Jul 20, 2007
Our Toonerville Trollies versus their 250-mile-an-hour trains
The French train de grande vitesse ("train of great speed") is about to begin daily operations between Paris and Strasbourg on the easternmost border of France, eliminating the need to take polluting airplane flights from Paris to the northern parts of Germany. You may recall that in a test run, this train achieved a speed of 357 miles an hour on the new track leading from Paris to Strasbourg. Although actual operations won't be conducted at that speed, a velocity of about 250 miles an hour is expected.
In the meantime, the Chinese have just announced that they are currently operating 86 "bullet trains" that travel at a rate of more than 125 miles an hour, cutting most travel times in half. And all the while, our own powers-that-be condemn us to the use of "Toonerville Trollies" that barely function on the tracks set aside for Amtrak.
The Chinese have recently spent more than four billion dollars on high speed trains. We allocate less than one billion a year to the operation of the entire Amtrak system. Let us all dedicate ourselves to the fight to upgrade Amtrak, and to the defeat of those politicians whose allegiance to the oil and automotive industries is more important to them than sensible, environmental forms of land transportation in the United States.
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In the meantime, the Chinese have just announced that they are currently operating 86 "bullet trains" that travel at a rate of more than 125 miles an hour, cutting most travel times in half. And all the while, our own powers-that-be condemn us to the use of "Toonerville Trollies" that barely function on the tracks set aside for Amtrak.
The Chinese have recently spent more than four billion dollars on high speed trains. We allocate less than one billion a year to the operation of the entire Amtrak system. Let us all dedicate ourselves to the fight to upgrade Amtrak, and to the defeat of those politicians whose allegiance to the oil and automotive industries is more important to them than sensible, environmental forms of land transportation in the United States.
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Labels: trains
All of America seems eager to outwit the car rental companies
With the cost of car rentals soaring in many parts of the country, a number of Frommers.com fans have taken to recommending various stratagems and tactics for checking the rise. Every week I receive recommendations ranging from the hare-brained to the highly impressive as to how we can all outmaneuver Messrs. Hertz, Avis, National and Budget.
The largest number of tips advocate that you always rent the smallest available compact car. Since these are in limited quantity at the various outlets, the chances are good, the tipsters claim, that the compact category will be sold out at the moment of your arrival and you’ll be upgraded without extra charge to a larger car. Though you won't save any money, you’ll at least get more value for money spent.
A variant on the compact-car ploy is that you attempt to pick up the ultra-small car you've rented as late in the day as possible. That way, claim my informants, the chances are again enhanced that all the compact cars will have been rented and you'll again be furnished with a larger car for no extra charge.
If you're planning a hotel stay in a city where you'll also need a car, advises one reader, then arrange to pick up the car at your hotel, one day later than the date of your arrival. Upon reaching the city, this person uses the free shuttle bus to go to his hotel, sleeps overnight, and then -- refreshed -- picks up the car at the hotel the next morning. That way he saves a day’s rental.
Don't forget, says another reader, that large car rental companies often place ads in the travel sections of major newspapers, offering special discounted rates to persons who mention a certain combination of letters or numbers at the time of making their reservations. If you can’t find them in your local paper, go online to a website like Fat Wallet (www.fatwallet.com) where people share coupon codes. Additionally, the "majors" place ads in the AARP magazine or in publications associated with AAA. Most AAA offices even have car rental discount coupons available to anyone who walks in. Don't overlook coupons or the newspapers to save on car rentals, he concludes.
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The largest number of tips advocate that you always rent the smallest available compact car. Since these are in limited quantity at the various outlets, the chances are good, the tipsters claim, that the compact category will be sold out at the moment of your arrival and you’ll be upgraded without extra charge to a larger car. Though you won't save any money, you’ll at least get more value for money spent.
A variant on the compact-car ploy is that you attempt to pick up the ultra-small car you've rented as late in the day as possible. That way, claim my informants, the chances are again enhanced that all the compact cars will have been rented and you'll again be furnished with a larger car for no extra charge.
If you're planning a hotel stay in a city where you'll also need a car, advises one reader, then arrange to pick up the car at your hotel, one day later than the date of your arrival. Upon reaching the city, this person uses the free shuttle bus to go to his hotel, sleeps overnight, and then -- refreshed -- picks up the car at the hotel the next morning. That way he saves a day’s rental.
Don't forget, says another reader, that large car rental companies often place ads in the travel sections of major newspapers, offering special discounted rates to persons who mention a certain combination of letters or numbers at the time of making their reservations. If you can’t find them in your local paper, go online to a website like Fat Wallet (www.fatwallet.com) where people share coupon codes. Additionally, the "majors" place ads in the AARP magazine or in publications associated with AAA. Most AAA offices even have car rental discount coupons available to anyone who walks in. Don't overlook coupons or the newspapers to save on car rentals, he concludes.
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Labels: car rental, tips from readers
In travel, all things come to those who ask: a word about "bargaining" (first of a two-part series)
It actually happened: the newlywed daughter of a friend of mine phoned home to report a tiff with her husband; could she come home right away (for a day or two)? But the cost of an immediate ticket from her West Coast city would have been a prohibitive $800. So my friend phoned one of the hungrier, less popular airlines, asked to speak with a supervisor, and explained the problem. "We'll call it a 'family crisis fare'," responded the airline official, who then authorized a waiver of the airline's normal advance purchase rule. And my friend's tearful daughter flew home to mommy and daddy for only $400, round-trip.
"Ask and it shall be given," says the Bible, and nowhere does that admonition work more effectively than in travel. Many thousands of Americans (but still a minority of them) receive substantial travel discounts each year by simply requesting them -- from an airline, shipline, or hotel. We realists call the practice "bargaining." Others, more dignified, refer to it as smart consumerism.
To a large number of Americans, bargaining itself -- let alone bargaining over travel arrangements -- is unthinkable, humiliating, something done only in Persian bazaars. No other nationality of traveler regards it as such. You have only to stand in the lobby of a large Venetian hotel during off-season, and you will observe one European after another engaged in bargaining. "We are looking for a room that costs no more than 80 € ($108)," says a very proper Englishman to the front desk clerk. In fact, that tourist knows that there is no such thing as an 80 € room in that hotel; he is bargaining. He is saying, in effect, "We will stay in your hotel if you reduce your rate to 80 €; otherwise, we will walk down the block to another hotel."
In other words, you can bargain with dignity; you do not have to act like the proverbial "screaming fishmonger," or as in a tobacco auction. Often, the smartest of travelers will simply call a hotel and bargain over rates by asking if the hotel has a "teacher's rate," a "student rate," a "minister's rate," a "civil service" rate, a "military rate," a "corporate rate," a "travel agent's rate," an "airline employee's rate," whatever.
In actual fact, it does not matter what category you name, and the hotel itself couldn't care less; you could ask for a "housewive's rate," a "dentists' rate," and still get a discount if the hotel had big vacancies that night. What you are doing is bargaining. You are telling the hotel, politely, that you know it is a slow night, that they have plenty of space, and here's their chance to fill an otherwise-empty room by cutting the price to you; otherwise, you will walk down the block.
Monday: more about effective bargaining.
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"Ask and it shall be given," says the Bible, and nowhere does that admonition work more effectively than in travel. Many thousands of Americans (but still a minority of them) receive substantial travel discounts each year by simply requesting them -- from an airline, shipline, or hotel. We realists call the practice "bargaining." Others, more dignified, refer to it as smart consumerism.
To a large number of Americans, bargaining itself -- let alone bargaining over travel arrangements -- is unthinkable, humiliating, something done only in Persian bazaars. No other nationality of traveler regards it as such. You have only to stand in the lobby of a large Venetian hotel during off-season, and you will observe one European after another engaged in bargaining. "We are looking for a room that costs no more than 80 € ($108)," says a very proper Englishman to the front desk clerk. In fact, that tourist knows that there is no such thing as an 80 € room in that hotel; he is bargaining. He is saying, in effect, "We will stay in your hotel if you reduce your rate to 80 €; otherwise, we will walk down the block to another hotel."
In other words, you can bargain with dignity; you do not have to act like the proverbial "screaming fishmonger," or as in a tobacco auction. Often, the smartest of travelers will simply call a hotel and bargain over rates by asking if the hotel has a "teacher's rate," a "student rate," a "minister's rate," a "civil service" rate, a "military rate," a "corporate rate," a "travel agent's rate," an "airline employee's rate," whatever.
In actual fact, it does not matter what category you name, and the hotel itself couldn't care less; you could ask for a "housewive's rate," a "dentists' rate," and still get a discount if the hotel had big vacancies that night. What you are doing is bargaining. You are telling the hotel, politely, that you know it is a slow night, that they have plenty of space, and here's their chance to fill an otherwise-empty room by cutting the price to you; otherwise, you will walk down the block.
Monday: more about effective bargaining.
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We're alerting you to the low-cost U.S.-to-Brussels flights of India's Jet Airways
In the wake of recent aviation treaties, the North Atlantic is about to erupt with new low-cost airlines. The first to fly was the Canadian-owned Zoom Airlines between JFK and London Gatwick (for a stunning $199 each way, high season). The next to go (starting August 5) will be the India-owned Jet Airways flying round-trip between Newark and Brussels (on its way to Mumbai), charging yet-to-be-announced fares. You can bet that in its early weeks, Jet Airways will be offering spectacular rates to fill its seats to Brussels and back -- and avid bargain-seekers will want to start calling its number (tel. 877/835-9538) or accessing its website, www.jetairways.com, or calling such airfare discounters as 1-800/flyeurope which will undoubtedly be featuring its rock-bottom fares.Jet Airways is a large and profitable, privately-owned carrier of India, operating 340 flights a day to dozens of domestic (inside India) and international destinations. And where did I learn about its plans to connect Newark with Brussels? I attended a reception at the Belgian Consulate in New York, where insiders were breathlessly disclosing the news. Keep in mind that Brussels is happy to receive U.S. passengers, and does not slap ruinous fees and charges on departing passengers, like the surcharges of $200-or-so you now need to pay to depart from any of the London airports to the U.S.
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Jul 19, 2007
Though Costa Rica leads in tourism to Central America, Belize and Nicaragua are active, too
A couple of quick comments about two increasingly-popular Central American destinations.Nicaragua (tel. 888/733-6422; www.visit-nicaragua.com) is Central America's lartgest nation and birthplace of its greatest literary figure, Ruben Dario. It has also just elected former-Sandinista leader Daniel Ortega as its president (but he's been much more conciliatory about tourism and foreign investment in recent years, and the country's growth seems unlikely to slacken). Many thousands of Americans are currently moving here to retire or simply get another start, amid beautiful and less expensive surroundings. Cities such as Granada (on Lake Nicaragua) and Leon (a dozen miles from the Pacific coast) are among Central America's loveliest Spanish colonial towns; San Juan del Sur on the Pacific has quite the surfing scene; and Nicaragua's Corn Islands (Islas del Maiz) still boast a barefoot, castaway vibe. The country's most popular eco-resort? That's the five-year-old Morgan's Rock (tel. 011-506-232-6449; www.morgansrock.com), charging from $170 per person per day including all three meals.
Belize (tel. 800/624-0686; www.travelbelize.org) is the region's only English-speaking country. Its earliest attractions were the beaches of some 50-or-so offshore islands (such as Ambergris Caye or Caye Caulker) and the barefoot charms of coastal Placencia. It is increasingly renowned for its awesome diving (especially at the legendary "Blue Hole," 60 miles east of Belize City and visited daily by dive boats) and for such Mayan sites as Altun Ha. And most recently, Belize has become popular for second homes and time shares. Although developers have rushed to erect new high-end resorts like Placencia's $300-a-night Chabil Mar (tel. 800/819-9088; www.chabilmarvillas.com), the tourist board continues to stress such budget-worthy attractions as the Toucan Train (www.toucantrail.com) dotted by more than 160 lodgings costing $60 a night and less.
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Labels: belize, central america, nicaragua
Take a look at HostelBookers for an important new source of cheap digs
If you're young in years or spirit, you really should witness the advance that's occurred in making reservations for ultra-cheap hostels around the world. A British-managed website called HostelBookers (www.hostelbookers.com) is a revelation, a collection of more hostels (40 or so in New York City alone) in more cities than you would ever have thought possible, with excellent write-ups of each and an efficient method for making reservations at them. HostelBookers not only lists the "official" hostels belonging to Hostelling International but the many recent hostels that simply consist of modest hotels converting double rooms into low-cost dorms and thereafter calling themselves "hostels."
Their rates in even the most expensive cities average about $25 a night, and thus permit unpretentious travelers to cut their costs for lodgings below the price of even private homestays. And the extra reward of staying in a hostel (there's no maximum age limit for doing so) is the camaraderie of other dynamic travelers and the easy access to information on interesting, low-cost activities in the cities you're visiting.
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Their rates in even the most expensive cities average about $25 a night, and thus permit unpretentious travelers to cut their costs for lodgings below the price of even private homestays. And the extra reward of staying in a hostel (there's no maximum age limit for doing so) is the camaraderie of other dynamic travelers and the easy access to information on interesting, low-cost activities in the cities you're visiting.
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Labels: accommodations, hostels
Flash! Virgin America has just announced its flights and fares -- and they're phenomenal
In news that's less than three hours old, America's latest cut-rate carrier -- the much-awaited Virgin America -- has just announced the start-up of its trans-continental air service between New York and San Francisco starting August 9, and between Los Angeles and New York starting August 29. And the economy class rate for those flights will be just $139 each way. That sale price will be offered for all bookings made from now through August 8, for all flights up until November 14.Virgin America is a thinly disguised subsidiary, in effect, of Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic. For legal reasons, Branson has had to downplay his association with the line--but everyone knows who's behind it. His $139 opening salvo is typical of the showmanship that Branson has brought to every one of his ventures.
I'm proud that this blog is able to bring you the news ahead of most other media, thus permitting our readers to book their flights before many of them sell out -- as they most assuredly will. You go to www.virginamerica.com or else you phone tel. 877/FLYVIRGIN between the hours of 5am and 9pm Pacific Time.
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Labels: airlines
On a luxurious cruiseship, how does $39 a day per person strike you?
It's not even arguable. The top travel bargains, without any dispute, are late-autumn sailings of cruiseships in the Caribbean. The concern about hurricanes has so badly affected October-through-mid-December sailings in that tropical world that some cruiselines have begun virtually giving away their cabins at that time. And this has happened despite the almost universal agreement that the hurricane threat has largely disappeared by early November.In a seven-night sailing leaving as late as December 16 from Fort Lauderdale (spending a day at sea, then going to San Juan, St. Thomas, Dominican Republic, another day at sea, Nassau, and return to Fort Lauderdale), the Costa Fortuna of Costa Cruises will have inside cabins selling for $279 per person (that's $39.85 a day) in double occupancy inside cabins. That price is available from White Travel Service, (tel. 800/547-4790; www.cruisewizard.com). For the same itinerary leaving on December 2, the price is a remarkable $339 per person in double-occupancy inside cabins (or $48.42 per person per day).
A day earlier, on December 15 departing from Fort Lauderdale, the Costa Mediterranea will allow the same discounter (White Travel) to sell its inside, double-occupancy cabins for $329 per person -- which comes to $48 a day per person. That cruise will leave Fort Lauderdale to spend a day at sea before stopping for a day apiece in Cozumel (Mexico), Grand Cayman, Ocho Rios (Jamaica), and the Turks & Caicos, then another day at sea, then return to Fort Lauderdale. Outside cabins will be sold for as little as $419 a day ($60 a day per person).
You'll of course need to pay additional port charges and government taxes on the above sums, which remain stupendous bargains despite that.
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Jul 18, 2007
Our national parks are under attack
At the famous thermal hot springs known as the Morning Glory Pool, in Yellowstone National Park, which I visited last year, the color of the liquid periodically turns from turquoise to dull green because of the coins, stones and other debris that heedless visitors throw into the pool. According to National Geographic magazine, which described that deterioration in its October 2006 issue, staffing of the great national park is insufficient to perform thermal cleaning. Volunteers have to be sought for the job, and in all the great park, only two geologists are on staff.
Elsewhere in other parks, roads, bridges and historic buildings are in obvious need of repair, and are visibly deteriorating. The conditions in which park rangers and other employees are required to live can be sub-human.
According to Preservation magazine for March/April of 2004, only a paltry fraction of the funds needed to eliminate a maintenance backlog in the parks has been appropriated. For fiscal 2007, according to National Geographic, the National Park Service’s budget was cut by 5 percent, with most of the reduction taken from maintenance.
Throughout the National Park Service, experienced rangers and administrators have resigned or retired in protest. Their ire was especially directed at a policy statement issued in 2005 by the Department of Interior’s deputy assistant secretary, opening all national parks to snowmobiling, and permitting personal watercraft and noisy helicopters to roam unimpeded over such national jewels as Great Smoky Mountains or Glacier national parks.
Elsewhere, according to Preservation magazine, political appointees have launched a major campaign to "privatize" numerous staffing functions of the parks, replacing longtime park employees with lower-paid contract labor from the private sector.
I can’t myself claim to possess a deep background in the needs and operations of the national parks; in recently expressing my horror at present developments, I spoke as a simple layman. But when publications as prestigious as National Geographic and Preservation (the magazine of the National Trust for Historical Preservation) devote lengthy, well-researched articles by major figures to describing this wholesale assault on a national treasure, attention should be paid. I urge you to seek out copies of the articles in question, all of which should be available in public libraries, and to ponder the message they present.
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Elsewhere in other parks, roads, bridges and historic buildings are in obvious need of repair, and are visibly deteriorating. The conditions in which park rangers and other employees are required to live can be sub-human.
According to Preservation magazine for March/April of 2004, only a paltry fraction of the funds needed to eliminate a maintenance backlog in the parks has been appropriated. For fiscal 2007, according to National Geographic, the National Park Service’s budget was cut by 5 percent, with most of the reduction taken from maintenance.
Throughout the National Park Service, experienced rangers and administrators have resigned or retired in protest. Their ire was especially directed at a policy statement issued in 2005 by the Department of Interior’s deputy assistant secretary, opening all national parks to snowmobiling, and permitting personal watercraft and noisy helicopters to roam unimpeded over such national jewels as Great Smoky Mountains or Glacier national parks.
Elsewhere, according to Preservation magazine, political appointees have launched a major campaign to "privatize" numerous staffing functions of the parks, replacing longtime park employees with lower-paid contract labor from the private sector.
I can’t myself claim to possess a deep background in the needs and operations of the national parks; in recently expressing my horror at present developments, I spoke as a simple layman. But when publications as prestigious as National Geographic and Preservation (the magazine of the National Trust for Historical Preservation) devote lengthy, well-researched articles by major figures to describing this wholesale assault on a national treasure, attention should be paid. I urge you to seek out copies of the articles in question, all of which should be available in public libraries, and to ponder the message they present.
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Labels: parks
Travelers to Italy should be aware of the Florence International Theater Company
Important historic cities aren't noted for their nightlife. And the multitudes of young travelers descending on such places as Florence, Italy, usually congregate in bars at night for want of anywhere else to go. The result is public drunkeness, litter, noise that keeps whole neighborhoods awake, and an increasing demand by residents of Florence, Rome, Prague, and the like, to crack down on the boorish behavior of young tourists.Which is why it's important to alert your Italy-bound friends or relatives about the Florence International Theater Company that presents provocative new plays, in English, on most of the nights in high season. At www.florencetheatre.com/en, you'll see a listing of productions planned for the remainder of 2007 (Harold Pinter's Betrayal, Sam Shepherd's True West, Yasmina Reza's Art, Memories of the [Florence] Flood, Sewers of L/vov, Agnes of God) and much other useful information for enjoying both a rewarding and entertaining evening during a stay in the heavily-visited Florence.
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Is the rental of cars similar to the purchase of airline seats? Do you do just as well to rent from the low-cost car rental companies?
A large percentage of the American public now regard the airplane seat as a rather standard commodity; they don't find a dime's worth of difference between flying on a high-priced standard airline as opposed to a cut-rate upstart airline. And because of that realization, the low-cost airlines are now the choice of a growing percentage of all air travelers.
How about car rentals? Do you receive the same service and well-maintained cars when you rent from a low-cost, little-advertised car rental company?
Both Hertz and Avis are now engaged in a major effort to establish that when you rent from them, rather than from what they call a low-cost "bottom-feeder" auto rental company, you do better. Hertz, in particular, has issued a series of press releases listing the advantages they offer. Apart from claiming that their fleet is turned in for more modern replacements at shorter time intervals than the cheaper firms do, they list several individual advantages:
They claim, first, that each of their outlets is stocked with plentiful children's seats that skilled mechanics are able quickly to install for families requiring such devices for their infants and toddlers. They say they have an unmatched variety of cars at each lot, from which to choose; that the average age of their fleet is only six months; that 24-hour road service is offered to each customer; that drop-off boxes for keys are offered if customers need to return vehicles after hours; and finally that flexible pick-up and drop-off times are offered.
Whether, and to what extent, these services are not offered by the less expensive firms -- the firms castigated as "bottom feeders" by the major, nationally-advertised brands -- is of course the issue. I'd be fascinated to learn whether your own experiences with renting from the big, nationwide firms bear out these purported benefits of dealing with them. Or whether they don't.
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How about car rentals? Do you receive the same service and well-maintained cars when you rent from a low-cost, little-advertised car rental company?
Both Hertz and Avis are now engaged in a major effort to establish that when you rent from them, rather than from what they call a low-cost "bottom-feeder" auto rental company, you do better. Hertz, in particular, has issued a series of press releases listing the advantages they offer. Apart from claiming that their fleet is turned in for more modern replacements at shorter time intervals than the cheaper firms do, they list several individual advantages:
They claim, first, that each of their outlets is stocked with plentiful children's seats that skilled mechanics are able quickly to install for families requiring such devices for their infants and toddlers. They say they have an unmatched variety of cars at each lot, from which to choose; that the average age of their fleet is only six months; that 24-hour road service is offered to each customer; that drop-off boxes for keys are offered if customers need to return vehicles after hours; and finally that flexible pick-up and drop-off times are offered.
Whether, and to what extent, these services are not offered by the less expensive firms -- the firms castigated as "bottom feeders" by the major, nationally-advertised brands -- is of course the issue. I'd be fascinated to learn whether your own experiences with renting from the big, nationwide firms bear out these purported benefits of dealing with them. Or whether they don't.
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Labels: car rental
A cause for rejoicing: three high-brow, small ship cruises in the tradition of Swan Hellenic
Several weeks ago, I wrote about the plan to operate highly-intellectual cruises of the Mediterranean by Martin Randall Travel, the British operator of highly-intellectual land tours. These would fill the yawning gap in cruises caused by the unspeakable decision of Carnival Corporation to put an end to the 50-year-old Swan Hellenic Cruises, the only operator of moderately-priced intellectual cruises. Randall has now chartered the 236-passenger MS Columbus of Hapag-Lloyd Line, and will be operating three two-week-long cruises in September and October of 2008: "In Pursuit of Caravaggio and Magna Graecia," September 21 to October 3, 2008; "The Romans in Africa: Libya and Tunisia," October 3 to October 13, 2008; and "Ancient Greek Civilization in the Aegean," October 13 to October 24, 2008. Each cruise will be accompanied by four celebrated professors of leading U.K. universities, each a specialist in the area of each sailing.Bear in mind, as you read Randall's description of his new program, on the single most erudite travel website ever published (www.martinrandall.com), that each cruise ranges from 10 to 12 days in length, is totally all-inclusive (roundtrip airfare to the Mediterranean from London, all daily, full-day land excursions, wine with meals, soft drinks from the mini-bar, all tips) and ranges in price from £215 ($430) to £230 ($460) per person per day, which compares with the $800 and $900-or-so per person per day that most U.S. university or museum-sponsored cruises charge, accompanied by only a single professor, not four.
In other words, Swan Hellenic re-born! You'll learn more at www.martinrandall.com. And if you'd like to make a "priority booking" now, you can either go to the same website, or phone Martin Randall at tel. +44/20-8742-3355.
As cruiseships have grown larger, the "dumbing down" of their programs has grown more intense. Let's all celebrate the work of Martin Randall Travel.
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Where's the world's best shopping? It's on the enchanting island of Bali
When shop-a-holics ask me to suggest the best possible destination for a holiday devoted almost entirely to shopping (and there are such people), I answer "Bali" without a moment's hesitation. And I give them the following directions:
From the airport of its capital city, Denpasar, take a taxi (less than $20) to the town of Ubud in the central uplands far from the commercial atmosphere of the beach resorts. And once there, seek out low-cost accommodations from the dozens of choices to which a city tourist office on the main street will direct you.
Then, most days, simply negotiate with a taxi driver to bring you back and forth to the various crafts villages -- they specialize in oil paintings, furniture, batik cloth and clothing, wooden sculptures, or stonework -- that surround Ubud. Prices are a fraction of what you'd pay for similar items elsewhere, and what you buy will be reliably and cheaply shipped home to you by the various crafts manufacturers and shops.
As Bali recovers from the tourist drop-off caused by two terrorist attacks on beachfront nightclubs several years ago, prices for every purchase and other element of your stay will be lower-priced then ever before. My own living room is graced by a large and quite stunning Balinese oil painting acquired several years ago for less than $70, including the equally stunning frame.
Bali is one of those places like Yellowstone, like Egypt, like the safari games parks of Kenya, to which every human being at some point in their lives must go.
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From the airport of its capital city, Denpasar, take a taxi (less than $20) to the town of Ubud in the central uplands far from the commercial atmosphere of the beach resorts. And once there, seek out low-cost accommodations from the dozens of choices to which a city tourist office on the main street will direct you.
Then, most days, simply negotiate with a taxi driver to bring you back and forth to the various crafts villages -- they specialize in oil paintings, furniture, batik cloth and clothing, wooden sculptures, or stonework -- that surround Ubud. Prices are a fraction of what you'd pay for similar items elsewhere, and what you buy will be reliably and cheaply shipped home to you by the various crafts manufacturers and shops.
As Bali recovers from the tourist drop-off caused by two terrorist attacks on beachfront nightclubs several years ago, prices for every purchase and other element of your stay will be lower-priced then ever before. My own living room is graced by a large and quite stunning Balinese oil painting acquired several years ago for less than $70, including the equally stunning frame.
Bali is one of those places like Yellowstone, like Egypt, like the safari games parks of Kenya, to which every human being at some point in their lives must go.
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Jul 17, 2007
Hot news from the world of passports
. . . And the news is: that confusion continues to reign triumphant. You'll recall that as of January 1, 2008, we are all supposed to show passports when crossing by land to Canada or Mexico or returning to the U.S. on a cruise. (Air passengers already have to possess passports). We would need such passports to drive over the bridge from Detroit to Windsor, or through the toll-gates between San Diego and Tijuana. When outraged cries greeted the announcement (protests mainly from business people along the Canadian border), and bills were introduced into Congress to put off the date, the Department of Homeland Security leaked various contradictory plans to the press. They have subsequently announced, and clearly, that the requirement for land crossings and cruises will be postponed until June of 2008.
But instead of a passport, you'll need: a) a government-issued photo ID, like a driver's license; and b) a certified copy of your birth certificate. These will suffice for the six months until June of 2008, and then you will -- positively, definitely -- need an actual passport.
There's too much ongoing activity in Congress (speeches declaring outrage over Homeland Security's dithering) to permit a definite statement of what you will need in the months ahead. But two things are clear:
1) If you don't have a certified copy of your birth certificate, get one. It's probable that a birth certificate requirement will be imposed at least on an interim basis.
2) And second, get a passport. Ultimately, we're all going to need one (and self-respecting terrorists will get them, too).
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But instead of a passport, you'll need: a) a government-issued photo ID, like a driver's license; and b) a certified copy of your birth certificate. These will suffice for the six months until June of 2008, and then you will -- positively, definitely -- need an actual passport.
There's too much ongoing activity in Congress (speeches declaring outrage over Homeland Security's dithering) to permit a definite statement of what you will need in the months ahead. But two things are clear:
1) If you don't have a certified copy of your birth certificate, get one. It's probable that a birth certificate requirement will be imposed at least on an interim basis.
2) And second, get a passport. Ultimately, we're all going to need one (and self-respecting terrorists will get them, too).
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Labels: passports
Some rather helpful new travel tips have been suggested by readers
1) Driving through Georgia on your way south to Florida, writes a young man from New England, fill up your gas tank -- to the very brim -- just before you cross the border into Florida (and you'll save big). According to him, Georgia has no gas tax and the prices dramatically increase once you reach Florida.
2) Before traveling by taxi in foreign (or even domestic) locations, writes a woman from Oregon, always ask a local (often stopping in shops to question the sales staff) what the approximate taxi fare would be to a particular location. They have always been pleased to help her pay the correct price, she adds. In this manner, she can be assured of paying the "locals" rate -- instead of inflated tourist rates.
3) You can save a great deal on eating in Spanish- or Portuguese-speaking countries, writes a man from Chicago, by looking for the reduced-price menu del dia at restaurants in Spain, the ementa turistica in Portugal, the prato commercial or prato feido in Brazil, and the comida corriente in Mexico. And limit your big meal of the day, he says, to the comida around 2 or 3pm, followed by a light dinner (cena).
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2) Before traveling by taxi in foreign (or even domestic) locations, writes a woman from Oregon, always ask a local (often stopping in shops to question the sales staff) what the approximate taxi fare would be to a particular location. They have always been pleased to help her pay the correct price, she adds. In this manner, she can be assured of paying the "locals" rate -- instead of inflated tourist rates.
3) You can save a great deal on eating in Spanish- or Portuguese-speaking countries, writes a man from Chicago, by looking for the reduced-price menu del dia at restaurants in Spain, the ementa turistica in Portugal, the prato commercial or prato feido in Brazil, and the comida corriente in Mexico. And limit your big meal of the day, he says, to the comida around 2 or 3pm, followed by a light dinner (cena).
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Labels: tips from readers
At some point in your life, you ought to opt for a serious fitness vacation
Why not devote your next vacation to health? Instead of lazing on a beach or boating on a lake, which do very little for you, why not enroll in a resort that offers an intense, dedicated routine of weight reduction and physical fitness?
The Duke Diet and Fitness Center, in Durham, North Carolina, is the top facility. Its weight-loss results carry on into the later years of close to 60% of the people who attend. That's because it offers no fad diet but a balanced assortment of tasty American foods, the kind you'll be eating when you return home. But by limiting your daily meals to 1,000 calories -- a server on the cafeteria line actually consults a computer print-out of the foods you receive -- and requiring active daily exercise and nutrition instruction, it brings about substantial weight loss. I dropped ten pounds during my first two-week stay, and maintained the weight loss for several years thereafter.
Duke's problem? It charges $2700 a week for the first two weeks (plus the cost of accommodations in various $70-a-night condos and motels located close to the center), although the price comes down so sharply for a third or fourth week that a full, recommended, one-month stay works out to about $1,700 a week. Don't confuse Duke's Diet and Fitness center with the entirely separate "Rice House" for seriously obese people. Phone tel. 800/235-3853, or visit www.dukedietcenter.org.
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The Duke Diet and Fitness Center, in Durham, North Carolina, is the top facility. Its weight-loss results carry on into the later years of close to 60% of the people who attend. That's because it offers no fad diet but a balanced assortment of tasty American foods, the kind you'll be eating when you return home. But by limiting your daily meals to 1,000 calories -- a server on the cafeteria line actually consults a computer print-out of the foods you receive -- and requiring active daily exercise and nutrition instruction, it brings about substantial weight loss. I dropped ten pounds during my first two-week stay, and maintained the weight loss for several years thereafter.
Duke's problem? It charges $2700 a week for the first two weeks (plus the cost of accommodations in various $70-a-night condos and motels located close to the center), although the price comes down so sharply for a third or fourth week that a full, recommended, one-month stay works out to about $1,700 a week. Don't confuse Duke's Diet and Fitness center with the entirely separate "Rice House" for seriously obese people. Phone tel. 800/235-3853, or visit www.dukedietcenter.org.
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Labels: american south, health
In autumn, $889 will send you for a memorable week to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
The samba nightclubs of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, stay open all year, as do the great churrascaria restaurants serving a dozen different cuts of meat in a single meal. And usually, the weather in Rio stays mild and pleasant throughout the autumn months. You can go there, and stay for a week, for $889, by booking a package that involves a daytime flight to Rio from Miami, round-trip airport-to-hotel transfers, and five night of accommodations with breakfast daily at the Savoy Othon Hotel near Copacabana, the world's most famous beach. I can't think of a more refreshing change of pace in your life, and you might want to review the details at the website of EEI Travel (tel. 800/927-3876; www.eeitravel.com). At some point in your life, you've got to experience Rio de Janeiro -- it's that special. Add-on for flights from JFK New York: $180.Write and read comments about this post.
Labels: rio, south america
The unexpected association between Zoom Airlines and JetBlue
Unnoticed in all the publicity about the start-up of Zoom Airlines (www.flyzoom.com), the new cut-rate carrier flying between New York's JFK and London Gatwick, is the fact that Zoom uses the JetBlue terminal at JFK Airport. Since Zoom has no baggage-transfer or interlining arrangements with any other airline, it can most conveniently be used by passengers flying into New York on JetBlue. They can pick up their luggage in one section of the terminal and quickly check it aboard their trans-Atlantic flight in another.
Now that the introductory gimmick of $99 for a one-way trans-Atlantic crossing has been terminated, Zoom's high-season fares are $199 each way, including fuel surcharge. And you can get that fare even if you're flying only one-way, which is the pattern of people coming back by sea on the QM2 or QE2, or on a re-positioning cruise. Hopefully, Zoom will be the first of a number of cut-rate carriers flying the Atlantic, and we'll keep you advised as the announcements are made.
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Now that the introductory gimmick of $99 for a one-way trans-Atlantic crossing has been terminated, Zoom's high-season fares are $199 each way, including fuel surcharge. And you can get that fare even if you're flying only one-way, which is the pattern of people coming back by sea on the QM2 or QE2, or on a re-positioning cruise. Hopefully, Zoom will be the first of a number of cut-rate carriers flying the Atlantic, and we'll keep you advised as the announcements are made.
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Labels: airlines
Jul 16, 2007
Don't fall for one those phony travel agency ID cards
Tricksters all over the nation make a good living by selling phony ID cards identifying the bearer as a travel agent. With one, goes the claim, you'll be able to obtain discounts on car rentals, hotels, and tours. Don't you believe it. Increasingly, travel suppliers are requiring that an alleged travel agent display an IATAN card with picture ID, issued by the international association of airlines. To get one, you must go through an elaborate procedure proving 1) that you earn at least $5,000 a year selling travel, 2) that you spend at least 20 hours a week selling travel, and 3) that you are affiliated with an authorized travel agency belonging to various industry associations. And beyond that requirement, you must pay $30 a year.
Virtually all auto rental agencies, cruiselines, airlines, or hotels, will now require that you flash an IATAN card when requesting a discount. They will give no credence to any other form of identification (although a few gullible souls will recognize the CLIA card issued by the Cruise Line International Association).
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Virtually all auto rental agencies, cruiselines, airlines, or hotels, will now require that you flash an IATAN card when requesting a discount. They will give no credence to any other form of identification (although a few gullible souls will recognize the CLIA card issued by the Cruise Line International Association).
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Next time you're determined to find the lowest possible airfare, use an "aggregator"
Aggregators are like Google -- they search everything in sight and do so impartially, without regard to profit or reward. When you use an aggregator (I'll name several prominent ones below) to find an airfare for your next trip, they search not only the big airlines but the little ones, not just the established airlines but the upstarts, too, not just the airlines but the consolidators (discounters) of travel. They peer not only at the American booking engines (Orbitz, Travelocity, Expedia) but the British (www.ebookers.com, for example) and French varieties (like www.anyway.com), not just the European sources of fares but those in Asia. It may come as a surprise that none of the famous U.S. booking engines -- Orbitz, Travelocity, Expedia -- is nearly as comprehensive in the searching they do for you. None of them lists fares of all the cost-cutting, upstart airlines, and some list only a few. None of them reaches out overseas to pick up the special deals enjoyed, on occasion, by the foreign booking engines. None, as far as I know, goes to the companies that operate only as "consolidators" (taking risk positions on blocs of seats and thus enjoying lower fares).
The reason an "aggregator" can go to so many additional sources of fares is rooted in their cost structure. Instead of asking a hefty commission on the fares they reveal, they charge "per click" -- that is, they ask only a modest referral fee, as little as $2 a booking, from the airlines or other booking engines to which they send business. Some of these cost-cutting upstart airlines or other booking engines will not pay a large amount for the business directed to them, and are thus not included in the searches performed by the big, well-known companies.
Some typical aggregators? Try www.kayak.com, www.sidestep.com, www.farechase.com, www.cheapflights.com, then www.mobissimo.com (the latter for international flights primarily). The big one is Kayak; among the ten largest airfare search engines recently ranked by the prestigious trade newspaper Travel Weekly, Kayak was number seven in popularity.
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Labels: websites
Honduras is hot (but not yet inundated with tourists)
Honduras (Tourism Board tel. 800/410-9608; www.letsgohonduras.com) is a newcomer to mass tourism and thus lacks the megaresorts that are beginning to sprout elsewhere in the region. And yet an increasing number of culturally sensitive, scuba-loving Americans are flocking to its ancient ruins of Copán ("Athens of the Mayan World") and inexpensive diving facilities on the offshore island of Roatan and other nearby meccas ("the Bay islands") of the underwater world. Roatan is undergoing special development and expanding its appeal beyond divers to honeymooners and sun-worshipers by throwing up mid-size condos and small boutique properties like Turquoise Bay (tel. 786/623-6121; www.turquoisebayresort.com), where doubles rent from $100. Near Copan, a new airport is about to make the stunning ruins and lovely colonial town more accessible, and sustainable-development plans for eco-sensitive resorts are underway for the Caribbean coast, with its fascinating Garifuna (Afro-Caribbean) communities. Write and read comments about this post.
Labels: central america, honduras
With fall foliage season only ten weeks away, it's important to make your reservations now
A drive through the countryside of New England to see the fall foliage is such a casual activity, that people almost always fail to make hotel reservations in advance and find themselves in places where there isn't a vacant room for 50 miles. If you have the slightest intention of viewing this year's foliage, you should go immediately to a website called www.bedandbreakfast.com which lists scores of B&Bs in New England, and pick an area where you can do something other than drive. I like Stowe, Vermont, where you can visit the Von Trapp Family Lodge, or go to Ben & Jerrys Ice Cream Factory, or hike Mount Mansfield, or visit the remarkable Shelburne Museum in Burlington. When it comes to fall foliage, Vermont is my own choice. Write and read comments about this post.
Labels: new england
Fifty years ago, 
Arthur Frommer is generally acknowledged to be the nation's foremost travel authority. He is the founder of the