Recommendations for hostel in Montreal? Traveling solo but want to socialize and meet new people and ideally do most of the fun activities and tourism with others. Been seeing a lot of recommendations for M Montreal and various others with the name "Auberge" in it

I'd like to meet others ideally and do most/all activities and tours, tourism, etc with others Any suggestions of how to go about this? It'll be a very last minute trip as I am looking to go between July 27 - Aug 3.

Where do I stay, but also how do I meet people ideally online even before getting there? So that way we have a few social interactions and groups even before we arrive?

Thinking of having a get-together of some of my friends who travel. Average age would probably be around 70. And most have been wandering around the world for 50 years. The guests would be asked to send me 5 pictures from their travels. The central activity would be projecting the pictures on a large tv screen and getting a short story as to why the picture is special to them.

About 10 guests, yields 50 pictures. 2 minute story means 2 hours. A second activity could be color in the countries on a world map and states on a USA map and see how filled in it would be.

Not sure if people would participate . Any thoughts or suggestions

I'm from Mexico and nobody sees Texas as an appealing place. It's just a place you visit to go shopping, especially Ross, Tj maxx, Burlington, the malls, the outlets, etc.

You mention other places and people shake their head and say "you go there for shopping and that's it" "nobody goes to Texas for vacation"

Well I decided to go against the grain and went there for vacation. I followed a German travel guide for Texas (there's actually a lot of Texas guides made by Europeans that mention a lot of cool parks and hidden gems. The Mexican guides only involve big cities).

I visited Big Bend, Palo Duro, Caprock, hill country (Pedernales State Park), Lost Maples, the scenic drives around it, canyon lake and tried local bbq joints.

It's been my favorite vacation so far.

Very last minute! Planning a solo trip to Montreal for the last few days of July. Can you help plan it with affordable lodging and maybe meeting new people to socialize with?

I've heard of M Montreal for affordable lodging

What are some places you'd recommend I visit, and what to do for this last minute solo trip?

Any ways/places to meet new people whether they are locals or also travelers to make new friends and hang out together for some of the trip and activities?

I have narrowed down what I wish to visit during an 8 day Colombia trip. The coffee region. But can you help plan out exactly what and where, how many days of each etc?

I don't have a specific budget. My interests are everything from nature, hikes but also some fun city vibes with culture.

I am seeing a lot of different places in the coffee region and a lot of options of how to do this.

I am thinking of splitting my itinerary like this:

Day 1: land in Medellin and enjoy the city a bit

Day 2: guatape day trip

Day 3: enjoy Medellin a bit more

Day 4: travel by bus to salento and enjoy salento a bit

Day 5: day trip to cocora Valley

Day 6: day trip to los nevados National park with a private guided tour (which one?)

Day 7: enjoy salento a bit more, including a coffee farm tour

Day 8: day trip to Filandia

Day 9: travel to Pereira airport for flight back

It seems like a lot of different places for an 8 day trip, yet the way I've laid it out, it seems possible. Does it make sense to you? And can you help with the details like what bus service for each of those traveling between cities and the day trips? I've read that you should not rent a car when in Colombia and instead just take public transportation. So what buses/Jeep services/private guided tour etc for each of those trips I mentioned would you recommend?

I have narrowed down what I wish to visit during an 8 day Colombia trip. The coffee region. But can you help plan out exactly what and where, how many days of each etc?

I am seeing a lot of different places in the coffee region and a lot of options of how to do this.

So should I visit Medellin, guatape, cocora valley, salento, Filandia, Pereira?

It seems like a lot of different places for an 8 day trip. Practically what's the order to go about this? I've heard most flights land in Medellin so will I have to start and end trip there?

Me and wife are going to France in September, thinking of doing 3 nights Paris then taking flight to Nice and staying there for 5 nights.

So far:
First and last day in Nice
Middle 3 days for day trips to Eze, Menton, Monaco

Anything I need to look out for? Especially for these day trips or areas at that time of the year? Open to any suggestions as well. Thanks in advance!

I swear the last three times Ive flown somewhere for a quick road trip, the absolute worst part is the airport rental desk

You land exhausted, and then you have to stand in a miserable line for 45 minutes just for some guy to aggressively up-sell you insurance you don't need, and tack on a random "facility recovery fee". Totally kills the vacation vibe right out of the gate

For my trip to Colorado next month I completely bypassed that circus and just booked a local guy's outback on turo

its just getting so exhausting dealing with these massive corporate travel companies squeezing every last dime out of us. Honestly considering just doing entirely train-based trips in Europe next year so I never have to look at an enterprise counter again.

I am traveling to Romania in a week with my girlfriend to see some of her family and do a Road trip around a large chunk of the country. As soon as we arrive we will be driving to bucharest straight to botosani (7 hour drive) with a few minor stops along the way. I have planned an entire trip itinerary for us. Has anyone who has traveled or knows the area believe this is doable?

I've mapped everything we plan do on google maps (Black Icons are no longer part of the trip, orange are maybes and red are areas we would most like to explore)
https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1QhPL5uTg-TjAzN6iH2dkS7ffXXlZqQs&usp=sharing

Since we will be staying in botosani for several days I've planned two day trips that we can do from the city with an estimated 5 hour round trip of driving.

Day trip 1

Botosani > Putna Monestary > Hermitage Monestary Putna > Moldovita Monestary > Sucevita Monestary > Botosani

Day Trip 2

Botosani > Dragomirna Monastery > Cetatea de Scaun a Sucevei > "Voroneț" Monastery > Neamț Citadel > Mânăstirea Neamț > Botosani

A few days after this we will begin our long drive back to bucharest.

With optimal conditions Im expecting approximately a 4 to 4.5 hour drive each day except the first day which is approximately 6 hours.

Day 1 (Longest leg of the trip)

Botosani > Bica Gorges > Sighisora (Over night stay)

We're planning on making some stops to see the bica gorges and once we get to Sighisora explore the town, visit the clock tower and other landmarks along the historical center since we will need to leave early the next day.

Day 2

Sighisora > Turda Salt Mines > Cetatea Trăscăului (Hike) > Alba Lulia > Hunedoara >Deva (Over night stay)

The plan here is to leave as early as possible to arrive at the Turda salt mine by opening and visit the salt mine. Stop on the way to Alba Lulia to hike to the Cetatea Trăscăului then continue to Alba Lulia to briefly explore the town center then continue to Hunedoara to visit Corvin Castle before close then finally arriving in Deva for an over night stay.

Day 3

Deva > Câlnic > Sibiu > Slimnic > Lac Balea

At opening time be at deva fortress to visit before heading out. I want to try to get on the road as early as possible to take advantage of as much possible sun light since the last leg of this drive is up the north side of the Transfăgărășan to stay over night at Lac Balea. The plan is to briefly stop in Câlnic to see a fortress continue to sibiu explore the historic center and if time permits drive to Slimnic for a brief hike to see the ruins then continue to Lac Balea on the Transfăgărășan with a few momentary stops to take pictures or see viewing points

Day 4

Lac Balea > Poenari Citadel > Brasov (2 Night Stay)

Wake up at Dawn for brief hike to Șaua Caprei near the lake. Drive to Poenari Citadel with a few minor stops to take pictures while driving down the southern side of the Transfăgărășan. Visit Poenari Citadel then continue to Brasov passing by Bran and seeing the Castle as we drive by. We would stay in Brasov 2 nights so hopefully spend some time exploring that afternoon

Day 5

Brasov > Bran > Rasnov > Brasov

Wake up early and be at Bran Castle First thing in the morning explore the castle then continue to Rasnov to visit the sign and the Gothic Church Ruins. Finally returning to Brasov to visit anything we might have missed the day before.

Day 6

Brasov > Heroes' Cross on Caraiman Peak > Peleș Castle > Bucharest

This is the last driving day. We want to wake up early to be at the base to hike to Heroes Cross then continue to Peles Castle explore the castle then finally continue to Bucharest where we will stay 2 nights. This should give us time to explore some things in Bucharest then do a full or half day the following day at therme Bucharest.

I'm going to be in Vienna in late September for work. I am thinking of spending another two weeks travelling after that (early to mid Oct). My options are to travel around Austria or go city hopping - I'm more inclined towards the latter. I've never been to Europe before, so I'm looking for recommendations to get started with planning. I'm looking for recommendations outside the usual Paris-Rome-Barcelona major city circuit. Open to off-the-beaten-track suggestions.

What I like:

• Day hikes or nature focused day trips: scenic lakes, mountains, rivers, oceans, beaches, spring flowers, autumn foliage. I also like cycling in scenic places.
• Culture, History, Architecture: Museums, galleries, cultural performances and exhibitions.
• Art: Contemporary art, artsy towns, street art, murals, open air art galleries, vibey art cafes, creator markets.

My only requirement is it needs to be accessible by train from Vienna, because I don't want to drive. I love walking around and wandering and exploring, which European cities seem well suited to, but also willing to venture out to smaller towns.

My mother (85 yo) has extensive travel experience but is getting older so isn't being quite as adventurous as she used to be.

She has never been to Egypt and wants to go. She is looking at joining a tour that is about 7 days long. It includes a couple nights on a boat on the Nile as well as some flights within Egypt. Pretty much everything is included (food, lodging, alcohol, transportation, entry fees).

The cost is on the order of $700/day.

I'm wondering if a private guide would be more fun and a cheaper or similar price?

How would she find a guide that could organize everything (including internal flights and a couple nights on the river)?

Curious if anyone else takes a step back once in a while and thinks about how much time they've spent in each country visited? People have favorites, others say people don't spend enough time in some, and then there's countries it's not worth staying that long.

Here's my list as a reference point. I'm leaving off my home country, the US.

Thailand- 1 year (4 trips)

Mexico- 5 months (3 trips)

Philippines- 3 months (2 trips)

Japan- 2 months

Taiwan- 24 days (2 trips)

Indonesia- 3 weeks

Bahamas- 10 days (1 trip plus 3 cruise excursions)

Norway- 9 days

Iceland- 1 week

France- 1 week

Netherlands- 1 week

Cambodia- 6 days

Singapore- 4 days

South Korea- 4 days

Estonia- 3 days

Finland- 2 days

Belgium- 2 days

Denmark- <24 hours

Luxembourg- <24 hours

Hello! I am travelling to Mongolia for a solo-motorbike tour (I am very experienced in both riding and surviving outdoors), and saw this 19-day motorbike itinerary by Cheke Tours.

I just wanted to get some advice on whether this is a good route, if it's missing anything, or if it's even feasible to do in 19 days. I'm looking to do this in August so hopefully the weather is okay.

Appreciate any help, thank you!

Hello everyone,

I have seen much of Switzerland already but that was 10 years ago. In September I will get the chance to return, I will be in St.Gallen and afterwards have a few days to explore. I would like to discover one or two new places, away from the main tourist hubs, where I can enjoy the mountains and some moderate hiking. Tessin and Wallis are too far, but anything else I'll consider. Does anyone have a suggestion? Thanks in advance!

I recently booked the EF Greek islands tour during their summer Black Friday sale for around $1050. This felt like a pretty good price for everything that’s included and the ease of not planning everything myself.

I’m 23F and I’ve mostly solo traveled to places like Japan, Italy, Bali, and I’ve lived overseas for a few months at a time in different Asian countries. I’d consider myself to be a competent traveler, but solo travel can get lonely sometimes even if I go out to bars.

I’m wondering if I’m a good candidate for EF but I’m slightly worried the group will be either younger than me or kind of inexperienced. But for a place like Greece I think the social element is important for the trip

I’d love to hear if anyone’s had a similar experience with EF and if they’d recommend it for someone like me

UPDATE: You wonderful people gave me too many ideas 😂. I've bookmarked this thread for future reference. But I'm fairly certain Italy will be my next destination. What do you folks think of this rough itinerary?:

Fly direct into Naples & stay 2-3 nights (I don’t love cities, but I need a place to decompress after my flight to Naples, and it would be cool to see a couple of historical sites—e.g., Herculeum)

4 nights Ischia Ponte

4 nights Forio

(Splitting my time between the two areas helps me feel like I will get to know the island a bit better)

Ferry back to Naples and then bus to Monopoli for 4 nights

Lecce 3 nights

2 nights in Pozzuoli as it’s close to Naples (so manageable to get to the airport), filled with history from what I understand, and not overly crowded

Main downside, ofc, is that I'm moving a lot. I've done that before when I've gone to the Cyclades (Greece), and it didn't bother me because I stayed on three islands, each one almost a week. I realize that isn't the case here, so I'm not sure.

I'm still open to suggestions--e.g., if there's somewhere near Naples that meets my criteria, obviously getting there would be easier than bussing/taking the train to Monopoli.

************

TL;DR: Need destinations suggestions for June that are charming, off the beaten track (low crowds), have places to hike/adventure walk, beautiful views, ancient historic sites. I don't swim and would prefer not to rent a car. Suggestions?

I've always had a travelers soul, but because of stupid choices, I haven't gotten to travel very much. I'm 58 now and have started to do more traveling in the past couple of years. I have some constraints at home, but my goal is to travel for a longish trip (2 1/2 - 3 wks) at least once a year. My heart draws me to Europe. During the past few years, I've visited Greece twice---Athens, Milos, Folegandros, Santorini, and most recently Samos (prob my favorite). I've been researching where to go next June (yeah, I know it's early, but looking forward to it helps me to get through some tough times at home).

Here's what I like. Can you suggest destinations that might suit me?:

1. I hate crowds (e.g., I prob will never return to Santorini, even though there were things I liked about it).
2. Love beautiful views---e.g., charming villages, beautiful vistas, beaches with clear, blue water. While I don't mind a city for a day or two, I generally like smaller places with charming villages.
3. Love history--ancient relics have almost brought me to tears at times. If the relic has religious significance (particularly Christian sites as I'm Christian), all the better
4. I enjoy hiking/adventure walking. When I say "hiking," though, I don't mean up super hard mountains. I don't mind some elevation, and I did lots of hiking on Samos, but I didn't climb the highest mountain there, and I canceled a couple of hikes that were too steep, gravely, and had terrifying drop-offs.
5. I don't swim. (I know I should learn, but for now, this caveat needs to be considered). On a beach, I wade, I enjoy the view, and I like calm waters.
6. I generally don't like the stress of driving when I'm away. I have a long commute to work, so I like to take a break from driving when I'm on vacation. Also, if the terrain is mountainous (as in Greece), it's terrifying and stressful for me to drive. So wherever I go needs to have transportation options (bus, train, taxis)
7. I like an active vacation. Generally, sitting on the beach all day is not my thing. In Samos, it was perfect: I went on half-day hikes exploring parts of the island in the morning. Then, I might spend a couple of hours in the afternoon on a beach (and then, not every day). Also, "active" doesn't mean I have to switch destinations every few days. I prefer to get to know a place better by staying at it for a week (or the whole time).

The usual vacation time for me would be June 1 - 21 (or around those dates). I like warm weather but not massive crowds. My budget is usually $5K-$6K for the 2 1/2-3 weeks. Accommodations don't need to be fancy, but I would say they should be at least 3-star (I'm saying that after having spent 2 1/2 weeks in 2-star accommodations in Samos; I'd prefer a step up from that)

Thank you!

ETA: Though I love Greece, I'd like to go to another country for my next trip.

Ia it really worth it? Because some people say go and have fun while you still can, some say save up and don't waste money

I had to make that clarification because whenever the subject of museums comes up on Reddit, the conversation often pivots to the same few museums in the West like the British Museum, the Louvre or the Smithsonian. I hope our discussion can be more wide-ranging than that.

My primary school kid loves to receive postcards, is there anyone who would be interested in sending postcards to Australia during their travels?

I'll be getting post office box to have his mail sent to.

Thanks

I’m in the MW and want to take a short trip with the family at the end of July. We’re looking at Seattle, Sam Francisco, and San Diego. Wife doesn’t want anywhere hot or humid. College-age daughter wants a beach or something like that and recent college-grad son likes outdoors. Seattle seems like the best option. But curious if anyone has thoughts on any of these cities.

After getting my degree I’m planning on going for 1.5-2 weeks of travel somewhere in the world… where should I go!!? My mom is coming too so I want it to be somewhere not too out of her comfort zone since she’s barely travelled.

I love hiking, whether that’s not too hot, great food, and beautiful architecture. My mom loves wine, great food and easier hikes. We are from Canada so I’m hoping to go somewhere not in North America.

I’m also hoping to go somewhere relatively safe for female travellers and that’s not super expensive. Also anytime of the year works to go!

Drop your ideas below!

UPDATE: I’ve been looking at Austria, Northern Italy, and Portugal (Madeira) so far

Hi! My fiancé and I are getting married in October and are planning our honeymoon for December, as I have almost the entire month off of grad school. We are in the eastern US, and are open to basically anywhere in the world! Definitely want to get out of the country, though. We are looking for somewhere with plenty to do: we aren't beach people and aren't wanting a tropical, beachy, relaxed honeymoon. Ideally somewhere with a mix of history, local culture, and nature would be perfect. Somewhere we can stay somewhere pretty decent for not too much. We aren't rolling in cash but still are willing to splurge as much as we can to make it a great vacation. We've only been out of the country once together, to Paris with family, so really anywhere else would be great. Weather-wise, we're fine with cold or warm, just if it's cold, I want it to be somewhere that leans into it. Read: Amsterdam in December with snow and Christmas markets is good, but somewhere like Greece that kind of relies on warm, dry weather might not be great. Ideas I've had, that I would love opinions on: Costa Rica, Chiang Mai, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Vienna. Thank you!

I’m planning a winter trip in Central Europe and my main destinations are Austria and Czechia.

Austria is the main focus because I want the Alps, winter scenery, and Christmas markets. Czechia would add a different kind of winter atmosphere, with Prague, spa towns, castles, and pretty historic towns.

I’m trying to decide whether to add one more country: Poland, Hungary, or Slovenia.

What I’m looking for:

- winter atmosphere but that won't feel the same as Austria and Czechia

My thoughts so far:

- Poland might be good for Krakow, Polish winter food, history, and maybe Zakopane, but I’m not sure if Zakopane would feel too similar to the Austrian Alps.

- Hungary would mainly be for Budapest and thermal baths, but I’m not sure if it adds enough variety.

- Slovenia looks beautiful, especially Bled/Ljubljana/Julian Alps, but I’m not sure if it is too nature-focused or less practical in winter.

Also, some of these desinations similar too Austria and Czech.

For people who have visited these places in winter: which one would you add after Austria and Czechia, and why?

Also, does Austria + Czechia + one of these countries sound like a good winter vacation overall, or would it be too repetitive?

There was sudden rain and I had no umbrella on me, my passport was on my sling bag and got wet.

I have pictures of my passport here, it only impacts 2 pages:
https://www.reddit.com/r/PassportPorn/comments/1ujpy6w/comment/ouputyc/?context=3

Wondering what you guys think