One question, one clear answer. Each page below answers a single travel question directly, with a link to the in-depth guide behind it.
Direct from Amex there's a welcome credit (up to €340 Platinum, up to €200 Gold); through a friend referral, up to 85,000 or 50,000 Membership Rewards points instead, as of August 2026.
The Amex Gold costs €20 a month in Germany (€240 a year, as of August 2026); the free first year is gone since the metal relaunch, but there's now up to €370 in credits.
No: the Amex Green Card is no longer offered in Germany. Its successor is the American Express Card for €5 a month, free from the second year at €9,000 in spend.
Frequent flyers: Platinum (€720); point collectors: Gold (€240) or the American Express Card (€60, later free); no fee: PAYBACK American Express. As of August 2026.
For most travelers, the best travel power bank is a 20,000mAh USB-C Power Delivery model at around 74Wh: carry-on legal, with four-plus phone charges.
Yes. In your carry-on only. Power banks are banned from checked luggage. Most airlines allow batteries up to 100Wh without any approval.
Yes: AirHelp puts Wizz Air at 77% on-time over 12 months, ahead of Ryanair and easyJet, and OAG named it the most punctual low-cost airline in May 2026.
Wizz Air is the closest like-for-like swap, with the same free 40x30x20 cm under-seat bag, the same paid trolley add-on and a similar secondary-airport
Jet2 leads UK-Canaries flying with around 255 flights a week in 2026, easyJet and Ryanair blanket Spain and Portugal, and TUI packages include 22 kg bags.
Ryanair usually posts the lowest headline fares out of London, flying its largest UK base at Stansted, with Wizz Air matching or beating it from Luton on
easyJet's free under-seat bag is the largest at 45×36×20 cm and 15 kg, while Vueling's 20 kg checked bags are cheapest at around €10–18 booked online.
Ryanair and Wizz Air win on the headline fare, with one-way seats commonly around 15 to 60 euros against easyJet's 25 to 85 euros.
Most Western tourists don't need a visa for Thailand: currently a 60-day visa-exempt stay, plus the mandatory TDAC arrival card and funds checks.
Thailand cost per day: backpackers spend 800–1,750 THB ($24–52), mid-range $50–100, comfort travelers $100+, before international flights.
Airalo is the best eSIM for Thailand: around $4 for 1GB/3 days, $9 for 10GB/7 days, and unlimited dtac-network plans from $10.50 to $35, active on landing.
German Amex cards (Platinum, Gold, American Express Card) charge a 2% foreign-currency fee on non-euro spending; US Amex cards vary by product.
On some trains, yes: Eurostar and TGV require a compulsory reservation (~€19-35); German ICE and most regional trains make it optional (~€5.50).
No, guests staying in accommodation within the Municipality of Venice are exempt from paying the access fee; you still pay the normal city tourist tax.
A mid-range 10-day Japan trip costs roughly $1,700-2,600 per person excluding flights; budget travelers can do it for $900-1,300.
For 2026, expect roughly 900–6,500 THB per room per night in Bangkok, from simple Old City rooms through comfortable central and Riverside hotels.
A Japan travel eSIM typically costs about $5-20 depending on the data allowance and length of stay, cheaper than roaming.
Budget travelers manage Italy on 70-90 euros per day; mid-range travelers should plan for 150-220 euros per day, before flights.
The nationwide JR Pass costs roughly ¥50,000 for 7 days, ¥80,000 for 14 days and ¥100,000 for 21 days in 2026, after the October 2023 price rise.
For 2026, budget roughly 1,250–3,100 THB/day per person in Thailand, or 3,100–7,150 THB for a mid-range trip, excluding flights and intercity legs.
Usually not for an Italy-only trip: a Eurail or Interrail pass rarely beats advance point-to-point fares on Frecciarossa and Italo.
Phuket can be cheap or plush: street food and markets keep costs low, while beachfront resorts, speedboat tours and December peak rates push it up.
The Roma Pass pays off if you ride transit a lot and visit the big ticketed sights; otherwise individual tickets and a normal transit pass are cheaper.
Tokyo is less expensive than its reputation: trains, ramen and konbini food are cheap; hotels, flights and paid attractions are where money goes.
A rental car excess is the max you pay per damage claim (typically €800–2,000): reduce it with counter Super CDW or a cheaper standalone policy.
Yes. All major European low-cost carriers operate under the same strict EU and UK safety regulations as legacy airlines and fly modern Airbus and Boeing fleets.
Yes, and you should. Install the eSIM a day or two before your flight over your home Wi-Fi and simply switch it on after you land.
A 4WD is not required for Iceland's Ring Road: Route 1 is paved and 2WD-friendly year-round, but F-roads demand 4WD or your insurance is void.
How much data for an Asia trip: 1-3GB per week on Wi-Fi, around 5GB for a two-week multi-country trip, or 10GB+ for daily video streaming.
Budget travelers manage on 60 to 90 US dollars per day including a hostel or business hotel, convenience-store and ramen meals, and local transport.
Only if you cover a lot of long-distance ground, such as a Tokyo to Kyoto to Hiroshima loop within the validity window.
The minimum is Collision Damage Waiver (CDW), but Iceland adds two cover types you need to know: Sand and Ash Protection (SAAP) for volcanic debris, and Gravel…
Ryanair and Wizz Air consistently post the lowest headline fares, with one-way tickets often between 10 and 20 euros on popular routes.