u/Alert-Data3780

Okay so Part 1 kind of blew up and my comments turned into you lot yelling country names at me for two days straight 😭💅 so I actually sat down, did the research, and here's Part 2.

Part 1 - https://www.reddit.com/r/InternationalTravelIN/s/8u1sk6dQNl

Same deal, ranked by how little effort your Indian passport actually needs. S is walk in like you own the place, D is beg the embassy and pray

This round's the underrated lot the Caribbean is a straight up cheat code (Barbados, Jamaica, Grenada, Dominica, Trinidad, all just walk in), Macau's been quietly iconic this whole time and I finally added a bonus tier for the real flex the countries a US, UK or Schengen visa quietly unlocks. Mexico, Turkey, Taiwan and a bunch more. That random old US visa is doing SO much more than you think

Kazakhstan's in A and not S because the QazETA permit becomes mandatory from Aug 25, so you'll actually need the online thing now

And Bolivia... it was visa on arrival. Past tense 💀 switched to a strict eVisa this year

Anyway go on, tell me who I ranked wrong I can already feel like three of you typing 😭

Okay so I finally did my solo Vietnam trip, 9 days, Hanoi down to Saigon, and I'm still not over it. Sharing the full itinerary below because this sub always comes through for me and I wanted to give back.

Quick vibe check first: Hanoi is loud and chaotic and I loved it. Hoi An is the one that stole the whole trip for me, cycling out past the rice paddies (pic 1) was the most peaceful I've felt in ages and the lantern boats at night are unreal. Ba Na Hills gave me the foggiest possible day lol, couldn't see past the giant hands. Saigon is a completely different energy, fast and intense.

Here's what I did:

Hanoi (3 nights)
Ngoc Son Temple, Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre, Hanoi Opera House, Café Giảng for egg coffee, Train Street, St. Joseph's Cathedral, Beer Street at night, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum.

✈️ Flight to Da Nang

Hoi An (3 nights)
Rent a bicycle and just explore the Old Town, Bánh Mì Phượng, the Japanese Bridge, Cẩm Nam Bridge (best at night), a Vietnamese cooking class, and a day trip to Ba Na Hills. Also got clothes tailored, they turn it around in about 2 days so go on day one, and did a basket boat + crab catching tour.

✈️ Flight to Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City (3 nights)
War Remnants Museum (heavy, very emotional, give it time), Independence Palace, Bui Vien Walking Street at night, a Mekong Delta day tour and the Cu Chi Tunnels.

Did the whole thing solo and felt safe the entire time. Happy to answer anything in the comments! For personal stuff like budget or where I stayed, feel free to DM

Honestly this came from me getting annoyed at those "visa free countries for indians" lists. they'll put Nepal and Vietnam in the same list like they're equal?? one you literally just walk into, the other you're doing an eVisa two weeks before. not the same thing at all.

So i ranked them by how much effort it actually takes.

Key: S = just show up. A = free but one online form. B = small fee at the airport. C = eVisa before you fly. D = full embassy pain, appointments, bank statements etc.

the thing that surprises people is the US visa one. if you already have a valid US/UK/Schengen visa half the D tier basically opens up. mexico, turkey, some balkan countries. that old US tourist visa does way more than just US entry, most people have no idea.

anyway lmk where im wrong, pretty sure someone's gonna be upset about at least one of these

Honestly this came from me getting annoyed at those "visa free countries for indians" lists. they'll put Nepal and Vietnam in the same list like they're equal?? one you literally just walk into, the other you're doing an eVisa two weeks before. not the same thing at all.

So i ranked them by how much effort it actually takes.

Key: S = just show up. A = free but one online form. B = small fee at the airport. C = eVisa before you fly. D = full embassy pain, appointments, bank statements etc.

the thing that surprises people is the US visa one. if you already have a valid US/UK/Schengen visa half the D tier basically opens up. mexico, turkey, some balkan countries. that old US tourist visa does way more than just US entry, most people have no idea.

anyway lmk where im wrong, pretty sure someone's gonna be upset about at least one of these

What's the appropriate price for this model
Should I buy or wait for BBD

Did Đà Nẵng, Hội An and Ba Nà Hills and came back a little obsessed. The Golden Bridge up in the clouds was surreal even in heavy fog, and Hội An at night is every bit as good as people say.

Easy visa, cheap once you land, and genuinely easy to get around. Solid pick if you're planning a first trip abroad.

Happy to share the itinerary or answer anything

Ok so I'm stuck between the Pixel 9a and Nothing Phone 4a Pro. Honestly leaning towards the Nothing because of the design and specs for the price, but Pixel's camera and years of software updates keep making me second guess.

Bigger dilemma is timing though. Do I just buy now or wait for BBD? I know BBD usually drops phone prices but idk if it's worth dragging my current phone along for another month just to save a couple grand.

Anyone here tracked prices on these two before? Curious what kind of discount these usually get during BBD, especially since both are fairly recent launches. Don't wanna impulse buy but also don't wanna miss a good deal by waiting too long.