt gonna destroy your travel in the same way as losing your passport, credit cards or €200.
If you have people traveling with you that normally use purses, have them switch to small daypack style backpacks with sturdy straps that can't be cut easily, and can be worn infront instead of in back. If they insist on traveling with their purse, then have them wear it messenger bag style. Just be as alert as possible and be willing to slow a transaction down, or give yourself a good pad to get to your train, etc. The thieves and scammers rely on you being distracted/easily distractible. The more you're not anxious about the actual travel, the easier it is for you to keep an eye open.
Finally, note that the crime is basically all non-violent. The thieves don't want things to get violent. They want to get your goods and get going. Violence draws too much unwanted attention to one or more of the thieves involved in the scam.
Vienna is dah best. All Hapsburgy n' shit.
Adding on here: my mother was not pickpocketed or victim of the standard distract-and-rob, either; she was flat-out robbed by some guys on a motorcycle (and pulled to the ground in the process). I'm pretty sure it was either a very convenient crime of opportunity as they saw her leave the ATM where she had stopped a block and a half earlier, or that they were running an operation where they were watching the ATM. It was late, in a place with not many people out; I doubt it would have happened during the day.
Sucked, man. Scary as hell.
Also hey @tynic ! I'll be in Sydney from early on Friday the 20th until afternoon on Thursday the 26th, so let me know if you're free at all!
Lost Salient on
"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
I was going to awesome that last paragraph then realised it might not be appropriate to the rest. Hope your mum wasn't hurt, that sounds absolutely terrifying.
Edit: on the subject of travel, my friends ashes are being scattered at Montpellier. So now I have a pilgrimage to make some time.
Thanks - it's hit me much harder than I would have expected. I think some people are just touchstones in your life, even if you don't actually manage to speak very often.
Aaaaahhhhh only two weeks until my trip oh my god you guys aaaaahhhh!!
I'm only freaking out because of the emotional reasons behind it since I have my passport, ESTA, travel card, and insurance all sorted but still aaaahhhh
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Brovid Hasselsmof[Growling historic on the fury road]Registered Userregular
Thanks - it's hit me much harder than I would have expected. I think some people are just touchstones in your life, even if you don't actually manage to speak very often.
I think with friends you don't see often you get so used to them just being there. You go a long time apart but feel like you'll always be able to see them if you want to. So when suddenly you can't, it feels very wrong.
Hey, can someone give me a recommendation? I want to go to the BEST Ryokan in Japan. Anyones got a reco?
I'm living in Japan and been part of the culture for the better part of a decade, and this question is impossible to answer without knowing what you want out of it, how many people you got with you, what time of year you're going, etc. Kyoto is the ryokan capital of the country for sure and that's your best best for spring to fall, but Hokkaido is the number one spot for winter. After that it's hard to give recommendations without specifics.
Hey, can someone give me a recommendation? I want to go to the BEST Ryokan in Japan. Anyones got a reco?
I'm living in Japan and been part of the culture for the better part of a decade, and this question is impossible to answer without knowing what you want out of it, how many people you got with you, what time of year you're going, etc. Kyoto is the ryokan capital of the country for sure and that's your best best for spring to fall, but Hokkaido is the number one spot for winter. After that it's hard to give recommendations without specifics.
I'm planning a 3-4 week trip of japan!
My gf has a playing-card sized tattoo on her forearm unfortunately. But, the whole point of the trip is for me to go to The Most Baller ryokan with Onsen in the country before I get my own ink.
Theres two of us, we're gonna be sharing a room/bed... Not sure if we should be worried about being booted for being lesbians or whether or not they'll just assume we're Besties?? Planning on travelling the length of the country. The only FOR SURE things on my itinerary so far are: Ghibli Museum (We already have 3 sets of tickets for various dates around April). We have to leave before April 20th. Probably late march to mid april.
Everything else is up in the air, mostly being planned around The Most Baller Onsen.
I'm really hoping for awesome outdoor stuff? but also, i've found a few that EXPLICITLY allow tattoos, so I want to plan at least one or two that will DEFFO allow my gf with zero stress. Would really like one or two that has a really awesome private Onsen in the room as well. More into Naturey-set-ones, like, forests, rivers, rocks. Really just peaceful af.
I'm SLIGHTLY concerned that I've left this all too late due to work stuff, and all the ryokans will be booked out for the time period : (
Hey, can someone give me a recommendation? I want to go to the BEST Ryokan in Japan. Anyones got a reco?
I'm living in Japan and been part of the culture for the better part of a decade, and this question is impossible to answer without knowing what you want out of it, how many people you got with you, what time of year you're going, etc. Kyoto is the ryokan capital of the country for sure and that's your best best for spring to fall, but Hokkaido is the number one spot for winter. After that it's hard to give recommendations without specifics.
I'm planning a 3-4 week trip of japan!
My gf has a playing-card sized tattoo on her forearm unfortunately. But, the whole point of the trip is for me to go to The Most Baller ryokan with Onsen in the country before I get my own ink.
Hey, can someone give me a recommendation? I want to go to the BEST Ryokan in Japan. Anyones got a reco?
I'm living in Japan and been part of the culture for the better part of a decade, and this question is impossible to answer without knowing what you want out of it, how many people you got with you, what time of year you're going, etc. Kyoto is the ryokan capital of the country for sure and that's your best best for spring to fall, but Hokkaido is the number one spot for winter. After that it's hard to give recommendations without specifics.
I'm planning a 3-4 week trip of japan!
My gf has a playing-card sized tattoo on her forearm unfortunately. But, the whole point of the trip is for me to go to The Most Baller ryokan with Onsen in the country before I get my own ink.
Theres two of us, we're gonna be sharing a room/bed... Not sure if we should be worried about being booted for being lesbians or whether or not they'll just assume we're Besties?? Planning on travelling the length of the country. The only FOR SURE things on my itinerary so far are: Ghibli Museum (We already have 3 sets of tickets for various dates around April). We have to leave before April 20th. Probably late march to mid april.
Everything else is up in the air, mostly being planned around The Most Baller Onsen.
I'm really hoping for awesome outdoor stuff? but also, i've found a few that EXPLICITLY allow tattoos, so I want to plan at least one or two that will DEFFO allow my gf with zero stress. Would really like one or two that has a really awesome private Onsen in the room as well. More into Naturey-set-ones, like, forests, rivers, rocks. Really just peaceful af.
I'm SLIGHTLY concerned that I've left this all too late due to work stuff, and all the ryokans will be booked out for the time period : (
Well the first thing I can say is nobody's gonna care at all about two girls staying together - it's 100% common for friends/groups to share a room and obviously the onsens are almost always gender-based anyway, so nobody really thinks about it.
Also, I haven't been to a whole ton of onsens but the few I have been to haven't ever had a problem with my two (very large) arm tattoos, so unless you're WAY out in the countryside most places these days don't care too much (for foreigners, anyway). They might ask you to cover it with a towel or something but that's about it.
If you're coming in April, I would definitely suggest looking into ryokans in the Kyoto region. The cherry blossoms should be blooming around then, and Kyoto is pretty much the go-to scenic destination for stuff like that. (Kyoto in spring is probably my favorite place I've ever been, actually). I don't have a specific recommendation, but the city itself is in a plain surrounded on all sides by mountains, so there's sure to be a bunch of ryokans with pretty spectacular views all around. This is a pretty good example of what I'd personally consider a solid ryokan. If you want to visit a less tourist-y place but still relatively easy to get to, Iga, Nara, and Mie all have really nice scenery and views (though not as active, obviously).
On the flipside, I'd suggest staying away from any ryokans within the metropolitan Tokyo area. The city itself is fine for what it is, but very much does not lend itself to that kind of experience. That applies to pretty much all the major cities, actually. Gotta get up into the mountains/countryside for the best experiences imo.
Also, most ryokans have pretty standard set meals and stuff, so if you have any food preferences/restrictions you'll probably want to clear that up with them ahead of time.
Anyway, hope that helps! If you wind up in the Tokyo area and want recommendations or anything, let me know!
Bluuuuuh travel anxiety is finally kicking in, mostly about two things:
1. Arriving and LAX and having only a 2 hour and 5 minute layover, and not really knowing right this second if I have to re-check in with security including collecting my bags and such. I'd rather have at least 3 hours for that, and I really hope this isn't the case since I'm travelling on one airline and Detroit is my final stop so I'm not even leaving LAX itself. Still, will be checking with Delta tomorrow to get a more solid reading on that.
2. Being trans and travelling. Just...too many horror stories involving the TSA and body scanners. Yeah there are plenty of stories where those were non-issues for trans folks, but it still worries me. I've got my new passport with my new name and correct gender marker, and all my meds come clearly labelled as officially prescribed pills, but argh! I'm just gonna have to be careful and calm. It's only just now weighing down on me.
1. Yeah you will have to get your bag and recheck BUT 2 hours should be enough time, especially with an esta - you can basically whizz through the electronic security much faster than the old school security - AND they're very efficient about prioritizing people with short connections
I can't be completely reassuring about 2 since I've never travelled while trans, but LAX is a large airport which sees a great many highly diverse people and I would hope that security there would be pretty blasé about this stuff. But like always it probably depends a lot on the individual agents. Hopefully everything will go smoothly.
Yeah what's keeping me reassured with rechecking in, is that I fly in on Delta and fly out to Detroit from LAX on Delta. Which, from the looks of it, means I can go through security, go downstairs to baggage claim, grab my suitcase, then go back through security and recheck in all within Terminal 5. If that's the case, that definitely will cut down on time along with my e-passport and ESTA.
If your booking was made altogether then they should check your bag the whole way through without you needing to go collect it.
If your flight from AUS -> LAX and LAX -> Detroit were separate bookings then you will have to recheck most likely.
Delta should be able to clarify that beforehand but when you're at the airport they usually can see your whole itinerary and will ask where your final destination is and check everything to the final destination for you.
Yeah my booking was made all in one go, so if I don't have to collect my bad then even if I have to recheck that would cut down on time significantly. I guess we'll see when I call Delta later today and triple check everything with them.
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Donovan PuppyfuckerA dagger in the dark isworth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered Userregular
If you look out the plane window in Detroit and see a bearded giant at the airport, don't worry, it's just @DaMoonRulz . At least, I think he works on the tarmac at the Detroit airport?
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thatassemblyguyJanitor of Technical Debt.Registered Userregular
If your booking was made altogether then they should check your bag the whole way through without you needing to go collect it.
If your flight from AUS -> LAX and LAX -> Detroit were separate bookings then you will have to recheck most likely.
Delta should be able to clarify that beforehand but when you're at the airport they usually can see your whole itinerary and will ask where your final destination is and check everything to the final destination for you.
While the bags are checked all the way through, Gatsby will absolutely have to collect the bags before customs since the second flight is a domestic flight. You'd be correct if the connecting flight was another international flight (Like, AUS -> LAX -> Canadia) because then Gatsby wouldn't be going through customs until Canada.
Gatsby, when I flew through LAX the bag drop (so you don't have to go to the ticketing counter and wait in line) was usually in the Domestic terminal of the airline I was flying. However, do keep your eyes peeled as this might have changed it's been about two-ish years since I've flown through LAX internationally.
If your booking was made altogether then they should check your bag the whole way through without you needing to go collect it.
If your flight from AUS -> LAX and LAX -> Detroit were separate bookings then you will have to recheck most likely.
Delta should be able to clarify that beforehand but when you're at the airport they usually can see your whole itinerary and will ask where your final destination is and check everything to the final destination for you.
While the bags are checked all the way through, Gatsby will absolutely have to collect the bags before customs since the second flight is a domestic flight. You'd be correct if the connecting flight was another international flight (Like, AUS -> LAX -> Canadia) because then Gatsby wouldn't be going through customs until Canada.
Gatsby, when I flew through LAX the bag drop (so you don't have to go to the ticketing counter and wait in line) was usually in the Domestic terminal of the airline I was flying. However, do keep your eyes peeled as this might have changed it's been about two-ish years since I've flown through LAX internationally.
That's my blissful unawareness for you. As I fly from Ireland to the states I clear customs/immigration in Dublin and my bags just follow me.
PSN: ThatDaveFella
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Donovan PuppyfuckerA dagger in the dark isworth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered Userregular
Lost Salientblink twiceif you'd like me to mercy kill youRegistered Userregular
@Houk Hey guy! My best friend in the world is trapped at Narita right now because United sucks the devil's ass, and he isn't flying out again until tomorrow. I'm going to try to convince him to take the bullet train in to Tokyo to do something fun with his evening. Any recommendations?
"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
@Houk Hey guy! My best friend in the world is trapped at Narita right now because United sucks the devil's ass, and he isn't flying out again until tomorrow. I'm going to try to convince him to take the bullet train in to Tokyo to do something fun with his evening. Any recommendations?
@Lost Salient Oh jeez, it's probably too late at this point isn't it? If I'd seen this in time, I would have recommended he check out one of the many light illuminations still going on in the city, especially either in Yoyogi Park (and then walk through the nutso Takeshita Street in Harajuku) or in Ueno Park (and then wander around the nutso five-story toy store by the station).
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lonelyahavaCall me Ahava ~~She/Her~~Move to New ZealandRegistered Userregular
So mom, the baby, and me are going to New Caledonia next week. For a whole week.
We booked it on a whim, kind of like a last hurrah before I go back to work after having a year's maternity leave.
Well, we only just started doing some research and. hahahah silly Ahava.
We're going to be there smack dab in the middle of rainy season, so no guarantee that we'll be able to use the outdoor pools or even go to the beaches (which are apparently crawling with venomous sea snakes) at all. Our hotel is right on one of the main promenades looking over the ocean and we got an ocean view room. But the airport that we're landing at is not the one that's close to the hotel. It's the one that's about 45 minutes drive away.
The country uses the French Pacific Franc as their currency, and that's going to require some serious math skills to get used to using.
Oh and they predominantly speak French. Oh sure, they also speak Japanese and English as well as a lot of other languages. But mostly French.
Me and SilverWind are flying to New Orleans next week, on the 20th, which is a very special day to be flying into the states
I'm always nervous at customs (apparently I share a name with a felon since my name is super common) but now, hoo buddy, this is gonna be something else entirely
Me and SilverWind are flying to New Orleans next week, on the 20th, which is a very special day to be flying into the states
I'm always nervous at customs (apparently I share a name with a felon since my name is super common) but now, hoo buddy, this is gonna be something else entirely
Hopefully you get through it without too much fuss. New Orleans is an aweeeesome city so I'm sure you'll have a blast.
The public bath house around the corner from my house in Aichi was the one in the area that allowed full tattoos
Showering in a stall between two dudes with full irezumi sleeves (which are DEFINITELY an earned-not-bought thing) was like, the most badass 17-year old me had ever felt
I was flying home from São Paulo wed-thu this week, and at checkin offered us €600 and a hotel night to move to next day's flight because of overbooking. Neither of us had anything urgent to do Friday, but we'd been in Brazil for five weeks already and didn't really feel like staying an extra night. Plus we'd already been traveling for 6h at that point and mostly just wanted to get it over with.
First flight was delayed for "technical reasons" in the middle of boarding, and everyone had to get off again, ended up being 2,5h delayed. During the flight the steward managed to splash hot chicken broth on my girlfriend, which made him panic and try to help clean her off instead of getting something cold to put on the burn or just handing her the napkins.
When we finally landed at Frankfurt our transfer was 40min instead of our planned 3h so we jogged through airport security, got a bit creative with German immigration (because of fuzzy regal reasons re: work permit renewal in Sweden) and got to our gate with 10min to spare only to find out that flight was 30 min delayed and we could've taken it much easier.
And finally when we got to Stockholm it turns out that while we may have run through FRA the luggage handlers didn't, so our bags are getting delivered sometime today instead. Which made the giant taxi we booked to not have to carry our giant bags through the snow a bit useless, specially as the delays caused us to end up in the middle of rush hour and we would've saved 40min on taking the train.
I feel like the lesson from this is always take overbooking offers because if you don't they'll punish you severely for it. On the other hand, if we'd done that I'd now be trying to sleep in the world's smallest airplane seat instead of complaining in my own couch. Maybe the lesson is don't fly Lufthansa, or get the pasta instead of the chicken. Maybe there is no lesson.
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Couldn't recommend Mexico City enough, it's beautiful but a bit overwhelming especially as I'd never travelled outside of Europe before.
We visited the Anthropology Museum and Chapultec park/castle and did a lot of walking about. The Temple del Mayor was awesome as well.
Got around using uber.
We spent most of the week in Texcoco which is a town about 45 minutes east of Mexico City. Not much to do there but it's where my wife was put by her work. The hotel had a small family restaurant attached where we are every day. Ate like a king for about £15.
@firewaterword - For reals, if you're traveling in Italy get yourself a money belt that you wear under your clothes. Use it to store most of your cash, passport, credit cards. Keeping small change in your normal pockets is p. OK because having to pull the money belt out everytime you want to pay for a cafe that is only €0,90 will get annoying real quick. Plus, having € 0-10 lifted from your normal pockets isnt gonna destroy your travel in the same way as losing your passport, credit cards or €200.
If you have people traveling with you that normally use purses, have them switch to small daypack style backpacks with sturdy straps that can't be cut easily, and can be worn infront instead of in back. If they insist on traveling with their purse, then have them wear it messenger bag style. Just be as alert as possible and be willing to slow a transaction down, or give yourself a good pad to get to your train, etc. The thieves and scammers rely on you being distracted/easily distractible. The more you're not anxious about the actual travel, the easier it is for you to keep an eye open.
Finally, note that the crime is basically all non-violent. The thieves don't want things to get violent. They want to get your goods and get going. Violence draws too much unwanted attention to one or more of the thieves involved in the scam.
Vienna is dah best. All Hapsburgy n' shit.
This airport has pretty nice restrooms.
Also for some reason chrome on my phone never let's me connect to these free airport Wi-Fis. It works on the tablet though which is old and really sluggish. Problems, right?
I'm now in Melbourne (Wantirna I think the town is called specifically) for the next 2 weeks then back off home to Canada. The worst part is my connecting flight is at LAX and I despise that airport.
Cue me furiously punching some timber.
Satans..... hints.....
But it still sucks, just an awful place to be and have to exist in for any length of time.
The employees at LAX, though, are the grumpiest I've ever encountered. Including de Gaulle.
Adding on here: my mother was not pickpocketed or victim of the standard distract-and-rob, either; she was flat-out robbed by some guys on a motorcycle (and pulled to the ground in the process). I'm pretty sure it was either a very convenient crime of opportunity as they saw her leave the ATM where she had stopped a block and a half earlier, or that they were running an operation where they were watching the ATM. It was late, in a place with not many people out; I doubt it would have happened during the day.
Sucked, man. Scary as hell.
Also hey @tynic ! I'll be in Sydney from early on Friday the 20th until afternoon on Thursday the 26th, so let me know if you're free at all!
"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
Edit: on the subject of travel, my friends ashes are being scattered at Montpellier. So now I have a pilgrimage to make some time.
"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
I'm only freaking out because of the emotional reasons behind it since I have my passport, ESTA, travel card, and insurance all sorted but still aaaahhhh
I think with friends you don't see often you get so used to them just being there. You go a long time apart but feel like you'll always be able to see them if you want to. So when suddenly you can't, it feels very wrong.
I'm living in Japan and been part of the culture for the better part of a decade, and this question is impossible to answer without knowing what you want out of it, how many people you got with you, what time of year you're going, etc. Kyoto is the ryokan capital of the country for sure and that's your best best for spring to fall, but Hokkaido is the number one spot for winter. After that it's hard to give recommendations without specifics.
I'm planning a 3-4 week trip of japan!
My gf has a playing-card sized tattoo on her forearm unfortunately. But, the whole point of the trip is for me to go to The Most Baller ryokan with Onsen in the country before I get my own ink.
Theres two of us, we're gonna be sharing a room/bed... Not sure if we should be worried about being booted for being lesbians or whether or not they'll just assume we're Besties?? Planning on travelling the length of the country. The only FOR SURE things on my itinerary so far are: Ghibli Museum (We already have 3 sets of tickets for various dates around April). We have to leave before April 20th. Probably late march to mid april.
Everything else is up in the air, mostly being planned around The Most Baller Onsen.
I'm really hoping for awesome outdoor stuff? but also, i've found a few that EXPLICITLY allow tattoos, so I want to plan at least one or two that will DEFFO allow my gf with zero stress. Would really like one or two that has a really awesome private Onsen in the room as well. More into Naturey-set-ones, like, forests, rivers, rocks. Really just peaceful af.
I'm SLIGHTLY concerned that I've left this all too late due to work stuff, and all the ryokans will be booked out for the time period : (
Is this what you're looking for
Well the first thing I can say is nobody's gonna care at all about two girls staying together - it's 100% common for friends/groups to share a room and obviously the onsens are almost always gender-based anyway, so nobody really thinks about it.
Also, I haven't been to a whole ton of onsens but the few I have been to haven't ever had a problem with my two (very large) arm tattoos, so unless you're WAY out in the countryside most places these days don't care too much (for foreigners, anyway). They might ask you to cover it with a towel or something but that's about it.
If you're coming in April, I would definitely suggest looking into ryokans in the Kyoto region. The cherry blossoms should be blooming around then, and Kyoto is pretty much the go-to scenic destination for stuff like that. (Kyoto in spring is probably my favorite place I've ever been, actually). I don't have a specific recommendation, but the city itself is in a plain surrounded on all sides by mountains, so there's sure to be a bunch of ryokans with pretty spectacular views all around. This is a pretty good example of what I'd personally consider a solid ryokan. If you want to visit a less tourist-y place but still relatively easy to get to, Iga, Nara, and Mie all have really nice scenery and views (though not as active, obviously).
On the flipside, I'd suggest staying away from any ryokans within the metropolitan Tokyo area. The city itself is fine for what it is, but very much does not lend itself to that kind of experience. That applies to pretty much all the major cities, actually. Gotta get up into the mountains/countryside for the best experiences imo.
Also, most ryokans have pretty standard set meals and stuff, so if you have any food preferences/restrictions you'll probably want to clear that up with them ahead of time.
Anyway, hope that helps! If you wind up in the Tokyo area and want recommendations or anything, let me know!
1. Arriving and LAX and having only a 2 hour and 5 minute layover, and not really knowing right this second if I have to re-check in with security including collecting my bags and such. I'd rather have at least 3 hours for that, and I really hope this isn't the case since I'm travelling on one airline and Detroit is my final stop so I'm not even leaving LAX itself. Still, will be checking with Delta tomorrow to get a more solid reading on that.
2. Being trans and travelling. Just...too many horror stories involving the TSA and body scanners. Yeah there are plenty of stories where those were non-issues for trans folks, but it still worries me. I've got my new passport with my new name and correct gender marker, and all my meds come clearly labelled as officially prescribed pills, but argh! I'm just gonna have to be careful and calm. It's only just now weighing down on me.
I can't be completely reassuring about 2 since I've never travelled while trans, but LAX is a large airport which sees a great many highly diverse people and I would hope that security there would be pretty blasé about this stuff. But like always it probably depends a lot on the individual agents. Hopefully everything will go smoothly.
If your flight from AUS -> LAX and LAX -> Detroit were separate bookings then you will have to recheck most likely.
Delta should be able to clarify that beforehand but when you're at the airport they usually can see your whole itinerary and will ask where your final destination is and check everything to the final destination for you.
While the bags are checked all the way through, Gatsby will absolutely have to collect the bags before customs since the second flight is a domestic flight. You'd be correct if the connecting flight was another international flight (Like, AUS -> LAX -> Canadia) because then Gatsby wouldn't be going through customs until Canada.
Gatsby, when I flew through LAX the bag drop (so you don't have to go to the ticketing counter and wait in line) was usually in the Domestic terminal of the airline I was flying. However, do keep your eyes peeled as this might have changed it's been about two-ish years since I've flown through LAX internationally.
That's my blissful unawareness for you. As I fly from Ireland to the states I clear customs/immigration in Dublin and my bags just follow me.
Oh dang, I was only ~40 miles off...
I guess Americans all look the same to you, huh?!
Michiganders, yeah.
"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
@Lost Salient Oh jeez, it's probably too late at this point isn't it? If I'd seen this in time, I would have recommended he check out one of the many light illuminations still going on in the city, especially either in Yoyogi Park (and then walk through the nutso Takeshita Street in Harajuku) or in Ueno Park (and then wander around the nutso five-story toy store by the station).
We booked it on a whim, kind of like a last hurrah before I go back to work after having a year's maternity leave.
Well, we only just started doing some research and. hahahah silly Ahava.
We're going to be there smack dab in the middle of rainy season, so no guarantee that we'll be able to use the outdoor pools or even go to the beaches (which are apparently crawling with venomous sea snakes) at all. Our hotel is right on one of the main promenades looking over the ocean and we got an ocean view room. But the airport that we're landing at is not the one that's close to the hotel. It's the one that's about 45 minutes drive away.
The country uses the French Pacific Franc as their currency, and that's going to require some serious math skills to get used to using.
Oh and they predominantly speak French. Oh sure, they also speak Japanese and English as well as a lot of other languages. But mostly French.
I haven't spoken any French since High School!
This is going to be an adventure!
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I'm always nervous at customs (apparently I share a name with a felon since my name is super common) but now, hoo buddy, this is gonna be something else entirely
Hopefully you get through it without too much fuss. New Orleans is an aweeeesome city so I'm sure you'll have a blast.
Showering in a stall between two dudes with full irezumi sleeves (which are DEFINITELY an earned-not-bought thing) was like, the most badass 17-year old me had ever felt
First flight was delayed for "technical reasons" in the middle of boarding, and everyone had to get off again, ended up being 2,5h delayed. During the flight the steward managed to splash hot chicken broth on my girlfriend, which made him panic and try to help clean her off instead of getting something cold to put on the burn or just handing her the napkins.
When we finally landed at Frankfurt our transfer was 40min instead of our planned 3h so we jogged through airport security, got a bit creative with German immigration (because of fuzzy regal reasons re: work permit renewal in Sweden) and got to our gate with 10min to spare only to find out that flight was 30 min delayed and we could've taken it much easier.
And finally when we got to Stockholm it turns out that while we may have run through FRA the luggage handlers didn't, so our bags are getting delivered sometime today instead. Which made the giant taxi we booked to not have to carry our giant bags through the snow a bit useless, specially as the delays caused us to end up in the middle of rush hour and we would've saved 40min on taking the train.
I feel like the lesson from this is always take overbooking offers because if you don't they'll punish you severely for it. On the other hand, if we'd done that I'd now be trying to sleep in the world's smallest airplane seat instead of complaining in my own couch. Maybe the lesson is don't fly Lufthansa, or get the pasta instead of the chicken. Maybe there is no lesson.
Go to Brazil btw, it's super cool.