Travel questions

For most long-haul routes the sweet spot is roughly two to four months out. Before that you are paying for uncertainty; after that, prices climb steeply in the final three weeks.

In peak season, book the first two nights and any remote stops in advance. In shoulder season, walking in and negotiating often beats the online rate.

Enough for one full day plus a transport fare, kept separately from your cards. Almost everywhere else, use a card with no foreign transaction fee.

On maintained trails in dry conditions, trail runners are lighter, cooler and better. Boots earn their weight on rough ground, with a heavy pack, or in cold wet conditions.

A sleeping pad with a real R-value. It changes how warm you are more than any other single item, and it costs less than a tent.

If you travel somewhere without mobile coverage, yes. Buy or rent it for that trip specifically; a subscription you use once a year is hard to justify otherwise.

Headache plus any one of nausea, dizziness, loss of appetite or unusual fatigue. The treatment is to stop ascending; if it worsens, descend immediately.

It depends entirely on the specific place, not the country. Check locally, and when in doubt treat it. A filter costs less than a lost week.

Stop, stay put, and make yourself findable. Most people who are found quickly are found because they stopped moving and stayed on a trail or an open feature.