Wikivoyage:Tourist office/Archives/2016/July

Bishkek airport
Hi from the Italian part of Switzerland! I'll have a long wait stop over at Bishkek airport (14 hours!) is it possible to visit the city? I mean do they give you the permission to do so? do you need a visa? if you do how can I get it? or is it like in Singapore where they take your passport away from you until you get back to the airport? is anything organized to visit the city just like in Singapore? Thank you so much to let me know before July 8 as I'm flying out on the 9th! Cheers. jd

Asked by: Jd2211 (talk) 13:32, 1 July 2016 (UTC)


 * Hi! Haven't been to anywhere in Central Asia, but I can attempt to answer anyway. Firstly, citizens of many western countries, including Switzerland are not required to have a visa to visit Kyrgyzstan as a tourist for 60 days or less.
 * I cannot find anything about organized visits to the city (usually it's only really big transfer airports that arrange such things) on the airport's website, so you probably need to arrange it yourself. Have a look at Bishkek for some ideas for how to get into Bishkek and back; marshrutka (ie. minibus) and taxi seem to be the options. Also, keep in mind that bus and taxi drivers probably only understand Kyrgyz and Russian. ϒpsilon (talk) 15:05, 1 July 2016 (UTC)

What would have happened if I had left my hotel without paying fully?
I was recently in Pörtschach am Wörthersee, Austria. My hotel only accepted cash and I didn't have enough cash with me.

The last night, I thought I'd just go to the nearest ATM. No such luck. Every single ATM in the entire city was out of order, and I couldn't travel outside the city.

I stayed awake all night worrying about this. Luckily, early in the next morning, the ATMs came back online and I could pay for my hotel bill and travel back to Finland. How I can afford the withdrawal from my credit card is another problem, not related to this.

What would have happened if I had not been able to pay my hotel bill fully? I had 370 € with me but the bill was 448 €. I asked the hotel in retrospect via e-mail, and they replied "In this case you can transfer the bill of course, provided you booked directly from us and not through booking.com." This wasn't of any help, as I had booked through booking.com.

I could not possibly have stayed in Austria any longer. It would have meant missing my flight back to Finland, and on top of that, loss of income as I had to go back to work the very next morning. And I didn't have any place to stay in Austria for any longer. I would have been prepared to settle the bill, plus any extra costs, once I got back to Finland. But staying in Austria was definitely out of the question.

Does someone know what would have happened if I had not been able to pay my hotel bill fully?

Asked by: JIP (talk) 20:47, 11 July 2016 (UTC)


 * The hotel would have either provided you with a bank account transfer slip to withdraw money out of your account. As both Euro countries this would not have been an issue and of no extra cost. Alternatively would have asked for proof of identity and home address and presented you will a bill to settle when you got home. --Traveler100 (talk) 21:19, 11 July 2016 (UTC)


 * I am frankly shocked at the continued existence of cash-only hotels in advanced Western countries. -- AndreCarrotflower (talk) 21:26, 11 July 2016 (UTC)


 * I got hit with this like a brick wall after I returned from a rather short visit to the US (where ATMs seem to be at every second corner) and wanted to use my Credit card the same way I had there or the previous year in Nicaragua (where cash only was a given at many places). Until quite recently even major retail chains would not take cards and some still only accept a very limited selection... Hobbitschuster (talk) 22:03, 11 July 2016 (UTC)


 * For proper hotels, it seems odd, but I understand old folks not bothering to get the needed devices and agreements, preferring to run their business the way they always did. For small businesses the devices needed are also quite expensive to lease (significantly costlier than when mechanic devices were used). --LPfi (talk) 15:03, 12 July 2016 (UTC)

From Venezuela to Hong Kong (without USA visa)
With transit in USA, from Venezuela to Hong Kong, a Venezuelan can get round-trip tickets for around 1200USD (with United or American airline).

But what if without a USA visa? The only way I found on Google flights is by Air France: Caracas to Paris then Paris to Hong Kong. It costs around 3000USD. Very costly.

I also found another risky way - buying separate air tickets

1. Caracas - São Paulo 517USD Avianca Airline

2. São Paulo - HK (transit in Dubai) 740USD Emirates Airline

In total: 1,300USD!!!

And I don't need visa for transits in Brazil and UAE!!!

Anyone have better ideas?

—The preceding comment was added by Winson.lau.321 (talk • contribs)


 * I have not done a price check but what about Iberia to Shanghai via Madrid, then to HK or Shenzhen. A long trip which ever way you look at it. --Traveler100 (talk) 18:23, 12 July 2016 (UTC)


 * It costs around 1700 euros from Bogota to HK (via Madrid and London), Iberia.
 * And Venezuelans need a visa for transit in London.
 * —The preceding comment was added by Winson.lau.321 (talk • contribs)


 * Firstly, as a rule of thumb, the more airlines and flights (competition) there are on a particular route, the cheaper the flights tend to be in dollars/km.


 * I would probably pick the risky way first take a cheap (the flight to São Paulo you mentioned sounds expensive, especially when compared to the five times longer onwards journey to HK) flight to some Latin American airport with a lot of long-haul flights to Europe. You already mentioned São Paulo, but Panama actually has many alternatives, then we shouldn't forget México, Rio de Janeiro and maybe also Lima or even nearby Curacao or Aruba — the Dutch KLM also flies to Hong Kong. Then take some European or Middle Eastern airline from there via a European/Middle Eastern airport to Hong Kong.


 * Thanks for your info!


 * Here are what I found:


 * 1.
 * CCS - MAD (via Bogota) 890USD
 * MAD - HKG 437USD
 * Total: $1,300


 * 2.
 * CCS - GRU (São Paulo) 517USD
 * GRU - HKG 814USD (via Dubai)
 * Total: $1,300


 * 3.
 * CCS - GRU (São Paulo) 517USD
 * GRU - HKG 706USD (via Ethiopia)
 * Total: $1,200


 * —The preceding comment was added by Winson.lau.321 (talk • contribs)


 * Caracas and HK are pretty much at the opposite sides of Earth so, yeah, it will be a long journey. Also, you may want to check out our in our article on jet lag, especially if you don't plan to make a break for a few days in Europe or Middle East. Anyways, hope you find a good price and have an enjoyable trip. :)


 * Ps. the Avoiding travel through the United States article could give you some ideas, however it might not be entirely up to date concerning individual flight routes. ϒpsilon (talk) 19:44, 12 July 2016 (UTC)


 * Thanks! :) —The preceding comment was added by Winson.lau.321 (talk • contribs)


 * You could also transit in Australia or New Zealand . Check out Qantas and Air New Zealand. --Andrewssi2 (talk) 21:41, 12 July 2016 (UTC)


 * Venezuelans need visa for transit in Australia. —The preceding comment was added by Winson.lau.321 (talk • contribs)


 * Probably, but the question was about avoiding a USA visa. Andrewssi2 (talk) 07:28, 13 July 2016 (UTC)

driving from portland maine, to bar harbor
traveling from portland, maine to bar harbor in october. want to rent a car...what's the cheapest car rental agency, or, is there another way to get from portland to bar harbor? like maybe a tour bus? —The preceding comment was added by 50.242.181.229 (talk • contribs)


 * October is shoulder season around those parts, so car rental should be relatively affordable. My personal preference is Alamo, though they don't have as many locations as the bigger players like Budget, Avis, and Enterprise. Shop around online, and don't delay - those who book early can usually take advantage of substantial discounts. -- AndreCarrotflower (talk) 21:17, 28 July 2016 (UTC)


 * As for buses, there seems to be limited service at best if these links are to be believed. At any rate, it would be great if you could update the article(s) in question with up to date local information. Hobbitschuster (talk) 21:24, 28 July 2016 (UTC)