The Travel Thread

[HoyaSaxa03]

awesome, i'm really excited ... we'll be in seminyak (just north of kuta) for a few days when we first get in, splurged on a villa to hole up and recover from jet lag ... then heading to java, right now only planning on using yogyakarta as our base, but i'll definitely look into bandung (thanks jag!) ... after that skipping over bali to go to lombok and the Gili Islands, which i'm REALLY excited about
 
 then finishing off the trip with a long stay in ubud
 
 we were thinking about going to lovina in the north for a couple of nights, do you think it's worth it to cut our stay in ubud short for that?

[sweetcell]

villa in seminyak: should be fun, it'll be a tropical beach-house party.
 
 gili & lombok make me jealous.  never made it over, but they do indeed sound fabulous.  very different culturally than bali.  if anyone does scuba, those are definitely world-class spots to do it.
 
 yes, i'd be willing to trade some ubud in exchange for lovina, but then again i'm a beach person.  ubud has a lot more to do (tons of cultural stuff: performances, tours of temples and ruins, various classes, shopping, etc), lovina is paradise on the sand.  good mix to do both.

[sweetcell]

so, here's a travel-related question for y'all: thanks to recent developments, i'll be spending labor day week in the netherlands.  what's the most efficient way to get euros?  exchange cash here?  use credit cards?  ATMs?
 
 sucks enough that the dollar is so week, would rather not waste additional percentage on high exchange commissions/fees.

[slowgraffiti]

traveler's checks are a real pain in the ass.
 stick with atms. i don't think there are processing fees on them...unless they've been charging me without a warning. i've had some problems with a lot of banks just not working with my debit card. it's not a big deal because it works with the type i see the most often.
 
 but also, i think i'm going to be in amsterdam around labor day weekend. if you find yourself in the city, we should get some space cake.

[sweetcell]

Originally posted by slowgraffiti:
 stick with atms. i don't think there are processing fees on them...unless they've been charging me without a warning.

most banks will charge you an "international transaction fee" of around 2 to 3%.  they're charged separately from the withdrawal amount - check your bank statement.  ATMs have been my most common method of getting cash overseas.  i was wondering if there was a better/cheaper way.
 
   

Originally posted by slowgraffiti:
 but also, i think i'm going to be in amsterdam around labor day weekend. if you find yourself in the city, we should get some space cake.

cool, let's see what we can set up... will PM you.  will probably be in the hague over labor day weekend and return to a'dam the following weekend.

[Got Haggis?]

yeah, I usually take a few travelers checks as 'emergency money' but always use ATMs otherwise.  It used to be that there was no charge for using ATMs at all (other than what your bank charges you for not using their ATM) but in the past year or so they have tacked on the 'international transaction fee' which is usually 1 or 2%.  It is still better than exchanging cash though.

[Herr Professor Doktor Doom]

Wow, I wish I'd seen this thread earlier.
 
 Hoya, go to Myspace and add the Super Insurgent Group of Intemperance Talent to your friends list, and say hello from Jaguar and myself.  Indonesia has a tiny but lively indie rock scene and if you're lucky you might be able to catch a great show and meet some really nice people.
 
 In Java, be sure to visit Yogyakarta a cool city where multiple universities give it a college town vibe, Indonesian style.  Mt. Merapi, an occasionally-active volcano, is just an hours drive away and worth the trip.
 
 Bali is beautiful, but get away from the tourist traps full of drunken and annoying Aussies to the smaller towns.   Also avoid big resorts.  Ubud, inland, is a spiritual magical place and well worth a visit.
 
 Jakarta's probably worth no more than a day or two (I lived there seven months), if you'll be spending any time there I can give you a few pub and restaurant tips.
 
 If I could go back I'd spend more time exploring Java, and visit the area around Anak Krakatau, where Krakatoa blew up and a new volcano is being formed.
 
 For the 30-hour plane ride to Indonesia I recommend the book "Krakatoa," a great read which will give you a flavor for the history and culture of the country.
 
 Finally if you need any more specific tips feel free to message me... and you may get some ideas from my photostream of Indonesia pics:
 
   http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=indonesia&w=77926160%40N00
 
 Oh yes, travelers checks -- I have traveled all over the world and never needed them.  I don't quite understand the concept.  Seems kinda anachronistic, like the old notion that paper airline tickets were the equivalent of cash.

[HoyaSaxa03]

Originally posted by They call me Doctor Doom.:
  Wow, I wish I'd seen this thread earlier.
 

awesome, thanks for all the tips

[Venerable Bede]

i normally exchange some "walking around" cash before i leave, but after that, it's atm's all the way. . .you get a better exchange rate than cashing travellers checks, and even with the fees, you still come out a bit ahead than with travellers checks.  plus, you get all that protection from fraud and have a paper trail for your withdrawals and purchases.
 
 only encountered one problem and that was in portugal where the atm's would not recognize my mastercard debit card. . .

[Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer]

I generally shun the use of cash and always go with credit cards when possible (airline miles!)
 
 But those goddamn French make it really difficult with their minimum credit card purchases (even in major department stores), as well as the seeming randomness of your credit card not working in their fucking credit card machines.
 
 I'm now with Vansmack on something: hatred of the French.

[Got Haggis?]

Went I went to several countries in Africa, they did not accept MasterCard, only Visa. I only had a MasterCard at the time, so it was very useful to have Travelers Checks in that situation.

[slowgraffiti]

i don't think i've ever been somewhere that accepted credit cards but not visa. mastercard seems fiercely unpopular.

[godsshoeshine]

irish people arent big on credit cards either. i believe we only landed with maybe â?¬100. that did not get us far

[slowgraffiti]

Stockholm suxxx. I want to go to a bar and talk to strangers. But, there's no way I'm shelling out the crowns for a few hours of drinking. (about $11 a beer- $8 at happy hour- cocktails double) I've got an all day train pass and would hate to stay home tonight. Suggestions?
 
 *this might be an unanswerable problem

[sweetcell]

go out to a bar and meet people, but don't drink?  or drink non-alcoholic drinks?
 
 have you checked out malmo?