u/PerJuice1991

I live in Canada but we live mostly on US dollars using our BofA travel rewards card. Unfortunately, it’s useless for buying anything online for anything based outside of North America such as advance tickets for European attractions, airlines based in Asia, etc.

Most merchants outside the use VisaSecure for online payments which should automatically send an OTP via SMS. B of A refuses to pay for the non American version so the payment is declined and you then need to sit on hold an hour or more, call them, have them see the decline and have them approve it manually while you renter it.

This is totally unacceptable but as a non resident that can’t show proof of residence, while it’s allowable to maintain the card, no bank will issue us another US based card. We have an alternate one that we use with RBC’s cross border US bank and works well but it’s always good to have a second card that works like it’s 2026.

Given this constraint, I’m wondering if I can even bother linking this card for payments in China or will it simply decline every payment since you don’t use the card directly but through AliPay or WeChat Pay.

By chance if anyone has any experience with this, I’d appreciate you sharing your experience. Thanks

I’m looking ahead to a 2027 trip and see that golden week ends on Thursday, Oct 7th. If we landed in Beijing on Saturday the 9th and started a three week guided private tour on Sunday the 10th, will the crowds have subsided enough so it’s not a zoo like atmosphere of millions? Or do they linger for more than a few days?

Also, would there be any small drop in domestic tourism right after Golden Week given all the travel during the holiday or is that mostly family visits and not necessarily tourism?

Apologies for the very general question but I’m only looking for an answer from somehow that went, really enjoyed it and believes they got value for the money. If you can share your tour company I will be appreciative. It can be big guys like Intrepid or smaller more personalized companies. Price range is open but can be in the high but not one percent range.

I have not narrowed down specifics of what we want to see yet but are generally looking to travel in mid to late September (2027); starting and ending in Shanghai or Beijing for about three weeks in four to five star accommodations using high speed rail as well as flights (if that’s the better way for a certain leg).

Would like to include Xian as well as western cities like Kunming and Chengdu. We are 61 and 56 in relatively good physical condition so lots of walking and modestly physical activities are ok. We enjoy the major cultural obvious tourist spots but really want some less obvious cultural immersion (my wife is Canadian Chinese but only speaks a dialect called Toi shun which is Cantonese and not Mandarin)

Would also prefer some time for independent sightseeing en route but only with recommendations from an English speaking and very qualified experienced guide. Also open to small groups but not bigger than 8 people. We are traveling from western Canada.

Thank you to all

Hello. I have a three part question with advance apologies for anything that may be obvious

1. We bought first class tix in coach 11; seats 123 and 124 on TGV InOui train 9874. We are boarding in Brussels Midi and departing at Strasbourg.

Gemini AI keeps telling me that my seats are the first two off the stairway on the upper level of a double deck train (which would be advantageous for mid sized luggage since the rack is right there and visible during the journey)

The seat chart I chose the seats from on the SNCF website didn’t show two decks. Then I found an article that says all international trains from Belgium into French cities are bypass trains avoiding Paris Est and are always single deck “Roseau” trains. Can anyone confirm with certainty what train they use in this route?

2. We also bought first class seats on TGV InOui from Colmar to Avingon in coach 2; seats 204 and 205. Although those seats are close to the luggage racks, we’ll be boarding a train that’s in the middle of its journey.

We’ll be carrying two suitcases measuring 23 x 40 x 55 cm / 9 x 15.5 X 21.5. They’re not huge but way too big for carry on space so I’m concerned that there’ll be no availability in the luggage rack. Aside from the obvious answer of carry only what fits overhead or below the seat, can anyone convey what they’ve done if this happens?

3. We’ll be traveling from Strasbourg to Colmar with the same luggage. Is it easy enough to buy a TER ticket at the station from either a machine or live agent on the same day or is it best to buy a specific train on the website a few days before? We could buy a reserved seat on the InOui but that seems dumb for a one station 30 minute journey. We’re open to any departure between 10 and 12 Noon.

Thank you to anyone who takes the time to share.