Arthur Frommer's Blog, page 4
March 20, 2013
An Outstanding Book for Any Woman Contemplating a Trip
Almost twenty years ago, when a great many women still felt they could not engage in far-ranging foreign travels, Marybeth Bond published the first edition of Gutsy Women, claiming the opposite. In nearly 200 pages, she told of her own adventures in the colorful world of travel, and supplied scores of extremely practical suggestions for the female traveler, in addition to the names of travel companies that specialize in the organization of trips for women.
But her book was more than a "how to" guide. It was a deeply felt, colorfully narrated, intensely personal memoir of her experiences, her reactions, her optimism and her occasional fears. In the hands of a woman contemplating a trip to anywhere, it became an indispensable read, a marvelous travel companion for the woman making a gutsy trip to a foreign place. It was, in fact, a minor classic of its kind, a book that stood out among the several written, in whole or part, for female travelers.
Although Bond had herself, at the age of 29, spent two years traveling around the world completely by herself, without a travel companion other than friends joining her for short stretches of time, she does not necessarily advocate solo travel, although she believes that many women will enjoy such a trip. But her main emphasis is on travel with a companion -- either another woman, a parent, child or relative, or even in a group of women. In supplying rules and preparations for such a trip, she is joined in this fourth edition by many of her readers who have contributed pithy bits of by-lined advice that she highlights on nearly every page of the book. Gutsy Women is thus a collaboration between Bond and her female followers.
Equally important, and beyond the tips and suggestions in Gutsy Women, Bond contributes memoirs of outstanding moments from her own travels, colorfully illustrating how she, a woman, benefited from and found her life enlarged by the experience of travel.
I first met Marybeth Bond almost at the start of her writing career. I then chanced upon her at last month's Los Angeles Times Travel Show, when she alerted me to the publication of this fourth edition, and even provided a copy for me to read on the flight back to New York. Gutsy Women, by Marybeth Bond, is found in most major bookstores, as well as from such internet booksellers as Amazon or Barnes & Noble, and it is also available in a Kindle edition. It is, in my view, a valuable book for any woman thinking about an extensive trip.
March 19, 2013
Answers to The Travel Show Listeners' Questions
Despite all the economic ills that segments of our population suffer, Americans continue to travel -- heavily, enthusiastically, and to ever-more exotic and remote locations. They also continue to pursue careers in the travel industry. How do I know? I know it from the questions I receive by e-mail from a surprising number of readers. Here's a sampling:
Q. How can I escape my current present job and become a tour guide, traveling all over the world?
A. One way is to sign up for courses with the International Tour Management Institute in San Francisco (travel@itmisf.com or 800/442-4864 for information), which has an impressive record of placing its graduates with leading tour operators. But don't expect to earn anywhere near your present income from that boring current job.
Q. We'll be going to Tunisia, and look forward to exploring the less-heavily-populated areas of that country, like its southern desert. Any recommendations?
A. Are you kidding? While our State Department does not issue an unqualified ban on travel to Tunisia, it lists serious warnings, especially in the non-touristic areas located in the interior. Consult the State Department's advisories (www.travel.state.gov/travel) before you visit any iffy country. The same advice is given to a reader who is seriously considering a trip to Mali. I wouldn't.
Q. A dozen of us are planning a family reunion trip to Ireland. How can we best obtain the lowest airfares?
A. Make your reservations one at a time -- and not by asking for twelve tickets all at once. In that manner, some of you may obtain the few heavily-discounted seats aboard the flight you have chosen, and the cost for the entire group will be averaged out to a lower level.
Q. My fiancee and I are planning to be married in Rome on the day after our arrival there, and then to travel within the rest of Italy. Can you name a Presbyterian Church in Rome where we might have this done?
A. Rome is no Las Vegas. It doesn't issue marriage licenses on the spot to a newly arrived visitor (as they do in Vegas). Nearly all European countries and cities have severe residence requirements, and usually specify a lengthy stay before the knot can be tied.
Q. Can you name a tour operator offering a group visit that starts in Poland (Warsaw and Kracow), then goes to Germany (Regensburg), and finally takes in Paris and the D-Day beaches?
A. There's none. Tour operators offer logical itineraries of the sort that are requested by a multitude of people. You'd best make your own independent arrangements, using a travel agent.
Q. We plan to visit Berlin, then spend the rest of our stay in Paris. I'd like to fly between the two cities, my husband prefers taking the train. Which?
A. It's a matter of taste. If your husband feels strongly that a train trip between Berlin and Paris is itself an important viewing experience, then the train it should be. But point out to him that such a trip requires at least 13 hours.
Q. We wish to study Spanish in Costa Rica, and have heard of a language school there. Do you know anything about it [and here the reader names the school]?
A. No. What you do in such instances is ask for references from the school -- the names and phone numbers of other Americans who have studied there. You take the same precautions as if you were choosing a dentist or an accountant. You ask for references.
Q. On our forthcoming Alaskan cruise stopping in Skagway, we'd like to rent a car for a day trip into the Yukon. Does that work?
A. Probably not. The average cruise ship, on a port stop, disembarks passengers around 9 or 10 A.M. and then leaves the port to sail elsewhere at 4 p.m. The process of picking up a rented car (much paperwork) and then handing it back, leaves you with little time for roaming, and the roads going inland from Skagway are undoubtedly minor ones of short distance, in any event.
Q. Ever heard of a travel agency for Russian travel called "Travel All Russia"?
A. No. Ask for references before using them.
Q. We are five sisters planning an extensive trip through Great Britain. Where can we stay cheaply?
A. Look up the many scattered properties belonging to the Travelodge chain, or alternatively the Premier chain, most of them modern hotels with very inexpensive (for Britain) rates.
Q. In view of the several recent problems aboard cruise ships that have lost their electrical power, how can I best select an upcoming cruise?
A. It appears that the newer ships, those built within the past four or five years, are usually equipped with dual sets of generators located in different sections of the ship. I'd favor those ships in choosing a cruise. I'd also pose questions about whether particular older ships have been subsequently equipped with back-up generators or their equivalent, which one of the large cruise lines has publicly announced it will do. If they do, I would think their ships are now acceptably safe.
March 18, 2013
Carnival Execs Announce Immediate Multi-Million Dollar Spending to Remedy Electrical Power Production on Older Ships
Ironically enough, it may be that Carnival Cruise passengers may enjoy greater safety than the passengers on other cruise lines in the immediate months ahead. That's because Carnival's management, frantic over a series of power-outages or failures that so bedeviled the lives of passengers these past two weeks, are apparently taking emergency measures to equip their ships with back-up power sources. According to a conference call by Carnival to various financial analysts, made more specific to Gene Sloan, cruise editor of USAToday, Carnival will spend "tens of millions of dollars" in immediately upgrading the electrical connections from one set of generators to another on its ships needing such improvements.
By way of explanation: the newest cruise ships -- those built, say, within the last several years -- apparently have redundancy in their electrical generators, according to recent reports. Older ships sometimes do, and sometimes don't, possess such back-up facilities. Older ships in the Carnival fleet will be equipped with substitute sources, or access to substitute sources via more powerful and protected power cables, as a result of the considerable immediate expenditures that Carnival executives have promised.
"We expect to make an announcement early next week on the initial steps of our implementation program…," said a formal statement issued by Carnival. By "implementation program," they mean the physical upgrades that will be made to existing electrical equipment.
And what will now happen to older ships of other cruiselines? There's been silence, complete silence, on the part of the other companies. Whether they are taking similar steps to insure the availability of back-up programs if one source of power should go dead, is simply not known.
If I were a passenger scheduled to sail in the weeks ahead, I would pose some urgent questions to the company whose ship I have chosen. I would demand to know whether the ship in question has back-up generators far removed from the main generators. And if such companies should refuse to provide that information, then I would demand the right to cancel without penalty and to make a similar cruise booking on another line.
March 15, 2013
Another Carnival Cruise Ship Suffers Mechanical Difficulties; Heads Slowly Back to Port
First it was the 2,000-passenger Carnival Splendor in 2010. It had an "engine fire" off the coast of San Diego and had to cut short its scheduled voyage.
Then it was the Carnival Triumph last month, losing electrical power in the Gulf of Mexico and leaving 4,000 passengers without all the accustomed amenities of cruising (toilets, elevators). They were stuck onboard, in harrowing conditions, for five days.
Yesterday, it was the Carnival Dream that lost some power while the ship was docked in Philipsburg, St. Maarten. So it is no longer sailing, and all its 4,000 passengers are awaiting chartered airplanes to fly them home.
Today, as unbelievable as it may seem, the Carnival Legend has suffered from diminished sailing speed because of a mechanical problem, and is unable to make a scheduled stop in Grand Cayman. So it is slowly making its way back to Tampa, and passengers will receive a proportional refund.
What's with Carnival? A lot of people will be asking whether it has cut corners in the design, manufacturing, or maintenance of its ships. But one point remains crystal clear: It is vital that back-up generators be installed in all cruise ships, so that passengers in the future do not find themselves adrift in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, or some other vast sea. How can a ship embark on a lengthy voyage without reliable redundancy in the generation of its electrical power? And should ships be compelled to reveal, in public statements, whether their power-generating features are sufficient to overcome disastrous problems? Then passengers could intelligently decide whether to book aboard the deficient ships.
March 14, 2013
Another Carnival Cruise Ship, Another Electrical Systems Failure
After a single day of experiencing these outages, passengers have been advised they will now be flown back to the States by specially-chartered airplanes or on scheduled flights. It is not known how long they will have to wait for a flight home. And obviously, during high season, the hotel resorts of St. Maarten are unable to accommodate these 4,000-some-odd guests. So a great many Carnival passengers will be stranded in great discomfort until given the notice that a plane awaits them at the airport of St. Maarten.
Passengers will be given a refund for three days of cruising, and a 50% discount off a future Carnival sailing.
What's to conclude from all this? It's obvious that in the same way that Boeing executives failed to think through all the problems that might afflect electrical batteries placed aboard their latest aircraft, it should now be crystal clear that cruise ship executives have been rushing to complete one 4,000-passenger gigantic cruise ship after another without thinking through the need for full-scale alternative sources of power if something should happen to the main generators.
A cruise ship is like a self-contained city. Its thousands of guests are wholly dependent on the proper working of an electrical generating system. And since such systems are not always capable of working 100%, there obviously should be back-up systems in place. It is simply a mystery of how a cruiseline could take on the responsibility for 4,000 passengers, without being absolutely certain that working toilets would always be available for them. The current problem is the third such episode to be experienced by Carnival. And that's something that would-be passengers should think about.
Sorry to have spoiled your day.
March 13, 2013
Defying Predictions, the Japanese Yen Has Weakened to a Rate of 96 to the Dollar
If you have ever had a "yen" to visit Japan, now is the time. Though all the customary wisdom was that it would reverse its recent decline, and strengthen, the Japanese Yen is now selling at an unprecedented rate of 96 to the US Dollar, and seems able to plunge even further to an exchange of 100 to the dollar. This has already made costs in Japan considerably lower than before, and promises to turn that supposedly pricey nation into a more easily-accessible one.
Long-time visitors to Japan have always contended that tourists could slash their costs by frequenting "businessmen's hotels" (defined and listed in all the guidebooks) and by searching out the many popularly-priced eating establishments whose locations are identified in all the major guidebooks. The bargains are there if one simply takes the time to learn their whereabouts. An exchange rate of close to 100 yen to the dollar now makes that effort easier. And there will undoubtedly be a surge in the number of Americans choosing that destination, to which air transportation is widespread (a great many other destinations, like Taiwan, are visited via flights that first take you to Japan) and frequently quite affordable. Non-stop flights abound.
The plunge in the value of Japan's currency seems matched, but to a lesser extent, by the euro (now selling at $1.29 to the dollar) and the British Pound (now selling at $1.49 to the dollar). Though both European rates are only slightly better than before, they are perhaps 5%-to-10% cheaper, and there is the possibility that they may weaken further, making transatlantic travel an increasingly attractive prospect for this summer.
March 12, 2013
The Latest Advances in High Speed Rail and Airport Comfort, Offset by Continued Nickel-and-Diming of Airline Passengers
All the die-hard opponents of high-speed rail who read this blog will just to have to forgive me for bringing attention to still another European advance in that form of transportation: in April, France will inaugurate a budget-priced high-speed rail route between a suburb of Paris (where France's Disneyland is located) to Lyon and Marseille. Frenchmen and Frenchwomen will enjoy prices as low as the equivalent of $10, an absolute maximum of $100, to traverse virtually the entire north-to-south distance of France in cut-rate trains serving no meals (they will have to bring their own sandwiches) or providing any other amenities other than lightning-like speed from the outskirts of Paris to the south of France.
And all the while, we in the U.S. are condemned to our Toonerville Trollies, our slow-moving, often halting, outmoded trains requiring a full day and more to travel the shortest of distances. People in the late 21st century will laugh at the opposition to this much-needed advance in transportation, from that vociferous band of die-hards who absolutely refuse to accept improvements in energy usage and emissions, avoidance of overcrowded highways and air routes, advances in the quality of our lives.
Unlike the trains of America, the airports of America are keeping up with the latest in modern re-design. On last Sunday's Travel Show (wor710.com, click on "podcasts"), my daughter Pauline interviewed travel writer Harriet Baskas about recent advances in airport amenities, which include the installation of free-of-charge pay phones in such airports as Denver's -- a step so popular that it is now predicted that dozens of other airports will do the same. How is it possible that those phone calls can be made without charge? It's because they first play a lucrative commercial message to those persons making the calls.
Other airports around the country are installing playgrounds for children, more power outlets for persons with electronic devices like laptops and tablets (those power outlets are now becoming far more numerous), and more programs awarding you "loyalty points" for using such airport facilities as their parking lots (earn frequent flyer mileage by making purchases at the airports). And in Las Vegas Airport, to no one's surprise, there are now liquor stores in the areas you pass through after you have picked up your luggage on arrival, so that you can equip yourself with a bottle of scotch or bourbon just prior to going to your hotel. An advance!
Meantime, airlines are continuing to wrack their brains to think up more ways to earn income from unusual fees and charges. United Airlines is the latest to impose a small fee for the right to board the plane ahead of all others, and a much more substantial fee (at least $50) for obtaining the right to go through expedited security lanes. United will also ship your arriving luggage directly to your home or hotel, for a fee, enabling you to avoid those long waits at the luggage belt. And Southwest Airlines, not to be outdone, is now charging $5 to watch a movie on your laptop, in flight. Although it doesn't otherwise show films on its flights, Southwest will "stream" one to you in exchange for a small charge. Progress!
March 8, 2013
The Strange Case of the Transatlantic Airline That Doesn't Seem to Want Your Business
I haven’t written much about XL Airways of France, because the difficulty of booking aboard it seems to outweigh the savings it offers. And yet a great many Americans have discovered its awesome airfares and somehow managed to snare a cut-rate seat.
What sort of savings do they offer? Well recently, persistent US bargain hunters have been able to fly round trip between Miami and Paris -- a just-inaugurated new itinerary of XL Airways -- for about $664 per person, and in summer, no less. That’s at least $400 cheaper than you would pay to any other carrier.
They found the remarkable bargain by looking for a round-trip on the aggressive CheapoAir.com or on the equally hard-striving Momondo.com.
Now why is it so difficult for us Yanks to fly on XL? It’s apparently because the officials of XL Airways believe they can fill its flights solely with residents of France. In the European travel media, XL Airways is frequently featured. And in the few years that XL has been flying the Atlantic, Parisians have filled almost of all of its seats.
But try hard and persevere by finding a travel agent who knows the phone number of XL, and you’ll enjoy big savings of between $200 and $400 per person -- a discount that can add up to big bucks for, say, a family or group of four. Tell them to look at Momondo.com or at CheapOAir.com, and you’ll frequently snare a seat on an airline whose services are just as good as any other trans-Atlantic carrier but at a sharp discount in price. The powers that be at XL Airways just don’t think it’s necessary to expend much effort in attracting U.S. business.
The Strange Case of the Tranatlantic Airline That Doesn’t Seem to Want Your Business
I haven’t written much about XL Airways of France, because the difficulty of booking aboard it seems to outweigh the savings it offers. And yet a great many Americans have discovered its awesome airfares and somehow managed to snare a cut-rate seat.
What sort of savings do they offer? Well recently, persistent US bargain hunters have been able to fly round trip between Miami and Paris -- a just-inaugurated new itinerary of XL Airways -- for about $664 per person, and in summer, no less. That’s at least $400 cheaper than you would pay to any other carrier.
They found the remarkable bargain by looking for a round-trip on the aggressive CheapoAir.com or on the equally hard-striving Momondo.com.
Now why is it so difficult for us Yanks to fly on XL? It’s apparently because the officials of XL Airways believe they can fill its flights solely with residents of France. In the European travel media, XL Airways is frequently featured. And in the few years that XL has been flying the Atlantic, Parisians have filled almost of all of its seats.
But try hard and persevere by finding a travel agent who knows the phone number of XL, and you’ll enjoy big savings of between $200 and $400 per person -- a discount that can add up to big bucks for, say, a family or group of four. Tell them to look at Momondo.com or at CheapOAir.com, and you’ll frequently snare a seat on an airline whose services are just as good as any other trans-Atlantic carrier but at a sharp discount in price. The powers that be at XL Airways just don’t think it’s necessary to expend much effort in attracting U.S. business.
March 7, 2013
Carnival Replaces Authentic Counter-Culture Key West with Ersatz Private Beach as Port of Call
Ever heard of Coco Cay in the Bahamas? You probably haven't, because that little strip of land is scarcely inhabited and belongs -- lock, stock and barrel -- to Royal Caribbean Cruiseline, which operates bars, cafes, and shops alongside its beaches. Royal Caribbean has now entered into an agreement with Carnival permitting Carnival to dump passengers from two of its cruise ships for a full day on Coco Cay (aka Little Stirrup Cay), instead of sending those passengers for that day to Key West, Florida. Instead of enjoying an authentic experience of a celebrated and rather eccentric U.S. city, Carnival's passengers will now spend that day on a private beach of a private island.
Instead of going to Nassau, Freeport, and Key West, passengers on five-day cruises will go to Nassau, Freeport, and "Coco Cay."
All sorts of explanations of the change have been offered by Carnival. But the real reason is undoubtedly money. Coco Cay is only 50 miles from Nassau, the preceding stop. Key West is some 260 miles from Nassau. Carnival will be spared the expense of sailing some 200 miles.
I believe I may be the only writer who has railed and shouted about this use of private islands as the "foreign destinations" for many cruise passengers. The policy transforms a travel experience into something wholly trivial. The rest of us should be absolutely firm against ever booking a cruise that substitutes a phony travel experience for a real one.
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