MM Sticker Found Under A Bus In Switzerland

[Sijray21]

I've heard rental car companies pretty explicitly ban driving on it?

Yes, they do. I didn't find out until *after* my trip. I thankfully did not have an issue, so crisis averted. Rental car companies ban their cars to be used on "circular toll ways"... Which there is only one, haha.

---

So I'd also reiterate downloading maps for offline usage.

I found out the hard way that my Garmin nuvi (2007) didn't have the maps to get me to my destination in Germany when I landed. I was in a rush to get there (2 days notice) and didn't think to download the maps. I arrived at Frankfurt at 7am and needed to be in a meeting at 9am in Waldorf (about an hour south). Luckily my rental car had navigation, but the navigation was in German... Took me 20 minutes of playing around to switch it to english. No smart phone, no maps, and a new country. Mildly exciting, but equally scary. All I knew was to head south and I vaguely figured out that sord meant south. Made it there with time to spare thanks to the parts of the autobahn where it was speed limitless.

[Jake]

I've heard rental car companies pretty explicitly ban driving on it?

Yes, they do. I didn't find out until *after* my trip. I thankfully did not have an issue, so crisis averted. Rental car companies ban their cars to be used on "circular toll ways"... Which there is only one, haha.

If we're gonna get pedantic with Silvercar or whoever, the Ring is technically not very circular. It's more of a squiggle that connects at the start and end.

That said, my "shouting pedantry in German" skills are very nonexistent so I'll probably just do a Ring Race rental.

[D_Eclipse9916]

Mmmm okay so I had to pick between NASA Championships at Mid-Ohio or a trip to Germany for my 30th this September. Sorry Ohio, but friends/beer/cars in Germany sounds way more fun. Going to get my passport photo and apply for that tomorrow.

Good move.  Is there concern about being around Germany during late Sept/early October in terms of being way overcrowded for Octoberfest?  I DESPISE crowds/people (one of the reasons I hate concerts/travelling).

[Apoc]

- emergency toilet paper and a small package of wet wipes; sometimes bathrooms are just a hole in the concrete - https://amzn.to/2WuMBBQ

Oh man, totally forgot about this.  When RJ and I went to a Moto GP race at Jerez in Spain, there was literally not one, fucking, square of toilet paper or even paper towels anywhere at the circuit.  Thank god I didn't need to do serious business while we were there.

Public bathrooms in the places in Europe I've gone have honestly been all over the map.  Be prepared.

To this day, my wife maintains the worst ladies room she's been in during her life was at the Belgian GP in Spa. 

My personal worst was shitting at a 1000 year old cemetery in Koyasan, Japan. Hey, sometimes duty calls. It was about 20 deg outside, the bathroom was basically a wooden shed, and there was no water, tp, or towels to be found. You'd think nothing could smell cause it was all frozen. NOPE.

[G.Irish]

Here is the OG travel thread, there's a few trip reviews in there.

http://forum.mmsports.org/showthread.php...ght=travel

[ScottyB]

there was no water, tp, or towels to be found

you're gonna have to finish this story now. or did you seriously mudbutt it back to civilization?

[Apoc]

there was no water, tp, or towels to be found

you're gonna have to finish this story now.  or did you seriously mudbutt it back to civilization?

My wife had a small packet of travel tissues and I had a wet wipe. Life could have been worse, but it was enough to convince me to carry supplies in my bag.

Insult to injury - we were staying with buddhist monks and there was a single space heater in our guest house. You could literally see your breath in the bathroom, so a proper self-cleaning did not include getting in a shower or bathtub. The upside is the monks placed hot rocks in our sleep pads for overnight and they made killer vegetarian meals. The travel gods giveth and taketh away.

[Eco_Boi_Stephen]

Also, if you're passing into Switzerland, or Germany, or any of those Eurocrazy countries, make sure you declare any nice stuff you have:

This guy got charged $4,000 USD for a few watches he brought with him across the border for press / personal purposes

https://www.fratellowatches.com/beware-s...attendees/

Wow that's insane I'll keep that in mind

[Eco_Boi_Stephen]

Long post, but I shared this with Ryan and friends when we went to Prague..

My travel resume:

• Thailand
  
• Vietnam
  
• Netherlands
  
• Sardinia
  
• Canada
  
• Hungary
  
• Israel
  
• Czech Republic
  
• Costa Rica (Oct 2019)
  

Travel in General
1. Packing

• Pack everything you need in a carry-on. There is no reason to check luggage and honestlychecking luggage is going to add time to the entire travel process which becomes an annoyance. If you have a travel backpack or "larger" backpacking backpack that would be a good option. Do some research to see. Going abroad I never let my bag out of sight. In the last 4 years I have never had an issue with my travel backpack. Not a single airline has asked me to stow it below. I don't like the idea of dragging a roller bag through the streets of a foreign country for a variety of reasons (theft) or the possibility of it going under the plane and getting lost.
  
• Get an RFID blocking bag of sorts to keep your passport in when traveling. It doesn't have to be fancy, but I use it to keep my passport, Global Entry card, and cash together and on my persons when traveling.
  
• Packing cubes will change your life
  

Personal Possessions
1. Separate your valuables

• Don't store all of your important things in one bag. I like to keep most of my if not all of my important items in my smaller backpack because I know there is a very small chance that it would leave my possession. However, I do put things that could be easily replaceable in my larger backpack. For the most part I put a copy of my important documents in both my travel pack and my personal pack.
  

2. Get a TSA approved lock

• Simple enough. Lock up your shit. Not only is it good for airports, but it is an extra layer of security for your bags in the apartment
  
• You can leave most of your things like toothpaste, soap, etc.. at home. It's usually cheaper just to buy it in country and helps alleviate any issues with security or things exploding in your bag. Also, it can be easier and cheaper to pack less clothes than you need because you can buy them in country
  

3. Money & Spending
You have a couple of options here. 

• I typically bring my debit card and two credit cards with 0 foreign transaction fees. One is none, two is one.
  
• When arriving I usually pull out about $150 in the local currency with my debit card for spending money/tours at the airport and then use my CC for almost everything else. It's more secure and I've never had an issue. If you are going to pull out cash it is best to pull out more than you might need to reduce the fees your bank will likely charge you for using your debit card if you end up pulling cash out multiple times over the trip.
  

Cell Phones
1. Data use

• See if you current provider has an international plan
  

2. Buy a SIM in country

• I always tend to gravitate towards purchasing a SIM in country. Verizon charges me $10/day to use my phone in foreign countries and I have never found the text/data to be reliable. It can add up quick. You can buy a SIM card in country for like $40 at the airport and get local 4G with 1gb of data. This is more than enough for maps, directions, texting.
  
• This only works if your phone is "unlocked"
  

Thoughts on travel as a whole

• Be open minded and curious. Ask questions, make friends
  
• Take the time to learn basics of the local language. It shows a general appreciation and respect towards the locals
  
• Be prepared for a mind-blowing life lesson about the world. We as Americans generally think that the rest of the world gravitates around us. You'll find that most people around the world don't give a shit about it. Not in a bad way, but just that we're not THAT important. 
  
• It will take some time to assimilate back into US society (at least for me). You learn a lot about things that are just wrong, materialistic, and/or short sighted in our culture and you'll find your views about your current way of life and the US will change
  
• In general for me, it was a eye opening experience that made me despise a lot of things about our culture (wealthy, health/obesity, work, leisure time, etc.) and in general makes me try to be a little better in my life everyday. 
  

Hoping my travel resume looks like that some day! Separating my valuables wasn't something I had thought of. Thanks!

[Eco_Boi_Stephen]

+1 to having a decoy wallet filled with local currency and some bullshit cards that you can ditch and run if you get mugged.  keep your real valuables hidden physically on your body and make copies of anything important in at least 2 places.

general street sense.  be aware of surroundings, don't go places people don't normally go, be polite and friendly...a handshake and a smile is universally understood in every land.  cash is king, as usual.

i am poorly traveled and i hate that, but trying to fix it.  leaving the US to another country where you're really immersed (i.e. not an all inclusive resort behind a wall) is invaluable.  you get a perspective on life you can't get any other way and its one of the truest forms of adventure.

Mugging shouldn't be an issue as we'll be traveling in large groups for the most part but I'll keep an extra wallet just in case after hearing this haha

[Apoc]

My travel resume:

• Thailand
  
• Vietnam
  
• Netherlands
  
• Sardinia
  
• Canada
  
• Hungary
  
• Israel
  
• Czech Republic
  
• Costa Rica (Oct 2019)
  

This list felt familiar when I read it the first time. I had to report which countries I've visited in the last five years for my Global Entry; turns out the two lists aren't that close. I think it's because Vietnam and Czech Republic are on your list and those easily Top 3 countries for me.

[V1GiLaNtE]

My travel resume:

• Thailand
  
• Vietnam
  
• Netherlands
  
• Sardinia
  
• Canada
  
• Hungary
  
• Israel
  
• Czech Republic
  
• Costa Rica (Oct 2019)
  

This list felt familiar when I read it the first time. I had to report which countries I've visited in the last five years for my Global Entry; turns out the two lists aren't that close. I think it's because Vietnam and Czech Republic are on your list and those easily Top 3 countries for me.

I only got to spend about 3 days in Ho Chi Minh city, but it was a mind blowing experience at the vibrance of the city. One of my all time favorite and cherished memories is sitting in a tiny little child size chair on a random corner restaurant at a busy intersection eating Pho and sipping a saigon beer watching the city zip by. 



We did a food tour via scooter that was pretty nuts too! We got to check out some local street vendors and give cooking a shot!



Hanoi and Ha Long Bay are supposedly some of the most beautiful places in the entire country. I really enjoyed Vietnam, but there is a calling for me to return to Thailand. I fell in love with that country. Everything there was just magical. I might be biased as it was my first time out of the country ever, but they don't call it the "Land of Smiles" for nothing. Some of the most help and friendly people I have ever met. 

We had a good time in the Czechia. Prague, Kunta Hora (Bone Church), and Pilzen (Pilsner Urquell Brewery). I think I might have enjoyed Hungary more. I'm pretty stoked for Costa Rica as I'll be renting a kitted 4x4 for the week and traveling and camping around the country.

[CaptainHenreh]

Cabell I just wanna commend you on doing this. I honestly wish I'd done more international travel when I had fewer obligations, but I didn't have the stones. Good on all y'all.

[.RJ]

We did the scooter tour in Saigon/HCMC also on Chris' recommendation on vintage Vespa's and it was really fun.... and then we got home and the wife insisted on owning a Vespa so now we have one of those. Kind of fun to have around.

[Apoc]

Yeah, we did the scooter/food tour in HCMC too. Easily one of the best experiences in my life.

I preferred that city to Hanoi because Hanoi was so decrepit, but the significant contrast between the two really drives home the (political) differences between north and south Vietnam.

[Kaan]

Mugging shouldn't be an issue as we'll be traveling in large groups for the most part but I'll keep an extra wallet just in case after hearing this haha

also don't fall for bait...

we were in Istanbul and a fight breaks out... my uncle grabs the gopro and my aunt ushers us to a spot with our backs to the wall and out of the way. things died down and we carried on. later that night my uncle pulls up the video and goes "lets see if we can spot the pick pockets!"

sure enough, several guys were working the crowd as they were watching these two ladies try to pull each others hair out.

[Jake]

Things are in process for Germany. I think we are going to hit Stuttgart, Nuremburg and Munich so it will be a good trip. Also about to receive the wedding invitation for my friends Chris & Danny. They're getting married in Ireland in 2020 so I'm stoked for that as well.

[Eco_Boi_Stephen]

2 days till I leave for London... I'll be packing most of my things for the trip tonight. I'll throw the list in here when I finish

[Senor_Taylor]

Is this a travel thread now?

Has anyone been to a Yankees game? Trying to plan a trip where I have some friends meet hme in Nova, take a train up Saturday to watch a day game, dick around, then come back some time Sunday. I traveled north of Baltimore for the first real time last weekend, so I'm not really experienced in doing it.

Trying to start an initiative to see a bunch of MLB games at different stadiums. The Nationals suck, their park sucks, everything sucks about them.

[JPolen01]

Yes absolutely go see as many ball parks as you can. I would love to do that one day. I've only been to the Orioles, Nats, and Giants. If you book the train far enough in advance you can get really cheap tickets.