I've actually just written a book called 'How to Get to the North Pole'

so may be able to help.

The first thing to note is that there are several different north poles.

The one most commonly referred to is the Geographic North Pole

but if you consider the Magnetic North Pole as a viable alternative then that opens up a couple of other options.

The North Pole Marathon doesn't actually take place -at- the north pole - it is run at the temporary Barneo station nearby - but a helicopter flight to the pole is included in the package.

bchetty's recommendation of flying to Longyearbyen in Svalbard and booking a flight north is probably the most economical option, though very similar in cost to the marathon.

Last Degree' trips in which you ski the final ~65 miles to the North Pole are likely the cheapest way to reach the pole under your own steam; earning your visit a little more than just being dropped off.

For a similar cost, you can get a longer expedition to the Magnetic North Pole, in one of the organised races such as The Polar Challenge or North Pole Race.

Finally, the cheapest method of -seeing-

the North Pole would be to book a pleasure flight over the top for a view from the window.

Not the same thing as actually going there

but if your priority is low cost then this could be a compromise.

P.S.

There's a free overview of my book available on my website which has more information if it's useful: http://thenextchallenge.org/2010/11/how-to-north-pole/

An other alternative is to fly to Longyearbyen in Svalbard and then use the chopper service to visit North pole from around 15000 Euros.

This is cheaper than the cruise trip.

There are some companies that offer trips to the north pole on ice breakers.

They're not very economical, though.

Here's one of several that came up on Google: Quark Expeditions

The 2013 trip takes about two weeks and costs €29,600 EUR not counting your expenses to get to Helsinki and get home again from Helsinki afterwards.

Some companies offer trips to the North pole.

For example Hauser Exkursionen.

This is a well established company that offers all kind of excursions from the north pole, to the Mount Everest or a desert.

Unfortunately the information is in German, but I think it is possible to understand a little bit of it.

Hauser Exkursionen

However, as you can see, it is very pricey.

For a 16 days trip you pay ~31 000 Euros.

Usually the excursions take place in April as VMAtm already said, so the next possibility will be on April 2012.

I can't say for sure about the prices, as all the touristic expeditions are made in April - the safest time to travel there, and currently all the companies can't say anything about prices (you know, crisis, and so on).

The best option (according to the website quality and feedback from tourists) for you is Polar Expeditions Ltd., London, UK , but still can't find any info about prices.

Other variant, The North Pole Adventures , is a partnership between Russian and American companies.

A trip to the North Pole will not be "economical," BY DEFINITION.

Hence, you might have a hard time finding one that meets your needs.

That's only partly because going there is inherently expensive.

In most "civilized" parts of the world, there is the potential for cheap "deals," because the "full cost" has already been paid by someone ELSE.

That is, a home owner in some city might allow you to use an empty guest room for "free" (or a nominal amount) because the rest of the family has already paid for the house.

A restaurant might have free or cheap leftovers for people, because its regular clientele has paid for their food, etc.

"Cheap" public transportation (and other amenities such as museums) are state-subsidized.

At, and on the way to the North Pole, there are NO other "natural" users to share these costs, so the handful of users (as a group) have to bear the full costs on their own.

The marathoners may get a "deal" from companies who want to sponsor them.

But they are basically in the position of paying for the trip to the North Pole by "working" their way.

Unless you can offer some kind of "endorsement," scientific, or other value for your trip there, it's unlikely that anyone would be interested in helping you defray your costs.

How does one get to the North Pole?

If you have $50,000 to go solo (or even $10,000 to go in a group) to spend on guides, transportation, etc., plus food, fuel, and other supplies for all of the above, be my guest.

But that doesn't seem to be your situation.

Question: I'm aware that annually there's a  North Pole marathon , and that would be one way of getting up there, if exhausting.  What other options exist to get there, preferably economically (the marathon costs are mildly frightening and extremely prohibitive without sponsorship -  €11,900 ).   PROVISIONAL SCHEDULE FOR 2012  April 5 Arrive at Spitsbergen (Norway)April 6 Fly to North Pole Camp & 90NApril 7 North Pole MarathonApril 8 Return to Spitsbergen (Norway)April 9 Return to Homeland

How can I travel to the North Pole, cheaply?

A trip to the North Pole will not be "economical," BY DEFINITION. However, you can take the helicopter service from Longyearbyen in Svalbard for around 15,000 euros, travel on an ice breaker or go with Last Degree trips, where you ski the last 65 miles to the North Pole. The best option (according to the website quality and feedback from tourists) for you is  Polar Expeditions Ltd., London, UK.

Some companies offer trips to the North Pole, however, none of these trips is economical. Prices, where available, are expensive.


Yes tap water is safe in Shkodër, I was born there, grew up drinking that water.

I live in New York

and I can tell you that the water there has a diff taste regardless if it's tap or from a bottle, but make sure to keep very cold in the fridge so you won't notice the difference.

Have fun while you're there.

About the tourists, they're all gone by the end of August.

According to the UK FCO website travel advice for Albania : The tap water in Albania may cause illness - you should drink only bottled water.

I mostly drank bottled water in Albania this summer

but if I don't remember horribly wrong, I did have tap water too while in Saranda (in the very south), and had no problems.

(I probably asked the very helpful owner and other guests at Backpackers SR who said it's ok.)

That said, Shkodër is at the opposite end of the country, and I guess the water quality can depend on the exact locality and even the building (the house I stayed in was pretty new / in good shape).

I'd ask locals in each town, and you'll probably meet some foreigners too, eventually, who you can consult.

If in doubt, better to err on the safe side, of course.

Edit : One friend said: I usually drink tap water when in Albania, but because I'm most of the time in the streets or at the beach, I have to get bottled water along.

Other than that it is safe to drink the tap water there in most places...

Durres is a bit suspicious since there are too many people during the summer and the water can get more polluted, but this is my personal opinion!

(She's a medical student from Kosovo who's been to Albania many times.)

I think it's understandable why guidebooks and officials should "play it safe" by advising you to stick to bottled water, even if in reality the risks were not that big these days.

Albania remains somewhat "exotic" and not so well-known destination, for a European country.

Disclaimer: in every case, do it at your own responsibility. :-)

I just spent a week in Albania and did drink the tab water everywhere (actually I've only been to Tirana, Berat, Saranda and Korca).

In Tirane the people at the hostel did drink the water themselves but didn't recommend it to me, just to be on the safe side.

I wouldn't risk it.

There are some authoritative resources that advice to use bottled water: http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/europe/albania http://hitchwiki.org/en/Albania http://www.lonelyplanet.com/albania/practical-information/health

This answer is specific for Tiranë but will surely be enlightening for Albania generally.

In Tiranë, the capital, the owner of my hostel tells me the tapwater is good for drinking four times per day lasting two hours each time!

7am until 9am 1pm until 3pm 7pm until 9

pm 1am until 3am

I don't yet know by which standard the water quality is better at these times, or if there are similar regimes in place in other parts of the country.

It depends.

In Tirana, as @hippitrail says, you can safely drink tap water during a specific time of the day.

However, this does not apply to every city.

It also depends on what neighborhood you are staying.

In some cities, different neighborhoods have different water storage and distribution systems.

My advice is to ask the locals living in your building, or the landlord.

A third choice is to fill water from the fountains(spring) .

Most cities I know of, have fountains where many locals get their supply of drinkable water from.

For example, in Vlora (southern Albania) there were two fountains located at "Uji i Ftohtë" and "Luani".

Locals filling water at "Uji i ftohte":

Question: So I've arrived in Shkodër, Albania. If there are other tourists here they're all hiding. I don't have a guidebook and wikitravel doesn't tell me.  Can I drink the water from the tap like in nearby Montenegro, or should I buy bottled water?

Is the tapwater safe to drink in Albania generally and Shkodër specifically?

Many locals and tourists do drink tap water at home and in hotels without any trouble, but the UK FCO website advises you to drink only bottled water as tap water may cause illness.

There is some debate about the safety of drinking tap water in Albania. Many people consider it safe but some authorities advise against it. In Tirana, tap water is considered ok to drink at certain times of day and not at others.

Tap water in Albania is generally considered safe to drink. Although, locals who drink do not recommend foreigners do the same.

Some government authorities advise against drinking tap water in Albania.

It seems that tap water is safe to dring in Tirana at certain times of day but not at others.


My initial thought was along the lines of '

but Maori are just part of the community' - but while that's true, there are still some options that are actually pretty awesome.

And to time with the Rugby World Cup, Qualmark now has a Marae Stay Experience rating - maraes being traditional community ancestral house or meeting venue.

There are some good options out there, and I'll list a couple of them now: Ngati Whare marae retreats - two marae on site, where you get two nights stay (at least), cultural experiences, guided tours of the valley and surrounding forest, and an opportunity to see some of their arts and culture.

Auckland Maori Culture Tours - probably touristy, but the contents look like you really get the complete experience.

From the initial Hongi (nose touch), you'll learn some language, go to a great marae, sleep over in a traditional meeting house (optional, you can stay elsewhere for extra, but why would you!), great Maori food - and importantly, you'll share in making a Hangi - the traditional earth oven meal (has to be seen and tasted to appreciate!)

, learn about the Haka and try some of the traditional arts - weaving, carving, as well as learn about the history and culture.

If I were a tourist in NZ, the latter one really would cover everything, although as a warning - like so many things in this vein, it's probably a little touristy.

Of course, the other option is to try couchsurfing and see if you can find a homestay on that!

However it'd be more likely to be modern rather than 'traditional' culture, of course.

A tiny village on the central east coast of the north island is beginning to put together a native culture program, and while it is not really off the ground just yet, you could be one of the first to go and live with the Maori people of Porangahau and further this project by showing that there is interest.

I will send your information to "Doc" whom I just met on a trip to Porangahau.

I am working on a native culture project currently in Fiji, so we are trying to help each other further these programs.

Look for answers here in the next few days, if Doc says it is OK, I will post his contact details here.

There is also the Tamaki experences Run by two of the Tamaki brothers.

(Not their brother Bishop Brian Tamaki of Destiny Church)

I went to the one in Christchurch at Ferrymead historic park

it is very touristy apparently the one in Rotoura is less so.

They also offer a (two/three) part interactive performance spread across their sites chronicling the family tree of a fictional chief.

Personally if you want to do it on the cheap head down to the grey river (South Island) or the Waikato river (North Island) during whitebait season.

Find a pub near by and just chat with the old fellers when they take a break.

For the price of a jug you'll probably get a good chat and maybe a free feed.

I am wondering if it's possible to travel to New Zealand as a tourist and immerse in Maori culture.

Yes.

definitely.

You may get something closer to what you see in the film "Whale Rider" than the 19th century images, but there are some "exceedingly hard core enclaves of Maoridom" that make substantial efforts to preserve the language and the culture.

If you have the right attitude (as I'm sure you do have from what I've seen of yours so far) then you'll be able to find something which gets past the tourist level visits.

An area which so far probably tends not to feature on tourist level traipses is the Tuhoe area in the Ureweras.

THese people have protested, promoted and defended their 'real Maoriness' in recent times with much collective national angst along the way, charges of terrorism (all dropped) armed offenders major activity (aka NZ version of SWAT teams) and more.

And as a result we have probably all moved forwards quite a lot, not without some pain all round.

I suspect that by the time you get here, looking up "Tuhoe" is liable to be a good start.

Tuhoe Maori Ureweras - images - you'll not be seeing any of the men in black balaclavas there that appear in some of these photos. https://www.google.co.nz/sea

I think you'd be hard pressed to find a Marae with Maori living in the traditional way they would have before European settlers arrived, however Google provides plenty of results of Maraes offering accommodation up and down NZ.

You may or may not get the traditional cultural experience you are looking for, but no doubt you will meet some friendly characters and eat some good kai.

Its still a side of NZ most tourists (and for a matter of fact most townies) won't have experienced.

Question: I am wondering if it's possible to travel to New Zealand as a tourist and immerse in Maori culture.  By this I mean homestay in a traditional Maori area where people speak the language on an everyday basis and generally live to some degree or other in a traditional way.

Are there any travel experiences in New Zealand that offer a Maori "cultural immersion"?

While it will be difficult to find a  Marae with Maori living in the traditional way, there are several retreats, cultural experiences and tours that could be of interest. Try Ngati Whare marae retreats, Auckland Maori Culture Tours, the Tamaki experences run by two of the Tamaki brothers, or experience the native culture program with the Maori people of  Porangahau.

Some tour companies do offer Maori themed tours. However, a more authentic experience may be to book a homestay with a Maori family.

There are some sites where you can book homestays with Maori families.

Some tourist companies offer Maori culture based tours. They may or may not be authentic.


It occurs to me that I've only ever stayed in one hostel in the US, and it was a 17 bed dorm of hell with a Russian snoring in it.

Which is pretty much like every other hostel around the world ;)

To be fair, I've been in a lot of hostels, some are good, some are bad, but for the most part they follow a similar pattern - dorms with bunks and a basic breakfast sometimes.

Good ones have a common room, helpful staff, wifi and a happy vibe.

Bad ones have cockroaches, randy people in the bunk above you, little personal space and no security, and are staffed by an old goat with a beergut.

The rest of the 'differences' are simply what makes them unique, and the experiences you have at them make for stories - good or bad.

But given that hostelworld and hostelbookers both use the same criteria for hostels in the US and in Europe (and anywhere else for that matter), and I've never heard anyone say anything weird about them being 'different'

, I'd say if you were happy in one, you're likely to be happy in a similar standard one in the other.

(and I've had a lot of Americans stay at hostels I've been at, and never heard any of them say 'This is nothing like hostels back home!')

EDIT Update, I stayed in a hostel in Honolulu in April, and another in Seattle in May. Just like any other hostel, I assure you :)

I agree with Mark and thiton that the differences between individual hostels are vaster than the difference between US and European style of hostels generally.

But there is one kind of hostel common in some parts of Europe that I haven't encountered in the US.

Especially in Germany but also nearby including at least Austria and Luxembourg

I have encountered a style of large old "institutional" hostels run by Hostelling International (HI) .

The "hostelling movement" started in Germany and these seem to have sprung up from that original movement and many of them are still going.

They seem to cater either to large groups of children or groups of families.

Typically they are very large and well outside the centres of cities.

You won't have much of a relationship with the staff who are much more like mere employees than cool travellers to hang out with that you might find in small hostels.

They also typically have large canteen-style dinging rooms and the breakfasts can be pretty good.

Some seem to offer other meals besides breakfast also.

The prices can vary wildly.

Back in 2001 I found some of these hostels to be amongst the cheapest, while others were so expensive I couldn't afford to stay.

Also back then at least in Bavaria these hostels strictly enforced an upper age limit for guests of 26 years.

The first European hostel I ever stayed in was one of these in Frankfurt am Main, Germany ten years ago, Haus der Jugend .

Most recently I stayed at one on the edge of Vienna last year, Hostel Hütteldorf .

The hostel culture in Europe already differs so widely that any significant difference with the US is unlikely.

Many of the HI hostels in Europe are new buildings with two-bed and some four-bed rooms, much closer to hotels than hostels in anything but name.

On the other hand, the large tourist cities feature many dirty, snoring-heavy 20-bed dorms.

And there are plenty of small, almost family-style and very nice hostels in the cities of central and eastern Europe.

Biggest difference are IMHO the people who visit those hostels.

In Europe you get the Americans, Australians and south-Americans, and in America you get the Europeans, Australians and yes, more Americans.

I always found it odd if people hostel in their own country, but in American hostels that seems to be quite normal.

The other difference i noticed was that the American hostels where mostly run-down ex hotels with dirty carpets and smelling couches, while the hotels in Europe seemed to be cleaner in general.

In Europe the term "Hostel" is not so common anymore.

Hostel has the connotation of being a cheap and uncomfortable form of budget accomodation.

The snoring roommate maybe being the main caricature.

In the Netherlands for example, the youth-hostel chain changed its name to stayokay.

It might be worthwhile to compile a list of synonyms for budget-accommodation forms in the country you intent to visit.

Bed & breakfast works in many countries, but sometimes you can find really nice accommodation if you search for local alternatives in the same price range as a hostel.

chambre d'hotes (France), Zimmer frei (Germany but also used although not their language in the Netherlands), Gastenkamer (Belgium),

Agriturismu (Italy).

Question: How do hostels in the US compare with hostels in Europe? Are they similar in terms of convenience, availability, cost, amenities, etc? Or is the "hostel culture" completely different in the two places?

Hostels in US vs. Europe

Hostelworld and hostelbookers both use the same criteria for hostels in the US and in Europe (and anywhere else for that matter), so while there is a lot of variation between hostels, there may be less difference between countries and most will offer dorms with bunks and sometimes a basic breakfast. However, hostels are becoming less common in Europe and it you more likely to find something like a basic hotel with a two-bed or four-bed room. Hostels like this in teh US are often dirtier and more run down, and the kinds of people visiting are also often different.

Hostels in the US are not so different from hostels in Europe. However, Europe does not use the term "hoestel" so much anymore and local alternatives are used to designate cheaper accommodation. Moreover, many European hostels are newer and cleaner, with rooms for 2 or 4 people. The biggest difference may be the type of guest.

Hostels are generally the same in Europe and the US.

Hostels in Europe seem to be newer and cleaner. They offer small rooms for 2 or 4 people.

The main difference between hostels is the type of guest.

The term "Hostel" is not common any more, some local terms are used to refer to cheaper accommodation.


With one connection in Paris, the cheapest I found on french voyages-sncf.com was a ticket for two passengers at about 170 EUR (210 CHF).

But I agree that usual fares are more in the 400 CHF range.

It would be worth to spend some time with a SBB-CFF employee or in a travel agency to find the cheapest train at the dates you plan to travel.

Alternatively, you may want to check bus with Eurolines .

One way tickets for two passengers are at about 180 CHF.

If you're willing to sacrifice speed and comfort to travel cheaper, then car pooling or an advance booking on a Eurolines bus is likely to come out cheaper than the train.

From Zürich to Brussels, you have to go through either France or Germany.

It's quite possible that careful shopping between SBB , SNCF , DB and SNCB will yield a cheaper price than booking a through ticket from a single operator.

If you look at a railway map , you'll see that your journey is highly likely to take you through Basel, and then you have many possible routes either via Germany (with Karlsruhe, Cologne and Aachen being likely way points) or via France

(Paris being a fast option, in spite of being a long detour, because it's high-speed for much of the way; but there's also a relatively direct but slow route via Nancy and Luxembourg, and possibily others).

Don't worry about changing stations in Basel or Paris; in both cases the two stations are a few minutes' walk apart.

DB has fares starting at €39 for many international journeys if you book sufficiently in advance.

I looked at a few fares with no age discount for travel on 27.10.2011 or the night before.

You can combine a 79€ ticket from Basel to Brussels from DB (the cheaper fares are already out; the full fare is 145€) with a CHF 15.50 ticket from SBB from Zürich to Basel.

There may well be a cheaper ticket if you break your purchase at a different point, choose a different route or travel on a different day.

If you're ok with a night train , you can take one from Zürich to Cologne.

At the moment, DB quotes a fare of €49 from Zürich to Cologne on 26.10.2011 evening, arriving at the inconvenient but not completely indecent time of 5:42 in Cologne.

Then the cheapest option DB offers is €24 to Brussels, leaving Cologne at 7:42 (time for a leasurly breakfast).

I couldn't come up with a €73 ticket when I asked DB to go directly from Zürich to Brussels, which shows that introducing the right break in the ticket can help.

travel.stackexchange.com/users/277/Gilles 'SO- stop being evil'

You might also try to go by car pooling, e.g mitfahrgelenheit.de or mitfahrzentrale.de .

It costs around 6 cents per kilometre usually, or 70 CHF for a one-way trip.

You have to get lucky, though, to find a ticket.

Also, it might be worthwile to ask the DB (German rail company) for cheap tickets from Zürich into Germany and from Germany to Brussels or for a ticket from e.g. Freiburg (Breisgau).

They often have good offers, for example going from Freiburg (quite close to the German border) to Brussels for 79 Euro one-way.

If you are taking any other trains in Central/Northern Europe during your trip, a Eurail pass may be worthwhile.

You could opt for a 3-country pass (Switzerland, Benelux and France or Germany, depending on your route).

Or, you could buy a Switzerland/Germany regional pass and pay for a single ticket to take you to Brussels from the border.

However, check beforehand if you need to pay extra for supplements on the trains on which you will travel (usually, this is not the case in Switzerland and Germany, but common for the high-speed trains such as TGV and Thalys).

Another option to consider: Train to Basel (about 30 CHF per person if memory serves), then bus to the airport and a flight with Swiss from Basel.

You can book a trip all the way from/to the airport (including the bus) from the SBB.

The train ride is about 1 hour long, with the bus and connection, perhaps 1.5 or 2 hours in total.

Swiss is not per se a low-cost carrier (it's a remnant of the national carrier from Switzerland) but they often have cheap flights from Basel (ironically, to Brussels, it's a code share with Brussels Airlines, another barely surviving national carrier).

As of today, a quick search reveals prices starting at 43 CHF for one person for mid-june, not much more expensive than what you can expect from Easyjet or Air Berlin on similar routes.

Flying directly from Zürich on the other hand would cost at least four times as much.

Obviously, you have to be flexible on the dates to get the best price but even when adding the cost of the train, it can still be competitive as an alternative to Kloten and cheaper than 100 CHF per person.

Easyjet is also flying from Basel (but not to Brussels), so this also an option for other destinations, if you don't mind the hassle of an additional train/bus connection and can't afford the prices of flights from Zürich.

Question: In the last week of October I plan to go to Brussels. I'm leaving from Zurich in Switzerland. I already did some research and tried to get a train ticket. The train is really fast (6.30 h) but a one-way ticket for 2 persons is more than 400 CHF :o So I also tried the budget airlines in Europe like easyJet or airberlin but nothing really cheap there.  Are there any other possibilities to get there?

Cheapest way to get from Zürich (Switzerland) to Brussels (Belgium)

The cheapest option on voyages-sncf.com  was a ticket for two passengers at about 170 EUR (210 CHF), with one stop in Paris. You could also talk with a SBB-CFF employee or travel agency, or search for cheaper connections yourself with SBB, SNCF, DB and SNCB. You could also buy a Eurail pass, fly from Basel, take a Eurolines bus or find a carsharing option at a website like mitfahrgelenheit.de or mitfahrzentrale.de.

There are numerous options for travelling from Zurich to Brussels that are cheaper than a direct flight. Trains are cheaper if you are willing to change a few times. Mooreover, a Eurolines bus service is even cheaper than the train. Finally, flights from Basel to Brussels are generally cheaper than from Zurich. There is a train service from Zurich to Basel.

There are many railway companies operating and a cheap ticket from Zurich to Brussels may be found if you shop around and are willing to change a few times.

Eurolines bus service is a cheaper alternative to the train.

Flying from Basel is cheaper than Zurich in genereal and there is a train from Zurich to Basel.


My experience with China's internet has been to have alternative solutions ready if you need access to Google's services.

You can use Google's Transparency Report for China to determine the current status of Google Services in PRC.

Currently, it is difficult to access Gmail, and many other Google services, in mainland China.

If Gmail is a critical service to you - have a backup plan.

Here are some solutions that have worked for me and others.

Have your Gmail forwarded to another service such as Microsoft Outlook or Protonmail .

If Gmail is inaccessible, you can check the other service for email.

A VPN /Proxy

Server is also another solution that others recommend - but China has occasionally blocked VPN traffic as well.

However, again it is another option to consider.

Note that as of early 2017, China has started blocking VPN providers and is reportedly attempting to ban all VPN providers in the near future.

Keep friends / family informed.

Let them know there is a possibility that you may lose access to email.

Have access to other means of communication like SMS or other secure messaging applications like WhatsApp or Signal.

Because this question appears as one of the first suggestions on Google, I thought I would give an updated answer as of July 2019.

You cannot access any Google services in China without a VPN or a proxy service.

The only site that works is www.google.cn which I do not think many foreigners would want to use considering even the domain itself is not registered under Google even though is connects to an old Google China website.

It is easy to get a VPN service though you need external payment methods like paypal to pay for this services.

Edit: The Chinese government is doing a crackdown on VPNs that would see them completely shutdown by early 2018.

Apple removed popular VPNs from its China App Store in line with the government crackdown.

The short answer is, "yes, in most places at most times."

But there are some important exceptions.

China occasionally gets into "tiffs" with Google, or other Internet providers, which could cause a service disruption.

Also, there may be a crackdown against the internet generally, possibly including email.

Here's an example: http://moconews.net/article/419-china-cripples-android-with-fitful-blocks-of-gmail-market-apps/

As to places, China is a large country, and some places are less developed than others, with fewer T-1 lines, towers, etc.

Also, in politically sensitive areas like Tibet and the Uighur northwest, there may from time to time be a crackdown directed against the local population (and their communications), that will affect "innocent" foreigners as well.

We were there in December 2014, absolutely no Google services of any kind worked.

That included Recaptcha.

We've been there multiple times since, still absolutely nothing Google, including the update my Android phone was trying to download.

Edit October 2019:

Nothing has changed.

Anything Google requires a VPN and they're getting more and more troublesome.

Strangely, it has behaved better in the morning (China time) than the evening.

Old (outdated) answer

It's never failed me over there.

Beware, however, that a SSL certificate failure results in nothing but an error message.

On a Chinese computer (internet cafe) the error was entirely in Chinese.

Since I don't read Chinese the result was totally cryptic.

What actually happened was the computer's clock was exactly 3 years in the past.

The last couple of times I've been there Google itself

was unusable, though.

I'm surprised no one suggested using Tor (and Tor Browser) to access blocked internet sites, services and applications from China or from anywhere else in the world.

The Tor Project https://www.torproject.org/ provides a solution against blocking by authorities.

Either you can configure your browsers and applications to route traffic through Tor or you can download and use the Tor Browser, which is based on Mozilla Firefox.

Update: as public Tor relays are likely blocked by China, you can use bridges to connect to the Tor network.

You can also connect to the Internet via a satellite, e.g. using a satellite phone.

As mentioned here: For many years satellite phones have been able to connect to the Internet.

Bandwidth varies from about 2400 bit/s for Iridium network satellites and ACeS based phones to 15 kbit/s upstream and 60 kbit/s downstream for Thuraya handsets.

Globalstar also provides Internet access at 9600 bit/s—like Iridium and ACeS a dial-up connection is required and is billed per minute, however both Globalstar and Iridium are planning to launch new satellites offering always-on data services at higher rates.

With Thuraya phones the 9,600 bit/s dial-up connection is also possible, the 60 kbit/s service is always-on and the user is billed for data transferred (about $5 per megabyte).

The phones can be connected to a laptop or other computer using a USB or RS-232 interface.

Due to the low bandwidths involved it is extremely slow to browse the web with such a connection, but useful for sending email, Secure Shell data and using other low-bandwidth protocols.

Since satellite phones tend to have omnidirectional antennas no alignment is required as long as there is a line of sight between the phone and the satellite.

Question: I read in some places that Gmail.com is sometimes blocked. Is there a workaround so that I can access my email while I am in China?

Can I read my Gmail while traveling in China?

travel.stackexchange.com/users/297/Dani van der Meer

It is difficult to access any Google services in China without a VPN or through the Tor Project, which is based on Mozilla Firefox, but you can use Google's Transparency Report  for China to determine the current status of Google Services in PRC. There may be additional temporary crackdowns in sensitive areas like Tibet, which could also affect foreign travellers. Have a backup plan like SMS or a secure messaging application, or use a satellite phone.

Equipping yourself with a backup for communication or connecting to the internet is considered advisable when travelling to China. Google and internet services are often blocked, as are VPNs. Whatsapp, satellite phone and the Tor Project are spossible alternatives. The situation may be even more difficult in politically sensitive areas.

Using Google services in China seems to be difficult, at least at some of the time. When travelling to China it is advisable to have a backup plan, like Whatsapp or get a VPN. However, VPNs may also not work.

Check Google's Transparency Report for China to find out the situation before travelling.

Alternatives to a VPN include the Tor Project and a satellite phone.

It may be even more difficult to connect to Google in politically sensitive areas.


The best place for these calculations is the "Great Circle Mapper" website.

To find the distance between two or more airports just enter them with dashes between them.

eg, JFK-DFW or SFO-IAD-LHR

You can do multiple trips at once by separating them with commas.

JKF-DFW,SFO-IAD-LHR

To All the repliers reccomending Great Circle math, You are only partly right.

The distance between two points on a sphere is found by GC Maths, however the OP specifically asked for the air-line distance.

This is found by first finding all the points visited en-route to the destination and then calculating GC distances for all of the route pairs.

For example a flight from London to New York does not follow the great circle path between the two points.

It follows a set of points, which may include Navaids, Waypoints, Airways, Departure routes, Arrival routes, lat/long fixes and range bearing points.

see Flight Plan for more info.

So you would need to contact the airline involved and ask nicely for the flight plan used, and find the lat longs for each of the points visited.

Many airlines include this information in their schedules.

For example, Air Canada lets you download a PDF of their entire schedule.

Here's a clip from it: I suggest searching the website of the airline you intend to use.

Any tool based on actually how far apart the cities are may be as much as 20-30 miles different from the airline distance.

If you want to calculate it yourself, then the spherical law of cosines is probably the easiest way to go about it.

It'll likely be accurate enough for your needs, and is really simple.

If you want it in python, try this code of mine (you'd want calculate_distance_and_bearing )

Likely you'll also want the location information for the various airports of interest.

I've tended to use The Global Airport Database in the past for this sort of thing.

If you want to do this calculation for flights, you would have to use the Spherical law of cosines as Gagravarr mentioned.

However, if you want to write your own little tool and want to plot a line on a map

then it gets a bit tricky.

You would have to use a Lambert projection map to draw a straight line from A to B on it.

The issue with the Lambert conformal conic projection is that those maps are only accurate along the two reference parallels, and the further you go away from them the less precise they are.

This is usually not and issue on small maps that only cover 100x100km, but the larger the map the bigger the error margin gets.

This has something to do with the fact that the earth is round, and you cannot do an exact 1:1 mapping from a round to a flat surface.

Google maps (and all nautical maps) uses a Cylindrical Map projection , this means you would have to draw curves on the map to get the same route as you would with a straight line on a Lambert projection.

Why don't you use this tool with Latitude and Longitude?

You can also draw such lines (called geodesics ) in Google Maps using this site .

See also Is there a way to make a line in Google Maps account for the curvature of the Earth? on Stack Exchange Web Applications .

In addition to the options already mentioned, milecalc.com will also do this calculation, using the Great Circle distance, which is the value typically used for frequent flyer mileage calculation etc.

I use luftlinie.org or its anglophpne brother distance.to .

See here:

http://www.movable-type.co.uk/scripts/latlong.html var R = 6371;

Earth's average radius in kmvar dLat =

(lat2-lat1).toRad();var dLon = (lon2-lon1).toRad();var lat1 = lat1.toRad();var lat2 = lat2.toRad();var a = Math.sin(dLat/2)

* Math.sin(dLat/2)

+ Math.sin(dLon/2)

* Math.sin(dLon/2)

* Math.cos(lat1)

* Math.cos(lat2); var c = 2 * Math.atan2(Math.sqrt(a), Math.sqrt(1-a));

var d = R * c;

When I need to measure the distance I use wdistances.com .

Distance from Zurich to Helsinki is 1104,42 miles air line distance.

Question: A lot of the time, I'm looking for a way to calculate the air-line distance between two places, most often city centers.  For example when I flew from Zurich to Helsinki I wanted to know how far it was. With Google Maps I can do it but not for the air-line distance.  So does anyone know a tool for doing this or can give me advice on how to do it manually using the geo coordinates? Then I could write my own little tool.

How to calculate the air-line distance between two places?

If you want to calculate it yourself, then the  spherical law of cosines  is probably the easiest way to go about it. You can also use the 'Great Circle Mapper', milecalc.com, wdistances.com,  luftlinie.org  or its anglophpne brother  distance.to. Many airlines use this to calculate airmiles and include it in their schedules.

Tools already exist for calculating the airline distance between two points and many airlines include this information in their schedule. However, should you wish to calculate it yourself, you need to use the spherical law of cosines

There are tools available for calculating the airline distance between two points.

S0: Many airlines include this information in their schedules.

To calculate the airline distance between two points, you need to use the spherical law of cosines.


I guess it depends on what you want to do, and how long you're staying.

Traveling around the country might be a little more difficult, but if you're just staying in the Reykjavik area you should be fine.

I just got back from a short trip to Reykjavik, and had a great time.

As another commenter said, more darkness means more time for the Northern Lights.

Also more time for drinking and partying, if that's your thing - Reykjavik has lively, non-stop night-life during the weekends.

There is also good food, and lots of public heated swimming pools to explore (my blog entry about my visit to some of those pools should be up in the next day or two).

Have fun!

Well one good reason to go would be more darkness.

And more darkness = more hours during which to see the Northern Lights!

If you do go, make sure to go when it's a new moon for even more darkness, and have a look at our question on aurora sightings .

Also check our question on the best time of year to visit Iceland .

It depends on what kind of trip you want.

Reykjavik is still an amazing time, especially if you want a party.

There is always the nice hot baths, that are perfect during the cold winters.

And most importantly of all, the natural beauty.

It is truly a sight to see during the winter, very very pretty.

I hear the views are totally different during the summer months.

Plus the added bonus of hoping to see the northern lights.

I would highly recommend it, if you want a relaxed slow paced trip.

I have travelled in Iceland during February (twice), April and August.

I hire a car and have never had a problem.

This last February it was a lot milder (and wetter) than in the UK.

The interior is basically closed in winter but you can still travel the whole of route 1 (the ring road that follows the coast around the whole of Iceland) without issue.

If it snows a snow plough is not far behind.

In February I hired a car with good tyres and 4WD.

There are other routes that are always open eg to Geysir and Gullfoss - tourism

is important to the economy and the tour buses need to keep moving.

The winter is a great time cause everythign is cheaper and there are less crowds.

For the most part doing a self guided tour might be more difficult because of the chance of roads closing due to the snow.

As someone else mentioned, winter is the best time to go if you want to see the northern lights.

I'm actually going to Iceland at the end of February and found enough mainstream things to do to fill a whole week.

You can also go scuba diving in the winter!

Bear in mind that there's a lot of stuff you probably can't do during the winter easily - travel to the interior being an obvious one.

I suspect travelling anywhere out of the vicinity of Reykarvik would be difficult/expensive.

It's a pleasant small city to visit, but if I were you

I'd save my money and visit during the summer when you'd have much more choice of places to visit (and if you go at the end of the summer there's a reasonable chance of seeing aurora).

Question: I just saw an amazing offer to fly to Iceland in November. Although Iceland is still on my wish list, November would not be the first choice of time to visit. Is this an offer to just fill empty seats on the flights to Reykjavik, or is Iceland also worth visiting in November?

Does it makes sense to travel to Iceland during winter?

It would be more expensive and difficult to travel outside of Reykjavik due to the snow and darkness, but you could still travel all around the island on route 1 (the ring road that follows the coast). On the other hand, there is plenty of nightlife, good food, hot baths and natural beauty, including the chance to see the northern lights (which are especially clear during a new moon). Everything is cheaper and less crowded in winter, and you can even go scuba diving!

The main reason for travelling to Iceland in winter is the darkness and the chance to see the Northern Lights. However, many other activities are also available including partying, good food, hot baths and even scuba diving. Nevertheless, travellers should be aware that some areas and activities are closed because of snow. Finally, the winter is cheaper and less crowded.

Travelling to Iceland in winter depends on the type of holiday you are looking for. Many places and activities may be closed in the winter due to snow.

The main reason to tarvel to Iceland in winter is the darkness and , thus, the chance to sea the Northern Lights.

Winter is a good time to tavel if you are looking for a nice, relaxing holiday with some partying in Reykjavik, a dip in the hot baths and great food. Iceland is also cheaper and less crowded.


It's a common problem I had in South America - I really wanted to improve my Spanish while travelling as it gives you a much better insight into your travels, and can talk to locals more.

But so often they'd just switch to English because they welcomed a chance to learn English themselves.

You can either do the obvious (ask them to speak French so you can learn) or what I did occasionally - we'd hold dual-language conversations - I'd try speaking in Spanish and they'd speak in English, as it gives you speaking practice - the hardest of the language skills, in my opinion.

Alternatively, you can switch -

you speak English, they speak Spanish, and you both get to practice listening skills in the language.

Remember that travelling is a shared experience, they welcome visitors to their country (well most of them do), and if you can both benefit from a conversation, everyone wins!

Just ask them.

If they switch to english, say: "S'il vous plaît, en français, j'essaie d'apprendre."

One thing you could try: Learn a few phrases in an obscure third language.

I speak Romanian, for instance.

So if I'm in France and trying to learn French, and they reply in English, I just give them a polite but blank look and say, Îmi pare rău, nu înțeleg.

Of course, the risk is that they'll decide that you're not worth the trouble.

So it just depends on how determined you wish to be.

Don't stress about it too much.

Sometimes I have to remind myself that learning a language is a means to an end, rather an end in itself.

You didn't go to France in order to learn French, you learnt French in order to go to France.

Beware of the sunk cost fallacy - don't let the time and effort spent learning French unduly influence whether or not you use French.

I tried to speak in Japanese when possible when visiting Japan ("sumimasen, eigo o hanashimasu ka?

" was usually a sign I was going to ask something complex!), but I made an exception for the sweet obasan who ran the ski hire shop in Zao onsen.

She asked me to speak in English, and I did so.

Are you going back to Paris, or to France in general?

You may want to check whether going to the more remote parts of France will mean people less likely to speak English.

Then again, it could mean that those who want to speak English will be more insistent on speaking English than those in the middle of Paris!

You may also want to check whether France's colonies or former colonies tend to speak English less than France.

That's an advantage you have over Japanese speakers - the only place outside Japan with Japanese as an official language is the island of Anguar, population 188 !

I know there is already an accepted answer, but I thought I'd throw in my two cents anyways.

My advice - just keep speaking in French.

Be more insistent than they are.

If they continue to attempt to speak in English just say something along the lines of: "Would you mind if I continue practising my French?"

There's a chance, of course, that they will not let you speak in French at all, and continue in English no matter what.

If that's the case, and you don't wish to continue any battle of wills, just concede, and speak in English.

You can of course always ask them later (or better yet, before!)

if you can conduct conversation in French, "even if I make some mistakes".

BTW - here's a pretty cool article about the topic.

Wow this is very interesting, what happens to me and everyone I know in Paris is the exact opposite.

I speak English and they reply in French always, in fact i stopped going to paris for that reason.

No matter how many times I say I don’t speak French they just insist to, and what kills me is that they clearly understand me

so they know English

but I don’t hear other than French.

I’ve also noticed that this phenomenon decreases as you go further away from Paris, people seem to be friendlier elsewhere in France.

From my experience it may be because your French is not good enough and it causes pain to their ears and some actual comprehension difficulty.

On several occasions I have found myself in France with Anglophone companions who had no problem speaking with locals, whereas the locals rather preferred English when speaking with me.

I do not take this as an insult-

it's their beautiful language I'm butchering.

I would suggest trying to get the pronunciation

exactly right- vocabulary and approximate pronunciation is not good enough.

Question: I went to Paris 2 years ago. When I was there, I was learning the language by talking and listening to the local people. But, while I was trying to speak French with them, they would speak English to me. I am going back this november. What can I do to get them to speak French?

How can I get people to speak the local language to me?

travel.stackexchange.com/users/1029/Daniel says Reinstate Monica

It could be that they are struggling to understand, but don't stress about it too much and try to continue speaking in French, or say: "S'il vous plaît, en français, j'essaie d'apprendre." You could also try going to areas where less English is spoken, or have dual-language conversations where both of you can practice.

Sometimes it is difficult to practice a language because native speakers tend to answer in English. It is considered a good idea to ask them to speak in their language. It is also possible to continue speaking their language even if they answer in English. However, be aware that they may find you difficult to undertsand. It is best not to stress about this too much.

If you want to practice your French, just ask people to speak French.

In places outside Paris people may speak less English and therefore they will speak French with you.

If your French is not very good, people may find it difficult to undertsand you.


Well it's LONDON, so nearby bars and alcohol is almost redundant - they're everwhere ;) Until around 12 at least.

Then the pubs close, and the nightlife and bars and clubs continue in certain areas.

The obvious is Central London.

Plenty of hostels and hotels.

Lots of bars and clubs open late especially around the touristy Leceister Square area, and Old Street area.

Expats often prefer Clapham Common, and to a lesser extent, Wimbledon - as the crowd is younger and it's far less touristy (and therefore cheaper).

A lot of Kiwis, Aussies etc, but then London is basically pockets of expats anyway :)

We all know that London is a city full of life and color

so it is needless to say that the city has an amazing night life as well.

The night life in London attracts people from all age groups starting from the young teenagers to the old all are fascinated by the night life of London.

There are plenty of bars and nightclubs in London such as Corsica Studios , EGG , The Den and Centro, Fabric ,THE ISLAND, 333 and many more.

I suggest you central London would be your best choice to stay and enjoy nightlife and hotel charge comparatively cheaper in central London.

Budget:

yha.org.uk

- I've stayed at (several times):

St Paul's YHA in both dorms and single rooms.

The nicest I think owing to the location (fairly good for East London (e.g. for Hoxton, Bricklane, Bow, Dalston), a (night) bus trip away).

Cooked breakfast (was inclusive at the time)

Thameside in dorms.

OKish for getting to East London

(Rotherhithe station nearby).

From there a lovely walk along the Southbank in the morning taking in all the arts establishments, Tate, South Bank Centre.

The worst that can happen in dorms is someone snoring continuously.

Which occured to me about 1 out of every 5 times I stayed.

Not bad run really!

couchsurfers.com can connect you with Londoners

who have (possibly free) accomodation Further up the price scale but

more private, hotels: laterooms.com - still good value in some cases.

Again, I've used this service several times in West London, South Bank, Camden, Greenwich.

Finally, another good way to find out about the nightlife is to listen to London radio stations.

For example on iPhone/iPod/iPad and Android phones there is the TuneIn radio app which lists stations by region, including London.

Kiss, Choice FM and Rinse FM will suggest urban, electronica and dance venues and club venues.

Other stations will suggest rock venues for example.

These would be available via PC/Mac as well by visiting their respective websites.

Jazz FM heavily promotes venues in London and across the UK.

As a guess it also might be worthwhile visiting during the week - perhaps for a more authentic London crowd who can make such venues where as visitors perhaps less likely to.

But then locals like to go out at the weekend too I would think.

Consider the time of year visiting.

For example in the summer, festivals such as Lovebox have after parties, as will Notting Hill Carnival - some advertised as flyers others verbally.

Covent Garden could be a great option for you.

Its right in the heart of London and you will get the exact kind of crowd you are looking for.

Bars can be easily found around this place.

My personal favorite is Thai Square restaurant and bar.

Hope you have a good time.

There's two main areas in London that are known for their nightlife.

London's Westend and Shoreditch.

There are bars and clubs all over London, but places outside these areas are going to be a lot more local than bars in town.

The nearest station to the West End is Leicester Square.

However the West End is associated a lot with tourists.

Directly to the north of Leicester Square is Soho which is generally more local but still very buzzing on the weekend.

Shoreditch has many bars, particularity around Shoreditch High Street and Hoxton.

Shoreditch is seen more "hipster" than the West End.

Areas such as Dalston are seen as even more "hipster" than Shoreditch so plan accordingly.

One thing to remember is that if you stay in either of these areas is that they can be very noisy during the weekend, so it might be a good idea to find hotels just outside of these areas and walk in.

Or just stay out to 2am...

In Central London public transport is excellent and taxis are plentiful.

Covent Garden isn't really known for clubbing / drinking.

Yes, there are bars and clubs here but the area is known more for the Arts (Opera House / Theatre) and its interesting shops rather than its clubs.

It depends really on what you're looking for quality wise really.

If your travelling on a budget I would recommend Generator hostels.

Clean, tidy and really nice people.

They tend to keep things under control so no crazy parties in the hallways.

The Hostels are placed all over London.

Mid pricing you'd probably do well around the Kings Cross area in central London.

Typically you can get a room for around £75-£100 per night in decent dwellings.

Just don't expect mints on your pillow or room service.

High end stuff, well really the sky is the limit in London.

Some hotel rooms come into the thousands...

whilst others keep it in the hundreds.

If you do get a chance to explore the nightlife I would always recommend heading to Fabric, Ministry of Sound, Egg, Studio 338 and My favourite Boujis.

Usually I just use Cluboid.com for guestlist or tickets to these events.

Question: For those looking to travel to London and enjoy the nightlife, where would be the best area to stay? Requirements are nearby bars, alcohol and 20-something crowd all preferably within walking distance.

Where to stay for London nightlife?

London has bars and alcohol everywhere, especially in central London, but you can try touristy areas like Leceister Square and Old Street, the younger and less touristy Clapham Common or to a lesser extent Wimbledon, Covent Garden or Shoreditch. Generator hostels are good for travellers on a budget, while King's Cross is more mid-priced. There are plenty of bars and  nightclubs  such as Corsica Studios, EGG, The Den and Centro, Fabric, THE ISLAND, 333 and many more.

There is no difficulty finding nightlife in London. Central London is full of bars and clubs as are some other areas, such as Shoreditch, Covent Garden and Clapham Common. If you are on a budget, Generator hostels are a good place to stay. For mid-price hotels, see the area around Kings Cross.

There are lots of bars and clubs everywhere in London and many stay open late.

Central London is an obvious place to stay. Other areas include Clapham Common, Shoreditch and Covent Garden.

Generator hostels are good for budget travellers and Kings Cross has good mid-price accommodation.


Assuming you are an EU citizen, you are indeed allowed to exit the airport and be able to return without problems, as long as you have a valid boarding pass for your next flight.

In fact, the Schiphol website suggests that you leave the airport and stroll around the city if you have more than four hours before your next flight.

The recommended check-in time is at the latest two hours before flying to another European country, and at least three when flying outside Europe.

Schiphol is one of the largest and busiest airports in Europe, and long waiting times (30+ minutes) for security checks are not unusual.

Are you sure that the first leg of your flight leaves you in international zone of Schipol?

As far as I remember, you still are in European zone, where you can take the train to Amsterdam.

International controls take place between the two flights.

In some countries (though not in Europe), there is a tax (normally required to be paid in cash) on either entry or exit to the country.

If you're in international transit, you'd be able to avoid that, but entering the landside of the airport and leaving would trigger it.

That could be what you're thinking of?

Secondly, there are various flight and airport taxes and charges that the airline collects from you.

The situation with a connecting flight is different from two flights.

In the UK for example, if your stopover between flights is over 24 hours, you'll have to pay Air Passenger Duty for the 2nd flight, which you wouldn't have to if you're on a short connection.

Not an issue on a short break like that, but it could be if you decided to take a longer break.

Oh, and you also need appropriate immigration status to enter the landside.

Again for you in Europe as a European, that's not an issue.

Changing planes in Dubai and wanting to go landside briefly it would be, and I think we had a question on that very thing quite recently.

Yes you can and there won't be any fee.

You just need the necessary documents to enter the Netherlands.

But that should be no problem in your case.

Be sure to be back to the airport on time.

Schiphol even advertises with the opportunity.

They offer a so called Floating Dutchman , also for transfer passengers.

Question: I'm European Union citizen. I have a flight to other continent, with a change in other European country, Schiphol Amsterdam. Am I allowed to leave the "international zone" and go out of airport and then come in again? I'm travelling only with hand luggage. I once heard a technical term for such and extra fee by airplane company. But really, does anyone care and do they let me in again?

Leaving airport international zone for a moment

This is allowed and there is no fee as long as you have the necessary documents to enter the Netherlands. In fact, the Schiphol website  suggests  that you leave the airport and stroll around the city if you have more than four hours before your next flight.

Leaving Schiphol airport and visiting Amsterdam between flights is no problem if you are an EU citizen or have a visa. Schiphol airport actually supports doing this if you have more than four hours in transit.

If you are an EU citizen, or have a visa, you can exit the airport and return for the second leg of your flight. There is no fee.

The schiphol website suggests leaving the airport if your stopover is more than four hours.


I am using Wikipedia for this.

Each english wikipedia listing of an airport lists serving airlines and their destinations.

So if you want to know where you can go from Hannover airport, just type Hannover (HAJ) airport wikipedia in google and you will be directed towards its listing in wikipedia, with a section on Airlines and destinations .

I haven't found an airport yet, that is not listed this way on Wikipedia.

Best site that I know of for this is: Airline Route Maps With over 1000 airline route maps, you could click on say, Oceania, and look at Air NZ's Global map.

However, this is on a by-airline map really.

However, down the bottom is the search.

Type in say 'Auckland'

and it'll show you all the airlines that seem to have flights going through Auckland :D

So it's a pretty good starting point.

Kinda annoyed really that I hadn't found it a couple of months back when I was trying to answer the question on which airlines fly from Mongolia ...

I use a more pedestrian approach for that.

You can usually find routemaps and/or timetables on the airport's website.

Moreover you will find the names of the companies operating at the airport.

Then I proceed from there.

Example: http://www.hannover-airport.de/

If there is no such site or if it does not work or if it is not available in a language I understand, I try Wikipedia as a backup.

There are plenty of airports having an entry on Wikipedia and there you can get an idea of the routes and the companies.

Example: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hannover-Langenhagen_Airport

Use www.routehappy.com to search flight schedules.

For example here is a list of all places you can fly direct from London (note: I work for Routehappy)

I just came across a brilliant new webservice rome2rio (with all connection from Hannover)

You can use wolfram alpha for this sort of stuff (although it works best with US airports): For example " all flights from KJFK " a great thing about this search

is you can see a map of planes estimated about your current location

so you know where the airplane is headed.

For more international destinations, http://matrix.itasoftware.com/ is what I use (actually, their android app).

Kiwi.com, momondo.com, adioso.com, and others allow “anywhere” as a destination.

At one time, the app from Azuon.com was the best thing I had ever seen.

But the Mac version broke more than a year ago, and they show no interest in fixing it.

Maybe it still works on Windows.

Question: I would like to see, at a glance, all the flights to/from a given airport.    Example query: "What cities can I reach on a single flight from Hannover (HAJ) airport?"  Is there any website which does this?

What is an easy way to see what routes are available from a given airport?

You can find the routemaps and airlines on Wikipedia or the airport's website, or check routehappy.com, Airline Route Maps, rome2rio, http://matrix.itasoftware.com/ or their Android app. Kiwi.com, momondo.com, adioso.com, and others allow “anywhere” as a destination.

Wikipedia is a good solution for finding out what destinations an airport serves. Other options include websites offering a similar service. Moreover, the airport website usually list the destinations served.

Wikipedia (English version) lists airlines and destinations for each airport.

There are a large number of websites that can show you destinations from a given airport.

The airport website usually list airlines and destinations served.


Venice is an expensive and beautiful place to visit.

While you can take a land bus from the airport to the train station end of Venice, I think that would be a false economy for your first visit.

The alilaguna is 12 euros each way.

Venice is a water city and approaching and leaving it by water, as though the train/bus bridge was never built, will put you in the mood for your visit and give you some beautiful views and photos.

You should definitely get a vap pass - you can buy them from the machine in the airport.

That way, once all your stuff is in the hotel, you can hop on and off them to go up and down the grand canal, as well as around the outside.

On the alilaguna, the driver stacks all the luggage in one pile and you get it when you get off the boat.

On the vap, it's like a city bus or subway, you deal with your own luggage.

You want to spend as little time on a vap with big bulky cases as possible.

It's about 5-10 minutes from the baggage claim to the alilagunas, and you might wait up to half an hour for your boat.

You can take the orange (arancia) line to Rialto and then drag your luggage to the vap, or blue (blu) line all the way to San Marco, but a longer ride - though treat it as a sightseeing opportunity and that becomes a feature.

The red (rossa) line used to go to San Marco but it seems on the web site that it now goes only to the Lido.

It might depend on the time of year.

According to Venice airport and public transportation sites, you can take bus linea 5 .

Fare is 1.30€ .

I don't know if some constraints apply on luggage.

Linea 5 leaves you at piazzale Roma near Santa Lucia train station.

From there, take Vaporetto nr. 1 to piazza San Marco.

The ACTV public bus

No. 5 (orange bus) from Marco Polo airport to Piazzale Roma and takes about 25 minutes and costs 5 EUR.

The ATVO bus (blue color) costs the same and takes about 5 minutes less.

I would then just take a 6.50 EUR vaporetto ride (no.1) to San Marco.

It's cheaper and takes about the same time.

The cheaper 1.30 EUR fare is only for residents with the IMOB pass.

Alilaguna will get you to San Marco in about the same time but for 13 EUR one way.

For a good guide book which gives you the local hangouts, pubs and best restaurants with true Venetian cuisines, check out my ebook: Venice for Rookies .

That will make your decision making really easy.

It depends if you want to go to Venice - Santa Lucia or Venice - Mestre.

There are buses to both train stations from the Marco polo airport.

There are 3 basic ways to get from Venice airport to venice.

Land bus or taxi.

You will arive at Piazzale Roma Private water taxy ( most expensive but also most glamurous way to go to Venice city center.

Alilaguna boats (This is a good and cheap way to get to Venice by sea).

I recommend Alilaguna boats because it is not expensive and you get the feeling of arriving in Venice by water ( remarkable view).

There is a very good explanation about transport from Venice airport here.

Question: I am wondering if someone could suggest the cheapest method of travelling from Venice Marco Polo Airport into Venice itself.I am staying quite close to St Marks Basilica, so any travel options which would put me in that general area would be appreciated.

Venice Marco Polo Airport to Venice

You could take the No. 5 bus for 5 EUR, but the alilaguna boat is only 12 EUR and offers a much better view and way of entering the city. You can also take the orange (arancia) line to Rialto and then drag your luggage to the vap, or blue (blu) line all the way to San Marco, but the longer trip is more picturesque. A private water taxi is the most expensive, but also most glamorous way to go to Venice city centre.

Numerous modes of transport are available for getting from Venice airport to the centre. The bus is the cheapest but considered "not Venice". The vaporetto and Alilaguna boats are both good options and are on the water. To arrive in true style, a private water taxi is recommended.

There is a bus from Venice airport to Piazzale Roma for 5 EUR.

The Alilaguna boats cost 12 or 13 EUR but are recommended as a better way to arrive in Venice.

A vaporetto pass is available so you can travel on the water buses. This is cheaper than Alilaguna.

The glamorous option is to arrive by private water taxi.


I just found this gr8 (well, not very great) workaround. .

Didn't try it yet, but looks like it may work.

I had the same problem after arriving to the UK.

There are two basic techniques: Plug the sink, pour the water and wash yourself in this water.

I think this was how it was meant to be used when this system was first introduced years ago.

You can mix it in any other container as well, depending on your needs.

One potential downside to this method is that if the sink is not very clean you don't exactly want to be letting the presumably clean water sit in the basin.

Open both taps and move your hands quickly between both taps.

If you do it quickly enough you almost get the water mixed :)

Why did these nations decide to use this system and why haven't they replaced it with mixer taps

is a mystery to me.

While others have answered how , I'll try to answer why : Technology.

The hot water used to come from a hot water storage tank, usually in the attic.

The stagnant water in the tank isn't considered safe for drinking.

That's why there has to be a separate system, all the way down to the taps, so it can't contaminate the safe cold water from the mains (should there ever be a pressure failure or some such).

Even though water tanks aren't used that much anymore, old habits die hard.

It's explained by Tom Scott in the YouTube series Things You Might Not Know .

I (an Irish person) only recently found out that this was an oddity of our country.

What I do usually is either use just one (like the hot tap, but quickly) or the cold tap.

It's not that cold!

Or just fill up the sink

Separate taps are still pretty common in Australia though mixer taps are on the rise.

What I usually do is check if the hot water is hot straight away.

Usually it's not

but I suppose this could depend on how the hot water is set up which may be different in Ireland.

If the hot tap is not hot straight away

I use the hot tap just on just a bit checking with my fingertips every second or so

if it's warm enough yet.

I usually have enough time to have a good wash before the heat gets too high.

If not I prefer cold hands to any degree burns, but again I suppose Ireland sometimes has colder tapwater than Australia too (-:

I am quite surprised at your question.

Here in the UK, two single taps, one for hot water and one for cold water are the normal arrangement.

You put the plug in the sink and half fill it from one tap, then you run the other into it until you have the temperature of water you want...or you do what I do, which is wash under a running cold tap.

I have recently started to use the Retromixer .

It doesn't work extremely well

but it's better than nothing.

Whenever the water pressure is more than minimal, water tends to flow out along the top in addition to the bottom.

And where it does flow along the intended bottom, the mixing isn't very good; I might get hot and cold water in rapid alteration in time and space.

But it's progress nevertheless

and I recommend it.

It's rather small and easy to install, so in principle you could carry one around for usage in public places, but it's marketed for use at your own home.

(I am not affiliated with the company making the Retromixer, nor do I personally know anybody involved.)

Question: I just traveled to Ireland. I was amazed to find that water sinks (at home, restaurants and public) have separate taps for hot and cold water.  If you use only the cold water, your hands freeze. If you use only hot water, your hands burn.  How do people use it?Is there tool at plumber shops to mix both of them (for my accommodation)?

How to use sinks with separate hot/cold taps?

You can either fill the sink with both taps, wash under one or the other, or switch between the two.

When the hot and cold tap are separate, it is considered sensible to fill up the sink to get water of the required temperature. Otherwise, jumo quickly between the two taps or use only one.

When there are two separate taps, fill up the sink from the two taps to mix hot and cold water.

Open both taps and jump between the two or just use one tap.


Copterline operates a frequent helicopter service between Helsinki, Finland and Tallinn, Estonia .

They advertise it as follows: FAST CLASS by Copterline is the fastest, most efficient way to travel between Helsinki and Tallinn - from city center to city center in 18 minutes.

Ten scheduled flights each workday put you above the inconveniences of other transport, allowing you a full day at work without a half day spent traveling. With a quick look, one way prices are 89 - 270 €, depending on flexibility and cancellation options.

(This is pretty expensive compared to the abundant ferry services between the cities–it's clearly aimed primarily at business travellers.)

Some history: Copterline Oy , a Finnish company, operated a regular and fairly popular service between the capitals from 2000 to 2005.

In 2004, for instance, they carried 75,000 passengers.

The operations came to a dramatic halt in 2005 when their Sikorsky S-76C+ helicopter crashed into the Gulf of Finland near Tallinn, killing all 14 people onboard.

There have been attempts to restart the business over the years, but it seems they only managed to do so in late 2011.

(Now the service is run by Copterline OÜ, a different company apparently, which is Estonian but wholly owned by Finnish FastClass Ltd .)

Update (April 2012)

: I just tried, on a whim, flying with Copterline from Helsinki to Tallinn, so I can now confirm that these scheduled flights indeed take place!

This was my first time in a helicopter and all (so forgive me being hyped about it).

There were 8 passengers in total (12 seats) on my flight.

The sole helicopter forming the current fleet is an AW139 .

In Helsinki, the copter leaves from a small heliport in Hernesaari (IATA code: HEN), complete with a security checkpoint and waiting lounge.

One must check in 10 mins before scheduled flight time at latest.

In Tallinn, the heliport (IATA: CHE) is located adjacent to Linnahall , a strange Soviet-era ode to raw concrete.

Service was nice overall; this is certainly very convenient compared, say, to spending 2-3 hours in a packed ferry & terminals.

Some photos I took: Passing one of the competing travel options (Tallink's M/S Superstar ) overhead: Looking west (the side windows coloured everything blue): Passing another ferry:

Approaching Tallinn; you can see the heliport on the left: After landing:

The 18 minutes in the air set me back 169 €, and I'm not planning to make this a habit.

(I booked the ticket the same day; might've been slightly cheaper otherwise.)

Also, I'm very happy

this time there were no accidents whatsoever!

( Edit - February 2020 ) Not lots of airports, but lots of rich people: Heli Air Monaco used to operate a regular flight between Nice airport and Monaco every 30mn.

Fee was 105€ from Monaco to Nice and 120€ from Nice to Monaco, or 210€ for both.

As of 2020, regular line is operated by Monacair .

Flight frequency is 15mn and fee is 140€.

In the past there was such a service in New York.

I was booked on it once to get to Newark from LaGuardia and once between JFK and LaGuardia.

Both times the weather was "bad" - helicopters set a really low bar for "bad" - and I had to make the connection on the ground.

I am not sure if the service still runs but New York, with lots of airports and lots of rich people, is the place to look for it.

A quick search finds this: http://www.newyorkhelicopter.com/airport-transfers/

but I assure you

I did not pay $800/person for whatever I had booked a few decades ago.

The Scilly Isles, off the tip off Cornwall, UK have such a service.

Further information on the British International Helicopters page on Wikipedia .

When I was in Vancouver earlier this month, I noted it was possible to do a flight from either Vancouver Harbour, or indeed Vancouver International Airport to Victoria, with Helijet .

So it's a viable connection there, if pricey - a quick search for a flight next month revealed around $290 one way...

Sky Shuttle flies between Hong Kong and Macau every 30 minutes from 9 AM to 11 PM, seven days a week.

Flights take 15 minutes.

At HK$3700 (~US$475)

a pop, it's not exactly cheap though, especially given that ferries cover the same distance in an hour and cost around a twentieth of the price!

Pity that I only learned about this service, AFTER returning from Morocco :(

There is a regular helicopter service between Europe and Africa.

INAER offers regular services between Malaga/Algeciras and Ceuta, and that already for 12 years.

I even found two youtube films this one and this one .

The service seems to connect with flights arriving at Malaga airport in Spain, as well as with Algeciras on the Bay of Gibraltar.

There are scheduled helicopter flights twice daily between Værøy Heliport and Bodø, Norway.

Flights are operated by Lufttransport .

The same company also has flights between the settlements of Svalbard.

Booking a month in advance yields round trip prices of 1852 NOK (€205).

There are also many settlements in Greenland where the only form of scheduled public transportation is by helicopter.

Question: I know that you can charter a helicopter, it is expensive but possible. But can I go on a scheduled flight with a helicopter? If so, which connections?

Are there scheduled flight connections operated with a helicopter?

Copterline  operates a frequent helicopter service  between Helsinki, Finland and Tallinn, Estonia. Heli Air Monaco  used to operate a regular flight between Nice airport and Monaco every 30 minutes. The Scilly Isles, off the tip off Cornwall, UK have such a service, and you can travel from either Vancouver Harbour or Vancouver International Airport to Victoria, with  Helijet. Sky Shuttle  flies between Hong Kong and Macau every 30 minutes from 9 AM to 11 PM, seven days a week. There are helicopter flights between mainland Spain and Ceuta, and there are scheduled helicopter flights twice daily between  Værøy Heliport  and Bodø, Norway. Many connections in Greenland are only possible by helicopter. New York had such a service in the past, but given the number of rich people there it is likely to be possible.

Helicopter scheduled servces are available in many parts of the world, including Hong Kong, Monaco, Morocco and Norway. New York used to have such a service but it is not known if it still exists.

Many areas in the world have scheduled helicopter services. Notable ones include Scilly Isles to Cornwall, Morocco to Spain, Hong Kong to Macau and services in Norway and Greenland.

A helicopter service did exist in New York in the past. New York's rich suggest that New York is the place to look for this type of service.


Aas long as you leave a country with the same passport that you entered in on, then you're ok.

So: Option 1:

Entering Aus on Aus passport, leaving on Greek = bad Option 2: Entering on Greek, leaving on Aus = bad Option 3: Entering and leaving on Greek passport = good Option 4: Entering and leaving on Aus passport = good

The reason being for counts and tracking - if a Greek tourist has entered Australia, but has not been seen leaving, panic ensues (well probably not, but that's the theory anyway).

That passport has 'overstayed'.

And you NEVER want to get pinged for overstaying.

Once you've left a country, meh, they no longer care about you.

So when you come back to the UK, you can use whatever passport you want, so long as that passport has the legal entitlement to work there (if you're working there).

Greek passport is obviously easy for this, but the Aussie one you'll require a visa of some sort, if you present that at the border, as you're now being treated as a non-EU citizen (as that's the passport you chose to present).

Hope that makes sense.

Definitely you should use your Australian passport in Australia and Greek passport in Greece (because for these countries you are their citizen and they don't really care if you have a dual nationality).

And as others have said it's safest to use the same passport to enter and exit the country.

However, in many countries the police would not check your passport on exit (I don't think anyone checked my passport when leaving the UK), so this discussion might be a bit academic.

A few searches through this site will discover pairs of countries that don't like to see each other's stamps in your passport.

If you plan things right, you can use separate passports to make this less of a worry for you.

For example you might use one passport for Israel and the other for all the countries that might not like seeing an Israel stamp, or whose stamps might raise eyebrows when you go to Israel.

I don't know what the collections of countries are these days.

When I was a child my father had one set of countries including USSR and Cuba in one passport, and another set including the USA in the other, and he had a much smoother travel experience than his colleagues with only one passport.

Also, you can choose the shorter line most of the time when you're interacting with a neutral country and don't care whose passport the stamp goes in.

Or if you need to send your passport away to get a visa in it (still happens)

you can travel on the other in the meantime.

Plenty of advantages

but you will do best if you plan a little in advance.

As long as you leave and enter on the same passport it is fine...

for instance I have a South African and Swiss passport.

Leave and enter SA on my SA passport and enter and leave Switzerland on my Swiss passport.

No hassles!

It does seem weird but for all the country cares you haven't left an airplane the whole time!

I have dual nationality (UK - Australia), and I always show both on departure.

This stops them getting worried that they will have to deny me access to the flight because of visa issues.

They should still only use one of them (the 'local' one) for their record keeping though.

On arrival I just show the local one as that is less hassle for everyone.

Question: I plan to visit Australia from the UK, I am an Australian national with dual nationality - I also hold a Greek passport.  I have all the correct documentation and everything is fine.  However, if I leave the UK and present my Australian passport to immigration control on exit from Heathrow, will this then pose problems when I return back to the UK and present my Greek passport. I will be carrying both passports.

Dual nationality, EU and Australian. Does it matter which passport is "travelled on"

Aas long as you leave a country with the same passport that you entered in on, then you're ok.  However, you should probably use the passport of the country you're visiting if you are a citizen.

Entering and leaving a country using the same passport is considered the best travel advice. However, if you are visiting a country you are a national of, use that passport. It may be a good idea to show both passports on departure to avoid visa issues.

Enter a country and leave using the same passport.

Use the passport of the country you are visiting if you are a national.

Show both passports on departure to prevent visa issues and local passport on arrival.


Ok - seems like I need to answer anyway.

The answers above are on the main tourist track

and I don't think that was the question really.

There is no museum in stockholm dedicated fully to swedish design although several touch on the topic more or less all the time.

(In Gothenburg there is Röhsska museet that is more on topic.)

Nordiska museet - for example - had a wonderful exhibition about plastic design last year and are now showcasing silver jewelry by Rosa Taikon.

It is an enormous building located when you enter the island Djurgården that was built in the national romantic style of a hundred years ago.

Tekniska museet sometimes has a main exhibition with vehicles from a time gone by.

The first versions of Saab are up for display.

Sometimes it also got temporary exhibitions that touch on industrial design.

Photography has recently gotten its own museum called Fotografiska in an old toll house in the harbor of Södermalm.

The building was first meant to be used as an abba museum.

Moderna museet is mainly a modern art museum but sometimes got exhibitions bordering to the design theme (defining the border can be hard sometimes - thinking about the andy warhol exhibition some years ago).

A gallery I haven't visited yet but heard a lot good about is Färgfabriken .

It should be worth a visit just because it is located in an old factory building.

But they also have interesting exhibitions - now there is one about norwegian form.

If interested in how to create a house to be used for art there are two really nice smaller art museums at Djurgården that has partly been built by private persons about a hundred years ago to incorporate their art collections.

The more famous one is Prince Eugens Waldemarsudde where you can occasionally see very modern art and photography but typically has paintings from around 1900.

Now they are showing Carl Fredrik Hill - a personal favorite.

The other one is called Thielska Galleriet and is located at the "end" of Djurgården.

They have a very nice collection of what is called "sekelskifteskonst" here.

I do not know if there is a word for it in english.

Art from around 1900.

I make this into a community wiki so that smaller places can be added over time.

Right, first up, the Vasamuseet ( Vasa Museum ).

It displays the only almost fully intact 17th century ship that has ever been salvaged, the 64-gun warship Vasa that sank on her maiden voyage in 1628.

It didn't even make it out of the harbour ;)

This is one of the most amazing museums I've ever been to, and it's an absolute MUST NOT MISS when you visit Stockholm.

In the Southeast is the Vaxholm Castle - a coastal defense museum.

On Lidingö island is the Millesgården sculpture museum - see below:

There are a bunch of museums all around Stockholm (did I mention the Nobel museum ? - another must-see sight of Stockholm).

However the costs could quickly add up, so I'd suggest getting a Stockholm Card.

The Stockholm Card allows free public transport as well as free admission to 80 museums and sights in Stockholm, free sightseeing by boat and other bonus offers.

Adult 24 hours 425SEK, 48 hours 550SEK, 72 hours 650SEK, 120 hours 895SEK.

Children (7-17 years of age) 24 hours 195SEK, 48 hours 225SEK, 72 hours 245SEK, 120 hours 285SEK.

Skansen is a really great outdoor park/museum, and you get an idea how the lifestyle and industrial design changed through the last 500 years, if that is something you're looking for.

Don't miss the Vasa Museum , even it's not exactly in your area of interest - you wont see an old ship like this in such a good condition and detail anywhere else.

Here is a good list of Stockholm Museums .

I have only been to a few of them in walking distance from city center, and they where generally quite good.

The aquarium was a bit disappointing imho.

Not bad but quite small, and i would have expected more for the money.

Don't forget the world's biggest modern art museum: Stockholm metro .

On the wall of a station (I don't remember which one), I found a music score of La Marseillaise , the french national anthem.

Maybe an homage to Bernadotte.

One building that is a monument to Swedish design that is technically not a museum is Stockholm's new City Hall (Stadhuset).

But it is a "museum quality" exhibit.

It is constructed of brick, but laid out using "old-fashioned" (for the early twentieth century)

artisan techniques.

It was inaugurated June 23, 1923, the 400th anniversary of King Gustav Vasa's capture of Stockholm

Besides housing the offices of the city's administrators, important features are the so-called Blue Room (originally designed to be in blue), where the Nobel Prizes are awarded, and the Gold Room above, inlaid in gold, where dancing takes place after the awards.

Also, there is a tower, topped by three crowns, the symbol of medieval Sweden.

From the top, one gets a great panoramic view of Stockholm.

Question: I have just arrived at Stockholm and I'm eager to see galleries and exhibitions of Swedish design. Apart from the  National Gallery , what are good places to start with?  I'm interested in graphical design, typography and industrial design as well.

What are good design galleries and museums to see in Stockholm?

There is no museum in stockholm dedicated fully to Swedish design, although several touch on the topic more or less all the time. Tekniska museet, Moderna museet and Vasa museet all have exhibitions relating to design. Skansen is an outdoor park/museum that gives you a good idea how the lifestyle and industrial design changed through the last 500 years. Other places of interest include Vaxholm Castle, Stockholm Metro and Stockholm's new city hall.

There are a large number of museums recommended in Stockholm, though not all of them are specifically on design.


Yes, TRUE.

A good Canadian friend of mine had a Chicago cubs (u.s. baseball team) tattoo on his right arm.

Kind of silly, but apparently any tattoo has yakuza (Japanese mafia) undertones, which makes many Japanese, especially older people, uncomfortable.

Attitudes seem to be changing and I even knew a few younger Japanese with tattoos, but the perception remains in the mainstream of society.

There is a simple solution, however -- my friend just covered his tattoo with a large band-aid when going to the gym or public baths.

Problem solved.

Tattoos or Irezumi as they are called in Japanese were criminalized in the beginning of the Meiji period (some time after 1868) as a way to make a good impression on the west.

(A bit ironic in this case...)

It was legalized again after the war in 1948 but still retains its image of criminality.

For many years, traditional Japanese tattoos were associated with the yakuza, Japan's notorious mafia, and many businesses in Japan (such as public baths, fitness centers and hot springs)

still ban customers with tattoos.

(from wikipedias Irezumi article)

In Japan, tattoos are not a fashion statement, they are a visual mark of being a member of the yakuza and thus a social outcast.

So "No tattooed people allowed" really means "we don't want the mafia on our premises".

Most Japanese are probably aware that tattoos nowadays have rather different connotations in western countries, but they're not going to make exceptions to a straightforward rule and risk being accused of racism or double standards.

At least one onsen has recently (September 2013) refused a Maori woman with a traditional tattoo.

From Tattoo ban at bathhouses raises concern in Japan : TOKYO: With the Olympics headed to Tokyo, Japanese government officials are raising concern after a New Zealand woman with a traditional Maori tattoo was recently denied entry to a bathhouse.

Tattooed Maori woman barred by Japan public bath indicates that the woman was 60 years old.

So being old, female, and having a traditional tattoo doesn't help in some circumstances.

Now I don't speak any Japanese but this Japan site with tips on Onsen bathing (in German) includes a link to a site with a directory of tattoo-friendly spas/baths/onsen .

Since it is in Japanese only

and I know next to nothing about that I can't judge for its content, but it does seem very legit.

Question: A friend of mine is currently traveling in Japan. She has a small tattoo on her neck. Now she wanted to visit a public swimming pool but was denied entry.  It was difficult to understand the reason but it seems that tattoos "look too dangerous".  Can someone explain to me if it is true that you can't visit a public swimming pool in Japan if you have a tattoo? And if so, what's the real reason for it?

I have a tattoo. Can I visit a public swimming pool in Japan?

Tattoos were criminalized in the beginning of the Meiji period (some time after 1868) as a way to make a good impression on the west, and now they are a visual mark of being a member of the yakuza and thus a social outcast. Having tatoos will make many older Japanese people in particular uncomfortable, but you can probably still visit pools if you cover your tattoo with a large band-aid. There is also a site with a directory of tattoo-friendly spas/baths/onsen.

Covering up your tattoo is considered necessary when visiting public baths in Japan. This is because tattoo are banned in such places as a result of their association with the yakuza. Alternatively, search out tatto-friendly baths.

Tattoos are not allowed in most Japanese public baths. This is the result of tattos being associated with the yakuza and dates back to 1848.

If you wish to visit a public bath in Japan and have a tattoo, either cover it up or search out some tattoo-friendly public baths.


I started trying to solve this by finding photos from Cyprus.

I found some, but they're not very conclusive.

Then I realised we could do this mathematically!

The approximate distance to the horizon from an observer close to the Earth's surface is given by: where d is in kilometres and

h is height above sea level in metres.

Examples: For an observer standing on the ground with h = 1.70 metres (5 ft 7 in) (average eye-level height)

, the horizon is at a distance of 5.0 kilometres (3.1 mi).

For an observer standing on a hill or tower of 100 metres (330 ft) in height, the horizon is at a distance of 39 kilometres (24 mi).

As you've pointed out, it's about 100km - I plugged it into GMap-Pedometer and reckon it's about 105km.

So solving for h , we find we need to be at a height of 742m above sea level at the closest point.

Unfortunately nowhere even comes close on the eastern side.

So we have one shot - Mount Olympus, which is 1952m.

Solving for d , we can get d =

~170km .

However the distance from the top of Mount Olympus to the nearest point in Lebanon is well over 250km, meaning that NO , you cannot see Lebanon from any point in Cyprus.

EDIT

The highest point in Lebanon is Qurnat As Sawda.

So perhaps you can see from Olympus to here?

Let's find out:

From the top of Olympus to the top of Qurnat As Sawda is about 302km as the crow flies.

If we sum their heights, we get 5040m.

To be able to see 302km, we solve for h , and work that out as a mountain which would need to be 6134m high.

So again, no, but it is a bit closer :)

I've been on the Karpaz peninsula, the part of Cyprus that is closest to Lebanon and no, you can't see anything but sea, even from the very tip -

though admittedly I didn't have binoculars or tried to find the highest point.

But there aren't really any mountains in that area, just some minor hills.

Here's a picture from that area (and even pointing in the right direction, I think):

It doesn't look like it's possible, if you are standing on the beach and not taking photos from some elevated vantage point.

The eastern part of Cyprus is fairly flat , with elevation of less than 50 m, especially on the side you'd be able to see Lebanon.

The easiest way to confirm is to look for photos taken in this region, and see whether you'd be able to see something there.

I looked through some photos in Panoramio and wasn't able to find a single one on which the Lebanese coast is visible.

Admittedly, the photos are not of highest quality, and the meteorological conditions are not perfect, but it seems that it's not possible.

For comparison, in my current residence in Jönköping, Sweden, the island of Visingsö is around 30 km north from the city in the Vättern lake, and is barely visible most of the days -- you can only see the mirrored image of the island "hanging" above the water, even in near-perfect conditions.

[I just saw Mark's excellent scientific answer, but if mathematics are not your thing, this sort of reasoning could be of use in similar circumstances.]

No, but you can see Syria.

I found a photo of Syrian mountains seen from the Karpaz Peninsula early in the morning .

Yes, you can see Lebanon from Cyprus, but once in a lifetime if you are lucky!I took this photograph of the mountains of Lebanon from Kantara castle (Cyprus) very early on a very cold morning.

I simply stuck the camera of my mobile to my binocular.

Note:

Cyprus countryside and coast in foreground.

The visibility was... beyond belief!

I could see very clearly, to the naked eye, the Taurus mountains and the Turkish coast (even big buildings there, with my bare eyes), the mountains behind Iskenderun, the mountain of northen Syria, all the Syrian coast and the mountains of Lebanon until not far from Israel.

Sorry for my late answer (after 5 years...)

By the way, I also took that same morning a photograph of the mountain of northern Syria.

It seems to correspond to the photograph that was added to this post 3 years ago, but with higher resolution of course.

I will never forget that morning!

According to an article in Wikipedia ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horizon )

the formula is Dab < 3.57 * (Sqrt(Ha) + Sqrt(Hb))

Mount Olympus (Ha) = 1952m above sea level Qornet Sawda (Hb) =

3088m above sea level Distance between Mount Olympus and Qornet Sawda = 307km

Therefore: 307km < 3.57*(sqrt(1952)+sqrt(3088)

307km < 3.57*(44.18+55.56) 307km < 3.57*99.74

307km < 356.11km Answer:

Yes you should be able to see Lebanon from Cyprus, as well Cyprus from LebanonCQFD

Question: On the map, Cyprus seems not to far away from Lebanon. Approximately 100 kilometers. Is it possible to see parts of Lebanon from anywhere in Cyprus?

Can I see Lebanon from Cyprus?

You could see the mountains of Lebanon from Cyprus on a very clear day if you were lucky, but you would need to be taking photos from some elevated vantage point. Syria is easier to see though.

There is no clear answer as to whether you can see Lebanon from Cyprus. Some people say yes and others say no. You can, however, see Syria.

You cannot see Lebanon from Cyprus but you can see Syria.

You can see Lebanon from Cyprus, at least at certain times.