Fun & Interesting Travel Thread

[Edward64]

Thailand is further tightening control of cannabis by banning sales of the plant to those without prescriptions.

Thailand became the first country in Asia to decriminalize cannabis in 2022, in a move that boosted Thailand’s tourism and farming, and spawned thousands of shops. But the country has faced public backlash over allegations that under-regulation has made the drug available to children and caused addiction.

Well, dammit.

I was in Phuket in 2022, walked around doing touristy things, and I saw on average 1 "dispensary" every block (and we aren't talking about big city blocks) and counted 15+.

So yeah, I thought it was severely underregulated and needed more controls. But would be nice if didn't go to "only with prescription". I suspect there'll be a lot of westerners getting prescriptions ...

[Ksyrup]

Finished off most of the bookings for our trip to Europe next summer. Having booked biz class flights from Chicago to Lisbon on TAP for a 2-night stopover and then to Barcelona for 3 nights before our Med cruise a few weeks ago (plus hotels), last week I booked the return flights on British Airways biz class from Rome to London (2 night stopover) straight into Cincinnati.

BA is usually pretty expensive with fees, but they had a 30% bonus on AmEx points transfers which cut the points price down, and while the cash outlay wasn't small ($1200), it saved me from spending money on an overnight stay in NYC and the cost of return flights back home, since we can fly directly into CVG. At worst, it was break-even, but really way more convenient since it gave us the stopover in London and a flight home that could be completed in one day. I then booked 2 nights in Rome with Hyatt via a points transfer from Chase and 2 nights in London via IHG points. We decided to do the stopover in London because it was free on BA and Mack has never been, so we figured it was worth a quick stop.

All that remains is booking one-way repositioning flights from Cincy to Chicago on the front-end of the trip. That can wait.

Next up will be telling work that I'll be out of the country for 3 weeks next May/June. Never been on a vacation for that long in my life. Between our flights and the cruise, we'll be hitting Lisbon, Barcelona, Malta, Athens, several Greek islands, Ephesus, Rome, and London.

[flere-imsaho]

We did 3 weeks last summer: Italy, Scotland, England. It was terrific. Though between Juneteenth & the 4th I didn't miss a full 3 weeks of work days.

[Ksyrup]

Yeah, I'll be out during Memorial Day weekend, so it'll be a little less than 3 weeks of work time.

[Lathum]

Just booked a Mediterranean Cruise for next August. Very excited. It is through Royal Caribbean who we usually cruise with.

Starts in Rome and goes to Naples, Sicily, Santorini, Ephesus Turkey, Mykonos, and ends in Athens.

We are going with another family that we have vacationed with a few times, one of my daughters best friends, and it looks like it will be amazing. So excited to go to Pompeii.

[Edward64]

This would be cool, I'd like to do this.

For the first time in over a century, Parisians and tourists will be able to take a refreshing dip in the River Seine. The long-polluted waterway is finally opening up as a summertime swim spot following a 1.4 billion euro ($1.5 billion) cleanup project that made it suitable for Olympic competitions last year.

The city’s authorities have given the green light for the public opening, with water quality results consistently in line with European regulations.

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by Lathum

Just booked a Mediterranean Cruise for next August. Very excited. It is through Royal Caribbean who we usually cruise with.

Starts in Rome and goes to Naples, Sicily, Santorini, Ephesus Turkey, Mykonos, and ends in Athens.

We are going with another family that we have vacationed with a few times, one of my daughters best friends, and it looks like it will be amazing. So excited to go to Pompeii.

How do you have the time (and money lol) for a vacation given softball schedules? We took exactly 1 non-softball-related vacation for a solid decade while Caitlin was playing - and that was only because I think we had to pull out of a tournament due to injuries plus our coach was unable to attend due to dead period.

[BYU 14]

Originally Posted by Lathum

, one of my daughters best friends, and it looks like it will be amazing. So excited to go to Pompeii.

Pompeii is amazing, very sobering seeing the display that has the mummified remains of people that died in the eruption, facial expressions and everything. It was one of our favorite excursions in Italy.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

How do you have the time (and money lol) for a vacation given softball schedules? We took exactly 1 non-softball-related vacation for a solid decade while Caitlin was playing - and that was only because I think we had to pull out of a tournament due to injuries plus our coach was unable to attend due to dead period.

We basically have a 3 week stretch in August with no softball that we booked.

Syd is also only 12, will be 13 when this trip rolls around, and I was very upfront with her club that she may miss a tournament for family time.

Once she gets older we will obviously be where you were as she can't miss showcases and such. As an aside, her club won a tournament today. She batted leadoff all three games, caught every inning of all three games in 90 degree heat, and went 4-7 with 2 HR including a grand slam en route to beating the #2 and #1 seed. An awesome day.

as for the money, yeah....

[Ksyrup]

I bet I know the difference - the school calendar. Being in the NE, your kids probably don't go back to school until Labor Day. In the south, we all start within the first 10 days of August. So, our travel ball schedule basically ran from Scenic City in Chattanooga the first weekend in June (in which we'd usually play a few players down because our HS playoffs were still going) to nationals at the end of July/beginning of August. Usually, we'd have a player or two who had to skip the first couple of days of school because we'd be playing a tournament in CA or NY or wherever. Once nationals ended, the kids immediately went to school and summer was over. We picked back up again with tournaments around Labor Day through the recruiting tournaments in GA/TN in early November, then it was transitioning to the college camps circuit for the winter.

[Lathum]

Exactly. We dont go back until Labor Day and her fall season will start probably that weekend. We are guest playing for her clubs sister team at east coast nationals next week in Ocean City Maryland and she’s very excited for that.

[Castlerock]

Originally Posted by Lathum

Just booked a Mediterranean Cruise for next August. Very excited. It is through Royal Caribbean who we usually cruise with.

Starts in Rome and goes to Naples, Sicily, Santorini, Ephesus Turkey, Mykonos, and ends in Athens.

We are going with another family that we have vacationed with a few times, one of my daughters best friends, and it looks like it will be amazing. So excited to go to Pompeii.

Be aware that the 'port' in Santorini is a shit show of epic proportions. The port is literally a sidewalk. You have several cruise ships dumping passengers onto this tiny sidewalk all at once.

The port town of Fira is at the top of the cliff. There a 3 options to get there:
1) Cable-car. This is the most common way up. The problem is it is WAY too small to handle the vast crowds. The line for the cable car is literally the entire port. Expect enormous waits (1-3 hours), people cutting the 'line'. It's awful. I thought we were going to get into a fist-fight.
2) Mule. You ride a smelly mule to the top. We didn't do this so I can't speak for the line but I don't imagine it's short. Back on the ship, you could identify those that took the mules with your nose.
3) Walk up the mule trail. The cliff is VERY high, there is zero shade, and the trail is covered in slippery mule shit.

If I went again via cruise ship, I would get on a ferry to Oia. It appeared like you could get on one of those without too much trouble. I don't know what the situation is like where the ferry drops you off in Oia but getting up to Oia HAS to be better than Fira. I don't know or care how much it would cost.

Santorini is spectacular. There is a reason it's so crushingly crowded. But get away from Fira and Oia. We hired a private driver for the day.

[Lathum]

Thanks. I did read quite a bit prior to booking about Santorini. One of the things I read was if you book an excursion through the cruise line it is much more streamlined. We all discussed the mule trail and were like, hell no.

[Ksyrup]

I've heard the same about Santorini. We'll be there at the end of May/beginning of June next year. Too early for me to start thinking about planning (and spending) on tours for that trip - we've got Iceland in a few weeks, then maybe I can start looking at the Med cruise in more depth.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by Edward64

This would be cool, I'd like to do this.

Oh well, closed again.

Just temporary but kinda funny it was the day after they opened it up.

Just one day after opening the Seine River to swimming for the first time in more than a century, French officials shut down the river due to concerns about pollution following heavy rainfall

heavy rainfall raising concerns about pollution. Heavy rain also caused a spike in bacteria during the Olympics, causing the triathlon to be postponed a day.

The river is tested daily for E. coli and other harmful bacteria.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

I don't keep track of CPP like a lot of people do, but that Barcelona hotel deal has to be the best deal I've ever gotten, assuming those cash prices hold up.

Just out of curiosity, did the cash prices hold up?



EDIT: Can either be here or in the Deals thread ...

Decided to check out and try score on flash deals by paying for going.com "premium". They have a good deal that expires tomorrow.

Annual membership is $49. Use coupon "ABENITY50 and get 50% off. Worked for me today.

https://www.coupons.com/coupon-codes/going

[Ksyrup]

Nope. But neither did the points cost. One of the underrated things about points is that a lot of the time (especially for hotels), reservations are completely refundable. So I just cancelled and rebooked at the lower rate.

[AnalBumCover]

Originally Posted by Lathum

Thanks. I did read quite a bit prior to booking about Santorini. One of the things I read was if you book an excursion through the cruise line it is much more streamlined. We all discussed the mule trail and were like, hell no.

This is the way to go. We booked an excursion to Oia, and the transport boats took us to a different port away from the Fira port. But what an experience to ride in a big bus that has to maneuver tight switchbacks up a very steep cliff. The excursion took us to Oia where we spent a couple of hours, then dropped us off at Fira for the rest of our stay.

Unfortunately, there were three other Cruise ships parked that day, so it was extremely packed. At the end of the day the line down the cable cars were hours long so we walked down the mule trail which wasn't that bad. Very little to no shade, but the trail was wide enough for both mule and human traffic.

[Ksyrup]

We leave for Iceland in less than 2 weeks. Just saw they had yet another volcanic eruption.

Iceland volcano erupts, prompting evacuation of town and geothermal spa

I kinda hope something like this is going on when we're there. This particular fissure has been fairly active in the last 18 months or so but hasn't done any damage. We're not doing Blue Lagoon (we're doing a different one), so I'm not too worried about it. And despite its proximity to the airport, I don't think it has caused any issues. The exact flight we're taking arrived this morning on time, a couple of hours after eruption. They probably got a great view!

[Edward64]

Have a great time (never been so somewhat jealous).

I remember a Bizarre Foods episode where he tried below. Let us know how it goes!

10 Most Bizarre Foods I've Ever Eaten - Andrew Zimmern

Hakarl in Iceland

Really, the worst tasting foods are the fermented spoiled ones, like Hakarl. Made from the Greenlandic shark, the meat is poisonous when fresh, so in order to eat it, Icelanders let it spoil in the ground for months and then out in the elements for a few more to dry. It’s a revolting dish to many first timers; eating it without gagging is what separates the men from the boys. While the smell of the putrefied shark itself could make the faint-hearted ill, the taste is ultimately sweet, nutty and faintly fishy…if you like ammoniated wax.

[Ksyrup]

We met some people who went to Iceland and paid a good bit to try that dish, or something like it. They did not recommend throwing away money for the oportunity to gag yourself.

[QuikSand]

but the hotdog stand tho

[albionmoonlight]

It tastes like ammonia.

I'm a pretty big fan of things fermented/pickled, and I am not afraid of strong flavors.

But the ammonia shark gets a big thumbs down from me.

[albionmoonlight]

Ksyrup--we just went last summer; let me know if you have any questions

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

but the hotdog stand tho

Yes, heard about that. Definitely on the to-do list. And, given how expensive I've heard Iceland is, we may only be eating hotdogs. Although the good thing is, we're spending most of our time on a cruise. Three days pre-cruise and 2 day post-cruise around Reykjavik as well.

Also, can't wait for the menu items like puffin, horse, etc. Wife will be thrilled...

Speaking of things the wife will be thrilled about, the Icelandic Phallological Museum is only 6 minutes from our hotel.

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

Ksyrup--we just went last summer; let me know if you have any questions

We're doing a couple of tours pre-cruise around Reykjavik - Golden Circle, south coast, sky lagoon. Post-cruise, I'm renting a car and we're going to do some exploring to places we didn't get to on the tours. We'll be stopping at 3 ports and doing some whale watching, a puffin tour, and the Diamond Circle tour.

Any general tips or must-do's, restaurants, etc., please let me know.

[albionmoonlight]

If you are going on gravel roads, make sure you get a 4WD vehicle b/c of insurance coverage reasons. Also, there's lots of gravel in that country, so pay for the damage waiver even if you normally don't.

Everything can be paid for with credit card, but some gas pumps were persnickety and only wanted a debit card, so bring one if you have one.

Will be colder/wetter than you'd expect in July/August, so bring the right clothes.

Most restaurants had a lamb dish option and a seafood dish option and a vegetarian dish option and that was it. I really liked the "small menus done well" approach

We loved Diamond Beach and the glacier lagoon right behind it. And Gulfoss. And we also loved how rustic the Westfjords were, but it can be a bit of a drive to get there, so it may not fit your timeframe.

Blue Lagoon is touristy, but we really liked it. It is between Reykjavik and the airport, so if you have an evening flight out on the last day, it is nice to hit as your last thing on the way out.

[Ksyrup]

Thanks, that's helpful. I head the lamb soup is great nearly everywhere.

We're doing Sky Lagoon before our cruise which is closer to Reykjavic, newer, and supposedly less touristy/crowded.

Definitely expecting cool/cold, damp, and windy conditions.

[Ksyrup]

Last full day in Iceland today. Weather has been amazing. Rainy the first couple of days 2 weeks ago that made for a couple of soggy tours, but even those days ended nicely. First sea day of the cruise was rainy as well but we were inside obviously. Mostly sunny, uppers 50s-low 60s in Seydisfjordur, Akureyri, and Isafjordur for our port stops (with an overnight in Akureyri). Back in Reykjavik area and it was hella windy yesterday (sustained about 30mph) that dropped the windchill into the 30s. Today looks calm and beautiful around 60.

This is a place I'd love to return to but doubt we will, with so many other places to visit. If we did, I'd most certainly concentrate my time in Akureyri/north as even with the 2 day port stop, we barely scratched the surface.

The scenery here is other-worldly. Just amazing. People are great, they all speak English so even the daunting Icelandic language is not an issue. In fact, many of them speak just like us - slang, etc - just with a heavy accent.

It's also incredibly expensive. They just overtook Norway as the most expensive European country to visit. Lunch sometimes ran $60-80. Thankfully we spent 7 nights on a cruise so didn't have to worry about paying for meals for 2 weeks.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

This is a place I'd love to return to but doubt we will, with so many other places to visit. If we did, I'd most certainly concentrate my time in Akureyri/north as even with the 2 day port stop, we barely scratched the surface.

The scenery here is other-worldly. Just amazing.

Thanks for the tip, will have to google more on it. I'm currently in my Asia phase but will be focusing on Europe next.

It's also incredibly expensive. They just overtook Norway as the most expensive European country to visit. Lunch sometimes ran $60-80.

Is this for one person or your family? Buy any souvenirs?

[Ksyrup]

For the two of us. We bought Icelandic wool sweaters and caps instead of the typical t-shirts.

Only regret I have - and it was completely random - is that we didn't do the cruise a couple weeks earlier because that's when the eruption happened and we could have hiked up to the site and stood feet away from flowing lava. People were roasting marshmallows and hot dogs, we heard. We did see the steam from it but that's about it.

[Edward64]

Okay, not exactly "fun" but definitely "funny" and interesting !!

Just happened today, hope there's more videos. I'm sure we'll find out who "linebacker 17c" is.

When an unruly passenger goes on a racist rampage on a Breeze Airways flight to LAX, a man dubbed "the linebacker in 17C" steps up. The hulking hero picking up the out-of-control passenger and putting him back in his place. This morning at 6 from ABC7. https://t.co/9VBguoulfI pic.twitter.com/FWdUyzR2Tb

— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) August 14, 2025

[Ksyrup]

E64, I know you like IHG and I just got an email today with another 100% bonus points purchase offer through August 28, but this time, it appears the max points you can purchase is bumped up to 600K (300K + 300K bonus). Not sure if that's a targeted offer or not, but if you're looking to max out your yearly total beyond what you have now, you might be able to take advantage of this new offer.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

E64, I know you like IHG and I just got an email today with another 100% bonus points purchase offer through August 28, but this time, it appears the max points you can purchase is bumped up to 600K (300K + 300K bonus). Not sure if that's a targeted offer or not, but if you're looking to max out your yearly total beyond what you have now, you might be able to take advantage of this new offer.

Thank you, appreciate you remembering me. I did get an email but different offer for 100k+100k.

Because I had already bought 200k+200k early this year, it offered me 100k+100k. This is about right, I seem to recall a total of 300k+300k last year, or annual max of 600k.

Probably going to get it cause got a couple more trips planned (incl. Fiji if stars align).

[Ksyrup]

Maybe they increase it once or twice a year with these sales, but the IHG T&Cs only allow for 200K purchase per year. So I believe this is the first sale this year that has increased the limit (though as I said above, maybe they do this each year so that you can get up to 300K/600K).

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by Edward64

I always use Google Travel first to see what's out there for flights & hotels. I have not seen any egregious $ differences for flights between Google Travel and C1 portal.

I'm planning a Fall trip and noticed a couple things about C1 portal for flights

• C1 gets "discounts/offers" and is actually cheaper than the airline website. For one regional airline, I found Google Travel was significantly cheaper than the airline website for the exact same flight. I went into C1 and it had the same discounted offer.
• C1 does not support all major airlines (national carriers). I found another Google Travel flight for a national airline and found out that C1 did not list it.

I did get some great deals.

• One scenario was to travel to 3 different countries within Asia (not the initial trip to Asia). Google Travel total cost was $300, less than Atlanta-to-Dallas.

Economy, one was national airline, another was a budget airline and even factored in extra $30 for additional luggage. Good deals if willing to do nothing fancy flights.

So basically, start with Google Travel if looking for deals ...

[Lathum]

Plus-size travelers face new rule for extra seat on Southwest Airlines | AP News

Good. I may actually fly southwest now.

Nothing worse than a 4 hour flight with some fat fucks body spilling into half your seat.

[Ghost Econ]

Is the 2 hour rule still the standard for international flights? Flying to Cancun tomorrow at 7am with no checked bags.

[Lathum]

No checked bag two hours should be good. Do you have clear or TSA precheck?

[Ghost Econ]

Neither

[Lathum]

Then I would do two hours in case security is a shit show. If you breeze through hit the bar.

Clear is the best. I’m through security in 5 minutes tops.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by Edward64

Decided to check out and try score on flash deals by paying for going.com "premium". They have a good deal that expires tomorrow.

Annual membership is $49. Use coupon "ABENITY50 and get 50% off. Worked for me today

Just a PSA for anyone that has flexibility & likes to world travel on the cheap (e.g. me) ...

I've had Going Premium for a couple months now and have listed places that I'm interested for deals. It's worked out pretty well, I've seen some legit deals that I would not have found otherwise (e.g. easier for things to be pushed to you). These deals are for 2-4 months ahead but demand is high so have to book'em within 1-2 days.

• Atlanta-to-Rome for $505 on British Airways
• Atlanta-to-Greece for $453 on British Airways
• Atlanta-to-Fiji for $896

I've played around enough in Google Travel to know above 3 examples are pretty good deals. I can definitely see myself doing more impromptu travel with Going deals plus IHG points. I may actually realize my stretch bucket list of living in China at a HI Express for 4.5 months.

So, if you have interest in world travel; can take 1-2 weeks off on short notice; not too particular on airline; don't mind economy etc. I'd recommend giving Going Premium a try.

[Ksyrup]

It's the "short notice" part that I can't do right now. In fact, I'd say I'm at the extreme opposite - mainly because we like cruising, which is so popular right now that the best deals are at the time sailings are opened up for booking, as well as my use of points to book flights/hotels, which generally provides the widest availability when bookings open (about 11-12 months ahead). We've already booked or tentatively booked vacations through 2027.

But yeah, years down the road - hopefully before retirement even - I'd like to take advantage of some of the last-minute deals that can be found. On the points-for-flights side, the best availability is either 11-12 months out or T-14, when award seats are released by some airlines within 2 weeks of the flight.