The flight from JFK to Hong Kong became the longest because the Ukraine war rerouted it to avoid Russian air space. I believe Flightradar is wrong.
www.independent.co.uk
One of our kids just returned from 3 weeks in South Africa. 8 hour flight Chicago to Frankfurt. 12 hour layover. 10 hour flight Frankfurt to Johannesburg. 2 hour flight to middle of nowhere.
My son-in law got that for my daughter when she went to SA for that reason.
That flight from Frankfurt to Johannesburg is still shorter than driving from South Bend, IN to Stillwater, OK.
Did that multiple times a year for 4 years. Glad the kids are back in Indiana now.
It gets complicated doing that, if you're bringing a firearm to Africa for safari. My last couple of hunting trips, I used a travel agent that specializes in traveling with firearms and knows how to work out the details.
I still prefer direct flights. Not every place moves at the pace you’re used to, and that’s part of the charm. I’ve found that learning a few basic phrases in the local language always earns goodwill. At some point during planning I browse travmodo.com just to catch up on current travel conditions and make sure I’m not walking into avoidable surprises. Transportation systems vary wildly between countries, so research pays off. Keeping an open mind helps you enjoy differences instead of resisting them. The more flexible you are, the richer your experience becomes.
I've done both. If you can work a day or two in on a stop, then it's not a bad way to go. We worked out an evening and dinner in Dublin Ireland on our way home from continental Europe last summer, which was fun. There's nothing like actually stopping in on Ireland for your Guiness and Shepherd's Pie, or flying to Italy for your gnocchi.
Where are you going that a copy of a passport is accepted??? I've never personally run into that scenario.
AIrport in Singapore is just unreal. Can't wait to go back there. Traveling abroad always comes with unexpected lessons, good and bad. Planning ahead helps, but things still happen. I’ve learned a lot from reading other people’s travel experiences here. Knowing How to get an airline refund can save a lot of stress when plans go sideways. Forums like this are often more helpful than official airline pages. Real stories make a difference.
I do have street sense. But felt perfectly fine in Naples Italy, which people fear. No biggy. People were great and helpful. Said, where not to go. Cause they know. And they don't go there. So we didn't. If you are not a player, you are not a player. You are a tourist. An this is somewhat respected. I know this is counterintuitive, but the stealing is within the common folks. Stealing from a tourist pulls their entire police force to bear. They get on it. Cause they live off this tourism. And they know that.
I've walked all over Italy, mostly alone, and never had even a hint of worry about my personal safety. Petty crime like pick-pockets and credit card theft are rampant there, but their violent crime numbers must be many times lower than any American city.
It is the little things like that. And if you see the scam, sight the pickpocket, you are okay.