Feb 15, 2008
If you aren't familiar with the small group adventures of Adventure Center, you're missing out
I haven't written enough about Adventure Center (tel. 800/315-5348; www.adventurecenter.com), headquartered in Emeryville, California. It is the U.S. representative of several dynamic British and Australian tour companies -- Dragoman, Peregrine, Gecko's, Exodus, Explore, and others -- whose trips are dramatically unlike the standard commercial variety, and whose intense competition with each other brings about superb trips sensibly priced.Like the companies whose tours it sells, Adventure Center operates trips not to London, Paris, Las Vegas and Orlando, but to Tibet, Borneo and East Africa, to Madagascar, Central Asia, Morocco, and more. The "adventure" in its title refers to the exotic, lightly visited destinations to which its small groups (usually no more than 12 persons at a time) are sent. Participants use public transportation or, at most, small vans to get about from place to place. They stay in locally-owned accommodations, campsites and private homes. They seek out contact with local populations. They are travelers, not tourists, and make constant, repeat trips with Adventure Center (through its British and Australian operating companies) about which they report with enthusiasm, of which the following website post is typical:
Our trip was off the beaten path and I feel we got to know the ‘real' Thailand. I liked staying with village tribes, riding humanely-treated elephants down rivers, and staying in raft houses. It was so far from driving around city streets on a tour bus!Best of all, many of Adventure Center's trips cost considerably less than $100 a day, not including airfare to the destination (which you arrange yourself). These are remarkable travel adventures, and "Adventure Center" is a great resource of the U.S. travel industry (cost-conscious division).
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Labels: tour companies
Evidence abounds of a definite slowdown in travel to Europe for 2008
I hear it from many tour operators and from marketing companies that represent tour operators and airlines: there appears a definite slowdown in advance bookings for Europe. How could it be otherwise? Millions of Americans returned from their trans-Atlantic trips in 2007 with lurid tales of the costs they incurred in paying with a devalued U.S. dollar. When the British pound costs $2 and the Euro sells for $1.50, the prices at European hotels, restaurants and shops have got to be discouraging and disappointing. More and more Americans are therefore seeking to substitute domestic trips, or trips to Central and South America and parts of Asia.
A slowdown in the U.S. economy, and increased talk of recession, must also play a part. And those latter factors may be affecting an activity -- cruising in European waters -- that was supposed to avoid the high ground costs of Europe. I find discounts beginning to appear on Mediterranean cruises in high season, and as evidence of that, I can cite departures offered by the discount cruise broker that was mentioned in one of yesterday's blogs: Online Vacation Center.
In its current literature, Online Vacation Center is offering a 10-night cruise on the Noordam (a quality ship of Holland America Line), leaving round-trip from Rome on April 29 and May 19 for $999 per person in inside cabins. The ship goes to Dubrovnik, Corfu, Katakolon, Santorini, Kusadasi, Valletta and Messina, before returning to Rome.
On the same ship leaving from Rome on May 9, Online Vacation Center is charging $999 per person for inside cabins on an itinerary going to Livorno, Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, La Goulette, Palermo and Naples, before returning to Rome.
If you're interested, contact Online Vacation Center at tel. 800/329-9002 or at www.onlinevacationcenter.com.
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A slowdown in the U.S. economy, and increased talk of recession, must also play a part. And those latter factors may be affecting an activity -- cruising in European waters -- that was supposed to avoid the high ground costs of Europe. I find discounts beginning to appear on Mediterranean cruises in high season, and as evidence of that, I can cite departures offered by the discount cruise broker that was mentioned in one of yesterday's blogs: Online Vacation Center.
In its current literature, Online Vacation Center is offering a 10-night cruise on the Noordam (a quality ship of Holland America Line), leaving round-trip from Rome on April 29 and May 19 for $999 per person in inside cabins. The ship goes to Dubrovnik, Corfu, Katakolon, Santorini, Kusadasi, Valletta and Messina, before returning to Rome.
On the same ship leaving from Rome on May 9, Online Vacation Center is charging $999 per person for inside cabins on an itinerary going to Livorno, Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, La Goulette, Palermo and Naples, before returning to Rome.
If you're interested, contact Online Vacation Center at tel. 800/329-9002 or at www.onlinevacationcenter.com.
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Labels: europe
Feb 14, 2008
Intrigued by Belize? In response to a number of requests, here's Belize in a nutshell
What's with Belize? Ask a number of readers. How seriously should I consider it? Here's a quick response.
Just a tad larger than New Jersey, Central America's only English-speaking country comes across a little bit like a mainland Jamaica without the glitzy resorts -- a population speaking with lilting patois and all -- and with a more diverse menu of things to do. Granted, most of the charms that draw visitors here are very much natural, specifically the coastal resort town of Placencia, the hemisphere's longest barrier reef (famous for its "Blue Hole," it's been a scuba divers' mecca for years), and several offshore islands such as Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker. All these spots are rich in that castaway, barefoot-beach-town vibe (in fact, the first Survivor was filmed on Ambergris).
But there's plenty of action inland as well, in the Cayo and other districts. Overnight in a jungle lodge, for instance, and by no means should you pass up a visit to one or more of the spectacular pyramids and other ruins left by the Maya civilization, sites like Altun Ha, Lamanai, and especially Caracol (you can also dart over the Guatemala border to legendary Tikal). Some of the better known of Belize's eco-lodges, as well as several resorts on the cayes, are fairly upscale, but they're a minority; as a whole, Belize isn't (yet) a full-blown luxury destination but rather more of an adventure -- and that means you can still do it pretty inexpensively if you want to.
You can fly directly from a number of cities in the U.S. and Canada, and among tour operators that do a good job covering Belize are Capricorn Leisure (tel. 800/426-6544; www.capricorn.net), FreeGate Tourism (tel. 888/373-3428; www.freegatetours.com), and Tara Tours (tel. 800/327-0800; www.taratours.com). For more information, phone tel. 800/624-0686 or go to www.travelbelize.org.
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Just a tad larger than New Jersey, Central America's only English-speaking country comes across a little bit like a mainland Jamaica without the glitzy resorts -- a population speaking with lilting patois and all -- and with a more diverse menu of things to do. Granted, most of the charms that draw visitors here are very much natural, specifically the coastal resort town of Placencia, the hemisphere's longest barrier reef (famous for its "Blue Hole," it's been a scuba divers' mecca for years), and several offshore islands such as Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker. All these spots are rich in that castaway, barefoot-beach-town vibe (in fact, the first Survivor was filmed on Ambergris).
But there's plenty of action inland as well, in the Cayo and other districts. Overnight in a jungle lodge, for instance, and by no means should you pass up a visit to one or more of the spectacular pyramids and other ruins left by the Maya civilization, sites like Altun Ha, Lamanai, and especially Caracol (you can also dart over the Guatemala border to legendary Tikal). Some of the better known of Belize's eco-lodges, as well as several resorts on the cayes, are fairly upscale, but they're a minority; as a whole, Belize isn't (yet) a full-blown luxury destination but rather more of an adventure -- and that means you can still do it pretty inexpensively if you want to.
You can fly directly from a number of cities in the U.S. and Canada, and among tour operators that do a good job covering Belize are Capricorn Leisure (tel. 800/426-6544; www.capricorn.net), FreeGate Tourism (tel. 888/373-3428; www.freegatetours.com), and Tara Tours (tel. 800/327-0800; www.taratours.com). For more information, phone tel. 800/624-0686 or go to www.travelbelize.org.
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Labels: belize
There's impressive, change-your-life advice for travelers over the age of 50 in a website awkwardly entitled Over50andOverseas.com
Joining the Peace Corps, or volunteering for a dozen other arduous volunteer programs overseas, is normally regarded as a young folks' choice. John Dwyer, who is well over 50 in age, doesn't agree. He has created a fact-filled website called Over50andOverseas.com (www.over50andoverseas.com) which describes a whole host of idealistic overseas programs that mature Americans are fully capable of joining.
His own biography supplies the best example of how a person in the mid-course of his life, so to speak, can change his life through travel overseas:
His website deals with less exalted opportunities for voluntary service overseas, but it does point out how middle-aged and older Americans can volunteer for such challenging posts as in the Peace Corps.
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His own biography supplies the best example of how a person in the mid-course of his life, so to speak, can change his life through travel overseas:
In 1991 [when he was over the age of 50], John Dwyer joined the Peace Corps, a decision that has since led to international service in 14 countries and travel to 38 countries. After Peace Corps service in Guatemala John served as a United Nations Volunteer in the first elections in Bosnia after the Bosnian War and subsequently has worked elections in Serbia, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, Russia, Ukraine and Bangladesh. He managed camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Herat, Afghanistan and did development work in Kandahar, Afghanistan. He continues to work internationally.
His website deals with less exalted opportunities for voluntary service overseas, but it does point out how middle-aged and older Americans can volunteer for such challenging posts as in the Peace Corps.
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Call up a small Los Angeles travel agent when you're in the market for round-trip airfare or air-and-land packages to Hawaii
Planning a trip to Hawaii? The tiny travel agencies of the Los Angeles area are in tight competition with one another for Hawaii-bound clients. And because they are small and inconspicuous, both airlines and hotels will occasionally funnel unbeatable discount rates to them.
I'm not saying that the smaller agencies will always have the best prices to Hawaii. But it pays to call them when you're planning a trip, to see whether they are able to undercut the larger Hawaiian operators. Examples:
World Class Vacations, of Los Angeles (tel. 800/755-2417) often has low-season round-trip fares of $299 between Los Angeles and Oahu. So does Travel Services, of Los Angeles (tel. 800/675-4050) and Hawaii Vacation Specialists (tel. 714/841-4540). Another firm, Paradise Unlimited (tel. 800/634-5568) will sell you a low-season round-trip to Maui
I'm not saying that the smaller agencies will always have the best prices to Hawaii. But it pays to call them when you're planning a trip, to see whether they are able to undercut the larger Hawaiian operators. Examples:
World Class Vacations, of Los Angeles (tel. 800/755-2417) often has low-season round-trip fares of $299 between Los Angeles and Oahu. So does Travel Services, of Los Angeles (tel. 800/675-4050) and Hawaii Vacation Specialists (tel. 714/841-4540). Another firm, Paradise Unlimited (tel. 800/634-5568) will sell you a low-season round-trip to Maui
for as little as $369, and will sell you round-trip air to Maui and a self-drive car for seven days for as little as $429. All the above companies also have air-and-land packages to Oahu for rates under $500, and all should be consulted before you sign on for one of those nationally-advertised packages to Hawaii from the big-name firms.
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Labels: hawaii, travel agent
Feb 13, 2008
You can snare an outside, balcony-equipped cabin on a brand-new ship, for a 7-night cruise, for only $699 per person in March and April
Bargain rates for cruises are usually available in inside cabins lacking portholes; Online Vacation Center (tel. 800/329-9002; www.onlinevacationcenter.com) is offering them for outside cabins that come equipped with a balcony overlooking the sea, no less. On seven-night sailings of the Eastern Caribbean, leaving from Fort Lauderdale on March 14 and 28, and April 11 and 18, aboard the brand-new (less than a year old) MSC Orchestra, the fast-growing cruise discounter named above is charging as little as $699 per person.
For $20 more (a total of $719 per person), you can sail through the western Caribbean from Fort Lauderdale, again on seven-night cruises of the MSC Orchestra, in outside, balcony-equipped cabins, leaving on March 7 and 21 and on April 4.
Online Vacation Center, the source of those stunners, is headed by Ed Rudner, the founder of Alamo Rent-a-Car and Renaissance Cruises. His is a fast-growing organization whose stock-in-trade is discounted cruises and tours. Whenever you feel like a cruise, you'd be well advised to check its website, where prices compare quite well with all the other leading cruise discounters: Vacations-to-Go, CruisesOnly, Cruise Wizard, and others. And as you've seen, Online Vacation Center frequently offers rates for high-quality cabins that aren't always offered on the other websites. Though this is a time of plentiful cruise discounts, the ones that result in prices as low as $699 per person are usually for inside cabins.
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For $20 more (a total of $719 per person), you can sail through the western Caribbean from Fort Lauderdale, again on seven-night cruises of the MSC Orchestra, in outside, balcony-equipped cabins, leaving on March 7 and 21 and on April 4.
Online Vacation Center, the source of those stunners, is headed by Ed Rudner, the founder of Alamo Rent-a-Car and Renaissance Cruises. His is a fast-growing organization whose stock-in-trade is discounted cruises and tours. Whenever you feel like a cruise, you'd be well advised to check its website, where prices compare quite well with all the other leading cruise discounters: Vacations-to-Go, CruisesOnly, Cruise Wizard, and others. And as you've seen, Online Vacation Center frequently offers rates for high-quality cabins that aren't always offered on the other websites. Though this is a time of plentiful cruise discounts, the ones that result in prices as low as $699 per person are usually for inside cabins.
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By slashing its membership fee for student-age travelers to $25, U.S. Servas is fighting hard to regain its once-towering reputation
Long before there was a CouchSurfing (www.couchsurfing.com) or a GlobalFreeloaders.com (www.globalfreeloaders.com), there was Servas (www.servas.org; US site www.usservas.org). Founded in 1948 by peace activists in Denmark, it grew to be an organization of several thousands of "hosts" around the world who were willing to give free hospitality in their homes or apartments to travelers from other lands.
From the beginning, Servas was determined to operate its program as a means of promoting international friendship and understanding; it sought to attract travelers interested in conversation with their hosts; it established an elaborate system of interviews meant to screen out the dilettantes who were simply looking for a free crash pad. And it established a rather substantial membership fee of $85 per year.
In recent years, some felt that Servas' aging membership wasn't capable of maintaining its operation. A turnabout occurred two years ago when the leadership changed its headquarters from a long-established office in the New York financial district to a new location in Arcata, California (tel. 707/825-1714; e-mail info@usservas.org). And now, in 2008, Servas is expanding its appeal to a younger population by cutting the annual membership fee to $25 for students over 18 (either from the U.S. or abroad) wishing to travel within the U.S. and stay free of charge with American host families in as many cities as they choose. Servas hosts are in every part of the U.S. (other than Las Vegas), from Alaska (30 households) to Florida (57), with 300 in California.
Servas student travelers must be interviewed before their journey, and carry Servas photo id. From capsule descriptions of 1,500 households in the U.S. Servas host directory, travelers decide which hosts they wish to contact (usually by e-mail) for visits. Accommodations vary from a private guest room to sleeping bag space. Breakfast and usually dinner are included, along with time for conversation, shared interests, and community events. Servas, once again, is not a crash-pad service.
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From the beginning, Servas was determined to operate its program as a means of promoting international friendship and understanding; it sought to attract travelers interested in conversation with their hosts; it established an elaborate system of interviews meant to screen out the dilettantes who were simply looking for a free crash pad. And it established a rather substantial membership fee of $85 per year.
In recent years, some felt that Servas' aging membership wasn't capable of maintaining its operation. A turnabout occurred two years ago when the leadership changed its headquarters from a long-established office in the New York financial district to a new location in Arcata, California (tel. 707/825-1714; e-mail info@usservas.org). And now, in 2008, Servas is expanding its appeal to a younger population by cutting the annual membership fee to $25 for students over 18 (either from the U.S. or abroad) wishing to travel within the U.S. and stay free of charge with American host families in as many cities as they choose. Servas hosts are in every part of the U.S. (other than Las Vegas), from Alaska (30 households) to Florida (57), with 300 in California.
Servas student travelers must be interviewed before their journey, and carry Servas photo id. From capsule descriptions of 1,500 households in the U.S. Servas host directory, travelers decide which hosts they wish to contact (usually by e-mail) for visits. Accommodations vary from a private guest room to sleeping bag space. Breakfast and usually dinner are included, along with time for conversation, shared interests, and community events. Servas, once again, is not a crash-pad service.
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Labels: accommodations, websites
A holiday chick-flick has caused upwards of 20,000 people to join HomeExchange.com
A little more than a year ago, a travel company called HomeExchange.com (www.homeexchange.com) was simply one of several companies working in the field of vacation and home exchanges ("you stay in their home while they stay in yours"). Then some folks in Hollywood produced an utterly unrealistic but wildly enthusiastic film about a home exchange (The Holiday, starring Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet) in which the owner of a palatial, mansion in southern California swaps (for a time) her gigantic residence-with-swimming-pool-and-grounds for a cozy cottage in Great Britain. And reference was made in the film to HomeExchange.com, which is portrayed as bringing about the fictitious swap. The entire transaction, as depicted in the film, took less than 24 hours to arrange.
A firestorm of bookings occurred. The phones rang off the hook, and thousands of persons all over the world rushed to add their homes or apartments to the vacation inventory of HomeExchange.com. At the Los Angeles Times Travel Show, where I spoke this past weekend, the owner of HomeExchange.com was in attendance, along with his expanded staff and a recently-hired public relations representative. His firm has skyrocketed in size, and charges a fee of $99 a year for its assistance. If you don't snare an exchange the first year, you get the second year free.
HomeExchange.com now has 20,000 listings -- repeat, 20,000 homes and apartments around the world whose owners are eager to exchange with yours'. While HomeExchange.com may not be the largest such exchange firm, it's obviously contending for the top spot, and should be considered for your own next vacation.
Let me add my own comment on the practice of "home-exchanging". It is the single most logical, sensible, economical and rewarding method of travel. It permits you to use an asset -- your own home or apartment -- to enjoy a free-or-charge stay in someone else's home or apartment. You live at the destination as a resident, not a tourist. And you enjoy a vacation that more and more Americans have decided is the "way to go" in these days of a weak U.S. dollar.
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A firestorm of bookings occurred. The phones rang off the hook, and thousands of persons all over the world rushed to add their homes or apartments to the vacation inventory of HomeExchange.com. At the Los Angeles Times Travel Show, where I spoke this past weekend, the owner of HomeExchange.com was in attendance, along with his expanded staff and a recently-hired public relations representative. His firm has skyrocketed in size, and charges a fee of $99 a year for its assistance. If you don't snare an exchange the first year, you get the second year free.
HomeExchange.com now has 20,000 listings -- repeat, 20,000 homes and apartments around the world whose owners are eager to exchange with yours'. While HomeExchange.com may not be the largest such exchange firm, it's obviously contending for the top spot, and should be considered for your own next vacation.
Let me add my own comment on the practice of "home-exchanging". It is the single most logical, sensible, economical and rewarding method of travel. It permits you to use an asset -- your own home or apartment -- to enjoy a free-or-charge stay in someone else's home or apartment. You live at the destination as a resident, not a tourist. And you enjoy a vacation that more and more Americans have decided is the "way to go" in these days of a weak U.S. dollar.
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Labels: accommodations, websites
Feb 12, 2008
There's trouble brewing among the cut-rate carriers of Britain and Europe, which calls for great caution (always using a credit card) on your part
Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) is the Southwest Airlines of Great Britain (the budget champion), and so is easyJet (www.easyjet.com). Both of them fly at absurdly low prices from British cities to locations throughout western and eastern Europe. They siphon off so much business from domestic British transportation (i.e., they cause the English population to vacation on the continent rather than in England, Scotland or Wales) that they have recently come in for violent criticism from Travelodge (www.travelodge.co.uk), which is the Motel 6 chain of Great Britain (offering ultra-cheap lodgings). Travelodge claims that both Ryanair and easyJet are destroying the British hotel industry by causing more and more Brits to fly outside of Britain for their holidays and vacations. Got it?
Now why is this of interest to us Yanks? Well, there's trouble in the British/European industry of ultra-low-cost carriers. Because of an incipient recession in Britain, and the skyrocketing price of fuel raising the price of air tickets, bookings are down on the budget airlines, and both Ryanair and easyJet are enjoying load factors not of 95% (on which they rely for their rock-bottom pricing) but of 80%, which doesn't produce a profit at the rates they're charging. The president of Ryanair recently announced that he expects a sharp drop in results for 2008, and everyone among his competitors are also scared.
The various British newsletters dealing with the "LCC's" (Low-Cost Carriers), of which I read one, are growing alarmist. The newsletter I see is openly predicting that two or three of the European low-cost carriers must either merge or go under. It all means that you should exercise extreme caution in booking one of these services in the months to come. If you can, make your purchase via credit card and try to pay as late as possible.
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Now why is this of interest to us Yanks? Well, there's trouble in the British/European industry of ultra-low-cost carriers. Because of an incipient recession in Britain, and the skyrocketing price of fuel raising the price of air tickets, bookings are down on the budget airlines, and both Ryanair and easyJet are enjoying load factors not of 95% (on which they rely for their rock-bottom pricing) but of 80%, which doesn't produce a profit at the rates they're charging. The president of Ryanair recently announced that he expects a sharp drop in results for 2008, and everyone among his competitors are also scared.
The various British newsletters dealing with the "LCC's" (Low-Cost Carriers), of which I read one, are growing alarmist. The newsletter I see is openly predicting that two or three of the European low-cost carriers must either merge or go under. It all means that you should exercise extreme caution in booking one of these services in the months to come. If you can, make your purchase via credit card and try to pay as late as possible.
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A retraction: Cunard's new "Queen Victoria" will not be featuring clowns, circus training, bungee-jumping and other non-Cunard type activities
On my Sunday broadcast of January 6, 2008, a cruise expert told about a new British ship of P&O Cruises called the "Ventura," which would offer such family-friendly performers amd stunts as clowns, circus training and bungee-jumping. In later reporting on that disclosure in this blog, I mistakenly substituted the word "Victoria" for "Ventura", implying that the Cunard Lines' new cruiseship, the Queen Victoria, would be featuring such non-Cunard-like activities. The Cunard Line, of course, is one of the most distinguished of all cruise companies and never sponsors activities of that sort; it is well known for the quality content of its activities program, and I am happy to issue this retraction and apology to Cunard for that slip of my typing fingers. And kudos to Cunard for maintaining the highest traditions of the sea.
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Labels: retraction
A growing travel activity, stripped bare
At the Los Angeles Times Travel Show in Long Beach, California, at which I spoke this past weekend, there was always a crowd in front of the booth of the American Association for Nude Recreation. Staffed by well-spoken, dignified and fully-clothed representatives the booth carried listings for scores and scores of nude resorts in the United States, in what I counted as 42 states. States with the largest number of nude resorts? California, Florida, Texas. Yet even Mississippi has one of them -- and more amazingly, Utah has three (Family Skinnydippers in Sandy, UT; Utah All-Natural Recreation in South Jordan, UT; and Utah Naturists in Salt Lake City).
The American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR) claims its membership is now at an historic peak of 50,000 members and their families. If you'd like to join, or obtain their literature, visit www.aanr.com or phone tel. 800/TRY-NUDE.
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The American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR) claims its membership is now at an historic peak of 50,000 members and their families. If you'd like to join, or obtain their literature, visit www.aanr.com or phone tel. 800/TRY-NUDE.
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Labels: trends
Feb 11, 2008
Rent an RV, like it, then apply $2,000 of the rental price towards buying it
It sounds like one of those depression-era offers that desperate merchants made to their customers. And it comes from a company that, as best I can tell, is number 3 in size among the big RV-rental companies. It's a homey, old-fashioned sort of company and maybe this excellent offer results from a bit of hunger on their part (I've been certain that the present high cost of gasoline has been decimating RV sales). But however it came about, the offer is something you might want to consider. It's subject to the following conditions:
The RV in question must have a minimum of 10,000 miles accumulated; and you can deduct (from the sale price) only $2000 of the amount you've paid for the rental. Moreover you must buy the RV no later than 30 days after you've concluded the rental. But if you satisfy those conditions, you've saved $,2000 off the rental price.
You'll learn more at www.elmonterv.com, and you can reserve your RV rental by phoning 1-800/478-5040. The company is El Monte RV which can also be reached 1-800/367-EMRENTS.
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The RV in question must have a minimum of 10,000 miles accumulated; and you can deduct (from the sale price) only $2000 of the amount you've paid for the rental. Moreover you must buy the RV no later than 30 days after you've concluded the rental. But if you satisfy those conditions, you've saved $,2000 off the rental price.
You'll learn more at www.elmonterv.com, and you can reserve your RV rental by phoning 1-800/478-5040. The company is El Monte RV which can also be reached 1-800/367-EMRENTS.
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Labels: car rental, deals
A free-of-charge website reveals the location of free-of-charge hotspots all over the world
Have you ever wondered how to locate a Wi-Fi hotspot at the destination of your next trip? The place collecting that information is JiWire (www.jiwire.com), which currently displays 226,377 locations in 135 countries (including the US) where WiFi access is either free of charge or nominally priced. You access the website, then go to "WiFi hotsports" and click on the city in which you're seeking the location.
Be sure to obtain and mark down those addresses before you leave home as obviously you'll have to be online before you can access the website.
City with the largest number of WiFi hotspots? It's Moscow, followed closely by London and Paris. Ranking 7th, 8th and 9th are Tokyo, Berlin and New York. Country with the most hotspots? The United States followed closely by the United Kingdom.
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Be sure to obtain and mark down those addresses before you leave home as obviously you'll have to be online before you can access the website.
City with the largest number of WiFi hotspots? It's Moscow, followed closely by London and Paris. Ranking 7th, 8th and 9th are Tokyo, Berlin and New York. Country with the most hotspots? The United States followed closely by the United Kingdom.
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Stop the Presses! Eurofly has reduced the round-trip, March/April airfare between NY and Rome to $399, including fuel surcharge!
I've been reporting for two weeks now on the March/April airfare sale from Eurofly (www.euroflyusa.com) between NY and Rome, Italy. Until now, they've assigned 1,000 seats to be sold for only $499 round-trip, in the period from March 2 to April 30. What made that price so very unique is that it included the standard $200 fuel surcharge that all airlines are now charging for a trip of that length.
Guess what? Eurofly has now advised me they have further cut the price of these 1,000 seats to $399 round-trip between NY and Rome, again including the fuel surcharge. So things are getting interesting indeed. $399 for the flight back and forth to the Eternal City is a spectacular rate for months as attractive as March and April. And if you've been thinking of an early Spring vacation, here it is.
Bookings at the $399 rate must be made on the Eurofly website, and bookings made by telepone will incur a $20 surcharge. Though you probably won't see an explicit reference to $399 on the site's main menu page, that's the price that has been entered on the site, and when you request a flight for the correct days (Eurofly flies 3 times a week between NY and Rome), you'll pull up $399, sure as can be.
$399, round-trip between NY and Rome, including the standard $200 fuel surcharge: that's like getting an airfare of $99 each way, to and from Rome, before fuel surcharge and that's a miracle worthy of the destination. I have a feeling that seats at this price will sell fast (even though they're only being revealed by this blog and my Sunday radio broadcast), and urge you to act fast.
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Guess what? Eurofly has now advised me they have further cut the price of these 1,000 seats to $399 round-trip between NY and Rome, again including the fuel surcharge. So things are getting interesting indeed. $399 for the flight back and forth to the Eternal City is a spectacular rate for months as attractive as March and April. And if you've been thinking of an early Spring vacation, here it is.
Bookings at the $399 rate must be made on the Eurofly website, and bookings made by telepone will incur a $20 surcharge. Though you probably won't see an explicit reference to $399 on the site's main menu page, that's the price that has been entered on the site, and when you request a flight for the correct days (Eurofly flies 3 times a week between NY and Rome), you'll pull up $399, sure as can be.
$399, round-trip between NY and Rome, including the standard $200 fuel surcharge: that's like getting an airfare of $99 each way, to and from Rome, before fuel surcharge and that's a miracle worthy of the destination. I have a feeling that seats at this price will sell fast (even though they're only being revealed by this blog and my Sunday radio broadcast), and urge you to act fast.
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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
