• Asia

    Why you should ignore most Germany travel guides and go elsewhere

    If I see one more person post a photo of the Brandenburg Gate with the caption “Living my best life,” I might actually delete the internet. Berlin isn’t a city anymore; it’s a giant set for people who want to look like they enjoy techno more than they actually do. I’ve spent a cumulative four months in Germany over the last five years, mostly because my job keeps sending me to Frankfurt, and I’ve realized that the “best places to visit Germany” lists are usually written by people who spent three days in a Marriott and called it a day.…

  • Asia

    Why your European rail dreams are mostly expensive nightmares (and what to book instead)

    In July 2019, I stood on Platform 23 at Milan Centrale with a literal puddle of sweat forming in my shoes. It was 104 degrees, my Trenitalia app had crashed for the fourth time, and I’d just realized I’d spent €80 on a ticket for a train that had departed ten minutes ago from a platform that didn’t technically exist on the main concourse. I ended up sitting on my suitcase for three hours next to a vending machine that only sold lukewarm sparkling water. I felt like a complete idiot. But that’s the reality of ‘romantic’ European rail travel…