Jan 25, 2008
Tune in to "The Travel Show" this Sunday (January 27), and you'll learn about a remarkable sale of 1,000 trans-Atlantic seats for April
On "The Travel Show" this coming Sunday, noon to 2pm EST on the WOR Radio Network, we'll be playing two commercials that announce a remarkable trans-Atlantic airfare sale for departures in April. The news is embargoed until then, and I am unable to reveal the details prior to when the commercials are aired. But these bargains are so low in price that all 1,000 seats will undoubtedly be sold very shortly after the announcement is made. They will first be revealed only on "The Travel Show" and will not be made available to other news outlets until at least the following day.
You can hear the program over radio station WOR in New York (710AM in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut), on radio station KGIL in southern California (1260 and 540AM in Los Angeles and San Diego, respectively, presented from 9-11am PST), and on a hundred other stations scattered throughout the country, in most states.
If you are not in a city whose major station carries "The Travel Show," you can nevertheless listen to it live (noon to 2pm EST) anywhere in the United States, via streaming audio on your computer. Simply go online at six minutes past noon to www.wor710.com (the program starts after six minutes of news) and click on the button for listening to the program live. You'll hear it just as well as if you had tuned in a half-block from the originating station.
Without giving away the offer: these are round-trip trans-Atlantic tickets sold at a price so low that you'll be stunned. And then you'll learn that the astonishing price includes -- repeat, includes -- the $200-or-so fuel surcharge that is normally added by most airlines to their ticket prices. The seats are on flights leaving three times a week in April, to a glorious trans-Atlantic destination, allowing you to enjoy a European vacation at the kind of price that was charged 30 years ago.
1,000 seats will be made available at that price, and airline telephone reservationists will be on hand all Sunday afternoon to accept bookings.
"The Travel Show," presented nationwide by my daughter and myself, has thus been permitted to enable its listeners to gain a jump over the remainder of the nation. I, for one, believe all 1,000 seats will be sold by the end of the day on Sunday.
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You can hear the program over radio station WOR in New York (710AM in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut), on radio station KGIL in southern California (1260 and 540AM in Los Angeles and San Diego, respectively, presented from 9-11am PST), and on a hundred other stations scattered throughout the country, in most states.
If you are not in a city whose major station carries "The Travel Show," you can nevertheless listen to it live (noon to 2pm EST) anywhere in the United States, via streaming audio on your computer. Simply go online at six minutes past noon to www.wor710.com (the program starts after six minutes of news) and click on the button for listening to the program live. You'll hear it just as well as if you had tuned in a half-block from the originating station.
Without giving away the offer: these are round-trip trans-Atlantic tickets sold at a price so low that you'll be stunned. And then you'll learn that the astonishing price includes -- repeat, includes -- the $200-or-so fuel surcharge that is normally added by most airlines to their ticket prices. The seats are on flights leaving three times a week in April, to a glorious trans-Atlantic destination, allowing you to enjoy a European vacation at the kind of price that was charged 30 years ago.
1,000 seats will be made available at that price, and airline telephone reservationists will be on hand all Sunday afternoon to accept bookings.
"The Travel Show," presented nationwide by my daughter and myself, has thus been permitted to enable its listeners to gain a jump over the remainder of the nation. I, for one, believe all 1,000 seats will be sold by the end of the day on Sunday.
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It's those short-haul flights that are jamming up our airports and airways
My wife and I flew to Sanibel, Florida (reached via the Ft. Myers airport) on JetBlue, boarding at what is probably the busiest and most crowded terminal building in all of America. JetBlue at JFK Airport is a scene from an all-year-around New Year's Eve, crammed with hordes of people standing patiently in line to pass through security, looking for empty seats in which to rest, surging to the gates when a flight is announced. And why is JetBlue so busy? A glance at the departures board tells the story.
Flights from New York City to Rochester, New York, less than 350 miles away. Flights to Buffalo, New York. To Syracuse, New York. To Portland, Maine. To Burlington, Vermont. To Richmond, Virginia. All of them short, under-one-hour flights, each scheduled for several departures a day, and using up a large percentage of JetBlue's total take-offs and landing.
Not one of these close-in places should be reached by airplane from New York. They should be serviced by train -- by trains on high-speed tracks. If we had such trains, we could radically reduce congestion in the skies. We could return to an efficient, comfortable aviation system, and conserve giant amounts of fuel at the same time.
We urgently need to increase the appropriations for Amtrak and permit that system to grow and get faster.
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Flights from New York City to Rochester, New York, less than 350 miles away. Flights to Buffalo, New York. To Syracuse, New York. To Portland, Maine. To Burlington, Vermont. To Richmond, Virginia. All of them short, under-one-hour flights, each scheduled for several departures a day, and using up a large percentage of JetBlue's total take-offs and landing.
Not one of these close-in places should be reached by airplane from New York. They should be serviced by train -- by trains on high-speed tracks. If we had such trains, we could radically reduce congestion in the skies. We could return to an efficient, comfortable aviation system, and conserve giant amounts of fuel at the same time.
We urgently need to increase the appropriations for Amtrak and permit that system to grow and get faster.
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Labels: airlines, amtrak, trains
I've just spent another winter week at "Ding" Darling -- and heartily recommend the experience
From the land of the yellow-crowned night heron and the roseate spoonbill, let me greet you. I've been blogging this past week from Sanibel Island, on the Gulf of Mexico off the west coast of Florida, where the chief attraction is the J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge. So to those of you who regard my mind-set as disgustingly political, how's this for a change of pace?
The "Ding" Darling preserve is one of several hundred national areas designed for wildlife and not for people. Although there's a road and many paths throughout the giant area, there are no accommodations or food services. You visit the preserve simply to view wildlife in the raw -- here consisting of two hundred species of birds that feed on fish and crabs in the estuaries scattered throughout the preserve -- without interfering with their exclusive ownership of the entire domain. Just minutes ago, I saw a heron stalk, catch and then devour a crab that had been peacefully making its way across the marshes.
J.N. "Ding" Darling was a nationally-syndicated political cartoonist of the Des Moines Register in the 1920s and 1930s, a man violently opposed to the politics of Franklin D. Roosevelt, but also a fierce conservationist. It says something about the brilliance and character of Roosevelt that he chose Darling to head up a federal bureau that eventually became our U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. In charge of that agency, Darling not only created scores of National Wildlife Refuges but also fought and defeated the real estate developers who were just then discovering and developing Sanibel Island.
Darling succeeded in saving a large part of Sanibel from the builders of condos, who were mainly relegated to erecting these lodgings for transient visitors along the beach, but not inland. My wife and I have been enjoying one of those moderately priced condo rentals this week.
I can't imagine a more compelling National Wildlife Refuge than "Ding" Darling. Its atmosphere is magical, its lakes (estuaries) and marshes are the scene of an endless theatrical experience as you watch hundreds of colorful and large birds (pelicans, especially) make use of the food and protection that the Wildlife Refuge affords to them.
January-through-March are the peak months here, but the wildlife are active and in attendance throughout the year, as are the lodgings, restaurants and shops concentrated away from "Ding" Darling. An hour south of here is Naples, Florida, which some have claimed to be the fastest-growing city of the United States. But here the atmosphere is far more laid-back and quiet, almost "small town" in feeling, and the big thing to do consists of searching for shells on the beaches after you have spent several hours at "Ding" Darling.
I'll be returning to New York City and all the fierce travel issues this Saturday.
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The "Ding" Darling preserve is one of several hundred national areas designed for wildlife and not for people. Although there's a road and many paths throughout the giant area, there are no accommodations or food services. You visit the preserve simply to view wildlife in the raw -- here consisting of two hundred species of birds that feed on fish and crabs in the estuaries scattered throughout the preserve -- without interfering with their exclusive ownership of the entire domain. Just minutes ago, I saw a heron stalk, catch and then devour a crab that had been peacefully making its way across the marshes.
J.N. "Ding" Darling was a nationally-syndicated political cartoonist of the Des Moines Register in the 1920s and 1930s, a man violently opposed to the politics of Franklin D. Roosevelt, but also a fierce conservationist. It says something about the brilliance and character of Roosevelt that he chose Darling to head up a federal bureau that eventually became our U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. In charge of that agency, Darling not only created scores of National Wildlife Refuges but also fought and defeated the real estate developers who were just then discovering and developing Sanibel Island.
Darling succeeded in saving a large part of Sanibel from the builders of condos, who were mainly relegated to erecting these lodgings for transient visitors along the beach, but not inland. My wife and I have been enjoying one of those moderately priced condo rentals this week.
I can't imagine a more compelling National Wildlife Refuge than "Ding" Darling. Its atmosphere is magical, its lakes (estuaries) and marshes are the scene of an endless theatrical experience as you watch hundreds of colorful and large birds (pelicans, especially) make use of the food and protection that the Wildlife Refuge affords to them.
January-through-March are the peak months here, but the wildlife are active and in attendance throughout the year, as are the lodgings, restaurants and shops concentrated away from "Ding" Darling. An hour south of here is Naples, Florida, which some have claimed to be the fastest-growing city of the United States. But here the atmosphere is far more laid-back and quiet, almost "small town" in feeling, and the big thing to do consists of searching for shells on the beaches after you have spent several hours at "Ding" Darling.
I'll be returning to New York City and all the fierce travel issues this Saturday.
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Labels: florida, parks, sanibel
Jan 24, 2008
My ten tips for eating inexpensively in Europe have now been increased to 17
In July of last year, I wrote about eating in Europe and suggested ten ways to keep down the tab. After much reflection (and suggestions from friends), I've concluded that an additional seven approaches are needed to fully cover the topic. Here they are:
11.) Call up for take-out. You can order pizza delivery in Italy just as you do at home, or stop by a grocery store to pick up the ingredients of a home-cooked meal (it helps if you have a kitchenette, though its also easy to cobble together a more picnic-style meal that doesn't require cooking). Many restaurants in Europe let you order to go, so you can enjoy your meal in the comfort of your hotel room without paying cover charges, service fees, or tips (plus, take-out makes it much easier to order fewer dishes per person and then share them).
12.) Skip the main course. Frankly, cooked meat tastes pretty much the same everywhere -- so you don't get much of a cultural experience from ordering it -- yet main courses are the priciest items on any menu. I'd advise to skip the steak and concentrate on a medley of appetizers, first courses, and desserts. Not only will this save you the cost of the entrees, but by ordering a kaleidoscope of first courses you get to sample far more of the dishes that make the local cuisine special.
13.) Stick with the house wine or local beer. Don't bother paying $40 for a labeled bottle when a liter carafe of the house red or white will almost invariably be just as tasty and just as genuine yet cost less than $15. In beer countries (Germany-speaking nations, the Low Countries, much of Eastern Europe), just order whatever's on tap -- at home you'd pay through the nose for such an "import;" the locals consider it the 50¢ draft.
14.) Drink tap water. The water in Europe is perfectly safe to drink. Most Europeans order mineral water with their meals to the tune of $3 to $5 a bottle. A carafe of tap water is free. You do the math.
15.) Patronize pricey restaurants only at lunch. If you want to splash out on a fine restaurant in Paris, by all means do so -- but go at lunch, when the prices are frequently and mysteriously much lower than at dinner, or when a set lunch menu may be available, allowing you to sample the haute cuisine without paying the haute price.
16.) Order the tourist menu or fixed-price menu. Most restaurants in Europe offer set-priced meals that cost a good 10% to 25% less than à la carte. Some deals are better than others (the best include wine, water, dessert, and coffee), and for some reason a "fixed-price menu" usually offers more options (but slightly higher prices) than a "tourist menu," where your choice is usually pasta with tomato sauce followed by roast chicken or veal and fruit or dessert.
17.) Always ask, "Is service included?" This might be printed at the bottom of the menu, but even if it is not, always ask (and call it "service," a word more widely understood than "tip"). It's usually 10% to 15%, which is standard in Europe. Whatever you do, don't double-tip. If service is included, you needn't pay anything beyond the total on the bill. However, if the waitstaff were particularly good, feel free to leave behind an extra euro per person to show your appreciation.
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11.) Call up for take-out. You can order pizza delivery in Italy just as you do at home, or stop by a grocery store to pick up the ingredients of a home-cooked meal (it helps if you have a kitchenette, though its also easy to cobble together a more picnic-style meal that doesn't require cooking). Many restaurants in Europe let you order to go, so you can enjoy your meal in the comfort of your hotel room without paying cover charges, service fees, or tips (plus, take-out makes it much easier to order fewer dishes per person and then share them).
12.) Skip the main course. Frankly, cooked meat tastes pretty much the same everywhere -- so you don't get much of a cultural experience from ordering it -- yet main courses are the priciest items on any menu. I'd advise to skip the steak and concentrate on a medley of appetizers, first courses, and desserts. Not only will this save you the cost of the entrees, but by ordering a kaleidoscope of first courses you get to sample far more of the dishes that make the local cuisine special.
13.) Stick with the house wine or local beer. Don't bother paying $40 for a labeled bottle when a liter carafe of the house red or white will almost invariably be just as tasty and just as genuine yet cost less than $15. In beer countries (Germany-speaking nations, the Low Countries, much of Eastern Europe), just order whatever's on tap -- at home you'd pay through the nose for such an "import;" the locals consider it the 50¢ draft.
14.) Drink tap water. The water in Europe is perfectly safe to drink. Most Europeans order mineral water with their meals to the tune of $3 to $5 a bottle. A carafe of tap water is free. You do the math.
15.) Patronize pricey restaurants only at lunch. If you want to splash out on a fine restaurant in Paris, by all means do so -- but go at lunch, when the prices are frequently and mysteriously much lower than at dinner, or when a set lunch menu may be available, allowing you to sample the haute cuisine without paying the haute price.
16.) Order the tourist menu or fixed-price menu. Most restaurants in Europe offer set-priced meals that cost a good 10% to 25% less than à la carte. Some deals are better than others (the best include wine, water, dessert, and coffee), and for some reason a "fixed-price menu" usually offers more options (but slightly higher prices) than a "tourist menu," where your choice is usually pasta with tomato sauce followed by roast chicken or veal and fruit or dessert.
17.) Always ask, "Is service included?" This might be printed at the bottom of the menu, but even if it is not, always ask (and call it "service," a word more widely understood than "tip"). It's usually 10% to 15%, which is standard in Europe. Whatever you do, don't double-tip. If service is included, you needn't pay anything beyond the total on the bill. However, if the waitstaff were particularly good, feel free to leave behind an extra euro per person to show your appreciation.
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Where in the tropics can you avoid the peak-winter crowds? I have two suggestions
We are approaching February and March, the two most heavily-booked months in winter travel to Central America and Mexico. Most destinations in the Caribbean, Central America and Mexico will be jam-packed at costly rates -- except for two:
The Mexican State of Nayarit, an hour or so north of Puerto Vallarta, on the Pacific Coast, is an up-and-coming beach area that is as yet unknown to most Americans. I wrote about it several months ago, and again commend it to you. Its peak-winter rates will be far below the levels charged elsewhere on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, and its unspoiled towns and villages will be a delight to visit. San Blas, Guayabitos, and Nuevo Vallarta, are the towns to choose, and the most casual search will turn up major winter bargains.
And then there's the Honduras location for scuba-diving and snorkeling that's been overshadowed to date by the thriving Roatan, in the Bay Islands of that nation. The island of Utila is currently like Roatan used to be, and is frequently recommended by connoisseurs of scuba locations. Go to AboutUtila.com (www.aboututila.com), click on various houses and apartments for rent, and you'll be agreeably surprised by the bargains available to you in this smallest and least developed of the Bay Islands of Honduras.
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The Mexican State of Nayarit, an hour or so north of Puerto Vallarta, on the Pacific Coast, is an up-and-coming beach area that is as yet unknown to most Americans. I wrote about it several months ago, and again commend it to you. Its peak-winter rates will be far below the levels charged elsewhere on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, and its unspoiled towns and villages will be a delight to visit. San Blas, Guayabitos, and Nuevo Vallarta, are the towns to choose, and the most casual search will turn up major winter bargains.
And then there's the Honduras location for scuba-diving and snorkeling that's been overshadowed to date by the thriving Roatan, in the Bay Islands of that nation. The island of Utila is currently like Roatan used to be, and is frequently recommended by connoisseurs of scuba locations. Go to AboutUtila.com (www.aboututila.com), click on various houses and apartments for rent, and you'll be agreeably surprised by the bargains available to you in this smallest and least developed of the Bay Islands of Honduras.
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Additional information is emerging from China about the glut in hotel capacity that will exist immediately after the Summer Olympics
Repeating a point I made in one of yesterday's posts: if you are able to schedule your next vacation for the autumn, you may very well want it to be in China. A final tabulation of the hotel rooms now in construction (and about to open) in Beijing show that nearly 15,000 new rooms will have been added to the city's hotel capacity by the time of the Olympics -- a giant increase in Beijing's ability to accommodate visitors. There will be major discounting, and numerous "deals," offered to persons arriving during the last days of August, shortly after the Games have ended. If I were planning an independent trip to China scheduled for the autumn, I would send an e-mail to my preferred hotel stating that "I am looking for a room costing no more than [and here name a cheap but respectable price] per night." The chances, in my view, are considerable that they will respond: "It just so happens we have such a room."
Alternatively, go to the air-and-land package operators for autumn dates -- China Focus (www.chinafocustravel.com), China Spree (www.chinaspree.com), Ritz Tours (www.ritztours.com), Champion Holidays (www.china-discovery.com), Pacific Delight Tours (www.pacificdelighttours.com), China Travel Service (www.chinatravelservice.com) -- most of which will have been unable to send travelers to Beijing during the period of the Olympics. Chances are excellent that they will have favorable rates and almost endless capacity to accommodate an autumn booking.
In this era of world history, China comes close to being an almost indispensable trip for thoughtful Americans wanting to experience or witness world trends. And as I wrote earlier, the Chinese currency -- the Yuan -- will almost certainly be a far more expensive purchase in 2009 than in 2008. Now is the time to go.
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Alternatively, go to the air-and-land package operators for autumn dates -- China Focus (www.chinafocustravel.com), China Spree (www.chinaspree.com), Ritz Tours (www.ritztours.com), Champion Holidays (www.china-discovery.com), Pacific Delight Tours (www.pacificdelighttours.com), China Travel Service (www.chinatravelservice.com) -- most of which will have been unable to send travelers to Beijing during the period of the Olympics. Chances are excellent that they will have favorable rates and almost endless capacity to accommodate an autumn booking.
In this era of world history, China comes close to being an almost indispensable trip for thoughtful Americans wanting to experience or witness world trends. And as I wrote earlier, the Chinese currency -- the Yuan -- will almost certainly be a far more expensive purchase in 2009 than in 2008. Now is the time to go.
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Labels: china
For large families planning to cross the U.S. border by land, or arriving in a cruiseship, a $45 "passport card"
Heeding widespread complaints about the $97 cost of a passport incurred by every member of a large family (see our recent blog on the subject), the U.S. State Department has provided partial relief. Let us be grateful for small favors. Starting immediately, when you apply for a U.S. passport, you can specify that you are willing to accept a cheaper ($45) "passport card" which will be valid for crossing U.S. borders by land (car, bus or train) or sea (on a cruise) -- but not on a flight (for which the costlier, multi-page $97 passport will still be necessary).
Mind you, the State Department hasn't yet produced those cards (it has said it is rushing to do so, and they will be ready in a few weeks). But they will immediately accept applications for the money-saving "card," and have sought bids from printing companies for the actual manufacture of the "card." Such breathtaking efficiency blows your mind.
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Mind you, the State Department hasn't yet produced those cards (it has said it is rushing to do so, and they will be ready in a few weeks). But they will immediately accept applications for the money-saving "card," and have sought bids from printing companies for the actual manufacture of the "card." Such breathtaking efficiency blows your mind.
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Jan 23, 2008
Schedule your own first trip to China for August 29 and immediately thereafter, and you’ll enjoy the best touristic conditions in years
The world's most certain travel prediction is that the hotels of Beijing will be full of vacancies by August 29 of this year. The summer Olympics will have run from August 8 to 24. Giving the athletes, coaches, spectators, journalists and television people five days to leave the city and board planes home, you'll then discover empty hotels and restaurants. So many new properties are opening just prior to the Olympics, and so much single-minded attention will have been devoted to the period of the Olympics, that these new lodgings can't possibly have secured a continuing clientele for the period immediately following the Olympics.
Why not plan an independent trip simply to Beijing, which has more than enough attractions to interest you for at least a full week? The deluxe hotels will be charging no more than $175 a room. The first class hotels will be down to their usual $120-or-so per room, tourist class hotels to $75 a room. And the new budget hotels -- the Home Inns, the 7 Days Inns, the Jinjiang Inns, the Motel 168s (yes, that's their name!), and the Hanting Hotels -- will be down to charging under $50 a night for a double room, including breakfast for two. In fact, if you'll go to Google and insert any of those names, you'll immediately see that some of new Chinese economy hotels are featuring promotions of 99 Yuan ($14) per room per night! Dozens of these economy hotels are now operating in and around Beijing, including properties in the centrally-located Wangfujing area within walking distance of the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square.
It's important to make the trip soon. The Chinese Yuan, which traded at a rate of about 8 to the dollar some 18 months ago, has now gradually been strengthened to a rate of 7.24 to the dollar. And the Chinese seem committed to a policy of continuing slow depreciation of the Yuan (although it is still vastly overpriced, even at the 7.24 level).
There will never again be a time when you enjoy such values as now, and you should also know that it is perfectly possible to undertake independent travels of China, without joining a group.
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Why not plan an independent trip simply to Beijing, which has more than enough attractions to interest you for at least a full week? The deluxe hotels will be charging no more than $175 a room. The first class hotels will be down to their usual $120-or-so per room, tourist class hotels to $75 a room. And the new budget hotels -- the Home Inns, the 7 Days Inns, the Jinjiang Inns, the Motel 168s (yes, that's their name!), and the Hanting Hotels -- will be down to charging under $50 a night for a double room, including breakfast for two. In fact, if you'll go to Google and insert any of those names, you'll immediately see that some of new Chinese economy hotels are featuring promotions of 99 Yuan ($14) per room per night! Dozens of these economy hotels are now operating in and around Beijing, including properties in the centrally-located Wangfujing area within walking distance of the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square.
It's important to make the trip soon. The Chinese Yuan, which traded at a rate of about 8 to the dollar some 18 months ago, has now gradually been strengthened to a rate of 7.24 to the dollar. And the Chinese seem committed to a policy of continuing slow depreciation of the Yuan (although it is still vastly overpriced, even at the 7.24 level).
There will never again be a time when you enjoy such values as now, and you should also know that it is perfectly possible to undertake independent travels of China, without joining a group.
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Labels: beijing
On the subject of top-heavy cruiseships, won't anyone come to my defense?
Several knowledgeable people have either phoned in, or e-mailed responses, to my recent post about mammoth, top-heavy cruise ships -- all claiming that my concerns are bloo-ey ("errant nonsense," wrote one). One such expert pointed out that the design of a proposed cruiseship must first undergo scrutiny by an eminent international committee, resulting in a finding that each such ship is "safe" -- and thus, quite obviously, the Crown Princess that recently experienced serious tilting could not be regarded as "unsafe." Q.E.D.
To which I respond with logic rather than expertise.
The fact that the Crown Princess has a design problem is, in my view, fully established; it is incontestable. The ship tilted by a full 24 degrees, in calm seas, which itself proves irrefutably it has a problem.
No one denies that it tilted to that extreme degree. And no one, I would think, would deny that a passenger ship should not be capable of tilting by 24 degrees, except perhaps in a hurricane.
To those who supplied photos of a container ship, I would respond that as high as those containers are stacked, they do not reach the height of one of the new, 3,000-passenger cruiseships. Moreover, and more important, it is probable that the containers even when full are not as heavy as the superstructure and furnishings (including multiple swimming pools) of these 19-deck cruiseships.
So there you have my layman-like views. I remain of the opinion that a cruise ship should not in normal weather be capable of tilting by 24 degrees, thus causing the serious injuries that occurred aboard the Crown Princess.
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To which I respond with logic rather than expertise.
The fact that the Crown Princess has a design problem is, in my view, fully established; it is incontestable. The ship tilted by a full 24 degrees, in calm seas, which itself proves irrefutably it has a problem.
No one denies that it tilted to that extreme degree. And no one, I would think, would deny that a passenger ship should not be capable of tilting by 24 degrees, except perhaps in a hurricane.
To those who supplied photos of a container ship, I would respond that as high as those containers are stacked, they do not reach the height of one of the new, 3,000-passenger cruiseships. Moreover, and more important, it is probable that the containers even when full are not as heavy as the superstructure and furnishings (including multiple swimming pools) of these 19-deck cruiseships.
So there you have my layman-like views. I remain of the opinion that a cruise ship should not in normal weather be capable of tilting by 24 degrees, thus causing the serious injuries that occurred aboard the Crown Princess.
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Labels: cruise
The smart traveler uses the Internet to buy reduced-price tickets to shows and events, prior to arriving at the destination
It's hard to imagine that any savvy user of Frommers.com isn't already aware of what's out there in the theater-ticket-world. But because the players are constantly growing in number and variety, the subject should be discussed. There's been an explosion recently in online "secondary market" ticket sites -- which is just a fancy term for virtual ticket scalpers. The difference is, this kind of scalping is increasingly tolerated, even encouraged, by the industry. At the very least, you won't get into any trouble using the (guaranteed) tickets bought on these sites (though some sports teams still penalize season ticket holders discovered reselling their seats).
The biggest players are StubHub! (www.stubhub.com) (bought by Ebay in 2007) and TicketsNow (www.ticketsnow.com) (recently purchased by Ticketmaster), though you should always check competitors like TheaterMania.com (www.theatermania.com), RazorGator (www.razorgator.com), and EZTicketSearch.com (www.ezticketsearch.com). Most of these limit the bulk of their offerings to venues in the United States, though shows on London's West End do crop up sometimes at TheaterMania.com (as well as at the TKTS outlet in London).
These sites excel at providing three categories of tickets: discounts on shows, concerts, plays, and other regularly scheduled events; regular-price tickets for sold-out events; and impossible-to-obtain tickets at a premium price (so, yes, you can get Super Bowl tickets -- if you have an extra $3,000 lying around). So if attending a show, concert, or game is part of your upcoming travel plans, you owe it to yourself to check out these sites.
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The biggest players are StubHub! (www.stubhub.com) (bought by Ebay in 2007) and TicketsNow (www.ticketsnow.com) (recently purchased by Ticketmaster), though you should always check competitors like TheaterMania.com (www.theatermania.com), RazorGator (www.razorgator.com), and EZTicketSearch.com (www.ezticketsearch.com). Most of these limit the bulk of their offerings to venues in the United States, though shows on London's West End do crop up sometimes at TheaterMania.com (as well as at the TKTS outlet in London).
These sites excel at providing three categories of tickets: discounts on shows, concerts, plays, and other regularly scheduled events; regular-price tickets for sold-out events; and impossible-to-obtain tickets at a premium price (so, yes, you can get Super Bowl tickets -- if you have an extra $3,000 lying around). So if attending a show, concert, or game is part of your upcoming travel plans, you owe it to yourself to check out these sites.
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Labels: events, theater, websites
Inhabit a Norman Rockwell postcard for $79 at an old New England B&B this winter
Anywhere in New England that doesn't happen have a ski mountain has now entered low season. This means virtually no crowds plus low prices on lodgings in picture-perfect towns of church steeples and antique shops snuggled around village squares frosted with snow.
The low prices rule is particularly true of the B&Bs, inns, and chain hotels (Comfort Inn, Holiday Inn, Best Western, etc.) of Massachusetts, which are offering rooms from Cape Cod to the Berkshires starting at $79 per night for two people -- including breakfast -- though March 31. You can search through the 215 offers at the state tourism office's website in its "Warm Winter Specials" section. You then contact each property directly by phone to make a booking, mentioning the promotion code that is listed on that hotel's info page on the tourism site.
The nice thing about this sale is that most lodgings are actually at the bottom end of the price range. Usually when you see a bargain, like this one, advertised as "from $79 to $229" you can bet there will only be a token showing at the low end of the scale. Not so in this case, where a full 61 properties are charging $79, with another 77 in the $99 category. To round things out there are 43 hotels for $139, 18 for $179, just seven charging $209, and nine at the high end of $229.
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The low prices rule is particularly true of the B&Bs, inns, and chain hotels (Comfort Inn, Holiday Inn, Best Western, etc.) of Massachusetts, which are offering rooms from Cape Cod to the Berkshires starting at $79 per night for two people -- including breakfast -- though March 31. You can search through the 215 offers at the state tourism office's website in its "Warm Winter Specials" section. You then contact each property directly by phone to make a booking, mentioning the promotion code that is listed on that hotel's info page on the tourism site.
The nice thing about this sale is that most lodgings are actually at the bottom end of the price range. Usually when you see a bargain, like this one, advertised as "from $79 to $229" you can bet there will only be a token showing at the low end of the scale. Not so in this case, where a full 61 properties are charging $79, with another 77 in the $99 category. To round things out there are 43 hotels for $139, 18 for $179, just seven charging $209, and nine at the high end of $229.
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Labels: accommodations, berkshires, deals
Jan 22, 2008
Were you aware that teachers (and their spouses) can stay at more than 6,000 B&Bs around the world for only $40 a night?
Every teacher should know about Educators Bed & Breakfast Travel Network (tel. 800/956-4822; www.educatorstravel.com), an association run by teachers for teachers that guarantees all of its member a flat fee of just $40 per night (plus a $5 booking fee) for a double room at any of more than 6,000 homes in 50 countries. That rate applies to a teacher's entire family (spouses/partners and children under 18).
This is essentially a hospitality network that is limited to current, former, or retired teachers. You search the database of available cities, send a request (at last two weeks in advance) listing the top four homes in which you wish to be hosted, and then are notified of which, if any, is available. The lion's share of members is in the United States, but there are also opportunities from Bangkok, Thailand to Naples, Italy to São Paulo, Brazil.
By joining ($36 annual fee, plus a $10 initiation fee), you do agree to be a host yourself, but are under no obligation to do so if a request comes along for an inconvenient time. Cleverly, the organization encourages members to host by granting a $10 credit for every night you serve as a host -- or $20 a night for allowing a "Home Stay" of five nights or more. A "Home Stay" is essentially like getting a house sitter for free when you go away on your own vacation (members doing the Home Stay pay $50 a night).
Incidentally, teachers should ask about "teacher discounts" anywhere and any time they travel. Frequently, your school ID will be enough to grant you reduced or free admission to many museums, and a quick Google search of the phrase "teacher discount B&B" reveals savings of 10% to 20% at inns and hotels in Tennessee, Arizona, Texas, New York City, Walt Disney World, Newfoundland, Canada, and Mazatlan, Mexico -- and those were just on the first page of results.
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This is essentially a hospitality network that is limited to current, former, or retired teachers. You search the database of available cities, send a request (at last two weeks in advance) listing the top four homes in which you wish to be hosted, and then are notified of which, if any, is available. The lion's share of members is in the United States, but there are also opportunities from Bangkok, Thailand to Naples, Italy to São Paulo, Brazil.
By joining ($36 annual fee, plus a $10 initiation fee), you do agree to be a host yourself, but are under no obligation to do so if a request comes along for an inconvenient time. Cleverly, the organization encourages members to host by granting a $10 credit for every night you serve as a host -- or $20 a night for allowing a "Home Stay" of five nights or more. A "Home Stay" is essentially like getting a house sitter for free when you go away on your own vacation (members doing the Home Stay pay $50 a night).
Incidentally, teachers should ask about "teacher discounts" anywhere and any time they travel. Frequently, your school ID will be enough to grant you reduced or free admission to many museums, and a quick Google search of the phrase "teacher discount B&B" reveals savings of 10% to 20% at inns and hotels in Tennessee, Arizona, Texas, New York City, Walt Disney World, Newfoundland, Canada, and Mazatlan, Mexico -- and those were just on the first page of results.
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Labels: accommodations
Starting January 31, "cross my heart and hope to die" just won't do it any longer at border crossings
In slightly more than a week, oral declarations of citizenship will no longer be accepted at land and cruise ports of the United States. That's a firm promise from Mr. Chertoff, Secretary of Homeland Security. You will now be made to show a) proof of citizenship (usually a birth certificate) and b) government-issued photo ID (usually a driver's license) when you attempt to enter the country either overland (by car, bus or train) or by sea (cruise). Those earlier declarations you used to make, summoning up all your native honesty and candor, won't be accepted any more by nervous border officials. And, of course, you'll need even more than a birth certificate and driver's license if you're coming back by plane; you'll need a passport (which now require four to six weeks to obtain -- unless you spring big bucks for an "expediter").
The single exception to the new requirement is for persons under the age of 19. They'll be let back in with simply a birth certificate.
These are all steps toward the eventual requirement, expected to go into effect in 2009, that even land and cruise travelers have passports (or a new "passport card" -- we'll report on that tomorrow).
Finally, although several travel industry groups have argued that "birth certificates" are not reliable documents, and shouldn't be required, it doesn't seem likely that their protests will prevail. So stop for a moment and ask: Do I have a birth certificate somewhere? Do I have government-issued photo ID? And is it even remotely possible that I'll need to fly at some point into the U.S.? If that latter prospect is possible, then you must immediately proceed to apply for a passport.
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The single exception to the new requirement is for persons under the age of 19. They'll be let back in with simply a birth certificate.
These are all steps toward the eventual requirement, expected to go into effect in 2009, that even land and cruise travelers have passports (or a new "passport card" -- we'll report on that tomorrow).
Finally, although several travel industry groups have argued that "birth certificates" are not reliable documents, and shouldn't be required, it doesn't seem likely that their protests will prevail. So stop for a moment and ask: Do I have a birth certificate somewhere? Do I have government-issued photo ID? And is it even remotely possible that I'll need to fly at some point into the U.S.? If that latter prospect is possible, then you must immediately proceed to apply for a passport.
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Labels: passports
Several websites try hard to find benefits for the single person traveling alone
In an ongoing effort to be of assistance to the solo traveler, I've resolved to pass on every new website on the subject of traveling singles that comes to my attention. None of the recent discoveries are earth-shaking, but they may contain some nuggets of advice that will prove valuable.
Start first with:
SoloTravel.org (www.solotravel.org), loaded with tips on travel, safety, dining alone, hostel etiquette, and making friends, along with plenty of first-hand accounts of traveling solo. Its advice can be a bit generic and thin (and the site is designed so that its Google ads blend a bit too well into its own content, making it difficult to tell which is which), but it does link to many other resources for the single traveler out there, from tour companies to information sites.
And then there's freelance travel writer Ellen Perlman, who has recently begun blogging about the joys, perils, and pitfalls of traveling alone at Boldly Go Solo (boldlygosolo.typepad.com), with recommendations on everything from tour operators and tips to accounts of her own adventures (skiing, hiking, rafting, and more) and musing about the relative benefits and costs of traveling alone versus with companions.
Women in particular will want to consult the sites of Journeywoman (www.journeywoman.com) and Women Travel Tips (www.womentraveltips.com), both of which pay special attention to the issues of women traveling solo.
I'll keep them coming as soon as I uncover more.
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Start first with:
SoloTravel.org (www.solotravel.org), loaded with tips on travel, safety, dining alone, hostel etiquette, and making friends, along with plenty of first-hand accounts of traveling solo. Its advice can be a bit generic and thin (and the site is designed so that its Google ads blend a bit too well into its own content, making it difficult to tell which is which), but it does link to many other resources for the single traveler out there, from tour companies to information sites.
And then there's freelance travel writer Ellen Perlman, who has recently begun blogging about the joys, perils, and pitfalls of traveling alone at Boldly Go Solo (boldlygosolo.typepad.com), with recommendations on everything from tour operators and tips to accounts of her own adventures (skiing, hiking, rafting, and more) and musing about the relative benefits and costs of traveling alone versus with companions.
Women in particular will want to consult the sites of Journeywoman (www.journeywoman.com) and Women Travel Tips (www.womentraveltips.com), both of which pay special attention to the issues of women traveling solo.
I'll keep them coming as soon as I uncover more.
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Buy a Eurailpass before March 31 and get a totally free day on European trains
Europe has gotten so expensive that it's a cause for rejoicing when one of the unavoidable costs of travel -- food, lodging, or transportation -- comes down in price. This is why a rare railpass sale from Rail Europe (tel. 888/382-7245; www.raileurope.com) is good news.
This Eurail Early Bird sale is tacking on a free extra rail day if you purchase certain of its European train passes by the end of March. That might not sound much, but with a 6-day pass going for $530, adding that extra, seventh day is like getting $87 worth of train travel free.
The sale is on the Select Pass (as well as its variations the Youthpass and the SaverPass, for two or more adults traveling together), which allows you to travel a certain number of days within a two-month period in your choice of three, four, or five countries (or, in a few cases, multi-country regions).
The days of train travel don't have to be consecutive; you can opt to use them, one at a time, at any point in your travels. The countries/regions you pick, however, must either be contiguous or connected by ferry from the following list: Austria, Benelux (includes Belgium, Luxembourg, and Holland), Bulgaria/Serbia/Montenegro, Croatia/Slovenia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Romania, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
Here are the 2008 prices under this sale (children 2-11 pay half-price):
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This Eurail Early Bird sale is tacking on a free extra rail day if you purchase certain of its European train passes by the end of March. That might not sound much, but with a 6-day pass going for $530, adding that extra, seventh day is like getting $87 worth of train travel free.
The sale is on the Select Pass (as well as its variations the Youthpass and the SaverPass, for two or more adults traveling together), which allows you to travel a certain number of days within a two-month period in your choice of three, four, or five countries (or, in a few cases, multi-country regions).
The days of train travel don't have to be consecutive; you can opt to use them, one at a time, at any point in your travels. The countries/regions you pick, however, must either be contiguous or connected by ferry from the following list: Austria, Benelux (includes Belgium, Luxembourg, and Holland), Bulgaria/Serbia/Montenegro, Croatia/Slovenia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Romania, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
Here are the 2008 prices under this sale (children 2-11 pay half-price):
- A 7-day pass (in other words, the six-day pass plus the freebie) costs $520 if you want to use it in three countries, $576 for four countries, and $630 for five countries.
- A 9-day pass costs $617 for three countries, $673 for four countries, and $729 for five countries.
- An 11-day pass costs $715 for three countries, $769 for four countries, and $822 for five countries.
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Fifty years ago, 
Arthur Frommer is generally acknowledged to be the nation's foremost travel authority. He is the founder of the
