Wikivoyage:Tourist office/Archives/2013/July

Transportation Services

Hello,

I am a world traveler and often require a local car and driver for my job. Does anyone know of a good resource to find reliable, local car hire companies?

Thank you in advance for any direction you may give.

Which country are looking to hire a vehicle in? Sfan00 IMG (talk) 07:59, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

visaa

I have booked a holiday to Australia.I have a criminal conviction for embezzlement in 1983 for which I did community service .I told my travel agent and he arranged visas When I arrive in Australia I will have to declare this Do you think it will stop me getting into the country Asked by: Kinneil1 (talk) 13:00, 1 July 2013 (UTC)

A: Hi there! Australia does have very strict border procedures, and you should declare anything and everything to avoid trouble (more info here). Your criminal record will be taken note of in a "character test", and they may ask a few questions at the immigration desk, but I do not foresee any major issues, especially considering how long ago it was. You will need to apply on a tourist visa, however, and an "ETA" visa will not be acceptable (source). It also depends on your country, but any Western nation citizen will be fine. Of course, that is my interpretation, and I can't give you full, legal assurance, but I'm fairly sure! I hope you enjoy your stay in our country! :) James A ▪ talk 13:09, 1 July 2013 (UTC)

A:If you do already have a visa you have very likely already answered a few questions in the visa application concerning criminal convictions. If you've answered them truthfully and they've issued you a visa I think everything should be in order. However, you can always contact the Department of Immigration and Citizenship to be sure. After a brief search I cannot find any information related to this specific problem on their website, but here's a list of their offices around the world that handles visas [1]. I also hope you'll have a great time in Australia! Ypsilon (talk) 19:55, 1 July 2013 (UTC)

Interstate 40 in Texas vs U.S. Route 66 in Texas

Are Interstate 40 in Texas and U.S. Route 66 in Texas the same thing, the articles aren't very clear? Emmette Hernandez Coleman (talk) 23:57, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

Asked by: Emmette Hernandez Coleman (talk) 23:57, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

The modern I-40 largely follows the same routing as the original routing of the former U.S. Route 66, but not exactly the same. Apparently Route 66 was left in place as the route was upgraded from a surface road to an expressway; once the entire stretch was upgraded to Interstate Highway standards, it was decommissioned. LtPowers (talk) 00:03, 3 July 2013 (UTC)

By the way (if you haven't seen it already), we have a pretty good guide to the route on Wikivoyage: Route 66. The Texas portion starts at #Texola to Amarillo. --Peter ^Talk 04:17, 3 July 2013 (UTC)

Identification in New Zealand (Foreigners)

Hello, I am an 18 year old male from the United States who plans on traveling to Wellington, New Zealand next March. I know in NZ the legal drinking age is 18. If i would like to enter a grocery store/liquor store or wherever else to buy alcohol, what forms of identification are accepted and which are commonly used by foreigners? I currently have a passport book, passport card, and my government issued identification card (driver's license). Thank you very Much! Asked by: Dslep85 (talk) 05:01, 5 July 2013 (UTC)

Use your passport. Nricardo (talk) 16:54, 5 July 2013 (UTC)

Since your passport is quite large and more expensive to replace than your driving licence, you may prefer to use your driving licence instead (both will be accepted as evidence of age documents). --W. Frank^e-mail_talk 11:11, 7 July 2013 (UTC)

Kazakhstan transit

Hi there, everyone. I'm a British citizen living in China, currently evaluating the options on how to get home to see my folks next month. I'm on a bit of a tight budget, and one of the options is a route through Kazakhstan. The problem - this flight has an almost 24 hour layover. Normally, this wouldn't be an issue to me, as I'd be interested in seeing some of the country, but my problem is that my passport will only be a few days shy of expiration. I've read that Kazakhstan has a six months minimum validity policy for the issuance of ordinary visas; is that the same case with transit visas? Would they let me go out of the airport, or would I be forced to spend a day waiting airside? If the latter's the case, particularly if there's no airside hotel in Almaty airport.

All the best, Asked by: 113.65.225.23 02:47, 12 July 2013 (UTC)

Hello, 113.65.225.23! Firstly: I would definitely recommend you to get a new passport ASAP. Kazakhstan's border authority's web pages seems to be down [2], but as far as I know almost everywhere in the world your passport needs to be valid for at least three months and in some cases four or six, otherwise they won't let you in. This includes countries like Singapore that you can visit with just a passport. Secondly: I'm pretty sure you may exit the airport when you hold a transit visa, but don't miss your connecting flight. Thirdly: I assume you're in China on some kind of a long term visa which likely also looses its validity when your passport expires. So, if I were you I'd travel to the nearest British embassy right away and apply for a new passport. ϒpsilon (talk) 19:39, 13 July 2013 (UTC)

SIM card for data transfer Poland, Estonia

Can you please recommend me an easy way to obtain a prepaid SIM card with data flat rate for a short journey in Poland? In Poland article I found out about Era Blueconnect Starter, iPlus Simdata, Orange Free na kartę or Play Online na kartę. Can one get these starters at a petrol station? Or a supermarket chain? And the same questions I would like to ask for Estonia. Thank you! Asked by: Danapit (talk) 13:19, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

Hey, I updated that section of Poland article. Starters should be available at petrol stations, in bigger cities these companies have their own stores. Jjtkk (talk) 16:31, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

For Estonia I believe that the kiosk chain "R Kiosk" sells not only prepaid SIM-cards for calling (as the article says) but also prepaid Internet SIM-cards in the same way as the chain does in Finland. Two big mobile operators are Tele2 (slow site and everything in Estonian) and EMT (they seem to have product descriptions in English as well). ϒpsilon (talk) 18:48, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

What to do in Mallorca for a week?

I am going to Mallorca with my family (I mean my father, my aunts and uncles, my cousins and their children) for a week from 28 September to 5 October 2013. We will be staying at Cala Pi Club in Llucmajor for the entire week. However, I don't want to spend my entire time at the hotel and beaches. What else is there to do in Mallorca at that time? Asked by: JIP (talk) 16:31, 28 July 2013 (UTC)

Does our article on Mallorca help? Or Balearic Islands for nearby places? Pashley (talk) 16:43, 28 July 2013 (UTC)

Some things we've enjoyed on family holidays:

• Take the train from Palma to Soller (or, if you want a cheaper option, get on the train at the stop between Palma and the mountains.) The views from the train are incredible as you go through the mountains.
• The Caves del Drach (or something like that) are fun, and a good change from the hot sun.
• Explore the back streets of Palma, and find the Banys Àrabs (Arab Baths).
• I think there's also a pretty good Roman museum in Palma where you can walk around beneath the the city and see the remains of the old Roman buildings (although I may be confusing Palma with somewhere else...)
• There's good bird watching at S'Abulfera nature reserve near Alcudia.
• The monastery at Lluc has space for a wander around nearby.
• The monastery near Pollenca is a good steep walk to the top with great views over towards the sea and a little cafe/guesthouse run by the monks.
• Check out the market at Pollenca on a Sunday that sprawls through the streets in the town.
• Climb the steps to the church at the top of Pollenca

Hope that helps. -- Tsandell (talk) 12:48, 30 July 2013 (UTC)

Further question: My father is considering going from Palma to Barcelona for one day, and wants to know if it's better to go by plane or ferry. Some quick Internet browsing has so far revealed that going by plane is far better: It costs about one-third of the ferry, and takes one hour per direction compared to seven hours on the ferry. If we bring a car with us the cost by ferry is even greater, up to four times that of the plane. Of course we can't bring a car on the plane. Are there any other advantages or disadvantages? Do we have to book plane or ferry tickets in advance? If my father wants to drive a car in Barcelona, is it possible to rent one for one day? Or if he doesn't, how good is the public transport in Barcelona? JIP (talk) 17:35, 30 July 2013 (UTC)

Unless you are determined to bring a car or have a fear of flying, I'd suggest that the plane is a better way to travel: it's almost certainly quicker, it's cheaper and probably less effort than going by ferry. I would suggest (although I can't swear by it) that you can buy tickets for both the plane and the ferry on the day, although it's possible that they'll have sold out. It's therefore probably safer to book in advance.

I'm sure it's possible to rent a car for one day in Barcelona, although I can't really comment in terms of pricing. For public transport, it's probably worth giving our guide a look - hopefully that will help you out.

I hope all goes well; enjoy your holiday! :) --Nick ^talk 23:59, 13 August 2013 (UTC)