fine line travel

finelinetravels

We sold our house, packed our lives into backpacks and took a career break to travel the world! Check out our blog as we walk the fine line between work and pleasure.

Bay of Fundy Kayaking Adventure

  Posted on August 5, 2015 By finelinetravels in Activities + Canada + Canada Activities

  2 Comments

Sea Kayaking in the Bay of Fundy

It is one thing to view the famous Bay of Fundy from the shore and watch as the tide slowly comes ashore and then retreats. It is another thing to literally sit ‘on’ the water as the tide comes and goes. This is exactly what we did with NovaShores Adventures out of Advocate Harbour in Nova Scotia, Canada.

Source: http://www.bayoffundytourism.com

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 Tags: Bay of Fundy , Nova Scotia , NovaShores Adventures , Sea Kayaking

Coming Home and New Beginnings

  Posted on June 18, 2015 By finelinetravels in Canada

  14 Comments

We recently passed the two-month mark since we planted our feet back on home soil here in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Leading up to our flight back home, we had so many mixed feelings on how things would be once we got back from an incredible nine month adventure around the world. We’ve been a little quiet on the blog lately, so I thought it was about time to put together an update!

 Tags: Canada , Newfoundland , RTW

One week in Ubud, Bali

  Posted on April 27, 2015 By finelinetravels in Indonesia

  11 Comments

After ten days of exploring two of Asia’s most cosmopolitan cities, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, we were ready for the sanctuary that is Ubud, Bali; a small village in the middle of the Indonesian island. Julia Roberts increased the popularity of this place when her character visited the town in the movie, Eat, Pray, Love. Read More

 Tags: Bali , Ubud

Top 10 things to do in Newfoundland & Labrador

  Posted on April 21, 2015 By finelinetravels in Activities + Canada + Newfoundland

  30 Comments

One thing an around the world trip will teach you is just how much you have NOT seen in your very own backyard. On our RTW trip, we saw some of the most spectacular sites across the globe, but now, more than ever, we realize how much we took for granted the beauty of our home, Newfoundland and Labrador. Having said that, we know we are not alone. Read More

 Tags: George Street , Gros Morne National Park , Iceberg , Mallard Cottage , Newfoundland and Labrador , Raymonds Restaurant , Shamrock City , St. John's , Stan Cook Sea Kayaking , Twillingate , Yellowbelly Brewery

Lessons in kindness

  Posted on March 12, 2015 By finelinetravels in Asia + Bosnia & Herzegovina + Croatia + Europe + Journal + Malaysia + Vietnam

  8 Comments

It’s no secret that travelling gives you the opportunity to meet people from all walks of life, from all over the world. Steven and I grew up in Newfoundland, an island in the most eastern part of Canada, where the people are known for their kindness and hospitality. Read More

24 Hours in Singapore

  Posted on March 7, 2015 By finelinetravels in Asia + Singapore

  4 Comments

After spending a week lounging and lazing in bustling Kuala Lumpur, we had a quick stop in Singapore on our way to Indonesia. We spent two days in the city, but after an early morning flight from KL (6 AM arrival), we were completely exhausted. When we reached our hostel (yes, hostel) and checked in, we ended up spending half of our first day catching up on sleep! However, we still managed to squeeze in a lot on day two. Read More

 Tags: Adler Hostel , Crust Pizza Bar , Fullerton Hotel , Gardens by the Bay , Long Bar , Marina Bay Sands , Singapore , Singapore Sling

One week in Kuala Lumpur

  Posted on March 6, 2015 By finelinetravels in Asia + Malaysia

  9 Comments

Kuala Lumpur (KL) was by no means a lock in our around the world travel plans, however, if the flight prices were right and time allowed, we decided that we’d definitely stop by and visit the home of the, not so long ago, tallest buildings on earth. I’m talking about the famous Petronas Towers or ‘Twin Towers’ as they are commonly called in Asia. Read More

 Tags: Batu Caves , Kuala Lumpur , Kuala Lumpur Marriott , Thaipusam

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Critics blast new VP nominee Tim Walz for 'massive' COVID-19 fraud 'under his watch'

The governor says there have been leadership changes since the fraud occurred.

With Tim Walz joining Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris on the campaign trail as her newly selected running mate , critics are blasting the Minnesota governor for what they claim was his failure to prevent a massive COVID-19 fraud scheme that has ensnared the state government.

According to federal charges filed over the past couple of years, at least 70 people were part of a wide-ranging criminal conspiracy that exploited two federally-funded nutrition programs to fraudulently obtain more than $250 million in one of the largest COVID-era fraud schemes anywhere in the nation.

The defendants allegedly used a Minnesota-based nonprofit organization called Feeding Our Future to avoid tough scrutiny from the Minnesota Department of Education, which was supposed to be conducting oversight of the programs.

MORE: Harris officially names Tim Walz as vice presidential running mate

On Tuesday, shortly after Walz was announced as Harris' running mate, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune newspaper published a story saying the case was one of the leading "vulnerabilities for Walz." By then, the pro-Trump group MAGA Inc. had already blasted out an email calling Walz "an incompetent liberal" for, among other things, "allow[ing] one of the largest fraud schemes to happen under his watch."

"Governor Walz and the people he directly hired and oversaw lost half a billion dollars to fraud in a few short years as governor," Joe Teirab, a pro-Trump Republican and former federal prosecutor running for Congress in the Minneapolis suburbs, posted to X on Monday night, just hours before Harris picked Walz. "Imagine fraud at that scale nationwide."

So far, more than 20 people have pleaded guilty or been convicted for their roles in the fraud scheme. None have been sentenced yet. Two of those charged were found not guilty, and most are still awaiting trial.

"Defendants falsified documents, they lied, and they fraudulently claimed to be feeding millions of meals to children in Minnesota during COVID," Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson said at a press conference in June, after the first trial in the case concluded. "This conduct was not just criminal. It was depraved, and brazen."

But it may have also been preventable, according to a state audit released in June.

"[T]he failures we highlight in this report are symptoms of a department that was ill-prepared to respond to the issues it encountered with Feeding Our Future," said the 103-page report, detailing the findings of a limited "special review" by Minnesota's Office of the Legislative Auditor.

The state agency not only "failed to act on warnings signs known to the department prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and prior to the start of the alleged fraud," but its "actions and inactions created opportunities for fraud," the auditor said.

The report said that while officials inside the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) had at times expressed concerns about the nonprofit, they felt hamstrung in acting on their concerns due to "operational challenges" during the pandemic, including limited ability to visit sites in person, and due to a "litigation and public relations campaign" from Feeding Our Future that included allegations of discrimination.

"While we acknowledge these factors created challenges for the department, we also believe MDE could have taken more decisive action sooner in its relationship with Feeding Our Future," the audit report said.

According to the report, after laundering tens of millions of dollars, the fraudsters allegedly used shell companies to buy luxury cars, boats and jewelry, to travel and pay off debts, and to purchase properties in Minnesota and around the world.

After the report's release, Walz said his administration can always "do better," and said, "We certainly take responsibility" for any failures that took place.

The report, which hardly mentions the governor at all, does not find any specific fault with Walz or his immediate office. But Teirab and other critics say Walz still deserves at least some of the blame for the massive fraud.

"He owns what happens within his administration," said Jim Schultz, a Minnesota business advocate and outspoken Republican who two years ago narrowly lost a race to become the state's next attorney general.

"There was this massive fraud under his watch," Schultz told ABC News on Tuesday. "To this day, he has never fired anybody, nobody's been rebuked."

Walz has said there have been leadership changes within state government, including at MDE, since the fraud occurred.

MORE: Charges announced over alleged $120K bribe attempt during pandemic relief fraud trial

Teirab, who says he "helped investigate and prosecute the Feed Our Future fraudsters" when he was still a prosecutor at the U.S. attorney's office in Minnesota several years ago, wrote on X last week, "Tim Walz was asleep at the wheel, allowing a quarter-BILLION in fraud."

A few weeks after five of the defendants were convicted of federal fraud charges in June, the Justice Department indicted five individuals for allegedly trying to bribe a member of the jury in the midst of deliberations, saying they offered the jury member $120,000 in exchange for a not guilty verdict.

One of those who allegedly took part in the bribery scheme was one of the defendants acquitted during the trial.

The Feeding Our Future case is not the only fraud scheme that has impacted Walz's administration.

In June, another audit found that a second state agency failed to adequately oversee a program to pay frontline workers impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Auditors reportedly estimated that more than $200 million may have been paid to people committing fraud or otherwise ineligible to receive payments from the program.

"This wasn't malfeasance," Walz said in response to both audits in June, according to Minneapolis-St. Paul ABC News affiliate KSTP-TV . "Both of these cases, there's not a single state employee that was implicated doing anything that was illegal. They simply didn't do as much due diligence as they should have."

According to Teirab's campaign, a number of Medicaid-related programs have also suffered from fraud and waste under Walz.

A spokesperson for the Harris-Walz campaign did not respond to a request for comment from ABC News.

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The Rise of Blended Travel: The Fine Line Between Work & Play

Last Updated: November 9, 2023 November 15, 2023

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., November 9, 2023 — Remote work has allowed employees to work from anywhere – even while traveling – and many travelers are taking full advantage with blended trips. 

Blended travel refers to trips that include both work and leisure time, whether it’s adding extra vacation days to a business trip or working remotely during a vacation.

Squaremouth recently polled more than 2,500 travel insurance customers regarding their upcoming travel plans and their experience with blended trips. 

Nearly Half of Travelers Have Taken a Blended Trip 

While mixing work with vacation may not be for everyone, almost half of Squaremouth customers confirm that they have experience mixing business with leisure. Over 43% of surveyed travelers revealed that they’ve taken a blended trip in some capacity in the past. 

A Quarter of Travelers Are Planning Blended Trips In the Near Future

Squaremouth experts expect the trend of blended travel to continue moving forward. Roughly a quarter (24%) of Squaremouth customers foresee themselves taking a blended trip in some capacity within the next 12 months. 

Travelers who voiced interest in blended travel indicated what type of trip appeals to them most: 

• 53% of travelers would prefer adding vacation days to their business trips 
• 39% would opt to work remotely while on a personal vacation
• 8% would prefer to travel and work simultaneously as a digital nomad

Methodology: Squaremouth polled more than 2,500 customers between 10/12/2023 and 10/25/2023 to learn more about the popularity of blended travel. View the full survey results here . 

Notes to editors

Available Topic Expert: James Clark, is available for comment and interview. [email protected]

About Squaremouth: Squaremouth.com has insured over 3 million travelers. Using Squaremouth’s intuitive quoting and comparison engine , award-winning support team, and verified customer reviews, travelers can save time and money to find the best travel insurance policy for their trip.

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The Fine Line

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My Personas

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Harry Styles Reveals the Secrets Behind ‘Fine Line’

By Rob Sheffield

Rob Sheffield

Harry Styles twirls in the center of the floor of the L.A. Forum, dancing wildly to his new song “Golden.” The venue is deserted. It’s Thursday afternoon, just a few hours before the release of his hotly awaited second album, Fine Line . He’s rehearsing for Friday night’s big album-release celebration show. (Outside the arena, the parking lot is full of tents — fans from around the world have been camping out all week, awaiting a spot on this floor.) After a few hours of rehearsing with his band, Styles cuts loose as the new album begins to blast over the speakers, breaking into a dance of joy. It’s probably the last time he’ll ever hear this song in a room where nobody else is dancing.

Backstage, he lounges on a leather couch in his corduroy flares, a string of pearls, and a yellow T-shirt depicting a panda and the words “I’m Gonna Die Lonely.” He and his musical wingman, Tom “Kid Harpoon” Hull, argue over the set list for the upcoming world tour, even though it doesn’t start until April. His mother reaches for an apple; ever the dutiful rock-star son, Styles directs her to the bowl where the tastier apples are hidden. He’s restless with anticipation for the world to hear his new songs, and he’s not doing a great job of hiding it.

Fine Line is the soulful, expansive, joyous pop masterpiece Styles has been reaching for ever since he blew up nearly 10 years ago, as the heartthrob of One Direction. As he sings in “Lights Up,” the single that dropped in September, he’s stepping into the light. “It all just comes down to I’m having more fun, I guess,” he says. “I think ‘Lights Up’ came at the end of a long period of self-reflection, self-acceptance,” he says. “Through the two years of making the record I went through a lot of personal changes — I just had the conversations with myself that you don’t always have. And I just feel more comfortable being myself.”

His life has changed in oh-so-many ways — some involving the occasional magic mushroom, others involving the even more psychedelic power of a broken heart. The music ranges from the Laurel Canyon hippie soft-rock vibe of “Canyon Moon” — Styles calls it “Crosby, Stills, and Nash on steroids” — to the R&B pulse of “Adore You.” Fine Line is a breakup album that’s often sorrowful but reflects the introspective evolution of a 25-year-old navigating the seas of having sex and feeling sad , despite Styles having spent so much of his youth in the spotlight. He’s refusing to follow trends or fit any formula. “The overall arc is just that I tried to redefine what success means to me. I tried to rewire what I thought about it. A lot changes in two years, especially after coming out of the band and just working out what life is now. I feel so much freer, making this album — you get to a place where you feel happy even if the song is about the time when you weren’t  that happy.”

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The first time Styles played this album for me, back in June, it was a few miles away, in L.A.’s Henson Studios, the same room where his idol Carole King made Tapestry  — for him, sacred ground. “I look back on the last album,” he said then, referring to his 2017 solo debut. “And I thought I was being so honest, just because there’s one line about having a wank. I had no idea. You write a song that’s pretty open and honest, and you think, ‘That’s just my  song,’ but then you hand it over to people, and it’s like, ‘Oh fuck!’ Until people hear them, they’re not even songs. They’re just voice notes.”

Here is Styles’ song-by-song guide to Fine Line  — along the creative and emotional journey he took while making it.

“Golden”

The first song written for Fine Line , on the second day of the sessions at Shangri-La Studios in Malibu. “That was always the first one I played to people,” he says. “That was just always going to be Track One.” It’s a blast of vintage Seventies SoCal soft rock, the kind of Laurel Canyon mellowness that suffused his first album, layered in guitars and harmonies. “When we wrote ‘Golden,’ we were sitting around the kitchen in the studio, and I was playing it on guitar. There were five of us singing the harmonies — the acoustics in the kitchen made it sound so cool, so we thought, this song’s gonna work.”

Even in this sunny SoCal pop tune, there’s a tinge of bittersweet loss: As the sun goes down, he pleads, “I don’t wanna be alone.” As he says, “ I don’t know much about Van Morrison’s life, but I know how he felt about this girl, because he put it in a song. So I like working the same way.”

Harry Styles, Stevie Nicks Duet 'Landslide' in Emotional Tribute to Christine McVie

Kings of leon ease into a new beginning on 'can we please have fun', “watermelon sugar”.

Styles did this fruit-crazed jam on Saturday Night Live , stretching out with his live band. He wrote “Watermelon Sugar” with producer Tyler Johnson, Tom Hull, and guitar sidekick Mitch Rowland; as with the whole album, he worked with members of his tight rotating cast of friends and collaborators, rather than the usual hit squad of pros. “ If you’re going in with session writers or something, you spend one or two days there, and there is no way that person really cares about your album as much as you do. Because they’re into something else tomorrow. I know that Mitch, Tyler, Tom, Sammy [Witte], Jeff [Bhasker] wanted the album to be as good as I wanted to be. They don’t care if it’s their song or not. They’re not concerned how many songs they get on an album. They want it to be the best album it can possibly be. We’ll bond over music we love and things we’re going through. It’s not like there’s one person in the group that’s like, ‘Well, no, I don’t talk about that. I just make beats.’”

A massive influence on the album — and on his life — is his experience on his first solo tour, stepping out without One Direction. “ The tour, that affected me deeply. It really changed me emotionally. Having people c ome to sing the songs. For me the tour was the biggest thing in terms of being more accepting of myself, I think. I kept thinking, ‘Oh wow, they really want me to be myself. And be out and do it.’ That’s the thing I’m most thankful for, of touring. The fans in the room [make] this environment where people come to feel like they can be themselves. There’s nothing that makes me feel more myself than to be in this whole room of people. It made me realize people want to see me experiment and have fun. Nobody wants to see you fake it.”

“Adore You”

“‘Adore You’ is the poppiest song on the album,” he says of the latest single. “This time I really felt so much less afraid to write fun pop songs. It had to do with the whole thing of being on tour and feeling accepted. I listen to stuff like Harry Nilsson and Paul Simon and Van Morrison, and I think, well, Van Morrison has ‘Brown Eyed Girl’ and Nilsson has ‘Coconut.’ Bowie has ‘Let’s Dance.’ The fun stuff is important.”

“Lights Up”

After kicking off his solo career with “Sign of the Times,” a sprawling glam-rock piano epic, Styles surprised many fans with his first single from Fine Line : a succinct, sleek R&B groove. “When I played it for the label, I told them, ‘This is the first single. It’s two minutes, thirty-five. You’re welcome.’” It came late in the sessions: “Lights Up,” “Treat People with Kindness,” and “Adore You” were written in the final week this spring, in a burst of inspiration.

For Styles, it has something to do with stepping out on his own. When he began songwriting, it was as a member of the group. “‘Happily’ was the first time I saw my name in the credits. I liked that,” he says. “But I knew I’d only sing part of it. I knew if I wrote a really personal song, I wouldn’t sing it. It was like a safety net. If a song was too personal, I could back away and say, ‘Well, I don’t have anything to do with it.’ The writing was like, ‘Well, if I was going to write a song about myself, I’d probably never sing it.’  It’s like storytelling. Sometimes if you’re, like, telling a really personal story, then the voice changes every few lines; it doesn’t quite do the same thing. As the songs got more personal, I think I just became more aware that at some point there might be a moment where I would want to sing it myself.”

A turning point was “Two Ghosts,” a ballad from his solo debut. “’Two Ghosts’ I wrote for the band, for Made in the A.M . But the story was just a bit too personal. As I started opening up to write my more personal stuff, I just became aware of a piece of me going, ‘I want to sing the whole thing.’ Now I look at a track list and these are all my little babies. So every time I’m playing a song, I can remember writing it, and exactly where we were and exactly what happened in my life when I wrote it. So the whole show is this massive emotional journey, you know? That’s a big difference, rather than every 20 minutes you go, ‘Oh, I remember this one.’”

“Cherry”

The most powerful moment on Fine Line  — a raw confession of jealousy. His engineer Sammy Witte was playing an acoustic guitar riff that Styles overheard and loved. “That was the moment of saying, ‘Yeah, I want my songs to sound like that,’” he says. It ends with a female voice speaking French, while Harry jams on guitar. “ That’s just a voice note of my ex-girlfriend talking. I was playing guitar and she took a phone call — and she was actually speaking in the key of the song.”

“Falling”

A dreamy soul ballad. “ Tom had come up to my place to grab something, and he’d sat at the piano and I’d just got out of the shower. He started playing, and we wrote it there. So I was completely naked when I wrote that song.”

“To Be So Lonely”

“ The song ‘To Be So Lonely’ is just really like the articulation of Mitch’s brain,” Styles says. “Even when Mitch plays to himself, he’s got the swing.” The song was composed on a guitalele — a ukulele with six strings. “They’re really good for writing on, because you can travel with them. I had one of those with me in Japan, so they’re really good for spur-of-the-moment ideas.”

“She”

A fantastic six-minute rock epic with a loopy guitar excursion, as if Prince circa “Purple Rain” jammed with Pink Floyd circa “Shine On You Crazy Diamond.” “Mitch played that guitar when he was a little, ah, influenced,” Styles says. “Well, he was on mushrooms, we all were. We had no idea what we were doing. We forgot all about that track, then went back later and loved it. But Mitch had no idea what he did on guitar that night, so he had to learn it all over from the track. That one to me feels really British. I usually sing with a slight American twang, because the first person I ever listened to was Elvis Presley. When I’ve been doing the track listing, and ticking off the ones to definitely make the album, it’s always in the first three to be ticked. That’s a phenomenal song.”

“Sunflower, Vol. 6”

An experimental trip with “deep cut” written all over it: “ I would love people to listen to the whole album. I want people to listen to every song. Even with streaming and playlists, I love listening to records top to bottom. So I want to make make albums that I want to listen to top to bottom, because that’s just how I listen to music.”

“Canyon Moon”

“I was in a pretty big Joni hole,” Style admits. Inspired by his Southern California surroundings — and his obsession with Joni Mitchell’s 1971 classic Blue —  he tracked down Joellen Lapidus , the woman who built the dulcimer Mitchell plays throughout that album. Back in the day, Lapidus introduced Mitchell to the wonders of the mountain dulcimer; she took it backpacking around Europe and wrote some of her most classic songs on it. Styles and Tom Hull got their first lesson in the instrument from Lapidus herself, at her house in Culver City. He proudly calls this song “Crosby, Stills, and Nash on steroids.” When he played Fine Line for Stevie Nicks this summer, she picked this as her favorite — and as you may know, Stevie’s opinion means a lot to the young man she called “my little muse Harry Styles.”

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This up-with-people singalong doesn’t sound like anything else on the album. It began after the slogan was featured prominently on Styles’ first solo tour: “I told Jeff, I would love to someday write a song called ‘Treat People With Kindness.’ And he was like, ‘Why don’t you just do it?’ It made me uncomfortable at first, because I wasn’t sure what it was — but then I wanted to lean into that. I feel like that song opened something that’s been in my core.”

“Fine Line”

The longest and most eccentric song on the album — one of the first to be written, as a simple folky ballad, but it kept expanding and evolving. “It’s a weird one,” Styles says. “It started simple, but I wanted to have this big epic outro thing. And it just took shape as this thing where I thought, ‘That’s just like the music I want to make.’ I love strings, I love horns, I love harmonies — so why don’t we just put all of that in there?” It typifies the spirit of the whole project. But he knows he can’t please everyone. “When my granddad first heard ‘Lights Up,’ he was, ‘Yeah, I had to listen to it a couple times to get it. But I’m just glad you’re still working.’ It was funny, but I thought, I’m  just glad I’m still working.”

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Billy Joel in Cardiff: Road closures, travel advice and parking information

• Cardiff City
• Cardiff Council
• principality stadium
• Friday 9 August 2024 at 9:55am

American singer-songwriter Billy Joel will be playing at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff tonight (Friday, 9 August).

It is the artist's only performance in Europe this year, with more than 70,000 fans expected to head to the stadium.

With gates to the stadium opening at 5pm, a Cardiff Council spokesperson said there will be "a full city centre road closure around the stadium from 3pm until midnight on safety grounds".

The M4 motorway is also expected to be very busy due to this concert.

The council has asked that people plan ahead and avoid the congestion in Cardiff by using the park and ride at Cardiff City Football Club in Leckwith.

It added: "Those attending the concert are strongly advised to plan their journey and get in early."

Road closures

From 7am, Scott Road and Park Street will be closed because of the need to prepare Gate 5 and protect queuing fans.

The following roads will be closed as part of the full city centre road closure which will take place at 3pm until midnight:

Kingsway from its junction with North Road to its junction with Duke Street.

Cowbridge Road East from its junction with Cathedral Road to its junction with Westgate Street.

Tudor Street from its junction with Clare Road to its junction with Wood Street (access for residents and traders will be permitted via Fitzhammon Embankment.)

Plantagenet Street and Beauchamp Street from their junctions with Despenser Place to their junctions with Tudor Street (access for residents and traders will be permitted).

The following roads will be closed in their entirety: Duke Street, Castle St, High Street, St Mary Street, Caroline Street, Wood Street, Central Square, Westgate Street, Quay Street, Guildhall Place, Golate, Park Street, Havelock Street and Scott Road.

Station Terrace and Guildford Street from the junction with Newport Road to the junction with Churchill Way will have access for buses only during the times of the road closures. This is to ensure that there is reliable access for buses to the satellite points in Churchill Way.

Additionally, Penarth Road will be closed 30 minutes before the concert finishes and up to an hour after the concert ends on safety grounds for train passengers arriving and departing from the train station.

Access to part of the Civic Centre will be controlled throughout the day, with access allowed only for event parking, limited commuter parking, loading and access to private car parks.

Roads affected include: King Edward VII Avenue, Museum Avenue, City Hall Road, College Road and Gorsedd Gardens Road.

Transport for Wales will be providing additional capacity where possible on routes in and out of Cardiff on Friday, but trains are expected to be very busy, so customers are encouraged to allow plenty of time for their journey.

Post-event queues for mainline rail services will be on Central Square and queues for Valleys services will be to the rear of the station.

Cardiff Queen Street will close at 9.30pm, except for accessible access and passengers who wish to travel to Cardiff Bay.

The National Eisteddfod is also taking place in Pontypridd, which will mean that services could be busy.

Great Western Railway (GWR) will run additional services to help customers get home after the concert. Extra trains will operate from Cardiff Central to Swansea, Newport, Bristol and Swindon, with plenty of parking available at station car parks.

Trains are, however, expected to be very busy immediately after the concert and a queuing system will be in place outside the station to help people board trains safely.

Park and Ride facilities

Event Park and Ride is available at Cardiff City Stadium at Leckwith and can be accessed from junction 33 off the M4, following the signs to the site.

The drop-off point will be at Fitzhammon Embankment.

The Park and Ride is 1.5 miles from the city centre which takes approximately 10 to 15 minutes.

Staff will arrive at the car park at 8.45am when the site opens, with the first bus leaving at 9am.

The last bus will leave Fitzhammon Embankment at midnight and the park and ride site will close at 12.30am the following morning.

Bus services will be diverted while the city centre road closures are in place.

Can you cycle or walk?

The cycleways and the pop-up cycleways within the road closure area will remain open for cyclists to use during the event, but due to the number of people expected to attend the concert, the council has asked all cyclists to take due care and attention.

The road closures apply to all motor vehicles of any kind, but not to bicycles with pedals.

Shopping parking

City centre car parks are also available: North Road Car Parks, St David's Shopping Centre, John Lewis, Capitol Shopping Centre, and NCP (Adam Street, Dumfries Place and Greyfriars Road).

Disabled parking

Disabled drivers are advised to use Sophia Gardens. Disabled parking is also available at various private car parks.

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The Man in Seat 61

Europe to China or Japan by

Trans-siberian railway.

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A journey on the Trans-Siberian Railway should be on everyone's bucket list.  It's safe, comfortable & affordable.  On this page I'll explain the routes, trains, classes, prices, answer your questions, and help you plan & book your trip.  Page last updated March 2022

IMPORTANT UPDATE 2024:   All international Trans-Siberian trains between Russia & China have been suspended since February 2020, originally due to Covid-19.  They remain suspended until further notice, although a weekly Irkutsk-Ulan Bator train resumed in late 2022.  All international trains between western Europe & Russia are suspended because of the war in Ukraine and sanctions.  Russian domestic trains are running including Moscow-Vladivostok.  However, the Foreign Office advises against all travel to Russia because of the war, see www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/russia .  I have left this page as was pre-pandemic, but various companies including Real Russia may no longer be trading.

Trans-Siberian trains, fares, tickets

Connecting trains & ferries

What is the trans-siberian railway.

The Trans-Siberian Railway is just one part of the massive Russian railway network, transporting passengers and freight safely at affordable prices.  It connects the European rail network at one end with either Vladivostok or the Chinese rail network at the other.  Take a look at the route map below to see where the Trans-Siberian Railway goes.  You can use it to travel overland in either direction between London, Paris or anywhere in Europe and China, Japan, Korea or even Southeast Asia...

Interactive map : Trans-Siberian, Trans-Mongolian, Trans-Manchurian

There's also a less well-travelled route to China via Kazakhstan, sometimes known as the Silk Route, for details click here .

An overview of the 3 routes

Moscow to Vladivostok :   Every day, the Rossiya (the Russia, train number 2 eastbound, train 1 westbound) leaves Moscow on its 9,259 km (5,752 mile) journey to Vladivostok, taking 8 nights/7 days.  In addition, 3 times a week you'll also find un-named train 61 westbound & 62 eastbound which link Moscow with Vladivostok with fewer stops in just 7 nights/6 days.  This is almost the longest train ride of them all, 9,259 km or 5,752 miles.  Trains 1/2 & 61/62 have 2nd class 4-berth compartments called kupé , open-plan bunks called platskartny & a restaurant car, see the photos below .  There are no longer any 2-berth spalny vagon sleepers on these trains, at least not at the moment, but if you like you can pay for 4 tickets to get sole occupancy of a 4-berth sleeper for one, two or three people.  These trains now have dynamic pricing, one-way fares from Moscow to Vladivostok start at around 11,500 rubles ($170 or £140) in kupé with a bed in a 4-berth sleeper, more if booked through an agency.  See a brief account of the journey .  There is a weekly ferry from Vladivostok to South Korea & Japan taking 2 nights & 1 day, although this was discontinued in February 2020, it has been resurrected by another company using the same ship, and should start taking passengers when borders reopen after the pandemic.

Two routes to China :   Although the main Trans-Siberian line runs from Moscow to Vladivostok, most western travellers head for China on one of two branches, the Trans-Mongolian line (completed in the 1950s) or the Trans-Manchurian line (built around 1900), see the route map .  There are two direct trains each week between Moscow & Beijing, train 3/4 via Mongolia using Chinese coaches and train 19/20 Vostok via Manchuria using Russian coaches.

Moscow to Beijing via Mongolia :   This is arguably the most interesting Trans-Siberian route to take.  The weekly Trans-Mongolian train (train 4 eastbound, train 3 westbound) leaves Moscow for Beijing every Tuesday night.  The 7,621 km (4,735 mile) journey takes 6 nights.  This train crosses Siberia, cuts across Mongolia and the Gobi desert, then enters China.  Westbound, it leaves Beijing every Wednesday morning.  This train uses Chinese rolling stock and has deluxe 2-berth compartments (with shared shower), 1st class 4-berth compartments & 2nd class 4-berth compartments.  Booked through a local Russian agency, journey costs around $805 or £555 one-way in 2nd class 4-berth or $1130 or £780 in 1st class 2-berth.  See an illustrated account of the journey .

Moscow to Beijing via Manchuria: The weekly Trans-Manchurian train (the Vostok , train 20 eastbound, train 19 westbound, using Russian rolling stock) leaves Moscow on Saturday nights for Beijing via Manchuria, taking just over six days to cover the 8,986km (5,623 miles).  Westbound, it leaves Beijing every Saturday night.  There are 2-berth 1st class compartments (spalny vagon) and 4-berth 2nd class compartments (kupé).  Prices are similar to the Chinese train.

Other Trans-Siberian trains:   These aren't the only Trans-Siberian trains.  Far from it!  Many other trains run over parts of these routes.  There's even a slightly slower Moscow-Vladivostok train, train 100 taking 7 nights instead of 6...  See the Trans-Siberian timetable below .

Planning your trip

1.  when to go eastbound or westbound is it safe.

Yes, the Trans-Siberian is perfectly safe, even for families or solo females.  It's the way Russian families and women travel, after all.

You can go at any time of year as the Trans-Siberian Railway operates all year round.  Naturally, the summer months from May to September have the best weather and the longest daylight hours so are the most popular.  In winter it's easier to get tickets, the trains are warmly heated and the Siberian landscape beautiful in the snow, but the hours of daylight will be shorter and stretching your legs at stations or visiting the cities will be chillier.  In many ways it's the slushy thaw around April that's least attractive. 

On board the trains, Kupé 4-berth sleepers (2nd class) is the usual comfortable choice for most westerners.  2-berth Spalny Vagon (1st class) is now quite rare, but you can pay for 4 tickets in kupé to get sole occupancy or a 4-berth compartment if you like.

You can travel the Trans-Siberian Railway either eastbound or westbound, it's up to you, although eastbound tends to be more popular with westerners, perhaps because going out by rail from your local station and flying back is more romantic than starting your trip with a flight.  On this page I cover both directions, remember that any comments written from an eastbound perspective usually apply westbound too!

See the Trans-Siberian travel tips for more advice & answering all your FAQs .

2.  Decide on your route & final destination

The Trans-Siberian Railway doesn't just go to Vladivostok.  It links Europe with China, Japan, Korea, even Vietnam and South East Asia.  How about  going to Beijing?  Shanghai?  Hong Kong?  Tokyo?  Tibet?  See the Trans-Siberian route map to open your mind to all the possibilities which the Trans-Siberian Railway offers.  You can even reach Hanoi, Saigon, Bangkok or Singapore overland from London.

Vladivostok is an interesting place for a day or two if you're passing through before catching the ferry to Japan or Korea , but probably not worth a 7 day journey from Moscow just for its own sake.  Beijing is a far better choice of destination as it's an absolutely amazing city that's well worth the overland trip from Europe.

The Trans-Mongolian is easily the most interesting of the three routes, even though it means an extra visa, there are superb views of the Gobi desert and a chance to stop off in Mongolia on the way. 

But why end your trip in Beijing?  Shanghai or Xian are just a few hours high-speed train ride away.  There are trains from Beijing to Hong Kong . How about Japan?  There are ferries from Shanghai to Osaka .  There's even a twice-weekly direct train from Beijing to Hanoi in Vietnam taking 2 nights, 1 day ( see the Vietnam page ), then you can take daily trains to Saigon, a bus to Phnom Penh and on to Bangkok, then a train to Malaysia & Singapore, see the Cambodia & Thailand pages.

3.  Do you want to stop off?

You cannot buy an open ticket and hop on and off, as the Trans-Siberian is an all-reserved long-distance railway where everyone gets their own sleeping-berth and every ticket comes printed with a specific date, train number, car & berth number.  However, you can easily arrange stopovers along the way using a separate ticket for each train, easily pre-booked especially if you use the Trans-Siberian Trip Planner .

The varied scenery and camaraderie on board the direct Moscow-Beijing trains makes non-stop travel on these trains an enjoyable option and maximises your time in China.  On the other hand, travelling to Vladivostok non-stop in 7 days can be tedious (I should know) and it's better the break up the journey and see something of Siberia.  And even if you're heading for China, there's lots worth stopping off for on the way if you have time.

The obvious stopovers are Irkutsk in Siberia for Lake Baikal and Ulan Bator in Mongolia, for a side trip into the Gobi desert.  If you have more time, Ekaterinberg & Ulan Ude are also worth a stop.

To help decide where to stop off, buy a copy of Bryn Thomas' excellent Trans-Siberian Handbook , with journey planning information, town guides, the history of the line, and best of all, a mile-by-mile guide to the sights you can see from the train, which really helps you get the most from the trip. The Lonely Planet Trans-Siberian Railways guide is also good.

Most western travellers pre-book all their tickets, but if you have lots of time and are determined to stay flexible and buy tickets at stations as you go, read this section about buying tickets at the station .

4.  Plan your Trans-Siberian trains

There is no such train as the Trans-Siberian Express but a whole range of trains across Siberia, including countless Russian domestic trains plus a handful of direct international trains to Mongolia and China.  Plan your trains using the Trans-Siberian timetable below or the Trans-Siberian trip planner .  Within Russia, there are both faster quality trains & slower cheaper trains, it's your call which you take.

So for example, if you chose to travel from Moscow to Beijing straight through without stopovers, you'd obviously book one of the weekly direct Moscow-Beijing trains, trains 4 or 20.  But if, say, you wanted to go from Moscow to Beijing with stopovers at Irkutsk and Ulan Bator, you might first take any regular daily Russian domestic train from Moscow to Irkutsk, and it might be nice to ride the Moscow-Vladivostok Rossiya for this bit unless a cheaper ticket for a slower lower-quality train better suited your budget.  Then you might take train 6 from Irkutsk to Ulan Bator 4 times a week, as this is easier to get berths on and more frequent than waiting for weekly train 4.  Then you might pick up trains 4 or 24 from Ulan Bator to Beijing.  Browse the Trans-Siberian timetable or use the Trans-Siberian trip planner .

5.  How much will it cost?  How long does it take?

To give you a rough idea, the cheapest trip put together yourself would include a Moscow-Beijing 2nd class train ticket from around £442 or $590, plus a London-Moscow train ticket for around £200.  You'll also need at least 1 night in a hotel in Moscow, and of course you need to budget for visas for Russia, China and possibly Mongolia and Belarus, plus travel insurance .  But it all depends on what you want to do, and how economically or luxuriously you want to travel.

Fares are shown in the fares section below , although what you actually pay depends on how you buy your tickets as the various booking agencies add differing mark-ups.  You can use the Real Russia Trans-Siberian trip planner to get a good idea of cost including stopovers.

In terms of time, London to Beijing with a one day stopover in Moscow takes around 10 days, London to Beijing with 2-days in Irkutsk and 3 days in Ulan Bator in Mongolia would take 15 days.  London to Tokyo or Hanoi with stopovers in Moscow and Vladivostok takes about 14 days.  You could reach Bangkok in around 20 days.  But where and how long you stop off is up to you.  I suggest sketching out an itinerary and budget using the method explained on the How to plan an itinerary & budget page .

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Booking your trip

Step 1, buy your trans-siberian train tickets.

When you have planned your journey, the first thing to arrange are your Trans-Siberian train tickets.  There are several ways to buy tickets, some cheaper but more effort, others easier but more expensive.  See the how to buy tickets section below for an explanation of all the options, but I'd recommend the Real Russia Trans-Siberian trip planner as arguably the best compromise between cheapness & simplicity for arranging your tickets.

Step 2, book connecting trains, ferries & flights

After booking your Trans-Siberian train ticket, book any onward trains within China , the Beijing-Hanoi (Vietnam) train , a China-Japan ferry , the Vladivostok-Japan ferry or a ferry to South Korea .  You may also need to book a one-way flight if you are going one way by train, the other by air.

Step 3, book your hotels

To find & book hotels in Moscow, Beijing, Vladivostok or in cities along the way, I usually use www.booking.com , as you can usually book their hotels with free cancellation, so you can safely book your accommodation as soon as you decide on your travel dates without any risk of losing money, before confirming your train tickets or visas.  Any hotel with a review score over 8.0 will usually be great.

Step 4, arrange your visas

Once you have booked the Trans-Sib train, you need to arrange your visas.  You can apply for a visa for Russia 6 months or less before your date of entry, although for other countries it's usually 3 months or less.  See the visa section below for details of how to do this .

Step 5, book your train from London to Moscow

Finally, arrange travel from London to Moscow to connect with the Trans-Siberian, see the London to Russia page .  You can also travel to Moscow by direct sleeping-car from Paris, Berlin, Vienna, Prague, Helsinki and many other places, to find train times, use int.bahn.de .  Bookings for European trains typically open 3 months before departure, you can't book until reservations open, so do this bit last.

Step 6, don't forget insurance

Remember to take out travel insurance, ideally immediately after you've booked the first part of the trip, as cancellation cover starts as soon as you buy the insurance.  You might also want to get a VPN for safe browsing on public WiFi during your travels, and perhaps a Curve card to save on exchange rates & foreign transaction fees.  See the section on insurance, Curve card & VPNs .

Don't fly to Moscow!

Flying to Moscow to pick up the Trans-Siberian Railway is like entering a marathon and then accepting a lift in someone's car for the first hundred yards...  Don't cheat!  If you're going to go overland to the Far East, do it properly, starting at London St Pancras and staying firmly on the ground.  It's easy to travel from London to Moscow by train, click here for train times, fares & how to buy tickets .  How about starting your Trans-Siberian trip with Eurostar from London to Paris and then a ride on the excellent Paris-Moscow Express ?  

What are the trains like ?

The Trans-Siberian Railway is a regular railway, a means of transport vital to the people living along it.  It's not run for tourists, so you won't find bar cars with pianos or deluxe suites with en suite showers (although one or two tourist cruise trains now operate on the Trans-Siberian from time to time, details here ).  However, all passengers get a proper flat berth to sleep in, provided with all necessary bedding, convertible to a seat for day use.  There are washrooms and toilets along the corridor, and a restaurant car for meals.  Whichever train you take, the Trans-Siberian is a safe and comfortable way to reach China and the Far East.  You'll find more details about food, showers & toilets in the Travel tips & FAQ section .

A request:  If you get any good current interior or exterior photos to illustrate trains 1/2, 3/4, 5/6, 56, 61/62, 305/306, 23/24, please let me know !

Trains 1 & 2, the Moscow to Vladivostok Rossiya

The famous Rossiya (the Russia) runs from Moscow to Vladivostok every day all year round, 9,259 km (5,752 miles) in 8 nights.  It has 2nd class 4-berth 2nd sleepers (called kupé ), 3rd class open-plan sleeper bunks (called platskartny ) and a restaurant car.  There are no longer any 1st class 2-berth sleepers (called SV or spalny vagon ), at least not at the moment, but you can pay for 4 tickets in kupé to get sole occupancy of a 4-berth compartment for 1, 2 or 3 people.

It's a very comfortable train, re-equipped with the latest air-conditioned sleeping-cars in July 2020 featuring power sockets & USB ports for every passenger, a mini-combination safe for valuables for each passenger and a hot shower in each car.  The bunks convert to seats for daytime use.  There are toilets & washrooms at the end of the corridor, room for luggage under the lower berths and above the door to the corridor.  Compartment doors lock securely from the inside.  The new cars are shown here:  www.tvz.ru/catalog/passenger/item_detail.php?ELEMENT_ID=1374 .

Changes in July 2020:   Train 1/2 Rossiya has always been the fastest train between Moscow & Vladivostok, taking 7 nights.  Until July 2020 it only ran every two days and there was a second slower train between Moscow & Vladivostok, train 99/100 leaving every day, making around 70 more station stops than the Rossiya and taking 8 nights.  Train 99/100 was gradually re-equipped with the very latest cars, and from 9 July 2020 this slower train 99/100 was renumbered 1/2 and became the Rossiya, whilst the former faster train 1/2 was renumbered 61/62.

So travellers now have a choice between riding the famous Rossiya , train 1 westbound & train 2 eastbound with daily departures and the latest rolling stock, but taking 8 nights, or riding nameless train 61/62 running only 3 days a week with slightly older rolling stock, but with 70 fewer stops, taking only 7 nights from Moscow to Vladivostok and saving a whole day & night.  Personally, I'd take the Rossiya , for the name as well as the hot shower in every car!

The photos below show the Rossiya pre-July 2020, courtesy of Yves Goovaerts, David Smith, Nicholas Stone & Hilary Onno.  It's possible that this rolling stock is now used on train 61/62, whilst even newer stock is used on train 1/2 Rossiya.

What's the journey to Vladivostok like ?

The Man in Seat 61 says:   "A journey from Moscow to Vladivostok on the Rossiya was a totally different experience from a previous journey from Moscow to Beijing on train 4.  Travelling to Japan via Vladivostok, my 1st class 2-berth car was comfortable, spotlessly clean and even air-conditioned.  I usually ate in the restaurant car, and by the end of the trip Mischa in the kitchen would have my ham & eggs in the frying pan for breakfast as soon as I appeared in the restaurant.  In contrast to the vibrant international community on board train 4 to Beijing, on train 2 I was the sole Westerner aboard until Irkutsk.  And also unlike the Moscow-Beijing train where almost everyone is making the complete journey, very few passengers on the Rossiya are going all the way to Vladivostok.  The Rossiya is used for all sorts of shorter intermediate journeys, with Russians getting on and off at every station.  I had a compartment all to myself on leaving Moscow, then shared it with a professional Russian ice hockey player from Yaroslavl to Perm, on his way to trial for the team there.  His place was taken by a Russian lady from Yekaterinburg to Irkutsk who said very little.  In Irkutsk two professors from Alabama joined the train and became my meal companions in the restaurant.  The train stops several times a day, usually only for 10-20 minutes, but you can stretch your legs and take photographs.  Arrival in Vladivostok was a full two minutes ahead of schedule, seven days after leaving Moscow. The ocean terminal is adjacent to the station, but you may need to spend a night in Vladivostok to be sure of a safe connection.  Vladivostok is an interesting city, and a day or two spent there will not be wasted.  Overall, the Moscow-Vladivostok route is 7 days of Siberia on a train with few fellow westerners and indeed few Russians making the whole trip.  This makes for a much less interesting journey that the Moscow-Mongolia-Beijing train, and one that it would be good to break up with stopovers rather than make in one go. "

Trains 3 & 4, the Moscow to Beijing Trans-Mongolian Express

Trains 3 (westbound) and 4 (eastbound) link Moscow & Beijing once a week all year round, taking the shorter and most interesting route via Mongolia and the Gobi desert, 4,735 miles in 6 nights.  The train is Chinese, and has Chinese carriage attendants.  Using the correct Chinese terminology it has deluxe soft sleepers (2-berth), soft sleepers (4-berth) and hard sleepers (also 4-berth).  Most westerners are content to use the fairly comfortable & economical 4-berth hard sleepers, which are essentially the equivalent of 4-berth kupé on the Russian trains.  The 4-berth soft sleepers are not worth the extra money as they are virtually identical to the 4-berth hard sleepers, just slightly larger, though not so as you'd notice without getting your tape measure out.  However, the 2-berth deluxe soft sleepers are definitely worth the extra cash if you can get one, as they have upper & lower berths and an armchair in one corner, a small table and access to a compact en suite washroom with shower head shared with the adjacent compartment, see the deluxe sleeper photo here .  Don't expect too much of the shower head though!  There are both western and squat toilets at the end of each car, along with washrooms.  A Russian restaurant car is attached whilst the train is in Russia, a Mongolian one in Mongolia and a Chinese one whilst it is in China, see food details here .

What's a journey to Beijing like?   Click here for an illustrated account...

How to avoid confusion over classes...   Remember that this train is Chinese, not Russian.  Deluxe soft sleeper , soft sleeper & hard sleeper are usually translated for westerners as 1st class 2-berth, 1st class 4-berth & 2nd class 4-berth, certainly by agencies at the Chinese end.  In my opinion that's an appropriate translation as the Chinese 4-berth hard sleepers are equivalent to 4-berth kupé sleepers on Russian trains, and so can safely be thought of as 2nd class, not 3rd.  However, some Russian agencies including the reliable Real Russia booking system translate the deluxe soft sleeper , soft sleeper & hard sleeper on this Chinese train as 1st, 2nd and 3rd class, where 2nd class means a 1st class 4-berth soft sleeper that's not worth the extra money and 3rd class means a comfortable 4-berth hard sleeper which is more accurately thought of as 2nd class and which I would recommend for most budget travellers.  I hope that's clear!  Oh, and train 4, train 004, train 004Z (or in Cyrillic, what is often mistaken for 0043) are all the same train, train 4...

Train 5 & 6 Moscow - Ulan Bator

Train 5 westbound, train 6 eastbound, uses modern air-conditioned Mongolian Railways (MTZ) sleeping-cars, newly-delivered in 2017.  It has 4-berth kupé (2nd class) compartments and spalny vagon (1st class) 2-berth compartments.  These new Mongolian cars have similar interiors to the cars on train 1 & 2 Rossiya .  A Russian restaurant car is attached whilst in Russia.

Trains 19 & 20 Vostok , the Trans-Manchurian train between Moscow & Beijing

Train 19 westbound, train 20 eastbound, the Vostok is the Russian train linking Moscow and Beijing once a week.  It by-passes Mongolia, crossing directly from Russia into China via the older and slightly longer route through Manchuria, 8,986km (5,623 miles) in 7 nights.  The name Vostok simply means 'East'.  The Vostok was given a makeover in 2012-2013, and the photos below show the new red and grey colour scheme and smart refurbished interior.  The train has Russian-style 2-berth & 4-berth sleepers, and a restaurant car - a Russian restaurant when in Russia and a Chinese one when in China.  There are power sockets for laptops, cameras or mobiles in every compartment.  Unlike the Chinese 2-berth sleepers on train 3/4, the Russian 1st class 2-berths on this train are of the Russian spalny vagon type with two lower berths, think of it as a 4-berth with the upper berths removed, but no washbasin or adjacent washroom, as in the 4-berth sleepers there are toilets and washrooms at the end of the corridor.  For an account of this journey, see Angie Bradshaw's blog here .

Trans-Siberian train times

Here is a summary of all the most important trains on the Trans-Siberian Railway.  Make sure you read the notes!  The times shown are departure times unless it says otherwise, at most stations you can assume the arrival time will be 5 to 15 minutes before departure.  There are other slower trains not shown here, simply use the Real Russia online system here to find train times for all possible trains, or to confirm these times.

All times shown below are local time...  Russian trains used to run to Moscow time whilst in Russia, even if local time was 7 hours ahead of Moscow.  However, but RZD Russian Railways ended this century-old practice from August 2018 and now use local time in all their timetables and booking systems.

Fun with time zones...   Russia made Daylight Saving Time (DST) permanent in 2011 making Moscow GMT+4 all year round but in 2014 they changed their minds and abolished it altogether, so Moscow is now GMT+3 all year round.  So China is now permanently 5 hours ahead of Moscow as they too have no DST.  Mongolia was also permanently 5 hours ahead of Moscow and on the same time as Beijing, until the Mongolians changed their minds and reintroduced DST in March 2015 making them GMT+8 (Moscow +5, Beijing+0) in winter but GMT+9 (Moscow+6, Beijing+1) in summer.  But in 2017 they've changed their minds again and have once more abolished DST so Mongolia is now GMT+8 or Moscow time +5 all year round.  Until someone changes their mind again, of course.

IMPORTANT UPDATE 2024:  The timetable below is the pre-pandemic, pre-war-in-Ukraine timetable, for information only.

Eastbound timetable

* Mongolia reintroduced Daylight Saving Time in March 2015.  The times with an asterisk will therefore be approx one hour later from late March to late September.

** Moscow-Beijing is 7,622 km (4,735 miles) via Ulan Bator or 8,986 km (5,623 miles) via Harbin.    Map of Moscow showing Yaroslavsky station

Time zones:   Moscow time is GMT+3 all year.  Mongolia is GMT+8 from late September to late March or GMT+9 from late March to late September.  China is GMT+8 all year.  Mongolia re-introduced daylight saving time in 2015, whilst Russia made DST permanent in 2011 then abolished it in 2014.  Do keep up!

Trains stop for only 1 or 2 minutes at small stations, but 15-50 minutes at major stations, long enough to stretch your legs.

Note A:   Rossiya .  High-quality train, see here for photos & more information .  Runs daily (increased from running every 2 days from 9 July 2020).  Uses the latest air-conditioned cars with a hot shower in every car, 2nd class 4-berth kupé sleepers, 3rd class platskartny berths & restaurant car.  There are now no 1st class 2-berth spalny vagon sleepers, but you can pay for 4 tickets to have sole occupancy of a 4-berth compartment for 1-3 passengers.

Note B:   Moscow-Beijing Trans-Mongolian express , see here for photos & information & see here for an illustrated account of the journey .  Leaves Moscow every Tuesday eastbound, leaves Beijing every Wednesday westbound.  Operated with Chinese coaches & staff.  1st class 2-berth, 1st class 4-berth, 2nd class 4-berth.  Russian restaurant car whilst in Russia, Mongolian restaurant in Mongolia, Chinese restaurant in China.  Note that if you're trying to buy a ticket from Ulan Bator to Beijing, berths on train 4 can only be booked within 24h of departure from Ulan Bator, so you'll find it much easier to use train 24 instead.  Train 4 can be shown online variously as train 4, train 004, train 004Z or with a Russian letter Z as a suffix so it looks like train 0043.  They all mean train 4.  And similarly for train 3.

Note C:   Train 6 runs from Moscow on most Wednesdays, train 5 runs from Ulan Bator on most Fridays.  It has modern Mongolian Railways spalny vagon (1st class) 2-berth   sleepers and kupé (2nd class) 4-berth sleepers.  A restaurant car is attached in Mongolia & in Russia.  It runs every week between late May & late September, but only on alternate weeks off-season, check departure dates using the Real Russia online system .  See here for photos & more information

Note D:   Vostok .  Moscow-Beijing trans-Manchurian express.  Leaves Moscow every Saturday.  Westbound, leaves Beijing every Saturday.  Operates with Russian coaches & staff.  2-berth spalny vagon, 4-berth kupé.  There is a Russian restaurant car whilst in Russia and a Chinese restaurant car in China.  From December 2017 it runs in the similar timings to the Rossiya between Moscow & Ulan Ude and when running days of both trains coincide it will be coupled to the Rossiya .

Note E:   Runs daily.  Fast high-quality train with spalny vagon 2-berth sleepers, kupé  4-berth sleepers, platskartny (open-plan bunks) between St Petersburg & Ekaterinberg.  The St Petersburg-Irkutsk Baikal was discontinued in 2013.  Train 71/72 is now the principal direct link between St Petersburg & Siberia unless you go via Moscow.

Note F:   Train 61/62 is a faster, but un-named alternative to the Rossiya , taking 7 nights rather than the Rossiya's 8, but only running 3 times a week and using slightly older rolling sock, probably that formerly used by the Rossiya pre-2020.  The carriages are still modern and air-conditioned, but without a shower in every car, for example.  Train 61/62 has 2-berth spalny vagon , 4-berth kupé, open-plan platskartny bunks and a restaurant car.

Note G:   Train 305/306 runs 3 times a week, check dates using the online system .  It has 4-berth kupé sleepers on all departures, but only the Monday & Friday departures from Irkutsk have 2-berth spalny vagon sleepers.  The Mongolians claim all 3 departures per week have spalny vagon in the other direction, but I suspect the Monday departure from UB may not have 2-berth spalny vagon if the Wednesday departure in the other direction doesn't.  The Mon & Fri departures from Irkutsk and the Tues & Sat departures from UB use older non-air-con Russian cars, the Wednesday departure from Irkutsk & the Monday departure from UB use Mongolian cars.  All together, trains 3/4, 5/6 & 305/306 link Irkutsk & Ulan Bator 4 or 5 times a week.  There's no restaurant car so bring your own provisions.

Note H:   Runs once a week all year, twice a week in summer.  This train is operated by the Mongolian Railways one year and Chinese Railways the next year, switching over each year at the end of May when the days of operation also change.  Assuming the pattern continues, this is how it should work...

From May 2017 to May 2018 and from May 2019 to May 2020 , Chinese Railways run the main all-year-round service with train 23 from Beijing to Ulan Bator running every Tuesday, train 24 from Ulan Bator to Beijing running every Thursday.  The Mongolians then run an additional weekly departure in summer from late June to early September, train 24 Ulan Bator to Beijing also running on Saturdays, train 23 Beijing to Ulan Bator also running on Mondays. 

From May 2018 to May 2019 , Mongolian Railways run the main all-year-round service with train 23 from Beijing to Ulan Bator running every Saturday, train 24 from Ulan Bator to Beijing running every Thursday.  The Chinese then run an additional weekly departure in summer from late June to early September, train 24 Ulan Bator to Beijing running additionally on Fridays, train 23 Beijing to Ulan Bator running additionally on Tuesdays.

The Chinese train has deluxe soft sleeper (2-berth), soft sleeper (4-berth) & hard sleeper (4-berth).  The Mongolian train has spalny vagon (1st class 2-berth) & kupé (2nd class 4-berth). 

Note that's it's much easier to buy a ticket from Ulan Bator to Beijing on train 24 than to get a berth on train 4 coming through from Moscow.  There are alternative, less convenient but more frequent ways to get from Ulan Bator to Beijing, with changes of train, click here for details .

Trains 3/4, 5/6 & 19/20 between Moscow, Ulan Bator & Beijing are mainly for passengers making international journeys e.g. Moscow to Beijing, Irkutsk to Beijing or Moscow to Ulan Bator) although they may offer berths for domestic Russian journeys.  But if you want to stop off at Ekaterinberg or Irkutsk for example, you would normally take a Russian internal train between Moscow, Ekaterinberg & Irkutsk such as the Rossiya or train 100 as these run more frequently.

Westbound timetable

For trains between Moscow and London, Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin or Warsaw, see the London to Russia page .

For trains within China between Beijing and Shanghai, Hong Kong, Tibet, Xian or the Great wall at Badaling, see the Train travel in China page .

For the trains between Beijing and Hanoi in Vietnam, see the Vietnam page .

For the weekly ferry linking Vladivostok with South Korea & Japan, see the information below .

For ferries between China and Japan, see the ferries section on the China page .

For ferries between China and Korea, see the South Korea page .

Alternative transport between Ulan Bator & Beijing, if you can't get a berth on trains 3/4 or 23/24

If you're trying to do the Trans-Mongolian route flexibly, buying tickets as you go, this is relatively easy between Moscow & Ulan Bator as there are a whole range of domestic trains every day between Moscow, Irkutsk & Ulan Ude and you'll usually find places available even on the day of travel, even if not always on your first choice of class or train.  There's then a daily train between Irkutsk or Ulan Ude and Ulan Bator, although only one carriage of this train goes through to/from Ulan Bator, but there's often places available at short notice.

The real pinch-point is between Ulan Bator and Beijing where there are just two or three direct trains per week.  And one of those is train 4 coming through from Moscow on which only limited berths are available for passengers joining at UB and these are only released for sale 24 hours before departure from UB.  However, there are alternative Mongolian domestic trains between Ulan Bator and the Chinese border, so you're very unlikely to be stranded.  Here are the alternative trains, which are not shown in the timetable above:

Southbound:  Ulan Bator to the Chinese border & onwards to Beijing:   (1)  There is a daily overnight sleeper train (number 276) from Ulan Bator to Zamin Uud on the Mongolian side of the Chinese border, just 10km from the Chinese border post at Erlian.  It leaves Ulan Bator at 17:20 and arrives Dzamin Uud at 07:07 next morning, the fare in a soft sleeper is around 40,000 Mongolian Tugrik ($22).  (2) Local buses or taxis are available to Erlian - a taxi will cost around 40-50 RMB, about $7.  (3) There is then at least one daily train from Erlian to Jining South (Jining Nan) taking 6h50, fare for a hard seat around $7.  (4) There are then various daily trains from Jining South to Beijing, journey between 5h00 and 9h30 depending on the train, fare about $12 for a hard seat.  You can check train times for China using the planner at www.chinahighlights.com .

Northbound:  Beijing to the Chinese border for a train to Ulan Bator:   (1) Take one of the various daily trains from Beijing to Jining South (= Jining Nan), journey 5h00-9h30 depending on the train, fare in a hard seat around $12, you can find train times using the planner at www.chinahighlights.com .  (2) Then use www.chinahighlights.com again to find a train between Jining South and Erlian, there's at least one per day taking 6h50, fare for a hard seat around $7.  (3) Erlian is the Chinese border post, so you'll need to take local transport such as a local taxi the 10km or so across the border to Dzamin Uud on the Mongolian side.  (4) From Dzamin Uud, train 275 runs to UB daily leaving Dzamin Uud at 18:20 and arriving Ulan Bator at 08:55 next morning.  The fare in a soft sleeper is around 40,000 Mongolian Tugrik ($22).

Alternatively, on Mondays & Fridays, a hard class sleeper train (train 34) leaves Ulan Bator at 20:50 arriving Jining South (Jining Nan) around 19:00 next day - the train's final destination is Hohhot.  There are then several daily trains from Jining Nan to Beijing, journey 9 hours, fare about $7 with soft class seat.  www.chinahighlights.com/china-trains will confirm train times for any journey within China, just be aware that trains 3, 4, 23, 24 aren't daily.

On Thursdays & Sundays, a hard class sleeper train (train 22) leaves Ulan Bator at 20:50 for Erlian, just on the Chinese side of the border, arriving next morning.  There are daily trains from Erlian to Jining Nan (Jining South) then a number of daily trains from Jining Nan to Beijing.  Use www.chinahighlights.com/china-trains to find trains within China.

You can check current times for all these Mongolian trains - international and domestic - using the Mongolian Railways website ubtz.mn - English button top right.  If you have more information on these alternative UB-Beijing journey, please e-mail me !

How much does it cost?

In a nutshell....

As little as £492 or $686 buys you a one-way train ticket from Moscow to Beijing on train 4 including a bed in a 4-berth sleeper, pre-booked through a reliable agency such as Real Russia .  For almost 5,000 miles of travel, a bed for 6 nights and a memorable world-class travel experience, that's a bargain!  If you want a bed in a 2-bed sleeper, make that around £787 or $1,097.

Moscow-Vladivostok is an even greater bargain, 7 or 8 nights and 9,000km from as little as 14,500 rubles, about $210 or £170 with a bed in a shared 4-berth sleeper.  You can buy 4 tickets to get sole occupancy of a whole 4-berth compartment for 1, 2 or 3 of you.

If you want to stop off at places on the way, that increases the ticket price a bit, but not hugely.

Add train tickets from London to Moscow for around £250 and you're all set for an epic journey from the UK to China.

You should budget for at least one night in a hotel in Moscow, £40 upwards depending on how classy a hotel you want.

Don't forget visas.  This could add £140-£240 depending on which visas you need.  Russia, China, possibly Mongolia & Belarus.

The full story...

First, a reality check.  People expect me to tell them 'the fare' between Moscow and Vladivostok or Beijing.  It ain't like that!  True, the Russian have a set international tariff for trains to China, which may or may not be the same as the Chinese Railways international tariff for journeys westbound to Russia.  But the direct international trains often leave fully-booked, at least in summer, so you usually have to buy through an agency, and these agencies know that demand exceeds supply and resell tickets with whatever mark-up or added fees the market will bear.  So you have to shop around for quotes, rather than expecting to pay the official price.  And then there are both international and domestic tariffs.  So if you're stopping off in Russia, the fare for a domestic train will be different from the international rate, and will vary significantly by time of year and how high-quality the train in question is.  It's a bit of a black art, but I'll guide you through the jungle...

The good news is that a Trans-Siberian journey needn't be expensive if you travel independently rather than with an inclusive tour.  It's a real railway with regular fares, not an expensive tourist attraction.  But what you pay varies significantly depending on:

Which class you choose .  Most western travellers go 2nd class 4-berth (kupé).  1st class 2-berth (spalny vagon ) is nice if you can afford it, but twice the price of kupé so only worth it if money is no object.  3rd class (platskartny open-plan bunks) is a bit basic for most western travellers and not available on every train, but some adventurous low-budget travellers go for it.

Which train quality you choose :  For journeys wholly within Russia, you can travel on a firmeny fast quality train (recommended) such as train 2 Rossiya or a slow unnamed lower-quality train such as trains 240, 340 or 100 which have cheaper fares.  As a general rule, low train numbers are quality trains, slower low-quality trains have three-digit train numbers.  When you contact an agency, make sure you know what specific train number you're being quoted a fare for so you compare like with like.

Whether you travel independently (cheaper) or book an all-inclusive tour (more expensive).

How you buy :  If travelling independently, you can buy your ticket through a Russian travel agency like Real Russia (cheaper, recommended, easy to use with English language after-sales service), or a western travel agency (more expensive), or book direct with Russian Railways at rzd.ru (fiddly, but works and accepts most people's credit cards) or at the ticket office (cheapest, but not always practical if you need to be sure of being on a certain train on a certain date).

If booking through an agency, which agency you use .  Demand for the two weekly Moscow-Beijing trains exceeds supply, Russian Railways sells off tickets to travel agencies before bookings open to the public, and these agencies sell tickets to tourists for whatever price they can get for them.  So you need to shop around!

Some quality trains such as the Rossiya offer tickets with or without 'services'.  'With services' just means that one or more cooked meals is included in the price, either served in your compartment or eaten in the restaurant car, like the meal shown in these photos .  A number shows the number of meals you get on the whole trip.  It might just be one meal, even on a 7-day journey!  Other meals you'll need to pay for in the restaurant, or bring your own supplies.

Prices if you buy tickets at the ticket office in Moscow

Here are typical fares charged by Russian Railways, taken from the Russian Railways website www.rzd.ru .  In the search results, 2-cl sleeping compt. = kupé 4-berth.  3-cl sleeping = platskartny .  Russian fares for key trains now dynamic, so vary according to demand like air fares.  www.rzd.ru also lets you buy Russian domestic train tickets online, but not tickets for the international trains to Mongolia or China, and it may struggle with some overseas credit cards.

With or without services?   On the best trains you can buy tickets without services meaning without any meals, or with services meaning with some meals included, either served in the restaurant or in your compartment.   On the Real Russia booking system , a knife & fork logo with a number against that class (with a У1, У4, and so on appearing if you hover over it) in the class column indicates a 'with services' price where the number shows the number of meals provided.  On www.rzd.ru a 'with services' carriage is shown with a У1, У4 and so on against it in the category column - no 'У' and no number means without services .  Don't get too excited:  On the Moscow-Vladivostok Rossiya a 'with services' ticket means you get just one meal, even on a 7 day trip!

Prices if you buy tickets from Real Russia or other Russian agency

Unless you have lots of time and can afford to take pot luck when you get to Moscow, you should book your trains in advance.  Most westerners buy tickets through a travel agency, either a local Russian one such as the excellent Real Russia or other reputable Russian agencies (recommended) or a specialist western agency (sometimes less hassle, but significantly more expensive).  Different agencies charge completely different prices for the same journey, so shop around for the best deal.  However, to give you a rough idea, here are the prices charged by Real Russia, including their agency mark-up.  'Shopping around' means emailing each agency for a specific quote, not just looking at their website, as some agencies don't update their sites when prices rise - and Russian & Chinese railways have imposed some big fare rises in recent years.  When emailing an agency, be specific about which train you want, and remember to ask about their delivery charges & credit card fees.  I've seen websites quote very competitive prices for (say) Moscow-Irkutsk which turn out to be for a low-quality slow train, and the price they charge for a quality train such as the Rossiya is much higher and less competitive.  When you get quotes, make sure you compare like with like!  And some agencies charge credit card fees of up to 12% on top of their advertised fares (Real Russia charge 2.5%), so make sure the quote explains these.  How to buy tickets from Russian travel agencies .

Where did I get these fares?  How can you check current fares & fares for other journeys?  See the Real Russia Trans-Siberian trip planner .

Prices if you buy tickets from a western travel agency

There are various western agencies who specialise in Trans-Siberian travel.  They can sell you a package tour or arrange a tailor-made tour for you, but they can also sell just a train ticket if you like.  Their prices vary enormously, so shop around.  With higher overheads to support, a western agency will charge much more than a local Russian agency.  More about arranging your trip through a western tour agency .

Prices if you buy at the ticket office in Ulan Bator

Ulan Bator to Irkutsk costs around 109,500 togrog ($54) in 4-berth soft sleeper on train 263 or 137,500 togrog in 4-berth soft sleeper on train 5.

Ulan Bator to Beijing costs around 178,050 togrog (about $90) in a 4-bed sleeper on train 24.

More about buying tickets in Ulan Bator

Prices if you buy tickets in Beijing or from www.chinahighlights.com

You can buy tickets in person at Beijing main station or via the Chinese state tourist agency CITS, or arguably most easily online from reliable China-based agency www.chinahighlights.com/china-trains with ticket delivery to any hotel or address in China, Hong Kong or Macau.  see the full story below about how to buy westbound tickets from Beijing .

Check Trans-Siberian train times & prices online

Use www.realrussia.co.uk/Trains to check train times & prices and buy tickets for any individual train on the Trans-Siberian Railway.

How to buy tickets

There are several ways to book a trip on the Trans-Siberian Railway, each with advantages & disadvantages:

Option 1 : Buy tickets at the station

Is buying tickets at the station a practical proposition.

If you have a definite itinerary and limited time, and want to be sure of confirmed reservations, you should go straight to option 2 below to pre-book your tickets in advance through a reputable agency.  However, if you have lots of time, want to stay free and flexible, and are willing to take pot luck on what places you find available, it is indeed possible to buy your tickets at stations as you go along, at least for journeys wholly within Russia.  It's not usually difficult to get a ticket for a Russian internal journey a day or two before departure, for example Moscow-Ekaterinberg, Moscow-Irkutsk or even Moscow-Vladivostok, assuming you can be flexible about your exact departure date, time and class of travel.  The daily Irkutsk-Ulan Bator train is not too difficult to book at the ticket office, either.

But for travel between Russia and Mongolia or China, here's a reality check:  Demand exceeds supply for the two weekly Moscow-Beijing Trans-Mongolian & Trans-Manchurian trains (trains 4 & 20), also the weekly Moscow-Ulan Bator train (train 6), at least in the busy May-September peak summer season.  Russian Railways opens bookings 60 days before departure, and Russian travel agencies buy up all the tickets to resell them at a mark-up.  Station staff might tell you that these trains are all sold out even if you went to the station soon after bookings opened to the public, although you may be able to buy tickets if you called one of the agencies.  If you want to use these trains, you should pre-book through an agency as shown in option 2 or 3 below .  Ulan Bator to Beijing is also a pinch-point, as there are only 2 trains a week, so this too is best booked in advance through an agency.

How to buy tickets in Moscow & Russia

How to buy tickets in ulan bator.

You can buy tickets in Ulan Bator at the international booking office which is now located on the 2nd floor of the building next to the station, see station & ticket office location map .

The office is open 08:00-20:00 Monday-Friday.  At weekends use the normal booking windows.  Credit cards are not accepted, but there is an ATM on the first floor of the building.

International trains to Irkutsk, Moscow and Beijing can be booked up to 30 days in advance, except for berths on the Moscow-Beijing and Beijing-Moscow trains 3/4, on which berths for passengers joining at UB are only sold 24 hours before departure. 

If you are travelling to Beijing and find trains 4 & 24 fully-booked, don't worry, there are alternative trains from Ulan Bator to northern China, where you can change trains for Beijing, and indeed a daily overnight train from Ulan Bator to Dzamin Uud on the Chinese border from where you can easily reach Beijing any day of the week, see here for details of these alternatives .

How to buy tickets in Beijing

You can buy westbound Trans-Siberian tickets in Beijing at one of the designated reservation offices, although not at any of Beijing's stations.  The two weekly Beijing-Moscow trains often get booked up well in advance, so buy tickets as far ahead as you can.  However, don't despair if you need to travel in the near future, as it's not impossible to get tickets from Beijing to Moscow a week or two ahead, certainly outside peak season.  Westbound trains are generally easier to get berths on than eastbound trains, and it's easier finding a place in winter than in the May-September peak season.  Train 3 to Moscow via Mongolia is often fully booked a couple of weeks in advance especially in summer, although it can be easier to get a berth on train 19 via Manchuria, which occasionally has berths available even a few days before departure, but obviously not always!  So the basic message is this:  If you positively have to be on a specific train on a specific date, forget booking at the ticket office, you should pre-book via CITS or some other agency and pay their extra fee.  But if you're living in Beijing, or plan to be there for some time before leaving, and can be a bit flexible about exactly what date you leave, booking in person can be an option.  You can buy Trans-Siberian train tickets in Beijing at:

The CITS international train booking office on the ground floor of the Beijing International Hotel .  This is about 5 minutes walk north of Beijing railway station on Jianguo Men Nei Dajie, see location map .  It's open 09:00-12:00 & 13:30-17:00 Monday-Friday, 09:00-12:00 on weekends and holidays.  It's not well-signed, but simply go through the hotel's main entrance and turn left, looking for a passageway at the far left side if the reception desks.  It's unlikely to be crowded.  The staff speak basic English and leaflets are available with international train times & fares in English.  See the section above for fares. 

Alternatively, try BTG Travel & Tours who have various agency offices around the city.

You cannot buy Trans-Siberian tickets at Beijing stations.

Option 2: Buy tickets using the Real Russia Trans-Siberian planner

Most western travellers want their Trans-Siberian reservations confirmed in advance before they leave home.  The best option is to buy tickets over the internet through a reputable local agency such as Real Russia, www.realrussia.co.uk .  Real Russia have developed an online trip planner that makes planning a Trans-Siberian journey & ordering tickets easy, eastbound or westbound, with or without stopovers.  In terms of price, simplicity & a sound reputation for customer care, they're one of the best agencies.  The company was started by a Brit with links to Russia, hence the .co.uk.  The prices shown on the Real Russia system are the Russian railways price plus a mark-up (all agencies mark up the base price).  Their system is linked to the actual Russian Railways database for train times, prices & availability, orders are fulfilled manually when made online, with good English-language after-sales service if you need it.

Option 3:  Other agencies who can arrange Trans-Siberian tickets

For journeys within or starting in russia, use a russian agency.

Real Russia is one of several reputable Russian agencies who can arrange Trans-Siberian train tickets, here are the best of the rest... 

Svezhy Veter ( www.svezhyveter.ru )

Way to russia ( www.waytorussia.net ), ost west ( www.ostwest.com ).

These agencies may keep their own waiting lists and will take Trans-Siberian bookings months ahead, well before the 60 day point when they can buy up the actual ticket, so contact a booking agency as far ahead as you can. 

All these agencies have been recommended by Seat61 correspondents and are all reputable, although further feedback is always welcome.  Booking through one of these Russian agencies is much cheaper than booking through a western travel agency , but prices vary enormously from agency to agency, so shop around.  Make sure that you compare like with like, so any quote you get is inclusive of credit card fees, and you know whether it's for a slow low-quality train (3-digit train numbers) or one of the fast quality trains such as the Rossiya (one or two-digit train numbers & usually a name).

Tickets can be picked up at their offices in Moscow or sent to you for a courier fee.  Some agencies (but not Real Russia) may ask you to fax them a photocopy of your credit card and/or passport, which sounds dodgy, but is not unusual when dealing with Russian companies.  Be prepared for a 7%-12% credit card fee (Real Russia charge only 2.5%), but using a credit card is still a safer way to buy tickets than using a money transfer.  These Russian agencies can also book hotels in Moscow and other Russian cities, and they can arrange a visa support letter for Russia (or use the recommended visa service at www.realrussia.co.uk ).

For booking trains 3/4, 5/6 & 19/20 on the Trans-Mongolian and Trans-Manchurian routes, it helps to know how the system works:  Russian Railways open up bookings for these trains 60 days before departure.  Knowing that demand for these trains exceeds supply, Russian agencies buy up blocks of tickets, leaving few or none for sale at the ticket office.  The agencies then re-sell these tickets for whatever price they can get, which may bear no relation to the face value of the ticket.  Trans-Mongolian train number 4 is particularly popular, and 1st class deluxe 2-berth on this train can sell out very quickly indeed, with more travel agencies trying to fulfil orders from rich privacy-loving westerners for deluxe berths than there are deluxe berths on the train.  So these particular trains should be booked well in advance.  You'll sometimes be told by one agency says the train is full, but another agency has speculatively bought a block of tickets and has some left, or knows a rival agency that it can buy tickets from.  So once again, the message is shop around !

Most of these agencies can also book journeys starting in China or Ulan Bator through their contacts in those countries, but as these contacts also take a 'cut' you'll usually find it cheaper to book journeys starting in Beijing direct with CITS as described below.

Remember that an agency cannot 100% confirm your reservation until Russian Railways opens reservations, 60 days ahead.  However, travel agencies will take your booking (and money) several months ahead as they keep their own internal waiting lists for the most popular trains such as the Moscow-Beijing Trans-Mongolian & Trans-Manchurian trains.  They will make your reservation with Russian Railways the moment bookings open, 60 days ahead.  99.9% of the time there's no problem, but very occasionally there are more tourists wanting berths than there are berths, especially for the deluxe 2-berth 1st class on Trans-Mongolian trains 3/4 as this is very popular with rich shower-loving westerners.  If you're trying for the deluxe 1st class, tell your agency in advance that you'll accept a 1st or 2nd class 4-berth ticket (or that you're willing to pay for dual occupancy of a 4-berth compartment) if the deluxe 2-berth is sold out.

For journeys starting in Beijing , use www.chinahighlights.com/china-trains

To book Trans-Siberian trains which start in Beijing, whether you want a ticket all the way to Moscow or only as far as Ulan Bator or Irkutsk, one of the best agencies to use is  is www.chinahighlights.com/china-trains .  Their online system makes booking easier than with most other agencies including CITS, especially if there's any doubt about what days your train runs, you can pay by credit card, they are reliable and get good reports.  They charge in US$ with a $20-$60 service fee and will deliver tickets to any hotel or private address in mainland China, Hong Kong or Macau.  By all means shop around, but their prices are usually pretty competitive even compared to CITS, for example Beijing to Moscow on train 3 for $569 in a 2nd class (hard class) 4-bed sleeper.  Chinahighlights can only arrange tickets starting in China, so if you wanted to stop off in Irkutsk for example, you'd need to buy the onward Irkutsk to Moscow ticket from Real Russia or a Russian agency .  Feedback is always appreciated.

...or China International Travel Service (CITS)

CITS are the official Chinese state tourist agency, and they're usually one of the cheapest ways to buy westbound Trans-Sib tickets from Beijing.  You can book trains from Beijing to Moscow, Irkutsk or Ulan Bator by emailing [email protected] or by calling CITS on + 86 10 6522 2991, lines open Monday-Friday 09:00-17:00 GMT+8.  The CITS website is www.cits.net , direct link www.cits.net/china-tour/trans-siberian-trains .  Expect to pay by bank transfer rather than credit card.  Reports suggest they can't book Beijing-Irkutsk tickets on train 3, only Beijing-Krasnoyarsk and beyond, so by all means ask for Beijing-Irkutsk, but be prepared to accept an offer of a Beijing-Krasnoyarsk ticket and simply get off in Irkutsk (though their website shows Beijing-Irkutsk fares!).  As with most other Chinese agencies CITS can only arrange tickets starting in China, so if for example you wanted to stop off in Irkutsk, you'd need to buy the onward Irkutsk to Moscow ticket from Real Russia or a Russian agency .  Further feedback on the CITS booking situation would be welcome.

...or Monkeyshrine

Monkey Shrine ( www.monkeyshrine.com ) is an experienced China-based tour agency who can arrange a tailor-made itinerary with stop-overs and hotels along the way, plus help with visas.  Monkeyshrine offer a good service, but are naturally more expensive than booking it all yourself via CITS or Chinatripadvisor.  A key advantage is being able to arrange onward tickets, not just tickets starting in Beijing, and to arrange hotels or tours along the way.  They charge €649 (about $850) for a one-way Beijing to Moscow ticket in 4-berth on train 3.

For journeys starting in Ulan Bator, use a Mongolian agency...

To reserve tickets starting in Ulan Bator from outside Mongolia, try www.traintomongolia.com or www.mongoliatraintickets.com , two competing Mongolian train travel agencies that have both been recommended by seat61 correspondents. 

Alternatively, contact a local hotel, guesthouse or travel agency in Ulan Bator for example, www.discovermongolia.mn or www.legendtour.ru .  If these approaches fail you can use the Real Russia online system or contact one of the Russian agencies as most have contacts in Mongolia who can arrange tickets starting in Ulan Bator.

Option 4:  Buy online at www.rzd .ru

You can now buy Russian train tickets online using the RZD (Russian Railways) website www.rzd.ru , with no fees or mark-up.  You usually print your own ticket.  It now has an English version.  It's a bit fiddly and not as user-friendly as Real Russia, but it does work if you persevere.  It accepts some overseas credit cards, but can struggle with others.  It sells all Russian domestic tickets including Russian domestic Trans-Siberian trains, also some international trains, but it cannot sell eastbound tickets from Ulan Bator to Beijing or westbound tickets from Beijing or Ulan Bator into Russia.  Rzd.ru may reject some US-issued cards.

Option 5:  Let a specialist western agency arrange your whole trip

The most hassle-free way of arranging a Trans-Siberian trip, but the most expensive, is to arrange a tailor-made itinerary through one of the western travel agencies who specialise in independent travel to Russia.  There are various agencies in the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and so on.  They can arrange your Russian visa, your hotel in Moscow, your Trans-Siberian train reservation, stop-overs and tours if you want them in places like Irkutsk or Mongolia, connecting trains in China and even the ship to Japan.  You can go in either direction, as they can make all the necessary arrangements through contacts in each country.  Here are some top agencies to contact for a quote...

How to arrange tickets for connecting trains & ferries

Train tickets london - moscow.

Alternatively, you can book westbound train tickets from Moscow to many European cities from a Russian agency such as the four agencies listed in option 4 above, though the final Eurostar leg to London will need to be booked separately online.  See the London to Russia page for train information from Moscow to London.

T rain tickets Beijing - Shanghai, Xian, Hong Kong, Vietnam

Ferry tickets vladivostok - korea - japan, ferry tickets between china & korea or japan, if you want a one-way flight.

How to arrange visas

After sorting out your Trans-Siberian tickets, you need to get your visas.

How to arrange a Russian visa

How to arrange a belarus transit visa, how to arrange a mongolian visa, how to arrange a chinese visa, travel tips & faq, when should you go.

The Trans-Siberian Railway runs all year round, so you can go at any time of year.  May to September are the peak months for foreign tourists, with the warmest weather and the longest hours of daylight.  This makes booking a specific date more difficult (you need to book well ahead) but you might like the party atmosphere amongst like-minded travellers on Moscow-Beijing trains 4 and 20.  On the other hand, Siberia in winter is a sight to see - the trains are well heated, warm and cosy, you'll just need to wrap up well when you get off for a stroll at station stops!  Traveller Rebecca Day reports from a February trip from Ulan Bator to Moscow:  "The train was really warm and comfortable.  For the outside I had snow boots, a jumper and a long wool coat, and this was fine most of the time. The temperature drops significantly once the sun goes down, but as long as I was wearing a hat and gloves I felt warm. I also brought a North Face down filled body warmer which was like a heater in itself! I ended up not wearing this most of the time, but it packs up really small and I'd probably bring it again if I were travelling in winter."

Should you travel 1st or 2nd class?

On the Russian internal trains there are normally 3 classes:  Spalny vagon 2-berth compartments, often described as 1st class (and sometimes called myagky or lyux );  kupé 4-berth compartments, usually described as 2nd class;  and platskartny open-plan dormitory cars, sometimes described as 3rd class.  The Russian Trans-Manchurian train (trains 19 & 20) only has spalny vagon 2-berth and kupé 4-berth, there's no platskartny.  Kupé is the way most travellers go, and can be considered the normal class of travel.  Spalny vagon gives you much more privacy, with 2 people instead of 4 in the same size compartment, but it costs twice as much.  The choice is yours.  Platskartny is a bit rough for most western travellers, but some budget-minded backpackers enjoy it.  The Chinese Trans-Mongolian train (trains 3 & 4) has 1st class deluxe 2-berth, 1st class 4-berth and 2nd class 4-berth.  1st class deluxe 2-berth is expensive but worth the extra if you can afford it as it has two beds, an armchair, and a private washroom with showerhead shared with the next door compartment.  It gets booked out very quickly!  However, 1st class 4-berth on train 3/4 is virtually identical to 2nd class 4-berth (see for yourself in the photo gallery !) and is probably not worth the extra.

What do you do on a train for 6 or 7 days?

This is the question most people ask.  Well, you put your feet up and relax.  You read, watch the scenery, look out for the sights listed on your Trans-Siberian Handbook, go to meals in the restaurant car, sleep in your own comfortable bed at night, meet people, talk, play chess, drink tea, drink vodka, get off at station stops and take photographs....  The Moscow-Mongolia-Beijing route is arguably the most interesting because of both the people on board and the sights and scenery on the way.  You are unlikely to be bored - the time just goes!

Is not speaking Russian a problem?

What about food .

All the main Trans-Siberian trains have a restaurant car, a Russian one when in Russia, a Mongolian one in Mongolia and a Chinese one in China.  Few people go to Russia for the cuisine, but contrary to what you might have heard, Russian restaurant car food is quite edible and not expensive.  The prices shown here are from 2013, further feedback is always appreciated.

Russian restaurant cars:   A soup (chicken or meat borsht) costs around 350 rubles (£7.50 or $12), a main course of steak or fish with rice or potatoes costs around 480 roubles (£11 or $17).  Don't expect an extensive menu or everything shown on the menu to be available!  Typical meals include ham and fried eggs for breakfast, schnitzel and potatoes for lunch or dinner, with soups and salads for starters.  The restaurant car also sells beer, Russian champagne and (of course) vodka, chocolate and snacks.  You can pay in rubles, although they may also accept euro or dollar notes.  See sample menu .

Mongolian dining-cars usually offer rice and mutton, and they accept euros, US dollars, Russian Rubles & Chinese RMB as well as Mongolian currency.  Fried rice costs RMB 40  (£4 or $6), a beer RMB 10 (£1 or $1.50).  See sample menu .

Chinese dining cars have a selection of excellent Chinese dishes, each for around RMB 15-20 (£1.50-£2 or $2-$3), but check if your ticket includes meals on the Chinese section of route, as it's reported that some tickets do.  A beer costs around RMB 10 (£1 or $1.50).

If you don't want to buy food & drink from the restaurant car, you can also buy food from the many vendors or kiosks on station platforms when the train stops.  But don't venture far from the train, as stops aren't long.

What about security?  Is it safe for families or women travelling alone?

Do the trains have power sockets & wifi.

Suddenly, no westerner can travel anywhere without a whole array of electrical gadgets, cameras, PDAs, iPods and mobile phones that need charging.  The situation varies by train.  All Russian, Mongolian & Chinese trains have shaver sockets in the corridor and washrooms which can be used to recharge things with the right adaptor.  Some trains have one or two similar sockets in the corridor that can be used to recharge things if you keep an eye on them.  The very latest Russian trains including train 1/2 Rossiya and Trans-Manchurian train 19/20 have a power socket in each compartment for charging laptops, mobile phones or digital cameras, although train 3/4 doesn't.  Your carriage attendant may be willing to charge items using the socket in their own compartment, for a small tip.

Your default assumption should be that there's no WiFi on Trans-Siberian trains, although you'll find WiFi in hotels and other public places along the route.  If you plan to use WiFi, consider getting a VPN .  There's data reception along much of the route, so contact your mobile network provider about data packages for Russia, Mongolia and China.

Toilets & showers

Do trans-siberian trains run on time, can you stop off on the way, can you take a car, bike or motorcycle, is this the longest train ride in the world  no.  well...  sort of..., a brief history of the trans-siberian railway.

In the late 19th century, Japan, Britain and America all managed to gain footholds on the Chinese coast as bases for their trade with China and the Orient.  Russia too needed to secure her foothold on the east as well as securing the vast expanses of Siberia, so in 1891 Tsar Alexander III approved a plan for a trans-continental line linking Moscow and St Petersburg with Vladivostok on the Pacific coast, as this was the only year-round ice-free port on Russian territory.  

A railway had been built as far as Ekaterinberg as early as 1878, and this was steadily extended Eastwards.  Omsk was reached in 1894, Irkutsk and Lake Baikal in 1898.  The Trans-Siberian Railway finally reached Vladivostok in 1901, but for several years passengers had to cross Lake Baikal by ice-breaking ferry to connect with a second train on the other side - only in 1904 was the line around Lake Baikal completed and the whole journey from Moscow to Vladivostok possible on a single train.  Until 1916, the eastern end of the journey involved cutting across China, over part of what is now the Trans-Manchurian route - you can see how the Trans-Manchurian line initially heads towards Vladivostok on the Trans-Siberian route map above.  The Russians secured the right to build and maintain this route across China thanks to a treaty signed after they made a generous loan to China to help them pay off their debts to Japan.  From 1916, the complete journey could be made from Moscow to Vladivostok within Russia, taking the route followed by today's 'Rossiya' and skirting the Chinese border to the north via Khabarovsk.  The Trans-Mongolian line is a relatively recent addition to the Trans-Siberian network - construction started in 1940, it reached Ulan Bator in 1949, and it was completed into China by 1956.

The Trans-Siberian Railway today...

The best resource for further information about the Trans-Siberian Railway is www.transsib.ru/Eng/ .

Trans-Siberian web resources

These sites are very useful in planning a Trans-Siberian train journey:

www.transsib.ru/Eng/   - the Trans-Siberian web encyclopaedia.

www.trans-siberia.com - an independent site, based on a traveller's experiences.

www.myazcomputerguy.com/everbrite/Page9   - excellent advice from Ruth Imershein, an experienced and regular traveller to Russia.

http://trans-siberian-railway-encyclopedia.com

Across Siberia by luxury train

If cost isn't an issue, you can ride the Trans-Siberian Railway in luxury with deluxe accommodation and 3-course meals with stopovers & tours included, using one of these two of privately-run deluxe cruise trains.  Expect fares of quite a few thousand pounds per person!

Golden Eagle cruise train:  Moscow - Mongolia - Vladivostok in 15 days

The luxurious Golden Eagle links Moscow with Vladivostok roughly once a month May to August, with a side trip to Mongolia. 

The Golden Eagle is sold by a number of travel agencies who can put together accommodation and travel to and from Moscow by train or air.  Here are two reliable agencies well worth contacting:

Railbookers - for trips on the Golden Eagle

Railbookers is a train travel specialist who can arrange train travel from the UK to Moscow, a trip on the luxury Golden Eagle train from Moscow to Vladivostok or Moscow to Beijing, and flights back to the UK.  A 15-night trips costs from around £5,300 from Moscow to Beijing or £9,700 from Moscow to Vladivostok, excluding flights, visas and travel to Moscow.

  UK call 0207 864 4600, www.railbookers.co.uk .

  us call free 1-888-829-4775, www.railbookers.com .,   canada call free 1-855-882-2910, www.railbookers.com .,   australia call toll-free 1300 971 526, www.railbookers.com.au .,   new zealand call toll-free 0800 000 554 or see website ., lernidee cruise train:  moscow - mongolia - beijing in 15/16 days.

Roughly once a month May to September, this luxury train links Moscow with China in either direction, with stopover & tours included on a 15 or 16 day itinerary.  It can also be used for shorter sections.  You can book this train direct with the operator at www.transsiberian-travel.com or through Railbookers (UK 0207 864 4600, US/Canada toll-free 1-888-829-4775, Australia toll-free 1300 971 526 .

Vladivostok to Korea & Japan by ferry

Ferry m/v eastern dream.

Update late 2022:   The time-honoured weekly ferry run by Russia's Far East Shipping Company (FESCO) fell victim to the recession in late 2009.  A new company called DBS started a year-round weekly ferry from Vladivostok to South Korea & Japan that same year using a modern ship called the Eastern Dream .  Unfortunately, DBS suspended this ferry in November 2019 and discontinued it in February 2020.  A new company called Duwon Shipping then chartered the Eastern Dream and it started sailing again between Vladivostok, South Korea & Japan, although only carrying freight due to the pandemic.  The service was suspended again in February 2021, but in 2022 it's operating again, only between Vladivostok and South Korea, not Japan.  Please contact them to check the latest situation.

If you find you are unable to travel to Korea or Japan using this ferry from Vladivostok, you can of course take the Trans-Siberian Railway to Beijing and take a ferry from China to Japan or South Korea .

Eastbound : Vladivostok ► Pohang (South Korea) ► Maizuru (Japan)

If & when running, the ferry sails from Vladivostok on Tuesdays, arriving Pohang Port (South Korea, just north of Busan) on Wednesdays, and Maizuru Port (in Japan, on the north coast opposite Kyoto) on Thursdays.  Exact sailing times are not known.

When DBS ran this service there was a departure tax to pay from Vladivostok, around 560 roubles, which wasn't mentioned anywhere on their website, so don't let this come as a surprise.

Westbound : Maizuru (Japan) ► Pohang (South Korea) ► Vladivostok

If & when running, the ferry sails from Maizuru Port (in Japan, on the north coast opposite Kyoto) on Thursdays, sailing from Pohang Port (in South Korea, just north of Busan) Saturdays, arriving Vladivostok on Sundays.

When DBS ran this service, the cheapest fare from Vladivostok to Japan or vice versa is US$235 one-way or $435 return, that's in economy class with a berth in a shared open-plan sleeping area.   Sharing a 2-berth cabin the fare rises to $485 one-way or $825.  Deluxe suites also available.  New fares under Duwon Shipping are not yet known.

How to buy ferry tickets

Due to the covid-19 pandemic, the ferry is not currently taking passengers.  However, their website is www.dwship.co.kr   and their email [email protected] .

On board the m/v Eastern Dream

There are a range of comfortable cabins on board, a restaurant, shop and bar.  You can spend Yen, Won, or US$ on board, but definitely not roubles .  The ship remains on Vladivostok time until 22:00, then the clocks are put back 2 hours to Korean/Japanese time.

Traveller's reports

Traveller Matthew Woodward reports (from when the ferry was run by DBS):   "I travelled on the ship in December 2014, and at this time of the year the published timetable was quite different from normal. There was no crossing at all the week before (owing to Christmas), and on my dates the ship stopped overnight in Donghae, allowing a night to be spent in South Korea. The cabins on board are quite expensive for what they are. I would recommend the third class dormitories which seemed more comfortable than the more expensive but rather claustrophobic second class 8 berth cabins (very hot). The ship has a good bar which serves snack food and a restaurant that serves a Korean buffet (buy tickets from the Purser's office). Do try the Korean "pizza" and the local rice wine drink called "Makgeolli" served in the bar. The ferry terminals in Vladivostok and Donghae are good and have shops selling food, hard currency and souvenirs. Rules were enforced when leaving Donghae that prohibited carrying even pocket penknives onto the ship. The gangplank is a narrow and steep climb, but the ship's crew will happily carry your luggage up for you if you ask."  See Mathew's illustrated blog about the Eastern Dream at www.matthew-woodward.com/2014/12/kings-of-the-wild-frontier.html .

Recommended guidebooks

Trans-siberian railway guides - buy at amazon.co.uk.

Bryn Thomas' excellent Trans-Siberian Handbook has journey planning information, town guides, train information, the history of the line, and most importantly, a mile-by-mile guide to the sights you can see from the train, to help you get the most from your trip.  The Lonely Planet guide to the Trans-Siberian Railway is also highly recommended.  Buying one or both of these Trans-Siberian guidebooks is well worth it, both for planning your trip and on the go.

Or buy from Amazon.com in the USA .

General country guidebooks - click the images to buy online

You should also take a good general guidebook for the countries you are visiting, and perhaps a Russian phrasebook, too.  I think the Lonely Planets and Rough Guides are about the best ones out there for the serious independent traveller, with plenty of historical and cultural background as well as stacks of practical information on accommodation, places to eat, things to see, visas, transport, dangers and annoyances.  You won't regret buying any of these..!  If you buy anything at Amazon through these links, Seat61 gets a small commission which helps support the site.

Hotels & accommodation

Book a hotel in moscow, siberian cities or beijing..., tripadvisor hotel reviews....

www.tripadvisor.com is a good place to find independent travellers' reviews of the main hotels.  It also has the low-down on all the sights & attractions too.

Backpacker hostels...

www.hostelworld.com :  If you're on a budget, don't forget the backpacker hostels.  Hostelworld has online booking of cheap private rooms or dorm beds in backpacker hostels in most Indian cities at rock-bottom prices.

Travel insurance & other tips

Always take out travel insurance.

Never travel overseas without travel insurance from a reliable insurer, with at least £1m or preferably £5m medical cover.  It should also cover cancellation and loss of cash and belongings, up to a sensible limit.  An annual multi-trip policy is usually cheaper than several single-trip policies even for just 2 or 3 trips a year, I have an annual policy with Staysure.co.uk myself.  Here are some suggested insurers.  Seat61 gets a small commission if you buy through these links.

Get an eSIM with mobile data package

Don't rely on WiFi, download an eSIM with a mobile data package for the country you're visiting and stay connected.  Most newer mobile phones can download a virtual SIM card so you don't need to buy a physical SIM, including iPhone 11 & later, see device compatibility list .  Maya.net is a reliable eSIM data retailer with a 4.5 out of 5 Trustpilot rating and a range of packages including unlimited data .

Get a Curve card for foreign travel

Most banks give you a poor exchange rate, then add a foreign transaction fee on top.  A Curve MasterCard means no foreign transaction fees and gives you the mid-market exchange rate, at least up to a certain limit, £500 per month at time of writing.  The money you spend on your Curve card goes straight onto one of your existing debit or credit cards.

How it works:   1. Download the Curve app for iPhone or Android .  2. Enter your details & they'll send you a Curve MasterCard - they send to the UK and most European addresses.  3. Link your existing credit & debit cards to the app, you can link up to two cards with the free version of Curve, I link my normal debit card and my normal credit card.  4. Now use the Curve MasterCard to buy things online or in person or take cash from ATMs, exactly like a normal MasterCard. Curve does the currency conversion and puts the balance in your own currency onto whichever debit or credit card is currently selected in the Curve app.  You can even change your mind about which card it goes onto, within 14 days of the transaction.

I have a Curve Blue card myself, it means I can buy a coffee on a foreign station on a card without being stung by fees and lousy exchange rates, just by tapping the Curve card on their card reader.  The money goes through Curve to my normal debit card and is taken directly from my account (in fact I have the Curve card set up as payment card on Apple Pay on my iPhone, so can double-click my phone, let it do Face ID then tap the reader with the phone - even easier than digging a card out).  I get a little commission if you sign up to Curve, but I recommend it here because I think it's great.  See details, download the app and get a Curve card , they'll give you £5 cashback through that link.

Get a VPN for safe browsing.  W hy you need a VPN

When you're travelling you often use free WiFi in public places which may not be secure.  A VPN encrypts your connection so it's always secure, even on unsecured WiFi.  It also means you can select the geographic location of the IP address you browse with, to get around geoblocking which a surprising number of websites apply.  See VPNs & why you need one explained .  ExpressVPN is a best buy with a 4.7 out of 5 Trustpilot ranking which I use myself - I've signed up as an ExpressVPN affiliate, and if you go with expressvpn.com using the links on this page, you should see a special deal, 3 months free with an annual subscription.  I get a small commission to help support this site.

Carry an Anker powerbank

Tickets, reservations, vaccination records and Interrail or Eurail passes are often held digitally on your mobile phone, so it's vital to keep it charged.  I always carry an Anker powerbank which can recharge my phone several times over if I can't get to a power outlet.  Buy from Amazon.co.uk or from buy from Amazon.com .

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• Flight Ontario - Seattle (ONT - SEA) $76+
• Flight Salt Lake City - Seattle (SLC - SEA) $78+

Fort Lauderdale Flights

• Flight Atlanta - Fort Lauderdale (ATL - FLL) $46+
• Flight Raleigh - Fort Lauderdale (RDU - FLL) $51+
• Flight New York - Fort Lauderdale (NYC - FLL) $52+
• Flight Boston - Fort Lauderdale (BOS - FLL) $53+
• Flight Cleveland - Fort Lauderdale (CLE - FLL) $60+
• Flight Hartford - Fort Lauderdale (BDL - FLL) $61+
• Flight Dallas - Fort Lauderdale (DFW - FLL) $63+
• Flight Houston - Fort Lauderdale (IAH - FLL) $65+
• Flight Chicago - Fort Lauderdale (CHI - FLL) $66+
• Flight Cincinnati - Fort Lauderdale (CVG - FLL) $66+

Atlanta Flights

• Flight New York - Atlanta (NYC - ATL) $31+
• Flight Orlando - Atlanta (ORL - ATL) $33+
• Flight Baltimore - Atlanta (BWI - ATL) $37+
• Flight Houston - Atlanta (IAH - ATL) $40+
• Flight Houston - Atlanta (HOU - ATL) $40+
• Flight Philadelphia - Atlanta (PHL - ATL) $42+
• Flight Fort Lauderdale - Atlanta (FLL - ATL) $43+
• Flight Tampa - Atlanta (TPA - ATL) $43+
• Flight Dallas - Atlanta (DFW - ATL) $44+
• Flight Boston - Atlanta (BOS - ATL) $47+

Boston Flights

• Flight Atlanta - Boston (ATL - BOS) $47+
• Flight Philadelphia - Boston (PHL - BOS) $50+
• Flight Charlotte - Boston (CLT - BOS) $55+
• Flight Fort Lauderdale - Boston (FLL - BOS) $57+
• Flight Nashville - Boston (BNA - BOS) $58+
• Flight Baltimore - Boston (BWI - BOS) $59+
• Flight Dallas - Boston (DFW - BOS) $59+
• Flight Orlando - Boston (ORL - BOS) $69+
• Flight Miami - Boston (MIA - BOS) $74+
• Flight Raleigh - Boston (RDU - BOS) $83+

United States Flights

• Flight Portland - Las Vegas (PDX - LAS) $39+
• Flight Dallas - Las Vegas (DFW - LAS) $53+
• Flight Denver - Las Vegas (DEN - LAS) $67+
• Flight Boston - Orlando (BOS - ORL) $69+
• Flight New York - Orlando (NYC - ORL) $69+
• Flight Los Angeles - Dallas (LAX - A78) $75+
• Flight Atlanta - Los Angeles (ATL - LAX) $80+
• Flight Atlanta - Las Vegas (ATL - LAS) $85+
• Flight Philadelphia - Miami (PHL - MIA) $85+
• Flight Minneapolis - Phoenix (MSP - PH1) $93+

Hawaii Flights

• Flight Honolulu - Hawaii (HNL - USHI) $92+
• Flight Los Angeles - Hawaii (LAX - USHI) $151+
• Flight San Francisco - Hawaii (SFO - USHI) $188+
• Flight Seattle - Hawaii (SEA - USHI) $193+
• Flight San Jose - Hawaii (SJC - USHI) $207+
• Flight Oakland - Hawaii (OAK - USHI) $229+
• Flight San Diego - Hawaii (SAN - USHI) $244+
• Flight Ontario - Hawaii (ONT - USHI) $277+
• Flight Portland - Hawaii (PDX - USHI) $278+
• Flight Sacramento - Hawaii (SMF - USHI) $281+

London Flights

• Flight New York - London (NYC - LON) $270+
• Flight Boston - London (BOS - LON) $326+
• Flight Miami - London (MIA - LON) $358+
• Flight Los Angeles - London (LAX - LON) $417+
• Flight San Francisco - London (SFO - LON) $430+
• Flight Baltimore - London (BWI - LON) $456+
• Flight Chicago - London (CHI - LON) $458+
• Flight Washington, D.C. - London (WAS - LON) $458+
• Flight Denver - London (DEN - LON) $461+
• Flight Pittsburgh - London (PIT - LON) $476+

Paris Flights

• Flight New York - Paris (NYC - PAR) $277+
• Flight New Windsor - Paris (SWF - PAR) $299+
• Flight Boston - Paris (BOS - PAR) $303+
• Flight Washington, D.C. - Paris (WAS - PAR) $307+
• Flight Baltimore - Paris (BWI - PAR) $310+
• Flight Chicago - Paris (CHI - PAR) $360+
• Flight Orlando - Paris (ORL - PAR) $389+
• Flight Miami - Paris (MIA - PAR) $390+
• Flight Atlanta - Paris (ATL - PAR) $397+
• Flight Fort Lauderdale - Paris (FLL - PAR) $417+

Manila Flights

• Flight Los Angeles - Manila (LAX - MNL) $611+
• Flight Honolulu - Manila (HNL - MNL) $690+
• Flight San Francisco - Manila (SFO - MNL) $694+
• Flight Seattle - Manila (SEA - MNL) $738+
• Flight New York - Manila (NYC - MNL) $751+
• Flight Ontario - Manila (ONT - MNL) $764+
• Flight Chicago - Manila (CHI - MNL) $800+
• Flight Las Vegas - Manila (LAS - MNL) $806+
• Flight Houston - Manila (IAH - MNL) $814+
• Flight Atlanta - Manila (ATL - MNL) $819+

Denver Flights

• Flight Dallas - Denver (DFW - DEN) $38+
• Flight Houston - Denver (IAH - DEN) $38+
• Flight Ontario - Denver (ONT - DEN) $39+
• Flight Austin - Denver (AUS - DEN) $45+
• Flight Kansas City - Denver (MCI - DEN) $45+
• Flight Salt Lake City - Denver (SLC - DEN) $47+
• Flight Phoenix - Denver (PHX - DEN) $63+
• Flight Minneapolis - Denver (MSP - DEN) $64+
• Flight Charlotte - Denver (CLT - DEN) $68+
• Flight Seattle - Denver (SEA - DEN) $73+

San Francisco Flights

• Flight Las Vegas - San Francisco (LAS - SFO) $38+
• Flight Ontario - San Francisco (ONT - SFO) $38+
• Flight Los Angeles - San Francisco (LAX - SFO) $51+
• Flight Phoenix - San Francisco (PHX - SFO) $66+
• Flight San Diego - San Francisco (SAN - SFO) $68+
• Flight Santa Ana - San Francisco (SNA - SFO) $68+
• Flight Portland - San Francisco (PDX - SFO) $73+
• Flight Salt Lake City - San Francisco (SLC - SFO) $75+
• Flight Dallas - San Francisco (DFW - SFO) $111+
• Flight Denver - San Francisco (DEN - SFO) $116+

San Diego Flights

• Flight Las Vegas - San Diego (LAS - SAN) $33+
• Flight Denver - San Diego (DEN - SAN) $38+
• Flight Sacramento - San Diego (SMF - SAN) $38+
• Flight San Jose - San Diego (SJC - SAN) $38+
• Flight Phoenix - San Diego (PHX - SAN) $40+
• Flight Oakland - San Diego (OAK - SAN) $51+
• Flight San Francisco - San Diego (SFO - SAN) $51+
• Flight Salt Lake City - San Diego (SLC - SAN) $64+
• Flight Chicago - San Diego (CHI - SAN) $65+
• Flight Dallas - San Diego (DFW - SAN) $67+

Punta Cana Flights

• Flight Miami - Punta Cana (MIA - PUJ) $171+
• Flight Fort Lauderdale - Punta Cana (FLL - PUJ) $197+
• Flight Philadelphia - Punta Cana (PHL - PUJ) $200+
• Flight Atlanta - Punta Cana (ATL - PUJ) $236+
• Flight Dallas - Punta Cana (DFW - PUJ) $244+
• Flight Raleigh - Punta Cana (RDU - PUJ) $246+
• Flight New York - Punta Cana (NYC - PUJ) $261+
• Flight Hartford - Punta Cana (BDL - PUJ) $262+
• Flight Baltimore - Punta Cana (BWI - PUJ) $273+
• Flight Cleveland - Punta Cana (CLE - PUJ) $276+

Europe Flights

• Flight Boston - Dublin (BOS - DUB) $296+
• Flight Miami - Madrid (MIA - MAD) $316+
• Flight Boston - Lisbon (BOS - LIS) $327+
• Flight San Francisco - Madrid (SFO - MAD) $398+
• Flight New York - Athens (NYC - ATH) $411+
• Flight Boston - Athens (BOS - ATH) $434+
• Flight Los Angeles - Madrid (LAX - MAD) $447+
• Flight Los Angeles - Paris (LAX - PAR) $459+
• Flight Los Angeles - Rome (LAX - ROM) $478+
• Flight Los Angeles - Lisbon (LAX - LIS) $481+

Florida Flights

• Flight Philadelphia - Florida (PHL - USFL) $37+
• Flight Baltimore - Florida (BWI - USFL) $39+
• Flight Atlanta - Florida (ATL - USFL) $46+
• Flight New York - Florida (NYC - USFL) $52+
• Flight Boston - Florida (BOS - USFL) $53+
• Flight Dallas - Florida (DFW - USFL) $58+
• Flight Hartford - Florida (BDL - USFL) $62+
• Flight Charlotte - Florida (CLT - USFL) $68+
• Flight Los Angeles - Florida (LAX - USFL) $83+
• Flight Minneapolis - Florida (MSP - USFL) $124+

Frequently asked questions

What do i need to know before booking a flight.

There are various factors to consider when booking a flight including cost, fare classes, baggage policies, the complications of flying long haul, and complying with airport regulations. To make your booking journey smoother KAYAK has developed a comprehensive flight guide including insights on finding affordable flights, packing efficiently, and utilizing the best travel tools.

What is the cheapest day of the week to book a flight?

The best day to book your flight depends on a number of factors, but there are general trends that you can follow to increase your chances of cheaper plane tickets. Based on an analysis of KAYAK data for all flights departing from inside United States over the last 12 months, the cheapest day to fly for domestic flights is Wednesday. For international flights, Tuesday had the cheapest tickets on average.

Which month of the year are flight prices lowest?

It’s well established that flights in the low season are generally cheaper than ticket prices during the high season. That means that knowing which month to find the lowest priced plane tickets will depend heavily on seasonality and your destination. While avoiding peak travel times can help you keep costs down, our data shows that the month with the lowest priced plane tickets for domestic flights based on all searches made on KAYAK in the last 12 months was January, while the most expensive was August. If you’re booking an international flight, then January is the cheapest month to fly and July the most expensive.

When is the best time to buy plane tickets - Last minute or in advance?

Last minute flight deals are definitely up for grabs but when exactly to purchase your plane tickets will depend on where you’re traveling to and from. Based on all data for flight searches made on KAYAK over the last 12 months, prices for domestic flights remained below the average price up to 1 weeks before departure. For international flights, deals could still be had up to 1 weeks prior to the departure date, with prices remaining below average. If you’re flexible, KAYAK brings you both advance and last minute one-way and round-trip flight deals.

Can flying international flights with a layover save money on airfare?

For many long-haul international flights, flying non-stop is not possible and you will have to fly with a layover. Some routes will offer both and you could consider flying with a layover for a number of reasons. Firstly, breaking up what would otherwise be a long-haul flight, taking a rest and then completing the journey might make the flight more manageable. Secondly, prices can also be lower than non-stop flights, so while it might take longer for you to reach your destination, you could save money. We’ve looked at prices over the last 12 months for the 100 most popular international destinations for KAYAK users and on average, prices for non-stop flights were cheaper than flights with a layover.

How does KAYAK find such low flight prices?

KAYAK processes over 2 billion flight queries annually and displays results from hundreds of airlines and third party sites, allowing it to find a variety of flight prices and options. It also displays results from 2M+ properties along with rental cars, vacation packages, activities and millions of verified reviews so users can see as many available travel options as possible.

How do I find the best flight deals on KAYAK?

A simple flight search at https://www.kayak.com/flights scans for prices on hundreds of travel sites in seconds. We gather flight deals from across the web and put them in one place. Then on the search results page you can use various filters to compare options for the same flight and easily choose the best flight deal from all of the deals coming straight from the travel sites to your screen, with no extra fee from KAYAK.

How can Hacker Fares save me money?

Hacker Fares allow you to combine one-way tickets on different airlines when it can save you money over a traditional round-trip ticket.

Does KAYAK query more flight providers than competitors?

Yes, KAYAK has access to more data and information than online travel agencies and consistently outperforms the competition in accuracy, globally.

How does KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy?

KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a given destination and date is likely to change within 7 days, so travelers know whether to wait or book now.

What is KAYAK's "flexible dates" feature and why should I care?

Sometimes travel dates aren't set in stone. If your preferred travel dates have some wiggle room, flexible dates will show you flights up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. That way, you can see if leaving a day or two earlier will find you a better deal. You can also select the flexible "weekend" or "month" search options to widen your search range and find the cheapest price that works for you.

Search cheap flights with KAYAK. Search for the cheapest airline tickets for all the top airlines around the world, airports around the world and the top international flight routes . KAYAK searches hundreds of travel sites to help you find cheap airfare and book a flight that suits you best. Since KAYAK searches many plane tickets sites at once, you can find cheap tickets from cheap airlines and for trains and buses quickly.

KAYAK also helps you find the right hotels for your needs.

The Fine Line Between Travel Photography and Having a family Vacation

A Post By: Karthika Gupta

A simple Google search for travel inspiration yields thousands of beautiful images and motivational quotes. Words like, “The Best University is to travel”, “We must take adventures in order to know where we truly belong” and “To travel is to live a full life” flash across your computer screen amidst jaw-dropping travel photography imagery. It brings forth such great feelings of wanderlust and longing to hit the road.

However, for those of us who travel with families and/or young kids there is a nagging voice somewhere in the back of our heads that speaks up and says, “Be practical, can you really make this journey with the kids?”. Then if you add to this mix, a parent who is very emotionally attached to his or her camera, you have just stirred up a pot full of trouble for yourself.

Being my family’s designated photographer, and having spent the past two months traveling across my home country of India, I experienced much of these same emotions on a day to day basis. India is a country like no other, where every part of the country has such a strong impact to the senses. It is big, busy, loud, and colorful – and is a photographer’s delight. The parent in me wanted to experience this magical journey with my family, and see my beautiful country through their eyes. Whereas the photographer in me was on a creative high and I wanted to document each and every thing I was seeing through my mind’s eye, and my camera’s viewfinder. I constantly struggled to find the right balance between being a mom, and being a professional photographer. 4000+ pictures later, I feel like I finally figured out what worked for me!

A quick detour on our road trip led to an ancient temple where I was able to take some amazing and interesting pictures inside the inner sanctum.

• Research locations for photo opportunities ahead of time

Just like kids, we adults too crave structure and routine, especially when it comes to photography assignments. Just like you would carry a shot list for a wedding photography gig or a commercial assignment, knowing what to expect with every place you visit gives you a certain peace of mind. This is particularly true if you are visiting famous locations and monuments. I found that often in such places photography was not allowed, or you needed special permission, or had to pay a fee.

Research your travel destination as much as you can. Look for information online, or even ask in photography forums specific to your needs. I learned early on in my trip, that most religious monuments and places of worship don’t allow any type of photography. Even cell phones are not permitted. So I would often leave my gear at home, or in the car, and just enjoy the location with my family.

• Minimum gear for maximum effect

Packing for months on the road is never easy, especially when you have a ton of equipment, and suffer from an acute case of separation anxiety with your gear. Once you have researched your travel destination and know what types of imagery to expect, only pack the appropriate gear. Maybe even challenge yourself to only use certain types of lenses and cameras. The more practical you are about your gear, the less frustrated you will be for taking stuff you don’t end up using. My goto setup was my Canon EOS 5D MK III and Canon 24-70mmL lens. I used that combination 75% of the time when I was traveling. I found that I could switch easily from photographing wide angle landscape shots, to narrowing in on my kids playing effortlessly with my zoom lens. I also carried my Canon 70-200mmL lens, but found it was very impractical in terms of its weight. Additionally, professional DSLRs and multitude of lenses tend to get heavy and uncomfortable to lug around for a 20 day road trip, and several flight journeys. If you are going off the grid, or visiting remote places, err on the side of caution, and perhaps travel with minimal gear like a small point and shoot camera.

• Set aside some “me” time with just with your camera

During a ‘me’ time photowalk close to my home in Chennai, I spent 30 minutes photographing these birds without any interruptions or disruptions!

The deal I stuck with my family is that at every new place we visited, I would get one hour just to be with my camera. Any photography assignment specific pictures would be taken at that time. The rest of the day was time spent with my family, and capturing those moments on camera sparingly. There were times when the camera was completely banned because I really wanted to treasure the moments, and not just focus on documenting the experience. And guess what, I found I was a much happier, and nicer person, at the end of the day!

• Engage your family in your photo trips

Do you have old outdated gear sitting in your gear cabinet? You know those old first generation DSLRs that you will probably have to pay someone to take off your hands? Use them to get your family engaged in photography. My kids share my old DSLR with a kit lens, and they love it. They love playing photographer, and some of the images they capture are so adorable. I always make it a big deal to praise their budding photography skills, and in turn, they are generally more tolerant when mom wants to spend an extra 10 minutes photographing the waves crashing against the rocks at sunset (because it is the most magical sunset ever!)

A rare image of me as taken by my daughter! – this was during a four day hike in the mountains, and it’s the only picture I have to prove that I was there too!

But 10 days later, this was the best I could get of them! – No amount of negotiation could get them to turn around and face me.

• Make memories and not pictures

Give yourself permission to not take any pictures occasionally. Put the camera away and just enjoy the experience of being on vacation. After all, you have probably spent a lot of money, and precious time, to get to your destination. Soak in the essence of the space and place, and make memories that will last a lifetime.

After my long summer break, I still felt that I never really had any time off. To me, every minute was a working one, whether was I being a full-time mom, or a travel photographer. While I did walk away with some amazing imagery, a part of me regretted not spending more time with my family. What are some of your strategies for finding a good balance?

Table of contents

Travel photography.

• 8 Ideas of What To Do With Your Vacation Photos
• What Skills do You Need to be a Travel Photographer?
• How to Capture the Essence of a Place – Travel Photography Tips
• 7 Tips to Make Travel Photography Interesting Again
• Avoid These 5 Major Mistakes Made By Travel Photographers
• Travel Photography – Do You Ask Permission Before, After Or Not At All?
• Travel Photographers Workflow – At Home and on the Road
• The Photo Critique: Travel Photo Edition
• 6 Reasons Why Your Travel Photos Don’t Look Like the Ones in Magazines
• 10 Ways to Improve your Vacation Photos
• What is Your Biggest Travel Photography Challenge?
• 7 Travel Photography Hacks to Get You Going Places
• How to Use a Travel Photography Shot List to Come Home with Better Photos
• Why You Need To Be A Guerrilla Travel Photographer – And How To Become One
• How to Get the Most Out of a Travel Photography Location
• Travel Photography, Backpacking and Packing Light
• 6 of the Best Smartphone Apps for Travel and Landscape Photography
• How To Keep Camera Gear Safe While Traveling
• 5 Ways to Find Great Locations for Travel Photography
• 15 Tips for Protecting Your Images While Traveling
• Safety Tips for Travel Photographers (Particularly Women)
• Off Camera Flash for Your Travel Photography
• How to Use Natural Light in Travel Photography
• Photo Composition Tips from Bob Holmes – Composition in Travel Photos
• The Importance of People in your Travel Photos
• Create More Unique Travel Photos by Adding a Model
• 5 Lessons Learned Switching from DSLR to Mirrorless for Travel Photography
• How To Keep Your Batteries Charged While Traveling – Remote Location Edition
• 5 Tips For Travel With Only One Lens
• 5 Lessons Learned While Using a Kit Lens for Travel Photography
• 7 Tips for Using a Tripod in Landscape and Travel Photography
• The Best Fujifilm X-Series Kits for Travel Photography
• The First 10 Things You Need to Buy After Your Camera for Travel Photography
• Tiniest Interchangable Lens Micro Four Thirds Cameras for Travel with Amazing Quality
• The Only Three Lenses You Need for Travel Photography
• Must Have Gear for Travel Photography Newbies
• Why Olympus Mirrorless Cameras are Top Notch for Travel Photography
• The Best Travel Photography Lenses: Our Top 12 Picks
• 5 Camera Bags That Every Travel Photographer Needs At Some Point
• A Travel Tripod that can Also Act as a Light Stand
• The iPad as a Photographer’s Travel Helper [a Review]
• 7 Non-Photography Items Which No Travel Photographer Should Leave Home Without
• 7 Reasons Why a Tripod is a Travel Photographer’s Best Friend
• Travel Photography Equipment – What To Pack?
• 10 Ways to Improve Your Travel Photography Portraits
• How to Plan and Take Killer Sunset Photos on Your Next Vacation
• Tips for Photographing Local Parks
• How to Find the Best Kinds of People to Photograph While Traveling
• 4 Ways To Make Better Street Portraits While Traveling
• How to Photograph People When Traveling
• How To Take More Creative Environmental Travel Portraits
• Photographing Signs – Travel Photography Tip
• Tips for Creating Better Documentary Travel Photos
• 6 Tips for How to be a Culturally Sensitive Travel Photographer
• Travel Photography Subjects: Old People
• How to Put the Fine Art into Travel Photography
• Travel Photography without the Travel – Going Local
• How to Tell Better Visual Stories with Travel Photography
• Create a Theme to Step Up Your Travel Photography
• Travel Photography ~ Think Outside The Postcard When Photographing Famous Landmarks
• Photographing Festivals and Events – Tips for Travel Photographers
• Video: Travel Photography Tips – Shoot with a Purpose
• 7 Reasons Why You Should Art Direct Your Travel Photography
• Buy Less Gear: Travel and Experience More
• Editorial Travel Photography – Telling the Story of a Location
• Travel Photography Subjects: Religion
• Travel Photography Subjects: Views
• Travel Photography Tips – Photographing the Coast
• Taking Photos in Busy Tourist Destinations with no People in the Shot
• How to Backup and Manage Your Photos When Traveling Without a Computer
• Tips for Creating a Killer Vacation Photo Book
• Photo Editing Workflow for Travel Photography
• How to Build a Travel Photography Portfolio
• How to Become a Professional Travel Photographer – Two Paths
• 11 Tips for Shooting Travel Stock Photography to Make Money
• How to Sell a Travel Story to a Magazine and Help Fund Your Travels
• 7 Realities That Hit Once You Become a Professional Travel Photographer
• Is a Career in Travel Photography Right for You?
• Travel Inspiration: Bali
• Canadian Travelogue – Introduction
• Travel Photography Inspiration Project: South Africa
• Travel Photography Inspiration Project: Thailand
• Canadian Travelogue – Newfoundland – Gros Morne National Park
• Travel Photography Inspiration Project: India
• Travel Photography Inspiration Project: Japan
• Travel Photography Inspiration Project: Kenya
• Travel Photography Inspiration Project: Morocco
• Travel Photography Inspiration Project: Vietnam
• An Interview With World Traveler Gary Arndt
• Interview: Oded Wagenstein – Author of Snapn Travel Guide and dPS Writer

Read more from our Tips & Tutorials category

is a culture, people and travel photographer, based in the Chicago area. Her images are fun, fresh and natural, and her love for nature makes it way into most of her images. She also has a Free Travel Photography Demystified E-Course , a 5-Day video series to help you improve your travel photography.

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10 mistakes to avoid when booking your cruise

Booking a cruise can be confusing, whether you're a first-timer or a seasoned cruiser. With so many details to consider, it's surprisingly easy to make a mistake. Booking errors can range from small details (oops, I selected the wrong sail date!) to the big picture (choosing the wrong cruise line or ship for your preferred vacation style).

What happens if you make a cruise booking mistake? The answer could be nothing if you quickly realize the error and can easily correct the mistake. Then again, if it's a bigger error or if too much time has passed since you paid the deposit or final payment, you could be subject to surprise fees, forfeit the cabin — or cruise — you want, and not get the vacation you imagined.

For more cruise news, reviews and tips, sign up for TPG's cruise newsletter .

If you're ready to plan your cruise vacation, we're here to help you navigate the choppy waters ahead and avoid some of the common mistakes people make when booking their cruise.

Booking the wrong date

Selecting the wrong date when booking online is easier than you think. Potential issues can include inadvertently clicking on an earlier or later departure of the same itinerary, reversing the day for the month when booking from a European cruise website, and choosing next year instead of this year. If you make a date mistake or another error in your booking but don't realize it until months later, penalties could range from forfeiting your deposit to losing your entire cruise fare.

Correcting the problem — and how much it will cost to fix it — will depend on the cruise line, sail date and rate you paid. If you make the change before the company's final payment due date (typically 90 days out for a weeklong sailing), you might only lose your deposit or possibly nothing at all. However, when you attempt to rebook for the correct sail date, you might find the price has increased or that you have to forfeit any promotions or perks you received on the original booking.

If you booked a nonrefundable fare or have made your final payment, you might not be able to transfer the booking to another date, resulting in a full cancellation. Depending on when you cancel, you could be out just the deposit, a percentage of your cruise fare or the entire cost of the cruise. If the line lets you rebook or gives you back the value of your cruise in a future cruise credit, you might have to pay change fees or sail within a specific amount of time (such as within one year).

Before confirming your online booking, be sure to double-check all the information, especially the sailing date. Read the fine print in your cruise contract to understand the line's cancellation policies should you need to make a change or correct an error you made in your booking.

Related: The best credit cards for booking cruises

Not shopping around for the best price and perks

While longtime cruisers understand the complexity of cruise pricing and how to score the best deals, newbies can be prone to making the mistake of assuming they'll get the same deal no matter how they book. The truth is that pricing and included perks can vary depending on whether you book directly with a cruise line, with a travel agent or through an online travel aggregator.

If you don't want to leave money on the table, shop around. Go to the cruise line's website to see its current deals and promotions — or speak to one of its sales representatives about the current offerings. Many lines frequently offer discounts on cruise fares or complimentary add-ons such as free airfare, beverage packages, specialty dining, Wi-Fi, excursions and onboard credit. You might also find deals where kids or the third and fourth guests in a cabin sail free.

Remember that a representative of one cruise line might be knowledgeable about what it offers, but they won't be able to help you compare the costs and perks with other companies. If you haven't decided on a particular cruise line or ship yet, compare the prices of similar cabins on similar itineraries to see if you can save more by choosing one ship over another. A knowledgeable cruise travel agent can help you evaluate deals across lines.

More independent-minded travelers can compare the offerings across many lines on an online aggregator site. These travel sellers might offer complimentary add-ons beyond what the cruise lines will give you, so it's worth checking them out before booking. If you're a savvy shopper, you might be able to find a lower price with more inclusions than the first deal you found.

Related: How to book a cruise with points and miles

Dismissing the more expensive cruise options without doing the math

Never assume that the more expensive cruise lines or cabin classes are out of your reach without running the numbers.

"It may be that one category above what you've booked is only $25 more a day per person — and it offers more space and other perks," says Anne Scully, partner at Embark Beyond, a New York-based luxury travel agency. "You need to know the benefits of other categories of staterooms and where the value is." If you're a large family, don't assume you want to squeeze everyone in one cabin if you haven't priced out booking two cheaper cabins and weighed the pros and cons of one balcony versus two bathrooms.

If you're used to booking nicer cabins or suites on mainstream cruise lines, it's a mistake not to compare cruise fares with the smaller all-inclusive (or more inclusive) lines . If you don't need all the bells and whistles and high-tech entertainment of the larger and newer cruise ships, you might find that prices are comparable once you consider the cost of all the extras on the larger ships. Specialty dining, gratuities, alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages, Wi-Fi, shore excursions, and other expenses beyond the base cruise fare add up quickly.

Ignoring the fine print of your fare class or cruise contract

Every online booking site and cruise line has its own contract and rules around booking specific fares and canceling for various reasons. It's a mistake to overlook the terms and conditions when booking because you might get in trouble later for having missed the details of policies that could affect your pocketbook.

If you book certain nonrefundable or promotional fares, as mentioned above, you might be unable to make changes or cancel without penalties. Special fares might not be combinable with other special offers, so check before you plan to stack discounts.

Plus, free booking perks can come with surprise fees. Did you know you must pay a 15% to 20% gratuity on "free" drink packages? Or that many of the airlines' cruise sites, which promise miles for cruise bookings, also charge a $24.99 processing fee for each transaction? Promotions touting cash back or onboard credit rarely give you the full amount unless you book an expensive suite. The ad might say "up to $500 onboard credit," but your inside room only merits $25.

You also want to ensure you're not booking a cruise you can't take. For example, if you're pregnant, most cruise lines will permit expectant mothers up to 24 weeks to sail as long as the cruise ends within that time frame. If you don't have a passport , you might be unable to sail on certain itineraries. It's always better to know the rules before you book, rather than be forced to alter your plans after you've paid the cruise line.

Booking a cruise line that isn't the right fit for your travel style

Even if the price is right, you need to match your personal style and travel preferences with a cruise line that's an appropriate fit. For instance, you might not want to book a Carnival cruise over spring break if you're a couple that wants a quiet getaway for two. Or, if you're a family with rambunctious small children, you might not want to book a more sedate Holland America sailing.

The larger cruise lines — and especially some of their newer ships — cater mostly to families and a younger demographic that wants nonstop entertainment and amenities like water parks, climbing walls, roller coasters and racetracks. If you prefer the culinary and educational aspects of cruising, choose a line like Oceania Cruises or Viking that caters to those interests.

If you're looking for a relaxing vacation without kids dodging in and out of the buffet line at breakfast and running around the pool, consider an adults-only cruise , a small luxury cruise line geared toward adults or longer voyages on the older, smaller ships of the mainstream cruise lines.

Related: A beginners guide to picking a cruise line

Waiting too long to book your cruise

"The biggest mistake is not booking early enough to get the stateroom of your choice," says Scully. If you have your heart set on a specific type of cabin or suite, but you hold off on booking the cruise in the hopes that a better deal will come along, you might lose out on nabbing the type of accommodation you want — or one in your desired location on the ship.

With cruise bookings up significantly this year, you might not find any suitable accommodations on a particular sailing if you wait too long to book and the ship sells out.

Definitely don't wait to lock in rates and rooms on long cruises. Grand voyages and world cruises are now booking up two years in advance, says Anne Scrivinach, senior vice president of Cruise Specialists, a Seattle-based luxury travel agency. Many world cruises sold out in record time in 2022 — and one in less than an hour. Since there are not going to be any discounts on cabins on these types of cruises, go ahead and book those bucket-list trips early before the cabins are gone.

Related: Book these hot cruises at least 1 year in advance – maybe even 2!

Not booking shore excursions, dining reservations and other activities before sailing

You might like to be spontaneous when you travel, but it's not always the best way to get the most from your cruise. You should have all of your arrangements in place before you leave for your cruise, Scully recommends. That's because it may be too late to book excursions, dining reservations and other activities (like spa treatments) once you're on board the ship. You can change the times if you need to once you've set sail.

Why the need for advance planning? The most popular shore excursions sell out quickly, especially unique offerings with limited spots. Wait to book until your ship sets sail, and that tour of a lifetime might be sold out. On the other hand, you have nothing to lose if you book an excursion early because most cruise lines allow you to cancel prior to embarkation or within a specified amount of time before the tour departs.

"You don't want to miss out on the best a destination can offer," Scully advises. Plus, you get to skip standing in line at the excursions desk to book on board, and you might even get a discount for booking in advance.

The only downside is that most cruise lines do not allow you to use onboard credit to pay for tours booked online. For the best selection of tours, make plans to be online when bookings open for the excursions for your sailing. That's the best time to secure your reservation, especially for tours included in your fare.

Related: Avoid these mistakes when booking cruise shore excursions

Dinner reservations at popular specialty dining venues also sell out quickly. You might have to wait in a long line once you're on the ship to inquire about a reservation, only to find that the days or times that you want are already sold out. It's best to make these reservations before you set sail, too. Many lines also offer a discount on specialty dining and beverage packages that are booked in advance of your cruise.

Related: Things you should do before every cruise

Not consulting a travel agent

Hiring a travel adviser doesn't cost you any money, but it might cost you not to use one.

Knowledgeable travel advisers specializing in cruises can help you sort through the confusing process of deciding on a cruise line, a particular ship and an itinerary, and help you identify sailings that best fit your budget. They also have access to exclusive pricing and perks (think: in-cabin Champagne and flowers, private cocktail parties) that are in addition to the current deals offered by the cruise lines.

Cruise specialists can also facilitate your travel arrangements, including coordinating flights and precruise hotel stays (so you don't miss your ship) and ensuring you have the proper documentation to board. You don't want to arrive on embarkation day without the required paperwork — such as the correct form of ID or a visa for a specific country — and be denied boarding. Cruise specialists keep up with the constantly changing protocols so you don't have to, and they can advise you on exactly what you need to bring to the port.

They're also an invaluable resource and advocate if there's a problem while you're on the ship, or you have an illness and need assistance while you're traveling, especially if you're out of the country.

When considering which travel agent to use, "You want someone that's knowledgeable about the part of the world you're visiting," Scully advises. "It's an investment. Don't buy from someone that's just blocking space on the ship."

When you're ready to enlist the help of a cruise specialist, look for an agent who's certified with the Cruise Lines International Association, a sign they've gone through cruise-specific training. You can also do an online search for preferred partners with various cruise lines or agents affiliated with luxury consortiums such as Virtuoso.

Ultimately, the perfect travel planner will come down to who you have the best rapport with, but at a minimum you want a respected and knowledgeable travel agent.

Forgetting to buy travel insurance

Protecting your cruise investment with travel insurance is always a good idea, but many travelers make the mistake of waiting to buy it. Your best bet is to purchase coverage as soon as you remit your cruise deposit.

Why? Most plans will only cover preexisting conditions if you purchase your plan within a limited time (usually two weeks) after you book your cruise. Also, any new issues that arise between booking your cruise and buying insurance won't be covered.

For example, if your travel companion is in a car accident two months before sailing and is unable to make the trip due to injuries, both you and your companion could recover the cost of the canceled trip under most travel policies if the plan was in place at the time of the accident. But if you were waiting to purchase travel insurance until a month before sailing, this type of situation wouldn't be covered.

Even if you fail to buy travel insurance immediately after booking, don't give up on trip protection. Insurance is still valuable even if you purchase it late because it can help if things go wrong when traveling. If you are injured or become ill during your vacation, some medical plans (like Medicare) won't cover you outside the U.S. If you have the proper travel insurance plan in place, you'll be able to recoup some of your medical expenses abroad or the cost to travel back home if you have to cut your vacation short.

Just as with any other contract, you need to read the benefits and limitations of the travel insurance policy before committing to the purchase. Companies like Allianz Global Assistance offer a 15-day review period where you can cancel for a full refund if you're unhappy with the purchase terms and disclosure — provided that your trip hasn't already commenced.

Related: Travel insurance mistakes to avoid before your next cruise

Not paying the final payment on time

Most cruise lines ask only for a deposit at the time of booking, with the remainder of the vacation cost typically due 90 days before your cruise on a sailing of five nights or longer. Miss making that final payment by the due date and you could forfeit your cruise and lose your deposit money. The cruise line won't check in with you to see what's happening; it will simply cancel your booking and apply any fees as outlined in its cancellation policy.

If you're working with a travel agent, they should remind you when the final payment is due — one more benefit of working with a planner. If you're arranging the trip yourself, be sure to mark your calendar and plan to make the payment several days before the final due date. You wouldn't want to miss your cruise vacation due to something as simple as missing a payment by mistake.

Bottom line

Booking a cruise might seem daunting. There are many steps along the way where you can make mistakes, but doing your research and paying attention to details can go a long way toward preventing missteps.

If you enjoy researching promotions and deals on your own and already have a cruise in mind to book, then you might be comfortable planning your own trip. Just be sure to read all the fine print and consider purchasing travel insurance once you've submitted your deposit.

If you're not up for tackling the job alone, hire a cruise specialist you feel comfortable working with to plan your cruise. Don't forget to ask what's available for upgrades, perks and amenities, in addition to the best price, so you get the greatest value from your vacation investment.

The booking process doesn't end once you put down that deposit. Make sure everything is in place before your cruise — including reservations for shore excursions, dining and activities — so you'll be able to relax once on board the ship. Do the hard work first so you can truly enjoy your vacation at sea.

Planning a cruise? Start with these stories:

• The 5 most desirable cabin locations on any cruise ship
• A beginners guide to picking a cruise line
• The 8 worst cabin locations on any cruise ship
• The ultimate guide to what to pack for a cruise
• A quick guide to the most popular cruise lines
• 21 tips and tricks that will make your cruise go smoothly
• Top ways cruisers waste money
• The ultimate guide to choosing a cruise ship cabin

10 Luxury Cruise Lines That Will Make You Want to Ditch Plane Travel Forever

Posted: August 9, 2024 | Last updated: August 9, 2024

Thinking about booking your next dream vacation? As stunning as land-locked adventures and beautiful hotels can be, there’s something to be said about sailing the seas. Fortunately for us, nowadays, there are cruise ships that far exceed the family-fun agenda of the classic companies so often advertised on TV. While there’s absolutely nothing wrong with those cruise liners, there’s something special about not only traversing the ocean but doing so decked out to the nines. With that in mind, we’ve rounded up the best luxury cruise lines of 2023. Ahead, uncover the company that best aligns with your idea of the ultimate water-bound getaway.

Silversea is the “jewel in the crown” of the Royal Caribbean Group, not to mention the original luxury cruise line, first entering the space in 1994. The company touts 12 all-inclusive ships with destinations all over the world. Whether you want to explore the American West Coast, South America, Northern Europe and the British Isles, Africa, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, or even Antarctica, Silversea has a cruise to fit your fancy.

Speaking of fancy, the most luxurious cruise that Silversea offers is its 125-Day Chile to Norway sail, which rings up at $94,700. You don’t have to invest that much to enjoy a Silversea cruise, though. No matter which type of suite you book, you can expect butler service, optional 24/7 in-suite dining, endless access to premium beverages and craft cocktails, and complimentary caviar around the clock.

Explore Silversea Cruises

Paul Gauguin

Paul Gaugin stands out for its single-ship escapade into the luxury cruise space. With a variety of cruises that explore French Polynesia and the South Pacific, Paul Gauguin is a small-ship cruise line with 7-, 10-, 11-, and 14-night itineraries that focus on intimate experiences, delectable cuisine, stunning stateroom balcony views, butler service, and more. With a 1:1.5 crew-to-guest ratio, you can rest assured knowing that all of your needs will be met aboard the m/s Paul Gauguin.

Explore Paul Gauguin Cruises

Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours

Scenic is unique in that it not only offers luxury ocean cruises but river cruises, too. The brand prides itself on operating and innovating with guest experience in mind. As such, all of its cruises have so much to offer voyagers, from extensive dining, leisure, and wellness options to striking design elements that will make you want to stay aboard for much longer than your itinerary.

Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours has nine ships with oceanic destinations spanning from the Arctic and Europe to the Caribbean and Australia. Meanwhile, if you find yourself in France, you may want to check out Scenic’s beloved river cruises, in which you can tour the Seine in the utmost style.

Explore Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours

Ponant has a fleet of 13 luxury cruise ships with destinations dotting the globe. The award-winning French cruise line is beloved for its tailor-made voyages, in which guests have access to myriad bespoke experiences both on and off board, from in-room dining to once-in-a-lifetime immersive excursions.

Since Ponant ships offer smaller capacity—more akin to a private yacht experience—they’re able to navigate private ports and preserved locations that large-scale cruise ships are unable to access. While aboard Ponant’s all-inclusive ships, you can anticipate exceptional French cuisine, delicious fine wines, complimentary Champagne and spirits, room service, and more.

Of course, if you need further inspiration to look into the cruise line, perhaps the fact that three-mast yacht, Le Ponant, is part of the Relais & Châteaux portfolio will do the trick.

Explore Ponant Cruises

Crystal is renowned for its personalized voyages all over the world, not to mention its palatial suites that will leave you picking your jaw up off the floor. In addition to well-appointed design, the cruise line offers an impressive dining experience, with authentic cuisines from all over the world. So whether you’re in the mood for American, Italian, Peruvian, or Japanese food, you’ll have ample options to choose from.

It’s also worth mentioning that the luxury cruise line took it to the next level with its spa, Aurora Spa. The gorgeous, sea-view spa offers a variety of face, body, salon, and healing treatments, including massages, facials, acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, and even IV drip therapy—so you won’t have to worry about feeling hung over at sea (especially considering the cruise line offers complimentary Champagne, fine wines, and premium spirits).

Explore Crystal

Windstar Cruises

Windstar Cruises operates a six-ship fleet dedicated to extraordinary sailing experiences. With small ships that carry less than 350 passengers, Windstar prides itself on offering guests intimate, aesthetic, unforgettable voyages spanning from Asia and Australia to Italy and Iceland.

While the staterooms and suites are stunning and the shore excursions are aplenty, it’s the food that really stands out aboard Windstar. As the official cruise line of the James Beard Foundation, Windstar offers a number of themed culinary cruises with food and bev from some of the most notable chefs of today, including Maxime Bilet (The Cooking Lab) and Jose Mendin (Pubbelly Noodle Bar, Habitat, Baja Bao).

Explore Windstar Cruises

The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection

The Ritz-Carlton is synonymous with luxury, so it’s no surprise that the company extended into oceanic adventures with a fleet of three superyachts. Where the Evrima was built in 2021, the Ilma and Luminara yachts are forthcoming in 2024 and 2025.

While classic cruise lines have a capacity in the thousands, often edging upward of 4,000, the Ritz-Carlton superyachts offer a more curated experience to 500 passengers or less. From the outside, the yachts are sleek and serene, fitting in beautifully with the sea. Within Evrima’s walls, though, moody modern interiors with magnificent ocean views await.

Guests can look forward to soaking tubs, expansive private balconies complete with sun beds and a whirlpool, walk-in wardrobes, and more. As far as destinations are concerned, The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection embarks on oceanic adventures in the Mediterranean and Caribbean.

Explore The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection Cruises

Seabourn is a luxury cruise line that speaks to our soul—and for more reasons than the simple fact that it touts a “Veranda Suite Upgrade.” The luxury cruise line sets sail in the Arctic, Canada and New England, the Amazon, Arabia, Africa, and India, and more.

Each of the fleet’s yachts, which carry between 458 and 600 guests, is outfitted with ocean-view suites only, so no matter what excursion you book, you can anticipate traveling in luxury style with a picturesque backdrop. You can also look forward to mouth-watering cuisine courtesy of renowned chef Thomas Keller.

Explore Seabourn Cruises

Cunard is known for its iconic black funnels, yes, but more so for its unparalleled large-scale onboard experiences. Although each of the cruise line’s ships carries upwards of 1,500 passengers, the four-ship fleet is adored for its luxury itineraries, stylish design, tranquil spa offerings, delectable cuisine, and unmatched comfort at sea.

Truly, if your goal is to book an unforgettable, Instagram-worthy cruise, Cunard is the way to go. From the stunning suites (decked out in pops of rich color, sumptuous textiles, and spectacular lighting) to the picturesque destinations, Cunard has it all.

Explore Cunard Cruises

Regent Seven Seas Cruises

If you want to get the most bang for your buck when booking a luxury cruise, Regent Seven Seas Cruises is a prime pick. The all-inclusive cruise line crafts a new definition of the category with complimentary roundtrip airfare, free unlimited shore excursions, include 2- to 3-night land programs, on-the-house bar and lounge experiences, and more.

The six-fleet cruise line is also known for its gorgeous interiors, complete with modern aesthetics, Art Deco embellishments, stunning chandeliers, and more. When traveling with Regent Seven Seas Cruises, guests can traverse the seven seas, with destinations in Africa and Arabia, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, the Caribbean and more. And if you don’t want to pick a single destination, there’s always the option to book a grand voyage or world cruise, which can last up to 168 days and cost upwards of $100,000.

Explore Regent Seven Seas Cruises

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Money blog: Teachers now qualify for Blue Light discount card - but not everyone is happy about it

Welcome to the Money blog, your place for personal finance and consumer news and tips. Leave a comment on any of the stories we're covering below.

Friday 9 August 2024 20:08, UK

• Teachers now qualify for Blue Light discount card - not everyone is happy about it
• Pound v dollar - what stock market chaos means for holiday money
• What people look at when they view your home
• Five budget ways to increase your house value
• Mortgage overview : Home buyers getting better rates than remortgagers - and buy-to-let purchases in decline
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• Best of the Money blog - an archive of features

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ScotRail and Caledonian Sleeper staff have voted in favour of a walk-out in an ongoing dispute over pay, the RMT union has said.

Union members at the two publicly owned rail operators were separately balloted for strike action following a pay offer that was described by the union as "derisory".

Bexley has topped the list as London's cheapest area to rent .

The average rent in the southeast London region is £1,297 per month, a study by  BLG Development Finance and Online Marketing Surgery  found.

In second place is east London's Havering, with an average rent of £1,350 a month.

The most expensive average rent is in Kensington and Chelsea, with renters paying around £3,322 a month.

A secret advertising deal was struck between Google and Meta to boost Instagram's users, according to a Financial Times report . 

Google had worked on a marketing project for Meta aimed at targeting 13 to 17-year-old YouTube users with adverts promoting Instagram. 

That's despite Google's rules prohibiting personalising and targeting adverts to under-18s. 

Google has since cancelled the project after being contacted by the FT and investigating its claims.

The chocolate maker is giving customers the chance to star in one of its classic ads from the last 200 years with the use of AI.

As part of the AI-powered tool, users will be able to upload a selfie and select their era from one of seven Cadbury ads. 

Users can also select how they would like to be represented and the AI technology will then recreate their image.

Those who do give it a try will automatically be entered into a prize draw to win £200.

The My Cadbury Era campaign is being launched by the chocolate company's agency VCCP London to mark Cadbury's 200th anniversary this year. 

You can find out more here ...

Free Jude's ice cream is being offered for John Lewis reward members this summer.

Shoppers looking to indulge will be able to get one for free at The Place to Eat if they join the retailer's loyalty scheme .

The offer comes as a short-lived but intense spell of hot weather prepares to hit the UK this weekend, with temperatures expected to reach 33C in parts of the country.

The offer is valid until 27 September.

Eagle-eyed shoppers have noticed Heinz Ploughman's Pickle appears to have disappeared from supermarket shelves. 

The popular condiment might have been a favourite for your cheese sandwich, but there's bad news - Heinz has confirmed the product has, in fact, been discontinued. 

Concerned customer Sarah-Ann asked this on Twitter...

To Sarah-Ann's disappointment, Heinz replied: "Thanks for your message. Sorry to say but this product has now been discontinued."

So, is this one that should be brought back? 

We've been running a weekly series called Bring It Back where we look at the discontinued food items that you want back on our shelves. 

Here are the ones you've been calling for so far... 

Teachers and school support staff can now apply for a Blue Light discount card - but the sudden surge in demand has caused the official website to temporarily crash. 

The Blue Light card is a discount provided to emergency services, NHS workers, social care staff and members of the armed forces, and provides thousands of offers and discounts online and on the high street. It costs £4.99 to register for two-year access to more than 15,000 offers from large national retailers and local businesses. 

But it seems demand was so high, with teachers rushing to grab the card, that it promptly crashed the website.

"Due to the high demand we've seen over the last 24 hours we experienced some issues with our website and app," the organisation wrote on X. 

"Please accept our apologies for this error. We are in the process of refunding any duplicate payments and you should receive an email in the next 24 hours with more information." 

However, the move to accept teachers into the scheme has been met with some criticism. 

One A-level maths teacher wrote: "I'm not sure how I feel about this. Teaching can be hard, but we're not an emergency service, and our work isn't really in the same category as "blue light" jobs. If they're going to widen the eligibility criteria, it needs a name change, at the very least."

Another X user wrote: "This is precisely why fewer and fewer businesses accept the BLC. You really ought to rebrand to something like 'Key Worker Card'. The majority of jobs which meet your eligibility criteria are not 'blue light' roles -- the name 'BLC' is misleading now." 

But Blue Light Card hit back, saying: "Teachers are not just educators; they are mentors, guides and inspirations that are helping shape the future for our children. They are fully deserving members of our blue light community." 

What kind of offers can a Blue Light card get you? 

Among the offers is 12% off at Fenty Beauty and 15% off at Bose. 

Users can also get a £30 gift card if they spend more than £1,000 at British Airways or a £110 voucher if they sell their car via Carwow. 

Or if getting fit is more your thing, you can get 50% off an annual subscription to the Body Coach.  

The summer holidays are in full swing, with children facing an exciting six weeks off school in the sunshine (or the rain, it is the UK after all).

Many supermarkets and restaurants have deals available during the holidays to take some of the pressure off parents needing to feed their hungry youngsters.

Here are some of the supermarket offers out there:

Children can eat for £1 at Asda cafes all day, every day - not just during the summer holidays.

There's no minimum adult spend or purchase required with this one.

Options include penne pasta, fish fingers and chicken nuggets.

Children and adults can grab a free bowl of cereal every day at Morrisons cafes.

No minimum spend is required but the offer is limited to one bowl of cereal per customer, per day. The offer is only on until 4 August, so you'll need to get in there quick!

As well as this, Morrisons is also offering children a free kids meal when they're with an adult spending at least £4.50 on a meal.

Kids can eat for free at a Tesco cafe when an adult makes a purchase and scans their Clubcard.

The offer is available on weekdays until 30 August in England and Wales and until 16 August in Scotland.

There is no fixed minimum spend required.

Sainsbury's 

Children can grab a hot main meal or lunch bag for free when accompanied by an adult buying a hot meal from £5.50 in its cafes during the summer holidays.

The offer is valid until 3 September.

According to the supermarket, its kids meals are suitable for youngsters aged five to 10.

At Ikea, children can get a meal of pasta with tomato sauce, or mac and cheese, with a soft drink for 95p.

Other kids meals are priced at a reasonable £1.50.

This one's available every day from 11am, except for Fridays.

As well as supermarkets and stores, some restaurants are offering cheaper meals for children during the summer break.

Here are a few of the best offers we've found...

Bella Italia

Kids eat for free all day on Thursdays and for £1 between 4pm-6pm Sunday to Wednesday at Bella Italia restaurants.

The offer is available with the purchase of any adult main.

Beefeater and Brewers Fayre

Two children can get a free breakfast every day with one paying adult.

The Real Greek

Children can get a free meal on Sundays with an adult spending more than £10.

The offer is available to all children under 12, and is only valid for dine-in.

Kids can help themselves to a free kids buffet every day until 3pm when quoting the code SUMMERKEF.

They have to be with an adult spending at least £10 on other food to get the unlimited pizza, pasta and salad offer.

The buffet can be upgraded to include a bottomless soft drink and unlimited ice cream for an extra £2.

Children are offered a free kids' bento box all day at Yo! Sushi restaurants when dining with a full-paying adult spending at least £10.

The offer is available until 30 August. A maximum of three children per booking can eat for free.

Las Iguanas

Children can get a free meal from the kids' menu with an adult ordering a main course.

The offer, for children up to 12 years old, excludes the lunch menu and is only available for customers with the My Iguanas app.

TGI Fridays

Children eat free with every adult main meal purchased.

The offer is available all day every day for members of its Stripes Rewards scheme.

The coffee shop chain has revealed it is giving bodyworn cameras to staff following a spike in shoplifting and attacks on retail workers. 

It told The Telegraph it had launched a trial across six shops in London and had put up signs to let customers know. 

The cameras are only being worn be team leaders and managers and will only be turned on in specific circumstances, a Pret spokesperson said. 

The footage will only be accessible to Pret's security team. 

Companies have reported increasing cases of shoplifting and aggressive behaviour towards staff in the years following the pandemic. 

Record levels of shoplifting were reported in England and Wales last year, according to government figures.

Lidl recently spent £2m on body cameras for staff in all of its UK stores, while English Heritage - which manages historic sites across the country - has also deployed a similar tactic. 

Vinted has made a U-turn on its delivery changes after it was met with a backlash from sellers.

The mobile app, where users can buy or sell new or secondhand items, had this month trialled removing sellers' ability to pick and choose the couriers they could send parcels through. 

But the move caused confusion and anger among sellers, who argued that not being able to pick and choose shipping options would mean some people would have to cancel orders. 

Some shipping options require sellers to be able to print shipping labels, while others may have drop-off points far away from the seller's location. 

On X, one seller wrote: "This will ruin your platform if it doesn't get fixed quickly."

While another asked: "On what planet was that a good idea?" 

In response, Vinted has now reverted back to its previous setting. 

The company told the BBC that the change was made on Monday.

"We heard the feedback and can confirm the shipping options have returned to their previous settings. There are no further actions needed from the members," the company said.

The stock market slump at the start of this week, and fears of a US recession (as of yesterday, JP Morgan was putting the chances at 35%), prompted questions from readers on the important issue of what it all means for their holiday money ahead of US trips.

I am going to the USA in September for a holiday. Will the fear of a US recession mean that I will get more or less dollars for my British pound? James

If the USA enters recession does that mean you will get a better exchange rate from GBP? Sharon392

We asked business reporter Daniel Binns to take a look...

First, the current situation, and if you're heading to the US, unfortunately the pound has recently weakened against the dollar, so you will get less bucks for your bang, Binns writes .

The stock market turmoil has affected markets around the world, but it was the Bank of England's decision to cut interest rates last week that has had a big impact on the value of the pound.

Higher interest rates tend to attract foreign investors looking for a higher return on their money - and so lower rates are unappealing and can therefore decrease a currency's value.

At the start of the week, £1 could buy you $1.2811, but that slumped to as low as $1.2675 by Tuesday.

In the past few days the pound has recovered a little, and is back up to $1.2764 - but still down overall.

What will happen to the value of the pound if the US enters recession?

A recession in the world's largest economy will have a global impact – even fears about the possibility sent global markets from Tokyo to London into a mini-meltdown on Monday.

However, currency markets are influenced by a range of factors, including important domestic aspects such as interest rates.

It also depends on how a US recession affects the UK economy – it may not cause much damage here.

If America does experience a downturn, investors could flee the US dollar towards "safe" currencies such as the Swiss Franc or Euro. Whether they turn to the pound will depend on the amount of confidence they have in the UK economy.

The strength of the pound against the dollar is more likely to be affected by which out of the US Federal Reserve and the Bank of England makes quicker and deeper interest rate cuts.

There's a lot of unknown factors at play, so it's hard to make any firm predictions – a US recession, which is by no means a given, may not happen until much later next year, when the economic climate may have changed a lot.

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Certificate attestation, Visa, Travel & Career.

Plan for the future and live your life now.

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Air Tickets

We have a core group of highly experienced and committed travel consultants for domestic & international travel. With years of experience we bring you the best possible fares with scheduled airlines (full-service as well as budget carriers) the world over. We believe each customer is unique precisely why, we provide tailor made services to suit your every requirement. We provide numerous web-based comparisons for budget carriers to locate the best viable option available. Owing to our expertise in air ticketing, and our distinctive leverage with major airlines, we offers the most competitive airfares for all sectors. We have tie-ups with major ventures in the airline fraternity, and are capable of providing the best possible fares with most airlines.

• Visa Assistance

We have a full-fledged department for visa procurement. We take care of doing the cumbersome work of visa processing the application at your request. All you have to do is to contact us and provide us the necessary documents and we will process your documents as needed. Fine Tours & Travels not only provides its client with professional visa assistance and visa services but also renders valuable & comprehensive services related to travel within India and abroad with qualified & total professional staff to serve the travel industry. We understand that every country has a different process, fees structures and requirements for Indians to travel abroad. We also understand your needs and work towards getting your visa as soon as possible. We help in document preparation, filling out forms and ensure all necessary documents are correctly attached. This eliminates future problems in obtaining your visa. With our extensive knowledge on how things work, we correctly organize the documents as they supposed to be so that you can be confidant while facing the Authorities. We make you understand the vital procedures of visa application and the rest of the process..

We have a full-fledged Saudi Visa Processing Department to ensure proper documentation, and quick hassle-free processing of visas to Saudi Arabia. We have been highly regarded as one of the best in the industry in terms of delivering a timely and dedicated service to our clients. Please find the information below regarding the various types of visa processed from Royal Saudi Arabian Embassy New Delhi and Consulate General Mumbai..

Kuwait Visa

We have a full-fledged Kuwait Visa Processing Department to ensure proper documentation, and quick hassle-free processing of visas to the State of Kuwait . We have been highly regarded as one of the best in the industry in terms of delivering a timely and dedicated service to our clients. Please find the information below regarding the various types of visa processed from Embassy of State of Kuwait ,New Delhi and Consulate General Mumbai..

Certificate Attestation

If a person from India go abroad for job, his/her certificates has to be authenticated by that country's embassy or consulate in India. Since there are many Indians working in Gulf countries Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Kingdom Saudi Arabia (KSA), United Arab Emirates (UAE) etc, it is necessary for them to get their documents attested from the corresponding foreign embassy or consulate. Same procedure is applicable for other countries in Europe, Africa, Australia and American continents. But, to get embassy or consulate attestation, the document has to be attested by Govt. of India. This is a cumbersome process, which can take months to get the certificates processed. We at Fine Tours & Travels, take responsibility of getting all your required valuable certificates attested by concerned authorities. With our experience and knowledge in the field, we accelerate the process through our contacts with various embassies and governmental organizations..

• HR Consultancy

We have professionaly managed manpower recruitment wing, with years of experience in the overseas placement. We have been providing a wide range of semi skilled and skilled professionals in all prominent area of work throughout the world. Our much advanced and highly integrated network makes it an easy and enjoyable affair with our Clients and Candidates. Our organisation is approved by Government of India, Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs under recruitment license number B 0366/KER/PART/1000/5/8355/2008..

Are you ready for next level of life experience?

• Attestation

HR Solutions and consultancy having the decades of experience in the overseas placement. We have been providing a wide range of semi-skilled and skilled professionals in all prominent area of work throughout the world. Our much advanced and highly integrated network makes it an easy and enjoyable affair with our Clients and Candidates. Our organization is approved by Government of India, Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs .

If a person from India go abroad for job, his/her certificates has to be authenticated by that country's embassy or consulate in India. Since there are many Indians working in Gulf countries Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Kingdom Saudi Arabia (KSA), United Arab Emirates (UAE) etc, it is necessary for them to get their documents attested from the corresponding foreign embassy or consulate.

We have a full-fledged department for visa procurement. We take care of doing the cumbersome work of visa processing the application at your request. All you have to do is to contact us and provide us the necessary documents and we will process your documents as needed. We provide visa and travel services in India and abroad with the assistance of qualified and professional resources.

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Migration for career growth

The number of international migrant employees globally has risen to 269 million, a rise of eight per cent since 2017, according to the latest estimates from the United Nation’s Sustainable developme.

Discover beyond boundaries

Nowadays youth and common people are interested to travels more. Global tourism's direct gross product rose 19% in 2021 from 2020 to $1.9 trillion, the international report said, as each tourist would.

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The dos and don'ts of visiting Russia for the first time

Sep 24, 2021 • 6 min read

These top tips can help you make the most of your visit to Russia © MarinaDa / Shutterstock

The world’s largest country beguiles and fascinates with its world-class art, epic landscapes and multifaceted society. You may also find that perseverance  and a sense of humour will go a long way in enriching your first-time Russian travel experience. From the things you absolutely must do before you travel to the things we recommend that you steer clear of once you're there, here are some top tips for avoiding common pitfalls when visiting  Russia .

DO apply for a visa early and register on arrival

Visas must be applied for in advance by all visitors. How you do that varies depending on your nationality and where in Russia you are traveling to. Travelers from many countries, including the UK and US, need to apply in-person at an embassy or consulate and provide biometric data. An e-visa may be an option for passport-holders from 52 countries, which include many EU travelers, as well as those from China, India, Japan, Singapore, and some Middle Eastern countries. However these are temporarily suspended due to COVID-19.  Check with your local Russian embassy or consulate for confirmation, or get up-to-date information here . 

You can apply at the last moment, but it may cost you a fortune. Start the application process at least a month before your trip and consider using a specialist travel agency to arrange visas and make key transport bookings. Every visitor to Russia should have their visa registered within seven days of arrival, excluding weekends and public holidays. The obligation to register is with your hotel or hostel, or landlord, friend or family if you’re staying in a private residence. Also keep in mind that your visa entry and exit dates will be written according to European calendar convention (day/month/year) as opposed to the American style, so don't get mixed up or over-stay your visa. 

DO check the events calendar

During major holidays – the first week in January (between New Year’s Day and Orthodox Christmas) and the first week or two of May (around Labour Day, or May Day, and Victory Day) – Moscow and St Petersburg empty out. Despite this, both cities are festive during these times, with parades, concerts and other events, but museums and other institutions may have shortened hours or be shut altogether. May to September is the best time to visit St Petersburg but mid-June is when the city is irresistible, with the White Nights revelry at its peak.

DO dress up for a night out

We can’t guarantee you’ll make it past Moscow’s "face control" (the term comes from clubs trying to "save face" by only letting in patrons who meet their image standards) but you can better your chances of getting in to the top clubs by making a sartorial effort – high heels and skirts for women, all black for men. Russians also make an effort when they go to the theater or a posh restaurant – you should do likewise to fit in.

DO learn the Cyrillic alphabet

Making an effort to familiarize yourself with the Cyrillic alphabet repays tenfold. It will help you decode street and metro signs, maps, timetables and menus, even if you don't know many Russian phrases. While digital tools like the Russian Metro app  and Google Translate make it easier than ever to visit countries where you don't speak or read the language, brushing up beforehand can reduce frustration and endear you to the locals.

Rideshare options such as Taxovichkoff and Yandex Taxi upended the taxi industry in Russia as much as anywhere else. That means less pressure to know the Russian phrases you'd need to hails cabs in the streets, but it still is wise to learn key phrases in case there's a navigation mixup, like the address of your hotel or intersection of your short-term apartment rental. 

DO expect to spend your money

Moscow is one of the most expensive cities in the world and St Petersburg is not a cheap destination either; wallet-thinning shock is common at many restaurants and hotels. As a foreigner you’ll also find yourself paying more than a Russian for some museums – often as much as 10 times the price Russians pay. If you’re a student, flashing your ID can save you money at museums and other institutions.

You can save on dining out a few different ways. Many restaurants offer "business lunches" that are great value and very filling. Several years ago the trend for " anti-cafes " cropped up in larger Russian cities, and there are still a few where you pay by the minute for coffee, biscuits, and a little wi-fi time. 

Food markets  that blend farmers markets and food halls are popular, and are often found in architecturally significant vintage buildings. You can shop for ingredients to cook yourself or sample cuisines from around the world from dozens of  vendor stalls. Many food markets are less expensive than sit-down restaurants and let you try a wider variety of local and international dishes. 

DON’T ask for a mixer with your vodka

Few traditions in Russia are as sacrosanct as the drinking of vodka , and any foreign notions of drinking it with orange juice or tonic are anathema to your average Russian. If you need something to wash it down, you can chase it with a lemon, a pickle or, perhaps, a separate glass of water. Vodka is drunk in swift shots, not sipped. It’s traditional (and good sense) to eat a little something after each shot, so order some vodka snacks too.

DON’T be disrespectful in a church

Working churches are open to everyone, but as a visitor you should take care not to disturb any devotions or offend sensibilities. There's no face control, but women should cover their heads and bare shoulders when entering a church. In some monasteries and churches it’s also required for a woman to wear a skirt – wraps are usually available at the door. Men should remove their hats in church and not wear shorts.

DON’T take photos of government buildings

Be very careful about photographing stations, official-looking buildings and any type of military-security structure – if in doubt, don’t snap! Travelers have been arrested and fined for such innocent behaviour.

DON’T be surprised if you’re stopped by the police

Although new laws were passed in 2011 that ostensibly reconfigured Russia's police and their interactions with the public, it's still wise to carry a photocopy of your passport, visa and registration – not to mention travel documents that indicate how and when you'll return home – and present them when an officer demands to see your documents. You may also see special tourist police near major attractions like the Red Square , who have special training and language skills to assist travelers.

If you're issued a fine, Russian authorities might expect an "unofficial payment" to expedite their service on the spot, as opposed to handling the matter later at the station. Either way, always ask for an official receipt, and consider carrying the phone number for your country's embassy in case matters get more complicated. 

You might also like: How to spend a perfect weekend in Moscow    How to plan and pack for the Trans-Siberian Railway    Beyond the Trans-Siberian: travelling Russia's unexplored northwest by train   

This article was originally published in August 2009.

This article was first published Oct 30, 2019 and updated Sep 24, 2021.

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Skip the line: 4 tools to help you move through airports faster

Puedes leer esta historia presionando aquí.

As a frequent flyer, one of the things I hate the most is the long lines at security and waiting at airports. Although very necessary for security matters, they can be a headache for travelers. However, there are four tools, some are paid and others free, that help me save time at airports. Here are my favorites:

1. Mobile Passport Control (MPC)

A secure and free application that allows you to store your travel documents, photos and customs declaration from your mobile. This will allow you to go to an express line at passport control inspection upon your return to the United States from any international destination.

2. RESERVE by CLEAR

A free tool of the CLEAR application that works at selected airports for flights in the United States and other countries such as Germany, Canada, Italy or the Netherlands.

How does it work? You must enter the CLEAR page or application and select your RESERVE by CLEAR option. You fill in your flight information and select the time and airport where you would do your security screening. Once you complete the information, the system will produce a QR Code that you will present to CLEAR officers at the airport. This will allow you to get past long lines at participating airports, such as:

• Amsterdam (AMS)
• Berlin (BER Runway)
• Calgary (YYC)
• Denver (DEN)
• Edmonton (YEG)
• Frankfurt (FRA)
• Hanover (HAIR)
• Los Angeles (LAX Fast Lane)
• Minneapolis (MSP)
• Montreal (YUL)
• New York (JFK)
• Newark (EWR)
• Orlando (MCO)
• Phoenix (PHX)
• Seattle (SEA Spot Saver)
• Toronto (YYZ)
• Vancouver (YVR)

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3. TSA Pre-Check

A program that allows you to get through a fast line at security checks on domestic flights in the United States. You can do it without having to take your electronics out of your luggage or remove your shoes or straps, which will help you save a lot of time in large airports. According to TSA data, 88% of passengers with TSA Pre-Check wait less than 5 minutes in the security line. Adults who have it can go with children under 17 years old. It has a five-year span and costs $78.

4. Global Entry

A paid program that allows you to go through a fast track at your entrance to the United States and other participating countries upon arrival from an international destination. It also allows you to avoid having to complete the documentation normally required upon your return from an international destination. It has a span of five years and a cost of $ 100 dollars. This is usually very beneficial in airports that typically have long immigration lines, such as JFK in New York City, Newark, Atlanta, LAX in Los Angeles, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, ORD in Chicago, DFW in Dallas, IAH in Houston, Las Vegas, Seattle and San Francisco.

A great benefit of Global Entry is that it includes the TSA Pre-Check membership that allows you to quickly go through security checks at domestic airports. Another advantage is that many credit cards refund the cost of membership if you pay using their card, including the AMEX Platinum, the Chase Sapphire Reserve, the Capital One Venture X or the different card options offered by different airlines.

Here are four tools that have helped me save time and headaches at airports. Choose the one that best suits your needs as a traveler.

Wilson "Wil" Santiago Burgos is the founder of  Mochileando.com , one of the largest travel platforms in Puerto Rico and the Latin American market in the U.S.