Aug 24, 2007
Three more rules for traveling better, regardless of the price level you seek
From a life in travel, I've been collecting rules for doing it better. Yesterday, we listed the first three, and here are three more:
4) I take one meal a day "picnic style". As I grew older, it suddenly dawned on me that no mature stomach can tolerate an endless regimen of overly-rich, overly-sauced meals. I now make one meal a day out of the simple, cold ingredients purchased in a foreign grocery or delicatessen. In this manner, I not only eat sensibly, healthily and cheaply -- but better, enjoying the local specialties in cold food that every country offers.
5) I bargain over the price of my accommodations. In my earlier years, I regarded the act of bargaining as beneath youthful dignity. By acting like a smart traveler determined not to waste money, I now take advantage of the perishable nature of hotel rooms. Because such lodgings are a complete loss to their owners if unsold for a particular date, such people -- I've found -- often react favorably to a request for a discount if that's what's needed to rent the room.
6) I equip myself with the names and addresses of competent, English-speaking physicians. No longer the eternal optimist about health and illness, I travel ready for the possibility of becoming ill in a foreign land. If I am unable in advance to obtain the names of reliable physicians at my destination, I obtain the list of those important doctors maintained by the International Association of Medical Assistance to Travelers (www.iamat.org).
Monday: three more rules for traveling better.
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4) I take one meal a day "picnic style". As I grew older, it suddenly dawned on me that no mature stomach can tolerate an endless regimen of overly-rich, overly-sauced meals. I now make one meal a day out of the simple, cold ingredients purchased in a foreign grocery or delicatessen. In this manner, I not only eat sensibly, healthily and cheaply -- but better, enjoying the local specialties in cold food that every country offers.
5) I bargain over the price of my accommodations. In my earlier years, I regarded the act of bargaining as beneath youthful dignity. By acting like a smart traveler determined not to waste money, I now take advantage of the perishable nature of hotel rooms. Because such lodgings are a complete loss to their owners if unsold for a particular date, such people -- I've found -- often react favorably to a request for a discount if that's what's needed to rent the room.
6) I equip myself with the names and addresses of competent, English-speaking physicians. No longer the eternal optimist about health and illness, I travel ready for the possibility of becoming ill in a foreign land. If I am unable in advance to obtain the names of reliable physicians at my destination, I obtain the list of those important doctors maintained by the International Association of Medical Assistance to Travelers (www.iamat.org).
Monday: three more rules for traveling better.
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Labels: tips
The "apartment hotels" of Tokyo enable you to live in the Japanese capital at moderate cost
Lots of would-be travelers to Tokyo have heard of the "capsule hotels" charging $40 a night, but aren't willing to encapsulate themselves; they've heard of ryokan (Japanese inns) but aren't willing to sleep on the floor.
The remaining budget option is the "apartment hotel" designed for low-spending business travelers. These are often stocked with a mini-kitchen (cooking for yourself enables you to save a great deal of money in an expensive town like Tokyo) and, usually, a washer-dryer. Maid service is slight (towels are changed and garbage is dumped daily, but thorough cleanings come weekly), which is why the rates are so affordable.
Many of these outfits court long-term business guests and have minimum stays of a month, which makes them useless to tourists, but a few welcome visitors of shorter stays. The best option, because guests may stay for as little as a single night, is Tokyu Stay (www.tokyustay.co.jp), with 11 locations sprinkled in busy neighborhoods close to the center of town (including two in neon-splashed Shibuya). Tokyu Stay charges prices starting at $79 per night for one and $123 for two. Internet access is free, and all rooms, which are snug but satisfactory, also have TV and a DVD player. Furniture is basic, but ample, and almost all rooms even have a balcony.
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The remaining budget option is the "apartment hotel" designed for low-spending business travelers. These are often stocked with a mini-kitchen (cooking for yourself enables you to save a great deal of money in an expensive town like Tokyo) and, usually, a washer-dryer. Maid service is slight (towels are changed and garbage is dumped daily, but thorough cleanings come weekly), which is why the rates are so affordable.
Many of these outfits court long-term business guests and have minimum stays of a month, which makes them useless to tourists, but a few welcome visitors of shorter stays. The best option, because guests may stay for as little as a single night, is Tokyu Stay (www.tokyustay.co.jp), with 11 locations sprinkled in busy neighborhoods close to the center of town (including two in neon-splashed Shibuya). Tokyu Stay charges prices starting at $79 per night for one and $123 for two. Internet access is free, and all rooms, which are snug but satisfactory, also have TV and a DVD player. Furniture is basic, but ample, and almost all rooms even have a balcony.
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Labels: accommodations, tokyo
In a major surprise, weeklong vacations are available this autumn to the oh-so-British island of Barbados, including airfare for $399
The next three months will see a unique opportunity to vacation on the island of Barbados for a fraction of the normal cost. Because of its distance from the U.S. and the high level of its price structure, Barbados is usually one of the more expensive of the Caribbean islands to visit. Its hotels are mainly elegant and patronized by well-off British travelers. Its atmosphere is tea-party-British. Its judges wear white wigs and its population is a rather formal lot.
But in the Caribbean off-season, its government works hard, and offers subsidies, to attract tourism from up north. And a well-regarded, 20-year-old New York tour operator called Atlas Vacations will again offer a yearly "Best of Barbados Sale" for stays from September 1 to November 15. This year, the price is as little as an amazing $399 from New York, only slightly more from other cities, for round-trip airfare to Barbados, seven nights of accommodations in a studio oceanfront room at the Rostrevor Apartment Hotel, full breakfast daily, and all hotel taxes.
You call tel. 800/634-1057 or access www.visitatlasvacations.com, and pay $399 per person from New York or Philadelphia, $438 from Baltimore, $483 from Miami or Charlotte, $533 from Boston, and $545 from Los Angeles. I can't help but conclude that these bargain rates are brought about with the assistance of the government of Barbados. You'd do well to take advantage of their generosity.
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But in the Caribbean off-season, its government works hard, and offers subsidies, to attract tourism from up north. And a well-regarded, 20-year-old New York tour operator called Atlas Vacations will again offer a yearly "Best of Barbados Sale" for stays from September 1 to November 15. This year, the price is as little as an amazing $399 from New York, only slightly more from other cities, for round-trip airfare to Barbados, seven nights of accommodations in a studio oceanfront room at the Rostrevor Apartment Hotel, full breakfast daily, and all hotel taxes.
You call tel. 800/634-1057 or access www.visitatlasvacations.com, and pay $399 per person from New York or Philadelphia, $438 from Baltimore, $483 from Miami or Charlotte, $533 from Boston, and $545 from Los Angeles. I can't help but conclude that these bargain rates are brought about with the assistance of the government of Barbados. You'd do well to take advantage of their generosity.
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New York State has passed an mild "passenger bill of rights" for air travel; when will Congress do more?
In early August, the New York State legislature passed, and Governor Eliot Spitzer signed, a "passenger bill of rights" for air travel, making the airlines send staff to clean the restrooms and provide fresh food and water to any aircraft that has left the gate and then been stranded on the tarmac for more than three hours. This was an obvious slap on the wrist, by a legislature reluctant to trespass more positively in an area of national concern.
Far more forceful are bills introduced in the U.S. Congress that would require planes actually be returned to the gate and passengers permitted to leave if they have been kept on the tarmac for more than three-to-five hours (the hours vary in different versions of the same measure). As you can imagine, airline lobbyists are violently fighting those proposals and demanding that the airlines remain unregulated as far as tarmac tedium is concerned. Trust us, they say.
It's clear to me they can't be trusted. Over and over, Americans read of planes stranded on the tarmac for five, six, seven, eight, and even nine and eleven hours, followed by contrite apologies on the part of the airline. It happened most recently on a JetBlue aircraft, and it is happening constantly for perhaps lesser amounts of time on other airlines. You have to experience such a condition to realize how traumatic it is. I recently underwent a lesser version of that ordeal (and got an inkling of how often it happens) when the plane I was on at La Guardia Airport left the gate and was then kept on the tarmac for nearly three hours before taking off. Its flight crew was obviously reluctant to cause their company added expense, or lose the chance to operate a money-making flight, by returning it to the gate and permitting passengers to deplane.
Someday a tragedy will occur. A passenger stressed by the stale air and claustrophobia of a motionless plane will suffer a seizure or heart attack, or a child will be made hysterical and sick by long hours of enclosure.
In an area where the airlines cannot be trusted, the Congressional version of the "passenger bill of rights" should be passed. I encourage our readers to contact their representatives in Congress.
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Far more forceful are bills introduced in the U.S. Congress that would require planes actually be returned to the gate and passengers permitted to leave if they have been kept on the tarmac for more than three-to-five hours (the hours vary in different versions of the same measure). As you can imagine, airline lobbyists are violently fighting those proposals and demanding that the airlines remain unregulated as far as tarmac tedium is concerned. Trust us, they say.
It's clear to me they can't be trusted. Over and over, Americans read of planes stranded on the tarmac for five, six, seven, eight, and even nine and eleven hours, followed by contrite apologies on the part of the airline. It happened most recently on a JetBlue aircraft, and it is happening constantly for perhaps lesser amounts of time on other airlines. You have to experience such a condition to realize how traumatic it is. I recently underwent a lesser version of that ordeal (and got an inkling of how often it happens) when the plane I was on at La Guardia Airport left the gate and was then kept on the tarmac for nearly three hours before taking off. Its flight crew was obviously reluctant to cause their company added expense, or lose the chance to operate a money-making flight, by returning it to the gate and permitting passengers to deplane.
Someday a tragedy will occur. A passenger stressed by the stale air and claustrophobia of a motionless plane will suffer a seizure or heart attack, or a child will be made hysterical and sick by long hours of enclosure.
In an area where the airlines cannot be trusted, the Congressional version of the "passenger bill of rights" should be passed. I encourage our readers to contact their representatives in Congress.
Write and read comments about this post.
Aug 23, 2007
What should we do about the lack of adequate vacation time in America?
In response to a number of posts by me about our pitifully limited amount of vacation time, one reader has asked: what can we do about it? Writing in direct response to our post entitled "An increase in the amount of vacation time is unfinished business of our democracy," reader Janna Luttrell wrote:
There's a possibility, however, that the election of November 2008 (it's scheduled for Tuesday, November 4) may bring to the Congress a greatly increased number of members who would consider such legislation. If it does, then I propose to form, the very next day after that election, an organization called the "League for Longer Vacations" and to submit a draft bill about American vacation time through a friendly member of Congress. And I shall ask you, through this blog, to join me in persuading Congress to consider it.
Now the next election may not turn out as I've hypothetically predicted, but if it does -- if there's a sharp increase in the number of humane, progressive, open-minded members of Congress -- we should then immediately proclaim that the time has come for a serious consideration of the vacation issue. And though it may take several sessions of Congress to finally pass such a bill, the time for it has obviously come -- the contrast between our own vacation policies and those enjoyed in numerous other prosperous and developed nations is simply too overwhelming. With the European Union already requiring that every member nation guarantee a minimum of four weeks of paid vacation to their citizens, how can we fail to require a paltry three weeks of paid vacation in the United States?
So let's talk again on November 5, 2008. And let's be ready at that time to vigorously fight for a final act of humanity in the American workplace. Having achieved the forty-hour week and the minimum wage, the elimination of discrimination in employment, the abolition of child labor, the requirement of safe working places, and a dozen other such advances, it's time to guarantee an adequate minimum amount of vacation time to every American.
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I think this is an issue as big as universal healthcare and that many Americans are concerned enough to do something about it. Does anyone know of any groups in Washington lobbying for this? This is an issue that I'd really like to see solved before I'm too old to care! Its an issue that is worthy of a letter (or thousands) to our Congressmen, lobbyists, and anyone who will listen.My thoughts are more cautious: given the current composition of Congress, it is inconceivable that legislation could currently be passed mandating a basic minimum of three weeks per year of paid leave. It is equally inconceivable that the votes would be there to overcome a presidential veto of such legislation. This is all so clear, in my view, that it becomes almost a waste of time in 2007 and early 2008 to form organizations to lobby for such legislation.
There's a possibility, however, that the election of November 2008 (it's scheduled for Tuesday, November 4) may bring to the Congress a greatly increased number of members who would consider such legislation. If it does, then I propose to form, the very next day after that election, an organization called the "League for Longer Vacations" and to submit a draft bill about American vacation time through a friendly member of Congress. And I shall ask you, through this blog, to join me in persuading Congress to consider it.
Now the next election may not turn out as I've hypothetically predicted, but if it does -- if there's a sharp increase in the number of humane, progressive, open-minded members of Congress -- we should then immediately proclaim that the time has come for a serious consideration of the vacation issue. And though it may take several sessions of Congress to finally pass such a bill, the time for it has obviously come -- the contrast between our own vacation policies and those enjoyed in numerous other prosperous and developed nations is simply too overwhelming. With the European Union already requiring that every member nation guarantee a minimum of four weeks of paid vacation to their citizens, how can we fail to require a paltry three weeks of paid vacation in the United States?
So let's talk again on November 5, 2008. And let's be ready at that time to vigorously fight for a final act of humanity in the American workplace. Having achieved the forty-hour week and the minimum wage, the elimination of discrimination in employment, the abolition of child labor, the requirement of safe working places, and a dozen other such advances, it's time to guarantee an adequate minimum amount of vacation time to every American.
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Labels: rights
The QM2 is in trouble on certain trans-Atlantic crossings in October, creating an opportunity for you
Its October 13 and October 25 crossings from Southampton in England to New York City, and its October 19 crossing from New York to Southampton, are all being heavily discounted by various cruise brokers. Lowest fare I've found for those three sailings is from Vacations To Go (www.vacationstogo.com): a price of $1,006 per person based on two persons booking a standard inside cabin (that's a discount of 50% off brochure prices). Add a one-way airfare across the Atlantic (try www.flyzoom.com for a one-way London/New York flight costing $279 or $299) and you've got the makings for a grand travel experience, which is a trans-Atlantic sailing. It's six nights in duration across the south Atlantic, away from the choppy seas that a five-night crossing of the north Atlantic used to encounter. And the cultural program aboard the QM2 is one of the best. At some point in your life, you've got to cross the Atlantic by sea -- as different from a Caribbean cruise as night is different from day, and booked by a far more serious, intellectually curious, American or English traveler.
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Labels: cruise
12 rules for traveling better, at whatever price level you choose (first of a four-part series)
As some readers may recall, we've included on occasion all sorts of lists: the 10 great myths of travel, the 10 great truths of travel, the 10 ways to eat better, the 10 commandments of smart travel, etc., etc., most of them related to cost-conscious travel. Today we're composing a list having nothing to do with the price of travel, but simply suggesting ways to travel better on any sort of budget. The list is based on my own travel experiences, and no one else's, and because of its autobiographical nature is set forth in the first person. (I'd be interested to have your comments.) Here are the first three ways in which I travel today (and there will be three more on each of the following three days):
1) I combat trans-oceanic jet lag by going to sleep immediately on arrival. Time was when I would instantly hit the streets on my first full day in London, Bangkok or Seoul. And that over-exertion would turn me into a sleepless zombie for the remainder of my first week abroad. No longer. I now go to bed the moment I reach the hotel. I make a relaxed transition to a new time zone and enjoy a much clearer head than ever before.
2) I prepare for my trip with histories and art appreciations. In my early years of travel I thought nothing of flinging myself to exotic foreign destinations without first studying the history and culture of the places I was about to visit. Result: I arrived as an untutored ignoramus, confused and bewildered. No more. I now read about the beliefs of Buddhism on most trips to the Far East. I refresh my memory about the evolution of the Gothic cathedral before a trip to France or Germany. And through such mature preparation, my trips become far more meaningful and rewarding.
3) I pack less and enjoy more. I no longer bring an outfit for every conceivable occasion. I've come to peace with the probability that I will not be invited to a garden party on my two weeks in Spain, and will not be asked to meet the Queen. I bring a quarter of what I used to carry and travel with a single, medium sized suitcase half full. And that one factor has improved the enjoyment of my trips to a greater extent than any other.
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1) I combat trans-oceanic jet lag by going to sleep immediately on arrival. Time was when I would instantly hit the streets on my first full day in London, Bangkok or Seoul. And that over-exertion would turn me into a sleepless zombie for the remainder of my first week abroad. No longer. I now go to bed the moment I reach the hotel. I make a relaxed transition to a new time zone and enjoy a much clearer head than ever before.
2) I prepare for my trip with histories and art appreciations. In my early years of travel I thought nothing of flinging myself to exotic foreign destinations without first studying the history and culture of the places I was about to visit. Result: I arrived as an untutored ignoramus, confused and bewildered. No more. I now read about the beliefs of Buddhism on most trips to the Far East. I refresh my memory about the evolution of the Gothic cathedral before a trip to France or Germany. And through such mature preparation, my trips become far more meaningful and rewarding.
3) I pack less and enjoy more. I no longer bring an outfit for every conceivable occasion. I've come to peace with the probability that I will not be invited to a garden party on my two weeks in Spain, and will not be asked to meet the Queen. I bring a quarter of what I used to carry and travel with a single, medium sized suitcase half full. And that one factor has improved the enjoyment of my trips to a greater extent than any other.
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Labels: tips
Though readers confirm that Capital One credit cards save you on foreign currency transactions, they are less than enthused with its customer service
In a recent post about Capital One credit cards (the only ones I've found that do not impose a 3% fee for their use in foreign countries), I recommended them for the obvious advantage they bring to travelers. While all the early responses to my post confirmed that point, a disquieting number of later responses also told of poor customer service. Some said that Capital One occasionally blocks the use of your card in a foreign country, unless you advise them precisely on the eve of departure about the trip you are about to make. Others told of rigid and unjustified late fees imposed by Capital One. And still others described the difficulty they had in getting Capital One to remove a fraudulent charge from their monthly credit card bill. They indicate, to me, that Capital One's recent success has overwhelmed the staff available to deal with such matters.
So what to do? Perhaps the best advice came from the latest reader to respond to my post:
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So what to do? Perhaps the best advice came from the latest reader to respond to my post:
We too have a love/hate relationship with CO. Great card for travel -- lousy customer service. We decided to put up with the lack of CS in order to save money on our overseas travel -- though there are some days I'm not sure it's worth it.I will be sending a copy of this post to the President of Capital One in hopes of prompting some corrective action on his part.
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Labels: money
Aug 22, 2007
It's not just me, but far more conservative types who contend that we can no longer tolerate thousands of daily flights by small corporate jets
When I referred in a recent post to the contribution made by corporate jets to the dangerously crowded conditions of our skies, several readers responded that these outlandish views were obviously a product of my notorious political attitudes. What an attack on freedom! What obvious envy of the super-rich!
And then, just days ago, officials at that big, courtly, southern carrier, Delta Airlines, of Atlanta, Georgia, issued a press release pointing with alarm to the same congestion of our air space by corporate jets -- saying:
And what is the solution? Let me suggest an analogy. If the automobiles of America were to become so numerous as to cause total gridlock, you can bet that our municipal authorities would place the same sort of restrictions on automobile traffic that several major European cities have imposed (in Florence, Italy, cars with odd-numbered license plates can drive into town only on odd-numbered days of the month, and so on) and that London has also adopted (a "congestion pricing" plan requires a heavy payment by persons driving their cars into the center of the city).
And yet that gridlock is fast approaching in the air -- and has already resulted in horrendous inconvenience to millions of air passengers. Though restrictions on corporate jets is a taboo topic that few of us want to discuss, and that bring down accusations of radical political beliefs, we will all eventually have to decide whether a rock star or the president of General Electric should be entitled to use precious air space and the attention of air traffic controllers, when they could just as easily have flown on a passenger jet.
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And then, just days ago, officials at that big, courtly, southern carrier, Delta Airlines, of Atlanta, Georgia, issued a press release pointing with alarm to the same congestion of our air space by corporate jets -- saying:
Within a decade, traffic delays will cost the economy $40 billion a year, and you, the customer, a great deal of wasted time. There will be 85% more jets in the sky in the next 15 years -- an increase driven largely by corporate jets, fractional jets, air-taxis and very light jets. To an air traffic controller, a jet with a celebrity or CEO takes as much effort as a commercial flight with 250 passengers.... which was precisely the point I made in my earlier post. Although the Delta release went on to claim that corporate jets were not paying their fair share of the cost of regulating air traffic, and did not argue (as I did) for a reduction in these small-plane flights, their explanation of the air traffic problem was directly based on the extraordinary increase in flights by corporate jets.
And what is the solution? Let me suggest an analogy. If the automobiles of America were to become so numerous as to cause total gridlock, you can bet that our municipal authorities would place the same sort of restrictions on automobile traffic that several major European cities have imposed (in Florence, Italy, cars with odd-numbered license plates can drive into town only on odd-numbered days of the month, and so on) and that London has also adopted (a "congestion pricing" plan requires a heavy payment by persons driving their cars into the center of the city).
And yet that gridlock is fast approaching in the air -- and has already resulted in horrendous inconvenience to millions of air passengers. Though restrictions on corporate jets is a taboo topic that few of us want to discuss, and that bring down accusations of radical political beliefs, we will all eventually have to decide whether a rock star or the president of General Electric should be entitled to use precious air space and the attention of air traffic controllers, when they could just as easily have flown on a passenger jet.
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Labels: airports
If you've been intrigued by all the hype about Dubai, and are thinking of a trip there, think again...
Turns out that the social policies of Dubai, that fun-loving mini-state of the Middle East, leave a bit to be desired. Last month, according to the Times of London, two young Brits aged 22 and 27, were each sentenced to four years of imprisonment for carrying into Dubai, for their own use, .04 ounce of marijuana (barely enough to make one joint) in one case, and 1.18 grams in the other. Another young British tourist, 25 years of age, was sentenced to the same four years for carrying in his pocket two-thousandths of an ounce -- a bare trace or particle of marijuana, a hardly noticed speck. "I mistakenly forgot it in my pocket", said the evil-doer as he was led away to begin his four years of punishment.
Less than two years ago, the Associated Press a number of homosexuals meeting peacefully in a home of Dubai were arrested and sentenced to jail terms for their sexual orientation, and made to undergo forcibly administered shots of testosterone to rid them of their homosexuality.
No matter how luxurious its hotels, its theme parks of enclosed, artificially-refrigerated ski slopes, its eventual display of the QE2 as a maritime museum (the purchase of the grand old ship by the Emir of Dubai was recently announced), who can enjoy themselves in a place whose morals are those of the fifteenth century, where freedom of speech and advocacy have never been allowed, where young tourists can be hauled before a Sharia court for carrying a few specks of a recreational drug?
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Less than two years ago, the Associated Press a number of homosexuals meeting peacefully in a home of Dubai were arrested and sentenced to jail terms for their sexual orientation, and made to undergo forcibly administered shots of testosterone to rid them of their homosexuality.
No matter how luxurious its hotels, its theme parks of enclosed, artificially-refrigerated ski slopes, its eventual display of the QE2 as a maritime museum (the purchase of the grand old ship by the Emir of Dubai was recently announced), who can enjoy themselves in a place whose morals are those of the fifteenth century, where freedom of speech and advocacy have never been allowed, where young tourists can be hauled before a Sharia court for carrying a few specks of a recreational drug?
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Labels: caution
It's important to question the "free shuttle service" that most Orlando hotels offer to the major theme parks
Most of the inexpensive Orlando hotels -- and those are the ones that are not located on Disney or Universal Studios property -- offer "daily shuttle service" to some or all of the major theme parks. Knowing this, many cash-strapped families cheerfully book into those establishments without fully understanding the limitations of Orlando's shuttle system -- and taking the necessary action.
1) At almost all hotels, you will have to make reservations for your ride. This is easy enough, but it can happen that the departure you want is booked, leaving you to scrounge for a less desirable time. Considering most shuttles make return trips to a given park only two or three times a day, this can constrict your schedule. You also usually are not permitted to change your reservation, so if you're having such a good time on the roller coasters that you want to stay a few extra hours, you usually aren't guaranteed a later shuttle. Just one late-night taxi ride back to your hotel can wipe out all the money you saved using the shuttle system that day.
2) Many shuttles are run by outside companies, so they maximize profit by serving many hotels. That means they may take circuitous routes. If you're unlucky, it can take more than an hour to get home after your day at the parks, which is a huge waste of your valuable vacation time and money--it can also mean trouble for families with small children. Ask your hotel which company provides its shuttle service, and then ask that company where your chosen property fits in on the route map. You may decide to switch to a hotel closer to the park gates.
3) Some shuttles' timings don't match up with the theme parks' opening hours. It would be a shame to have to bundle your kids back to the motel an hour before the fireworks over the Magic Kingdom's castle begin, yet many people have to do just that when they rely on free shuttles. Always ask your hotel for the shuttle schedules during the days you plan to be in town (the timings change regularly), and compare them to the opening hours of the parks you plan to see.
Finally, keep in mind that many times of year, renting a car in Orlando can be reasonably priced. During lowest season (January, September and October), they go for as little as $17 a day through discount sites such as Priceline (www.priceline.com). And you probably won't use much gas during your stay if you only plan to use your wheels to go to and from the theme parks. Also remember that if you have a car from the very start of your trip, you will not have to pay extra for transportation to and from the airport, saving you about $25 round-trip for adults and $18 for kids on the standard shuttles.
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1) At almost all hotels, you will have to make reservations for your ride. This is easy enough, but it can happen that the departure you want is booked, leaving you to scrounge for a less desirable time. Considering most shuttles make return trips to a given park only two or three times a day, this can constrict your schedule. You also usually are not permitted to change your reservation, so if you're having such a good time on the roller coasters that you want to stay a few extra hours, you usually aren't guaranteed a later shuttle. Just one late-night taxi ride back to your hotel can wipe out all the money you saved using the shuttle system that day.
2) Many shuttles are run by outside companies, so they maximize profit by serving many hotels. That means they may take circuitous routes. If you're unlucky, it can take more than an hour to get home after your day at the parks, which is a huge waste of your valuable vacation time and money--it can also mean trouble for families with small children. Ask your hotel which company provides its shuttle service, and then ask that company where your chosen property fits in on the route map. You may decide to switch to a hotel closer to the park gates.
3) Some shuttles' timings don't match up with the theme parks' opening hours. It would be a shame to have to bundle your kids back to the motel an hour before the fireworks over the Magic Kingdom's castle begin, yet many people have to do just that when they rely on free shuttles. Always ask your hotel for the shuttle schedules during the days you plan to be in town (the timings change regularly), and compare them to the opening hours of the parks you plan to see.
Finally, keep in mind that many times of year, renting a car in Orlando can be reasonably priced. During lowest season (January, September and October), they go for as little as $17 a day through discount sites such as Priceline (www.priceline.com). And you probably won't use much gas during your stay if you only plan to use your wheels to go to and from the theme parks. Also remember that if you have a car from the very start of your trip, you will not have to pay extra for transportation to and from the airport, saving you about $25 round-trip for adults and $18 for kids on the standard shuttles.
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Labels: car rental, orlando
$799 for a week in Buenos Aires, including air from New York or Miami, is the Surprise Bargain of the coming autumn
The price is available any day of the week from September 1 all the way to December 9, and includes your choice of a flight from either Miami or New York, as well as six nights in a Buenos Aires hotel. There are no surprises, no add-ons, no hidden expenses, other than a very reasonable $119 per person for government taxes and fuel surcharges. And once in Buenos Aires, you'll enjoy (thanks to a favorable exchange rate) some of the lowest costs in the western hemisphere. Numerous Americans have marveled about the recent values in the restaurants and shops of this elegant South American city.
The package at this price is from Go-Today.com, and you book it either via www.gotoday.com (look for the "Buenos Aires Super Saver") or by phoning tel. 800/227-3235. A single caution on my part: don't book any of the optional transfers offered on the website, but simply inquire about public transportation into town once you arrive. And at least initially, you'd do best to sightsee on your own -- this is a safe, walkers' city -- instead of buying any of the optional escorted tours.
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The package at this price is from Go-Today.com, and you book it either via www.gotoday.com (look for the "Buenos Aires Super Saver") or by phoning tel. 800/227-3235. A single caution on my part: don't book any of the optional transfers offered on the website, but simply inquire about public transportation into town once you arrive. And at least initially, you'd do best to sightsee on your own -- this is a safe, walkers' city -- instead of buying any of the optional escorted tours.
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Labels: buenos aires, deals
Aug 21, 2007
A passing comment on the frequent claim that all of Europe has become fiendishly expensive
There are hotels in big U.S. cities charging $500 a room, and restaurants charging $100 a meal. There are even chain cafes charging $3.15 for what is, essentially, a cup of coffee (their name is Starbucks). If I were to cite those examples in a blog about travel in America, I could easily make the case that our country has become impossibly expensive.
A somewhat similar distortion appears in most articles about Europe. Without drawing a distinction between some European countries and others, numerous travel writers have indicted the entire continent as impossibly expensive.
In actual fact, there are only two regions of Europe in which the price structure has become truly oppressive: Great Britain and Scandinavia. Elsewhere (and with the possible exception of Paris), prices are generally no higher than you'd encounter in several major U.S. cities: New York, Boston, Washington, D.C., Chicago or San Francisco. Although western Europe is no longer a bargain to Americans (the low exchange value of the U.S. dollar has eliminated the "steals"), the lodgings and meal costs in Germany, most of France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Austria, Switzerland, and elsewhere on the continent are no higher than in key U.S. cities -- and are sometimes less.
Travel writer Charles Leocha (whose work I have often admired) recently produced a price list of common items on sale in a popular Spanish city (six packs of beer, a box of teabags, bus transport from the airport into town, dinner at a popular restaurant, and so on) and found that while none of these items was sold at bargain rates, none of them was any more expensive than you'd pay in a major U.S. city. I endorse his conclusion that most of Europe -- focus on that word "most" -- is still quite affordable.
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A somewhat similar distortion appears in most articles about Europe. Without drawing a distinction between some European countries and others, numerous travel writers have indicted the entire continent as impossibly expensive.
In actual fact, there are only two regions of Europe in which the price structure has become truly oppressive: Great Britain and Scandinavia. Elsewhere (and with the possible exception of Paris), prices are generally no higher than you'd encounter in several major U.S. cities: New York, Boston, Washington, D.C., Chicago or San Francisco. Although western Europe is no longer a bargain to Americans (the low exchange value of the U.S. dollar has eliminated the "steals"), the lodgings and meal costs in Germany, most of France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Austria, Switzerland, and elsewhere on the continent are no higher than in key U.S. cities -- and are sometimes less.
Travel writer Charles Leocha (whose work I have often admired) recently produced a price list of common items on sale in a popular Spanish city (six packs of beer, a box of teabags, bus transport from the airport into town, dinner at a popular restaurant, and so on) and found that while none of these items was sold at bargain rates, none of them was any more expensive than you'd pay in a major U.S. city. I endorse his conclusion that most of Europe -- focus on that word "most" -- is still quite affordable.
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Labels: money
A final reminder about the rules of ethical tourism
Over the past few days, we've been quoting from a "Code of Ethics for Tourists" which was widely circulated several years ago, quoting the first 8 of the principles suggested in it. Here are three final reminders.
9) When you are shopping, remember that that 'bargain' you obtained was possible only because of the low wages paid to the maker. 10) Do not make promises to people in your host country unless you can carry them through. And 11) Spend time reflecting on your daily experience in an attempt to deepen your understanding. It has been said that 'what enriches you may rob and violate others.'Write and read comments about this post.
Labels: tips
Cut-rate carriers -- and three foreign websites identifying them -- will whisk you within Europe, for sums you can afford
Though their names are well-known to avid travelers, it's always important to introduce them to newcomers making their first visit to the Old World. And it's important to constantly remind the novice traveler that nearly twenty low-cost airlines have created a fast and remarkably cheap way to travel between famous European capitals or resorts located rather far from each other.
To see all the possibilities, go to a website called WhichBudget (www.whichbudget.com), which reveals the budget airlines that fly you to and from the places you're planning to visit. Or go to a website called dohop (www.dohop.com), on which you plug in a pair of airports and within seconds discover the cut-rate airlines that connect the two. Or you can go to a site called attitude Travel (www.attitudetravel.com), which lets travelers search for low-cost airlines in other parts of the world. The cut-rate airlines have revolutionized travel.
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To see all the possibilities, go to a website called WhichBudget (www.whichbudget.com), which reveals the budget airlines that fly you to and from the places you're planning to visit. Or go to a website called dohop (www.dohop.com), on which you plug in a pair of airports and within seconds discover the cut-rate airlines that connect the two. Or you can go to a site called attitude Travel (www.attitudetravel.com), which lets travelers search for low-cost airlines in other parts of the world. The cut-rate airlines have revolutionized travel.
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Labels: websites
If you know the seasonal history of airfares to a particular destination, you can more confidently make a choice as to which one seems best
If you have never been to a destination before, you usually have a hard time knowing whether the airfare you have discovered on a website is really the best one available to you. Is it "a find" or should you continue searching? How many hours must you devote to sitting before the computer, looking for a good fare?
At long last, a few airfare-selling websites have invented services that allow travelers to know what the typical airfare is to a wide range of destinations. My own choice of the best tool to check before beginning your search is TripStarter, on Hotwire.com (www.hotwire.com/tripstarter). Here, you plug in your home airport and your destination airport, from a long list of both foreign and domestic cities, and then you get back an easy-to-read chart that graphs, month by month, where airfare prices have fallen throughout 2006 and 2007. The low-season patterns become immediately clear. Often, TripStarter informs you of the drastic difference in price that just a few weeks' difference makes.
Another tool, Farecast (www.farecast.com) provides a similar service, but its charted records only go back three months, which isn't as helpful as TripStarter, in my view, in painting the big picture of seasonality. But when you plug in a proposed itinerary on Farecast, the site also spits back a list of the airlines that go there, along with the market share of each, so you'll know which carriers are more likely to have empty seats to fill. If you want to book, it links you directly with the airline selling the fare.
Farecast also, true to its name, furnishes a prediction about whether the price is likely to increase or decrease if you wait -- since the site's success depends entirely on its accuracy, its programmers are constantly working to make sure those predictions turn out to be as true as possible.
Once you know what a seat usually costs, it's a lot easier to ascertain when you've got a genuine deal on your hands and whether you should book or hold out for a better price.
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At long last, a few airfare-selling websites have invented services that allow travelers to know what the typical airfare is to a wide range of destinations. My own choice of the best tool to check before beginning your search is TripStarter, on Hotwire.com (www.hotwire.com/tripstarter). Here, you plug in your home airport and your destination airport, from a long list of both foreign and domestic cities, and then you get back an easy-to-read chart that graphs, month by month, where airfare prices have fallen throughout 2006 and 2007. The low-season patterns become immediately clear. Often, TripStarter informs you of the drastic difference in price that just a few weeks' difference makes.
Another tool, Farecast (www.farecast.com) provides a similar service, but its charted records only go back three months, which isn't as helpful as TripStarter, in my view, in painting the big picture of seasonality. But when you plug in a proposed itinerary on Farecast, the site also spits back a list of the airlines that go there, along with the market share of each, so you'll know which carriers are more likely to have empty seats to fill. If you want to book, it links you directly with the airline selling the fare.
Farecast also, true to its name, furnishes a prediction about whether the price is likely to increase or decrease if you wait -- since the site's success depends entirely on its accuracy, its programmers are constantly working to make sure those predictions turn out to be as true as possible.
Once you know what a seat usually costs, it's a lot easier to ascertain when you've got a genuine deal on your hands and whether you should book or hold out for a better price.
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Aug 20, 2007
With over 50 "re-positioning" cruises scheduled for September through November, their prices will be insane
If you've ever dreamed of a lengthy time at sea, having the leisure to begin work on that novel, able to complete Plutarch's Lives (or to read all seven of the Harry Potters), or simply to enjoy total rest and relaxation for two to three weeks, in a setting where everything is done for you, then you'll want to begin looking at the "re-positioning" offers sprouting up on websites of major cruiselines. Because they sent a record number of ships to the Mediterranean, Baltic, and North Sea for summer cruising this year (more than 50 were temporarily positioned in Europe to take advantage of unusual demand), they will now need to bring back ("re-position") that giant flotilla to the Caribbean or the coast of South America once the short summer cruising season in Europe is over. The competition among re-positioners will be brutal, and prices have dipped as low as $40 and $50 per person per day for an all-inclusive sail that spends a great many days simply at sea, crossing the vast southern Atlantic.
Some highlights: Holland America will bring four ships back to the tropics from Europe, on 15-to-21-day "re-positioning" cruises, starting with the MS Westerdam leaving Rome on October 5 and ending in Fort Lauderdale. Their MS Prinsendam travels the same route starting November 3. On November 1, the MS Rotterdam sails from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro.
MSC Cruises will bring back another four ships. On November 5, the MSC Opera (its newest ship) leaves Italy on an 18-day crossing to Tunisia, Spain and Rio. MSC Lirica leaves Italy on November 17 for Spain, Morocco, the Caribbean and Florida. MSC Sinfonia crosses the south Atlantic starting November 19 from Italy to Gibraltar to Argentina.
Princess Cruises' Emerald Princess leaves Venice on October 8 for a 17-day, 8-port cruise to Fort Lauderdale. Royal Princess leaves Rome on November 28 for a 24-day cruise to Fort Lauderdale. Star Princess also leaves Rome on November 28 for a 17-day, 9-port sailing to Fort Lauderdale.
I've listed only a quarter of the available options, and those others include sailings of 12-to-20 days in September and October, as well. Go to the cruiselines' websites, or to VacationsToGo.com, and choose from among many more stunning "re-positioning" bargains costing $40 to $60 a day. If you can possibly get away for about two weeks, you can enjoy a travel dream for less than you'd spend living at home.
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Some highlights: Holland America will bring four ships back to the tropics from Europe, on 15-to-21-day "re-positioning" cruises, starting with the MS Westerdam leaving Rome on October 5 and ending in Fort Lauderdale. Their MS Prinsendam travels the same route starting November 3. On November 1, the MS Rotterdam sails from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro.
MSC Cruises will bring back another four ships. On November 5, the MSC Opera (its newest ship) leaves Italy on an 18-day crossing to Tunisia, Spain and Rio. MSC Lirica leaves Italy on November 17 for Spain, Morocco, the Caribbean and Florida. MSC Sinfonia crosses the south Atlantic starting November 19 from Italy to Gibraltar to Argentina.
Princess Cruises' Emerald Princess leaves Venice on October 8 for a 17-day, 8-port cruise to Fort Lauderdale. Royal Princess leaves Rome on November 28 for a 24-day cruise to Fort Lauderdale. Star Princess also leaves Rome on November 28 for a 17-day, 9-port sailing to Fort Lauderdale.
I've listed only a quarter of the available options, and those others include sailings of 12-to-20 days in September and October, as well. Go to the cruiselines' websites, or to VacationsToGo.com, and choose from among many more stunning "re-positioning" bargains costing $40 to $60 a day. If you can possibly get away for about two weeks, you can enjoy a travel dream for less than you'd spend living at home.
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That $399 off-season, round-trip airfare between New York's JFK and Rome, on Eurofly, is looking better all that time
For a brief moment, I thought that a price-war to Rome had broken out, when I learned about Italian-specialist Tourcrafters' price of $749 for a fall/winter, air-and-land package going to both Rome (3 nights) and Florence (3 nights), including round-trip air fare. When I then called Tourcrafters to pin down the details, I was less enthused. Tourcrafters' $749 price (widely discussed among travel professionals) does not include a $160 fuel surcharge, bringing the package to $900. And the lead price is good only for departures out of Boston, with New York requiring a $70 add-on, and with add-ons from other cities as well. The entire promotion seems one designed to assist Alitalia's flights from Boston, and even then the price is not especially attractive.
In the meantime, the $399 round-trip airfare between New York and Rome, which Eurofly (www.euroflyusa.com) has announced for the fall/winter months starting November, does include the fuel surcharge, and the only extra payment is for about $81 in taxes. It's an airfare so attractive, laying the basis for such an economical vacation in Italy, that it will sell fast (about 1000 seats have been set aside thus far at the $399 price). It must also be bought on the Internet prior to September 15. I'd advise you to move on it right away, and you'll enjoy one of the great travel bargains from November through mid-March.
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In the meantime, the $399 round-trip airfare between New York and Rome, which Eurofly (www.euroflyusa.com) has announced for the fall/winter months starting November, does include the fuel surcharge, and the only extra payment is for about $81 in taxes. It's an airfare so attractive, laying the basis for such an economical vacation in Italy, that it will sell fast (about 1000 seats have been set aside thus far at the $399 price). It must also be bought on the Internet prior to September 15. I'd advise you to move on it right away, and you'll enjoy one of the great travel bargains from November through mid-March.
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Wanna go deep-water scuba-diving in America, at lodgings costs of $25 a night? I've got the place (North Carolina)!
It is beyond doubt the world's top underwater bargain. Olympus Dive Center of North Carolina (tel. 252/726-9432; www.olympusdiving.com) is a 2,000-square-foot facility (renting all the equipment you'll need and providing air and nitrox fills) in the midst of the docks at Morehead City, on the southernmost tip of the Outer Banks; out front, at a pier, are its two premier dive boats, the 65' Olympus and the 48' Midnight Express. And only two blocks away is the Olympus Divers' Lodge with 32 bunks in five separate rooms, for both men and women. The price, believe it or not: $25 a night per person. Each bunk has its own lockable storage area.
If you'd like a low-cost alternative to diving off the Caribbean island of Bonaire, or in the Red Sea, this is it. If you'd like low-cost training in scuba, this has it. Dives are conducted daily throughout the year, even in the (generally mild) winter.
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Labels: american south, diving
All of us need to be periodically reminded about the principles of ethical tourism
On Friday, we referred to a "Code of Ethics for Tourists" that was widely circulated several years ago, and listed its first four principles. Today, we're quoting four more:
5) Acquaint yourself with local customs. What is courteous in one country may be quite the reverse in another -- people will be happy to help you. 6) Instead of the Western practice of 'knowing all the answers,' cultivate the habit of asking questions. 7) Remember that you are only one of thousands of tourists visiting this country and do not expect special privileges. 8) If you really want your experience to be a 'home away from home,' it is foolish to waste money on traveling."Write and read comments about this post.
Labels: tips
Aug 19, 2007
Psssst! Four giant Orlando hotels are offering rooms in late summer and autumn for $39.95 per room per night
Every year about this time, the budget hotel king of Orlando, a certain Harris Rosen, slashes the room rates of his four, large, low-cost hotels for stays during the doldrum period in Orlando: late August and the entire month of September. I phoned one of his reservations staff last week to learn what the price would be this year, and was told (swearing to secrecy) that the probable rate would be $39.95 per room per night, at the following four giants (some have 800 rooms): the Quality Inn International (tel. 800/825-7600), the Quality Inn Plaza (tel. 800/999-8585), the Rodeway Inn International (tel. 800/551-6327), and the mammoth Comfort Inn Lake Buena Vista (tel. 800/999-7300), the last-named being my own favorite. That's for visitors calling the above numbers prior to arrival in Orlando. Specify the "late summer specials."
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Labels: accommodations, orlando
Fifty years ago, 
Arthur Frommer is generally acknowledged to be the nation's foremost travel authority. He is the founder of the
