Mar 21, 2008
A $45-a-day "re-positioning" cruise from Miami is an exceptional bargain because it ends in London
Often, on a "re-positioning" cruise leaving a U.S. port, you end up in such faraway places as Rome or Athens, from which you must then book an expensive one-way flight home. What's special about the April 20 departure of the Norwegian Jewel (of Norwegian Cruise Line) from Miami is that it takes 15 days to reach London, England, from which the one-way airfares back to the U.S. are rather low. And the 15-day cruise itself costs as little as $649, which comes to $43 a day, about as low as cruise prices ever go. $43 a day for cabin and nine sumptuous meals daily!
Embarking from Miami on Sunday, April 20, 2008, you first spend seven full nights simply at sea on your way to the Azores, where you stop for one day, then spend another day at sea on your way to Lisbon. From Lisbon, you go to various ports in Spain, then go up the side of Europe to Waterford, Ireland, then to St. Peter Port (Guernsey), England, and finally to the port for London. The entire 15-day trip, as earlier pointed out, can be had for $649 per person in an inside cabin.
Note that the ship leaves about a month from now, which means you've got to act fast. But if you do snare a $649 cabin on this excellent and nearly-brand-new ship (launched in 2006, it has 11 restaurants, 13 bars and lounges, 3 swimming pools, a spa), you'll enjoy a remarkable sailing of the south Atlantic for less than you might have spent staying at home.
The $649 rate is currently offered by CheapCaribbean.com (www.cheapcaribbean.com), whose cruise department is reached online and at tel. 800/201-8310.
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Embarking from Miami on Sunday, April 20, 2008, you first spend seven full nights simply at sea on your way to the Azores, where you stop for one day, then spend another day at sea on your way to Lisbon. From Lisbon, you go to various ports in Spain, then go up the side of Europe to Waterford, Ireland, then to St. Peter Port (Guernsey), England, and finally to the port for London. The entire 15-day trip, as earlier pointed out, can be had for $649 per person in an inside cabin.
Note that the ship leaves about a month from now, which means you've got to act fast. But if you do snare a $649 cabin on this excellent and nearly-brand-new ship (launched in 2006, it has 11 restaurants, 13 bars and lounges, 3 swimming pools, a spa), you'll enjoy a remarkable sailing of the south Atlantic for less than you might have spent staying at home.
The $649 rate is currently offered by CheapCaribbean.com (www.cheapcaribbean.com), whose cruise department is reached online and at tel. 800/201-8310.
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Sceptre Tours has done it again: April in Ireland for only $799
Just when it seemed that Sceptre Tours (tel. 800/901-4042; www.sceptretours.com), the Ireland specialist, had abandoned the world of travel bargains (its recent offerings were disturbingly upscale), that source of Irish magic has created a package for April travel that has the leprechauns leaping and our hearts all aglow. Provided only that you book by March 26, Sceptre will sell you, for $799 per person: round-trip air on Aer Lingus between New York, Boston or Washington, D.C. and Dublin or Shannon (or from Chicago or Los Angeles/San Francisco for only $90 more); your first night on arrival at one of three fine hotels in Dublin; a car with unlimited mileage for the week; vouchers for five nights of B&B accommodations at your choice of 450 guesthouses in the rest of Ireland; and your last night at (get this) the Ritz Carlton Powerscourt in Wicklow. All for $799 per person, double occupancy, for travel during the month of April. Again, bookings must be made by March 26.
In May, the price goes up by $200 from New York or Boston, and by $300, generally, from the other cities. Equally important, you can book a so-called "Platinum Package" extra for $99, bringing you:
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In May, the price goes up by $200 from New York or Boston, and by $300, generally, from the other cities. Equally important, you can book a so-called "Platinum Package" extra for $99, bringing you:
- Breakfast at the Ritz Carlton
- Town or country B&B's
- An upgraded car with automatic transmission and GPS Navigation System
- Guided tour of Waterford Crystal Factory
- A Shannon Region discount booklet
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Campgrounds on the outskirts of most European cities supply an interesting, inexpensive means of lodging
In our increasingly frantic search for ways to visit Europe inexpensively, campgrounds and camping should not be overlooked.
Almost completely unknown to most American travelers, campgrounds are found on the outskirts of nearly every major European city; indeed, some European cities have as many as a dozen such camps in their outlying areas. And although they are usually in fairly remote neighborhoods, nearly all are on a bus or subway line that can whisk you downtown -- and there are still other prime camping spots in historic centers as well.
Did you know you could camp in Paris along the banks of the Seine River in the Bois de Boulogne park (www.campingparis.fr)? How about a campsite with a view overlooking the domes and bell towers of Florence from a hillside terrace in the Oltrarno district (www.ecvacanze.it/ing/michelangelo_home.asp)? Venice even has a campground by the beach on the island next to the Lido, just a short ferry ride from St. Mark's Square (www.camping-miramare.it). Some campgrounds are operated only in warm weather (roughly Easter through October or early November), but many stay open year-round.
The bill at a European campground can be a bit confusing, since you are usually charged an array of small fees -- one for the site, another for each person, yet another for your vehicle -- but the total usually ends up around $17 to $26 for a couple in a tent, up to $40 in the most popular campgrounds in the summer high season. Forgot your tent? You can usually rent one for $10-$20.
If tents aren't your style, most European campgrounds also rent inexpensive bungalows sleeping two to six people and starting around $45 plus $10-$14 per person -- far less than the cost of even a cheap hotel. What's more, the bungalow's access to the campground facilities means you get amenities virtually no inexpensive hotel can offer: a swimming pool, an on-site grocery store, picnic tables, bars, and often a restaurant, grill, or pizzeria -- to say nothing of the chance to make friends with vacationing Europeans. Campers tend to be a friendly lot, often insisting their temporary neighbors join them by the campfire or barbecue pit to share dinner and a bottle of wine. This type of invitation rarely comes from the couple staying in the hotel room next door.
National and local tourist offices always have lists of campgrounds (the better ones include them in the searchable accommodations databases on their websites; find them at www.worldtourismdirectory.com). You can also find listings for more than 8,500 European campgrounds at the site www.eurocampings.net, and some 1,500 more on the Polish site www.eurocamps.net (never fear; click on the little Union Jack flag at the top for an English version).
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Almost completely unknown to most American travelers, campgrounds are found on the outskirts of nearly every major European city; indeed, some European cities have as many as a dozen such camps in their outlying areas. And although they are usually in fairly remote neighborhoods, nearly all are on a bus or subway line that can whisk you downtown -- and there are still other prime camping spots in historic centers as well.
Did you know you could camp in Paris along the banks of the Seine River in the Bois de Boulogne park (www.campingparis.fr)? How about a campsite with a view overlooking the domes and bell towers of Florence from a hillside terrace in the Oltrarno district (www.ecvacanze.it/ing/michelangelo_home.asp)? Venice even has a campground by the beach on the island next to the Lido, just a short ferry ride from St. Mark's Square (www.camping-miramare.it). Some campgrounds are operated only in warm weather (roughly Easter through October or early November), but many stay open year-round.
The bill at a European campground can be a bit confusing, since you are usually charged an array of small fees -- one for the site, another for each person, yet another for your vehicle -- but the total usually ends up around $17 to $26 for a couple in a tent, up to $40 in the most popular campgrounds in the summer high season. Forgot your tent? You can usually rent one for $10-$20.
If tents aren't your style, most European campgrounds also rent inexpensive bungalows sleeping two to six people and starting around $45 plus $10-$14 per person -- far less than the cost of even a cheap hotel. What's more, the bungalow's access to the campground facilities means you get amenities virtually no inexpensive hotel can offer: a swimming pool, an on-site grocery store, picnic tables, bars, and often a restaurant, grill, or pizzeria -- to say nothing of the chance to make friends with vacationing Europeans. Campers tend to be a friendly lot, often insisting their temporary neighbors join them by the campfire or barbecue pit to share dinner and a bottle of wine. This type of invitation rarely comes from the couple staying in the hotel room next door.
National and local tourist offices always have lists of campgrounds (the better ones include them in the searchable accommodations databases on their websites; find them at www.worldtourismdirectory.com). You can also find listings for more than 8,500 European campgrounds at the site www.eurocampings.net, and some 1,500 more on the Polish site www.eurocamps.net (never fear; click on the little Union Jack flag at the top for an English version).
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Labels: camping, western europe
Mar 20, 2008
With tour operators predicting that travel to Europe will fall off sharply, much of their attention has turned to Asia and the South Pacific
Witness the major marketing of three new programs by European specialist, Gate 1 Travel. In widely disseminated press releases, Gate 1 is featuring bargains like $1189 to Bali, air-inclusive from Los Angeles, for a five-night stay there; $1249 to Hong Kong and Bangkok, air-inclusive from Los Angeles, for a six-night stay split between the two cities; and $2,029 to Vietnam, air-inclusive from Los Angeles, for a 10-night escorted stay in Ho Chi Minh City, Hoi An, Hue, Halong Bay and Hanoi. Who would have dreamed that a tour operator famed for its city stays in western Europe and cruises along the Rhine, would feature Ho Chi Minh city as the new bargain location? You'll get all the details at www.gate1travel.com.
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Labels: china, thailand, vietnam
How you can visit North Korea -- for a fairly stiff price
Because I met him by accident at a trade show, I am now on the mailing list of one of the few people to operate occasional tours to North Korea.
His name is Walter L. Keats, his company is Asia Pacific Travel, Ltd. (tel. 800/262-6420), and his is a hard lot. A few years ago, after spending substantial sums to market visits to the massive parades and formations of tens of thousands of North Koreans in the main sports stadium of Pyongyang (the "Arirang ceremonies"), he was forced to cancel on short notice (and at major expense) when supreme leader Kim Il Jong changed his mind about permitting Americans into the country.
That misunderstanding has apparently been cleared up, and Mr. Keats has obtained the right to send several groups of American tourists into North Korea in August through October of this year, mainly for stays of from five to nine days, flying there from either Seoul or Beijing. I won't go into detail, apart from disclosing that the basic cost will be $2,985 to $3,595 per person, not including airfare to either Seoul or Beijing, because I doubt that many readers of this blog will be interested. But to learn more, you have only to go to www.northkorea1on1.com/itinerary.cfm.
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His name is Walter L. Keats, his company is Asia Pacific Travel, Ltd. (tel. 800/262-6420), and his is a hard lot. A few years ago, after spending substantial sums to market visits to the massive parades and formations of tens of thousands of North Koreans in the main sports stadium of Pyongyang (the "Arirang ceremonies"), he was forced to cancel on short notice (and at major expense) when supreme leader Kim Il Jong changed his mind about permitting Americans into the country.
That misunderstanding has apparently been cleared up, and Mr. Keats has obtained the right to send several groups of American tourists into North Korea in August through October of this year, mainly for stays of from five to nine days, flying there from either Seoul or Beijing. I won't go into detail, apart from disclosing that the basic cost will be $2,985 to $3,595 per person, not including airfare to either Seoul or Beijing, because I doubt that many readers of this blog will be interested. But to learn more, you have only to go to www.northkorea1on1.com/itinerary.cfm.
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Labels: north korea
Looking for a bargain at sea? You'll find it from Southwest Airlines!
It may be my imagination, but I'm beginning to think that Southwest Airlines, that cheapest of all carriers, has wheedled some of the major shiplines into offering up the cheapest of all cruise rates. Time after time, the Southwest website seems to be quoting rates or discounts or credits that are just plan awesome.
Go to www.southwest.com, click on "Specials," and then, when a list appears in a vertical column on the left-hand side of the page, click on "Cruise specials." Up will come "Cruise of the week" -- an assortment of bargains -- supplemented by a direction to "Find other cruise offers" by clicking on those words at the bottom of the page.
As I write this, "Cruise of the week" offers the following on sailings aboard ships of Royal Caribbean:
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Go to www.southwest.com, click on "Specials," and then, when a list appears in a vertical column on the left-hand side of the page, click on "Cruise specials." Up will come "Cruise of the week" -- an assortment of bargains -- supplemented by a direction to "Find other cruise offers" by clicking on those words at the bottom of the page.
As I write this, "Cruise of the week" offers the following on sailings aboard ships of Royal Caribbean:
- 3-Night Bahamas: From $219 + $100 Onboard Credit
- 4-Night Baja California: From $289 + up to $75 Onboard Credit
- 5-Night Western Caribbean: From $399 + $50 Onboard Credit
- 7-Night Mexican Riviera: From $499 + $100 Onboard Credit
- 7-Night Eastern Caribbean: From $599 + $100 Onboard Credit
- 7-Night Mediterranean: From $699 + $100 Onboard Credit
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Mar 19, 2008
In the month of April and afterwards, remarkable vacation bargains are available in Cancún and the adjoining Mayan Riviera
Puzzled by the pricing of Vacation Travel Mart's (tel. 800/288-1435; www.vacmart.com) air-and-land packages to the Caribbean, I placed a call last week to its president, Jacques Abitan. "Are you aware," I asked, "that you are charging the same for a five-day stay in Cancún as for the Dominican Republic?"
"Of course," he answered. And he proceeded to tell me about a collapse in prices in the Cancún area because of the immense amount of recent hotel construction. In the Mayan Riviera (the stretch of Caribbean coast immediately south of Cancún), some 4,000 new rooms opened in the two-month period of November-December of 2007 alone. And there are now some 40,000 rooms in the "hotel zone" of Cancún itself. You can hear a podcast of my interview with Jacques Abitan at the opening of the first hour of March 16's Travel Show, at www.wor710.com (click on "Weekend Programming").
Because the hotel/resorts of Mexico's Caribbean coast are giving discounts to tour operators of 40%, 50% and even 60%, the package values are tremendous indeed; they result in prices identical to those charged for air-and-land packages to that longtime champion of bargain vacations, the Dominican Republic.
And it gets better. According to Jacques Abitan (a veteran of many years of tour operation to the tropics), the radical, low-cost fares to the Caribbean of upstarts JetBlue and Spirit Airlines have wrecked the normal airfare price structure and forced American, United, Northwest and Continental to cut their own fares to many Caribbean locations. Because of that -- again according to Jacques Abitan -- tour operators are sometimes enjoying lower fares to the Caribbean from New York, Chicago and Detroit than from Miami!
Contact them and you'll find air-and-land offers for a five-day stay at an all-inclusive resort in Mexico (and the Dominican Republic), including round-trip airfare from Miami and all three meals daily, for as little as $587 per person (and just a tiny bit more from northern cities). Those rates will dip further in April (an off-season month in a year when Easter occurs so early). You'll find similar stays at a new super-deluxe hotel (the Valentin) on Mexico's Caribbean coast, again including airfare and all three meals daily, for $1,000. In a travel world where Europe has become the expensive destination, the Caribbean is now the cost-conscious place to go.
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"Of course," he answered. And he proceeded to tell me about a collapse in prices in the Cancún area because of the immense amount of recent hotel construction. In the Mayan Riviera (the stretch of Caribbean coast immediately south of Cancún), some 4,000 new rooms opened in the two-month period of November-December of 2007 alone. And there are now some 40,000 rooms in the "hotel zone" of Cancún itself. You can hear a podcast of my interview with Jacques Abitan at the opening of the first hour of March 16's Travel Show, at www.wor710.com (click on "Weekend Programming").
Because the hotel/resorts of Mexico's Caribbean coast are giving discounts to tour operators of 40%, 50% and even 60%, the package values are tremendous indeed; they result in prices identical to those charged for air-and-land packages to that longtime champion of bargain vacations, the Dominican Republic.
And it gets better. According to Jacques Abitan (a veteran of many years of tour operation to the tropics), the radical, low-cost fares to the Caribbean of upstarts JetBlue and Spirit Airlines have wrecked the normal airfare price structure and forced American, United, Northwest and Continental to cut their own fares to many Caribbean locations. Because of that -- again according to Jacques Abitan -- tour operators are sometimes enjoying lower fares to the Caribbean from New York, Chicago and Detroit than from Miami!
Contact them and you'll find air-and-land offers for a five-day stay at an all-inclusive resort in Mexico (and the Dominican Republic), including round-trip airfare from Miami and all three meals daily, for as little as $587 per person (and just a tiny bit more from northern cities). Those rates will dip further in April (an off-season month in a year when Easter occurs so early). You'll find similar stays at a new super-deluxe hotel (the Valentin) on Mexico's Caribbean coast, again including airfare and all three meals daily, for $1,000. In a travel world where Europe has become the expensive destination, the Caribbean is now the cost-conscious place to go.
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Book Sunny Land Tours' $999 air-and-land package to Peru prior to August 31, and you'll receive free insurance
In mid-January, I wrote about a tour to Peru costing only $999, including round-trip air from Miami, two nights in Lima and four nights in Cusco. And although an optional excursion to Machu Picchu cost $199 more, I nevertheless enthused about the value you received. The tour operator, Sunny Land Tours of New Jersey (tel. 800/783-7839; www.peruhoteldeals.com), has now announced that it will throw in, at no extra charge, a travel insurance policy worth up to $300, if bookings are made prior to August 30. And that's a valuable-enough addition, in my view, to justify mentioning this remarkable package again. For further information, go to my post of January 15, 2008.
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Flying on the right days of the week will keep your airfare costs low
Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday are the cheapest days of the week in which to fly within the United States. That bit of wisdom was contained in a statement by Rick Seaney, president of FareCompare.com (www.farecompare.com), commenting on the $50 increase in long-distance, roundtrip airfares announced last week by United Airlines and immediately duplicated by all the other big airlines.
The $50 is, of course, the major news. United announced it, and American, Continental, Delta, and US Airways quickly followed. With no improvement in air schedules or service, with reduced capacity all over the country (fewer flights to fewer airports), with delays at an historic peak, the airlines have nonetheless decided that the demand for air transportation is so great as to enable them to adopt a policy of high fares.
This was "the most broad-based single domestic U.S. airfare increase since I began closely tracking airfares in 2002," says Seaney. And it is only a foretaste of what to expect if the Department of Transportation permits several large airlines to merge with each other -- as they are now negotiating to do -- and thus eliminate a large part of the competition in the skies.
So what are we, as consumers, to do? We have precious few alternatives. We have permitted the oil lobby to drastically reduce funding for Amtrak, cutting off what could have been a way to travel cheaply within the United States. And since there's a limit to how many people can travel by bus, the need becomes greater to reverse the slide in Amtrak and begin energetically to restore train transportation.
This means defeating, in the coming November elections, those members of Congress who do the oil industry's bidding by constantly seeking to cripple Amtrak.
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The $50 is, of course, the major news. United announced it, and American, Continental, Delta, and US Airways quickly followed. With no improvement in air schedules or service, with reduced capacity all over the country (fewer flights to fewer airports), with delays at an historic peak, the airlines have nonetheless decided that the demand for air transportation is so great as to enable them to adopt a policy of high fares.
This was "the most broad-based single domestic U.S. airfare increase since I began closely tracking airfares in 2002," says Seaney. And it is only a foretaste of what to expect if the Department of Transportation permits several large airlines to merge with each other -- as they are now negotiating to do -- and thus eliminate a large part of the competition in the skies.
So what are we, as consumers, to do? We have precious few alternatives. We have permitted the oil lobby to drastically reduce funding for Amtrak, cutting off what could have been a way to travel cheaply within the United States. And since there's a limit to how many people can travel by bus, the need becomes greater to reverse the slide in Amtrak and begin energetically to restore train transportation.
This means defeating, in the coming November elections, those members of Congress who do the oil industry's bidding by constantly seeking to cripple Amtrak.
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Labels: airlines
Mar 18, 2008
Vulgarity knows no bounds: around-the-world for $114,000 per couple in a big jet configured to seat only 88 persons
Although I am not an alumnus of Columbia University, I am on their mailing list for travel deals, and last week's delivery brought a whopper: a three-week around-the-world trip by private jet for $113,900 per couple (or $56,950 per person, double occupancy). The trip will depart from Fort Lauderdale on February 2, 2009, returning on February 25. Columbia's alumni will share the specially-configured Boeing 757 with alumni or members of the University of Georgia, the University of Connecticut, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. (For further info: the Columbia University Travel Study Program at tel. 866/325-8664.)
There are expenditures so excessive as to be grossly vulgar -- and this is one of them. $114,000 would fund a year's college studies for at least three deserving young people -- and still leave enough left over for a normal around-the-world trip. $114,000 would fund pre-school education for dozens of deserving young children, provide considerable housing for the homeless, fund a major meals-on-wheels program in cities on the brink of discontinuing that assistance, provide thousands of AIDS treatments in a developing country, perform a dozen other worthy social tasks. Although none of us would deny well-off people the right to engage in pleasant, comfortable recreation, isn't there a point at which excessive luxury spending becomes obscene?
The eminent administrators of Columbia University, in my view, should hang their heads in shame. Or is this one of those issues that we're no longer supposed to discuss?
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There are expenditures so excessive as to be grossly vulgar -- and this is one of them. $114,000 would fund a year's college studies for at least three deserving young people -- and still leave enough left over for a normal around-the-world trip. $114,000 would fund pre-school education for dozens of deserving young children, provide considerable housing for the homeless, fund a major meals-on-wheels program in cities on the brink of discontinuing that assistance, provide thousands of AIDS treatments in a developing country, perform a dozen other worthy social tasks. Although none of us would deny well-off people the right to engage in pleasant, comfortable recreation, isn't there a point at which excessive luxury spending becomes obscene?
The eminent administrators of Columbia University, in my view, should hang their heads in shame. Or is this one of those issues that we're no longer supposed to discuss?
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Labels: fat cats
We had quite a day yesterday on the currency markets, where conditions have worsened for the traveler
In all the attention that's been paid to the surging Euro and British Pound, less has been devoted to the Japanese Yen, whose rise is just as startling -- and disconcerting to the American traveler. On Monday of this week, the Yen "strengthened down" to a level of 95 to the U.S. dollar, its strongest position since 1995. It then weakened a bit, and you will now receive about 96 yen for one U.S. dollar (instead of the 114 yen you received not so long ago).
All this means that we will not be rushing to Japan this year; receiving only 96 yen to the dollar, the cost of everything will be sky high, and all the moderating measures -- staying in the plainest of ryokans, capsule hotels, business hotels -- will do little to ease the jolt. (Keep in mind that "96 yen to the dollar" is an official rate; when you pay a 5% commission to a money-changer, as you almost always do, you will end up with only about 91 yen for one U.S. dollar).
As for the European currencies, the Euro reached -- at one point on Monday -- a rate of $1.59 before dropping back to about $1.58. If our Federal Reserve continues committing hundreds of billions of dollars of assistance to failing investment brokers and hedge funds, the resulting inflation of our currency will ultimately cause the Euro to reach a rate of $1.65 to the dollar -- meaning that you, as a tourist, will actually need to pay $1.75 for a Euro, once commissions are figured in.
So how's about considering a trip to Santiago, this summer, or to Buenos Aires? If you'll go to the website of Lan Chile Airlines, you'll find that round-trip airfares to Santiago are as little as $565 at that time, much less than you'll be paying trans-Atlantic, and you'll also find that Chilean hotels (either in Santiago or in the seaside resort community of Valparaiso) are available for about half what you'd pay in Europe. We Americans have paid too little attention to South America, and it may be that current currency conditions may change our attitudes.
One drawback: the weather in the southernmost part of South America is chilly in our summertime (their winter) months. But cultural life is at a peak, and the conditions are perfect for touring cities that are relatively uncrowded at that time.
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All this means that we will not be rushing to Japan this year; receiving only 96 yen to the dollar, the cost of everything will be sky high, and all the moderating measures -- staying in the plainest of ryokans, capsule hotels, business hotels -- will do little to ease the jolt. (Keep in mind that "96 yen to the dollar" is an official rate; when you pay a 5% commission to a money-changer, as you almost always do, you will end up with only about 91 yen for one U.S. dollar).
As for the European currencies, the Euro reached -- at one point on Monday -- a rate of $1.59 before dropping back to about $1.58. If our Federal Reserve continues committing hundreds of billions of dollars of assistance to failing investment brokers and hedge funds, the resulting inflation of our currency will ultimately cause the Euro to reach a rate of $1.65 to the dollar -- meaning that you, as a tourist, will actually need to pay $1.75 for a Euro, once commissions are figured in.
So how's about considering a trip to Santiago, this summer, or to Buenos Aires? If you'll go to the website of Lan Chile Airlines, you'll find that round-trip airfares to Santiago are as little as $565 at that time, much less than you'll be paying trans-Atlantic, and you'll also find that Chilean hotels (either in Santiago or in the seaside resort community of Valparaiso) are available for about half what you'd pay in Europe. We Americans have paid too little attention to South America, and it may be that current currency conditions may change our attitudes.
One drawback: the weather in the southernmost part of South America is chilly in our summertime (their winter) months. But cultural life is at a peak, and the conditions are perfect for touring cities that are relatively uncrowded at that time.
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Labels: money, south america
Here's an odd suggestion for your upcoming summer vacation: spend it at Harvard!
Attracted by an advertisement of the Harvard Summer School, in which programs were described as being for "high school and college students, and adults," I phoned Harvard's public relations department and learned, to my surprise, that the entire summer program is available to adults of any age (although overwhelmingly attended by younger persons). Provided you are willing to spend a minimum of four weeks on a program, you can sign up for any summer school course, and take the course without subjecting yourself to grades or exams (but, of course, you'll get no college credit for it). What's more, the authorities will attempt to find you accommodations in a Harvard dorm, or in the many private residences scattered throughout the Cambridge, Massachusetts, area, in which Harvard students are housed.
So here's an alternative to Oxford or University College Dublin this summer. I've written a great deal about the residential summer programs offered in the universities of the British Isles and strongly recommended them as a supreme vacation activity. To check into an Oxford "quad," take instruction from a celebrated Oxford "don," and then enjoy meals in the same cavernous Gothic dining room pictured in the Harry Potter movies, is a once-in-a-lifetime thrill. But now, at lesser cost, you can have approximately that experience in one of America's leading universities.
When my daughter was a teenager attending high school, she attended Harvard's Summer School, and it was as a top moment of her life. The faculty is Harvard's faculty, the level of instruction is high, and the Harvard campus is full of cultural opportunities. Although the Harvard Summer School website itself makes no reference to "adults," I'm told that every program in it can be taken by an adult (as the advertising for the program states), provided only -- once again -- that you are willing to sign up for a four-week session (the minimum duration of programs). Go to www.summer.harvard.edu for all the details.
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So here's an alternative to Oxford or University College Dublin this summer. I've written a great deal about the residential summer programs offered in the universities of the British Isles and strongly recommended them as a supreme vacation activity. To check into an Oxford "quad," take instruction from a celebrated Oxford "don," and then enjoy meals in the same cavernous Gothic dining room pictured in the Harry Potter movies, is a once-in-a-lifetime thrill. But now, at lesser cost, you can have approximately that experience in one of America's leading universities.
When my daughter was a teenager attending high school, she attended Harvard's Summer School, and it was as a top moment of her life. The faculty is Harvard's faculty, the level of instruction is high, and the Harvard campus is full of cultural opportunities. Although the Harvard Summer School website itself makes no reference to "adults," I'm told that every program in it can be taken by an adult (as the advertising for the program states), provided only -- once again -- that you are willing to sign up for a four-week session (the minimum duration of programs). Go to www.summer.harvard.edu for all the details.
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Labels: accommodations, boston
Mar 17, 2008
Before you reject the idea of staying in a European hostel, you should know that they've changed considerably in recent years
Most travelers who haven't peeked into a hostel in 10 or 15 years probably harbor a lingering image of the "youth hostels" of yesteryear: dreary institutional structures featuring cavernous dorm rooms of 50 or more beds, ridiculously early curfews, mid-day lockout periods, and lamentable locations on the outskirts of town.
The good news is that hostels have dropped the "youth" requirement and are now used by everyone from traveling families with young children to peripatetic grandparents on quirky retirement trips. Though you still get a bunk in a shared room, most of those rooms now average four to six beds each; a few are doubles and triples; and many have bathrooms "en suite" (meaning private baths) rather than down the hall. Prices average around €15 to €20 per bed, a bit more for a private room sleeping 2-3.
In addition to the older hostels affiliated with Hostelling International, most European cities also now feature a score of private hostels, often with excellent locations in the historic center or near the rail stations, frequently with laundry rooms, cheap (or free) Internet stations, dining rooms and in-house pubs or discos, and few, if any, of those old school-marm rules (which do, unfortunately, survive at most HI-affiliated hostels).
However, be warned that even if they have dropped "youth" from the name, hostels still tend to draw a youthful backpacker crowd, which means a convivial atmosphere that can often verge on one big party -- wonderful if that's what you came for, not so great if you expected to get any sleep before the thumping beat from the basement disco ceases at 3am.
There is an official HI site (www.hihostels.com), but if you want to peruse private hostels alongside HI-affiliated ones you'll find far better resources at the independent sites www.hostels.com, www.hostels.net, www.hostelbookers.com, and www.europehostels.org, which includes a primer on hostel travel and direct links to hostelling sites in 34 European countries.
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The good news is that hostels have dropped the "youth" requirement and are now used by everyone from traveling families with young children to peripatetic grandparents on quirky retirement trips. Though you still get a bunk in a shared room, most of those rooms now average four to six beds each; a few are doubles and triples; and many have bathrooms "en suite" (meaning private baths) rather than down the hall. Prices average around €15 to €20 per bed, a bit more for a private room sleeping 2-3.
In addition to the older hostels affiliated with Hostelling International, most European cities also now feature a score of private hostels, often with excellent locations in the historic center or near the rail stations, frequently with laundry rooms, cheap (or free) Internet stations, dining rooms and in-house pubs or discos, and few, if any, of those old school-marm rules (which do, unfortunately, survive at most HI-affiliated hostels).
However, be warned that even if they have dropped "youth" from the name, hostels still tend to draw a youthful backpacker crowd, which means a convivial atmosphere that can often verge on one big party -- wonderful if that's what you came for, not so great if you expected to get any sleep before the thumping beat from the basement disco ceases at 3am.
There is an official HI site (www.hihostels.com), but if you want to peruse private hostels alongside HI-affiliated ones you'll find far better resources at the independent sites www.hostels.com, www.hostels.net, www.hostelbookers.com, and www.europehostels.org, which includes a primer on hostel travel and direct links to hostelling sites in 34 European countries.
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Labels: accommodations, europe, hostels
Next thing you know, they'll be paying you to go to Barbados: A one-week air-and-land package for only $250 per person?
Several weeks ago, I disclosed the details of an off-season $399 air-and-land package to Barbados (from Charlotte, NC) operated by Atlas Vacations (tel. 800/634-1057; www.atlasvacations.net). It was obvious that the package was subsidized by the government of Barbados, and that fact has subsequently been confirmed by a well-known Caribbean specialist who was interviewed (and pre-recorded) by me for last Sunday's broadcast (www.wor710.com) of the Travel Show.
I have now received a press release from Atlas Vacations that they are reducing the price of the package for the month of September to $250 per person. That's for round-trip air from Charlotte to the very British island of Barbados (add-on fares are available from most other major U.S. cities), and seven nights of accommodations with breakfast daily at the Golden Sands Hotel, along with extras. It's clear that Barbados is anxious for a torrent of tourists to their island in the worst of the off-season months (September), which brings in its wake a great deal of spending by those tourists in restaurants and shops.
I can't think of a better way to list the details and conditions of the package than to simply reprint the language of the press release. It follows below, and it needs to be supplemented only y my own words of strong recommendation for Barbados. This is an exquisite island of friendly people, fairly prosperous as the Caribbean goes, with superb beaches, an exciting capital city, good public bus transportation for getting around, and excellent fish-fry restaurants. At $250 per person from Charlotte, only slightly more from other cities, you'd be remiss to pass up the opportunity.
Details from Atlas' press release:
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I have now received a press release from Atlas Vacations that they are reducing the price of the package for the month of September to $250 per person. That's for round-trip air from Charlotte to the very British island of Barbados (add-on fares are available from most other major U.S. cities), and seven nights of accommodations with breakfast daily at the Golden Sands Hotel, along with extras. It's clear that Barbados is anxious for a torrent of tourists to their island in the worst of the off-season months (September), which brings in its wake a great deal of spending by those tourists in restaurants and shops.
I can't think of a better way to list the details and conditions of the package than to simply reprint the language of the press release. It follows below, and it needs to be supplemented only y my own words of strong recommendation for Barbados. This is an exquisite island of friendly people, fairly prosperous as the Caribbean goes, with superb beaches, an exciting capital city, good public bus transportation for getting around, and excellent fish-fry restaurants. At $250 per person from Charlotte, only slightly more from other cities, you'd be remiss to pass up the opportunity.
Details from Atlas' press release:
Includes: Round-trip airfare from Charlotte, 7 nights' hotel accommodations, breakfast daily. Rates are per person based upon double occupancy only; single and Children rates are additional. Not Included: Add departure taxes and transfers of $150.00 per person; departure taxes from Barbados is not included which is approximately $20.
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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
