Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates Voyage Tips and guide

Contents

Here we determine which articles are featured on the Main Page as Destination of the month (DotM), Off the Beaten Path (OtBP) and Featured travel topics (FTT).

You can nominate any article you would like to see featured. Any destination, region, itinerary or event that passes the "What is an article?" test is eligible for nomination.

However, before nominating, please check that the article follows these basic guidelines:

• The nominated article should have an article status of guide or star. This includes having at least one good picture, and listings/headers/etc. that match our manual of style.
• The nominated article must not have been featured since Wikivoyage became a WMF project in 2013.
  • See Previous Destinations of the month, Previously Off the beaten path, and Previous Featured travel topics to check.
• If the article has been nominated previously but failed, any objections should be addressed before nominating it again.
  • Check the slush pile.
  • If you think a once-slushed destination is now ready to go, list it as new, but with a pointer to the slush pile entry.
  • The article should preferably be nominated 3 to 12 months before the intended feature date; ready to feature as is, or with edits that can be done well before featuring.

Well-known and/or popular destinations should be nominated as Destination of the Month, while more obscure destinations should be nominated for Off the Beaten Path. Featured Travel Topic includes travel topics, phrasebooks, itineraries, and other articles not part of the geographic hierarchy, as well as airports (as they are not usually destinations in their own right). Where applicable, you should propose a good time to visit the destination as a month to be featured.

The basic format of a nomination is as follows:

{{FeatureNom
| place=Destination
| blurb='''[[Destination]]''' is a place of contrasts, and as such it...
| status=Guide
| time=March-June
| nominatedBy=~~~~
| comment=Great article and it's just luvvly-jubbly in the springtime.
| DotMImage=[[File:Destinationimage.jpg|thumb|300px]]
}}

Add a nomination to the end of the appropriate section.

You can comment on any nomination based on timeliness and adherence to the criteria above, just add a bullet point (*) and your signed opinion.

===[[Destination]]===
Great article and it's just luvvly-jubbly in the springtime. TravelNut 25:25, 31 Feb 2525 (UTC)
* Looks nice, but shouldn't the Do section contain more than just quilting contests? ~~~~

Please note that the following are not considered valid reasons to oppose a nomination:

• "I don't like it." All objections have to be based on the guidelines above: poor formatting, missing information, etc. Personal opinions, dislikes, etc. do not count.
• "Wrong time of year." Articles are supported or opposed based on their content. Timing can be worked out later.
• "Wrong type of place." Articles are supported or opposed based on their content. Whether it's DotM or OtBP can be worked out later.

If an article gets three comments in favor and no (unresolved) comments against, it's eligible to be placed in an appropriate time-slot in the Upcoming queue. If the objections are relatively minor and are being worked on, add them to the Upcoming queue tentatively (add a question mark "?" after the article). Feel free to move the queue around or swap articles if it makes sense. If a nomination clearly does not make the grade and if the objections are not easily fixable, they go into the Slush pile (current slush pile).

Once a nomination has been scheduled, an appropriate banner image and text blurb must be selected. Go to Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Banners to start that discussion.

Discussions for previously selected destinations are kept in the Archive.

The following queue should contain about the next few months' worth of upcoming destinations. Note that new DotMs are rotated in on the 1st of each month, OtBPs on the 11th and travel topics on the 21st.

Month	DotM	OtBP	FTT
April 2025	Wilmington (North Carolina) – pending stronger consensus to support	Khujand – pending fixes?	Vancouver International Airport
May 2025	Kraków – pending stronger consensus to support	New England National Park	E69
June 2025	Snowdonia National Park – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support	Vaals – pending fixes	Public baths in Japan
July 2025	Cuzco – pending stronger consensus to support	Forillon National Park	Sound of Music – pending minor fixes
August 2025	Gothenburg – pending minor fixes	Paldiski – pending fixes and stronger consensus	Gemstones – pending fixes and stronger consensus
September 2025	Canberra/Civic	Bowling Green (Ohio)	Rail travel in Great Britain – pending stronger consensus
October 2025	Parahyangan – pending stronger consensus to support	Sekigahara	Driving in China – pending fixes and stronger consensus to support

Try to avoid two overlapping or back-to-back features from the same country, as well as long streaks of features from the same continent. It is customary to wait 24 months between articles from the same or nearby cities.

The schedule is not cast in stone. However, any change made to the schedule should have a compelling reason behind it, and should be effected as far in advance as possible of the article's scheduled term on the Main Page. In particular, unless absolutely necessary, we discourage nominee articles from being slushed or rescheduled after banners have been made for them, which usually happens 2–3 months before being featured.

Whenever an article becomes a current feature, it should be removed from the list, the discussion archived, and (when changing out Featured Travel Topics) a new month added to the end of the queue.

Decisions regarding which images to use as the banners are made at Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Banners.

The section below provides an opportunity to see what the upcoming featured articles will look like on the Main Page using the banners that are currently most popular on the above page.

On the date of the scheduled change, the DotM, OtBP, or FTT should be changed as close to midnight UTC as possible. This can only be done by administrators. When the featured page is changed, please follow the following procedures to do so and archive content to the appropriate pages. At each stage, please double-check that you are correctly moving content. Several steps involves copy pasting of the file names of the Main Page banners – former, current, and next – so it can be useful to open those in tabs first.

1. Update the featured articles on the main page by replacing the current 'banner' template section with those of the appropriate banner for the new DotM/OtBP/FTT found in the Next change section above.
2. Update the Photo credits page with the banner's original image, title and attribution.
3. Add the former featured article to the appropriate archive page: Previous Destinations of the month, Previously Off the beaten path, or Previous Featured travel topics.
4. For the former featured article, add the appropriate parameter to the pagebanner template (directly after the image filename) to label the page as having been featured previously.
   • For former DotMs, add: |dotm=yes
   • For former OtBPs, add: |otbp=yes
   • For former FTTs, add: |ftt=yes
5. Remove Template:Featurenomination from newly featured article.
6. Archive the newly featured article's nomination. Simply cut-and-paste the nomination section of the newly featured article from this page to Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Archive.
7. Update the Next change section above by adding the banner from the discussion page. View the table in the Schedule section above to determine what next month's change will be, then update the image and blurb in the "Next change" section with that found in the upcoming featured article's nomination.
8. In the schedule, use <s> and </s> to strikethrough the newly featured article. Remove the row from the table if the newly featured article is the FTT.
9. Archive the newly featured article's banner by cutting-and-pasting all banner suggestions and the associated discussion into Wikivoyage:Destination of the month candidates/Banners/Archive.

Place: Wilmington (North Carolina) Blurb: Gardens and plantations meet antebellum architecture and beaches of the Atlantic in the city sometimes nicknamed Wilmywood (should not exceed ~145 characters) Article status: Guide (must be guide or above). Time to feature: April 2025? - warm weather but not hurricane season yet, and in April there's an Azalea Festival too Nominated by: Ypsilon (talk) 18:59, 24 July 2024 (UTC)[reply] Comment: This is one of those destinations that could work both as a DotM and OtBP, I'm putting it in the former because we already have OtBP candidates for the spring months. The article does have content in all sections, but a lot of listings need coordinates and when googling and adding them we will also find which places that have closed down. In other words, Wilmington needs the standard update a month or two before the article goes on the Main Page.

Nomination

* Almost per comment. --Ypsilon (talk) 18:59, 24 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Support with fixes done, although I might look up and add a few more restaurants that have received good reviews on multiple platforms. Someone may point out the lack of coordinates in the couple of listings towards the end, but fire stations and newspaper headquarters aren't places where "customers" generally visit; actually we could delete the Cope section and add the local newspaper as a URL in Understand or maybe Do or Drink if it has a good coverage of events. --Ypsilon (talk) 19:19, 11 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

• Support for Dotm. It's a great destination too often overlooked in favour of Charleston, but hardly OtBP. The page is in good shape but needs update. Grahamsands (talk) 16:29, 8 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• Oppose currently. This article isn't in great shape, and certainly isn't DotM shape right now. Giving it an all-around update will take a lot of work — much of the article is messy, and many listings need coordinates. Personally I wouldn't have rated this article a guide article in its current condition to the lack of listing coordinates. However, if you're confident you can make all the fixes before April, I have no fundamental opposition to featuring the city. --Comment by Selfie City (talk) (contributions) 16:17, 7 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I wouldn't say there's that much of work needed, and wouldn't call the article messy though it probably contains outdated information. Most importantly all of the items in See, Do etc. are listingfied. --Ypsilon (talk) 17:09, 7 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]

• Needs work – many coordinates and lastedit fields are missing. //shb (t | c | m) 07:45, 14 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

  Are we still featuring this in April? There is no consensus at the moment. //shb (t | c | m) 04:28, 1 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I have been improving the article over the last weeks, but if this again is one of those cases where there is a consensus that we should feature anything else but this article then I guess it would be a waste of time. --Ypsilon (talk) 08:23, 1 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I still prefer featuring in April, but I asked in light of this discussion. //shb (t | c | m) 08:35, 1 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks to Gerode for helping out. I will probably have more time next week. The listings lacking coordinates can be counted on one hand's fingers and some of them might not be needed. Ypsilon (talk) 20:15, 9 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Support post-fixes. //shb (t | c | m) 04:35, 12 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

• Support - fixes look good and article is up-to-date. Mrkstvns (talk) 15:33, 12 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Place: Kraków Blurb: With over a thousand years of history and a uniquely well-preserved Old City, Kraków is Poland's top tourist draw for a reason. (should not exceed ~145 characters) Article status: Guide (must be guide or above). Time to feature: Any time outside midwinter Nominated by: Jpatokal (talk) 06:23, 29 September 2024 (UTC)[reply] Comment: I'm genuinely surprised this very detailed guide has never been a DotM. Prices need updating (inflation has been on a roll lately) and the POIs could use more coordinates, but there's plenty of content in here.

Nomination

• Very close - It was slushed back in 2012, then apparently because the district articles were in a poor state. Now they do have content and usable status, though we should definitely update the listings there. The main article is quite OK, but some sections with bullet points could be converted to normal text, and there is probably a thing or two to update here also. Finally, the last third of the article could use a photo or two. --Ypsilon (talk) 18:22, 7 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• Close. Not a bad article, but to me, it feels wanting. --Comment by Selfie City (talk) (contributions) 16:19, 7 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]
• Close per Ypsi. //shb (t | c | m) 07:46, 14 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Place: Snowdonia National Park Blurb: The stunning landscapes of Snowdon and surroundings can be explored both on foot and by several railways. (should not exceed ~145 characters) Article status: Guide (must be guide or above). Time to feature: May-Sep Nominated by: Ypsilon (talk) 19:51, 7 October 2024 (UTC)[reply] Comment: European national parks aren't on the Main Page too often, so how about this Welsh one which looks really beautiful on the photos? We need to check that all the listings are still in operation, and some listings need a description. There are not many Eat, Drink and Sleep listings, but I guess it's because there are individual articles for towns in and around the park (listed in Sleep) where those can be found.

Nomination

• Very very close per nomination --Ypsilon (talk) 19:51, 7 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• Other than updates which I think can be done in due time, don't see why not. Support. It's also nice to see some European nature (outside the Nordics) being featured. --SHB2000 (t | c | m) 10:58, 2 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• Close. The article looks fairly good, but there are some issues. For example, many of the listings do not even contain addresses or lack other important details. To me, just providing a list of about twenty towns with accommodation is an insufficient way of offering alternatives. We would better to describe, in detail, the pros and cons of staying in a few villages that make the most sense when visiting the park. --Comment by Selfie City (talk) (contributions) 16:21, 7 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Place: Gothenburg Blurb: Scandinavia's most populous non-capital city springs into life during the summer months. (should not exceed ~145 characters) Article status: Guide (must be guide or above). Time to feature: May-Sep Nominated by: Ypsilon (talk) 19:51, 7 October 2024 (UTC)[reply] Comment: I've been thinking about nominating this article for quite a while now. Some listings look rather bare-bones and a month or two before the article is featured we should check that all the listings are still in business. And my pet peeve :) – the latter half of the article could use some more photos.

Nomination

• Almost per nomination. --Ypsilon (talk) 19:51, 7 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• Almost per Ypsi. --SHB2000 (t | c | m) 21:50, 2 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• Almost per others. I think this article looks excellent on the whole. I think the "public baths" section needs a rethink, and certainly needs more detail, but otherwise, I think this one can be made feature-ready in a few months. --Comment by Selfie City (talk) (contributions) 16:23, 7 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Put on hold? Provided that Cochabamba and San Carlos de Bariloche have sufficient support votes, and a couple of Nordic destinations are scheduled soon; shall we save Gothenburg for 2026? /Yvwv (talk) 01:08, 28 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

No. As long as it is a requirement to run articles during months when the weather is suitable, we should not on one hand burn the precious summer slots on articles that can be ran other times of the year, and on the other hand burn the precious articles that can be run also during the winter or shoulder seasons during the summer months. --Ypsilon (talk) 12:28, 28 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Cochabamba and San Carlos de Bariloche are both in the southern hemisphere, so "summer" is actually December-February. Mrkstvns (talk) 15:23, 28 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Well, I meant the months from May-September, the summer months in Canada, the US and (the northern half of) Europe from where maybe 3/4 of our current not yet featured articles are from. --Ypsilon (talk) 21:39, 28 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Right! I knew what you meant, which is why those two mentioned destinations aren't in competition for the "summer" slots since it will be winter down under. By the way, skiing is popular in my family, so we LIKE places that have snowy, icy winter weather! Mrkstvns (talk) 22:30, 28 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, so some high-latitude destinations can be featured in local winter, but most temperate and arctic cities are more pleasant in summer – especially those that don't have snowy, icy winter weather in winter, but just darkness (with light pollution destroying even that experience) and slush. –LPfi (talk) 07:59, 1 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I think for Gothenberg it's still more appropriate to feature during the summer. //shb (t | c | m) 08:04, 1 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Yes. Its at the coast and much south from Turku, and while we can experience some beautiful winter weather here, it isn't at all guaranteed for somebody staying for a few weeks or less. –LPfi (talk) 08:19, 1 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Agreed – it also doesn't help that in much of the Southern Hemisphere those months are also dry season. //shb (t | c | m) 23:32, 28 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Gothenburg has enough indoor destinations to be meaningful as an off-season destination; it is however best at summer. In any case, the article still has zero support votes, and some issues remain. /Yvwv (talk) 14:20, 5 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

The issues, resulting in the article not having support votes are is basically the fact that the listings need to be checked for up-to-dateness. This is something which could of course have been done last October when nominating the article, but it's much better to do it closer to the time the article is featured. Especially in the case that someone decides to postpone the featuring of the article time of feature.

Recently Recife was featured, and I checked the listings for the THIRD time over the last couple of years. When doing that I was seriously wondering if the time spent on the featured articles and indeed having featured articles could be better used in developing other articles and other aspects of the site as a whole. Ypsilon (talk) 20:39, 9 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

It may have zero "support" votes, but in this case we should treat "almost" like a support vote because the main thing that needs to happen before featuring is a quick update. //shb (t | c | m) 22:40, 9 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Place: Cuzco Blurb: Cuzco is not only a place to immense yourself in Inca history and culture, but also the gateway to the Sacred Valley. (should not exceed ~145 characters) Article status: Guide (must be guide or above). Time to feature: Apr-Oct is the dry season, according to the climate section Nominated by: Ypsilon (talk) 16:52, 28 November 2024 (UTC)[reply] Comment: One of those once in a lifetime travel destinations for many voyagers. Per se the article has a lot of content, but as many coordinates are missing, probably those listings have been added a long time ago so everything needs to be run through Google a while before the article is featured. Of course if e.g. a restaurant was added say 15 years ago and it's still in business, it's usually a good indication that customers are happy with the place and it's worth going to.

Nomination

• Needs some work per comment. --Ypsilon (talk) 16:52, 28 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• Needs work per Ypsi. //shb (t | c | m) 07:46, 14 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]
• Support I've checked all listings, removed closed businesses, and added the missing coordinates and other information. I think the article is in better shape now and ready for DoTM. Mrkstvns (talk) 18:59, 26 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]
• Hey, awesome! Obviously support now. --Ypsilon (talk) 06:23, 21 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Place: Civic Blurb: The central district of Australia's capital Canberra is compact but punches well above its weight for eating and shopping, becoming particularly active for Canberra's tulip festival, Floriade. (should not exceed ~145 characters) Article status: Guide (must be guide or above). Time to feature: September for Floriade (tulip season) Nominated by: SHB2000 (t | c | m) 07:47, 1 January 2025 (UTC)[reply] Comment: It has been a guide article since 2022 and most listings are no older than 3 years. Thought it would be a good time to feature this for Canberra's annual tulip festival, Floriade, which happens in nearby Commonwealth Park but the CBD area does become active around that time.

Nomination

• Support as nominator. --SHB2000 (t | c | m) 07:47, 1 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]
• The article is fine but Civic is just really... boring? I was trying to come up with a catchy blurb but the above is as good as I could get. Jpatokal (talk) 00:23, 2 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]

  Honestly, yeah – it gets quite a bit of talk in the planning sphere and circles but other than that, there's nothing particularly exciting about Civic urban planning aspects aside. But thanks for the better blurb – I too kinda struggled to come up with a good blurb. --SHB2000 (t | c | m) 01:56, 2 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]

• Support - No gaping holes in the article, all listings have coordinates and overall the article looks good. --Ypsilon (talk) 12:19, 6 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]
• Support. I think this article is close to star status, and is definitely good enough to be featured. I commented further at Wikivoyage:Star nominations#Canberra/Civic. --Comment by Selfie City (talk) (contributions) 15:55, 6 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Place: Cochabamba Blurb: The fourth-largest city in Bolivia, Cochabamba is known as the "Garden City" for its mild climate year-round, cathedral squares, and shops and restaurants. (should not exceed ~145 characters) Article status: Guide (must be guide or above). Time to feature: any Nominated by: --Comment by Selfie City (talk) (contributions) 22:25, 6 January 2025 (UTC)[reply] Comment: I've done significant work on this article today to get it up to guide status. I think there are some good restaurants and hotels missing from this list that I might get to, but the article is already in good shape following the addition of coordinates and the removal of closed businesses. Although a check shows we have featured cities in Bolivia before (as recently as last February), South America seems to be underrepresented overall, so this nomination should help with geographic diversity.

Nomination

• Support as nominator. --Comment by Selfie City (talk) (contributions) 22:25, 6 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]
• Support per nom – great work on the updates! --SHB (t | c | m) 00:32, 7 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]

  Thanks! I've done some more work on the article since. It's great to see the quality of our coverage of Bolivia, with two of the capitals (La Paz and Sucre) already having been featured and Santa Cruz de la Sierra not far from guide status. Many of the smaller towns are also within striking distance of guide status. --Comment by Selfie City (talk) (contributions) 01:59, 7 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]

  ikr – it's such an amazing achievement for a country that doesn't get in the spotlight much. --SHB (t | c | m) 02:25, 7 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]

• Support - solid article with recent updates by SelfieCity. Mrkstvns (talk) 14:51, 25 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Place: San Carlos de Bariloche Blurb: The Argentine adventure capital offers great opportunities for skiing, sightseeing, water sports, trekking and climbing amidst the amazing mountainous landscapes of Argentine Patagonia. (should not exceed ~145 characters) Article status: Guide (must be guide or above). Time to feature: southern spring Nominated by: SHB (t | c | m) 10:27, 14 January 2025 (UTC)[reply] Comment: Interestingly, we've never had a DotM from Argentina excluding Iguaçu Falls (but 2 from Uruguay and 2 from Chile) and I figured this would be a good one to start with. It might need another checkup closer to featuring and I am in the process of updating many of the listings + adding coordinates, but otherwise I cannot see why we can't feature this.

Nomination

• Support as nominator. --SHB (t | c | m) 10:27, 14 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]
• Support pending some small fixes. Some listings need work (descriptions and coordinates) but nothing major that would prevent this one from being featured. --Comment by Selfie City (talk) (contributions) 15:58, 14 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]
• Support looks complete and up-to-date.Mrkstvns (talk) 15:19, 14 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Place: Parahyangan Blurb: The West Javanese region centred around Java's third largest city of Bandung is an excellent place to hike and admire active volcanoes. (should not exceed ~145 characters) Article status: Guide (must be guide or above). Time to feature: May–Oct (dry season + good weather for hiking) Nominated by: //shb (t | c | m) 05:24, 6 February 2025 (UTC)[reply] Comment: It's not often that we feature region articles, but this one has all articles breadcrumbed beneath it as usable or guide, and this will be our first region feature from Java. Since most of our DotMs are filled up for 2025, this might need to wait until 2026, which I have no issue with (I know Medan was featured only last month as DotM in January, but I don't think that should pose an issue with scheduling as that's on a completely different island).

Nomination

• Support as per nom statement. //shb (t | c | m) 05:24, 6 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]
• Needs work could use a "Sleep" section with summary info, pointers to which breadcrumbed destinations have best/most listings, and maybe some mentions of particularly interesting places to stay. Mrkstvns (talk) 15:37, 14 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

  Sleep sections are not standard for region articles, though. //shb (t | c | m) 21:25, 15 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

  Certainly sleep listings are not standard, but a summary or pointers to outstanding/unique lodgings in the region are traveler-centric and *should* be included in any guide-level region article. Mrkstvns (talk) 14:53, 25 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Place: New England National Park Blurb: Visit one of the world's best preserved Gondwana Rainforests in New South Wales with many of New England National Park's hiking trails showcasing exactly that. (should not exceed ~145 characters) Article status: Guide (must be guide or above). Time to feature: Southern winter (ideally), though spring and autumn also work. Nominated by: SHB2000 (talk | contribs | meta) 06:02, 29 March 2024 (UTC)[reply] Comment: We have 25 Australian guide park articles – let's feature another one of them.

Nomination

• Support per my comment. --SHB2000 (talk | contribs | meta) 06:02, 29 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• Support; maybe June or July would be a suitable month? --Ypsilon (talk) 20:01, 20 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

  Yes indeed; it's less likely to rain in those months making the park 2WD-accessible. SHB2000 (t | c | m) 23:40, 20 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

• Support. At first I was inclined to oppose this nomination because the article is short, but on closer glance, everything important to know about visiting the park is present and a tourist could create a good itinerary from the article. It answers all the key questions, such as how to get there, whether there are fees (there are not), where to sleep, etc. My only recommendation would be to add more information about places to eat in Ebor, given that this article points there for information. --Comment by Selfie City (talk) (contributions) 16:28, 7 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]

  I gave Ebor a bit of a refurbish – but there really isn't a whole lot in Ebor, just basic food (as was the situation in mid-November). --SHB (t | c | m) 10:18, 21 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Place: Sekigahara Blurb: This quaint mountain town and battlefield, where Tokugawa won control of Japan, gives visitors firsthand insight into feudal Japanese warfare. (should not exceed ~145 characters) Article status: Guide (must be guide or above). Time to feature: March-May; October Nominated by: Tuyuhun (talk) 11:34, 2 May 2024 (UTC)[reply] Comment: This town would be perfect for OTBP, given its importance in Japanese history and its well-developed tourist services. It is a small town with very few dining options and lodging (which might be an issue but might not depending on consensus), but it is close to larger Japanese cities like Maibara and Nagoya and would be a perfect day trip from Kyoto et al., especially since it is on a major train line. It is especially beautiful in the spring when the plum and cherry blossoms bloom, but the Battle of Sekigahara was in October of 1600, so it would also work for an October listing.

Nomination

• Support Can't see anything that would prevent this from being an OtBP. --SHB2000 (talk | contribs | meta) 12:07, 2 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• Support Article looks good & the site is important. Pashley (talk) 15:00, 2 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• Support The article is good. Having visited once, I can attest that the historical sites are really not geared for English-speaking visitors, but the article doesn't pretend otherwise and it's fine for a mildly interesting day trip. Jpatokal (talk) 06:01, 3 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• Support. Well, if there are few places to eat and drink and sleep, we can't list any more than there actually is :). I think we should run the Sekigahara in October for the re-enactment of the battle as we will probably already have one Japanese feature sometime next spring (Public baths in Japan as FTT). --Ypsilon (talk) 08:50, 10 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• Not Yet With zero "Eat" or "Buy" listings, this article has not earned guide status. We should not be saying things like "some decent restaurants and cafes opened both in the battlefield and around the station". Instead, those restaurants and cafes should be given listings. Sekigahara's website shows that the city has numerous restaurants. Similarly "souvenir shops around town" should be given listings. Other encampments should also be given listings. They will not overwhelm the article and they provide deeper understanding of the battle, especially in an article that says you won't understand if you don't speak Japanese. The article also doesn't list much outside of the battlefield. No War Land? No cave? No mention of the Nakasendo post town (Sekigahara-juku)? How about the opportunity to don samurai outfits? I have been to Sekigahara numerous times. It wasn't really on my radar to edit, but maybe I can try adding things here and there to get it up to standard. ChubbyWimbus (talk) 14:59, 30 June 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Better to run it in the spring, then, if there's content that needs to be added to the article. --Ypsilon (talk) 07:51, 11 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]

• Support The article now has listings for the sites mentioned in ChubbyWimbus's comment, including for restaurants. The article is still at Usable status but can be upgraded to Guide before being featured. --Tuyuhun (talk) 08:12, 10 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• Support. The article has been significantly upgraded and looks like it is in great shape now. --Comment by Selfie City (talk) (contributions) 16:29, 7 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]
• Support Major concerns were addressed, but I think do think October is the most appropriate time to feature it to coincide with the battle. Sekigahara is still pretty cold in March. What is the reason for specifying March-May as the feature months? ChubbyWimbus (talk) 11:39, 8 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]

  I don't see why we can't wait until October – what should replace Sekigahara in March then? --SHB (t | c | m) 11:51, 8 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]

  I only suggested March-May because I had visited in March 2023 and it was pleasant and warm, and because the cherry blossoms were starting to bloom. It's fine by me if Sekigahara is rescheduled to October; it's also fine if it's left as-is. Tuyuhun (talk) 09:41, 14 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]

  I've removed it from March, left it as a vacant spot for now. --SHB (t | c | m) 10:43, 15 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]

• Support - sounds like a cool place. Mrkstvns (talk) 15:55, 19 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Place: Khujand Blurb: Founded by Alexander the Great and beloved by Lenin, Tajikistan's second city is more than just a base for hiking into the nearby Fann Mountains. (should not exceed ~145 characters) Article status: Guide (must be guide or above). Time to feature: Any time Nominated by: Tuyuhun (talk) 17:18, 13 May 2024 (UTC)[reply] Comment: We've done one (1) Central Asian destination in all of DotM history (Karakol). It's high time we feature something else from the region. While I know that even major CA cities like Almaty might count as OtBP, I nominated Khujand because it's a hidden gem of the region and many mountaineering tourists use it as a base for treks into the Fann mountains when they visit Tajikistan. Many 'multi-Stan' tours now go through Khujand as well, since the Pamir Hwy is essentially a no-go with the Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan border being closed. It can be run at any month of the year since the climate is mild enough in the winter and not boiling hot in the summer. Summer or Fall would fit best with the mountaineering schedule.

Nomination

• Comment - I'd imagine a city of almost 200,000 inhabitants would have a few more places to Drink and Sleep worth listing? --Ypsilon (talk) 19:21, 9 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• Comment: I was going to say something similar to Ypsi – surely a city of that size has more establishments than what's on the page as of typing this? --SHB2000 (t | c | m) 23:05, 9 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]

  I have been living in Khujand since Aug 2023, and there is one bar and only three reputable hotels, which are all listed. There do exist a few other businesses that brand themselves as being "hotels", but I have not been able to verify their quality or any other important information about them. There is one bar in town, and even then it's more for hookah than for alcohol. Tuyuhun (talk) 01:15, 21 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]

  I see, in that case I support. --SHB2000 (t | c | m) 01:55, 21 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]

  I went and added the few other hotels that I know of that I could find information for online. I also broke it down into "Budget and Mid-range" and "Splurge" subsections. Tuyuhun (talk) 02:00, 21 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]

  One thing, though: given this is TJ's second-largest city, wouldn't this be better suited as a DotM? --SHB2000 (t | c | m) 23:38, 23 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]

  I think it could be either - Central Asia as a whole is very much a "forgotten" part of the world (at least by Anglophone travelers) so imo it would probably be at about the same level of notoriety as a place like Zinder or Taos - known to a decent number of travelers, but nowhere near the numbers that somewhere like Recife or Harbin are known. But if the consensus is that it's better as a DotM, then that works. Tuyuhun (talk) 04:47, 26 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]

  My thing by doing so is we're being extremely ethnocentric by only catering for Anglophone countries (enwikivoyage has evolved into catering for pretty much everyone given how lackluster most other voy projects are barring de and itwikivoyage). But I also wouldn't object it being an OtBP if that's what consensus goes with. SHB2000 (t | c | m) 10:24, 26 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]

  Are the sights crowded with tourists? If so, DotM would suit better. But if there aren't many tourists, even if the city is comparably well-known, then OtBP feels alright. –LPfi (talk) 13:22, 26 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]

  Maybe, but it feels incredibly wrong to feature Arches National Park, Glacier National Park (Montana), and Milford Sound as DotMs but not this. --SHB2000 (t | c | m) 13:57, 26 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]

  Having lived there, I can say with relative certainty that it is NOT a hyper-touristy destination. We didn't start to get tourists until the end of spring (partly because only a stupid masochistic person goes hiking in Tajikistan's mountains in the winter and partly because that's when the Central Asian/Silk Road package tours start running). All of the national parks SHB2000 listed get more tourists and have more name recognition than Khujand. My vote is for OtBP. Tuyuhun (talk) 20:25, 26 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]

  We also need to update the banner since there has been an uptick in construction on the north side of the river; I tried earlier and it didn't work. Tuyuhun (talk) 20:27, 26 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]

• Support. Pashley (talk) 21:59, 23 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• Support again, if there isn't any more places to list, then the article would be complete... --Ypsilon (talk) 20:08, 20 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• Support although some minor fixes are needed, including one or two external links, and a very minor formatting points: some of those "buy" listings should use the marker template because they are part of prose. However, the content looks excellent. --Comment by Selfie City (talk) (contributions) 16:30, 7 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]
• Support interesting article with a nice selection of up-to-date listings. Mrkstvns (talk) 14:27, 27 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Place: Vaals Blurb: At the foot of Netherlands' highest point, Vaals is a great example of a Dutch small town, with a weekly market and all! (should not exceed ~145 characters) Article status: Guide (must be guide or above). Time to feature: May-Sep Nominated by: Ypsilon (talk) 19:51, 7 October 2024 (UTC)[reply] Comment: One of the guide articles of small Dutch towns that we haven't featured yet. Many listings need coordinates, and at that we'd also see if they're still in business. Otherwise I think it's in a good shape. Yeah, and some of the photos could be changed to ones with blue sky, to make the article look happier...

Nomination

• Almost per comment. --Ypsilon (talk) 19:51, 7 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• Needs a little bit of work – listings lack coordinates and lastedit fields, but I'll try work on this over the coming days. --SHB2000 (t | c | m) 22:30, 8 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• Close. Aside from what's already been said, I'm mostly just wondering why Lemiers and Holset haven't been merged into this article yet? Generally speaking, the Netherlands is covered with municipalities as the bottom regions, with an occasional exception for large towns and historical cities. Neither of these towns really merits their own article on that basis and should probably be merged into the municipality they're a part of: Vaals. ― Wauteurz (talk) 12:45, 9 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Place: Paldiski Blurb: In this Baltic Sea port you can dive into the remains of the former Soviet Union. (should not exceed ~145 characters) Article status: Guide (must be guide or above). Time to feature: May-Sep Nominated by: Ypsilon (talk) 19:54, 15 November 2024 (UTC)[reply] Comment: Our first feature from the Baltic States in another category than DotM. The article is a translation of a ru-WV Star article by me. The article can possibly be expanded a little, but fact remains that you won't find too many places to eat and drink here (or at least was the case back in 2019 when I visited).

Nomination

• Support however listings need to be checked preferably a month or so before featuring per comment. Ypsilon (talk) 19:54, 15 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

• It looks like it could use some copy editing before it's featured. I did some. It will be a viable feature article once this is taken care of, though. Ikan Kekek (talk) 21:01, 15 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

• Close per Ikan. --SHB2000 (t | c | m) 22:28, 8 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• Needs work. The first half of this article is excellent. However, some of the sections such as "Sleep" are seriously lacking. The only hotel listing with information is noted for having bad ratings. --Comment by Selfie City (talk) (contributions) 16:35, 7 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]
• Needs work - Seems too lightweight to be a "guide". 3 restaurants and 2 hotels seems more inline with "usable" status. Mrkstvns (talk) 14:30, 27 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Well, as noted in the nomination comment I wouldn't expect there to be much more to add. --Ypsilon (talk) 12:36, 13 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Place: Forillon National Park Blurb: The final Land's End of Quebec's Gaspé Peninsula is where the mighty Chic-Choc Mountains collide head-on with the sea. Its unique landscape is an intoxicating juxtaposition of forests, mountains, and shore. (should not exceed ~145 characters) Article status: Guide (must be guide or above). Time to feature: June-August Nominated by: --Comment by Selfie City (talk) (contributions) 16:19, 6 January 2025 (UTC)[reply] Comment: The article is in excellent shape, with the exception of a couple external links, which are a five-minute fix.

Nomination

• Support pending minor fixes Done. --Comment by Selfie City (talk) (contributions) 16:19, 6 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]
• The article looks good, so a support for that. However, I remember that Gaspé Peninsula where the national park is was nominated for OtBP by Andre who wrote many of the articles from this region, so maybe we should put this article too in the OtBP category? --Ypsilon (talk) 17:23, 6 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]

  I considered that as well. It seemed a fairly prominent national park, but admittedly, I have never been to Canada so I don't know whether it would be considered "off the beaten path" or not. Any thoughts from our Canadian editors? Ground Zero? --Comment by Selfie City (talk) (contributions) 20:15, 6 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]

• Support It is not a big name. It may be well-known in Quebec, but most Canadians won't have heard of it. SelfieCity: for the love of all that is good, why haven't you been to Canada? We are one of only two countries that share a land border with the U.S. And it's pretty nice up here. Ground Zero (talk) 20:33, 6 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]

  Indeed, I do need to visit Canada sometime. Good to know about the location, and I suggest we move this to OTBP. --Comment by Selfie City (talk) (contributions) 22:25, 6 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]

• Support as OtBP per nom and GZ. Looks great, though the listings might need a last-minute check right before we feature the article. --SHB (t | c | m) 22:46, 6 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I have updated many listings, but the hikingbtrails section should be checked to ensure it is still up to date. Ground Zero (talk) 13:01, 7 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]

• @SHB2000: Given how short summers can be in this part of Canada, I'd suggest making this the July OTBP (per above discussion), giving time to go there in August or early September, and Vaals the August feature. --Comment by Selfie City (talk) (contributions) 02:35, 7 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]

  That would also work. I was thinking of featuring this for August given how close by Maine is (on a grand scale), but I can't see it being too much of an issue. --SHB (t | c | m) 02:38, 7 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]

  I agree but the Gaspe region gets much colder going into winter. Regardless the schedule works! --Comment by Selfie City (talk) (contributions) 03:26, 7 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]

• Support - Detailed, lively and complete. Mrkstvns (talk) 14:34, 27 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Place: Bowling Green, Ohio Blurb: "Bee Gee" is centered around its State University with a range of student events and lively pubs during semesters, and a Midwestern small town feel around the year. (should not exceed ~145 characters) Article status: Guide (must be guide or above). Time to feature: September 2025 when the college semester has begun? Otherwise Spring or Fall probably Nominated by: Ypsilon (talk) 20:38, 15 January 2025 (UTC)[reply] Comment: A few years ago Mbrickn improved many articles from Ohio, for instance this one. This is a clean and extensive article that could pretty much be featured today. Mbrickn hasn't been active here as of lately but their great work surely deserves a month on the Main Page, especially as we've apparently never featured anything from Ohio.

Nomination

• Support Ypsilon (talk) 20:38, 15 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]
• Support. --Comment by Selfie City (talk) (contributions) 20:43, 15 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]
• Support Listings may need an update closer to featuring, but other than that, there aren't any glaring issues. --SHB (t | c | m) 23:39, 15 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]
• Comment Sorry for the late return - I would be happy to review and update if this helps. --Mbrickn (talk) 19:43, 28 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Place: Andorra la Vella Blurb: Andorra la Vella is the capital of a quirky co-principality lodged in the mountains between Spain and France that offers great skiing, hiking, and lots of duty-free shopping. (should not exceed ~145 characters) Article status: Guide (must be guide or above). Time to feature: A year-round destination. Nominated by: Ground Zero (talk) 09:39, 2 February 2025 (UTC)[reply] Comment: Andorra is a place that isn't that easy to get to as it hasn't an airport, but it isn't impossible, and it will definitely attract attention from readers interest in off-the-beaten-path destinations. And it would be the first feature for Andorra.

Nomination

• Support as per my comments on Talk:Andorra la Vella – it may need some last-minute updates closer to featuring, but that's about it I think (also keeping in mind that despite Andorra la Vella giving the illusion of a capital city, it's still only a small town). --shb (t | c | m) 10:07, 2 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]
• Support per above. --Comment by Selfie City (talk) (contributions) 18:14, 2 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]
• Support - I've noticed your great work on the article, hope you're having a great time there, and it's also nice to see a feature from a country we've (unsurprisingly) not had any features from previously. Maybe it'd be suitable as a skiing destination next winter? --Ypsilon (talk) 18:42, 2 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]
• Support per nomination. Mrkstvns (talk) 15:40, 19 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Place: Saint-Louis Blurb: Once the colonial capital of French West Africa, Saint-Louis boasts a world heritage listed old town and lively markets and is a gateway to the Langue de Barbarie National Park (should not exceed ~145 characters) Article status: Guide (must be guide or above). Time to feature: Nov-May is the dry season, according to Wikipedia Nominated by: Ypsilon (talk) 07:05, 21 March 2025 (UTC)[reply] Comment: Time to think about some article's for the end of the year. Here's another one of our relatively few African guide articles that we haven't featured yet. I sorted out this article, deleted dead businesses and added coordinates a while ago... but looking at the article history that was apparently back in 2020! So even if it has a lot of content it needs an update again, closer to the time it is featured.

Nomination

• Pending update per comment, otherwise good to go. --Ypsilon (talk) 07:05, 21 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]
• Support, with one question. First up, thanks for the updates! It's looking real nice now that it's been updated now. But I do wonder if this is better suited as a DotM? It's reasonably well-known especially as a former colonial capital. //shb (t | c | m) 07:37, 21 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Well, it was five years ago I polished up a couple of articles from parts of the world we don't cover that well, so the listings need to be checked again. It seems Saint-Louis is a place that could work as both as an DotM or an OtBP. On one hand it's one of Senegal's top destinations and as such you will meet other visitors also, but it takes a little effort to get there and Senegal is only 107th in the World tourism rankings (13th in Africa), so I put it in OtBP (and nominated it now because we have fewer candidates in this section), but it can be moved to DotM. --Ypsilon (talk) 10:03, 21 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Yeah, you definitely are right that it works both as a DotM and an OtBP. I think I have a slight preference towards DotM because this and Dakar are likely the only Senegalese destinations that we could ever feature as a DotM. //shb (t | c | m) 10:11, 21 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Place: Public baths in Japan Blurb: Bathing Japanese style is a pleasure, and a visit to a Japanese hot spring should be on the agenda of every visitor. (should not exceed ~145 characters) Article status: Guide (must be guide or above). Time to feature: Any time of year, except maybe midsummer Nominated by: Jpatokal (talk) 22:28, 4 April 2024 (UTC)[reply] Comment: Needs a bit of cleanup but contentwise this is great. Not entirely convinced that "Toilets" belongs in here though.

Nomination

• Close - otherwise the article looks good, but the redlinks need to be dealt with (turned into redirects or articles, preferably with the baths listed). Also, as Jani said, I think the content of the Toilets section should be merged into Japan#Toilets. --Ypsilon (talk) 09:52, 21 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]
  • I've merged the Toilets section back to the main page and commented out the redlinks for now, many of which are quite obscure; about the only name I recognized was Unzen. Jpatokal (talk) 06:44, 29 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• Support per above. --SHB2000 (t | c | m) 23:07, 16 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Support as what I mentioned before has been fixed. --Ypsilon (talk) 16:08, 21 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

• Support - looks goodǃ Mrkstvns (talk) 15:14, 19 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Place: Vancouver International Airport Blurb: Canada's main airport on the Pacific is well connected to East Asia. (should not exceed ~145 characters) Article status: Guide (must be guide or above). Time to feature: Any; again as the airports that get their own articles are places where many people change planes and also for departures from the destination, the local weather really doesn't need to be considered unlike for our DotM and OtBP features... Nominated by: Ypsilon (talk) 20:22, 9 August 2024 (UTC)[reply] Comment: Believe it or not, it was before the pandemic we last featured an airport guide from outside Asia. Here's a good one that I had my eyes on for quite a while. A shoutout to User:Othello95 for starting up and writing much of the article!

Nomination

• Support --Ypsilon (talk) 20:22, 9 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• Support - Looks complete and listings are generally less than 3 years old. Mrkstvns (talk) 16:33, 30 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• Support per above. --SHB2000 (t | c | m) 00:02, 4 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• Almost - Pretty good article but the "Destinations" section is a huge washlist of every place that a flight out of this airport goes. A short summary paragraph with just the highlights would be better. Mrkstvns (talk) 18:12, 4 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Done I agree, listing individual destinations can be useful for tiny airports with just a couple of destinations. But in this case it's just unwieldy not to mention it's hard to keep it up to date, so I just commented it out. --Ypsilon (talk) 21:18, 10 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]

• Support - Thanks for editing the Destinations section. Everything looks good to me now. Mrkstvns (talk) 15:20, 19 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Place: San Diego International Airport Blurb: The main airport to America's finest city is the busiest single runway airport in the world, (should not exceed ~145 characters) Article status: Guide (must be guide or above). Time to feature: Year round, not only because there are people who change planes in the San Diego International Airport, but also because San Diego itself is a good place to visit any time of the year. Nominated by: Someonehere12345 (talk) 04:28, 20 August 2024 (UTC)Someonehere12345[reply] Comment: Last time an article from an airport in the United States was featured travel topic, it was November 2019 Atlanta. (please note I do not have a banner in mind, but if anyone does then feel free to bring it up in the destination of the month candidates/banners page.

Nomination

• Support as nominator--Someonehere12345 (talk) 04:32, 20 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• Support - nicely complete article that's up-to-date. Great airport too, very convenient to the downtown area. Mrkstvns (talk) 16:43, 30 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• Very very close - would be nice to have a few more pictures here and there. Otherwise it's apparently up to date and good to go. As YVR is going on the Main Page next spring, this will probably have to sit around here on the nominations page for a while as we don't want to run similar articles (in this case airport articles) too close to each other in the schedule... --Ypsilon (talk) 19:58, 20 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

  I just added a few more images Someonehere12345 (talk) 22:45, 23 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

• Support per Ypsi. --SHB2000 (t | c | m) 00:02, 4 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• Very close. "Sleep" would benefit from more detail in the listings. I also think that th Eat and Drink sections should be separated. However, this one looks close to feature-able status. --Comment by Selfie City (talk) (contributions) 16:37, 7 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Place: Gemstones Blurb: Many travellers buy gems or jewellery during their journeys. (should not exceed ~145 characters) Article status: Guide (must be guide or above). Time to feature: any Nominated by: Pashley (talk) 20:38, 3 October 2024 (UTC)[reply] Comment: There are both some fine bargains to be had and some incredibly bad "tourist trap" deals.

Nomination

• Needs work – in particular, the § Museums section which is lacking many details and coordinates. --SHB2000 (t | c | m) 00:01, 4 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]

  The museums now have coordinates (they already had links to the listings, from where I got the coords), and the collections and gems have wikidata links (except the Three Treasures, which don't seem to have an article in Wikipedia in English). They have descriptions; what more details would be needed? –LPfi (talk) 07:12, 4 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]

  Support upon further improvements. --SHB2000 (t | c | m) 06:36, 1 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

• Close The other parts of the article look good, but surely there must be more than four gemstone museums in the world worth visiting? I would also believe that some mines have visitor centers and/or can be visited as such. --Ypsilon (talk) 05:56, 1 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I did a web search & added some I found.

No doubt more could be done. Pashley (talk) 18:04, 1 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]

• Close. There are still some coordinates and listing details missing, which should be present to feature this article. But I think it is possible to get this feature-ready. --Comment by Selfie City (talk) (contributions) 16:40, 7 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]

  I've scheduled this for August – I think that's plenty of time to fix any issues with this article. --SHB (t | c | m) 03:39, 21 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]

There are unanswered questions on the talk page about Gemstones#Stones

How should this section be organised? Alphabetised? Split up into sections for for precious & semi-precious?

Some stones get their own headings & subsections, starting at Gemstones#Rubies_and_sapphires. All the others just have listings. Do we have the mix right? Should other precious stones -- diamond & emerald -- have their own subsections? Perhaps a subsection for quartz minerals since at least a half dozen of those can be used as gems?

I think these should be answered before we feature the article. Suggestions? Pashley (talk) 05:48, 6 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Place: E69 Blurb: European Highway E69 goes through barren landscapes to the world's northernmost point you can reach by car (should not exceed ~145 characters) Article status: Guide (must be guide or above). Time to feature: May (given that FTTs go on the Main Page towards the end of the month)-Aug Nominated by: Ypsilon (talk) 19:49, 13 October 2024 (UTC)[reply] Comment: A nice little itinerary largely written by a voyager from the other side of the world. It's an interesting drive, and the landscapes are different from much of the rest of the Nordic countries, so definitely something to showcase on the Main Page.

Nomination

• Support as nominator. --Ypsilon (talk) 19:49, 13 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• Support Hey thanks for the nomination :-). --SHB2000 (t | c | m) 20:51, 13 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• Comment. - While I Support the article in terms of content, I think we need to take a break from featuring Nordic countries' articles for a bit. We've featured an itinerary from at least one of Finland, Sweden, and Norway every year since 2021, which is a much higher feature rate than what most other countries have. I'd say we should wait on this article at least a year or so and give other countries' itineraries a chance, especially if we run the Jewish Stockholm Tour article in 2025/early 2026 (although I know someone commented on that post that we should wait until 2027 for that article). Tuyuhun (talk) 08:32, 16 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Well, the problem is that sadly we don't have that many topic articles (topics, itineraries, airports, phrasebooks etc.) left that are 1. both at guide or Star status and 2. we haven't featured as FTT and 3. haven't earlier been deemed not good enough for the Main Page, with little to none development on them thereafter.

Those that remain are just from a few corners of the world (aside of phrasebooks, most are from the U.S., Northern Europe, Japan and Australia) and we have even less topics not bound to any specific part of the world - such as Gemstones above. Sure, we do have some geographical diversity when it comes to articles of the same type like airports and cuisine articles, however we likewise usually try to keep one year between articles of the same type.

Therefore I've tried to stuff a couple of Northern European articles in the summer slots when it's the best time of the year to visit here to save eligible articles for the rest of the year. --Ypsilon (talk) 15:41, 16 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Articles featured on Wikitravel up to 2012 are unofficial, and eligible to feature again. (See Wikivoyage_talk:Destination_of_the_month_candidates/Archive/2019-2023#Shall_features_before_2013_be_seen_as_unofficial?) That gives us some more candidates. However, rather few of those are travel topics; see Previous_Featured_travel_topics#Unofficial_features. /Yvwv (talk) 20:11, 16 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]

• Support per nomination. --Comment by Selfie City (talk) (contributions) 16:41, 7 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Place: Sound of Music Blurb: Hollywood's 1965 depiction of the Austrian Trapp Family is one of the most successful musicals ever, though not in Austria itself. It is a great showcase of Salzburg and the Alps. (should not exceed ~145 characters) Article status: Guide (must be guide or above). Time to feature: Spring or summer. 2025 is the film's 60th anniversary. Not sure whether there are public events dedicated to the film. Nominated by: Yvwv (talk) 23:32, 3 November 2024 (UTC)[reply] Comment: We have had surprisingly few features from Austria. Previous versions of the country's article (and its blurb in Central Europe) have criticized the film's stereotypic depictions of the country. This article was recently expanded to give background on the real Trapp family, the German film about them, and the inaccuracies and controversies of Sound of Music. Some more information about how to find and visit the venues might be useful.

Nomination

• Comment. I don't think the musical had anything to do with Hollywood, so the blurb needs tweaking. –LPfi (talk) 07:32, 7 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• Very very close - as discussed on the talk page, a couple of more photos would be nice. Moreover, some of the listings in the end of the article have quite short descriptions. --Ypsilon (talk) 10:14, 7 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• Support. I watched this film many times as a child,and have much enjoyed doing my share of work on this article to complete it and address all the issues listings-wise, and at this moment it has attained a good shape. It must be mentioned that the term "Hollywood version" is very much used throughout the article, synonymous with "American version", to disambiguate from the 1956 "German version". This metonym is not very accurate, as 20th Century Studios are in Century City and not Hollywood, but I don't see it as an issue that could prevent the article of making FTT. Ibaman (talk) 10:54, 20 November 2024 (UTC)[reply]
• Support per nomination. --Comment by Selfie City (talk) (contributions) 16:41, 7 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]
• Support per Ibaman. //shb (t | c | m) 02:33, 3 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Place: Greater Orlando public transit Blurb: Greater Orlando has several, partially interconnected public transit networks which extend across the Orlando metro area, including Brightline, SunRail, and Lynx. (should not exceed ~145 characters) Article status: Guide (must be guide or above). Time to feature: October-April Nominated by: --Comment by Selfie City (talk) (contributions) 20:56, 8 January 2025 (UTC)[reply] Comment: I started this article specifically regarding SunRail but have added information about other local public transit options as well, making it more comprehensive.

Nomination

• Support as nominator. (I'm out of ideas for the blurb.) --Comment by Selfie City (talk) (contributions) 20:56, 8 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]

• Support, basically. This will be a good FTT for the colder part of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. However, wouldn't it be logical to have a level 2 heading named Operators and then Amtrak etc. as level 3 headings below it? --Ypsilon (talk) 21:00, 25 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]

  Sure, I can see how that would be logical. --Comment by Selfie City (talk) (contributions) 21:04, 25 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]

• Oppose. Quite frankly, I don't think this (or any other local public transport system) should even be an article on Wikivoyage. I've raised this in Talk:Transportation. Jpatokal (talk) 02:14, 26 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]
• My reaction to this article is that it has too much non-travel-related history in the "Understand" section, which I think should summarize information about the various transportation systems in a useful and practical way. On the other hand, I doubt there's enough practical information about systems other than SunRail. About how long does it take to get from the airport to Walt Disney World via Mears Connect? Can the routes of the Lynx bus system be summarized in a more useful way without referring the reader to a long list of SunRail stations? How long does it take to get from Miami to the Orlando airport, and how much does that cost? Finally, what routes likely for visitors to use are impractical on public transportation? In other words, I think some additional work should be done on this article before it is featured. Ikan Kekek (talk) 02:57, 26 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]

  Good questions! I agree that those are things that should be mentioned. I can definitely cut down the Understand section as well. --Comment by Selfie City (talk) (contributions) 03:12, 26 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]

• Not yet. While I generally think that Understand sections, including this, can have some non-practical background information, here it is too heavy for Wikivoyage. I think some rewriting is needed also in other sections. I'll try to explain on the talk page, when having had a more thorough read. –LPfi (talk) 08:16, 26 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]

  I suggest we slush this one because the suggested edits will take time. We can always renominate it at a later date. --Comment by Selfie City (talk) (contributions) 14:42, 26 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]

  If you as the nominator feel as though it should be slushed, I think by all means we should slush it. I trust your judgment here. --SHB (t | c | m) 04:57, 27 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]

  Sure, although if the oppose/not yet voters would like to look at the artcle again, some changes have been made. If you all feel the changes aren't sufficient, I think we should slush. --Comment by Selfie City (talk) (contributions) 19:14, 27 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Place: Driving in China Blurb: China isn't one of the countries that foreigners commonly explore by driving themselves. If you'd still like to, the first step would be getting a local driving license. (should not exceed ~145 characters) Article status: Guide (must be guide or above). Time to feature: Any, though maybe not in mid-winter Nominated by: Ypsilon (talk) 19:50, 21 January 2025 (UTC)[reply] Comment: "Driving in..." articles have been a rare sight on the Main Page in the last couple of years as you can see in Previous Featured travel topics. Here's an interesting one. The article looks really extensive, but the content and headings perhaps need to be rearranged. On the other hand I don't remember if we have any standard order for the information in driving articles.

Nomination

• Almost per comment. --Ypsilon (talk) 19:50, 21 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]
• Almost per Ypsi. --SHB (t | c | m) 21:15, 21 January 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Place: Dehydration Blurb: A condition that may affect travellers in many places and for many reasons. Never pleasant, sometimes fatal. (should not exceed ~145 characters) Article status: Guide (must be guide or above). Time to feature: Any Nominated by: Pashley (talk) 22:15, 14 February 2025 (UTC)[reply] Comment: The most common causes are severe diarrhea, sweating a lot in hot weather or during strenuous activity such as a marathon race, and water evaporating more quickly at lower air pressure, which is a factor in altitude sickness. Dehydration is also a factor in hangovers. This article can be relevant for a fairly broad range of travellers.

Nomination

• Support I mentioned before that it is short, but I really don't think much else needs to be added without it duplicating other articles such as hot weather or arid region safety. //shb (t | c | m) 22:30, 14 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Comment: This article is most relevant internationally during northern summer (June to August); however, this period tends to be highly requested for featured articles. This article is short, though it covers the necessities of the topic. As long as we have no formal rules for the minimum length of a featured article or a guide-level article, this is not an issue. /Yvwv (talk) 00:30, 21 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

The only thing I know of that it might be missing is anything about dairy products; see Talk:Dehydration#Questions. I'm not sure what could be said about those. Pashley (talk) 04:15, 21 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

• Comment: although also mentioned at Hot weather, I believe this article should contain a discussion regarding heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Heat stroke in particular has some different instructions from typical dehydration that should receive a mention: "Cool their body with cool (not ice cold, but if ice is all you have then make sure it doesn't make direct contact with the patient's skin) water and fan them. Do not force an unconscious person to drink anything." (from Hot weather#Heat stroke). --Comment by Selfie City (talk) (contributions) 00:59, 26 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Place: Carpets Blurb: A popular souvenir and a reason for some museum visits. (should not exceed ~145 characters) Article status: Guide (must be guide or above). Time to feature: Any Nominated by: Pashley (talk) 17:01, 17 February 2025 (UTC)[reply] Comment: Mainly but not only for travellers in Asia.

Nomination

Place: Japanese castles Blurb: Japanese castles are a striking combination of form and function, which served simultaneously as defensive bases, symbols of might and luxurious residences. (should not exceed ~145 characters) Article status: Guide (must be guide or above). Time to feature: Any time of year Nominated by: Jpatokal (talk) 23:18, 17 February 2025 (UTC)[reply] Comment:

Nomination

• Not yet To me, the article is lacking in actual castle listings aside from the 12 originals. It may be the way the article is structured, I'm not sure, but exemplary castles in terms of historical events, historical figures, construction or aspects of its construction, architecture, time periods, etc. should be listed with explanations. Articles like this should be pointing people with an interest in castles towards destinations that cater to that interest. Like a lot of our travel topics, it is too Wikipedia not enough travel (or voyage). To me, I think it's a good start-up article but I don't think it's a "guide status" article. Like I said, I'm not sure if it would work better with a different structuring or maybe it just needs listings within the current structure. ChubbyWimbus (talk) 11:22, 20 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

  I'm not sure I agree. The article provides a ton of detailed information about Japanese castles in general (yes, Wikipedia-style, but it's appropriate here), then listings of every single original castle in Japan with succinct descriptions and why you'd want to visit. Isn't this enough? Opening hours and similar nitty-gritty belongs in the destination articles. Jpatokal (talk) 23:54, 20 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

  None of the issues I stated above suggested I was concerned about listing opening hours. I'd like the castle travel article to feature castles to travel to. The 12 originals are in the Japan article, so if that's "enough", the article is redundant. The "detailed information" is all fluff and filler without relating it to castles that can be visited. Most people with an interest in Japanese castles would already be aware of the 12 originals, so it's not a very useful article in its current state. It has a workable structure but is underdeveloped. ChubbyWimbus (talk) 14:11, 21 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Place: Along the Rambla of Montevideo Blurb: This 22-kilometre network of streets passes through many of Montevideo's main sights along its coastline. (should not exceed ~145 characters) Article status: Guide (must be guide or above). Time to feature: Southern summer/autumn Nominated by: //shb (t | c | m) 02:31, 3 March 2025 (UTC)[reply] Comment: Recently came across this article written by Ypsilon and I must say I'm rather pleased with how detailed it is. Since most of it was only written a few months ago, few updates are needed (if any) and I can't see anything critical missing.

Nomination

• Support per my nomination statement. //shb (t | c | m) 02:31, 3 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]
• Support an interesting topic with good local color. Mrkstvns (talk) 12:56, 10 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Place: Rail travel in Great Britain Blurb: 200 years ago, on 27 September 1825, the first ever passenger train ran between Stockton-on-Tees and Darlington. Since then, the rail network in Great Britain has become one of the world's densest and most well-utilised systems. (should not exceed ~145 characters) Article status: Guide (must be guide or above). Time to feature: September 2025 Nominated by: //shb (t | c | m) 08:08, 21 March 2025 (UTC)[reply] Comment: As suggested by Grahamsands in the pub, we as Wikivoyage should do something to commemorate the 200th anniversary of rail travel and I think featuring this article is one of the best things we can do to celebrate this.

Nomination

• Support - it's been a while since our last "Rail travel in..." feature, and it would be a superb timing to run it for the 200th anniversary of rail travel overall. It's a very extensive article that's been on my radar for some time too, though I vaguely remember some British editor (TT?) saying there was something important missing from the article. As I can't remember what it was, and it was a couple of years ago, it's possible that the issue has been fixed. --Ypsilon (talk) 10:16, 21 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]
• Support as initiator. Grahamsands (talk) 15:25, 22 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

• Comment - I considered nominating this about a week ago - drafted a nomination and everything - but decided against it. The passenger rail system is being gradually renationalised, so there will be a lot of upcoming changes to the system and hence this article. The details of the rollout are still a little wooly, but at some point in the next three years (and possibly as early as this May, when SWR becomes the first company in England to be formally renationalised), Network Rail, National Rail and the vast majority of the train companies will be retired and replaced by "Great British Railways". So, I certainly agree the anniversary makes this a good year to feature this article, and the big changes in how the system will be run also merit highlighting. However, I'm concerned it might be more of a work in progress than a feature normally is. Is that a problem?

As for what the missing info might have been, Ypsilon's guess is as good as mine, but I'll try to make my thinker work and get back to you if I remember.--ThunderingTyphoons! (talk) 01:37, 24 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

• Support, despite it likely needing rewriting before its feature. Possible smaller inaccuracies can always be warned for using an infobox in the most relevant section. If I can be of any help in keeping the article updated despite my lack of experience with the British network, let me know. I'm happy to help if I can.
  ― Wauteurz (talk) 18:37, 24 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]
• Support The article is good and has been regularly updated. I don't think the renationalisation will require significant changes to the article. There are already nationalised rail companies eg LNER and Scotrail, but there was little difference in the passenger experience when they were nationalised. There will need to be small updates as companies change name etc, but don't expect big changes to fares etc. AlasdairW (talk) 22:34, 24 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]
• Thanks for the support. I'll open a thread on the RT in GB discussion, as overhaul of the content would be helpful regardless of the nomination. Grahamsands (talk) 14:32, 28 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]