Travel hacks and advice

[m2711c]

Google work like a fucking charm on the roads in Japan. Even works excellent inside the huge train stations getting from platform to platform.

[old goat]

Let me squeeze this in. My brother's flight from RNO to MSP via SLC yesterday morning was delayed due to lack of battery for the emergency megaphone (first time I ever heard that planes have megaphones). Only a certified mechanic could change it and he was already working on two other planes. Missed the SLC connection and wound up rebooking and getting into MSP at 530. At least he got home. Maybe not worth mentioning except that it took him longer to get home than it took us to get from SFO to Stockholm a few weeks earlier.

[jm2e]

We also got a ticket for driving in a restricted area in the Aosta area but we never figured out where it was.

How was Aosta? We have friends in Turin and are thinking about heading that direction in 2025.



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[The AD]

I recently have experienced this in Ireland, where a ton of roads were narrow, more than the UK I'd guess. The problem was google trying to save me a few minutes by taking me on stressful narrow roads instead of a nearby slower main road. One route had 40 minutes of hellish roads to save 2 minutes - no thank you! I had to set a 'stop' on a major road to take me there, but i often didn't know i was about to drive a backroad until it was too late. I don't think a paper map would have made a difference as google maps does show major roads - I just wish I could override the shit roads easily.

On the desktop app you can drag along the route to change it, but that doesn't seem to work on the mobile app. I think your method of adding a stop is probably about the only way to achieve this.

[riser4]

Fucking Google maps. A list of waypoints in your favorites is the only way. This one I use when I want to cross in Highgate but not go through Montreal to go west in Canada. Or if I want to avoid going through Montreal on the way back. Google wants you to either go through Montreal or cross in NY or worse, Alburgh. I absolutely hate VT Rt 78 through West Swanton. That Quebec road between St Jean Sur Richelieu and La Prairie is similarly rural but I like it better. It's also the back way to the airport in Dorval across the Mercier.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/TCq2UQSQozqtJ7xR8

[ötzi]

I recently have experienced this in Ireland, where a ton of roads were narrow, more than the UK I'd guess. The problem was google trying to save me a few minutes by taking me on stressful narrow roads instead of a nearby slower main road. One route had 40 minutes of hellish roads to save 2 minutes - no thank you! I had to set a 'stop' on a major road to take me there, but i often didn't know i was about to drive a backroad until it was too late. I don't think a paper map would have made a difference as google maps does show major roads - I just wish I could override the shit roads easily.

The first time I was there, over 30 years ago, it was paper maps only of course and the first day we got pretty lost. We were on some tiny little road between hedgerows and we came to a stop head on with a busload of German tourists. Some major backing up on my part finally got us out of there.

[old goat]

How was Aosta? We have friends in Turin and are thinking about heading that direction in 2025.



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Sorry, didn't spend any time in Aosta proper, but Courmayeur and Entreve are great.

[muted reborn]

The first time I was there, over 30 years ago, it was paper maps only of course and the first day we got pretty lost. We were on some tiny little road between hedgerows and we came to a stop head on with a busload of German tourists. Some major backing up on my part finally got us out of there.

Tour buses were all over, as you know on normal Irish roads they were too wide and always over the center line. I held my breath passing them which worked somehow, so there's a travel hack for everyone to use. You are welcome.

I was looking for advice in old Ireland threads here before my trip and saw your family was from Galway - I'm 90% Irish and my family is from some farms outside Ballinrobe. Some eventually moved to Galway, I met one guy randomly with the same First/middle/last name as my Dad there. We saw a bunch of gravestones with the family name, which was cool, one was from 1760 in the Robeen Graveyard.

I woulda gone to the Clifden area anyways, but I remember you recommended going there, it was great advice. Some pics from around Clifden:

[The AD]

Wow!

[jm2e]

That’s how you build a trail.


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[ötzi]

Nice pics!

[old goat]

That’s how you build a trail.


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Where are the cairns?

[jm2e]

Anyone use Verizon international roaming in Europe recently?
Getting a new phone, which might be locked, so probably can’t get a local SIM card.


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[muted reborn]

Anyone use Verizon international roaming in Europe recently?
Getting a new phone, which might be locked, so probably can’t get a local SIM card.


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Yes, I had 4 free international days with them (no idea why I do but I presume everyone does including you, I had 10 fee days earlier this year when I went to Japan) then they charged me $10/day for 2GB of data, after that it's 3G. Always had good service but I was just in the UK

[skaredshtles]

Anyone use Verizon international roaming in Europe recently?
Getting a new phone, which might be locked, so probably can’t get a local SIM card.


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Not recently in Europe, but my International plan that was enabled *last* summer for our European holiday still worked when we visited the BVI back in June of this year. $10/day and it automatically connects/charges your account if it is enabled.

[Meadow Skipper]

Anyone use Verizon international roaming in Europe recently?
Getting a new phone, which might be locked, so probably can’t get a local SIM card.

I just got back and my Verizon phone worked perfectly - Bosnia and Herzegovina, Austria, and Germany. $10/day if I used it at all on cell service, no real problems with connections/signals, and I didn’t have to do anything at all though I might have jumped through some hoops a few years ago when I went.

If you’re going to use it for more than 10 days, you can (pre) sign up for a month for $100 iirc.

[Supermoon]

I just got back and my Verizon phone worked perfectly - Bosnia and Herzegovina, Austria, and Germany. $10/day if I used it at all on cell service, no real problems with connections/signals, and I didn’t have to do anything at all though I might have jumped through some hoops a few years ago when I went.

If you’re going to use it for more than 10 days, you can (pre) sign up for a month for $100 iirc.

Did you get 5G? A few years ago I remember only getting 3g in London with Verizon. One of the reasons I am with T-Mobile is integration 5G included with my plan.

[plugboots]

^^^yeah, we switched to T-Mobile recently and it was amazing in Amsterdam, the UK, Kenya, Belize, seamless really. Free WiFi on domestic flights too.

[I Skied Bandini Mountain]

So wife and I signed up for Global Entry thinking it was going to be a long drawn out torture but we both got preliminary approval in just over a week, and we made our in person interview appointments beginning of August. Why does this seems to be going suspiciously well?

[Supermoon]

So wife and I signed up for Global Entry thinking it was going to be a long drawn out torture but we both got preliminary approval in just over a week, and we made our in person interview appointments beginning of August. Why does this seems to be going suspiciously well?

Mine was pretty easy as well. The in person interview was a pain but otherwise it’s not difficult

[jm2e]

So wife and I signed up for Global Entry thinking it was going to be a long drawn out torture but we both got preliminary approval in just over a week, and we made our in person interview appointments beginning of August. Why does this seems to be going suspiciously well?

That’s wild.
We did ours two years ago, the day after returning from a Euro trip and standing in customs for 3 hrs.
Got preliminary approval fairly quick, but then discovered appointments were unpossible. Even considered trips to friends/family in DC, Chicago, CA, CO but not appointments. Looked at tiny random offices along our road trip routes and hit the same dead end.
Eventually went with the “You’ll get your interview next time you come into the country” advice. It worked, but it was more like the 1hr line instead of the 3hr line and all the old anxieties & uncertainties that come with shitty US customs people.
But now that we’ve got it, we’re glad we did it. Returning from Singapore in Feb was a breeze.
Stoked it went better for you guys.


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[alpinevibes]

Doing the interview the next time you come through customs is very easy for the most part. I think that because they’ve opened that up a lot in the last few years, it’s deceased the overall demand for in-person appointments.

And for cell phones international, eSIM is the way to go for cost savings compared to AT&T/Verizon international plans


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[RShea]

On the desktop app you can drag along the route to change it, but that doesn't seem to work on the mobile app. I think your method of adding a stop is probably about the only way to achieve this.

Google Maps on my mobile (Android) always shows at least 2 and sometime 3 routes- lowest miles, fastest time, and sometimes things like avoiding tolls or construction etc.

[Meadow Skipper]

Did you get 5G? A few years ago I remember only getting 3g in London with Verizon. One of the reasons I am with T-Mobile is integration 5G included with my plan.

On my trip, yeah, lots of 5G…more than I get at home.

[Shredhead]

We did the interview upon entry in ATL and it added about an hour.
Global Entry is a no brainer at $100,
since it includes TSA Pre, which is $85.