May 11, 2007
The great myths of travel (first of a series)
Though they mean well, your friends can ruin your next vacation by persuading you to adopt all sorts of bad travel maxims. Here are three of what I regard as the Great Myths of Travel:
1) That "you get what you pay for." Wrong. All over the world you will find expensive hotels that rip you off and bargain properties that give great value. All over the Caribbean are all-inclusive deluxe hotels claiming they have several a la carte restaurants, none of which are open when you attempt to use them. Another deluxe property of which I know has the worst beach in all the Caribbean. Like so much in travel, you can't automatically assume that high price is a guarantee of value. You must do your homework, and check things out.
2) That the comfort of the stay increases when you spend more. It doesn't. When you close your eyes at night, and go to sleep, it doesn't matter whether you are in a luxury or a low-cost hotel; the quality of the mattress does. I've been to countless hotels whose lavish lobbies and public areas aren't matched at all in the guestrooms -- a common condition of the hotel industry.
3) That someone at the destination will tell you what you're looking at. They don't, and when they do, it's too late. The traveler who arrives at a destination without any knowledge of its history or culture is unable to properly absorb the brief, rushed comments of their tour guide. Advance preparation -- a few nights in the library -- is the key to a rewarding trip.
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1) That "you get what you pay for." Wrong. All over the world you will find expensive hotels that rip you off and bargain properties that give great value. All over the Caribbean are all-inclusive deluxe hotels claiming they have several a la carte restaurants, none of which are open when you attempt to use them. Another deluxe property of which I know has the worst beach in all the Caribbean. Like so much in travel, you can't automatically assume that high price is a guarantee of value. You must do your homework, and check things out.
2) That the comfort of the stay increases when you spend more. It doesn't. When you close your eyes at night, and go to sleep, it doesn't matter whether you are in a luxury or a low-cost hotel; the quality of the mattress does. I've been to countless hotels whose lavish lobbies and public areas aren't matched at all in the guestrooms -- a common condition of the hotel industry.
3) That someone at the destination will tell you what you're looking at. They don't, and when they do, it's too late. The traveler who arrives at a destination without any knowledge of its history or culture is unable to properly absorb the brief, rushed comments of their tour guide. Advance preparation -- a few nights in the library -- is the key to a rewarding trip.
Add a comment about this post.
Fifty years ago, 
Arthur Frommer is generally acknowledged to be the nation's foremost travel authority. He is the founder of the
