Dec 21, 2007
Join me in making New Year’s resolutions for travel. 10 of mine appear below, add your own through my holiday hiatus
From December 24 to January 2, this blog will be on vacation. But the message boards will remain up-and-running. I've composed my own, initial, New Year's Resolutions for travel (the non-travel ones are too personal to reveal) in which I promise to change my ways in 2008, and I hope that you'll attach yours as responses. And as we periodically awake from our holiday stupor, let's all check those responses (including my own after-thoughts) now and then.
In 2008, I will faithfully fulfill the following solemn travel pledges:
1) I will limit myself to carry-ons, and never check a single bag; 2) I will carry sandwiches from home, and never bite into a single airline snack; 3) I will use public transportation from airport into town; 4) I will never book a connecting flight; if there's no non-stop to my destination, I won't go there (with some exceptions); 5) I will share courses with my wife, ordering a single main plate for the two of us; 6) I will stop patronizing "duty-free" shops; 7) I will never book an uncomfortable "boutique hotel" designed by a famous fashionista; 8) I will never use a credit card that doesn't earn frequent flyer mileage; 9) I will never board a cruiseship carrying more than 700 passengers; and 10) I will remain calm and unperturbed by refusing to read the travel section of the New York Times.
Those are mine (and I reserve the right to add more over the next nine days). How about yours?
Happy Holidays to everyone, and a peaceful New Year.
Write and read comments about this post.
In 2008, I will faithfully fulfill the following solemn travel pledges:
1) I will limit myself to carry-ons, and never check a single bag; 2) I will carry sandwiches from home, and never bite into a single airline snack; 3) I will use public transportation from airport into town; 4) I will never book a connecting flight; if there's no non-stop to my destination, I won't go there (with some exceptions); 5) I will share courses with my wife, ordering a single main plate for the two of us; 6) I will stop patronizing "duty-free" shops; 7) I will never book an uncomfortable "boutique hotel" designed by a famous fashionista; 8) I will never use a credit card that doesn't earn frequent flyer mileage; 9) I will never board a cruiseship carrying more than 700 passengers; and 10) I will remain calm and unperturbed by refusing to read the travel section of the New York Times.
Those are mine (and I reserve the right to add more over the next nine days). How about yours?
Happy Holidays to everyone, and a peaceful New Year.
Write and read comments about this post.
Labels: resolutions
You will never guess what the latest cruiseship activity for 2008 will be. Are you ready for this?
Glass-blowing. You heard it right: glass-blowing. Though I myself have no particular interest in glass-blowing (I don't even go to see it in Venice), it appears that the public as a whole has been yearning for the addition of glass-blowing to the other cruiseship distractions. And therefore, the new Celebrity Solstice, a giant passenger vessel scheduled for launch in late 2008, will contain a glass-blowing shed on an upper deck, staffed by no fewer than three resident glass-blowing "gaffers" giving expert classes and lectures in the subject.
The news arrived in the December 10, 2007, issue of Travel Weekly (the major trade publication for travel professionals), in the form of a half-page story with a page-width headline on top. Apparently, the Corning Museum of Glass will be associated with the venture, the latest effort by the maritime industry to lure away Americans from land-based vacations. Also on the Solstice cruiseship will be a new bar containing "an ice-filled table where guests can participate in caviar and vodka tastings" (undoubtedly for an extra fee).
I'm so tongue-tied about this latest cruiseship innovation -- topping the rock-climbing walls, bowling alleys, boxing rings, and jacuzzis angled perilously over the sea -- that I'll refrain from further comment.
Write and read comments about this post.
The news arrived in the December 10, 2007, issue of Travel Weekly (the major trade publication for travel professionals), in the form of a half-page story with a page-width headline on top. Apparently, the Corning Museum of Glass will be associated with the venture, the latest effort by the maritime industry to lure away Americans from land-based vacations. Also on the Solstice cruiseship will be a new bar containing "an ice-filled table where guests can participate in caviar and vodka tastings" (undoubtedly for an extra fee).
I'm so tongue-tied about this latest cruiseship innovation -- topping the rock-climbing walls, bowling alleys, boxing rings, and jacuzzis angled perilously over the sea -- that I'll refrain from further comment.
Write and read comments about this post.
Labels: cruises
Saved by the bell! Congress postpones a passport requirement for cruise passengers and motorists until June, 2009
Just when everything appeared lost, and a passport requirement was about to become universal early next year, Congresswoman Louis Slaughter, of upstate New York (Niagara Falls, Buffalo, Rochester) slipped a passport-delay measure into one of those massive spending bills that no one in the House or Senate ever takes time to read. It puts off the effective date of the Department of Homeland Security’s new passport requirement for people traveling by land or cruiseship into the United States, until June, 2009. Let me repeat that: 2009.
In a phone call I made this morning to Congresswoman Slaughter's Washington, D.C. office, I was told that the legislation has also passed the Senate and will now go to the President for signature. No veto is threatened. So it looks like all those border-crossers have been reprieved. They will continue to need two items of paper identification: a government-issued I.D., like a driver's license; and a certified copy of their birth certificate. But they will not need one of those $100-per-person passports.
Persons flying into the United States from anywhere will continue to need passports. But the legislation puts off the date for persons driving back and forth between the U.S. and Canada/Mexico or returning here by cruiseship. As you can imagine, border merchants (souvenir shops, clothing stores, what have you) in Representative Slaughter's district were absolutely aghast at the need to require passports for many of their customers and people passing through.
This is all good news. The passport requirement really did nothing to protect us from terrorists. Terrorists will always know how to obtain or steal a passport; or else they are already within our borders. This was simply one of those cosmetic measures that created untold hardships for multitudes of people and injured the economy. If the word from Congresswoman Slaughter’s office is correct, that danger has now been averted for around 18 months.
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In a phone call I made this morning to Congresswoman Slaughter's Washington, D.C. office, I was told that the legislation has also passed the Senate and will now go to the President for signature. No veto is threatened. So it looks like all those border-crossers have been reprieved. They will continue to need two items of paper identification: a government-issued I.D., like a driver's license; and a certified copy of their birth certificate. But they will not need one of those $100-per-person passports.
Persons flying into the United States from anywhere will continue to need passports. But the legislation puts off the date for persons driving back and forth between the U.S. and Canada/Mexico or returning here by cruiseship. As you can imagine, border merchants (souvenir shops, clothing stores, what have you) in Representative Slaughter's district were absolutely aghast at the need to require passports for many of their customers and people passing through.
This is all good news. The passport requirement really did nothing to protect us from terrorists. Terrorists will always know how to obtain or steal a passport; or else they are already within our borders. This was simply one of those cosmetic measures that created untold hardships for multitudes of people and injured the economy. If the word from Congresswoman Slaughter’s office is correct, that danger has now been averted for around 18 months.
Write and read comments about this post.
I accidentally struck a nerve in my recent post about hidden hotel and cruise charges; they're more prevalent than we thought
Take a look at the responses to our recent post entitled "Hidden fees are erupting throughout the hotel and cruise industries." One reader was charged $10 a night for an extra person (his wife) staying in his room; when he called another telephone reservationist at the hotel, she agreed to eliminate the charge. Another staying at the Franklin Hotel in New York City was charged a "service fee" for WiFi he had never used and for the availability of a telephone that didn't work. At the fancy Borgata Hotel in Atlantic City, a reader was charged for non-return of a pool towel, for which he had a return receipt.
The hidden charges ploy is also, apparently, heavily used on cruises. One reader tells of the heavy marketing ("Free-Style Dining") for the specialty restaurants aboard a Norwegian Cruise Line ship, with no reference to any charge for the alternative dining rooms (nor did any price appear on the menu from which he ordered). On leaving the ship, his final bill contained a $20-per-person "cover charge" for every meal taken at the specialty restaurant.
In these dreary travel times, you've got to be a sharp-eyed sleuth, a nervous neurotic worried about being taken, a potential victim of all sorts of people who see you as a cash register and not as a guest.
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The hidden charges ploy is also, apparently, heavily used on cruises. One reader tells of the heavy marketing ("Free-Style Dining") for the specialty restaurants aboard a Norwegian Cruise Line ship, with no reference to any charge for the alternative dining rooms (nor did any price appear on the menu from which he ordered). On leaving the ship, his final bill contained a $20-per-person "cover charge" for every meal taken at the specialty restaurant.
In these dreary travel times, you've got to be a sharp-eyed sleuth, a nervous neurotic worried about being taken, a potential victim of all sorts of people who see you as a cash register and not as a guest.
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Labels: tips from readers
Dec 20, 2007
In this holiday time, we might want to remember the non-profits in travel, and their need for support
Because many people make their charitable contributions during the holiday season, they might want to consider three of the non-profit organizations that perform services to our fellow human beings in the field of travel.
Wilderness Inquiry is the Minnesota-based organization (808 14th Avenue SE, Minneapolis 55414; tel. 800/728-0719; www.wildernessinquiry.org) that enables disabled people (including those with slight mental retardation) to go on adventure trips by inviting able-bodied volunteers to join them. On canoeing expeditions, treks, and other active vacations, groups consist of both disabled and able-bodied persons, the latter assisting their less mobile fellow humans to enjoy the thrill of adventures in the out-of-doors. Charges are kept low by the contributions that others make to this extremely worthy, nationwide tour program.
Wilderness Volunteers (P.O. Box 22292, 928-445-0038, Flagstaff, AZ 86002; www.wildernessvolunteers.org) sends youthful, vigorous volunteers (mainly in their 20s to 40s) into the forest areas of America's national and state parks and other public lands, mainly to repair the damage done by heedless visitors. They restore hiking trails, clean up debris and fire sites, plant strategically-located trees, even take inventories of plant and wildlife species. And although the volunteer pays a charge (in 2007, $239) for the weeklong stint, most of the other costs of Wilderness Volunteers is covered by grants and contributions.
SATH, The Society for Accessible Travel and Hospitality (347 Fifth Avenue, New York 10016; tel. 212/447-7284; www.sath.org), is the chief U.S. representative for disabled travelers. It advocates on behalf of the disabled seeking to travel, supplies information to them on travel programs and facilities for the disabled, fights to make travel facilities accessible to them. If you have an acquaintance, friend or relative with a disability, you should not fail to advise them about SATH and its services, and you should also consider a contribution to this remarkable travel organization.
Write and read comments about this post.
Wilderness Inquiry is the Minnesota-based organization (808 14th Avenue SE, Minneapolis 55414; tel. 800/728-0719; www.wildernessinquiry.org) that enables disabled people (including those with slight mental retardation) to go on adventure trips by inviting able-bodied volunteers to join them. On canoeing expeditions, treks, and other active vacations, groups consist of both disabled and able-bodied persons, the latter assisting their less mobile fellow humans to enjoy the thrill of adventures in the out-of-doors. Charges are kept low by the contributions that others make to this extremely worthy, nationwide tour program.
Wilderness Volunteers (P.O. Box 22292, 928-445-0038, Flagstaff, AZ 86002; www.wildernessvolunteers.org) sends youthful, vigorous volunteers (mainly in their 20s to 40s) into the forest areas of America's national and state parks and other public lands, mainly to repair the damage done by heedless visitors. They restore hiking trails, clean up debris and fire sites, plant strategically-located trees, even take inventories of plant and wildlife species. And although the volunteer pays a charge (in 2007, $239) for the weeklong stint, most of the other costs of Wilderness Volunteers is covered by grants and contributions.
SATH, The Society for Accessible Travel and Hospitality (347 Fifth Avenue, New York 10016; tel. 212/447-7284; www.sath.org), is the chief U.S. representative for disabled travelers. It advocates on behalf of the disabled seeking to travel, supplies information to them on travel programs and facilities for the disabled, fights to make travel facilities accessible to them. If you have an acquaintance, friend or relative with a disability, you should not fail to advise them about SATH and its services, and you should also consider a contribution to this remarkable travel organization.
Write and read comments about this post.
Labels: volunteer
For inter-generational travel, the newly-reopened Club Med Ixtapa is a top choice; it's also excellent for parents traveling with very young children
Several years ago on a trip to Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, I had a look at the Club Med Ixtapa (tel. 888/WEB-CLUB; www.clubmed.us)and was tremendously impressed by the unusual mix of people it served. There were vacationers of all ages (20-somethings to middle-aged and elderly people) all dining exuberantly at the same tables, and there were a substantial percentage of families staying there with young children. It was unusual at that time to find a Club Med that wasn't dominated by singles in their 20s and 30s.
Now I have nothing against the Club Meds catering to the 20 and 30-year-old set; they are perhaps the predominant clientele of Club Med, and all power to them. But for older vacationers, and for families, it was exciting to find a Club Med that permitted them to enjoy all the classic pleasures and policies of a Club Med without feeling out of place. And it was fascinating to find a resort where all the generational differences seemed unimportant.
The Club Med Ixtapa has apparently been closed for renovations for some time now, and has undergone a major renovation (its physical setting, high above an excellent beach, is as good as you'd want). It will reopen on December 22, 2007 with 80-or-so functioning rooms for families, and will then bring on an additional 250-some-odd rooms in March 2008. Apparently, it will again cater to people of all ages and to families, even those with children barely older than a year.
If you're in one of those categories, you'll want to know that there's now a classic Club Med just for you.
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Now I have nothing against the Club Meds catering to the 20 and 30-year-old set; they are perhaps the predominant clientele of Club Med, and all power to them. But for older vacationers, and for families, it was exciting to find a Club Med that permitted them to enjoy all the classic pleasures and policies of a Club Med without feeling out of place. And it was fascinating to find a resort where all the generational differences seemed unimportant.
The Club Med Ixtapa has apparently been closed for renovations for some time now, and has undergone a major renovation (its physical setting, high above an excellent beach, is as good as you'd want). It will reopen on December 22, 2007 with 80-or-so functioning rooms for families, and will then bring on an additional 250-some-odd rooms in March 2008. Apparently, it will again cater to people of all ages and to families, even those with children barely older than a year.
If you're in one of those categories, you'll want to know that there's now a classic Club Med just for you.
Write and read comments about this post.
Designer salt, anyone? At $3 a package when bought in Europe, it has become the perfect gift purchase by indigent American travelers
Now that the dollar's weakness has put an end to normal shopping (by Americans) in Europe, you may want to know about an item that you can buy affordably and in quantity overseas, and that will positively enthrall your relatives and friends when presented to them back home. On last week's edition of The Travel Show presented by my daughter and myself (www.wor710.com, go to weekend programming), my daughter interviewed the single greatest commentator on travel shopping, Suzie Gershman, author of the several Born to Shop travel guides (admission of self-interest: they're published by Frommer's). And Pauline asked: what can we now buy in Europe, given the pitiful state of the dollar?
"Have you considered designer salt?" responded Suzie. Turns out that designer salts sells for $30 and up in the United States (or on Amazon.com), but for only $3 a package at numerous groceries and super-markets in Paris, Frankfurt, Rome, and the like.
And what is "designer salt"? Apparently, it's salt with a special flavor, like raspberry salt. There's semi-coarse Hawaiian red Alea salt, small-flake Fleur de Sel, Jurassic salt, Peruvian Pink and Sicilian White salt, Kosher salt, Lavender salts, Ginger salts, French sea salt, Australian sea salt, Maldon salt, Murray River salt, La Baleine, Danish Viking Smoked salt, and (most expensive of all) Japanese Jewel of the Ocean salt, among many others. They come in coarse, plain, or chunky grains, and are “saltier” than usual salt. True gourmet chefs, I'm assured, would never dream of using just-plain salt (sodium chloride).
Look at the lengths to which we've been driven by currency changes.
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"Have you considered designer salt?" responded Suzie. Turns out that designer salts sells for $30 and up in the United States (or on Amazon.com), but for only $3 a package at numerous groceries and super-markets in Paris, Frankfurt, Rome, and the like.
And what is "designer salt"? Apparently, it's salt with a special flavor, like raspberry salt. There's semi-coarse Hawaiian red Alea salt, small-flake Fleur de Sel, Jurassic salt, Peruvian Pink and Sicilian White salt, Kosher salt, Lavender salts, Ginger salts, French sea salt, Australian sea salt, Maldon salt, Murray River salt, La Baleine, Danish Viking Smoked salt, and (most expensive of all) Japanese Jewel of the Ocean salt, among many others. They come in coarse, plain, or chunky grains, and are “saltier” than usual salt. True gourmet chefs, I'm assured, would never dream of using just-plain salt (sodium chloride).
Look at the lengths to which we've been driven by currency changes.
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An organization formed to promote airline passengers' rights has now acquired enough membership and notoriety to be effective
Whatever happened to the Airline Passengers' Bill of Rights? Various versions of it have been introduced into Congress and are awaiting committee approvals. In the meantime, various states have either passed or are considering legislation of their own to compel the airlines to be aware of passenger health when planes are left stranded on the tarmac for several hours. Pushing back against such efforts, the airlines have filed lawsuits to prevent state legislation from going into effect, claiming that only the federal government has the right to regulate airline behavior.
In short, things are a mess. And eight years after the first widely-publicized, eight-hour stranding of passengers in 1999 by Northwest Airlines, no law exists compelling the airlines either to return to the gate after a four or five-hour delay in take off, or to insure that passengers receive food, water, ventilation, and clean toilet facilities during such delays.
When these delays re-occurred in February of this year, an airline passenger named Kate Hanni, of California, found that she was no longer willing to accept the airlines' assurances that they would individually take care of the matter. She formed the Coalition for an Airline Passengers' Bill of Rights and began soliciting members and funds. Today, more than 22,000 Americans have signed up with her, and her efforts are beginning to attract national attention. Among other things, she has now set up and staffed a telephone hotline -- tel. 877/FLYERS6 -- to receive reports of passenger hardships, so that her group may then use such reports to publicize the problem and pressure the Congress into action.
Though the airlines continue to proclaim "Trust us," it's increasingly apparent that none of them has yet agreed to return planes to the gate after a delay on the tarmac of, say, four hours. Not one has issued instructions to its staff requiring them to return the plane and permit passengers to get off because of an overly-extended delay. And though various state legislators are currently making noises about requirements that the airlines provide stranded planes with food, water and clean toilets, it is increasingly obvious that the only adequate remedy will be a single, clear, unambiguous requirement that they observe a fixed maximum of hours for leaving passengers involuntarily confined.
Other remedies are also badly needed, and those include requirements of "Truth in Scheduling," as the Coalition puts it. Flights are "deceptively scheduled," they say, if they "are late more than 70% of the time or ... are cancelled more than 8% of the time." Although there are websites (like www.flightstats.com) enabling the passenger to determine whether a particular flight is scheduled at such a pressured hour as to be late an inordinate number of times, such flights should be removed from schedules by the Federal Aviation Authority.
Go to strandedpassengers.blogspot.com for further information or to join the Coalition. You can also listen to a a Frommers.com podcast with Kate Hanna.
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In short, things are a mess. And eight years after the first widely-publicized, eight-hour stranding of passengers in 1999 by Northwest Airlines, no law exists compelling the airlines either to return to the gate after a four or five-hour delay in take off, or to insure that passengers receive food, water, ventilation, and clean toilet facilities during such delays.
When these delays re-occurred in February of this year, an airline passenger named Kate Hanni, of California, found that she was no longer willing to accept the airlines' assurances that they would individually take care of the matter. She formed the Coalition for an Airline Passengers' Bill of Rights and began soliciting members and funds. Today, more than 22,000 Americans have signed up with her, and her efforts are beginning to attract national attention. Among other things, she has now set up and staffed a telephone hotline -- tel. 877/FLYERS6 -- to receive reports of passenger hardships, so that her group may then use such reports to publicize the problem and pressure the Congress into action.
Though the airlines continue to proclaim "Trust us," it's increasingly apparent that none of them has yet agreed to return planes to the gate after a delay on the tarmac of, say, four hours. Not one has issued instructions to its staff requiring them to return the plane and permit passengers to get off because of an overly-extended delay. And though various state legislators are currently making noises about requirements that the airlines provide stranded planes with food, water and clean toilets, it is increasingly obvious that the only adequate remedy will be a single, clear, unambiguous requirement that they observe a fixed maximum of hours for leaving passengers involuntarily confined.
Other remedies are also badly needed, and those include requirements of "Truth in Scheduling," as the Coalition puts it. Flights are "deceptively scheduled," they say, if they "are late more than 70% of the time or ... are cancelled more than 8% of the time." Although there are websites (like www.flightstats.com) enabling the passenger to determine whether a particular flight is scheduled at such a pressured hour as to be late an inordinate number of times, such flights should be removed from schedules by the Federal Aviation Authority.
Go to strandedpassengers.blogspot.com for further information or to join the Coalition. You can also listen to a a Frommers.com podcast with Kate Hanna.
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Dec 19, 2007
If you'd like to read a serious analysis of the "card mill" controversy go to the Chicago Tribune's website
As you may know from previous posts, a number of companies have been accused of being "card mills" (firms in business primarily to sell identity cards naming the bearer as a travel agent), and I for one have warned readers to be extremely careful about paying out $400-or-so for such a card.
Several companies accused in that manner have, in turn, heatedly argued that they perform a legitimate function, enabling people to earn income from the sale of travel, after they have paid a hefty sum to obtain such a card.
The best analysis I've seen of those claims appeared in a December 9 issue of the Chicago Tribune, and you can read the article online. See, especially, the author's final statement claiming that "97% of the travel agents [buying such cards] lasted on average less than one year."
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Several companies accused in that manner have, in turn, heatedly argued that they perform a legitimate function, enabling people to earn income from the sale of travel, after they have paid a hefty sum to obtain such a card.
The best analysis I've seen of those claims appeared in a December 9 issue of the Chicago Tribune, and you can read the article online. See, especially, the author's final statement claiming that "97% of the travel agents [buying such cards] lasted on average less than one year."
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Labels: scams
With very little publicity, Go-Today.com is currently offering awesomely-cheap pricing for quick trips to China
Who would have dreamed that a quick trip to China was available from Go-Today.com (www.go-today.com)? Fresh from its triumphs as a package operator to Europe (where it consistently leads the field in low-cost weeklong air-and-land packages to London and Paris), and regarded by most travelers as simply a source for cheap package deals to Europe, Go-Today.com has suddenly blossomed as a source of short air-and-land trips to Shanghai and Beijing. In the month of February, you can buy air (from the west coast) to Beijing and five nights' hotel accommodations with breakfast there for as little as $949 per person. In the same time period, you can buy air (from the west coast) to Shanghai and five nights of room-with-breakfast for $999 per person.
Interestingly enough, lunch and dinner are not included -- you are actually expected to strike out on your own to any of numerous Chinese restaurants, and act like an intelligent human being exactly as you would have done on an independent tour of Europe. China has finally shaken off the group-travel straitjacket.
The cities from which these prices are valid include: Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Phoenix, Tucscon, Portland and Fresno.
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Interestingly enough, lunch and dinner are not included -- you are actually expected to strike out on your own to any of numerous Chinese restaurants, and act like an intelligent human being exactly as you would have done on an independent tour of Europe. China has finally shaken off the group-travel straitjacket.
The cities from which these prices are valid include: Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Phoenix, Tucscon, Portland and Fresno.
Write and read comments about this post.
So many giant cruiseships are scheduled to begin sailing in 2008 that the discounts will be humongous, almost beyond imagining
If there is any travel prediction we can make with confidence for 2008, it concerns the cruiseship industry. After a two-year slowdown in the construction of ships, the building frenzy has started up again, and a full dozen new ships -- most of them enormous vessels -- will go into operation in 2008, adding well over 20,000 berths a week to the industry's capacity. That means 1,000,000 new passengers must be induced to book these ships in the course of the year, and at a time of a slowing economy, that doesn't seem likely.
So what will happen? Discounts. We'll again see a rash of week-long Caribbean cruises selling for $499 a person. We'll see Mediterranean cruises reduced in price to below $1,000 a week per person. We'll see $599 cruises of Alaskan waters (a week in length), and cruises along the coast of South America for $899 per person for a week. It behooves you to become accustomed to the many services on the internet into which the cruise companies dump their cabins for distress sale, such as www.onlinevacationcenter.com, www.vacationstogo.com, www.cruisesonly.com, www.cruisewizard.com, and many others.
The ships that begin sailing in 2008 are the following: the MSC Fantasia carrying 3,900 passengers (that isn't a typo); the Independence of the Seas carrying 3,600 passengers; the Ruby Princess of Princess Cruises carrying 3,100 passengers; the Carnival Splendor carrying 3,000 passengers; the Celebrity Solstice carrying 2,900 passengers; the MSC Poesia carrying 2,600 passengers; the Norwegian Gem carrying 2,500 passengers; the Eurodam of Holland America Cruises carrying 2,000 passengers; and the Queen Victoria of the Cunard Line carrying 2,000 passengers (though it begins sailing this month, it will go into full-scale operation in January, 2008). In addition to these nine giants, at least three "premium" ships carrying from 400 to 800 passengers apiece will begin sailing in 2008.
That's quite a list. And it makes up the only segment of the travel industry whose prices are obviously going to drop, not rise, in 2008 -- albeit for a very special experience that isn't quite cruising but also isn't quite travel. These are, instead, enormous entertainment complexes, floating gymnasiums and theaters, for which the mind of man hasn't yet coined a name.
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So what will happen? Discounts. We'll again see a rash of week-long Caribbean cruises selling for $499 a person. We'll see Mediterranean cruises reduced in price to below $1,000 a week per person. We'll see $599 cruises of Alaskan waters (a week in length), and cruises along the coast of South America for $899 per person for a week. It behooves you to become accustomed to the many services on the internet into which the cruise companies dump their cabins for distress sale, such as www.onlinevacationcenter.com, www.vacationstogo.com, www.cruisesonly.com, www.cruisewizard.com, and many others.
The ships that begin sailing in 2008 are the following: the MSC Fantasia carrying 3,900 passengers (that isn't a typo); the Independence of the Seas carrying 3,600 passengers; the Ruby Princess of Princess Cruises carrying 3,100 passengers; the Carnival Splendor carrying 3,000 passengers; the Celebrity Solstice carrying 2,900 passengers; the MSC Poesia carrying 2,600 passengers; the Norwegian Gem carrying 2,500 passengers; the Eurodam of Holland America Cruises carrying 2,000 passengers; and the Queen Victoria of the Cunard Line carrying 2,000 passengers (though it begins sailing this month, it will go into full-scale operation in January, 2008). In addition to these nine giants, at least three "premium" ships carrying from 400 to 800 passengers apiece will begin sailing in 2008.
That's quite a list. And it makes up the only segment of the travel industry whose prices are obviously going to drop, not rise, in 2008 -- albeit for a very special experience that isn't quite cruising but also isn't quite travel. These are, instead, enormous entertainment complexes, floating gymnasiums and theaters, for which the mind of man hasn't yet coined a name.
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I got the strangest reaction when I recently suggested the adoption of a system for turning out lights in a hotel room
For a recent post about the conservation of energy, in which I discussed the European systems that turn off the lights within a hotel room the moment a guest leaves the room, I expected to receive broad expressions of approval from the hip readers of this blog. I thought they would applaud my suggestion that American hotels adopt the very same devices.
Would you believe, the typical response was critical. If the electricity was shut off, I was told, mobile phones and laptop computers could not be recharged while we were out of the room. Unthinkable! If the electricity was shut off, the air conditioning wouldn't continue while we were outside the room and the room would be hot when we came back, and would remain hot for a couple of minutes while the room was re-cooled. A hardship! If the electricity was shut off in winter, the room would be cold when we came back, and would take a couple of minutes to warm up. What a bummer!
And there you find the attitudes that presently prevent us from achieving a real reduction in the burning of fossil fuels to create energy. The same viewpoints find reprehensible the elimination of SUVs to improve gasoline mileage. Americans are apparently willing to accept all sorts of purely cosmetic touches in energy usage (leave hotel towels unwashed, recycle plastic cutlery), but unwilling to adopt a simple tactic -- turning off all lights in millions of unused hotel rooms -- that would, at one stroke, save infinitely more energy than all those do-gooder touches combined.
Isn't anyone among our readers willing to endorse the hotel proposal? Willing to exert pressure on hotel executives to adopt these simple devices? Willing to agitate about the fact that careless travelers, by failing to turn out the lights, are unnecessarily wasting enormous amounts of energy?
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Would you believe, the typical response was critical. If the electricity was shut off, I was told, mobile phones and laptop computers could not be recharged while we were out of the room. Unthinkable! If the electricity was shut off, the air conditioning wouldn't continue while we were outside the room and the room would be hot when we came back, and would remain hot for a couple of minutes while the room was re-cooled. A hardship! If the electricity was shut off in winter, the room would be cold when we came back, and would take a couple of minutes to warm up. What a bummer!
And there you find the attitudes that presently prevent us from achieving a real reduction in the burning of fossil fuels to create energy. The same viewpoints find reprehensible the elimination of SUVs to improve gasoline mileage. Americans are apparently willing to accept all sorts of purely cosmetic touches in energy usage (leave hotel towels unwashed, recycle plastic cutlery), but unwilling to adopt a simple tactic -- turning off all lights in millions of unused hotel rooms -- that would, at one stroke, save infinitely more energy than all those do-gooder touches combined.
Isn't anyone among our readers willing to endorse the hotel proposal? Willing to exert pressure on hotel executives to adopt these simple devices? Willing to agitate about the fact that careless travelers, by failing to turn out the lights, are unnecessarily wasting enormous amounts of energy?
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Labels: tips from readers
Dec 18, 2007
The moment you get to January 2, and throughout that month (and that month only), hotels in New York City go on sale
In early December, Gotham is chock-a-bloc with shoppers, and hotels record some of their highest occupancies. Things slump starting around December 20 (people want to stay home for the holidays), and except for New Year's Eve, they remain slow throughout January. If you'll go to www.quikbook.com, you'll discover that well-known New York hotels offer greatly-reduced rates for January stays: $144 per room per night is the lowest I've found for a three-night stay at the Paramount Hotel, but prices also go down to $170 per room per night for a three-night stay at the Time Hotel, $127 at the Milford Plaza, $102 at the Hotel Thirty Thirty (on West 30th Street in Manhattan), $136 at the Eastgate Tower Suite Hotel. If you've been thinking about a bout of theatre-going in New York City, January is the month to do it. Go to www.quikbook.com and you'll see.
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Labels: accommodations, bargains, new york city
In 2007, what was new and different in travel, and how do those developments affect our travels in 2008? (Second of a two-part series)
Yesterday I described five significant new travel developments that became apparent in 2007. Here are five more, which all of us should consider and absorb.
6) 2007 was a record year for passenger traffic on Amtrak, causing growing support in Congress for adequate, multi-year appropriations for the beleaguered national railway system. Attempts by anti-Amtrak forces to phase it out seem to have been thwarted -- and we should all rejoice. We should also give an edge to Amtrak in our travel planning.
7) A boom in the rental of vacation homes occurred in Orlando and other sunbelt locations, as well as abroad. New online services for renting vacation homes have been launched even by the hotel companies (see Wyndham Hotels' new EVRentals.com) that compete against the use of vacation homes.
8) There's been a surprising rise in the popularity among Americans of European river cruises, apparently seen to supply a pleasant and inexpensive method of touring the continent. A similar jump has occurred in the rental of self-skippered boats for cruises along the canals and other non-river waterways of Europe.
9) Foreign airfare "aggregators" -- notably, www.momondo.com of Denmark and www.mobissimo.com of Italy -- have attracted a major U.S. audience of technophiles who use these services even for obtaining low-cost airfares within the United States.
10) Priceline.com has made a surprising comeback, mainly in the rental of hotel rooms and cars. Apparently, large numbers of travelers felt in 2007 that they took no risk by bidding low prices for deluxe hotels whose ratings insure a good stay regardless of their identities.
Runners-up to these 10 most significant developments? They include: the recent startling rise in the number of zany Las Vegas weddings, filling the marriage chapels of that weird city; the growth of the vacation exchange industry (you stay in their home while they stay in yours), a tactic that received the supreme accolade in 2007 of a big Hollywood movie; the growing popularity of the re-positioning cruise spending many days simply at sea (since early in 2007, they are no longer so hard to sell); the emergence of free hospitality for young people using such websites as www.couchsurfing.com and www.globalfreeloaders.com. Have I missed any?
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6) 2007 was a record year for passenger traffic on Amtrak, causing growing support in Congress for adequate, multi-year appropriations for the beleaguered national railway system. Attempts by anti-Amtrak forces to phase it out seem to have been thwarted -- and we should all rejoice. We should also give an edge to Amtrak in our travel planning.
7) A boom in the rental of vacation homes occurred in Orlando and other sunbelt locations, as well as abroad. New online services for renting vacation homes have been launched even by the hotel companies (see Wyndham Hotels' new EVRentals.com) that compete against the use of vacation homes.
8) There's been a surprising rise in the popularity among Americans of European river cruises, apparently seen to supply a pleasant and inexpensive method of touring the continent. A similar jump has occurred in the rental of self-skippered boats for cruises along the canals and other non-river waterways of Europe.
9) Foreign airfare "aggregators" -- notably, www.momondo.com of Denmark and www.mobissimo.com of Italy -- have attracted a major U.S. audience of technophiles who use these services even for obtaining low-cost airfares within the United States.
10) Priceline.com has made a surprising comeback, mainly in the rental of hotel rooms and cars. Apparently, large numbers of travelers felt in 2007 that they took no risk by bidding low prices for deluxe hotels whose ratings insure a good stay regardless of their identities.
Runners-up to these 10 most significant developments? They include: the recent startling rise in the number of zany Las Vegas weddings, filling the marriage chapels of that weird city; the growth of the vacation exchange industry (you stay in their home while they stay in yours), a tactic that received the supreme accolade in 2007 of a big Hollywood movie; the growing popularity of the re-positioning cruise spending many days simply at sea (since early in 2007, they are no longer so hard to sell); the emergence of free hospitality for young people using such websites as www.couchsurfing.com and www.globalfreeloaders.com. Have I missed any?
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Hidden fees are erupting throughout the hotel and cruise industries. Inquire in advance, and tell them you won't book if extra charges are assessed
I've posted before about the resort fees that are proliferating in a great many standard hotels. You check out of an urban property and learn that $20 a day has been added to your bill for a fitness room you never entered, for an in-room safe that remained untouched, for a coffee maker you never used. It's becoming more and more important to inquire as to whether the hotel plans such unanticipated fees, and then to demand that they not be charged as a condition of your rental.
Note, too, that cancellation charges have recently skyrocketed. Time was when you could cancel without penalty up until 24 hours in advance of arrival. At many hotels, that right will now require a full week's advance notice. Again, inquire in advance, and get some indication -- like an e-mail sent to your home address -- that reasonable cancellation penalties will be in effect.
And then there's the most recent ploy: fuel surcharges. As of next month, hotels in Jamaica (other than the Sandals properties, which have publicly and adamantly refused to impose them) will begin charging up to an extra $10 more per night to guests. The reason given is -- you got it -- because of rising energy costs.
I'm sorry, but $10 a day is mathematically excessive to me (and apparently was so regarded by the Sandals chain). Unless tourists are bringing their electric cars to Jamaica and charging them up using the bathroom outlets, there is little chance that anyone could use the equivalent of an additional $10 of electricity in a day's vacation.
And it gets worse. Just before Thanksgiving, many of the major cruise lines tacked on their own fuel surcharges, despite the fact that many guests had already agreed upon a lower price. The extra charge amounts to $5 to $7 per passenger per day. Multiplied out for a ship carrying 2,500 passengers on a week's cruise, the $7 fee comes to an additional $123,000 for the line, which seems greatly excessive. (I haven't actually seen the ledgers that would prove the need, but I doubt that the cruise ships, which are flagged internationally and don't have to open their books to American oversight, would be in a rush to show me what their accountants have concluded.)
Extra fees are usually a major sign of disrespect that a company has for its customers. They are an indication that the company you're dealing with sees you as a walking dollar sign and not as someone to be pleased by a superior product.
Such disrespectful treatment of consumers will bounce back to haunt the companies that deploy surcharges lightly.
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Note, too, that cancellation charges have recently skyrocketed. Time was when you could cancel without penalty up until 24 hours in advance of arrival. At many hotels, that right will now require a full week's advance notice. Again, inquire in advance, and get some indication -- like an e-mail sent to your home address -- that reasonable cancellation penalties will be in effect.
And then there's the most recent ploy: fuel surcharges. As of next month, hotels in Jamaica (other than the Sandals properties, which have publicly and adamantly refused to impose them) will begin charging up to an extra $10 more per night to guests. The reason given is -- you got it -- because of rising energy costs.
I'm sorry, but $10 a day is mathematically excessive to me (and apparently was so regarded by the Sandals chain). Unless tourists are bringing their electric cars to Jamaica and charging them up using the bathroom outlets, there is little chance that anyone could use the equivalent of an additional $10 of electricity in a day's vacation.
And it gets worse. Just before Thanksgiving, many of the major cruise lines tacked on their own fuel surcharges, despite the fact that many guests had already agreed upon a lower price. The extra charge amounts to $5 to $7 per passenger per day. Multiplied out for a ship carrying 2,500 passengers on a week's cruise, the $7 fee comes to an additional $123,000 for the line, which seems greatly excessive. (I haven't actually seen the ledgers that would prove the need, but I doubt that the cruise ships, which are flagged internationally and don't have to open their books to American oversight, would be in a rush to show me what their accountants have concluded.)
Extra fees are usually a major sign of disrespect that a company has for its customers. They are an indication that the company you're dealing with sees you as a walking dollar sign and not as someone to be pleased by a superior product.
Such disrespectful treatment of consumers will bounce back to haunt the companies that deploy surcharges lightly.
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Labels: accommodations, cruises
A news clip circulated on the internet makes the strong point that you should never drink out of glasses left for your use in hotel rooms
Go to www.bestviral.com, watch this video about housekeeping and in all your future trips, you'll carry throwaway paper cups or plastic glasses. I have no way of knowing whether the "science" in this little screed is at all accurate, but so many travelers have forwarded this video-essay to me that I felt obligated to pass it on. There's a follow-up story that's even more disturbing. Any comments?
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Labels: accommodations, health
Dec 17, 2007
What was new and different about vacation travel in 2007, and what will we travelers need to keep in mind for 2008? (First of a two-part series)
As we near the end of 2007, it may be helpful to review the chief travel developments of the year that's about to end. What was new and different in travel, and how will those developments affect our future travels?
1) The Dollar comes first. It plummeted against the Euro and the British Pound, greatly reducing the number of Americans traveling trans-Atlantic (a 20% drop, says the U.S. Tour Operators Association). Future consequences of that? We cost-conscious travelers will now need either to consider traveling to new destinations (Central and South America, Eastern Europe, or most of Asia where the dollar remains strong) or become more willing to use ultra-inexpensive lodgings (private homestays, weekly apartments, vacation exchanges) in Western Europe.
2) Cruiseships exploded in size. With the exception of a very few hyper-expensive ships, virtually every new, normally priced cruiseship is being designed to carry 2,500, 3,000 or 4,000 passengers apiece. Cruises have thereby become an activity for crowds, and the nature of the experience is greatly altered. Persons preferring a quiet, maritime interlude will need to keep a sharp eye for the occasional discounts offered by small luxury cruiseships.
3) Central America has soared in popularity. In addition to Costa Rica, awash in tourism, increasing numbers of Americans are traveling or thinking about traveling to Panama, Honduras and Nicaragua. The construction of condominiums in Panama has surpassed Miami levels, and numerous American retirees are making exploratory trips there.
4) Medical and dental tourism have recently attracted record numbers of Americans to health facilities in Thailand, Singapore, northern Mexico, South Korea, Hungary, Costa Rica, and Rio de Janeiro. A number of serious books favorably commenting on accredited hospitals in those countries have overcome the former reluctance to seek low-cost medical and dental treatment outside the United States.
5) It has become clear throughout the past year that a U.S. passport will become a necessity for Americans traveling by land, sea or air from any foreign nation into the United States. Travelers will anxiously scan the news reports for evidence that the U.S. State Department is able to issue such passports expeditiously.
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1) The Dollar comes first. It plummeted against the Euro and the British Pound, greatly reducing the number of Americans traveling trans-Atlantic (a 20% drop, says the U.S. Tour Operators Association). Future consequences of that? We cost-conscious travelers will now need either to consider traveling to new destinations (Central and South America, Eastern Europe, or most of Asia where the dollar remains strong) or become more willing to use ultra-inexpensive lodgings (private homestays, weekly apartments, vacation exchanges) in Western Europe.
2) Cruiseships exploded in size. With the exception of a very few hyper-expensive ships, virtually every new, normally priced cruiseship is being designed to carry 2,500, 3,000 or 4,000 passengers apiece. Cruises have thereby become an activity for crowds, and the nature of the experience is greatly altered. Persons preferring a quiet, maritime interlude will need to keep a sharp eye for the occasional discounts offered by small luxury cruiseships.
3) Central America has soared in popularity. In addition to Costa Rica, awash in tourism, increasing numbers of Americans are traveling or thinking about traveling to Panama, Honduras and Nicaragua. The construction of condominiums in Panama has surpassed Miami levels, and numerous American retirees are making exploratory trips there.
4) Medical and dental tourism have recently attracted record numbers of Americans to health facilities in Thailand, Singapore, northern Mexico, South Korea, Hungary, Costa Rica, and Rio de Janeiro. A number of serious books favorably commenting on accredited hospitals in those countries have overcome the former reluctance to seek low-cost medical and dental treatment outside the United States.
5) It has become clear throughout the past year that a U.S. passport will become a necessity for Americans traveling by land, sea or air from any foreign nation into the United States. Travelers will anxiously scan the news reports for evidence that the U.S. State Department is able to issue such passports expeditiously.
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Labels: tips
At a time when foreign tourism to the U.S. is heavily down, the State Department has just raised the incoming visa fee to $131
From those super-capable folks who gave us back-logged passports, here's an incomprehensible increase in the fee for incoming visas. While other branches of the U.S. government are frantically attempting to attract more foreign tourists to the United States, the Department of State has just raised the fee for a U.S. visa to $131 from its former level of $100. A couple traveling to New York from, let's say, India or Panama, will now have to pay $262 just for visas enabling them to come here. And multitudes of foreign tourists may just decide to go to Australia or Argentina rather than the U.S.
As you may recall from my earlier posts, tourism to the United States is down by about 20% from the levels it enjoyed prior to September 11. (By contrast, most other western nations are reporting greatly increased tourism.) The loss to our economy from such lesser tourist numbers amounts to tens of billions of dollars each year, with billions of dollars in lost taxes, and hundreds of thousands of lost jobs.
Yet on December 13, the State Department announced that it will increase the application fee for non-immigrant visas by more than 30%, from $100 to $131, to "pay for increased processing costs." Because of State's desire for, say, ten million dollars more in visa fees, the United States economy may lose tens of billions of dollars. Obviously, no one is coordinating these decisions with those of other branches of government or pursuing a consistent policy to encourage incoming tourism.
Note that the State Department's action has nothing to do with security issues. Terrorists will have no problem paying another $31 dollars for their visas. But hundreds of thousands of potential visitors facing a burdensome charge, may decide not to come here.
And since many other foreign nations charge an exactly equal, tit-for-tat fee to our citizens wanting visas to visit their countries, our travelers will now need to pay an additional $31 to visit such countries as Brazil, Turkey, or Russia. Countries that formerly extracted a fee of $100 from an American tourist, will now charge $131.
It's another example of an unfocused Executive Branch, with no one tending the store.
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As you may recall from my earlier posts, tourism to the United States is down by about 20% from the levels it enjoyed prior to September 11. (By contrast, most other western nations are reporting greatly increased tourism.) The loss to our economy from such lesser tourist numbers amounts to tens of billions of dollars each year, with billions of dollars in lost taxes, and hundreds of thousands of lost jobs.
Yet on December 13, the State Department announced that it will increase the application fee for non-immigrant visas by more than 30%, from $100 to $131, to "pay for increased processing costs." Because of State's desire for, say, ten million dollars more in visa fees, the United States economy may lose tens of billions of dollars. Obviously, no one is coordinating these decisions with those of other branches of government or pursuing a consistent policy to encourage incoming tourism.
Note that the State Department's action has nothing to do with security issues. Terrorists will have no problem paying another $31 dollars for their visas. But hundreds of thousands of potential visitors facing a burdensome charge, may decide not to come here.
And since many other foreign nations charge an exactly equal, tit-for-tat fee to our citizens wanting visas to visit their countries, our travelers will now need to pay an additional $31 to visit such countries as Brazil, Turkey, or Russia. Countries that formerly extracted a fee of $100 from an American tourist, will now charge $131.
It's another example of an unfocused Executive Branch, with no one tending the store.
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Labels: passports, red tape, visas
If you used a MasterCard or Visa credit card while traveling abroad between February 1996 and November 2006, you can now earn $25
The settlement of a class action lawsuit against major U.S. bank-issued credit cards (Visa and MasterCards from Chase, Bank of America, Citibank, Bank One, HSBC, MBNA or Washington Mutual/Providian) provides that users of those cards during a ten-year period may not have received fair notice that the banks were deducting fees of 1% to 3% on each foreign transaction (like buying a bottle of wine in a French shop). Accordingly, a $336 million-dollar fund has been created to compensate those credit card holders.
If you are willing to undergo a long process of actually proving the amount of your overseas credit card purchases during that period, you will receive a refund of 1% to 3%. If you're unwilling to gather the proof and present it in written form, you can instead opt to receive $25 in full and final settlement of your own claims. Millions of Americans will take the $25 -- and run.
Papers were mailed out this past week to multitudes of credit card owners asking them to opt one way or the other for the refund they'll get. If you haven't received such a document, then visit www.ccfsettlement.com or tel. 800/945-9890 to get the necessary forms. Filing for $25 shouldn't take more than a few minutes, though it's important to bear in mind that payments won't actually be mailed out until a great deal of procedural steps are first taken.
There's additional discussion of the class action settlement at www.travelfinances.com, and if you're thinking of possibly holding out for a recovery larger than $25, you might take a look at that discussion, too.
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If you are willing to undergo a long process of actually proving the amount of your overseas credit card purchases during that period, you will receive a refund of 1% to 3%. If you're unwilling to gather the proof and present it in written form, you can instead opt to receive $25 in full and final settlement of your own claims. Millions of Americans will take the $25 -- and run.
Papers were mailed out this past week to multitudes of credit card owners asking them to opt one way or the other for the refund they'll get. If you haven't received such a document, then visit www.ccfsettlement.com or tel. 800/945-9890 to get the necessary forms. Filing for $25 shouldn't take more than a few minutes, though it's important to bear in mind that payments won't actually be mailed out until a great deal of procedural steps are first taken.
There's additional discussion of the class action settlement at www.travelfinances.com, and if you're thinking of possibly holding out for a recovery larger than $25, you might take a look at that discussion, too.
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Labels: money
A long-established British tour operator has come to the aid of single persons traveling alone
Among the most frequent questions on my weekly Travel Show (Sundays from noon to 2pm; otherwise heard by podcast at www.wor710.com) presented by my daughter and myself, has to do with the vacation woes of single persons traveling alone. How can they avoid a single room supplement and other discriminations?
That problem has plagued the travel industry since the world began. Since hotel rooms are typically designed to hold couples, those who wish to travel alone will often have to pay two times as much per person -- once for themselves and once for the person who isn't accompanying them -- for the privilege of going anywhere.
The major cruise lines once made special arrangements for single travelers, and if a solo tourist needed a roommate, many of the major companies would often help matchmake them with other solo travelers. No more. Now, the onus is on the traveler to fill the spot in the cot beside them.
I have recently found a company based in Britain, SpeedBreaks (www.speedbreaks.co.uk) that specializes in singles' travel. It began simply as a tour operator for singles' weekend trips from London and has grown to include vacations of many lengths and to a variety of European locations. In all cases, it aims to supply single people with trips at a reasonable rate.
Those rates, it must be said, are most reasonable to British tourists, who pay in pounds. Americans, who must pay about $2 per British pound, will find them slightly less reasonable, but considering how rare it is to find an upstanding singles' travel company with plenty of departures from which to choose, even the exchange rate-hobbled prices of SpeedBreak are worth considering, and there's no denying that many of its trips will qualify as unusual and interesting to most American tourists.
Prices are usually around £250 to £300 for three- and four-night trips, which isn't spectacular, but isn't bad for singles' travel. One of its walking tours of the Cinque Terre goes for £400 for five nights. A six-night cycling tour of Catalonia is £429. Neither of those includes airfare, leaving participants to get there on their own, but they do include meals and hotel. For the best prices, you must share a room with another participant (so SpeedBreaks doesn't actually solve the problem of sleeping single in a double room -- it merely introduces participants to other singles), although its single-room rates don't usually seem outrageous, either.
The company's skiing vacations are particularly popular; everything in December has sold out. Later this winter, rates are along the lines of £729 for a seven-night trip to Flaine, in the French Alps, which happily includes flights from London. Another trip, set for late February in Crans Montana, Switzerland, goes for £600 for seven nights, once again including flights from the U.K. Skiing in Italy in March, at the tail end of the season, costs just £419 for seven nights, flights not included.
I was particularly gratified to see the inclusion of a "One-Parent Family Ski Week," to be held in April (over Easter) in the French Alps, that goes for £800 for seven nights, including flights. (Again, if you were British, that would be a remarkable price. It's just the exchange rate that makes it less spectacular.) If it sells well, expect the company to add more products for one-parent families.
Trips, which are described on the company website, also include sailing in the Mediterranean, beach vacations in Egypt, and interestingly, single-day meet-and-greet activity days throughout London.
Don't expect a beer-soaked romp in Ibiza from the company, through. "Our events are great fun but aimed at adults," explains the SpeedBreak website. "If you're expecting an 18-30 atmosphere you've probably come to the wrong place."
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That problem has plagued the travel industry since the world began. Since hotel rooms are typically designed to hold couples, those who wish to travel alone will often have to pay two times as much per person -- once for themselves and once for the person who isn't accompanying them -- for the privilege of going anywhere.
The major cruise lines once made special arrangements for single travelers, and if a solo tourist needed a roommate, many of the major companies would often help matchmake them with other solo travelers. No more. Now, the onus is on the traveler to fill the spot in the cot beside them.
I have recently found a company based in Britain, SpeedBreaks (www.speedbreaks.co.uk) that specializes in singles' travel. It began simply as a tour operator for singles' weekend trips from London and has grown to include vacations of many lengths and to a variety of European locations. In all cases, it aims to supply single people with trips at a reasonable rate.
Those rates, it must be said, are most reasonable to British tourists, who pay in pounds. Americans, who must pay about $2 per British pound, will find them slightly less reasonable, but considering how rare it is to find an upstanding singles' travel company with plenty of departures from which to choose, even the exchange rate-hobbled prices of SpeedBreak are worth considering, and there's no denying that many of its trips will qualify as unusual and interesting to most American tourists.
Prices are usually around £250 to £300 for three- and four-night trips, which isn't spectacular, but isn't bad for singles' travel. One of its walking tours of the Cinque Terre goes for £400 for five nights. A six-night cycling tour of Catalonia is £429. Neither of those includes airfare, leaving participants to get there on their own, but they do include meals and hotel. For the best prices, you must share a room with another participant (so SpeedBreaks doesn't actually solve the problem of sleeping single in a double room -- it merely introduces participants to other singles), although its single-room rates don't usually seem outrageous, either.
The company's skiing vacations are particularly popular; everything in December has sold out. Later this winter, rates are along the lines of £729 for a seven-night trip to Flaine, in the French Alps, which happily includes flights from London. Another trip, set for late February in Crans Montana, Switzerland, goes for £600 for seven nights, once again including flights from the U.K. Skiing in Italy in March, at the tail end of the season, costs just £419 for seven nights, flights not included.
I was particularly gratified to see the inclusion of a "One-Parent Family Ski Week," to be held in April (over Easter) in the French Alps, that goes for £800 for seven nights, including flights. (Again, if you were British, that would be a remarkable price. It's just the exchange rate that makes it less spectacular.) If it sells well, expect the company to add more products for one-parent families.
Trips, which are described on the company website, also include sailing in the Mediterranean, beach vacations in Egypt, and interestingly, single-day meet-and-greet activity days throughout London.
Don't expect a beer-soaked romp in Ibiza from the company, through. "Our events are great fun but aimed at adults," explains the SpeedBreak website. "If you're expecting an 18-30 atmosphere you've probably come to the wrong place."
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Labels: singles, tour companies
Fifty years ago, 
Arthur Frommer is generally acknowledged to be the nation's foremost travel authority. He is the founder of the
