The enthusiasm of the people of Sicily, Italy, is a passionate and unrestrained one. In Rome, the enthusiasm you see is a refined routine. For example, when you go to a restaurant, the waiter will recommend two special dishes for the day. When you ask what they are, he will tell you about the volcano beef and swan roasted fish... The prices are all on the menu. Each dish is about 25 euros, not bad, right? When you're halfway through the meal, they will bring you a glass of ice wine, telling you it's complimentary, and shake hands with you... As for the swan roasted fish, they will enthusiastically ask if you need help opening it. I firmly say no, but they will still help you open it as if they didn't hear me... Let's talk about the bill. When you pay, they will tell you it's 293 euros, plus a 10% service charge, and fish is charged by weight (the fish is at most 1.5 pounds, and the beef is only the size of a fist, definitely not 2 pounds), and the water before the meal is 10 euros. Also, when taking a taxi, make sure to use the meter... And there are a lot of pickpockets there, so be careful of women wearing scarves. Even if you put your bag in front of you, it won't help. They will use the scarf to block your line of sight... They usually work in groups... Even so, Italy is still very, very beautiful. It feels like walking in a historical museum, and shopping is also very enjoyable... Wishing friends a pleasant journey ?
Italy Q&A
Plan for a Road trip in the United States, and make a schedule. Could you please help me check if it's feasible? Day 1: Fly from Hangzhou to San Francisco Rent a car at the airport, check in at the hotel, and have dinner Day 2: One-day tour in San Francisco (Lombard Street, Golden Gate Bridge, Twin Peaks, Saint Mary's Cathedral) Day 3: California State Route 1: San Francisco - Monterey Pass by Point Lobos Lighthouse, Santa Cruz, and sea otter point and check in at Monterey Day 4: Depart from Monterey, pass by 17-mile drive, Carmel, and Big Sur, and check in at San Simon Day 5: Pass by Danish Town, Santa Barbara, and check in at Los Angeles Day 6: Universal Studios, Hollywood Walk of Fame Day 7: One-day tour in Los Angeles Day 8: Los Angeles - Palm Springs, Salvation Mountain, Joshua Tree National Park, and check in at Kingman Day 9: Check in at Grand Canyon from Kingman via Route 66 Day 10: One-day tour in Grand Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, and check in at Page Day 11: Lower Antelope Canyon, Monument Valley, Lake Powell, and check in at Page or St. George Day 12: Check in at Las Vegas or St. George - watch show Day 13 and 14: Las Vegas Helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon, skydiving, and outdoor shooting Day 15: Fly from Los Angeles to Hangzhou ?
United States Q&A
It used to be smooth to pick up the car in advance no matter where, but this time at Hertz at Oslo Airport, I arrived more than an hour in advance and was told that the car had not arrived and I couldn't pick it up early. They asked me to pay extra to change the car or wait for an hour to complete the procedures. I ended up waiting for an hour. Ten days later, I had to go to Iceland and arrived three hours in advance. I was afraid of encountering the same situation, so I wanted the customer service and the car rental company to communicate the situation. The customer service asked me to cancel the order and place a new one, but I had to email the car rental company to explain the situation. However, I did not receive a reply from the car rental company in Iceland. Fortunately, picking up the car in advance in Iceland was not a problem, and I was upgraded to an SUV with 4-wheel drive for free. So, I have a good impression of Iceland this time, but a very bad impression of Hertz at Oslo Airport. They not only make things difficult and charge for miscellaneous items, but they have already charged me three times ?
Norway Q&A
Yesterday, I rented a car from Europcar at Frankfurt Airport. I had booked a Golf estate car and requested a diesel vehicle in the notes of my reservation. However, I was given an Opel estate car, which was diesel and automatic, and I had to pay a pre-authorization deposit of over 800 euros. The trunk could only fit two 28-inch suitcases and one 24-inch suitcase, along with some backpacks. The cover for the trunk couldn't be pulled up, and the luggage was exposed. Additionally, the previous renter had clearly broken one of the clips on the cover, so I took photos as evidence. I'm not sure if having exposed luggage will cause any issues when I go to Poland. Yesterday, I drove 400 kilometers, and the fuel gauge showed that I had used almost half of the fuel ?
Poland 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
American West Coast Road Trip for 9 days and 8 nights - seeking recommendations! Happened to book a reasonably priced independent travel group, the travel agency provided air tickets and hotels, which is somewhat restrictive compared to pure independent travel, but it is very attractive to me for the first American car rental experience in terms of price! Time: February 18th to February 26th, Flight: Arrive at 8 am on February 18th, fly in the early morning on February 25th Cities to stay in: 2 nights in Los Angeles, 3 nights in Las Vegas, 2 nights in Los Angeles Hotels: In Los Angeles, all are staying at the Holiday Inn near the airport; staying at the Asandu Metropolitan Hotel in Las Vegas Travel purpose: Experience the fun of Road trip, appreciate the famous natural scenery, experience local cuisine and attractions Requirements: 1. Recommend suitable Road trip routes (I really want to go to the Grand Canyon and Antelope Valley) 2. Required currency ?
United States 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
I originally drove on the highway in southern France. Each section had a different toll. Some had toll booths where you had to take a card, while others required you to pay first without a card. Look at the signs above the toll booths to see if you need to take the ETC lane or the regular lane with the toll sign. There was a toll to get to Paris, and there was a toll on one section of the highway to Monaco. There were no tolls on the highways in southern France, but I remember there was an automatic machine at Nice airport that could exchange paper money for coins. I think the toll machines automatically counted the coins you put in, so you didn't have to count them yourself. There were a lot of one-way streets in France, especially in small towns, and the roads were very narrow. Also, always lock your car doors when you leave it, because we were waiting at a red light on a road in Gannat and someone opened our trunk. Fortunately, we had read in the guidebook to lock the car doors before getting out, so we didn't get stolen. This time, we picked up the car in Paris and drove to the Loire Valley ?
France Q&A