Foreign Travel?

[gsganzer]

Im also a fairly large person ..6-3' 220 pounds so most bad actors may look elsewhere for an easier target. ..

Situational awareness is everything. We were in Madrid a few years back with some friends. My friends wife got pick-pocketed and lost $4000 euro she had in her satchel. It was even one of those "pick-pocket-proof" satchels, but she had forgotten to latch the zipper. They hit her as she was on an escalator in a store.

When you watch her in a crowd, she just stands out as an easy target, completely unaware of what's going on around her and easily distracted.

 

[NoTrespassing]

As much as many like to disparage California, you can't deny how beautiful and vibrant it is. I was working near Santa Barbara last week and really had an enjoyable trip, from a relaxing and trendy hotel to a really nice beachside dinner.
I'm heading to San Jose later this week, near the Cisco campus. It might be that many people now work remote, but I can't help but notice how much commercial vacancy there is in that area.

On Feb. 21, 2025, California State Sen. Menjivar introduced Senate Bill 789 (SB-789), proposing a vacancy tax aimed at commercial real property (property) to address prolonged vacancies, incentivize property activation, and generate revenue to support first-time home buyers through the California Dream for All Program. SB-789 is scheduled to become effective on July 1, 2028, with initial annual tax obligations due in 2029.

Summary of SB-789 Changes​

Vacancy Tax on Commercial Real Property

SB-789 imposes an annual vacancy tax of $5 per square foot on properties remaining vacant for 182 or more days, whether consecutive or nonconsecutive, within a calendar year. The tax explicitly excludes residential spaces within mixed-use properties. Revenues collected would be directed exclusively to the California Dream for All Fund, aiding first-time home buyers.

 

[ultrarunner]

Yep… corporate relocations out of state is a big deal…

Also a lot of vacant retail here from fast food, grocery stores, CVS, Walgreens, banks, auto parts and strip malls.

The smaller operators that got hit hard during years of pandemic often folded.

Large retail chains closed profitable locations due in large part to theft… both upon patrons and also the establishments.

A lot of retail is dark…

 

[Eaglesfate]

Been to 11 countries in the world, here is a few things I took away from my travels, always keep your head on a swivel (being alert is a good way to catch trouble before it comes to you), sit in a corner with easy access to an exit, Big one don't be an @ss, keep your money in your front pockets, but not all of it, some of it in you socks, If you have friends there they should keep you safe, and the big one "have fun".

 

[ultrarunner]

On Feb. 21, 2025, California State Sen. Menjivar introduced Senate Bill 789 (SB-789), proposing a vacancy tax aimed at commercial real property (property) to address prolonged vacancies, incentivize property activation, and generate revenue to support first-time home buyers through the California Dream for All Program. SB-789 is scheduled to become effective on July 1, 2028, with initial annual tax obligations due in 2029.

Summary of SB-789 Changes​

Vacancy Tax on Commercial Real Property

SB-789 imposes an annual vacancy tax of $5 per square foot on properties remaining vacant for 182 or more days, whether consecutive or nonconsecutive, within a calendar year. The tax explicitly excludes residential spaces within mixed-use properties. Revenues collected would be directed exclusively to the California Dream for All Fund, aiding first-time home buyers.

Several Bay Area cities already have this and it applies to vacant lots and residential in addition to vacant commercial.

I truly find it insidious… like kicking someone when there down and going through this now…

Since 1942 a property was auto sales with office and detail area, etc. 100% paved and fenced and well lighted with monument sign.

City now says even parking cars over 72 hours on a car lot is zoning violation… city wants housing but who would build housing as population declines?

 

[dodge man]

When we went to Ireland we did a bus tour and they obviously take you places thar are safe. Out tour guide talked some about politics and talked about their immigration problem. She also talked about Britain pulling out of the EU and I got the idea there was some hate there.

 

[kenmbz]

Madrid and NYC are famous for their pickpockets, back to the 1970's.

Last time I was in Santa Barbara (last year) it looked very run down from when I was there in the 90's. We won't be back there for a while.

I've been to 41+ countries, plenty of places anywhere to get in trouble.

Worked in Johannesburg (actually Sandton) and loved it, though you could not walk outside of the gated areas and expect to live. But great access to safaris. Worked a lot in Asia and Europe.
You get more of a sense of culture hanging out with coworkers in other countries.

I felt safer in Cairo then I did in San Francisco last year.

Most fun city for me is Tokyo and London is also great fun.
Munich is a mess of jobless people wandering the streets, so is Paris in some areas.

Surprisingly we've not been to Ireland, my wife is half Irish and half English.
Nor have I been to Hungary, Lithuania or Ukraine/Russia where my family is from.

Still need to visit PNG, last place on my bucket list. Still haven't been to Alaska yet either.

I still love coming home to PA though.

 

[WinterDeere]

As much as many like to disparage California, you can't deny how beautiful and vibrant it is.

I've always said, California is great, if it weren't for all the damn Californians. Amazing landscape and natural resources, maybe second to no other state in that regard. But I'll take the east coast for food, culture, history...

 

[ultrarunner]

When I cancelled my Philippine trip over safety concerns I can’t help but thinking I may have over reacted.

The people telling me not to go are hospital co-workers from the Philippines…

I finally said ok… I will cancel and just stay home in East Oakland California where I know I am safe!

The same people said you live in Oakland… we never go to Oakland!!!

 

[2manyrocks]

California dreamin has turned into California fleein in spite of the climate.

 

[Suburban Plowboy]

As has been noted in other posts, tourists in Europe are now like ants on a dead dog. There are swarms of them. And because India and mainland China have gotten more prosperous, there are a lot of tourists who suddenly have money but no idea how to act. There were signs in Europe telling mainland Chinese people, basically, not to poop on the floor.

It was saddening to see how expensive Switzerland had gotten. They are deliberately jacking prices up to reduce tourism. A place that sold me cheeseburgers for maybe $3.00 in 1977 was offering them for about $35.00, and I saw a restaurant charging about $7.50 for tap water.

Switzerland is the only place I've ever been where I would call the scenery breathtaking. You turn around, see a gorge or an array of mountains, and you literally stop breathing. I also admire the people a great deal. But I spent over $500 per night for a room that would cost maybe $150 in the US. I felt insulted. This is my favorite country in Europe, but I don't think I'll ever go back.

Rome's sites were completely jammed up. I felt like a cow in a busy stockyard, being rammed through these places. Great food. Fun people, except for the hordes of rude illegal immigrants badgering us to buy terrible souvenirs. I think if we go again, it will be in the middle of the winter. There is nothing in Rome you need warm weather to see.

I wish I could have shown her ******, but it was difficult to get a visa, and the constant genocidal terrorist attacks make it a questionable proposition these days.

I would like to see Russia, but I guess that will not happen given the way past American regimes have failed at establishing cordial ties.

Anyway, but for my wife, I would have stayed right here in Florida and been very happy about it.

 

[ultrarunner]

One of the nurses I work with is from Indonesia… she married in California and they have a daughter…

I attended the wedding and only her aunt with a Belgium passport could attend from her family.

Her parents dreamed of seeing where her daughter lived and meeting the American family… several years of trying without luck.

They then signed up for an organized travel tour and the travel company arranged the Visa… but her 45 year old brother was denied.

I met parents during their 30 hours in San Francisco when they came to see her workplace.

Lots of tears of joy seeing their 8 year old grand daughter for the first time… my friend said it’s 30 hours she will never forget…

Parents returned home with the tour and within 4 years both had passed away…

Their trip to California to see their daughter and her new family was the highlight of their lives.

 

[Suburban Plowboy]

We had to get married over Zoom. In the past, if you wanted to get married over video in the US, you and your bride both had to be on US soil. A county in Utah dropped that requirement, and people like my wife and me swamped them. She was in Africa, and I was here in my bedroom. We had Zoom witnesses and Zoom guests. I think our wedding cost $85.

As I recall, I could have flown to her country, but neither of us was excited about that. Back then, I thought a 30-hour plane trip was unthinkable. My attitude really changed in 4 years of travel. To get to Hong Kong, I had to take THE longest commercial airline flight, with a drunken Russian using me as a seat back. Exactly 16 hours. No other commercial flight is as long. That was after flying to JFK and waiting for the Hong Kong flight. Singapore to San Francisco is nearly as long, and once I got to San Francisco, I still had to fly to Florida.

The USA likes to see married couples get together physically before giving them visas, on the somewhat archaic assumption that if you're together, you have consummated the marriage. This is why we went to Turkey after Egypt. To convince Uncle Sam we were getting busy.

 

[Izebluke]

I started using Travel Business Class to find cheap business class tickets whenever I have to fly somewhere a couple years ago after getting fed up with long layovers and cramped seats. They've helped me find good deals on business class tickets that didn’t break the bank. Definitely made those longer international trips way more comfortable, especially when crossing multiple time zones.

 

[NoTrespassing]

Been to 11 countries in the world, here is a few things I took away from my travels, always keep your head on a swivel (being alert is a good way to catch trouble before it comes to you), sit in a corner with easy access to an exit, Big one don't be an @ss, keep your money in your front pockets, but not all of it, some of it in you socks, If you have friends there they should keep you safe, and the big one "have fun".

I always carry a travel wallet belt under my pants when traveling abroad. I always make paper copies of passports and other important documents and keep them in it with the majority of cash. We usually have Philippine pesos with us so we can avoid bad exchange rates when getting off the plane and can go straight to a sim card stand and then to a taxi.

 

[NoTrespassing]

We had to get married over Zoom. In the past, if you wanted to get married over video in the US, you and your bride both had to be on US soil. A county in Utah dropped that requirement, and people like my wife and me swamped them. She was in Africa, and I was here in my bedroom. We had Zoom witnesses and Zoom guests. I think our wedding cost $85.

As I recall, I could have flown to her country, but neither of us was excited about that. Back then, I thought a 30-hour plane trip was unthinkable. My attitude really changed in 4 years of travel. To get to Hong Kong, I had to take THE longest commercial airline flight, with a drunken Russian using me as a seat back. Exactly 16 hours. No other commercial flight is as long. That was after flying to JFK and waiting for the Hong Kong flight. Singapore to San Francisco is nearly as long, and once I got to San Francisco, I still had to fly to Florida.

The USA likes to see married couples get together physically before giving them visas, on the somewhat archaic assumption that if you're together, you have consummated the marriage. This is why we went to Turkey after Egypt. To convince Uncle Sam we were getting busy.

I think we had a flight over 16 hours about 10 years ago. The longest flight according to Google is over 18 hours.

The world's longest commercial flight is Singapore Airlines flight SQ23 from New York (JFK) to Singapore (SIN). This flight covers a distance of 9,534 miles (15,344 kilometers) and has a scheduled flight time of approximately 18 hours and 40 minutes, according to Flightradar24. It is operated by an Airbus A350-900ULR, designed for ultra-long-range travel.

 

[kenmbz]

Done the NY to Singapore a number of times, makes the trip to California or England seem short.
Singapore air is a great airline.

The trip to South Africa is long too, on the way back you stop for fuel so it's 16 hours.

We were in Switzerland a few years back and I remember even in the 80's it was not cheap.
Going off the beaten path to local restaurants and groceries you save a lot of money. We usually avoid tourist food places if we can, sometimes it's just not possible.

We stay in business rental flats or business hotels as they are cheaper that the big hotels. Usually clean nice and professional staff. Great concierges too. Just not a lot of amenities.

Nothing like sitting in the bar on the roof of a business hotel and looking over the city enters.

 

[MossRoad]

Yep… corporate relocations out of state is a big deal…

Also a lot of vacant retail here from fast food, grocery stores, CVS, Walgreens, banks, auto parts and strip malls.

The smaller operators that got hit hard during years of pandemic often folded.

Large retail chains closed profitable locations due in large part to theft… both upon patrons and also the establishments.

A lot of retail is dark…

We've got a Kroger store that's closing soon. Part of the latest group. They say it's underperforming. We all know it's getting shoplifted to death. Filthy store, too.

 

[MossRoad]

When we went to Ireland we did a bus tour and they obviously take you places thar are safe. Out tour guide talked some about politics and talked about their immigration problem. She also talked about Britain pulling out of the EU and I got the idea there was some hate there.

When we went to the Wisconsin Dells, we did a horse drawn wagon tour of a local attraction. Our tour guide talked about some politics and talked about their immigration problem. He also made some racial slurs and I got the idea there was some hate there.