You could change without the rental firm knowing, but it's very risky.

Suppose there is an accident while the other driver is driving.

If there are any witnesses to the accident (drivers of other vehicles, for example), the company will find out.

When considering this possibility, remember that endeavoring to drive very carefully doesn't help very much, because your car could be in an accident caused by another driver.

If that happens, any insurance will likely be invalid, leaving you responsible to pay for any damage.

There could of course be additional penalties for renting the car fraudulently.

The second driver fee is probably relatively small even considering the relatively remote possibility of the above.

@phoog's answer is very good, but I'm posting this answer to place more emphasis.

Do not even consider doing this.

Only the people who are named drivers of the vehicle are insured to driving it.

This isn't just a matter of you being liable to pay damages if you're in an accident (which could be a huge amount of money depending on what/who you damage/injure/kill).

In most jurisdictions driving without car insurance is a serious criminal offence which can see you fined, banned from driving, or even jailed.

There has been mention in the comments of relying on your own car insurance to let you drive other vehicles.

This is very unlikely to work, unless you have a particularly lenient policy document.

Most will place restrictions on driving in foreign countries and, more importantly, require you to have the consent of the owner of the third party vehicle.

In this scenario you would not have their consent.

The legal and boring answer is: you can't .

Changing drivers will violate your contract (which is a civil violation) and violate the terms of your car insurance.

The real life answer is: no one will find out in 99% of the cases .

If the police stops you, they rarely verify the name on the rental contract and it's even more rare for them to care about a wrong name if the "official" driver is in the passenger seat.

Some might check insurance, but you could just buy some cheap insurance in your own name to show to the police.

Theoretically speaking you might get into an accident with another vehicle with plenty of witnesses, which no insurance will agree to cover, but that's just a risk you will have to take.

Estimate that risk and make a choice.

I usually rent a car to travel with my family during weekends.

I would guess if someone else drove the car instead of me, the company would never know unless you have some accident.

And then you are in serious trouble, because insurance would not cover it - it's in the contract.

It is a bit like those european cities where you buy a public transit ticket, but there is usually no one on the bus or train to take it.

You keep it in your pocket.

Or you simply walk into the train and ride.

A lot of times this will work and you'll save some money, but if the ticket man comes, you are fined.

In the end it would be a matter of risk versus benefit.

My personal rule is the following:

Only ask for a second (unauthorized) driver to take the wheel if the risk of accident with the this driver is significantly lower than yours.

This usually means asking my wife to drive if I am too sleepy or tired - which is not uncommon.

But, of course I should not be doing this, because the extra fee is insignificant given the peace of mind.

Well, at least in Brazil.

You'll have bigger problems then the car rental company, you wont be insured and will be committing an offense.

Besides the face that if you crash then you wont be insured.

Question: A car rental company in Iceland charges extra for two people driving the car. I was wondering what would happen if we pay the fee for only one person, but have an alternate person drive. How will they come to know this? Not just asking to evade fee, but also need to know this for emergency.

Can we change drivers without the rental firm getting to know?

This would mean driving without insurance, which is illegal and would violate the contract and terms of your car insurance. You may be unlikely to be found out, but if you are caught doing this you could be fined, banned from driving, or even jailed, and you would not be protected in an accident.

Allowing an unnamed person to drive a rental car is illegal. In the event of an accident, serious consequences may arise. However, in reality, nobody is unlikely to know the driver is unnamed. The individuals involved have to decide if the risk is worth it.

It is illegal to allow an unnamed person to drive a rental car and could result is serious issues if there was an accident.

In reality, most of the time, nobody would know the friver was not on the contract. It is a risk that has to be weighred up before the decision is taken.


I've run into the same problem a few years ago (but at least got halfway the alphabet), searched around the internet and couldn't find a definitive answer to the question.

Which is probably why you are asking as well.

I resorted to listing a selection of countries using as strategy:

List at least the countries from which my passport contains a stamp.

Add logic neighboring countries until reaching the limit.

When I was searching around for a definitive answer, I observed two things: Everyone in this situation appears to resort to a similar strategy.

I didn't find any evidence of people running into problems due to this field.

Which leads me to conclude that you probably shouldn't overthink it.

But a definitive answer from official source would be nice, and I'm sure you will not accept anything less as the correct answer.

In the next step, after the page where you have the problem, there is a step for uploading a scan of your passport in PDF format .

In that step, upload a 2-page PDF .

The first page can have the scan of your passport.

The second page of the PDF can have a letter explaining the issue and naming all the countries.

In the previous page of the application, in the box for countries visited, include a reference to this uploaded page.

Before doing this, e-mail the help desk to make sure it's alright.

If they say it is, then start the letter like: "Sir or Madam.

As discussed with the help desk...

" On the other hand, if they tell you to do something else, then, of course, do that.

You can reach them at indiatvoa@gov.in.

I had the same problem

while applying for a regular visa (I've never applied for an e-visa) a couple of years ago, and I got an official response from the company the Indian embassy had outsourced the visa application process to in Australia.

I asked: In the "Countries visited in the last 10 years" section, there is not enough space for all the countries I have visited.

What should I do about this?

The reply was: You may provide a covering letter with the details of countries.

The time when I got this answer was not the first time I had the problem.

Actually, I've been in this situation all seven times I've applied for a visa to India.

Sometimes I've written a supplementary letter with the countries, sometimes I've used abbreviations in the box (US, UK, DK, SL, etc.)

I've always gotten the visa, and have never had any questions asked regarding that particular section.

Although it's extremely unlikely that the person processing your application will even notice or know if you leave out a bunch of countries, I'm not personally inclined to do that.

I don't like taking such risks at all.

If doing this, though, consider consistency with details from all sections of past and future applications, as well as passport stamps, etc.

But as I said, I don't prefer this approach.

Going to extra lengths to be truthful in your application

gives a good impression to the person processing it.

This is especially helpful if one is in a situation where there's a thin line between getting accepted or rejected.

(I'm not suggesting this is the case for you, Mark, but I'm more talking in general to some of the people who may have the same problem in the future.

There are likely a lot of people who will indeed have this problem.)

I'd also like to add that from my experience of several instances of applying for visas to India, I've found that it's better to get every single detail right.

It's not always so, but in some cases, even a small detail being wrong can cause problems.

Personally, I always like to make sure that every single detail in my application is correct before submitting it.

And Mark, as a long-term resident of India, I want to welcome you, and I hope you enjoy your trip!

TL;DR: After having e-mailed the help desk to verify the idea, make a 2-page PDF containing both your passport and a letter regarding the countries and upload it in the passport section.

Make every single detail correct.

travel.stackexchange.com/users/41775/Revetahw says Reinstate Monica

If you are unable to submit a paper attachment to the form, then you could take a 'best practices' approach... List

the US, UK, Canada, then List all countries bordering India, then Then any other countries in the Commonwealth, then List any controversial countries

, then Write 'and more'

I've had the same problem.

Even when using ISO two-letter abbreviations separated by comma, I was able to list only 33 countries within the 100 char limit, which was short by some 20 countries for my past ten years of travels.

My opinion: If they do not allow you to make a complete list, it's hardly your fault.

In my case, I started listing in chronological order, even summarized all European countries under "EU", and "unfortunately" was forced to drop a lot of potentially "interesting" countries such as Jordan and Lebanon.

Anyway, I did not have any problem because of that (not even because they might have frowned upon such a long list of two-letter-codes)

Make sure you include any SAARC countries you have visited in the list.

I think thats what they really care about.

I applied a year ago and just filled the field as best I could.

I forgot to list Nepal in this field and in the field after about SAARC countries even though I was applying from the Indian embassy in Kathmandu, stupid, but I still got a visa.

Question: So I'm applying for an E-Visa for India.  At one point in the form it asks for the countries you've visited in the past 10 years.  I started listing them, got up to the 'C's, and received this error:   Now what? Do I just say "too many for your form" or just list a few recent ones? Or just the ones I spent the most time in?

Too many countries to apply for Indian E-Visa?

You could list the countries with a stamp on your passport and group EU countries together, but apart from listing all SAARC countries you have visited, you could just fill the field as well as you can.

There are a number of tips for filling in the India visa application form when all the countries you have visited will not fit. These include inserting the countries that have stamped your pasport, SAARC countries, listing countries in chronological order and just filling it as best you can.


The travel lodge looks a little far away to me, however having recently dropped off my car for parking directly outside the Premier Inn

I can confirm that both the Premier Inn and the Sofitel are onsite and easily accessible from the terminal by foot (I was using the North Terminal

but it's also pretty easy to get between terminals on the inter-terminal transit shuttle).

Looking at google maps, it appears to be possible to go from the airport to the train station, and take a footpath North West towards Riverside Garden Park.

Switching to google streetview, there is a footpath along the North East side of London Road which can be followed to the North West towards the Travelodge at the junction of London Road and Povey Cross Road.

It looks like it shouldn't be more than a 10 minute walk.

My proposed route is shown here at a little over a mile, so more like 20 minutes to walk.

Travelodge runs shuttle buses.

Fares are £3.00 per adult, one way and £1.50 per child (5-15 years old), one way.

You will have to call up the hotel to let them know that you are waiting at the pick up point.

It is a long way from the airport, not a walking distance by any standards especially when you have luggage.

Getting a taxi would be cheaper if you are two adults or more but do not get a taxi from the airport taxi desk, call up some company like Alpha cars from Crawley instead and it would work out a lot cheaper.

I have never done it but doing some research if you walk to the corner of the Premier Inn Car Park and into the trees there is a small bridge over the River Mole 4 steps up and 4 down

this brings you at the Travelodge Car Park .

There is a local bus starts at 3 am for £1.60 each free if you have a bus pass OAP.

Fastaway bus

100 stops at the North and South Terminals

I believe this would work and would take no more than 15 minutes from Gatwick North Terminal.

Follow directions to Premier Inn London Gatwick Airport A23 Airport Way an easy 10 minute walk from the North Terminal which I have done many times.

Going through the trees across the River Mole to the Travelodge Car Park could be a challenge if you have luggage and it is wet.

Question: Is it possible to walk from Gatwick Airport station to Travelodge Gatwick, or other hotels in the area? Or if I need to take a bus, does the bus have rooms for luggages?

Is it possible to walk from Gatwick Airport station to Travelodge Gatwick?

The Travelodge is a long way from the airport, but the Premier Inn and the Sofitel and onsite and much more accessible. You can take a shuttle bus to Travelodge for £3.00 per adult and £1.50 per child, or take a taxi. Calling a company like Alpha cars from Crawley would be cheaper for this than using the airport desk.

It is debatable whether the Premier Inn is walking distance from Gatwick Airport, especially with luggage. However, there is a shuttle bus service that costs  £3.00 per adult. An alternative for two or more adults is a taxi.

The Premier Inn can be reached on foot from Gatwick airport.

There is shuttle bus from Gatwick airport to Premier Inn, at a cost of  £3.00 per adult.

The Premier Inn is too far from Gatwick Airport to go on foot. A taxi is cheap if you are two adults or more.


There are several reasons why such internal policies exist: Your institution may get a discount on certain services of the travel agent if it buys enough from the agent By having a contract with a reasonably-priced travel agent, they make sure that no employee books the flight with a very pricey agent or with a travel agent that happens to be a relative of the traveller

The travel agency offers easy methods to verify expense information and thus may lower the workload of your local administrative personnel.

This especially holds if the payment is routed directly from the institution to the travel agent, which also makes sure that the flyer does not get credit card bonus points for the booking.

Your institution may have an agreement with the travel agent that they manually check if members of your institution are not unnecessarily booking expensive booking classes (in order to get more airline bonus miles)

Some insurances that your institution bought may only work if the ticket is bought directly from the institution and not by the flyer, and they elected the agent to handle such bookings.

Which of these reasons is the one why this policy exists can only be answered by the responsible employees of your institution.

All the answers so far seem to miss an important point: Your university might be legally required to do that.

Specifically, above a certain amount of money, in many countries, public sectors organisations have to go through a specific procedure ( call for tenders ) to procure goods and services.

Something not mentioned so far is the fact that the ticket booked through the travel agent may be refundable, where the ticket from the online vendor is most likely not refundable.

A number of years ago when I traveled on behalf of a government agency this was the case.

We often booked flights that were one or two hundred dollars more than the cheapest price you could find, but the travel agent guaranteed the price for flights on short notice, guaranteed the ability to change the flight itinerary, and guaranteed a refund if the agency had to cancel.

To the government all this was worth the extra price.

On top of the other answer by DCTLIB...

You haven't specified where you are and where is 'your' company, but there might be tax or financial book-keeping reasons.

E.g. if the company is in EU they might require a proper VAT invoice to properly book it (and maybe get a VAT refund).

And some vendors, especially in US, are unlikely to provide that.

Using a travel agent might give the university confidence in receiving proper paperwork.

$50 is likely a saving not worth enough to chase for that reason.

Another reason - they think the time you would be spending looking for cheap flights is worth more than the price difference.

Large travel agents have 24/7 assistance numbers.

If you end up stranded at 2am on Sunday, they can get you rebooked, find a hotel room, etc.

Most organizations are simply unable or unwilling to provide that support.

OTA's (online travel agents) such as Expedia and Travelocity are notoriously bad at pointing a finger at the airline or hotel, while the provider correctly points back at the OTA who "owns" your booking.

Lastly, when money is due back to the organization, it can be difficult and time-consuming to recover through the airline or an OTA.

Large TA's that handle corporate accounts have the clout to handle credits and debits.

At many universities this is recommended but it is rarely a requirement, for the reasons listed in the other answers.

However, there are downsides to booking via a travel agency, e.g. if you need to rebook the flight back while you are at the conference.

You then need to contact your travel agency to do that for you, and they may ask that you make a payment for the rebooking first, putting the rebooking on hold until the payment is received.

So, it's actually quite risky to book a flight via a travel agency, which is why I never do this.

IF in UK, something called ATOL protects all purchased tickets.

IF in a backward place like the usa; One suspects that, in the case of 'a problem', they know whichbuilding to burn down and who gets a visit from 'BigVinnie' and the'boys'.

Additionally, someone's brother-in-law is probably involvedsomewhere...

Question: I am trying to book a flight. My university usually asks that we book a flight via a travel agent, but the prices he gives me are about $50 higher than the prices I can get by online booking in the flight company's website. This happened several times with different flight companies. Is there any advantage to booking via a travel agent, that is worth the extra $50?

Why would a company want me to book a flight via a travel agent if it is more expensive?

The university might have an agreement with the travel agent or might recommend it for legal reasons due to some extra services it might provide on top of the ticket price, ease of expense verification or some other reason. Tickets booked through the travel agent may be refundable, and this travel agent might offer cheaper deals than other agents.

Companies generally book tickets through a travel agent rather than online. This may afford them some assurance that employees are not booking expensive class tickets. In addition, the agency probably handles all paperwork and thus the company's workload is reduced. Moreover, insurance coverage may only be valid for tickets bought via an agency and there also ve legal requirements for using a travel agency. Tickets booked through a travel agent are generally changeable and refundable whereas those bought online are not. Furthermore, large travel agencies offer a 24/7 help line.

There are several reasons why a company may book via a travel agent rather than online, including insurance coverage, ensuring employees by suitablely priced tickets and reduced paperwork for the company as this is handled by the agent.

The company may be legally required to purchase tickets through a travel agent.

Tickets purchased through a travel agent are more likely to be changeable and refundable. Employees do not have to waste a lot of time looking for cheap flights omline. Large agencies have a 24/7 help line.


For me, he stamped the page preceding the visa double-page, and he took some effort to open specifically that page, so it seems intentional (that was in April/May 2016).

You shouldn't be too worried about saving space, most border agents stamp across whatever is there without caring once the passport gets kind of full, and you can always get a new one.

I have not heard of any case where there were immigration issues because the passport was 'full'.

I’ll admit that ‘two’ is a small number of data points but it is still larger than zero, so here goes:

I entered (and exited) Russia twice.

Once by train from Helsinki (inbound on the Saint Petersburg train, return on the Moscow train) and once from Belarus with detours to Helsinki (inbound coming from Prague, returning on a Saint Petersburg–Helsinki train).

In all four occasions (one of which being Belarusian immigration) the entry and exit stamps were stamped onto the visa.

It makes sense because the visa allocate space for the stamps if you look at it properly.

I've travel a lot from Russia, and I saw many foreigners going through the border, and I can say that border guards usually are trying to save the place, stamping the nearest to the visa page in passport.

Stamps on Russian borders usually are small enough to get two on one line of the page, so I think that you wouldn't lose much space there, but still, probably, one page will be stamped.

UPDATE:

On the Allegro train, by default, they placed the entry stamp on a separate page

- I saw it happen to a Spanish citizen who was checked before me.

However, I politely asked the officer, in broken Russian, to stamp the visa instead ("pozhaluista shtamp na visa, niet drugoj stranitsa"), and she was perfectly OK doing so.

Same thing when exiting for Kazakhstan.

Below is a picture of my visa with stamps

I have three single entry visas (newest is from 2016), traveling with train from Helsinki and with plane.

In each case, entry stamp was placed on the next page, and exit stamp was placed on the visa.

I think it matters if you have a single or multiple entry visa I have travelled 4 times: 2010-

Single visa, Both stamped on the visa

2015- Double Entry, First entry and Last Exit only stamped on visa 2016- Single Entry-

Both on visa 2016- Double-

Not on visa

I have travelled to/from Russia more than a dozen times in the last few years - on USA passport and on British passport.

Every single time the stamp went onto the visa itself.

Question: I'm aware both scenarios are common, but which is most common? Does anyone have any experience? Does it vary between different border crossings?  I'd much rather they stamped the visa, so that no additional space is wasted.  Like in this Image  http://img.click.in/classifieds/images/148/23_2_2014_16_15_24_hfcosv8748i9js0qj2hjmu64a4_1k2hq73s5y.jpg

Do Russian border guards usually stamp on the visa, or on a separate page?

The entry stamp usually goes on the page next to the visa double-page, and the exit stamp on the visa itself. Once the passport gets quite full, agents usually stamp wherever there is space, or you can just get a new passport.

There appears to be no consensus about where Russian immigration officers place visa stamps. Sometimes it is on the visa and sometimes it is on a nearby page.


All biometric passports have serial numbers that change when issued.

Per this notice from the Singaporean government, this is an ICAO requirement: https://www.ica.gov.sg/news_details.aspx?nid=12246

And since virtually all passports are now biometric, even those countries (like Singapore) that did not previously change numbers do so now.

Update :

Here's Document 9303-4 "Specifications for Machine Readable Passports (MRPs) and other TD3 Size MRTDs"

direct from the ICAO Machine Readable Travel Documents Programme : Field 05

I (Mandatory)

Passport Number As given by the issuing State or organization to uniquely identify the document from all other MRTDs [machine readable travel documents] issued by the State or organization.

"Uniquely identify the document" means that the number cannot be reused for other documents.

And of course it's only a "recommendation", because ICAO only sets standards and does not enforce them -- but if countries produce passports that don't follow the rules, they're not going to be accepted by other countries.

In particular, ICAO member states are supposed to ensure that non-MRP passports are no longer accepted after November 24, 2015 .

And a final nit: the standard above is technically for machine-readable passports, which is not quite the same thing as biometric passports, but the standard in question does document the rules of biometric passports, and all biometric passports are supposed to follow the rule above.

I called the Australian Passport Office , as I couldn't find this information anywhere on their website.

They confirmed that passport numbers do indeed change both at a renewal and also at a passport reissue due to name change.

Obviously this only applies for Australian passports; I'm unaware of whether this is a general rule for other countries.

Yes the passport number changes upon renewal.

The new passport will have it's own unique identifier i.e. its own passport number.

This is a common practice.

The old passport number will be invalidated and will appear as such when checked by border officers if you try to use it to travel.

As an authoritative reference, the British embassy in Bern confirms this : Informative Note Passport numbers change upon renewal To whom it may concern: This is to confirm that when a British passport is issued it carries a new number which is not related to the number of any previous passport.

The British Embassy is not able to provide a letter or certificate confirming the passport numbers.

Yes, your passport number will change.

I have looked at my old and new passports (2 UK ones and 3 Australian ones) and the numbers are different for every renewal/replacement.

Additionally for me, I have had different issuing offices for each one, so that may be the reason mine have changed.

YES

I'm an Australian citizen and have had five passports, perhaps six, beginning in 1989.

Each time I've renewed my passport over the years the new passport has had a number different to the old one.

Yes, it will change.

A quick google search reveals it certainly does so for all major English-speaking nations.

I believe this to be true as a general matter of fact, however I can not find an authoritative reference at the moment.

However, Wikipedia says: A standard passport booklet format includes the cover, [...].

Passports have numerical or alphanumerical designators ("serial number") assigned by the issuing authority.

So the passport number being a serial number

, it's there to uniquely identify the passport, not the bearer, and thus should change with every re-issue of the passport.

As others have said, your new passport will almost certainly have a new number, and it is this number which you should record on your booking, so that it matches when you get to the airport.

However, note that you generally don't have to provide a passport number at time of booking , only before check in , because the airlines / travel agents know that you might not have it with you, and don't want to lose the sale.

If you provide the old details, they may query or charge you when you go to change them, but you should be able to tick that you'll provide them later.

Then you can wait until your new passport arrives and fill out the correct details on a "manage my booking" page.

I am American.

Things may be different in Australia but probably not.

When I renewed my passport, the new passport had a different number.

However, I did not lose my old passport.

Any visa in it are still valid.

I can still use my old passport for many purposes.

Book your flight with your old passport.

Bring both passports to the airport.

There will not be a problem with numbers because when they ask to see your passport you will give them the old passport.

Yes, the passport number will change.

The reason that airlines ask for passport information when booking flights is so that the airline can satisfy any pre-clearance requirements by immigration authorities at the destination.

Typically, the information needs to be transmitted to the destination country authorities a certain number of hours or days before the aircraft departure.

If you have a new passport, you should contact the airline and simply register the new information.

Problem solved.

Question: I'm travelling soon but need to renew my passport.  Given that I have to provide my passport number to the airline to book a flight, I was wondering if my passport number would change if I renew it.  Or would the number stay the same and the expiry date just change?  I'm asking specifically as an Australian citizen, although I suspect a 'common' answer (if there is a general way this works) might be useful too.

Will my passport number change when I renew it?

All biometric passports have their own unique identifier, and change on renewal or reissue.

The passport number changes when you get a new passsport. This certainly true for Australian and UK passports.


You do indeed need a yearly vignette to drive on Swiss motorways.

It costs CHF 40 and needs to be affixed to the windshield to be valid

(in principle, merely having one somewhere in the car isn't enough to avoid a fine).

The vignette for a given year is valid from the beginning of December in the year before until the end of January in the year after.

I don't know for sure

but I doubt you can buy that vignette from car hire companies as far out as Frankfurt and I would be really surprised if you could rely on a rental having one already (as others have suggested you can always ask or be lucky,

but it's not standard).

But you don't need to worry about first entering Switzerland and trying to track down a place that sells it, getting one on the way

is really easy.

Usually, you can buy the Swiss vignette at the last couple of petrol stations/rest areas in Germany (possibly losing one or two euros on the exchange rate but nothing to worry about if it feels more convenient) and at the border itself, certainly on the motorway (smaller border crossings do not have any customs office/staff nowadays but major crossings still do).

In Germany there are no special vignettes - it's all free.

But yes, as already written in the comments, in Switzerland you need a vignette.

The vignette costs 40 Swiss Francs and will be valid for one year.

There is only this one version.

The vignette is only needed for motorways, not for the rest.

You can buy them at gas stations, or - most often - somewhere at the border.

If you enter Switzerland, watch for some "Vignettes here" signs, or just go to the next gas station.

The vignette has to be put onto the front windshield .

If you just have it, but it is not stuck to the windshield, it is not valid.

Everthing is clearly explained in the Swiss Autobahnen site .

The vignette is required for most major highways, and costs 40 swiss francs.

In can be bought at "post offices, petrol stations, garages, touring club offices (TCS) and Customs".

The time I used it I had rented a car in Frankfurt.

As far as I recall, I got it at the border.

Edited 1: check with your car rental company about the vignette.

Border areas will most likely provide a car with the vignette already affixed if they know you will be traversing Switzerland.

: Renting a vignette is not possible.

Buying one is simple Previously

In Switzerland you need a vignette to use the motorways.

It costs 40 CHF and is available in numerous places.

If you are driving into Switzerland, stop off at the customs and you can buy one there.

Check the Swiss tourist website for more information.

Other answers have covered the options of buying a Swiss vignette, however there's one more option you can try.

When you get to the rental agency, ask if they have a car with a Swiss vignette in their inventory.

While this may seem far-fetched, I've actually seen rental cars in Czech Republic with a valid Swiss vignette.

Since they're valid for 14 months and no short-term options exist, any car that's driven into Switzerland in the past year would likely have one stuck on the windshield.

Buying a Swiss Vignette is actually very simple and it may be possible to obtain a rental car with Vignette already but usually that will only happen if someone had purchased one when driving to Switzerland.

Having said that to obtain a Vignette all one needs to do is purchase one at the border from the police officer.

Lanes while crossing the border are divided into 2 lanes left for the through traffic and right for the local or traffic that needs vignettes or have other business at the border.

Driving to the right

you will be greeted by a police office who will happily sell you a Vignette for 40CHF or 40 Euro.

When I last travelled to switzerland by car

I was able to buy a Vignette in Frankfurt, at ADAC

Question: To drive on Swiss motorways if I recall correctly one needs a  Vignette  based on what I have been reading I should be able to buy it at  various places  in the country.  I am renting a car in Frankfurt and my travels will take me through Switzerland for a day or 2 so it begs the question:   Do car rental companies in Germany provide a Vignette for the car already?   or   Can I buy or rent a Swiss Vignette from them?

Do you need a Vignette to travel the roads of Switzerland, and how can I obtain one?

You do need a Vignette to travel on Swiss motorways, but not other roads. Vignettes are valid for a year and are available at post offices, petrol stations, garages, touring club offices (TCS) and Customs, but you may be able to rent a car that already has a Vignette on the windshield.

A vignette is required for driving on motorways in Switzerland. They can be purchased at the border, in gas stations and at post offices. The cost is 40 francs and they must be placed in the windscreen.

A vignette can be bought at the border, in gas stations, at post offices and the rental company may have cars that already have the vignetted.

The vignette costs 40 francs and must be placed in the windscreen.


First, the seat map may not at all reflect the number of people booked on the flight.

People may be booked but not have seats assigned yet for any number of reasons.

That said, airlines seek to maximize their profit, not to fill the plane.

If someone is booking a flight at the last minute, there's a decent chance that particular flight is important to them, so they are willing to pay more.

Last minute travelers might be bargain-hunting vacationers looking for a good deal, but they might also be business travelers who need to attend an important meeting and will do so at any remotely reasonable price.

As an example, the airline can make the same revenue (approximately, because of ancillary revenue from things like baggage fees) by selling 10 tickets for $100 or one ticket for $1,000.

Which is easier: finding a single last-minute business traveler with limited budget constraints who absolutely needs to get to Istanbul or finding 10 bargain-hunters who are prepared to go to Istanbul at the last minute?

The airline's revenue management team has spent a lot of time answering this question, and they have decided that they think they can make more money trying to get a smaller number of passengers to pay more for this flight than if they tried to get a larger number of passengers to pay less.

As such, they've raised the price.

And the airline may be more clever than that.

They might sell the seat to the last-minute business traveler for $1,000, while offering a cheaper fare to a traveler who stays over the weekend, who is probably a vacationer with a more limited budget.

Or, in some cases, they may sell the ticket for $1,000 normally, but offer it at a lower price through an opaque booking engine like Priceline or Hotwire to specifically target budget-conscious travelers.

In this way, they can do their best to maximize revenue by having it both ways : sell seats at a low price to those who are price-sensitive, without cannibalizing their ability to sell seats at a higher price to those who are not.

If the plane is half-empty, then it stands to reason that the airline wants to make as much money as possible from anyone who does now decide they need to take that flight.

That way, they can attempt to recoup some of the "lost" revenue from those un-used seats.

You might be thinking that the airline should reduce the price of the seats, to encourage more people to help fill up the plane.

However, people generally fly a specific flight for a specific reason, not just because some seats were cheaper than they used to be.

Apparently, it's statistically more profitable to put the prices up for those who need to fly, than to put the prices down and hope enough people take the bait to make the same amount of extra money.

The airline has very good data and analytics to determine the best course of action in cases like these.

You and I do not.

travel.stackexchange.com/users/16680/Lightness Races in Orbit

The graphic you have displayed is not a good indicator that the flight is full; that is an indicator of how many people have pre-selected seats.

It is also normal for prices to increase as the date of departure nears - as you have to pay a premium for last minute tickets.

You are also arriving and departing the same day; which is normally an expensive itinerary.

Besides the other explanations given, the cheapest fares typically have advanced purchase restrictions such as being bought 7 days in advance of flight.

As you approach the day of flight these fares start to become ineligible for purchase, and less restrictive, more expensive fares must be bought.

The price may have risen artificially to you because you have not cleared your browser cache.

Flight operators (and others such as rail operators for example) will use cookies on your browser to attempt to identify how many times a person has searched for a particular flight.

If you repeatedly search for the price on a particular flight, this would suggest to the flight operator that you need to take the flight.

By increasing the price to you specifically (using browser cookies to identify you) they encourage you to book the flight as it appears to you that it is getting more expensive.

Tip - clear your browser cache regularly when using travel websites.

Question: Consider this as an example:The flight below which is two days from now is half empty. However, the price has risen considerably during last week. Why did this happen? If the plane is half empty why the price should rise?   Edit  I should mention that in the example above the seat selection is included in the ticket price, that is, even if someone does not want to select a seat then they still pay for it.

The plane is half empty yet the ticket price has risen

The plane may not actually be half-empty, but instead this indicates how many seats have been taken already. Airlines often increase the fares in the last week, as it is statistically more likely to make money in this way rather than by decreasing the prices. In addition, they may increase the price for people who repeatedly search for one route, indicating that it is important to them. To avoid this, clear your browser cache regularly.

Prices generally increase nearer to the departure date as airlines believe people booking at the last minute are generally travelling for a reason and are prepared to pay a higher price. Moreover, planes may appear half empty because many passengers are only allocated their seats at the airport. However, prices may also seem to be rising artificially if someone checks the same flight many times. This si done via cookies to encourage the person to buy. To avoid this problem , clear the cache.

Ticket prices increase closer to the travel date because airlines have calculated that last-minute travellers are usually travelling for a reason and are prepared to pay more. Planes may appear half empty but not everyone selects there seat before arriving at the airport.

Airlines use cookies to display prices, so if a person checks the price of a certain flight many times, a more expensve price will be displayed to encourage the customer to believe thay must buy as prices are rising. This issue can be corrected by clearing the cache.


In general, your best bet in a situation like this is to give up on Uber.

You can try other ride-sharing services like Lyft , or one of the many local alternatives, such as Juno in New York.

But in many cases, if you don't see anything on one ride sharing app, you won't see anything on the others either.

In this case, your best bet is to pick up the phone and call a good old fashioned taxi service.

Google and Yelp should have plenty of listings.

Pick one with a few decent reviews or ratings, make a phone call, and be on your way.

Uber is about to launch a scheduled rides service.

Details are available here and here .

What might be possible, if you can sign up to this service, is to just schedule a ride an hour from now if you can't find any cars available.

An alternative way that might work, is to move your pin to a nearby area with a car available.

Call an Uber and when you get a ride, call the driver and say you're in another location and will he still pick you up.

If no, then you'd cancel the ride.

If you want to stick to uber, you will simply have to play the waiting game.

Yes, you will have to keep watching and book as soon as you see a cab

(you don't want to lose out to others in the same area in the same situation).

If you are in a downtown area, the situation will pass in a matter of minutes because one or the other uber cab will come close by to drop someone else.

It can get tricky if you are in a "remote" area with ubers plying rarely.

You can also try competing cab aggregator apps servicing your area.

They should work with different cabs, so your probability of success should increase.

Source:

My experience with uber.

This happens when no cars are available for your location at that given moment.

If you can wait an hour or two for a taxi, I would suggest checking every 15 minutes and seeing if there's any vehicle nearby.

However, I would suggest you to take a regular cab straight away if there are no vehicles available.

If you are a tourist and you don't know how popular uber might be in that area, going for a regular cab would be the best way to get around.

Many cities have their own versions of uber (Colombo has Pickme) as well, so get some local knowledge as well.

I could not find any third party application that does this either, which is no surprise as there is very little practical value of such an app, unless uber was the only taxi service in the milky way.

If there is no Uber available, move the pointer to an area where Uber is available.

Ask him to come to your area.

If he hesitates, tell him that you are ready to pay for the trip he is going to have till your home.

Question: Is there a way to automatically search and request a ride when there's no cars available for a ride at the moment. In case I'm flexible with my time, and can tolerate an hour or two of waiting.  Other than constantly staring at the app? Is there third-party app maybe?

What to do when "no cars available" in Uber

You could keep checking every 15 minutes or so, but unless you are in an urban area where another car will probably be free soon, it may be better to give up on Uber and use a traditional taxi or another ridesharing app.

If you have time to wait, you can keep checking the uber app until a car appears in your area. This may happen fairly quickly in downtown areas but may take much longer in remote areas. On the other hand, it may be a better idea to call a regular taxi or use a local version of uber.

If there is no uber available on the app, it is better to try a different service, such as a regular taxi or other local versions of uber.

If you definitely want to use uber, you just have to wait and keep checking. In downtown areas, the situation usually resolves quickly, however, in remote areas, it may take much longer.


You get an Oyster card from the machine at a tube station.

As for the refund Oyster Card Refunds

The £5 deposit you pay for an Oyster card isrefundable along with any pre-pay (

Pay as you go) money left on thecard.

Before you claim a refund, it’s worth bearing in mind that if you’veused your Oyster card on a Pay as you go basis and it’s not loadedwith a weekly Travelcard or bus pass

then it’s transferable.

And themoney doesn’t expire so you can give it to a friend, relative oranyone else to use.

If you don’t know anyone who might want to use an Oyster or you don’tplan to return to London, you can get back your unused money.

Where to get a refund in London

Your £5 deposit and up to £10 of Pay as you go money can be refundedat any London Underground (tube) station ticket machine

If you have more than £10 of Pay as you go money refunds are availableat TfL Visitor Centres.

If you have an online account with TfL, refunds are available online.

Once you get your Pay as you go credit and deposit refunded you willno longer be able to use the Oyster card.

How to get a refund after leaving London

If you can’t visit an underground station before you leave, send yourOyster card and photocopied proof of name and address to TfL: Oyster Refunds 4th Floor 14

Pier Walk

North Greenwich London SE10 0ES

Refunds by post will be sent by cheque (£) or by bank transfer to yourbank accounts (UK addresses only).

If you have any questions, contact TfL Customer Services on 0343 2221234 (open daily 8am–8pm).

Last updated: 5 January 2016 Source

Note that there is a specific option for a Visitor Oyster card .

This is the same as a normal Oyster, but you pay a small fee (£3) to buy it instead of a deposit (£5) on a regular Oyster.

One big advantage of a visitor Oyster is that 11-15

yr olds can get the child discount without needing a Zip photocard.

According to https://visitorshop.tfl.gov.uk/help/visitor-oyster-card/ : Children aged 11 to 15 can also use a Visitor Oyster card and benefit of the Young Visitor discount – this can be added by a member of the staff at most Tube stations in London and offer children 11 to 15 years old half adult pay as you go rate for up to 14 days.

In January 2016, you could not get a refund within 48 hours.

During our visit to London on the 1st of January 2016, we found out you can not get a refund for your Oyster card through a machine at the station within 48 hours of buying it.

This was confirmed by a Transport for London employee, but I could not find this requirement in writing, now or then.

On the site of the London Travel card you find the prices of the travel cards and the Oystercard caps for the same zones.

Travelcard Prices(these are subject to change and prices are controlled by TFL)

Select type Day

Anytime Price Off Peak Day Price Adult Zones 1-2 £12.00 £12.00 Adult Zones 1-4 £12.00 £12.00 Adult Zones 1-6 £17.00 £12.00 Oyster Card Capped Prices Select type Day

Anytime Price Off Peak Day Price Adult Zones 1-2 £6.40 £6.40 Adult Zones 1-4 £9.20 £9.20 Adult Zones 1-6 £11.70 £11.70

So yes, you are right to want an Oystercard for two days use of a travel card, even if you do not get the deposit refunded.

You pay a £5 refundable deposit to get an Oyster card.

You can get an Oyster card at any tube station as well as at several other locations.

This site explains the refund.

If you don't have a contactless and Oyster account, you may be able to get a refund from a Tube station ticket machine if your card has: No more than £10 pay as you go credit

No valid season ticket

It might be worth noting that these days any contactless credit or debit card can be used in place of an Oystercard.

You will be charged the same as if it were an Oystercard.

However, teenagers may not yet have their own bank account and debit card, and not all cards are contactless.

If you have multiple cards make very sure that you choose one and only one card to travel with.

Otherwise you may be charged two penalty fares for touching in with one card and out with a different one!

If you are eligible for any concessionary discount (child, railcard, &c.), DO NOT use contactless, since you will be charged the full fare.

Instead, always obtain an Oyster card and register your entitlement to a discount at a ticket office (National Rail stations in London can usually do this).

You can get an even cheaper version of the Oyster Card if you're buying it online before arriving in London.

Check this guide (to airport transport from Stansted)

where there's some info about the online version of the oyster card: http://londontravelhacks.com/transport-stansted-airport-london/

Question: A group of 4 teenage girls will visit London for two days and want to use a travel card for both days. But a paper travel card is £12 per day and the cap on an Oyster card is about £6.50 for the day.Only one of the girls has a contactless bank card.  Now is the question, where can you buy such an Oyster card and how do you get your deposit and left over money back after the short visit?

Where to buy an Oyster card and where to get the refund after a short time of use

You can get an Oyster card from any tube station or several other locations, but you can now also use any contactless credit or debit card. Oyster cards can also be bought cheaper online. Refunds are not available within 48 hours of purchase, but following this your £5 deposit and up to £10 of Pay as you go money can be refunded at tube stations, and more than this at TfL Visitor Centres. After refunding, you will not be able to use your Oyster card.

Oyester cards can be bought at ticket machines in underground stations. Alternatively, you can use your contactless credit or debit card to pay your fare. A tourist version of the Oyster card can be bought online before arriving in London. To get a refund, you need to go to the ticket machines in underground stations for small amounts or TfL Visitor Centres for amount over 10 pounds. Once you have your refund, the card is no longer valid.

Oyster cards can be bought from several locations and there is a cheaper version available online for tourists. Contactless credit or debit cards can be used in the same way as Oyster cards.

Refunds of small amounts are available in ticket machines and amounts over 10 pounds are available at the TfL Visitor Centres. Refunds are not available within 48 hours of buying the card. Once you have received the refund the card can no longer be used


This question is hard to answer since you would have to define "in use" very precisely.

Here are some wild guesses: Wikipedia has a list of the oldest buildings in the world .

Prominently feature tombs/graves/similar and you could well argue they are still in use.

That would go back as far as very roughly 4000 B.C. Stonehenge is believed to have been constructed ca.

3000 - 2000 B.C. and still a place of religious significance for e.g. neopaganism.

Parts of the Great Stupa of Sanchi are from as early as 300 B.C. and the complex is still in use as a temple.

The Verona Arena is dated 30 A.D. and still used e.g. for concerts.

Further reading: 15 of the World's Oldest Buildings Still in Use Today

The same question on History SE:

Oldest building in the world still in use

The accepted answer there is the Pantheon in Rome from 128 A.D. and still a church to day.

However the most upvoted answer points to several arenas/theaters still in occasional use.

The Epidaurus Theatre (ca. 300-340 BC), the Delphi theatre (4th century BC) and the Odeon of Herodes Atticus (161 AD) in the Acropolis of Athens (known locally as the the Herodeon), still fulfil their original purpose, all three are constantly used as venues for various festivals .

The ancient theatre in Dion is also used occasionally.

The Great Pyramid of Giza initially had two functions, to serve as a tomb for the pharaoh, and to demonstrate his power and prestige.

Today, it has two functions, to serve as a tourist attraction and to demonstrate the power and prestige of the pharaohs.

It is a structure that has continuously fulfilled one of its functions since 2540 BC.

As far as I know, it is never closed to tourists to fulfill its status symbol function, but it makes quite a good status symbol even while open.

The Theatre of Epidaurus (4th century BCE!)

still has performances .

It is not, however, an enclosed building.

The Etchmiadzin Cathedral was built in 301 AD.

The original church was built in the early fourth century—between 301 and 303 according to tradition—by Armenia's patron saint Gregory the Illuminator, following the adoption of Christianity as a state religion by King Tiridates III.

It replaced a preexisting temple, symbolizing the conversion from paganism to Christianity.

The core of the current building was built in 483/4 by Vahan Mamikonian after the cathedral was severely damaged in a Persian invasion.

From its foundation until the second half of the fifth century, Etchmiadzin was the seat of the Catholicos, the supreme head of the Armenian Church.

I have prayed at the Western Wall of The Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

My ancestors have been priests there since about the 10th century BC .

A lot depends on your definitions of "building", "use", and whether "use" is required to be continuous throughout history.

A good candidate is the pantheon in Rome (AD 128).

It was a place of pagan worship to start with, became a church when Rome became Christian, and has been in use as a church since then.

Amphitheatres and pyramids don't really fit the "walls supporting a roof" definition of "building".

The cathedral in Syracuse was built as a temple to Athena?

around 500BCE, and converted into a church around 500CE

Question: What is the oldest building or structure in the world that's still in regular use today?    For the sake of the question, I'm not looking for something that still exists purely as a tourist attraction.  (Unless the building is closed to the public part time to allow it to serve its purpose.  ex: a church that's open to tourists, but still runs regular services.)

What is the oldest building in the world still in use?

he  Epidaurus Theatre  (ca. 300-340 BC), the  Delphi theatre  (4th century BC) and the  Odeon of Herodes Atticus  (161 AD) in the Acropolis of Athens are all still used as venues for various festivals. The Great Stupa of Sanchi is still in use as a temple, and parts are from as early as 300 BC The Verona Arena  is dated 30 AD and is still used for concerts, while the Pantheon in Rome was built in 128 AD. Finally, the Etchmiadzin Cathedral  was built in 301 AD.

Theatres and churches seem to be the oldest buildings still in use. Examples include the Pantheon, the Verona Arena, the Theatre of Epidaurus and the Etchmiadzin Cathedral.


Not a solution for the current problem, but for future reference it may be good to keep in mind: As others have pointed out, TSA-compliant locks are a joke and a waste of money.

They are not secure and do not serve the purpose (any more) that you would traditionally expect from a lock .

Too many non-TSA people can also open them (besides possible criminal minds at the TSA).

Better not to rely on them or use them.

I have traveled to the US only once under the TSA regime, but have a US-based travel agent friend that travels in and out more often.

The protocol I and her family (as well as many of her clients) follow with luggage is the following: Use inexpensive/scruffy-looking luggage (it attracts less attention as possibly containing valuables.)

My favorite and preferred is a chinese mass-produced black non-label nylon fabric with zipper sport bag with a hard floor and wheels on the back edge - it has traveled all over Europe and to the US as well as locally.

I also like the fact that it is more flexible packing-wise than the hard clamshell-type luggage.

"Lock" luggage using cable ties (contributes to the "nothing valuable here" look, can be easily opened by the TSA if needed, but discourages quick/surreptitious (opportunistic) pilfering.

As a bonus, you can detect if it has been opened.)

Provide some extra cable ties topmost inside each bag (for the convenience of the TSA when they deem it worth their trouble to reseal your luggage.

You need to remember exactly how many you provided, additionally you could provide all different colors.

If one is missing, this is additional confirmation that your bag was opened.)

Take all valuables and items not easily replaced in carry-on luggage.

Deem everything in your checked-in as expendable and make contingency plans in advance for the case when something of it gets lost (or delayed, another headache with a similar solution).

E.g. take a change of clothes, small quantities of toiletries, and all medication in carry-on.

Obviously, the bulk of your clothes and shoes are checked-in -

it would be nice to keep them

but they can be replaced in a pinch.

Pack your luggage so that it attracts less attention from the TSA when put through a scanner, to minimize the need for opening and visual inspection (or pilfering by the presumed bad apple).

For instance they recommend to pack shoes uppermost, where they can be inspected easier on the scanner as not containing whatever they are looking for.

Also, pills are bound to attract attention (possible drugs)

so rather have them in carry-on where they can be taken out for inspection if needed.

If you are on important chronic meds, always take them as carry-on, as even delayed luggage will mean a break in your medication schedule - and one is not always able to obtain replacements in a different country.

In our limited experience, so far so good, no losses yet.

Get your own key for the TSA lock.

Unfortunately for the traveling public in the US, these locks are notoriously insecure.

Keys for them can be had for $10 or less on eBay.

( example )

Just had the same problem - bag could not be locked as all combinations even the right one opened the bag.

Simply grabbed a small screw driver, inserted it in the key lock and turned it back to the 'red dot' on lock.

Now bag can be locked and unlocked via the code.

By the Way, I could not turn the lock back again to the open postion....

all good now!

We stopped by at a tsa office at the airport and asked a “nice” agent to help you with their special key.

They can fix it in seconds if you meet a “nice” agent.

Good luck!

This happened to me, too.

The TSA agent at the airport managed to lock it.

However, he told me that these locks are meant to lock back automatically when the key is removed in the open position.

He also said that if their key is moved to the locked position, the key cannot be removed without damaging the lock.

He could get the lock “unstuck”, so now the lock works.

If this happens again, I’ll have to take it to the repair shop...

Question: Flying in the US, my bag was opened by TSA, and TSA didn't relock it. Now, whatever combo I enter, the bag remains unlocked.  It's a combo lock with a TSA compliant keyhole. TSA didn't break the lock, as there are no tool marks and it still latches/unlatches properly. Photo:   How do I get my bag to lock again?

TSA didn't relock my bag after they opened it. How can I lock it?

You could get your own TSA key or ask a TSA agent to lock it again, but you can also reset it by inserting a small screwdriver and turning it back to the red dot.

TSA agents have special keys for fixing TSA locks. Alternatively, a small screwdriver can be used to reset a malfunctioning lock.

To fix a TSA lock get your own key or use a small screwdriver to reset the lock.

Ask a TSA agent at the airport. They have a special key for fixing these locks.


You really don't need to use lots of cash.

Most locals deals in credit cards for everything, they are a lot safer.

Sometimes even hotdog carts accepts credit cards, Taxi/Uber will gladily accept credit cards.

Just keep R$ 300,00 in your pocket/day in case there are too many tourists queuing in an ATM or for small expenses like bus tickets or popcorn.

ATM limits -

Yes there are limits on the amounts you can withdraw.

They can range from R$ 500,00 to R$ 1.000,00 for example depending on you credit limit/banck etc.

Those limits are for your safety.

When ATMs arrived many years ago assaults and "lightning kidnappings" started to go epidemic so a limit strategy was one of the solutions.

Note also ALL ATMs are sheltered and some will also got working hours (no late night withdraw in some neighborhoods).

ATMs in safe, 24/7 places like airports are ok.

Most banks don't charge for witdraws.

They will charge if you use a multi-bank ATM like this .

Every bank have a lot options for accounts.

Each one will get a different limit, fee and number of free operation.

If you still interested you need to contact each bank.

Making expenses in Reais means you will pay an official exchange rate at your credit card payment date that mean you will save a few dollars.

If you knows portuguese enough or get the luck of getting help from a bank assistent (there's always one in any agency, to help elders, etc)

you can make an direct account transfer

(that's how I pay my rent for example).

Now how to make an account transfer is another questions =)

I withdrew 1,200 Real from Bradesco today with no Bradesco fee!

Banco de Brasil would earlier not even give me 800 Real.

So, Bradesco wins in my limited tests.

By the way, a few weeks ago I think Bradesco limited me to 800, so this might be a special Olympics bonus...

I wonder if I could get even more than 1,200 now (I have not yet tried for more).

Santander allows you to withdraw more money in comparison to the others, like R$2,500, however, it will charge you a greater fee.

Bradesco allows you to withdraw more than R$1,000, but keep in mind that your bank will set a maximum limit per day as well.

I know that Bradesco would charge the fee of 1% of withdrawn amount and sometimes +1 USD.

The worst bank to withdraw large amounts is Banco do Brasil, because it can give you only ~R$500

per day, which is nothing.

Itaú, from what I recall, also allows you to withdraw greater amounts, but the fees were similar to those of Santander.

As some other people said, it is not a good strategy to walk around with loads of cash because you may get mugged or robbed.

Keep some money in your pocket, like R$200 per person, and leave the credit or debit card in the safe at your hotel (or hidden).

I would advise you to buy a special fanny pack we have here, which is hidden under your pants.

We call it "porta dinheiro".

We usually have it for Carnaval since you can't watch your pockets when the streets are full of people.

It doesnt have much space but you can fit your passport and money.

It would be good to keep a copy of your passport somewhere else too.

I have an account in Citibank and I withdrew at Itau on Avenida Paulista many times.

The limit amount R$750 R$12 fee.

Personally I have found that the two best bank ATMs to use are HSBC and Santander.

Both accept foreign cards and shouldn't charge you an ATM fee to withdraw.

However, the costs that you will pay are related to your own bank in your home country.

These fees are usually the cost to convert the funds into reais, as well as a fee for using your card overseas.

So my advice is to call your bank to find out what these fees are.

Question: I need to withdraw lots of Brazil Real in Rio de Janeiro from my USA bank account.  What bank has the cheapest ATM (or I could even go to a teller) for me?  Suppose I need 10,000 Real and my bank charges $2 per withdrawal.  I can not find ATM fees for the Brazil banks.  It does seem like the highest ATM withdrawal limit is 1,000 Real, but this information might be old.  I'm hoping some foreigners living in Brazil have researched this recently.

Cheapest ATM strategy in Brazil

Different banks have different maximum withdrawal limits and fees, but it is not advisable to have more than a few hundred due to the risk of theft and because most places accept credit cards.

Walking around carrying large amounts in Brazil is considered a bad idea. It is recommended to use a credit or debit card, like the locals, and just carry a small amount of cash preferably in a bag that is not visible. Moreover, banks do impose different limits on ATM withdrawals, with HSBC, Santander and Bradesco being considered the best.

It is not a good idea to walk around carrying a lot of cash in Brazil. Most locals use credits cards. A small amount of money is fine, preferably kept in a special bag hidden under your trousers.

Banks impose limits on ATM withdrawals. They all appear to be different with Bradesco, HSBC and Santander being considered the best.


You don't need to obtain one beforehand, you can still get one on arrival according to Timatic

You do need a visa however, according to the Malawi embassy in Washington

and they don't mention anything about visas on arrival.

You could always request one before leaving to be safe, as the processing time is just 5 days .

They've introduced visa requirements for Europeans and Asians and for those who can get one on arrival

it's unclear what the procedure is The Government of Malawi will issue visas within Malawi but procedures for obtaining them have not yet been published.

Yes, United States nationals are among those who need a visa when going to Malawi, according to the Embassy of the Republic of Malawi web site Application Requirements To apply for a Visa, the Passport must be valid for at least 6 months beyond the date of intended departure.

TYPES OF VISA |

COST: Tourist and Business Validity Transit (7 days)

US $70.00 3 months single entry from date of issue

US $100.00 6 months multiple entry from date of issue US

$220.00 One year multiple entry from date of issue US $300.00 Application Requirements

2 application forms

Visa Application Forms 2

Passport-size photos Fees can be paid by money order, bank certified check or cash (The Embassy will not accept personal checks as a form of payment)

Onward ticket Valid Passport (at least six months before expiry date with enough unused pages) Copy of a letter from the applicant’s Organization or invitation letter.

Copy of sponsor’s Residential Status in Malawi (

i.e. Permit or Malawi Passport

if Malawian) Return Pre-Paid Envelope addressed to the applicant.

Please note: Application and all required documents MUST be sent in DUPLICATE to the Consular section at the Embassy.

In most cases, applications will be processed in 5 working days.

However, for nationals of India, Nigeria, Bangladesh, China, Burundi, Rwanda and Pakistan, applications may take up to 4 weeks.

Drop off time: 09:30 am to 12:30pm from Mondays to Thursdays.

Okay, while all the answers here were awesome, I got mixed responses.

So I ended up contacting the US Consulate in Lilongwe, Malawi.

Here was their response: Entry visas for U.S. travelers are available upon arrival in Malawi at both of the international airports, Lilongwe and Blantyre, as well as at border crossings.

You will have to complete a one-page visa application form and pay the USD $75 (U.S. dollars only)

but it’s fairly routine at this point.

I’m

copying our official announcement below for your reference.

Visas on Arrival are available only in cases where a standard visa can not be obtained (ie in countries without a Malawi consular post, extended travel away from your country of residence, etc).

Approval for a VOA needs to be obtained before you arrive from the Immigration Department in Malawi.

You can't just simply hop on a plane and be granted a VOA.

As the US has a Malawi Embassy, you likely will be limited to getting the visa through them.

I am an American that live in Malawi Visas as issued at the International Airport upon arrival in Lilongwe Visas can be obtained at the Border crossings by filling a one page Visa document There are several types of visas but please note that although your Visa may be valid for 3, 6 or 12 months (single or multiple entry) you must check in at the nearest Immigrations Office after 30 days in the country.

Question: I'm researching visa requirements for a safari in 2017 and from what it looks like most of the countries will give a visa on arrival at the border.  However, looking at Malawi it's saying I need to obtain a visa prior:  https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/country/malawi.html  What the site doesn't really specify is if one can be obtained at the border. Unless I'm missing it.  So, do I need to get one before departure from the US, or will a visa on arrival be granted at the border?

Do I need to obtain a visa prior to visiting Malawi as a US Citizen?

You can obtain a visa on arrival by filling in a one page visa document, but for longer stays you must check in at the nearest Immigrations Office after 30 days in the country. To apply for a Visa, the Passport must be valid for at least 6 months beyond the date of intended departure, and you must have obtained approval for a VOA from the Immigration Department in Malawi.

There seems to be confusion as to whether Americans need a visa to visit Malawi. However, it would appear that even visas on arrival may need to be requested in advance.

Americans do not need a visa they can get one at the airport on arrival.

Americans do need a visa for Malawi and must apply before travelling. Visa on arrival is only availale when a standard visa cannot be obtained for some reason and must be requested before travelling.


Windows 10 has added an update in the latest version allowing users to see where the photo came from.

In the top-left corner of each lock screen there is now a short description of the location.

Clicking the description opens a Bing search with the location's name.

In addition, the " Like what you see?

" button now shows the location as well: If you're unable to see the helpful tip, follow this guide from SuperUser .

Finally you may try checking Wiki's article on Microsoft Spotlight which lists many of the previously used locations.

The vast majority of Windows' lock screen images and wallpapers come from Getty Images .

This has been so since at least Windows XP...

If you find the same photo on that site, there is almost always more information, such as location, photographer's name, and usage rights.

But they don't have a search by photo, so you'll have to search using Google Images' photo upload.

My Themes folder was empty as well.

However, this worked for me.

In your file explorer, go to: C:\Users\<<Your-Username>>\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.

Windows.

ContentDeliveryManager_cw5n1h2txyewy\LocalState\Assets

After adding '.jpg' to the filenames in that folder, you get a nice picture from Windows.

If previewing the meta data doesn't help (because it's empty), just perform a google image search.

I wanted to know the location of the image below and was able to learn that it was taken in China.

You can find the description of the photo by going to C:\Users\username_for_your_computer\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Themes and then selecting the picture and going to its properties.

It should contain information on where the photo was taken.

Source

Do a reverse Image-Search on google.

When the search results load, edit the automatic text to 'spotlight'.

Click on the item related to the site spotlight.it-notes.ru

The description of the image is given at the bottom of the image.

Note:

Some images are probably not listed in the site.

Here is one: https://spotlight.it-notes.ru/

I've been looking for this a while myself.

Another way is to drag the actual spotlight picture into Google images.

These images are in this loacation: %LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\Microsoft.

Windows.

ContentDeliveryManager_cw5n1h2txyewy\LocalState\Assets

You have to add a .jpg extension to these files

Here you have it.

I don't know if it lists all of them, but the list is pretty long and you can even download the images for free: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/18827/places-landscapes-wallpaper

Question: Windows 10 has an extensive collection of lock screen photos, many of which have  prompted a question  here on Travel.SE.  Is there a website which lists the location of all of these photos? I imagine Microsoft has purchased an official license, so they should have a record about the photographer and the place where the photo was taken.

Is there a website listing the location of all the Windows 10 lock screens?

In current versions, there is a short description in the top left corner, and clicking on the description opens a Bing search with the location name. You can find the description of the photo by going to  C:\Users\username_for_your_computer\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Themes  and then selecting the picture and going to its properties.

Most of Windows lock screen inages aree Getty images. To find the location of a lock screen image, you can use the function in Windows 10. Alternatively, you can check under Themes on your computer. Finally, you can find information about many of the images on the Microsoft support website.

There is a way to see the location of images in Windows 10.

Most Windows lock screen images are Getty images.

There is a location on your computer where you can find the description of the photo under Themes and you can also find them on the Microsoft support website..


No. See 22 CFR 40.2 (a): (a) Nationals of the United States.

A national of the United States shall not be issued a visa or other documentation as an alien for entry into the United States.

(Note: I have read in some third party sources about certain US consulates issuing "pro-forma visas" to US dual-nationals who would otherwise be unable to leave the foreign country; but I can't seem to find any official information on this, and don't know whether it's a "visa" or just something that looks like a visa but isn't a visa.)

As with every conceivable issue regarding U.S. Passport and Visa regulations, this is covered extensively in the Foreign Affairs Manual.

First off, it depends on how old this traveller is, and who they are travelling with.

For instance, 7 FAM 085 U.S. PASSPORTS AND VISAS AND DUAL

NATIONALITY states: a. Section 215(b) of the INA (8 U.S.C. 1185(b) and 22 CFR 53 require U.S. citizens to enter and depart the United States on U.S. passports, with limited exceptions.

d. See 9 FAM 40.2 Notes, 9 FAM 42.12 N4 (2)(b) and 9 FAM 42.71 N5.

What are these "limited exceptions", you might ask? 9 FAM 202.1-2 has you covered.

Applications for Visas for Certain Dual National Children: (1)

You should advise parents who apply for visas for dual national children that regulations prohibit the issuance of a visa or other documentation to a U.S. citizen or national for entry into the United States as an alien.

The children of foreign government officials, however, may use their foreign passport for entry into the United States.

After the U.S. citizenship of a child has been determined by a citizenship officer, the consular officer may, to avoid delay or difficulty, give a written statement to the parents for presentation to carriers or immigration officials.

The statement should make clear that the bearer of the foreign passport is a dual national child of a foreign government official or employee who is traveling to the United States on official business and as such may enter the United States on the foreign passport as an exception to the provisions of INA 215(b) regarding valid passport requirement.

(3) A child under 12 years of age who is included in the passport of an alien parent in an official capacity may be admitted if evidence of U.S. citizenship is presented at the time of entry.

A determination of the child’s citizenship should be made by citizenship officer prior to departure from a foreign country and the parent should be instructed to have evidence of such citizenship available for inspection by the admitting Department of Homeland Security Officer.

So, if your friend is travelling with his parents, and they're representatives on an official assignment, he can ask a consular officer for a letter stating such.

If, however, he just wants to avoid being identified as a U.S. citizen as he leaves his country, he is out of luck.

It is illegal to issue U.S. visas to U.S. citizens.

The answer may be found in 8 USC § 1101 : (a)(3)

The term “alien” means any person not a citizen or national of the United States.

(a)(26) The term “nonimmigrant visa” means a visa properly issued to an alien as an eligible nonimmigrant by a competent officer as provided in this chapter.

So, the US does not issue visas to its citizens.

The large majority of countries do not check whether departing travelers have the documents they need to enter the next country on their itinerary.

If your "Country A" does do such checks, there are two possibilities: The country permits dual citizenship.

In this case, show your US passport to demonstrate your eligibility to enter the US.

The country forbids dual citizenship.

In this case, you can either give up citizenship of one of the two countries, or you can travel through a third country.

For example, if you are a citizen of the US and China, as a comment suggests, you could get a visa for the Japan in your Chinese passport, and book two separate flights: one from China to Japan, and another from Japan to the United States.

Thank you everyone and some answers are helpful.

Here are the right solution I just figured out after visited Exit-Entry Administration of this Country A at hours ago (yes it is China...)

So first, it is very clear that US embassy will not issue a visa to a dual citizen that one is USA, including minor.

Secondly, transfer flight via a 3rd country is a solution, but may need extra work on time management and flight booking.

Third is the easiest way.

This is a passbook called "One-time Immigration Permit", which is issued by this Exit-Entry Administration, for the people who has "Nationality Conflicts" (What an interesting term to describe such person).

In most of cases, this passbook is for helping "Nationality Conflicts" minor to travel aboard, allow to have one exit and one entry at Country's border (Airport), the travel period is limited within 3 months.

Generally speaking, the supporting document for this permit passbook is super easy to collect by comparing other unbelievable permit in this country.

So what you need to do is just go to the administration office to get the most updated requirements, take about 1 week to apply, and only cost US$ 3.00.

To sum up, even the country does not permit dual-citizenship, but it still provides a way to help the needed personal (Minor and partners) to travel aboard.

It is cheap and quick.

Thank you again.

Every citizen of the United States must enter (and exit)

the United States on her/his United States passport.

So such a visa would be useless (well, almost - see user102008's comment below).

While it is probably not spelled out in the rules & regulations, a visa whose usage violates US laws is most likely refused.

Question: Just assuming someone has dual citizenship of USA and country A, and he will travel between these two countries. Just like other dual citizens, he prefers to exit and enter country A by using his country A passport, which means he needs a B1/B2 Visa on his Country A passport for exiting.  So the question is, will U.S Embassy give a B1/B2 visa to a dual citizen even one of his nationality is USA?

Will U.S Embassy give a B1/B2 visa to a dual citizen even one of his nationality is USA?

It is illegal to issue U.S. visas or other documentation as an alien to U.S. citizens.

The US does not issue visas to US citizens even if they have dual nationality.


You do not need to reserve in advance unless you really want a specific camping.

Not everyone reserves a spot, as that often costs money.

Not reserving is a risk, but a small one.

I often go to France without a reservation,

like I did two weeks back.

It's relatively easy to find a spot, especially if you are willing to camping-hop.

That is not required at all though, I've successfully found spots for two weeks often enough, even in popular destinations, but it may take two or three tries in peak seasons.

If a camping is full, it will often have a sign outside saying "complet" (full).

I own a Michelin Camping Guide that will tell you the locations and price ranges of many campings in an area, which is very handy when traveling abroad without the Internet and no reservations.

They cost 10-20 euro.

Some parks will be full, there are many people in other European countries who book months in advance, to a year in advance, to be sure to be on the one park they prefer.

Those parks will likely reserve all places they can for those people who book ahead.

Other parks will have spaces they keep open for people comming in on the day or who make a booking a few days in advance, mostly those are places for just one or just a few nights, unless the park is not popular enough to get fully booked.

Your chances on a place in a good park are bigger in years with poor weather in the area, as many people will either not use their booking or not make a shortly before traveling booking.

It will also depend on which part of France, which set of weeks and the kind of park you prefer.

What I hear from people at work is the kind of parks with many options for entertainments while still having modest prices.

Of course those that have a less good price to facilities balance will have spaces much longer.

I know this is not really a useful answer, as there are so many options.

Your best bet is to call a few of the parks you would be happy to stay and see if they still have spaces for the time you want to be there.

A third option which works if you're not very fussy is to book very close to the time you want to stay.

Web bookings are often an option but not at the real last minute.

Phoning just before setting off

(i.e. "have you got a space for tonight?") can be very effective in saving you a wasted journey.

At least at the bigger commercial sites the reception staff tend to speak good English if you start trying to get by in French.

This is less likely to be the case at the municipal sites, some of which can be very good.

As we're rather demanding about facilities and location, we generally book ahead; we also travel outside the French and English school holidays.

In that case most sites we've stayed on have some space available, but I wouldn't bank on arriving without a booking in the school holidays unless the weather was very bad.

I don't have an extensive experience

but so far, I've seen it depend on two factors:

if you camp with a tent then that should be fine, in particular if you have no car.

The campsites that become unavailable first are those with mobile homes and those for RVs/vans.

If you don't particularly care about a specific spot or have no specific vehicle then it will more likely to be fine.

if you go to city campings then it is more likely to have spaces.

City campings ("camping municipal") are usually less classy, more a public service.

This is not as fancy, clean and might not have a swimming pool like 3 or 4 stars campings.

But at least it might have vacancies.

You don't really need to book early but it may be worth considering depending upon where you are planning on going.

Camping is an extremely popular pastime in France with many different nationalities going there each year however there are also literally thousands of campsite located in the country.

There are plenty of places that you can find great campsites at including CampingFrance.com and GoCampFrance

I have been camping in France a number of times and haven't ever booked anything in advance other than the first night, when I have arrived in France early evening and wanted to make sure I knew where I was staying (even that would have had plenty of space).

However, my experience is of going in May and June, and in May and even early June many sites were not yet open.

Having said all that there are so many campsites in France that it's hard to see that they would all be booked up at the same time, even in high season.

For me it's part of the adventure — "time to move one...

I think I'll drive south for a while..."

Question: I might be camping in France a couple of days this summer, but I don't have any plans regarding the trip and this will happen if am close enough to the park.  Is it ok to just go to the park or is it advisable to book in advance during summer? Can parks be full?

Do I need to book in advance in French camping parks?

Some parks will be full especially if you have a camper van/RV or are coming to a popular park during peak season, but especially if you have a tent and no car or you are coming in the down season, you should be able to find a spot. Try contacting a few parks in the area to check availability, or book closer to the time.

Some people book long in advance but this is quite rare. These are probable camper van and mobile home bookings, as those pitches tend to book up first. Small tent pitches without a vehicle are usually easy to find. It may be a good idea to make a booking for the first night, just before you arrive, to be sure you have somewhere to stay. Lesspopular campsites tend to include those in big cities.

Some campers book a long time in advance but campsites often reserve some spots for late bookings. Booking is not considered necessary unless you want a specific campsite.

It may be a good idea to book just before arriving, especially if you want to go to a popular site. Perhaps it is a good idea to book the first night, to be sure you have somewhere to stay.

If you are camping in a tent and travelling without a vehicle, you will probably have no problems. Camper van and mobile home pitches tend to book up first. Also, city campsites do not tend to be as popular.


While what constitutes a "best" spot is subjective, here are some popular options: Icho Namiki

This road is located in Tokyo, between the Gaienmae and Aoyama-Itchome stations.

The best time to visit is from mid-november to early december.

Rikugien garden

While this doesnt feature only Ginkgo trees, you can enjoy the view in this traditional japanese garden.

Nishi Honganji

The temple grounds feature many Ginkgo trees, plus you get so visit one of the biggest temples around.

The lesson here is that there aren't many dedicated spots for Ginkgo trees, but they are more or less omnipresent in Japan.

Visit during the end of november

and you are sure to get your fill of beautiful colors.

Here is a resource page for other spots in Tokyo.

And here is the same page for Kyoto.

Visit Toyko's Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden to experience the ginko tunnel in the Meiji-Jingu Gaien, the golden canopy and carpet the most glorious in the autumn.

You could visit the biggest Ginkgo biloba tree in Japan.

It is the Kitakanegasawa no Ichou .

It has a girth of about 22m, and is estimated to be over 1000 years old.

In terms of girth, it is probably the second biggest tree in Japan (after the Kamoh no Ohkusu Camphor tree).

Photo By Aomorikuma, licensed as CC-BY-SA-3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

It is near Kitakanegasawa Station , in Aomori Prefecture, at the northern end of Honshu.

There are Ginkgo trees in a lot of areas of Japan.

So it depends a lot on where you want to go otherwise.

Since the other answers focus on Tokyo

I will just throw some answers for the Kansai area.

Osaka:

There are many Ginkgo trees lining Midosuji which is the central street going from Namba to Umeda which is a nice stroll.

There are also Ginkgo trees as well as many other tree's such as maple in the Osaka castle garden which makes for a nice view.

Kyoto:There are many places in the central town and around temples.

Such as kiyomizu-dera.

My favorite place in Kyoto for Autumn colors is Arashiyama.

You can also take the Torokko which is a train that goes through the valley where you can see a lot of foliage.

Then you can also take a boat ride on the river to get back to Arashiyama Nara: Nara park contains a lot of Ginkgo trees as well.

There is also a famous gingko tree in Tokyo in the University of Tokyo (accessible to public).

Question: I was wondering where is the best place in Japan to see the Ginkgo Biloba trees. My friend says there are many in and around Tokyo.   Are there many trees of this kind in other areas (e.g. Kyoto etc)? Or would they appear only in specific places...   It would be a shame to go to Japan and not see these beautiful trees!!

Are Ginkgo trees in Japan rare and if so, where can I find them?

Visit Toyko's  Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden  to experience the ginko tunnel in the Meiji-Jingu Gaien, or the famous gingko tree in Tokyo in the University of Tokyo. Osaka Castle garden also has gingko and other trees, while Kyoto has gingko trees in many places, especially Arashiyama and Nara Park.

Gingko trees are found all over Japan. In Tokyo they are found in the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden and Tokyo University. Otside Tokyo Osaka and Kyoto are good places to see Gingko trees.

Gingko trees in Tokyo can be seen in Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden and the University of Tokyo. The biggest Gingko tree in Japan can be visited

There are Gingko trees in other areas of Japa. These include Osaka castle garden, Arashiyama in Kyoto and Narra park.


I travelled the opposite direction by train (fast train) recently and while I did spend part of the journey sleeping, I can say that I don't recall seeing anything spectacular outside the windows while I was awake.

It's flat land and a you will see rural landscapes plus the odd look in someone's backyard every once in a while.

Personally I would make my choice also based on duration of the journey and comfort.

Traveled this route both by bus and by train, no big difference for me.

Consider required level of comfort and the time/money you're ready to spend.

Mostly you'll see flat land, villages.

If you're interested in local people life then bus is preferable: you'll cross many villages and towns.

I'm Polish and that route is not scenic.

But train ride should be faster.

If its direct connection than it should take 2.5-3h.

Which train ride exactly you were looking at?

Koleje Mazowieckie?

If you would take a bus - then probably you should take Polski Bus which was mentioned here.

It's kinda nice - it has WiFi and usually they'll give you small appetizer.

Also Lux Express might be travelling in that direction.

However, bus may take a little bit longer (depending on the traffic).

Usually 5-6h.

BTW

If you will be travelling in Poland you can use this site: e-podroznik.pl

You can get the timetables and prices.

I have taken polski bus from Krakow to Warsaw.

It was somewhere between 5 to 6 hours.

I took that bus early in the morning

and I think just in the beginning there were some scenic areas.

After that mostly it was just plain fields nothing exciting but you will be passing few villages on your way to Warsaw.

I was coming to Krakow from zakopane which is I think 1 to 2 hours bus bus and that route is really scenic .So

basically there would be no big difference between bus and train ride.

For cheaper option preferably I would suggest a bus ride.

I am from Poland and i use to travel on this route.

The best way to go from Krakow to Warsaw will be a high speed train called Express Intercity Premium.

It goes up to 200 km/h (125 mph)

- bus goes up to only 100 km/h (62.5 mph).

Travelling between both cities by theese high speed trains will take only 2:15 h. You can exit the train on stations: Warszawa Zachodnia (Warsaw West) near office buildings, Warszawa Centralna (Warsaw Central)

- it is underground station in city centre or Warszawa Wschodnia (Warsaw East) in Stara Praga (old Praga) historical district near e.g. Google Campus.

First, the train is going by clasical railway lines no. 8 and 64.

This segment is very scenic, it goes through old villages with wooden houses.

Then the train enters high speed line called Centralna Magistrala Kolejowa (Central Railway Trunk Line, no. 4) which ends in Grodzisk Mazowiecki town.

This line can be a little bit boring, but it is very fast.

Then, on the end of this line the train enters four-track railway line no. 1.

It goes through tight urbanized terrain, on second track pair there is a lot of suburban trains station.

This line goes to Warsaw centre - behind Warsaw West station

it goes into Warsaw City Tunnel (Warszawski Tunel Średnicowy).

The train route from Krakow to Warsaw goes along previous cargo train route to be fast.

This is the reason it is not scenic nor interesting in any way.

Travelling by bus may be much more interesting and cheaper - but it takes nearly 2 times longer.

Question: I'm travelling from Krakow to Warsaw in October. I have two options, the bus costs $5 and the train costs around $15. I'm ready to spend $10 more in case the route is scenic. But, is it scenic?

Krakow to Warsaw by train - is it scenic?

The scenery is not very interesting, with just flat land and villages, so consider the comfort and cost as well as the time you are willing to spend. The bus is cheaper, but also takes nearly twice as long as the high speed train.

The train route between Krakow and Warsar is not scenic so it is recommended to choose your means of transport according to comfort, cost and duration. The train is faster but the route is boring. The bus, on the other hand, takes a more scenic route and is cheaper but it takes quite a lot longer.

The route from Krakow to Warsaw is not scenic, the viewis flat land and villages.

Choose how to travel based on comfort, length of journey and cost.

The train is faster between Krakow and Warsaw.

The bus is cheaper and the ride is more interesting. It takes longer than the train.