What are the tickets for the must-visit attractions on the Road trip in the United States that need to be purchased online in advance? My Road trip route in the United States this time is from San Francisco to Yosemite National Park, Stanford, Highway 1, Hearst Castle, Solvang, Los Angeles, Universal Studios, Kodak Theatre (Hollywood Walk of Fame), Grand Canyon South Rim, Upper Antelope Canyon, Hoover Dam, Las Vegas, fly to Washington, Lincoln Memorial, all museums around the White House and Capitol, Times Square, Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, Broadway shows, Wall Street, Columbia University, United Nations headquarters. Among these parks and attractions along the way, which ones are free to enter? Which ones are very necessary to buy tickets or make reservations online in advance to save queuing time? Where to buy tickets separately? Please experts and travel enthusiasts give detailed guidance!!! Thank you very much! ?
United States Q&A
I just got home today. Let me share my experience of renting a car in Italy for your reference. I picked up the car on October 6th and returned it on the 28th, a total of 22 days. I rented from AVIS for a total of 374.6 euros. They tried to sell me insurance, but I refused and said I would take responsibility for any issues. They didn't force me to buy the insurance in the end. They pre-authorized 94.86 euros on my card as a deposit. I booked a BMW 3 series, but they gave me a BMW X1 with navigation. I had heard about people getting downgraded cars before, so I didn't expect much and didn't argue about getting the X1. When I picked up the car, there were noticeable scratches on the front and back. I asked the AVIS staff to record them before I drove off, and they used a yellow marker to mark them on the contract, then circled and signed them with a black pen. The gas tank was not full, and they marked it with a stamp. The car wasn't very clean when I picked it up. When I returned the car, I made sure it was relatively clean. I told the person who received the car that all the scratches were old and showed him the previous markings. I also said that I take good care of the car, and he said I was a good renter . He told me there were no issues and I could leave. I was still worried about any potential problems, so I took new photos of the car from all angles with the date displayed. It's only been a few days since I returned the car, so I don't know if there will be any issues ?
Italy Q&A
Return and inspection of the car
1. Prepare the checklist provided by the rental company before
2. Rental agreement, insurance documents, deposit receipt
3. Wash the car before returning it, both interior and exterior. Otherwise, you may be fined up to 500 Swiss francs for car washing (e.g. in Switzerland)
4. All photos taken when picking up the car
5. Return the car with a full tank of gas. Otherwise, you may be charged for refueling, which can be expensive
6. Take a photo of the fuel gauge
7. Take photos of any potential scratches to avoid being overcharged
8. When the car is inspected, make sure to check what is written and any associated fees. If there are any objections, resolve them before signing. This can be a stressful time, especially if you are in a rush to catch a flight, and you may overlook certain issues. It can be difficult to resolve them once you have returned home
9. The deposit refund will depend on the rental company checking for any violations, parking tickets, or toll charges. It may take 1-2 months to receive the deposit refund, and there will be no notification. The charges will be automatically deducted
Additional information: Some gas stations offer automatic and manual car wash services. Both require self-operation.
Automatic car wash: Drive in, the brushes will automatically clean and dry the car. The cost varies from 10-29 Swiss francs, depending on the size of the car. Advantages: Quick, approximately 10-20 minutes. Disadvantages: Expensive, and the car may not be thoroughly cleaned. Vacuuming requires coins, approximately 1 franc for 10 minutes
Manual car wash: Advantages: Cheaper, more thorough cleaning, and can help identify any issues. Disadvantages: Tiring, limited time with the car wash hose, need to purchase car wash detergent. Indoor vacuuming requires renting a vacuum for approximately 1 franc for 10 minutes ?
Switzerland Q&A
Thank you for the reminder, it's really good advice, thank you! I'm flying in from Oslo and have been traveling in Norway before. I have a 4-night itinerary in Iceland, planning to fly in at noon and stay in Vik that night, then visit the black sand beach in the morning of the second day and go glacier hiking in the afternoon, staying at a hotel near Jokulsarlon glacier that night, visiting the ice lake and ice beach on the third day and driving back, passing through Skogafoss and Seljalandsfoss along the way, staying at Selfoss that night, sightseeing in Reykjavik city and visiting the Blue Lagoon on the fourth day, staying near the airport that night, and taking an early morning flight to Stockholm on the fifth day. If I don't have time to see the attractions of the Golden Circle on the first day, is it possible to fit them in on the fourth day, or should I only choose one or two attractions of the Golden Circle, or give them up altogether? Thank you for your guidance, I really appreciate it ?
Iceland Q&A
I just returned from Sweden in August, and I have had many appearances before, including developed countries such as Australia. In theory, there should be no problem at all. I am now worried that the Zhongzhi Visa Center is playing tricks. I was supposed to submit my documents on September 1st. At that time, the staff checked the child's documents first and said there was no ticket pre-order. The child's other documents were all qualified. I actually bought the ticket, but I was confused and didn't print it. I told her I would go to the lobby to print it and come back in ten minutes. She said that even if it was a supplementary document, all three people had to upgrade to VIP, and each person had to pay an additional 250 yuan. I thought it was not worth it and said I would come back another day. So I made another appointment on September 5th. I checked the documents at home many times and thought there should be no problem before I went. As a result, after the staff checked all our documents, they said the photo was not qualified, and the proportion of the face in the photo was too large. I said I took it when I applied for a Swedish visa in July, and most importantly, the staff who checked the documents a few days ago said that everything was fine except for the lack of a ticket pre-order, and they even asked me to paste the child's photo on the application form. Why did they say the photo was not acceptable this time? Isn't this finding fault for no reason? I was particularly angry at the time and argued with them. The staff asked for approval from their superiors, but they said that the result of today's review was final, which was simply unreasonable. Both my partner and I went to take photos again, but the child did not go. In the end, we had to go to the school to pick up the child and take photos, which was simply trying to find ways to charge extra fees, shameless to the extreme. I don't know if they have submitted our documents as required, because based on the situation of submitting documents twice, I think the conduct of the staff of the Zhongzhi Visa Center entrusted by the embassy is really not commendable ?
Switzerland Q&A
We arrived in Paris on the 13th and stayed for 6 days, then drove to Fontainebleau, Lyon, Nice, Monaco, Genoa, Florence, and arrived in Rome yesterday. We were on edge the whole way... First of all, the temperature here is not hot. The wind is quite cold. We have to wear down jackets and woolen hats to keep warm. It is not recommended to drive in the city of Paris. It is difficult to find parking spaces on the road surface. The entrances and exits of underground parking lots are too narrow and difficult to find. Navigation mainly relies on the map built into the Apple phone, which is actually a collaboration with Tom Tom and is very accurate. The maps we downloaded at home are not very reliable, including Google Maps. We were misled several times, even guided to a snow-covered mountain road at night. Maybe it's because we didn't enter the address accurately. Remember to enter the postal code of the region. Google Play needs to be installed to have offline maps, so you must have wireless WiFi. The high-speed rail here is very fast. France is 130 and Italy is 110. I think this is the lowest speed. There will always be cars following me to drive. After all, the car company gave me a top-of-the-line Mercedes-Benz E200 station wagon, black German license plate, which is too eye-catching. This caused me to park in the underground garage and dare not park on the road, for fear that my car windows would be broken and my bag would be stolen. All overtaking must be done from the left side, and then the left lane must be given up. It is forbidden to occupy the left lane for a long time. Right-hand overtaking is strictly prohibited, which is very dangerous! Highways need to prepare some 50, 20, 10, 5, 2, 1, and 0.5 euro banknotes and coins in advance. Do not enter the electronic payment channel by mistake. France and Italy have many dark tunnels that are relatively narrow. Overtaking and turning do not slow down. It feels like you're driving a race car, so small cars are popular here. Their control performance is good. Remember not to rent big cars! My Mercedes-Benz is too long, and the city control is really a bit difficult. Those streets, tunnels, and parking lot passages are really narrow! Bring fewer luggage when you go out ?
France Q&A
Regarding the recent flooding in the South Island, tourists with travel plans in the near future do not need to panic. The latest information we have is as follows: 1. The water levels in the high-water areas of Lake Wakatipu and Lake Wanaka in Queenstown have reached their peak, and the weather has cleared up. This week is expected to be mostly sunny, with no more rain predicted, so the flood risk has been alleviated. Businesses along the shores of Lake Wanaka have resumed operations. The famous Wanaka Tree will remain partially submerged for a while longer due to the still-high water levels. Queenstown is experiencing clear weather, and recent photos show that while the water levels are high, the risk of flooding has diminished. 2. The South Island highways, which were previously closed, have started to reopen. State Highway 72 has resumed traffic, although there is heavy congestion, so travelers should allow extra time if using this route. 3. There is still flooding at the Rangitata Bridge section of State Highway 1, but once the water recedes, traffic will be able to resume. There is also flooding at the intersection of State Highway 1 and State Highway 79. The Timaru District Council has stated on social media that there is no risk of the recently reopened bridges on State Highway 72 being closed again. 4. The goal is to reopen State Highway 6 on the West Coast before Christmas, but this is entirely dependent on the weather conditions. If the weather remains favorable, the road repair progress will be normal, but if there is another heavy rain, it will affect the repair schedule. Therefore, travelers planning to visit the West Coast of the South Island around Christmas and New Year's need to closely monitor the road repair progress. The New Zealand Transport Agency's update on December 10th at 4pm: SH6 - The past two days have been sunny, and road repair progress has been smooth. The agency has been working to clear the landslide section between Fox and Franz Josef towns, aiming to reopen the Hokitika - Makarora section before Christmas. The Whataroa - Harihari section, which has suffered the most damage, is still closed due to multiple landslides, and the agency is striving to reopen it before Christmas ?
New Zealand Q&A