https://www.fodors.com/community/ en Sat, 16 May 2026 03:53:11 GMT vBulletin 60 https://www.fodors.com/community/images/misc/rss.jpg https://www.fodors.com/community/ https://www.fodors.com/community/asia/phineas-foggin-it-1735543/ Tue, 12 May 2026 00:41:13 GMT Whether you are a fan of "Around the World in 80 Days" with David Niven or the remake with Steve Coogan, the idea of an around the world trip must stir the blood of any Fodorite. So, along that line, my wife and I are starting out tomorrow for our version of an Around the World trip, hence the Phineas Fogg title. My wife has given us 120 days, 4 months, or until the statute of limitations is up for various crimes I might have committed. The caveat is that at any time she can pull the plug and we will head back home. (luckily, she has much more pluck than me so I don't think she will make that call!)

I'm not sure how I will report this trip, it might have to be a progressive TR where I direct people to the next country. I don't think I've seen one of these on Fodor's before but I welcome any suggestions on how to keep the flow from country to country. So far we are booked through July 9th. Our original idea was to go to a country, pull up Google Flights and look for the cheapest flight to the next destination. Unfortunately we ran into the problem that all of these countries want to see proof that you are moving out of the country in the form of a forward ticket. Good to see you come, better to see you leave. For the time being our Itinerary is Japan, Taipei, Java, Bali, Singapore, Kuantan, Malaysia and Kuala Lumpur, with Sri Lanka being our next intended destination.

We leave tomorrow at 8AM! It's going to be epic, and to make it an epic start we have booked a night at LAX at the Hyatt Regency. We've recently become members of Hyatt, not an advertisement, and are using points around the world to stay in some nice hotels and we have decided to start the first night...22 miles from home. To get to LAX and off by 8AM we would have to be up at 4:30, hope for an Uber to FlyAway, the bus service from the Valley to LAX, and it seemed like too much trouble so we are staying in a nice hotel which will make our morning doable. So, follow along if you wish, keep me company and I will tell you what we see and experience.


The front entrance to the Hyatt

Lobby, very nice

NIce room looking out at the airport

This is the new shuttle that will connect LAX with the rest of LA. It was just opened and it happened because we are getting ready for the Olympics

Lot's of groups come here for conventions, meetings, etc. This apparently is for members of Congress who are trying to grow spines.

Some interesting decor

Nice big pool
]]> Asia Tdiddy12 https://www.fodors.com/community/asia/phineas-foggin-it-1735543/ https://www.fodors.com/community/asia/anyone-been-to-singapore-1735538/ Mon, 11 May 2026 14:15:11 GMT Anyone been to Singapore? If you had been to Singapore, how do you find the travel experience? Anyone been to Singapore? If you had been to Singapore, how do you find the travel experience? ]]> Asia chongshipei https://www.fodors.com/community/asia/anyone-been-to-singapore-1735538/ https://www.fodors.com/community/asia/7-day-itinerary-in-bali-1735523/ Sun, 10 May 2026 07:15:10 GMT Hello folks my wife, adult son, and I will be visiting Bali from 5th June to 12th June to celebrate my wife’s milestone birthday. This will be our... Hello folks my wife, adult son, and I will be visiting Bali from 5th June to 12th June to celebrate my wife’s milestone birthday. This will be our first trip to Bali, and we are looking forward to a relaxed and easy-paced holiday.

As of now, we have booked:
• The Westin Resort & Spa Ubud from 5th–7th June
• Hotel Indigo Seminyak Beach from 7th–12th June

Would love suggestions from experienced travellers regarding:
• A comfortable 7-day itinerary for first-timers
• Must-visit places without making the trip too hectic
• Good restaurants, cafés, spas, sunset spots, etc.
• Whether our current hotel choices are ideal, or if there are better alternatives for a relaxed family stay

We prefer a slower, more enjoyable vacation rather than rushing through too many attractions. Thanks in advance for your time and suggestions. ]]> Asia Nashh https://www.fodors.com/community/asia/7-day-itinerary-in-bali-1735523/ https://www.fodors.com/community/asia/a-few-notes-about-our-trip-to-hong-kong-april-2026-a-1735419/ Tue, 28 Apr 2026 21:15:18 GMT I took my son (age 13) to Hong Kong for 8 days during his school vacation week. It is his 3rd visit but considering his first 2 visits were when he... I took my son (age 13) to Hong Kong for 8 days during his school vacation week. It is his 3rd visit but considering his first 2 visits were when he was 5 and 6, he doesn't remember much of it. The main goal of the trip was for me to visit extended family and friends, so sightseeing took a backseat. Having said that, here are a few touristy things we did:

1.] Blue House in Wan Chai - we had a spare hour so we went for a look. It is one of the few surviving pre-WWII "Tong Lau." They offer guided tours but with our unpredictable schedule, we just dropped in for a look.

2. West Kowloon Cultural District - This entire area is new since our last visit in 2018. It is actually quite nice, with 2 major museums (M+ for contemporary art; and Palace Museum for items from Beijing's forbidden palace). The rest is outdoor green space and other venues. One downside is the far distance from the Kowloon MTR station, which requires you to walk through a circuitous route through the Elements Mall. We didn't have time to visit M+; we only went to the Palace Museum. After our visit, we took the new WestK Ferry back to Central. The ride is only 8 minutes and saves us walking back to the Kowloon MTR station.

3. Stanley - one of my friends drove us to Stanley, which has become less and less interesting IMO with fewer markets and stalls.

4. Victoria Peak - we took the Peak Tram on a Monday afternoon and surprisingly there was no line. I only bought single one-way ride without any extras. The trams are new since 2022 and are almost twice as long as the previous version. Once we got to the Peak, we exited quickly and went on the Loop walk via Lugard Road and Harlech Road. It is an easy level 2-mile loop that takes you far away from the crowds at the Peak Tower. If you start on the Lugard Road, you'll come to the viewing platform after 15 minutes. You might want to turn back the same way but I encourage you to continue with the loop, which takes maybe an extra 10 minutes vs going back the same way. Since we only bought one-way peak tram tickets, we walked down the Peak via Old Peak Road (it's v steep) then through the Zoological Garden back to Central.

5. Tsz Shan Monastery in Tai Po - another new-to-me sight, even though it has been open for a decade. It is a fairly big Buddhist complex, with a large white Guan Yin statue. Entry is free but reservations are needed. To get there, take MTR to Tai Po Market Station and change for 20T minibus, which drops you right at the monastery entrance. During the daytime the minibus runs frequently due to the number of riders. However, when we were leaving, it stuck to its every 30-min schedule. We spent about 3 hours there and it's worth seeing. You get a map and there are 10 stops where you can get a stamp. The cafe serves tea/coffee and a small slice of cake for free. There is also a museum below the Guan Yin statue. Do note that there is dress code to enter the monastery - no shorts or sleeveless tops. If you show up in those, they will lend you some articles of clothing to cover up.

6. GeoPark in Sai Kung - I booked a tour with Walk Hong Kong for this. I could have gone on our own but the logistics seems too complicated. Unfortunately my son and I were the only ones who signed up for it, so the guide (owner) had to tailor it to 1/2 day for us as you need a bigger group to charter a boat and to have a seafood lunch. For us, it was taxi ride to/from the reservoir and no lunch (for a discounted rate). The GeoPark is huge encompassing many islands and remote areas; where we visited, the High Island Reservoir, is probably the most crowded/most accessible section. We first hiked the trail to Po Pin Chau viewing platform. This is the most popular route and we saw lots of people on the trail, 100% of them were mainland chinese tourists. The trail sadly was littered with trash, on our way back our guide collected at least a dozen empty plastic bottles to bring back to the trash collection site. The second trail is to Biu Tsim Kok viewing platform. This trail we hardly came across anyone and all were local HKers.

Apart from this, we rode the ding ding (tram) many times, and the star ferry once. Getting around we mostly used our Octopus cards, but nowadays all the buses, MTR, trams take contactless so as a tourist you don't *need* an Octopus card anymore, unless you take minibuses which don't take contactless. FWIW, at the HK Airport they do not sell the regular Octopus cards, only the tourist ones. So if you want a regular Octopus card, just pay your first ride with contactless and then buy a regular octopus card at any other MTR stations.

As of April 2026, if you pay with CC/contactless for the Ding Ding, you get HK$1 off, for $2.30/ride. And if you pay with Amex contactless for Star Ferry, you get a discounted fare for just HK$1 (!!!)

We stayed at the Park Lane Hotel in Causeway Bay, now a Marriott Bonvoy property. It's well-maintained, and it being an older hotel, the rooms are quite spacious for Hong Kong. The Cityflyer bus A11 goes directly from the airport to the hotel in Causeway bay (bus stop is 2 short blocks away), for HK$40. It is certainly a bargain compared to the Airport Express train, and more convenient IMHO. The trip takes 60-90 minutes depending on traffic.

I think that's about it! Happy to answer any Qs ]]> Asia yk2004 https://www.fodors.com/community/asia/a-few-notes-about-our-trip-to-hong-kong-april-2026-a-1735419/ https://www.fodors.com/community/asia/trip-to-taiwan-1735394/ Sat, 25 Apr 2026 19:04:09 GMT Hello all! I will post by day so that the trip report is more digestible. It might not be a typical trip report because it will include tips,... Hello all! I will post by day so that the trip report is more digestible. It might not be a typical trip report because it will include tips, observations, and my experience navigating Taiwan with a shellfish allergy.
Flights To Taiwan
Our route was IAD to SFO to TPE. We had booked with Eva Air, and we were originally supposed to fly to Los Angeles instead of San Francisco. When Eva rerouted us, they had apparently forgotten to reissue our tickets. So, when it came time to check in to the United domestic portion of our flights (the IAD to SFO was with their partner), United would not let us check in online. Also, due to the recent TSA hindrances, we wanted to get to the airport earlier than we typically do (6:30 AM departure).
We got to the airport around 2:30 AM because our cab arrived a half hour early. We then waited around until the United counter opened at around 4:30 AM (agent on the phone with United said it would be open at 3:30 AM), which made us very frustrated due to the fact that airlines tell you to arrive two hours early for domestic flights: that was cutting it very close. Since it was so early in the morning, there also weren't that many breakfast options open at the airport. The Starbucks was shortstaffed, so we also cut it close getting breakfast and getting to the gate. The domestic leg was pretty typical. I did have an unexpected visitor, and I was very pleased to see that both of our flights had sanitary pads in the lavatories. Note: this also resulted in the experience of navigating buying products in another country. Happy to tell that story in a PM to anyone who's interested.

Going over Colorado

The Eva flight was as good as it could get for being in coach for 13 hours. They were so good at making sure everyone got enough food. We had a 12:30 PM flight from SFO, and I thought they would have expected us to grab lunch before the flight. They ended up serving lunch inflight.
We deplaned and went through the various checkpoints, including the animal-related quarantine, human disease quarantine, and customs. As a public health professional, I cannot tell you how happy I was that all people arriving internationally had to declare to quarantine if they were feeling sick and the advice to see a provider if you feel sick after coming back from travel. It is perfect? Absolutely not. It's an honor system: human quarantine doesn't make you approach the counter and ask you a series of questions. You approach them if you are symptomatic. It could also be hard to tease out what could be your body reacting to travel vs. you having an infectious disease.
We then checked into CitizenM Taipei North Gate after getting and EasyCard and taking the Airport MRT to Taipei Main Station and walking from there to the hotel. You can pick out an EasyCard with a design at 7-Eleven. There wasn't much choice at the airport, but we both picked out ones with designs of cartoons popular in Taiwan. In terms of the hotel, we enjoyed that there is a large elevated space at the foot of the bed to store our things to avoid bedbugs (although we were not always good at doing that at other places). The bed is at enough of a height that if you have mobility issues, I'd check with the hotel to see if there are rooms with alternative beds. Also, Taiwan has a great amount of humidity, and there was no dehumidifier. This meant that even clean clothes felt like they had been soaked in sweat, and the sheets were also damp.

Art Outside CitizenM

]]> Asia cavalierfish https://www.fodors.com/community/asia/trip-to-taiwan-1735394/ https://www.fodors.com/community/asia/how-many-locations-for-short-japan-trip-1735374/ Fri, 24 Apr 2026 14:40:07 GMT Will be 1st time to Japan. Early June of 2027 for 12 days for 4 adults.
We hope to spend 4-5 days in Tokyo & hope to escape big cities for several days.
Primary interests are food, history, & nature.
Prefer to not move around too much, so wondering if 3 base locations would work? and which ones in addition to our Tokyo days? ]]> Asia 2idocs https://www.fodors.com/community/asia/how-many-locations-for-short-japan-trip-1735374/ https://www.fodors.com/community/asia/what-is-the-best-way-to-book-boat-ride-in-varanasi-ganges-1735366/ Thu, 23 Apr 2026 19:55:03 GMT Hi everyone, I’m planning a trip to Varanasi soon and really want to experience the spiritual beauty of the Ganges River, especially during... Hi everyone,

I’m planning a trip to Varanasi soon and really want to experience the spiritual beauty of the Ganges River, especially during sunrise or the famous Ganga Aarti. I’ve been searching online for the best way to Book boat ride in Varanasi Ganges, but there are so many options that it’s a bit confusing.

Some people suggest booking directly at the ghats, while others recommend pre-booking online for a hassle-free experience. I’m particularly interested in a peaceful and safe ride with a good view of the rituals, maybe even a private boat if the price is reasonable.

Has anyone here recently booked a boat ride in Varanasi? Any trusted service providers or tips to avoid overpricing and crowds?

Looking forward to your suggestions and experiences. Thanks in advance! ]]> Asia amangupta9294 https://www.fodors.com/community/asia/what-is-the-best-way-to-book-boat-ride-in-varanasi-ganges-1735366/ https://www.fodors.com/community/asia/bangkok-hawkers-center-street-food-open-now-1735363/ Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:10:50 GMT The Lumpini Park Hawker Center is Bangkok's first official Singapore-style hawker center, it just opened in April to modernize Bangkok's street food scene. It is modeled after similar street food centers in Singapore.

Located next to Lumpini Park Gate 5 across the street from Chulalongkorn Hospital. Open daily from 5:00 AM to midnight. There are about 100 stalls available with Thai street food.

Easy to reach via public transport: MRT: Silom Station (Exit 1) or BTS: Sala Daeng Station (Exit 6) or Ratchadamri Station (Exit 4).

]]> Asia bangkokexpat3048 https://www.fodors.com/community/asia/bangkok-hawkers-center-street-food-open-now-1735363/ https://www.fodors.com/community/asia/rethinking-itinerary-for-end-of-japan-trip-looking-for-input-on-2-nights-1735356/ Tue, 21 Apr 2026 21:41:51 GMT We are putting the final touches on the itinerary for our 2nd trip to Japan, again traveling during the October/November timeframe as that is the... We are putting the final touches on the itinerary for our 2nd trip to Japan, again traveling during the October/November timeframe as that is the easiest block of time for us to travel. We'll be away for 23 nights total, flying into Osaka (KIX) and home from Tokyo (HND). So we'll be starting in Kyoto, moving to Kyushu, then back to Tokyo for the end of our trip. The original plan is 4 nights in Tokyo, then 2 nights in Hakone (or Kawaguchiko) and arranging for a transfer directly to Haneda on the last morning, for our 11:35 flight home. Now, however, I'm thinking it may be more prudent to do the 2 nights before we end up in Tokyo, just in case there are traffic delays on our last day. Also, it would allow us a leisurely 2nd morning wherever we stay, and the possibility of a last onsen soak before checkout.

Looking for input on whether the change in order makes sense, i.e. affirming what I know is probably the smart move :~) and also where to spend those 2 nights. We're interested in a lovely ryokan with in-room onsen and beautiful scenery and also some light hiking . The Hakone area, with the OpenAir museum are very appealing but we worry that it may be too touristy and things like the ropeway and pirate ship don't hold much interest. Kawaguchiko has the potential for seeing Mt Fuji, but it doesn't seem like a lot else to do. We had also considered Kamakura.....are there other places to consider?

Our original plan to go to Tokyo first involved flying from Fukuoka to Haneda, but is there somewhere else that's an easy flight from Fukuoka, and from which we can get to Tokyo within a couple of hours?

Thanks for any and all feedback. ]]> Asia adlmllr https://www.fodors.com/community/asia/rethinking-itinerary-for-end-of-japan-trip-looking-for-input-on-2-nights-1735356/ https://www.fodors.com/community/asia/in-japan-now-for-our-honeymoon-any-hidden-gems-or-must-do-spots-1735348/ Tue, 21 Apr 2026 10:45:16 GMT Hi everyone,

We’re actually in Japan right now (honeymoon with my husband!) and honestly… still figuring things out as we go 😅

We originally planned a 2-week trip around Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka, and we’re thinking of squeezing in Nara too. But now that we’re here, I feel like we’re probably missing out on some really good spots that aren’t always on the usual itinerary.

So I wanted to ask…
Any hidden gems you’d recommend? Could be food spots, quiet neighborhoods, day trips, anything really. We’re open to slowing things down a bit instead of just rushing through the main tourist places.

Also random note, but I’ve been using a SimCorner eSIM while we’re here and it’s been super reliable so far. No issues with maps or bookings, which honestly makes things way less stressful when you’re navigating a new place.

Would really appreciate any suggestions, especially from people who’ve been here recently 🙏

Thanks in advance!
]]> Asia BrewtifulJourneys https://www.fodors.com/community/asia/in-japan-now-for-our-honeymoon-any-hidden-gems-or-must-do-spots-1735348/ https://www.fodors.com/community/asia/thailand-travel-update-2026-a-1735315/ Fri, 17 Apr 2026 12:20:25 GMT Thailand stays one of the most visited countries in Southeast Asia, and tourism has been strong again recently. Bangkok is very busy with... Thailand stays one of the most visited countries in Southeast Asia, and tourism has been strong again recently. Bangkok is very busy with international travelers, island routes like Phuket and Koh Samui are fully active, and Chiang Mai continues to attract visitors for culture and nature trips.

One noticeable recent trend is stronger digital payments almost everywhere. QR payments and cards are now accepted in many shops, even small cafés in cities. At the same time, cash is still needed in markets and rural areas, so carrying both is useful.

Weather still shapes travel a lot. From November to February the weather is cooler and more comfortable, which is peak season. March to May is very hot, especially inland. Rainy months from June to October can bring heavy showers, but they are often short and not all-day.

Tourists often ask about safety. Overall, Thailand is safe for travel, especially in main tourist zones. Most issues are not serious crime but small scams or careless mistakes.

Common things to watch for:

• Overpriced taxi or tuk tuk rides, always agree on price or use ride apps
• Jet ski rental scams in some beach areas, check reviews before paying
• Pickpocketing in crowded markets and nightlife streets
• Strong sea currents during monsoon season on some beaches
• Road traffic, which is the biggest real risk for visitors

Simple habits help avoid problems. Use official taxis or apps in cities, keep valuables close in crowded places, and follow local beach warning flags. Dress modestly when visiting temples, covering shoulders and knees.

Health-wise, heat and dehydration are common issues. Many travelers underestimate walking in Bangkok or island sun, so water and sunscreen matter more than expected.

Food is generally safe if it is freshly cooked. Street food is a big part of travel experience, and busy stalls are usually the best sign of quality.t ]]> Asia bella9630 https://www.fodors.com/community/asia/thailand-travel-update-2026-a-1735315/