CHINA
- https://www.chinabusguide.com/
- https://www.trip.com/
- https://map.baidu.com/
- https://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/
- Due to strict censorship it is hard to find reliable information about China. On any sensitive issue, you're most likely to read either pro-government propaganda or anti-government rumors/anegdotes that can be impossible to verify. Foreign journalists get expelled or have very limited access.
- Many websites and nearly all foreign apps are banned. Get a VPN or a anti-censorship tool like Psiphon or Ultrasurf before going to China but internet will be extremely slow.
- Traditional architecture is either bulldozed or turned into commercial tourist traps. Historical places have been "renovated" into Disneyesque amusement parks.
- You pay a steep enterance fee for pretty much every tourist attraction, even mountains, lakes and villages. Many museums are free though.
- Independent travel is not allowed in Tibet.
- News: https://thechinaproject.com/, https://theinitium.com/, https://www.readingthechinadream.com/, https://www.scmp.com/, https://www.caixinglobal.com/
- Must-try food: huoguo (hot pot), zhamantou. Every region has its own unique cuisine. Vegetarian: 素
EGYPT (2024)
- https://egymonuments.gov.eg
- Bring US dollars.
- Egypt is an incredibly cheap country, except for monuments and train tickets, which have separate prices for foreigners. While many other countries have two-tier pricing, here the contrast is extreme: it feels strange to pay $30 to visit an ancient monument when the taxi to get there or a meal in a restaurant costs 50 cents. It seems that local people make very little money from tourism and almost the entire revenue goes to the government and package tour companies. Enterance fees to museums and monuments are some of the highest in the world (to be fair, they're also some of the best in the world). 1-hour ride in a slow, old train costs $11 (as much as TGV in France), but the same trip by minibus costs 40 cents.
- When visiting popular monuments (e.g. in Luxor or Giza), avoid the hours when the place gets flooded by package tourists bussed in from coastal resorts. Early morning and evening are usually the best times.
- Must-try food: koshary.
ETHIOPIA (2018)
- http://www.ethiopia.travel
- Long-distance buses all leave around 5-6 AM. Book 1-2 days in advance.
- Ethiopian 12-hour clock system follows sunrise and sunset (Ethiopian 1 o'clock in the morning = 7 AM, Ethiopian 12 o'clock at night = 6 AM).
- A paid guide is mandatory in national parks.
- Must-try food: injera, salads
INDIA (2024)
- https://www.redbus.in/ (works with foreign cards)
- https://www.ixigo.com/ (works with foreign cards)
- https://www.cleartrip.com/
- https://www.goibibo.com
- https://erail.in/
- https://railradar.railyatri.in/
- https://www.irctc.co.in/nget/train-search
- https://www.scaruffi.com/travel/india.html
- https://indiahikes.com/
- http://indietrekking.com/
- Most Indian apps and websites don't accept foreign cards.
- Buying a train ticket is difficult: the queues are huge, you need to fill out a complicated form, tickets sell out early. Buy tickets online if possible. "Tatkal" are reserve tickets that are more expensive but can be bought after normal tickets have sold out. Trains seem to depart from whichever platform they please. Buses are less confusing and more reliable, but slower.
- Most long-distance buses are booked through a phone app and pick up passengers from a designated location, typically the edge of a highway. You have to identify your bus by its license plate as the buses don't have destination signs.
- There is some complicated procedure for checking in foreigners at a hotel. Many smaller and cheaper hotels don't accept foreign guests as a result. If you arrive in a town that's not on the tourist trail, be ready to spend the night on the street.
- Bring a printed flight reservation to the airport or you will not be allowed inside (never mind that anyone could make a fake one). This seems no longer the case in 2024.
- Many temples don't allow non-Hindus and foreigners to enter.
- Several states and regions require you to obtain a permit before visiting. Some can't be obtained by solo travelers.
- Food in India gets labeled with green (vegetarian) and brown (non-vegetarian) dot symbols.
- News: https://www.thehindu.com/
- Must-try food: thali (full meal), chaat, desserts, lassi. Best foreign food: momo
ISRAEL (2019)
- https://www.bus.co.il/otobusimmvc/en
- https://www.rail.co.il/en/
- Do not tell border officials that you visited/plan to visit Palestine or you will be searched and interrogated. Don't get provoked and do what they say or you may be detained and banned from entering. Despite what the racist border officials may say, it is both legal and safe to visit Palestine (except Gaza, which is a walled-off prison).
- The Palestinian Territories are practically annexed by Israel. Palestinian people live in scattered ghettos and are banned from certain areas and roads (in Palestine).
- There are very young soldiers with machine guns everywhere.
- News: https://www.972mag.com/, https://www.haaretz.com/
- Must-try food: kanafeh
MONGOLIA (2010)
- You're not allowed to cross the border on foot. You must catch a bus or train or hitchhike.
- Public transport exists pretty much only to/from Ulaanbaatar.
NORWAY (2019)
- https://www.norgeskart.no/
- https://www.yr.no/en
- You're free to camp pretty much anywhere. Some of the mountain cabins (hyttas) are free to use.
- Norway has held the top spot of press freedom rankings for many years but news stands seem to only have sensationalist tabloids and celebrity gossip.
PERU (2012)
- https://www.redbus.pe/en/
- http://www.andeantravelweb.com/peru/
- https://www.peru.travel
- iPeru are the official tourist offices, provide free maps.
- Cheap way to get to Machu Picchu: bus Cusco to Hidroelectrica, then walk along the railway track to Aguas Calientes (main base for MP). Buy tickets in advance: https://reservas.machupicchu.gob.pe
- Free and less touristy alternatives to the expensive Inca Trail: Lares trek, Salkantay trek, Choquequirao trek.
- Yurimaguas is the farthest place connected by road from where you can take a passenger boat to Iquitos and Brazil.
POLAND
- https://www.e-podroznik.pl/
- https://rozklad-pkp.pl/
- https://jakdojade.pl/
- http://igrek.amzp.pl/
- Castles: https://zamki.res.pl/mapy.php
- Most museums are free one day a week.
- City transit ticket app: Mobilet
- Different train types have different ticket offices and websites. International tickets are difficult to buy online.
- Most historical buildings are post World War 2 reconstructions, while truly old buildings are covered with billboard ads.
- People seem to think that "jaywalking" is a horrible crime.
- Kayaking trips: search "spływ + river name" or visit http://kajaki.pl/.
- Canteen: bar mleczny
RUSSIA (2010)
- The police or government agents in civilian clothes "randomly" stop people for document checks, especially if you look foreign.
- Since 2022: if you're dumb enough to want to visit Russia, you probably deserve whatever happens to you there.
- News: https://www.themoscowtimes.com/, https://novayagazeta.eu/, https://meduza.io/en