The words that appear on a booking page, a station sign or a visa portal as though everyone already knows them. Each definition is written so you can act on it immediately.
7 terms
Accommodation
HaveliIndia
A traditional Indian merchant's mansion built around a courtyard, many now converted into heritage hotels — particularly in Rajasthan. Read more.
KashikiriJapan
A private onsen bath booked by the hour or reserved for one group — the reliable answer for anyone with tattoos. Read more.
MachiyaJapan
A restored wooden townhouse, most commonly let as accommodation in Kyoto. Narrow frontage, long plan, usually a small internal garden.
OnsenJapan
A bath fed by naturally occurring geothermal water meeting legal mineral and temperature criteria. A sentō is the conventionally heated public equivalent. Read more.
RotenburoJapan
An outdoor onsen bath. The version worth planning a winter trip around. Read more.
RyokanJapan
A traditional Japanese inn with tatami rooms, futon bedding and usually elaborate dinner and breakfast included. Priced per person rather than per room.
ShukubōJapan
Temple lodging, most famously at Kōya-san, where guests stay in a working monastery and can usually attend morning prayers.
5 terms
Entry & documents
e-Visa
A visa applied for and issued entirely online. Frequently restricted to specific airports and seaports — India's, for example, cannot be used at a land border. Read more.
ETA / travel authorisation
A pre-travel clearance rather than a visa, required from nationals who do not need a visa at all. The US ESTA is the model; Japan's JESTA follows in 2028.
No Objection Certificate (NOC)Pakistan
Written permission to enter a restricted area, used in Pakistan and India for zones near borders and certain trekking regions. Boundaries are administrative and change between seasons. Read more.
Passport validity rule
Many countries require a passport valid for six months beyond arrival. Japan does not — it requires validity for the length of stay only. Always check per country.
Schengen 90/180 rule
Visa-exempt visitors may spend 90 days in any rolling 180-day period across the whole Schengen Area, not per country. The clock is cumulative and enforced on exit.
5 terms
Money
Break-even (rail pass)
The total fare value you must travel before a pass costs less than individual tickets. Calculate it against your own route; general advice about passes ages badly. Read more.
Departure tax
A charge for leaving a country, normally bundled invisibly into the air or ferry ticket. Japan's tripled to ¥3,000 in July 2026.
Dynamic currency conversion
When a foreign card terminal offers to charge you in your home currency. Always decline — the exchange rate is set by the terminal operator and is consistently worse than your bank's.
Lodging tax
A per-person, per-night levy charged by a city rather than a hotel. Usually collected at check-in and absent from the online rate — Kyoto's now reaches ¥10,000 a night at the top band. Read more.
Overtourism levy
A charge introduced specifically to manage visitor numbers rather than to raise general revenue — Kyoto's revised lodging tax and Mount Fuji's trail fee are both examples.
2 terms
Outdoors
Acclimatisation
Ascending gradually so the body adjusts to reduced oxygen at altitude. The usual guidance is to avoid gaining more than 300–500m of sleeping altitude per day above 3,000m. Read more.
Hut-to-hut
A multi-day walk staying in staffed mountain huts rather than camping. Beds are booked in advance and, on popular Alpine routes, sell out months ahead. Read more.
3 terms
Planning
Pillar and cluster
A publishing structure where one comprehensive guide anchors a group of narrower articles that link back to it. It is how this site is organised.
Shoulder season
The weeks either side of peak season, when weather is usually still good but prices and crowds have dropped. Frequently the best time to travel anywhere. Read more.
Timed entry
A ticket valid for a specific arrival window rather than any time on the day. Increasingly common at popular sites and national parks, and usually released on a fixed schedule.
8 terms
Transport
AC 2-tierIndia
An air-conditioned Indian train class with curtained two-berth bays and bedding provided. The usual sweet spot for foreign travellers on overnight routes. Read more.
IC cardJapan
A rechargeable transit card used across Japanese trains, buses and shops — Suica, Pasmo and ICOCA are interchangeable nationwide despite the regional branding. Read more.
Layover vs stopover
A layover is a connection under 24 hours. A stopover is longer and can often be added to a long-haul ticket at little or no cost, effectively giving you a second destination.
Minimum connection time
The shortest gap an airport officially considers sufficient to change flights. Booking below it means the airline is not obliged to rebook you if you miss the connection.
Open-jaw ticket
A flight booked into one city and out of another, rather than a straight return. Often costs the same and removes a long internal journey from the itinerary.
ShinkansenJapan
Japan's high-speed rail network. The fastest services, Nozomi and Mizuho, require a supplement for Japan Rail Pass holders; the slightly slower Hikari and Sakura are fully covered. Read more.
TakkyūbinJapan
Japan's overnight luggage courier network. Hand a suitcase to a hotel desk before late morning and it reaches your next hotel the following afternoon for around ¥2,000. Read more.
TatkalIndia
An Indian Railways quota released one day before departure, at a premium, on trains that are otherwise sold out. Read more.