Jun 22, 2007
Here's how you can stay cheap in Germany, Ireland, Florence and Venice
In these days of a weak dollar, the "private homestay" -- a room in someone's apartment or home -- is the key to living cheaply in Europe. In the first week that this blog appeared, I listed organizations for London and Paris that would enable you to stay for about $40 per person per night in private residences. For London, those were www.happy-homes.com, and www.athomeinlondon.co.uk. For Paris, I suggested www.goodmorningparis.fr, and www.bed-and-breakfast-in-paris.com; for Rome www.b-b.rm.it.
How about the rest of Europe? Here are some leads that you might print out and save for low-cost lodgings in Germany, Ireland, and in the cities of Florence and Venice:
In Germany: The Germany Tourism Website (http://www.germany-tourism.de/ENG/infocenter/bed_and_breakfast.htm) maintains important links to regional tourism sites, which often provide the details on private homestays. For example, at the Berlin site (www.berlin-tourist-information.de) you can download a 38-page PDF titled "Vacation Homes" or "Holiday Homes" (same document, two names), which lists hundreds of private rooms for rent.
In Ireland: The national tourist board has a searchable database (www.ireland.ie/accomodation_bb.asp) full of photos and detailed descriptions of private homestays. Among the private websites, Town and Country (www.townandcountry.ie) describes one of the largest private B&B networks, representing thousands of properties in both the Republic and Northern Ireland.
In Florence and Venice: The official Florence website (www.firenzeturismo.it) lists a staggering 341 "B&B-Rooms to Rent" in that city (plus another 277 in the province of Florence). The official Venice site (www.turismovenezia.it) offers 235 "Rooms to Rent" and another 187 "Bed & Breakfasts." Average price: around €75 ($100) -- still quite a savings when mid-range Venetian hotels routinely top €200 ($270).
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How about the rest of Europe? Here are some leads that you might print out and save for low-cost lodgings in Germany, Ireland, and in the cities of Florence and Venice:
In Germany: The Germany Tourism Website (http://www.germany-tourism.de/ENG/infocenter/bed_and_breakfast.htm) maintains important links to regional tourism sites, which often provide the details on private homestays. For example, at the Berlin site (www.berlin-tourist-information.de) you can download a 38-page PDF titled "Vacation Homes" or "Holiday Homes" (same document, two names), which lists hundreds of private rooms for rent.
In Ireland: The national tourist board has a searchable database (www.ireland.ie/accomodation_bb.asp) full of photos and detailed descriptions of private homestays. Among the private websites, Town and Country (www.townandcountry.ie) describes one of the largest private B&B networks, representing thousands of properties in both the Republic and Northern Ireland.
In Florence and Venice: The official Florence website (www.firenzeturismo.it) lists a staggering 341 "B&B-Rooms to Rent" in that city (plus another 277 in the province of Florence). The official Venice site (www.turismovenezia.it) offers 235 "Rooms to Rent" and another 187 "Bed & Breakfasts." Average price: around €75 ($100) -- still quite a savings when mid-range Venetian hotels routinely top €200 ($270).
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Labels: accommodations, websites
Because Beijing will fill up several weeks prior to the Olympics, you have less time than you might think for that long-planned trip to China
The wide publicity that's been given to the starting date of the 2008 Beijing Olympics (August 8, 2008) should serve as a wake-up call for Americans who haven't yet made a trip to China. For a full month prior to August 8, Beijing will begin filling up with thousands of reporters, photographers, television crews, television producers and writers, athletes getting an early start on their tune-up for the games, coaches and attendants for these athletes, and countless other human beings associated with this worldwide event. The same will happen, though to a lesser degree, in Shanghai, Xi'an, and other sporting venues.
This means that July 8, 2007, will be the last date for several months for using the tourist facilities of China and paying normal prices for them. July 8 -- that's only slightly more than a year from now. If you're to undertake that long-contemplated trip to China, you must make your bookings now and plan a fairly early departure.
Several weeks ago, I wrote about low-cost tours of China offered by such companies as China Focus of San Francisco (www.chinafocustravel.com) and Champion Holidays of New York (www.china-discovery.com). A number of readers have asked for recommendations of upscale tours of China, including those of a luxury standard. I really don't think it's necessary to go upscale, but here are the two major operators (there are more) of classier, air-included China tours:
$2,298 to $2,798 for 8 nights in China, is charged by Uniworld (tel. 800/733-7820; www.uniworld.com), a typical mid-value product operated by a long-established company especially known for its river-cruises in Europe and Egypt (and available on the Yangtze River on those of its China tours that are higher-priced than the ones I cited in my earlier post). Here, you receive round-trip air from Los Angeles (or, for $200 more, from Chicago or New York), air transportation from city to city within China, 8 nights in deluxe hotels in Beijing, Xi'an, Suzhou and Shanghai, most meals, daily sightseeing, the Beijing Opera, the Tang Dynasty Review in Xi'an, and much more.
$3,448 to $4,118 for 12 nights in China, from Pacific Delight Tours (tel. 888/221-7179; www.pacificdelighttours.com). Though Pacific Delight also offers various low-priced tours of China (like its 10-night "Golden Route Supervalue" product selling for $1,998 to $2,138), it's better known for its thoroughly deluxe product for groups of less than 16, like its "Golden Route Imperial Experience" for $3,448-$4,118, including air from Los Angeles, spending 3 nights Beijing, 2 nights Shanghai, 2 nights Xian (home to the terra cotta warriors), 2 nights Guilin, and 3 nights Hong Kong at the very best luxury hotels, with many meals, fulsome sightseeing, and two dinner shows, all fully escorted from Los Angeles by a U.S. tour director. The oldest (more than 35 years in business) and largest of the China tour operators, headed by an illustrious pioneer in the field, Francis Luk, Pacific Delight will also fly you from New York or Miami for only $100 more, and give you dozens of other Asian tour options. This is the choice for the most demanding of tour passengers.
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This means that July 8, 2007, will be the last date for several months for using the tourist facilities of China and paying normal prices for them. July 8 -- that's only slightly more than a year from now. If you're to undertake that long-contemplated trip to China, you must make your bookings now and plan a fairly early departure.
Several weeks ago, I wrote about low-cost tours of China offered by such companies as China Focus of San Francisco (www.chinafocustravel.com) and Champion Holidays of New York (www.china-discovery.com). A number of readers have asked for recommendations of upscale tours of China, including those of a luxury standard. I really don't think it's necessary to go upscale, but here are the two major operators (there are more) of classier, air-included China tours:
$2,298 to $2,798 for 8 nights in China, is charged by Uniworld (tel. 800/733-7820; www.uniworld.com), a typical mid-value product operated by a long-established company especially known for its river-cruises in Europe and Egypt (and available on the Yangtze River on those of its China tours that are higher-priced than the ones I cited in my earlier post). Here, you receive round-trip air from Los Angeles (or, for $200 more, from Chicago or New York), air transportation from city to city within China, 8 nights in deluxe hotels in Beijing, Xi'an, Suzhou and Shanghai, most meals, daily sightseeing, the Beijing Opera, the Tang Dynasty Review in Xi'an, and much more.
$3,448 to $4,118 for 12 nights in China, from Pacific Delight Tours (tel. 888/221-7179; www.pacificdelighttours.com). Though Pacific Delight also offers various low-priced tours of China (like its 10-night "Golden Route Supervalue" product selling for $1,998 to $2,138), it's better known for its thoroughly deluxe product for groups of less than 16, like its "Golden Route Imperial Experience" for $3,448-$4,118, including air from Los Angeles, spending 3 nights Beijing, 2 nights Shanghai, 2 nights Xian (home to the terra cotta warriors), 2 nights Guilin, and 3 nights Hong Kong at the very best luxury hotels, with many meals, fulsome sightseeing, and two dinner shows, all fully escorted from Los Angeles by a U.S. tour director. The oldest (more than 35 years in business) and largest of the China tour operators, headed by an illustrious pioneer in the field, Francis Luk, Pacific Delight will also fly you from New York or Miami for only $100 more, and give you dozens of other Asian tour options. This is the choice for the most demanding of tour passengers.
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Labels: china, tour companies
YAPTA is something else!
You can now insure the cost of your air ticket by having Yapta.com track its price after you've bought it. Yapta is a fab new website whose initials stand for "Your Amazing Person Travel Assistant." It tracks prices on specific flights of major U.S. carriers. If the price goes down after you have bought your air ticket, Yapta alerts you and you can then contact the airline and demand either cash back or a voucher for the difference in price, good for future transportation. All this works, of course, only on airlines that don't impose a change fee (a number of them don't). And the service is valid only for tickets purchased directly from the airline and not from such services as Expedia or Orbitz. I think Yapta has a future, and you might want to look at it.
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The big puzzlement of 2007: unsold cabins on Alaskan cruises
No one seems to know why. But the travel trade press is full of anxious stories about how slow-selling are cruises of Alaskan waters in July and August of this year. While the expensive, outside, balcony-equipped cabins are in demand, the cheaper inside cabins without portholes are still plentifully available and unsold.
If you will go to www.vacationstogo.com and click on the Alaska cruises scheduled for July and August of 2007 (be careful to specify 2007, not 2008), you'll see what I mean. Numerous departures of seven-night cruises leaving from Vancouver, Seattle, or the port of Anchorage have been reduced in price to between $500 and $700 per person -- an astonishing development for these two high season months that are usually sold out well in advance.
Those prices do not include air fare to the Pacific Northwest, but nevertheless they establish the basis for a low-cost week, and for one of the great experiences of travel. Cruising the southeastern coast of Alaska -- viewing terrain where no human being has ever set foot or is likely to do so, where eagles fly overhead and bears come down to shore to snatch fish from the shallow waters, where the 20-story-high walls of glaciers crash into the sea with an enormous roar -- is an almost mystical experience. And it is now within affordable reach for summer 2007 (used to be that you had to choose departures during the iffy-weather of May or September in order to enjoy such bargains).
My theory as to why this has happened? We live in a two-tier society, a two-tier economy. Enjoying major tax breaks under current policies, and a booming stock market, the wealthy are doing exceptionally well and are traveling in unprecedented numbers everywhere (and booking those balcony cabins). The low- and middle-income among us are feeling tight times, and economizing with respect to long-distance travels.
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If you will go to www.vacationstogo.com and click on the Alaska cruises scheduled for July and August of 2007 (be careful to specify 2007, not 2008), you'll see what I mean. Numerous departures of seven-night cruises leaving from Vancouver, Seattle, or the port of Anchorage have been reduced in price to between $500 and $700 per person -- an astonishing development for these two high season months that are usually sold out well in advance.
Those prices do not include air fare to the Pacific Northwest, but nevertheless they establish the basis for a low-cost week, and for one of the great experiences of travel. Cruising the southeastern coast of Alaska -- viewing terrain where no human being has ever set foot or is likely to do so, where eagles fly overhead and bears come down to shore to snatch fish from the shallow waters, where the 20-story-high walls of glaciers crash into the sea with an enormous roar -- is an almost mystical experience. And it is now within affordable reach for summer 2007 (used to be that you had to choose departures during the iffy-weather of May or September in order to enjoy such bargains).
My theory as to why this has happened? We live in a two-tier society, a two-tier economy. Enjoying major tax breaks under current policies, and a booming stock market, the wealthy are doing exceptionally well and are traveling in unprecedented numbers everywhere (and booking those balcony cabins). The low- and middle-income among us are feeling tight times, and economizing with respect to long-distance travels.
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Bargain of the day: Escorted, two-week motorcoach tours of Turkey
They're a travel wonder, these tours of Turkey, as fully all-inclusive as such arrangements can possibly be. They operate nearly all-year around (March through December) for a full 17 days on each guaranteed weekly departure (the 17 days include the days of your departure and return flights), and they take you to every one of the major sights and locations of western Turkey, including Istanbul, Ankara, Antalya, Izmir, Pamukkale, Canukkale, and Cappadocia, feeding you three full meals each day and lodging you at four-star hotels. And yet the price for all this (air to and from Turkey, hotels, all meals, all sightseeing, all admissions, all transportation within Turkey), from New York, is as little as $2,100 to $2,476 in June through October and thereafter from $1,665 to $1,905. Counting only the 14 days actually spent on tour, the price works out to an average of $120 to $175 per person per day, including round-trip air fare and all three meals daily -- the basis for calling it a "travel wonder."
Because Turkey, with its difficult language, is regarded as best for escorted, group arrangements, this is one group motorcoach tour that even the most independent of adventurous tourists will prefer to self-drive tourism. It is available from a number of tour operators at almost uniform prices, but a company called Pacha Tours is especially active in operating them. You'll find further, detailed information at www.pachatours.com, or call 800/722-4288, referring to the "Super Value Turkey Tour." A "super value" it certainly is, about which I've received several recent and totally positive reactions from persons who booked the program.
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Labels: turkey
Jun 21, 2007
Uruguay is a big surprise
To the surprise of everyone, Argentina has become one of the cheapest vacation destinations, but that begs the question: where do Argentines go on vacation? Answer: they hop a fast ferry for the 45-minute ride across the Rio de la Plata, the world's widest river, to Uruguay.
This tiny Southern American nation boasts gorgeous colonial cities, stunning beaches, and amazingly low prices: full meals go for $5, boutique hotels for $50, and museum tickets for mere pennies.
But finding reliable travel information on Uruguay is difficult -- guidebooks rarely devote more than a slim chapter within continent-wide South America tomes. In a post that I'll be writing next week, I plan to recommend several hotels and restaurants in low-cost Montevideo, and if you have a friend who might be thinking about possible destinations in South America, you might alert them to watch the daily appearance of these posts for a fairly unique write-up about that little-visited capital.
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This tiny Southern American nation boasts gorgeous colonial cities, stunning beaches, and amazingly low prices: full meals go for $5, boutique hotels for $50, and museum tickets for mere pennies.
But finding reliable travel information on Uruguay is difficult -- guidebooks rarely devote more than a slim chapter within continent-wide South America tomes. In a post that I'll be writing next week, I plan to recommend several hotels and restaurants in low-cost Montevideo, and if you have a friend who might be thinking about possible destinations in South America, you might alert them to watch the daily appearance of these posts for a fairly unique write-up about that little-visited capital.
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Labels: uruguay
Guess what nation is the world's most popular tourist attraction?
According to the U.N.'s World Tourism Organization, la belle France was the world's most heavily visited tourist destination in 2006, receiving 78 million visitors from abroad (a figure larger than the population of that country). In second place was Spain and in third place was the United States.
But here's the unexpected news: Foreign tourism to China is increasing so rapidly that China in this coming year will pass up the United States for third position, and by 2010 will become the world's second most popular tourist destination. Ten or so later years from now, it will be number one, replacing France as the champion of all vacation nations.
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But here's the unexpected news: Foreign tourism to China is increasing so rapidly that China in this coming year will pass up the United States for third position, and by 2010 will become the world's second most popular tourist destination. Ten or so later years from now, it will be number one, replacing France as the champion of all vacation nations.
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Labels: trends
If you're thinking of a vacation on the Pacific coast of Mexico, think Nayarit
We are all aware of the household words in travel -- Acapulco, Monte Carlo, Taormina, Florence, Venice -- and we automatically choose them for our vacations. When we arrive, we find them awash with crowds, inundated by commercial tourism, and thus ruined for the sensitive, intellectually-curious traveler.
More and more, it's important to select the places of which no one else is aware. And the Mexican state of Nayarit, between Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlan, is just such a place. It has no airport, so you fly into Puerto Vallarta. But from there, you take a public bus ($8 from the bus station in Puerto Vallarta), a self-drive car, or a taxi (be sure to negotiate a $40 price with the driver) to the seaside town of Rincon de Guayabitos about an hour north of Puerto Vallarta. And there you find the Mexico that once was.
Or you go even further north to Chacala, to Platanitos, or San Blas.
Get there quick. Recent travel trade press reports that Gogo Tours has signed a contract with the tourist board of Nayarit to bring that long-neglected place into broad-scale commercial tourism, to "develop it." Ay-yay-yay!
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More and more, it's important to select the places of which no one else is aware. And the Mexican state of Nayarit, between Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlan, is just such a place. It has no airport, so you fly into Puerto Vallarta. But from there, you take a public bus ($8 from the bus station in Puerto Vallarta), a self-drive car, or a taxi (be sure to negotiate a $40 price with the driver) to the seaside town of Rincon de Guayabitos about an hour north of Puerto Vallarta. And there you find the Mexico that once was.
Or you go even further north to Chacala, to Platanitos, or San Blas.
Get there quick. Recent travel trade press reports that Gogo Tours has signed a contract with the tourist board of Nayarit to bring that long-neglected place into broad-scale commercial tourism, to "develop it." Ay-yay-yay!
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Labels: mexico
Still undecided about summer? Pick a national park!
Don't just stand there; get in your car and drive to a U.S. national park!
They offer accommodations for every purse, and for as low as $60 a night per family of four for a tent cabin with comfortable beds, platform deck and heater. Space for your own tent and sleeping bag, or for your RV, is cheaper still, almost nominal in cost. Cafeterias in every park sell bountiful, tasty meals for about $10. Free-of-charge shuttle buses take you from one major area to another.
And the atmosphere within is one of near-pure, small-d democracy. Although every park has one very upscale lodge (the Ahwahnee in Yosemite, El Tovar in Grand Canyon), the overwhelming bulk of lodgings are in rustic inexpensive cabins, tent cabins, and tents. People wear rough sports clothing, generally park their cars out of sight, and engage in nature hikes as their chief activity.
Most tourists in Yosemite, Yellowstone and Grand Canyon appear, visibly, to walk about in a state of enchantment. (We are so surrounded in our normal daily lives with highways, pavements and vehicles that we seem dumbstruck by vast areas of conservation and ecological purity.) Stand for a moment on a walking trail and view the faces of your fellow visitors and you will find smiles of relaxation and contentment on almost all of them. In its impact on your sense of well-being, one of the great U.S. national parks is like a giant Jacuzzi, a massive massage table, a steam room. Wealthy patrons of elegant spas spend upwards of six hundred dollars a day for such contentment, and even then often fail to achieve the relief from stress that one of these wonders of nature provide.
At Yosemite, the great activity is to walk, on level paths through the famous valley and on upward-ascending mountain trails described in their turn as “easy,” “moderate” and “strenuous” in helpful free literature. Except for evening films and lectures (again free) on natural science and environmental subjects; except for visiting on-site museums of forestry and Native American history; except for boarding one of the very rare motorcoach tours of outlying and remote places; you simply walk, at your own pace, periodically stopping to enjoy the emotion of viewing some of the most beautiful vistas on earth. The Alps and the Himalayas have their admirers, but the great natural sights of the U.S. parks, especially those in the West, compare respectably to them.
If you have never seen the geologic formations and awesome waterfalls of Yosemite; if you have never gasped at the extraordinary vista of the Grand Canyon; if you have never marveled at the steam spouting from the earth of Yellowstone; you should make an immediate resolution to go to one of them. And once there, you will resolve to return as often as you can, and to visit others in their turn.
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They offer accommodations for every purse, and for as low as $60 a night per family of four for a tent cabin with comfortable beds, platform deck and heater. Space for your own tent and sleeping bag, or for your RV, is cheaper still, almost nominal in cost. Cafeterias in every park sell bountiful, tasty meals for about $10. Free-of-charge shuttle buses take you from one major area to another.
And the atmosphere within is one of near-pure, small-d democracy. Although every park has one very upscale lodge (the Ahwahnee in Yosemite, El Tovar in Grand Canyon), the overwhelming bulk of lodgings are in rustic inexpensive cabins, tent cabins, and tents. People wear rough sports clothing, generally park their cars out of sight, and engage in nature hikes as their chief activity.
Most tourists in Yosemite, Yellowstone and Grand Canyon appear, visibly, to walk about in a state of enchantment. (We are so surrounded in our normal daily lives with highways, pavements and vehicles that we seem dumbstruck by vast areas of conservation and ecological purity.) Stand for a moment on a walking trail and view the faces of your fellow visitors and you will find smiles of relaxation and contentment on almost all of them. In its impact on your sense of well-being, one of the great U.S. national parks is like a giant Jacuzzi, a massive massage table, a steam room. Wealthy patrons of elegant spas spend upwards of six hundred dollars a day for such contentment, and even then often fail to achieve the relief from stress that one of these wonders of nature provide.
At Yosemite, the great activity is to walk, on level paths through the famous valley and on upward-ascending mountain trails described in their turn as “easy,” “moderate” and “strenuous” in helpful free literature. Except for evening films and lectures (again free) on natural science and environmental subjects; except for visiting on-site museums of forestry and Native American history; except for boarding one of the very rare motorcoach tours of outlying and remote places; you simply walk, at your own pace, periodically stopping to enjoy the emotion of viewing some of the most beautiful vistas on earth. The Alps and the Himalayas have their admirers, but the great natural sights of the U.S. parks, especially those in the West, compare respectably to them.
If you have never seen the geologic formations and awesome waterfalls of Yosemite; if you have never gasped at the extraordinary vista of the Grand Canyon; if you have never marveled at the steam spouting from the earth of Yellowstone; you should make an immediate resolution to go to one of them. And once there, you will resolve to return as often as you can, and to visit others in their turn.
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Labels: parks
Jun 20, 2007
It isn't too early to rent a Caribbean (or Hawaiian) villa for Christmas/New Year's 2007-08
Among the great bargains of travel are the large and rambling beachside villas accommodating up to three couples in dreamlike locations of the Caribbean or Hawaii. If you can gather a total of six persons to partner in the rental of such a villa for the Christmas/New Year's period of 2007-08, you can enjoy an idyllic winter vacation for not much more than you would have spent at a hotel. Many of the villas come staffed with a cook and handyman, enabling you to enjoy the most sybaritic ten-days-or-so of your life, but at modest cost.
For more than 15 years, a Richmond, Virginia, company called Unusual Villa & Island Rentals has maintained an unusually large inventory of rental villas in the Caribbean, Hawaii, Mexico, Florida, California, Central and South America. They make a specialty of Christmas and holiday villa rentals. And their rates can go as low as $1,000 per person for an entire week, when six persons are combining to rent a multi-bedroom villa. Try www.unusualvillarentals.com or phone 800/846-7280 or 804/288-2823.
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For more than 15 years, a Richmond, Virginia, company called Unusual Villa & Island Rentals has maintained an unusually large inventory of rental villas in the Caribbean, Hawaii, Mexico, Florida, California, Central and South America. They make a specialty of Christmas and holiday villa rentals. And their rates can go as low as $1,000 per person for an entire week, when six persons are combining to rent a multi-bedroom villa. Try www.unusualvillarentals.com or phone 800/846-7280 or 804/288-2823.
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A casino vacation in a cultured city? Try Montréal
It's among the best-kept secrets in travel. Supported by only a small advertising budget, and little known to the vast majority of Americans, is the fact that casino gambling is legal in Canada's Québec. The five-story, Casino de Montréal is one of the world's largest, and there are other casinos (like at Charlevoix near Québec City) scattered elsewhere in the province of Québec. If you must indulge an urge to gamble, you might at least do it in a city of theatres, musems and galleries, as far removed from the atmosphere of Las Vegas or Atlantic City as one can get, in a country where the dollars one loses in gambling are worth only 90-or-so U.S. cents apiece. For further information, go to www.casino-de-montreal.com.
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Ever heard of a "Tilley Endurable"? It's a travel hat that people swear by
At the demand of a reader who wrote that I must recommend this classic piece of travel clothing, at the peril of leaving our Frommers.com audience unprotected from the sun and lacking in flair, I hereby announce that www.tilley.com is worth a look.It's actually quite accurate to point out that the Canadian company called Tilley has become something of a legend in travel clothing, with its handsome cloth hats for both men and women, guaranteed against any deterioration or mishap. And if you think I'm balmy for mentioning it, you'll want to look at the website, which goes into some details about why the hat is so helpful for both the male and female travelers (catch that velcro fastener for sticking your sun glasses against the side of the hat, and the fact that the brim buttons up on the side if you should care to wear it Australian-style). At $60, it's not the most economical purchase, but after looking at the various photos, you may succumb.
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Labels: shopping
Here's a different way to enjoy the Greek islands this summer and fall
After several seasons of sailing the French and Italian rivieras, easyCruise is going to Greece. That's the unpretentious, budget-priced cruiseship for young people that mainly stays in ports at night, and sails in the morning, enabling its party-happy clientele to enjoy the disco life of the famous Mediterranean locales to which it goes. This summer and fall, easyCruise will sail not only to the famous Greek islands -- Mykonos, Paros and Naxos -- but to several virtually unknown ones (like Spetses, Milos, Amorgos, Folegandros, Serifos and Sifnos).
These islands are strung together in three different loops, each leaving out of the Athens port of Piraeus and lasting three, four, and seven nights, respectively. This cycle repeats every 14 days, so you could string together a two-week cruise visiting 11 islands by booking all three loops back-to-back.
Essentially, easyCruise offers the opportunity to go island hopping without the discomfort of milk-run ferries -- but almost as inexpensively. Rates for a two-person interior cabin start around 102€ ($139) for the 3-night, midweek cruise; from 168 € ($228) for the 4-night, long-weekend cruise; and from 294 € ($400) for the 7-night itinerary.
You can get more information or make a booking at www.easycruise.com. The Greek islands itinerary runs from now through November 11.
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These islands are strung together in three different loops, each leaving out of the Athens port of Piraeus and lasting three, four, and seven nights, respectively. This cycle repeats every 14 days, so you could string together a two-week cruise visiting 11 islands by booking all three loops back-to-back.
Essentially, easyCruise offers the opportunity to go island hopping without the discomfort of milk-run ferries -- but almost as inexpensively. Rates for a two-person interior cabin start around 102€ ($139) for the 3-night, midweek cruise; from 168 € ($228) for the 4-night, long-weekend cruise; and from 294 € ($400) for the 7-night itinerary.
You can get more information or make a booking at www.easycruise.com. The Greek islands itinerary runs from now through November 11.
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Jun 19, 2007
Don't travel abroad without Skype!
I find it surprising that so many travelers fail to download Skype onto their laptops before departing on an overseas trip. Because, many times, their cell phones don't allow international calls, they end up paying through the nose when the need arises to make constant calls home. They could have phoned for free or almost for free -- by simply using Skype.Your first step: go to any Radio Shack or Best Buy and purchase a small headset (for about $10) that plugs into your computer's USB port.
Then go to www.skype.com, and download the software onto your laptop. From that moment on, you're able to make calls for about 2.1¢ a minute to normal numbers in the U.S., and for nothing at all to persons who already have Skype.
Once overseas, of course, you'll want to stay at a hotel with high-speed internet access. A little research will turn up all sorts of moderately priced chains that provides such access free of charge.
Skype's not perfect. Sometimes calls are dropped and depending on how fast your connection is, you may experience a short lag time in your conversation. But much of the time, it's far clearer than a traditional telephone call, and the person you talk to sounds like they're in the room with you. Besides, when something goes wrong, you just hang up and try again -- it's free!
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Labels: tips
A job in Paradise
Club Med is hiring. And although most of its jobs are the standard positions in housekeeping and cooking similar to hotel work anywhere, some of them -- I stress "some of them" -- are those dream opportunities to be a sailing instructor, a child care supervisor, a dance teacher or set designer, disk jockey, or what U.S. resort hotels used to be call a "social director" or "tummeler" but which the French term a gentil organisateur. What's best about these jobs is that they're in dream locales: Caribbean islands, the Bahamas, or Florida. You send in a written application, then attend a Club Med job fair (scattered around the country) for an interview. I'm not commenting on the pay or working conditions, but you do get room and board (and transportation to the island or beach in question), and since you probably won't devote your life to these endeavors, they may provide you with the chance to clear your head for a season or two. Go to www.clubmedjobs.com for all the details.
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Labels: jobs
A very brief introduction to Sicily, based on a trip of two weeks ago
Thanks to the miracle of the jet airplane and the self-drive car, Roberta and I were dining -- it seems like it was yesterday -- near the main square of the mountaintop resort of Taormina, Sicily, on risotto soaked in melted cheese and the juicy red tomatoes for which Sicily is famed. And with those modest but marvelously satisfying plates we were consuming a chilled bottle of heavenly white wine from vineyards on the slopes of Mount Etna which we could see as we dined. And while we dined we listened to two Sicilian guitarists in straw hats who were singing all the hokey tunes of that island south of the boot of Italy, ranging from "Funiculi Funicula" to that familiar melody whose every stanza ends with da da da da da da, S-a-n-t-a L-u-c-i-a.In subsequent posts next week, I'm going to try to describe that southernmost part of Italy that is poorer than the rest of the country, largely rural, and populated by a warm-hearted and generous people. It is a less-developed Italy that is also less expensive than Europe generally and reminds you of the Europe of 50 years ago, a remarkably historic country that underwent successive waves of invasion and is today covered with Greek and Roman temples and amphitheatres and by churches that once were mosques and have inscriptions of the Koran chiseled into their facades. To Americans who regard Italy as consisting only of Rome- Florence- Venice, Sicily will be a revelation, and it is a modestly-priced country that should be on your list of eventual trips. More in a week or so.
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Labels: sicily
The christening of the 3,000-passenger MSC Orchestra cruiseship
From an afternoon press conference with Sophia Loren, godmother of the new flagship of Italy's cruise industry, I rushed back to my cabin to change into a blue suit and accompany my wife (in her best cocktail dress) down to the pier alongside the ship for the actual christening ceremonies in a temporary amphitheatre seating several thousands of people. That ritual, two weeks ago, began in late afternoon and lasted for three hours into darkness.
We had front row seats for an event that was televised throughout Italy by multiple networks. Their camera crews were flanked by dozens of additional paparazzi aiming their flashbulbs at the beautiful people of Rome, who very solemnly made their entrances, the women in stunning dresses and the men in sleek Armani suits holding their heads high. They marched in knowing that the entire Italian nation was watching at home, and Roberta leaned over and whispered that she felt as if she were in a Fellini movie.
The christening ceremony was of national significance because it involved one of the major companies of the Italian economy. MSC, the Mediterranean Shipping Corporation, is not that well known in the United States, but it is a household word throughout Europe where it's the single largest maritime firm, with over 200 container ships, and it is rapidly becoming one of the world's largest cruiseslines, with all sorts of 3,000- and 4,000-passenger vessels under construction.
The program began with speeches, then with introductions of European soccer stars, and then the entire symphony orchestra of Rome walked onto the vast outdoor stage accompanied by three of the largest choruses of Rome, and the famous Italian composer Ennio Morricone stepped to the podium to conduct a one-hour concert of his own compositions while the entire crowd sat hushed and respectful.
It was only after the concert that Sophia Loren made her second entrance of the day. This time, she emerged from a hundred yards away in a stunning evening gown, marching along to ecstatic applause, and then she cut the ribbon that made a bottle of champagne smash against the hull, while the owner of MSC Cruises solemnly announced that "In nomine Deo," in the name of God, they were launching this ship. The orchestra produced an ear-splitting crescendo, a long line of ship's officers dressed in white uniforms marched onto the stage, fireworks went off, Sophia broke out into an ecstatic smile, the audience went crazy, and it was quite a thing to see.
And after that spectacle, a drained and jet-lagged Roberta and I were guests of MSC Cruises at a gala midnight dinner aboard the ship -- I'm sounding like a gossip columnist -- seated alongside the president of MSC Cruises. And finally at 3am, after several hours of la dolce vita, we snatched about four hours of sleep in our cabin, departed from the ship, took a bus back to the airport of Rome, and flew for an hour to Palermo, Sicily.
And there we drove by rental car on a ten day "circumnavigation" of Sicily, from Palermo to Erice, to Agrigento, to Siracusa, and Taormina -- about which you'll be hearing more in subsequent posts.
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We had front row seats for an event that was televised throughout Italy by multiple networks. Their camera crews were flanked by dozens of additional paparazzi aiming their flashbulbs at the beautiful people of Rome, who very solemnly made their entrances, the women in stunning dresses and the men in sleek Armani suits holding their heads high. They marched in knowing that the entire Italian nation was watching at home, and Roberta leaned over and whispered that she felt as if she were in a Fellini movie.
The christening ceremony was of national significance because it involved one of the major companies of the Italian economy. MSC, the Mediterranean Shipping Corporation, is not that well known in the United States, but it is a household word throughout Europe where it's the single largest maritime firm, with over 200 container ships, and it is rapidly becoming one of the world's largest cruiseslines, with all sorts of 3,000- and 4,000-passenger vessels under construction.
The program began with speeches, then with introductions of European soccer stars, and then the entire symphony orchestra of Rome walked onto the vast outdoor stage accompanied by three of the largest choruses of Rome, and the famous Italian composer Ennio Morricone stepped to the podium to conduct a one-hour concert of his own compositions while the entire crowd sat hushed and respectful.
It was only after the concert that Sophia Loren made her second entrance of the day. This time, she emerged from a hundred yards away in a stunning evening gown, marching along to ecstatic applause, and then she cut the ribbon that made a bottle of champagne smash against the hull, while the owner of MSC Cruises solemnly announced that "In nomine Deo," in the name of God, they were launching this ship. The orchestra produced an ear-splitting crescendo, a long line of ship's officers dressed in white uniforms marched onto the stage, fireworks went off, Sophia broke out into an ecstatic smile, the audience went crazy, and it was quite a thing to see.
And after that spectacle, a drained and jet-lagged Roberta and I were guests of MSC Cruises at a gala midnight dinner aboard the ship -- I'm sounding like a gossip columnist -- seated alongside the president of MSC Cruises. And finally at 3am, after several hours of la dolce vita, we snatched about four hours of sleep in our cabin, departed from the ship, took a bus back to the airport of Rome, and flew for an hour to Palermo, Sicily.
And there we drove by rental car on a ten day "circumnavigation" of Sicily, from Palermo to Erice, to Agrigento, to Siracusa, and Taormina -- about which you'll be hearing more in subsequent posts.
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Labels: cruise, italy, sophia loren
An afternoon with Sophia Loren
How's that for a travel headline? Two weeks ago, attracted by the identity of the ship's "godmother," I accepted a junket to attend the christening of a new 3,000-passenger liner in Civitavecchia, the port of Rome, Italy. Rushing to Kennedy Airport from my Sunday afternoon radio program, I boarded an overnight flight to Rome, grabbed a bus to the Italian coast on arrival, boarded the giant vessel, took a fast shower, and staggered to a front seat at a 4pm press conference, where I sat four feet away from a national treasure of the Italian nation. The sacrifices I make for Frommers.com!
Sophia Loren makes an extraordinary impression. She is much taller than I would have thought, an imposing public celebrity totally at ease in the most hectic setting imaginable. In addition to about 30 journalists from all over the world, she was surrounded (and yet seemed totally non-plussed) by at least 30 frantic paparazzi taking flash bulb shots without a second's let-up, throughout the entire hour-long conference.
Two or three other persons and I were the only travel writers there, the remainder being celebrity journalists and movie magazine types who asked the most inane questions you can possibly imagine, like: "Ms. Loren, will you ever do a film in Buenos Aires?" (This question from an Argentine journalist.) To which she would answer in fluent English: "I have a high regard for the film industry of Argentina." "Ms. Loren: Do you ever plan to make a film in Oslo?" (This, of course, from an Oslo newspaperman.) Answer: "I have the highest regard for the film industry of Norway." And then, from a journalist of Mexico City putting his question in super-fast Spanish, does she ever plan to make a Mexican film? And she, with no need for a translation, answered in Italian this time about how much she admired Mexico, and yes she would love to do a film there.
In the course of the press conference, this celebrated actress with the body of a twenty-year-old pointed out that she was 72 years of age, and that she had made over 100 films, starting with one when she was 15. And when someone asked whether there was a current love in her life, she answered that it was the first of her grandchildren, a little girl one year of age, with more on the way.
I plan to remain in the travel field, resisting any further temptation to write about the movies.
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Sophia Loren makes an extraordinary impression. She is much taller than I would have thought, an imposing public celebrity totally at ease in the most hectic setting imaginable. In addition to about 30 journalists from all over the world, she was surrounded (and yet seemed totally non-plussed) by at least 30 frantic paparazzi taking flash bulb shots without a second's let-up, throughout the entire hour-long conference.
Two or three other persons and I were the only travel writers there, the remainder being celebrity journalists and movie magazine types who asked the most inane questions you can possibly imagine, like: "Ms. Loren, will you ever do a film in Buenos Aires?" (This question from an Argentine journalist.) To which she would answer in fluent English: "I have a high regard for the film industry of Argentina." "Ms. Loren: Do you ever plan to make a film in Oslo?" (This, of course, from an Oslo newspaperman.) Answer: "I have the highest regard for the film industry of Norway." And then, from a journalist of Mexico City putting his question in super-fast Spanish, does she ever plan to make a Mexican film? And she, with no need for a translation, answered in Italian this time about how much she admired Mexico, and yes she would love to do a film there.
In the course of the press conference, this celebrated actress with the body of a twenty-year-old pointed out that she was 72 years of age, and that she had made over 100 films, starting with one when she was 15. And when someone asked whether there was a current love in her life, she answered that it was the first of her grandchildren, a little girl one year of age, with more on the way.
I plan to remain in the travel field, resisting any further temptation to write about the movies.
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Labels: cruise, italy, sophia loren
Jun 18, 2007
There's wisdom in the most commonplace rules of travel
Sometimes, the rules for saving money when you travel are so obvious, so simple-minded, that I feel embarrassed to cite them. And yet some of us constantly overlook the obvious -- like shopping for your needs in the non-touristic areas of the towns you are visiting. Different sections charge different prices. In cities heavily visited by tourists, it's smart to shop for travel items like postcards, film and batteries in areas that aren't frequented by tourists -- you'll save up to 50%. And sometimes, the cheaper shops are found simply two blocks away from the main "tourist strip." And breakfast bought in a café located far from the tourist throngs will often cost a third of what it does in such tourist areas as Times Square in New York. And when you travel abroad this summer, keep in mind that it is almost never necessary to buy an escorted tour to such monumental sights as the Palace of Versailles, Windsor Castle, or Hadrian's Villa. Almost every major attraction near large cities can be reached by public transportation at a fraction of the cost of a commercial tour, and all you have to do is inquire. Want to visit Versailles? Take a suburban train for about $6 round-trip. When an institution is so important that it must be accessible to residents as well as tourists, public transportation there is almost always available.
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Labels: tips
It's easy to add Dublin to a London trip
Though an increasing number of people are simply flying to Dublin (from London) on the ultra-cheap airline known as Ryanair (you'll need to book your seat on the Internet, via www.ryanair.com), many more simply continue to take a ferry from Holyhead in Northwest Wales (which you reach by train from London) to an Irish port called Dun Laoghaire (pronounced "dunn leer-y"), a 15-minute commuter train ride from Dublin. The four-hour crossing costs exactly £20 ($40). In the other direction I once boarded the ferry at Dun Laoghaire at breakfast time and made it to London by dinner.
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A lot of savvy English-speaking travelers book their cut-rate hotel rooms through Wotif
It's not nearly as well-known here as it is in Australia, but smart travelers are making increasing use of an Australian-owned website called Wotif (www.wotif.com). Although it deals with hotels all over the world, its chief strength is in enabling its users to obtain spectacular, last-minute bargains at a large number of hotels in English-speaking locations: England especially, but also Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong. If you'll access Wotif and then click on England, and then London, you'll find bargains for the immediate days ahead reducing rates by as much as 60% at a wide range of distinguished hotels, including budget properties. One recent offer was for a £40 double room with two continental breakfasts at a Comfort Inn normally charging £100, or about $200. Don't be discouraged by the high rates at deluxe hotels; scroll down below the first class levels, and you'll find encouraging deals.
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Staying in a strange city, don’t overlook the free or nominally-priced services of the public library
Among the services presently offered by almost all public libraries are not simply Internet access and use of computers, but faxing and photocopying of the sort for which you'd pay big amounts to a Kinko's or a hotel's business center. You should keep that in mind when you travel. Internet and computer use are usually free at a public library, and laser copies can cost as little as 10 cents and photocopies only five cents. And thus, the institution that plays such a big part in the lives of many of us, is handier still when you find yourself in another U.S. or foreign city.
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Labels: budget
Fifty years ago, 
Arthur Frommer is generally acknowledged to be the nation's foremost travel authority. He is the founder of the