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1500 questions
102
votes
14 answers
Considerations for very fragile and expensive (> $100,000) items in carry-on luggage
Background: I am a part of a university student team building a CubeSat due to be launched this September. Around mid-June, we will need to transport the CubeSat from its current location in Ohio to Houston, Texas to turn it over to the company that…
Ryan
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101
votes
6 answers
Why are there no seat belts on trains?
Long distance trains are travelling at potentially dangerous speeds. However, I have never encountered seat belts, airbags or similar on trains at least in Central Europe, even though this is common for cars and to some extent airplanes as well,…
tmh
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100
votes
5 answers
How can black travellers deal with unwanted harassment from locals in China?
I recently took a trip to China with several friends. All of us are US citizens with US passports, and three of the people on this trip are black. (I am not)
Throughout China, including in the most "cosmopolitan" parts of Shanghai, my black…
user65735
98
votes
1 answer
Did I opt out of compensation by accepting meal vouchers?
Today/yesterday, I had a multi-leg flight going IAD-CPH-AMS (Washington Dulles International Airport - Copenhagen Airport - amsterdam Airport Schiphol). I had a connection time of one hour in CPH, which is more than enough according to the CPH…
EMotion
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98
votes
20 answers
Is there a way to prevent "looking like a tourist" in order to not be harassed?
Disclaimer - the title of this post is probably not the best
On my way to visit family in Belarus and Poland, I had a long layover in Paris, so I decided to spend the day in the city. My luggage was taken care of, and I only had a backpack with my…
galois
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95
votes
3 answers
I was born in a city which is now under control of a different country. What is my "country of birth" on US visa/ESTA applications?
A member of my family (who is a French citizen) is currently applying for the Visa Waiver Program of the USA. The member was born in a city in former French Algeria (before independence).
In the field "Country of Birth", should he therefore select…
A. Camus
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95
votes
2 answers
How to lift a lifetime ban from Canada due to marijuana?
My husband was "banned for life" for entry into Canada for having marijuana on him back in the 90's. We had completely forgotten about this when we traveled to Toronto some years back, but were reminded at the border where he had to sign some paper…
user88121
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95
votes
1 answer
Why do cars need to leave their windows half open whilst on the Eurotunnel?
Whilst riding the Eurotunnel with a car, they ask you to keep your windows half open and also to open any sun roofs. What is the reasoning behind this?
I've checked their website and FAQ and couldn't find any information as to why. On board notices…
Draken
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93
votes
6 answers
What happens if you are refused entry between two countries?
Last month, I was travelling on a backpacking trip across Russia and the Baltic states (Schengen zone). I'm an Indian by nationality. So I had to get the respective single entry visa for Russia and Schengen Europe.
At the border crossing into…
YD8877
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93
votes
8 answers
When someone in India asks for my "Good Name", what are they expecting?
Quite a few times now in India, from hotel staff to taxi staff to in shops, I've had someone ask me for my Good Name. A common form of this question is someone asking me What is your Good Name, Sir?
Despite it happening several times, I haven't been…
Gagravarr
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93
votes
9 answers
Why do people on airplanes often have tomato juice as a drink?
Tomato juice seems to be a favorite drink for many travelers to have on board an airplane. I've seen this on almost every flight I've been on, but I have never noticed this same trend at ground-level.
What are the reasons for that? Is there an…
graup
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93
votes
7 answers
How do I identify an airport’s official free Wi-Fi network?
While traveling in the Berlin Tegel airport (TXL), I wanted to get on Wi-Fi. I found three unsecured networks in addition to a number of password-protected networks.
_Free_TXL_WiFi
airberlin
Berlin Tegel Airport WiFi
I had no idea which of these…
Thunderforge
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92
votes
12 answers
What's the safest way to protect your valuables from theft at the beach?
I am travelling solo to Barcelona. I was wondering if anyone has any tip on how to enjoy the beach when travelling alone.
As in, is it safe to leave your belongings on the beach when you go for a dip? If not, are there any lockers on the beaches in…
dd2014
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92
votes
8 answers
Why are airlines against the transferring of tickets to other persons?
Airlines usually either don't allow the transferring of tickets to another person after they've been purchased, or they do it at an extremely inflated price. What is the reason for doing this?
One idea I came up with would be to allow authorities to…
vsz
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91
votes
3 answers
What is a polite way to tell a Scottish person that I am struggling to understand his/her accent?
I am flying to Glasgow tomorrow. English isn't my mother tongue. In spite of living in London for the last 10 years, I still struggle with understanding different accents.
My main concern about the time I'll spend in Glasgow is that I won't be able…
Ulkoma
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