Travelzoo for Travel Deals?

Hey Trippers,

I struggle with taking up the topic of last minute travel because I preach about planning for those who want to travel on a budget.  Even I find myself unable to just click on a deal that’s for the near future.

When I was living in London, the UK based lastminute.com was launched to huge fanfare.  As a result, its value skyrocketed without profit margins to support it.  It soon became so yesterday.  If you find your life has the flexibility where you can take off at a moment’s notice, you might find these type of websites very useful.  Travelzoo is a website I came across that offers all types of travel deals: from travel plans in the future to last minute deals.

I decided to put Travel Zoo to a little test.  I have already booked a trip to Europe in June – peak travel season and a few months away.  I soon found out that they use other travel search engines (Travelocity, Expedia, and Orbitz) for anything other than the specific package deals they offer.   So, for me it wasn’t going to save me any time.  I would rather use momondo.com.  Momondo’s an easier way to find just about every available airfare for that time and for that destination.

Last year during our European trip, we used a website on-the-fly by the name of

Booking.com for last minute hotel room deals.

Booking.com.  It’s a clearinghouse for last minute hotel rooms available that’s affiliated with Priceline.com.  There’s usually a room here and there on offer in each random hotel.  We used it to fill in the gaps between our pre-booked hotels that were located in popular destinations.  We had good luck with our bookings and found the rates to be of fair value.   If you’re traveling to an in-demand destination – it’s best to pre-book (always scouring for deals first) but if you have to fill in-between dates, booking.com is a good way to go.  And we always make sure we book hotels with free WiFi capability so we can book the next night or two as we move along.

It’s probably worth a search on Travel Zoo for a last minute trip when you have a specific destination in mind or if you are one who’s willing to throw care to the wind and go where the deals are.  Chances are, you just might end up going to Las Vegas . . . . (and Wayne Newton is no less scarier!)

Happy Last Minute Tripping,

Carter

Tripper Travel Bargain Hunt Notification

Hey Trippers,

For those of you who are constantly looking for bargain travel, there’s a new search engine from a company out of Copenhagen Denmark by the name of Momondo.  They are a worldwide travel search engine that searches other aggregate websites and airline and hotel’s own websites for their latest bargains.  From their website:

We search across multiple websites at google style top-speed to within seconds give you an overview of the cheapest flights we can find.

and regarding booking hotels:

Our hotel search function is based on the same principle as the flight search engine. It searches more than 100.000 unique hotels worldwide across all categories from cheap hostels to the most expensive luxury hotels.

I liked what I saw there.  They don’t sell tickets or rooms and make their money through commissions on sponsor links and ads.  Not only do they find the fares but the specific flights on offer as well.  They also present a graph with the flight price trends.

So, visit them often to see what’s new.  It helps if you have a destination and a specific time you are looking for.

Happy Tripping,

Carter

It's a Big Wonderful World (And it's yours free) Well, almost . . .

The holidays are over, you’ve sobered up, the gift cards have been spent, and you’ve completed your holiday travel.  Well, if you’re planning on using frequent flyer miles for next year’s holiday travel, you’d better get on it now.

Most airline seats for booking are released 11 months and one day before the flight is scheduled to depart.  So, if you’re planning on award travel for Christmas it’s already time to get on it.  Here’s the rub: you won’t be able to book your complete itinerary if you are planning on returning after Christmas – it’s too early.  So, for those of you that are planning to return before Christmas, you’d better book away.  You may already be too late!

The Wall Street Journal has a good primer on what to do to maximize your odds of being able to book award travel.

Even though recession-weary consumers may want to cash in frequent-flier miles to get free trips and upgrades more than ever these days, it’s gotten harder to snare those awards. Even though recession-weary consumers may want to cash in frequent-flier miles to get free trips and upgrades more than ever these days, it’s gotten harder to snare those awards.

Read on →

If you haven’t booked an award travel for several years, be ready for a shock.  Airlines have increased the amount of miles you need from each seat.  In 2003 on-United Airlines, the required frequent flier miles, in economy, was 50,000 miles.  In 2010, the Saver Award in Economy is 55,000 miles and the Standard Award is 110,000 miles!

I’ve already booked my summer award travel to Europe.  I booked that travel last November and it was already slim pickings.  I didn’t get my ideal times and ideal cities.  I wasn’t able to book any first class seats (for 2, singles were available) and settled for business on a partnered airline.  Note: The intra-European flights are easy to book; the “over-the-water” flights are the problem.  There are only so many flights “over-the-water”.

I enjoy traveling during the December holidays and since I am unable to book the return portion of my trip (post Christmas) at this time, I have to be poised to jump on the seats for the date the moment they become available.  The problem I will find, by then, is that the departure seats will be slim pickings.

Be diligent and it will pay off.  Remember, to keep working hard and keenly to get those miles.  You deserve the flights you want for that dream holiday.

Happy Tripping,

Carter

You know know you're in the right place as soon as you de-plane, BMW Ad, Munich Airport, Germany

European Car Delivery Programs to Travel on a Budget

Hey Trippers,

Because most of my trip to Europe in May was driving, I had to shop around for car rentals.  It’s not fun but shopping around will get you a better rate and save you some big money.  Many of the bargain websites on-line don’t connect to European Rental Car companies.  So, it takes diligence.   The rates for large size rental cars with enough room to hide your belongings/luggage out of site are ridiculously expensive!  And during peak season (another downfall of peak season) availability is limited, if not sold out.  I found a way to save money, increase car size, and maintain comfort.  Buy a car in Europe!

Background: Originally my trip was Seattle to London to Rome, and back.  I was going to drive south to Naples, Lecce, and Reggio di Calabria (the point of the boot shape of Italy).  From there I was going to ferry over to Sicily.  Then, back to Rome.

How the final itinerary ended up being a flight from London to Munich and driving to Salzburg, Trieste, Venice, Verona, and Innsbruck was because I decided to purchase a new BMW in Welt, Munich, Germany.  My old car had reached its 4^th year and the warranty was going to be up.  Mind you, this decision was made last minute in the car-ordering-world.

Typically, the process needs at least 60 days to happen and I was at 45 days.  But due to the economic conditions, there was a slot available at the BMW factory to build me a car to my specifications in that time.  My airline status enabled me to change my previously booked Mileage Award Ticket (last second in the Mileage Award world) without penalty.  The downside was choice of flights but I made it happen.

Here’s the pluses of ordering a car on the European Delivery Program:

• Minimum of 60 days is usually required.

• Savings of 7 – 10% over a purchase in your home country.

• Order, negotiate, and finance (if necessary) the deal at your local dealership before you go.

• Order the car to be built with the exact specifications you want.

• Car Registration and Insurance is included while you drive around Europe – most for up to a month.  You can extend it for a fee.

• You will save Rental Car Hire fees, which can be exorbitant.

• You’ll find a wide variety of drop-off points and not all are seaports.

• Free or reduced rate accommodation and/or airfare may be included in your manufacturer’s European Delivery Program.

Here’s the minuses of buying a car with the European Delivery Program:

• You have to plan your trip around pick up and drop off points.

• Drop off points may include an extra charge.

• Financing – The program only makes sense financially if you are going to pay cash for your car or get a finance interest rate lower than your savings interest rate (assuming you keep the cash for the car in savings or invested).

• Availability of free or reduced rate accommodation and airfare is tight and the reduced rates may still be more expensive than you can get on your own.

You can find more information from the following manufacturers.

Audi

BMW

Mercedes Benz

Porsche

Saab

Volvo

The only downside of our European Delivery Experience was the Drop-off.  More on that later . . . .  Next time I will be prepared for the drop off process and there WILL be a next time.  Here’s a few photos from the experience . . . .

BMW Headquarters, Welt, Munich, Germany

Bring your appetite for the buffet in the lounge, BMW Welt, European Delivery, Munich, Bavaria, Germany

The Tornado, Architect Wolf Prix, BMW Welt Munich Germany

Car Delivery Elevator delivers your car to the delivery platform BMW Welt Munich Germany

BMW Welt European Delivery Presentation Platform is in a spiral, Munich Germany

Classic Beamer, BMW Museum, Munich, Germany

Hydrogen Car, BMW Museum, Munich, Germany

Temporary Art Installation, BMW Museum, Munich, Germany

Happy Tripping,

Carter

Hey Trippers,

One travel tip I’ve learned over the years I can pass on is flexibility.  Especially, when it comes to accommodation.   I have never understood how anyone can book two weeks of accommodation in advance.  I can understand it if you go for a weekend – or maybe a week away – in a popular destination’s peak season.  (But I wouldn’t recommend that you go during that time anyway.)

Open to Whimsy from Your “Hub”

When I run through many of my travel memories that have stuck with me and felt like a real sense of adventure, they happened when I practiced flexibility.   All too often I find that I enjoy a place too much that I want to spend more time there – or rarely, less.  If I have a week of reservations ahead of me that can’t be broken, I can’t enjoy that place longer.  I tend to book accommodation in a destination and look at it as being a hub.  I use the “hub” as a base and go in each direction exploring, then move on to the next “hub”.

Visit a Tourist Office and Use the Web!

I know, you think you don’t want to waste time going from hotel to hotel after you arrive at your destination.  Most destinations have tourist offices that are more than happy to assist you.  On this trip, we made sure we booked accommodation with Internet, either in room or lobby.  We used www.booking.com,  www.lastminute.com, and our “reward points” websites.  There was plenty of availability.  This trip showed me the value of having an iPhone or an Internet connecting PDA.  You can literally book while you travel.  This freedom allows you to stop, explore, linger, and stay – or – move on if a destination doesn’t meet your expectations.

Two Must Nights to Pre-Book Accommodation

The one area I don’t allow any flexibility in my accommodation booking is the day I land and the night before I take off.   I book the first night or two and the last night – well before I leave.  The reserved accommodation will be near my first day destination and near the airport of my departure on the night before.  I make sure I’m booked the first night because I won’t be in any condition to book or search for a hotel when I land (given the time change and the length of air travel).

A Dangerous Landing

On this trip, I landed at Heathrow airport, rented a car, and drove two hours to my hotel that was pre-booked in Birmingham, Midlands.  I was traveling with someone who, thankfully, did the driving.  If I were alone there would have been serious problems.  I could not keep my eyes open.  I was exhausted from the long flights, not enough sleep, and the pre-departure preparations.  If I were alone, I would have stopped to nap in the car after leaving the airport.  It was that bad.  So, plan well.  Evaluate how you really are when you land on the first day of your trip.  Packing and negotiating airports and public transport is exhausting.

Ensure a Delightful Finish

The final night of my trip is booked because I do not take any chances with my getting to the airport on time.  I would not recommend being any further than one hour or less drive from the airport you’re departing from, especially, if you have a departure before noon.  What could happen?  Lots . . . . You could be ill after an exhaustive trip or exposure to a virus or bacteria.  You could be involved in or delayed by a car / public transport accident or delay.  You could have left a belonging / electronic / camera lens, passport along your trip and need to go back for it making you late for your flight.  At least if you have a room reserved, you could stop to rest and regroup for your departure flight.

Still Able to Maintain Budget

Booking a room at a hotel near the airport doesn’t have to be expensive.  Most accommodation caters to business travelers.  You will easily find a better rate on weekends.  There are less expensive hotels located a bit further from the hotel that often offer a free shuttle as an incentive for you to stay there.  (Book that shuttle in advance, if possible)  Rates on weekdays will be higher but usually a busy international airport will have a wide variety of nightly rates and amenities.

On this trip, I booked my final night at the Sheraton Frankfurt Hotel & Towers.  It is literally attached to the airport.  What a pleasure it was and a great way to finish my trip by waking, having a good breakfast, and walking over a skybridge into the airport terminal.  I booked a room using a Starwood Preferred Guest “Cash and Points” scheme.  I used 4000 Starpoints and paid US$60.00(€42.00) for the convenience.

Upgrade!!!

When, I arrived, I checked into the spacious room with modern amenities – and found it was dirty from the previous night!  I called down to the front desk.  They apologized and assigned me another room with a room upgrade.  I was now on the Executive Floor!  This gave me access to the Executive Lounge.  The lounge was spacious, included (at no extra charge) all the chef-prepared food, snacks, beverages (soft drinks, wine, beer, liquor), and a breakfast buffet in the morning.  What a way to finish a trip!

Happy Tripping,

Carter

Part 3 in a series of how I traveled to Europe and back for three weeks on a budget.

Hey Trippers,

Today I will focus on using hotel points, awards, how to acquire them, and when to redeem them.  Hotel costs regularly exceed airfare and transportation costs on any holiday.  This is an important way to reduce your trip overhead.

Disclaimer: I DO NOT ENDORSE ANY PRODUCT BELOW.  I am using them only as an example.

Join a Rewards Program and CHOOSE CAREFULLY – Choose a reward program and think it through.  Personally, I keep my hotel choices within hotel groupings that are in only two programs.  I do have memberships in a few other programs but focus on Hilton Honors and Starwood Preferred Guest.  For the most part, these two programs fulfill my needs domestically and internationally.  (I fill in the gaps with local hotels that are culturally significant at reasonable rates)  Both Award Programs have a spectrum of accommodation rates and property quality from BUDGET to LUXURY, which is what you want the programs you choose to have.

Hotel Reward Program Credit Cards – Sign up for a Hotel Rewards Credit Card (See programs below) for a group of hotels that have a broad spectrum of accommodation classes.  Personally, I have a Hilton Honors American Express and a Starwood Preferred Guest American Express.  Some of the credit cards charge yearly fees and some don’t.  Makes sure you confirm the one you use.  DO NOT do this if you cannot pay your credit card balance off in its entirety every month (interest rates approach loan shark rates) or if you are prone to be late paying bills (penalty fees are ridiculously high).

Point Acquisition – The programs will award you anywhere between 10 points and 1 point per dollar depending on what you spend your credit card on; the hotels themselves, gas stations, credit cards, on-line malls, or grocery stores.   You can usually acquire the most points for actually paying for a hotel stay and dining on the property.

Pay Low Redeem High - The trick is when it is on your dollar; you stay in one of their accommodations as cheaply as possible to earn points.  When you go away on personal business, visiting Grandma, or other non-holiday hotel stays, that’s when you stay in a modest accommodation within the hotel reward program.  Then, during the dream trip or holiday stay in the more expensive or popular hotels using points.  For instance, when on non-holiday accommodation stays; stay at a Hampton Inn or Hilton Garden Inn and when on your dream trip stay at the Hilton or Conrad using points.

On my trip, while in England and Austria, I paid to stay at Hilton Hotels (2 – 3 Star) at great rates (earning points and stays).  I found and booked the Hilton Hotels in England on-line and booked the Innsbruck Hilton last minute (most stays included breakfast).  The England Hilton stays ranged between £69.00 (US$113.00) in Bromsgrove, Midlands, £89.00 (US$146.00) in London, and Innsbruck, Austria, €89.00 (US$127.00) per night.  Both hotels included breakfast as part of the room rate.  In London, my Hilton Honors status enabled me to get a room upgrade and breakfast included.  I used Starwood Preferred Guest points to stay in a Venice 5 Star Hotel.  I redeemed points for my 5-night stay at The Europa and Regina Hotel on the Grande Canal.  The Premium Deluxe Room I stayed in was €380.00 (US$540.00) per night when booked on-line in advance.  The breakfast buffet was €52.00 (US$74.00) per person and I used points for that – only once!  Overeating is no way to start a busy day of exploring.

Double Dipping - This is a good way to acquire double points.  When staying at an accommodation, use the same Reward Program Credit Card to pay for your stay.  Many of the hotel chains also award a block of air miles for each stay (one or more nights consecutively).  Many Rental Car Companies also award hotel points.  Check before you book.

Advance Booking - Redeeming points for hotel stays has to be done WELL IN ADVANCE.  The programs are popular!  There are only so many rooms they set aside for point redemption.  Peak times at popular hotels have the fewest point redemption rooms available.

Optimizing Redemption – Starwood Preferred Guest is the only program offering “Free Night Awards”.  This aspect awards you a fifth night free with every four nights you book with award points.  There is limited availability, so book ASAP.

Remember to optimize the points you acquire when making large purchases; furniture, cars, electronics (including computers), home repairs, landscaping, etc.  Negotiate as a part or all of payment to be able to use a credit card.  When I purchased my last car, I negotiated as a part of the deal to charge $10,000.00 on my Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card.  That is a 5 night stay on many of their  properties.

Membership or Status Levels – Within a particular Reward Program, if you stay enough times and or acquire enough points (within a calendar year) your status within the program will get you additional perks.  Example: Hilton Honors has (lowest to highest) Blue, Silver VIP, Gold VIP, and Diamond VIP. Depending on property and availability, Gold VIP and Diamond VIP will get you an upgrade to the Executive Lounge Floor, which (depending on property) will afford you complimentary breakfast, snacks, and drinks throughout the day and evening.

Here’s a list of hotels and their programs;

Starwood Preferred Guest Program – Hotels include: Meridien, Four Points by Sheraton, Westin, W Hotels, St. Regis, Sheraton, aloft, and the Luxury Collection

Hilton Honors – Hilton, Conrad, DoubleTree, Embassy Suites, Hampton Inn, Hilton Garden Inn, Homewood Suites, The Waldorf Astoria Collection, and Home2 Suites

Priority Club Rewards – Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo, Staybridge Suites, and Candlewood Suites

Wyndham Rewards – Wyndham, Ramada, Days Inn, Super 8, Wingate, Baymont Ins & Suites, Howard Johnson, Travelodge, Knights Inn, Microtel, and Hawthorn.

Marriott Rewards – Marriott, JW Marriott, Renaissance, Courtyard, Residence Inn, SpringHill Suites, and Fairfield Inn.

Choice Privileges –    Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Clarion, Cambria Suites, Main Stay Suites, Suburban, EconoLodge, Rodeway Inn, and Ascend Collection

Best Western Rewards – (Earn Points or Air Miles) Good at over 4000 Best Western Hotels in 80 countries.

Hyatt Gold Passport – Hyatt, Hyatt Place, and Hyatt Summerfield Suites

This should be a good start for you.  I know it can be complicated at times.  But once you get the hang of it, it’ll make sense.  There is more Hotel Reward Programs listed in the KNOW YOUR BUDGET download on the KNOW YOUR TRIP HOME PAGE.

Happy Point Acquisition,

Carter

Hey Trippers,

(Disclaimer:  I am in no way endorsing any product below.  I am only using the products below as examples.)

This is the second part of a multipart series breaking down the savings and lessons learned on the trip.

I wanted to talk about the air travel for my European trip.  Normally when I use air miles I book it well in advance.  In this instance, the flight I booked with award travel was with United Airlines.  As I mention in the Know Your Budget section on the Know Your Trip website, you should choose an airline and try to stick with it.  You should select an airline that not only services routes you take commonly but also has a broad international presence.   I chose United Airlines because they service my domestic needs and, generally, my international needs, thanks to the Star Alliance association they have with other international carriers.  I want to be clear I’m not endorsing United Airlines over another airline.  United Airlines happens to fit my needs at this time.

My upcoming December trip to Argentina was booked this past January – a full 11 months in advance.  It’s part of the importance of planning.  Still, I was unable to obtain business class seats!  I check back periodically to see if the airline has released more award seats for that destination.   Very often they trickle out.

My trip to Europe, that I originally booked last November (08), was to be to London/Rome and back home.  Because I decided to buy a car in Germany (more on that later), very last minute, I had to change my flights and therefore take what was available.  I was able to obtain United Airlines flights to London (First Class) but had to fly with Lufthansa Business Class (Star Alliance) the rest of the way.  I was using miles to fly First Class but had to downgrade to Business on Lufthansa because First Class was no longer available on every leg of my re-scheduled flights.  BTW, there is a big difference between First Class and Business Class!

To obtain enough miles to do these flights, I did the following:

Mileage Award Program - I joined a few mileage programs with airlines I fly.  In this example I’m using United Mileage Plus (Not an endorsement).

Mileage Award Credit Card – I Charge everything I can on my United Mileage Plus VISA Card (Not an endorsement).  If you can manage credit, you should obtain an airline credit card that corresponds to the airline you’ve chosen.  They award one mile for every dollar you spend.  I pay my bill in its entirety every month.  DO NOT charge anything you can’t afford to pay off on the next statement!  If you don’t do this, it doesn’t make financial sense because the interest charges are obscenely ridiculously high.  Most Mileage Credit Cards offer a bonus lump of miles for signing up – up to 30,000 miles (upon first purchase).  Some offer free companion airfares (of inflated price flights and/or black out dates) and it’s not a good deal.  Every card has a yearly fee.  If you fly enough with an airline, your status may wave the yearly fee.  Make sure you find out what it is before signing up AND get it in writing.  I have requested and received my yearly fee waived because I have high usage.  I also have had a Mileage Award Business Card and a Mileage Award Personal Credit Card.  Both cards award-signing-bonus went to my United Airlines Mileage account.  You can “work” this but you have to be sharp and aware of your spending amounts.

Mileage Award Dining Program – Dine at restaurants that are a part of the Mileage Plus Dining Program (Not an endorsement) whenever I can.  They award 10 miles per dollar you spend.  Occasionally, they have bonus programs like dining at a variety of restaurants within a period of time for extra miles.

Mileage Bonus for Car Rental – When renting a car, I use a rental company that awards bonus miles to Mileage Plus Program, if it makes sense financially.  I rarely pay a higher rate for extra miles unless it’s just a few dollars.  Now, some Rental Car companies charge higher rates for the points or have stopped the associations with mileage programs completely.

Join ALL Airfare Search Engines for notification – I plan my domestic travel in advance.  I monitor the fares with United Airlines AND all the other airlines that fly the same routes because United usually matches other airlines low fares.  I pay for these flights because I’m awarded “miles” for each mile flown AND I charge the flight on my United Airlines Credit Card to get the “miles” for each dollar spent.  I’m doubling up.  Make sure you are enrolled in all the airfare search engines for the latest notifications.  There a several dozen now.  Here’s a start.

Fly PAID FLIGHTS Off-Peak and Off-Season – Do your best to fly where you’re going “off season” or “off peak”.  You’ll get a lower airfare, flights times you want, and the seat selection you want.

Shop retailers that offer Mileage Points - I belong to the Mileage Plus Mall.  If you’re going to send flowers anyway, why not send it through the on-line mall.  The stores in the on-line mall offer more “miles” per dollar you spend.  Example (not an endorsement) – Safeway Grocery Store Chain awards United Air Miles for using the Safeway Club Card when making purchases.  You can acquire 125 miles for every $250.00 you spend.  Pay with your Mileage VISA card and “double dip”!

My European airfare would have been $3500.00 in Business Class and over $15,000.00 in First class.  All I paid for my award ticket was $125.00 in taxes and airport departure fees.  Since I used miles, it was 120,000 for first or 80,000 for business.  As you know mine was split.  Ask me what I paid in miles in an e-mail and I’ll explain the complexity.   It has to do with, yet another subject, airline “status”.

Yes, it takes diligence and some focus, but it is worth it.  Make your search a priority by having an e-mail notification sent to you with the latest fare reductions.  You have to act quickly because they get snapped up.

Go to the Know Your Trip Website and download “Know Your Budget” PDF because it has a list of most of the Airfare Search Engines (new ones are added on the web regularly) as well as a wealth of other information to help your plan your dream trip on a budget.  Look for Part 3; Hotel Strategy.  A discussion of purchasing a new car in Europe to save money on your trip is coming . . . .

Happy Tripping,

Carter

Hey Trippers,

Here’s the itinerary of my latest trip to Europe in May.  It was an intense and focused affair (99% of trips are) because I was gathering info for the Know Your Trip Website.

My itinerary was as follows:

Day 1: Fly into London, UK – drove to Birmingham
Day 2: Drove to Liverpool
Day 3: Drove to Birmingham
Day 4: Drove to Stratford-Upon-Avon – Drove to London (gave up car)
Day 5: London (public transport)
Day 6: London (public transport)
Day 7: London (public transport)
Day 8: London – Munich – (picked up car) drove to Salzburg, Austria
Day 9: Salzburg, Austria –  drove to Trieste, Italy (parked car)
Day 10: Trieste, Italy (public transport)
Day 11: Trieste, Italy – drove to Venice, Italy (parked car for entire Venice stay)
Day 12: Venice, Italy (public transport)
Day 13: Venice, Italy (public transport)
Day 14: Venice, Italy (public transport)
Day 15: Venice, Italy (public transport)
Day 16: Venice, Italy (public transport) –  drove to Verona, Italy
Day 17: Verona, Italy – drove to Lake Garda – drove to Innsbruck, Austria
Day 18: Innsbruck, Austria – drove to Munich, Germany (gave up car)
Day 19: Munich, Germany (public transport)
Day 20: Munich, Germany (public transport) – flew to Frankfurt, Germany (public transport)
Day 21: Frankfurt, Germany – flew to Seattle, USA

I’m printing this because I want to assure everyone that I gather virtually all my information.  I use other experienced travelers and on-the-ground research whose opinions I trust for any gaps.

When I hand out travel advice and suggestions, it is based on personal experience.  I live what I preach because meaningful, enjoyable travel can be done on a BUDGET.  Sometimes I do splurge because I want to experience that particular part of a trip or destination.  Sometimes I regret it but most of the time I don’t.

When I endorse an attraction or business, I pay my way and get nothing for free (unless its free for you too).

I rent cars and/or use public transport.  I use air miles and/or pay fares.  I pay for accommodation and/or use points.  I pay when I dine everywhere.  No freebees there.  Nothing is really free.

There are many destinations that won’t make it on to the Know Your Trip website for quite sometime because I don’t believe they can be done on a BUDGET, are over-touristed, too dangerous, or Trippers just won’t find the place very enjoyable.

My subsequent blog posts will break down parts of the above trip to show you where I found savings and where I could have done better.  Traveling is not only a passion for me but I learning experience – every trip.  My last blog post was a segment of that trip.  I’ll start the flow of information and experiences tomorrow . . . .

Happy Tripping,

Carter

Hey Trippers,

For those of you that don’t already know.  My blog and the website project: www.knowyourtrip.com, aren’t just about traveling.  I don’t go to places to visit just to say I did.  The biggest enjoyment of my traveling is about immersing myself into another culture and learning more about how other people live and think.  A big part of that is hospitality.

As anyone who knows me will tell you, I have no problem striking up conversations with strangers.  It is me wanting to understand.  Understand how and why other people think the way they do.  It doesn’t always work out but I always come away with more understanding and feel better for it.

The second part of my project is to help enable people who have a passion for travel to do it on a budget.  In today’s world we don’t have the money to throw around.  Most people consider money to travel as a luxury.  My website isn’t about first class or luxury travel.  It’s about traveling on a budget.  I’m under no illusion that it doesn’t take money to travel.  It doesn’t have to be that way.

And now we have a great tool to enable everyone to travel on a budget.  It’s called The Couch Surfing Project!  This is a great website that puts travelers and budget (well, free) accommodation together.  The couch surfing means that you have a couch in your home available to host a traveler or two.  It isn’t just about hosting though.  You can state that you are “coffee and a drink” and this means that you are available to do just that.  You will enjoy a beverage with a traveler and show him around your town.

So, when you are unable to afford to travel, you can still share someone’s culture.  Open yourself up to a new understanding of a different culture, ethnic group, student, or wanderer.  Then, when it comes time for you to find some time off to travel, you can still do it on a budget.  for as much as an airfare and a bit of spending money you can experience a new culture.

Here’s a bit about how the website works:

• Join and become a member.

• Fill out your profile telling a little bit about yourself, languages you speak, add a photo or photo stream.

• State whether you are interested in not meeting up with anyone, you want top meet for “coffee and a drink”, or you have a “couch available”.  Then, fill out whether you have a couch, bed, bedroom, tent, floor or whatever, because many people aren’t picky when it’s free!

You’re probably worrying about safety and security.  “What if I host a serial killer?”  How American of you!!  Well, they have that covered too by using a “rating” system.  It’s kind of like EBay.  When you host someone, you log onto the website and write about your experience with your guest.  Part of the process is that he or she gets to do the same thing.  They rate you and your hosting.  So, you can log on and find about about someone before agreeing to host them and viceversa.

There’s an additional way you can reach out.  When you log in, you can see everyone that is visiting within a hundred miles of your house!  You can see how long ago they logged-in to the website.  this allows you to contact anyone in your area to say that you’re willing to show them around, meet for a drink, or you have a “couch” they can sleep on.

I have noticed that most of the members are in their twenties, but I have found some profiles in older demographics.  Like My Space and Facebook, I have a feeling that will change.  Before you know it, we mature individuals will realize that this is a great way to open up ourselves too people besides family, friends, city, town, country, and culture. the ‘Win Win” part is that we’ll show the world just how generous and wonderful we are.

Spend some time reading profiles and you’ll see there’s all sorts.  They all seem to have a few things in common; a passion for travel, sharing their culture, and experincing yours.  So, come on trippers, GO COUCH SURFING!  See you there . . .

Happy Tripping,  Carter

On my first exploration of Brussels, Belgium, I found it to be a terribly inconsistent city. Unfortunately, it still bore scars of WWII (surprisingly), and it was staid, boring, and uninspiring in it’s “Home of European Union” modern architecture. However, I first fell in love Art Nouveau there. l was disappointed and somewhat surprised at some of the run down slummy parts. The Grand Place almost made it all worth while. A spectacular collection of medieval buildings. Another revelation, it was the first spot I was exposed to the catholic religious superstition. There was a reclining bronze statue of Saint Michael, the patron saint of Brussels. Various spots on him were “worn shiny” from all the people lining up to touch each spot in sequence for good luck and blessings. After years of travels in Europe, that peculiar practice is now common to me. People rub, spin, stroke, religious icons all over the world.

The thing that made me crave Brussels was none of the above – it is and was chocolate. There in Brussels, my love affair and constant craving began. I was exposed to truly great chocolate there. The preparation, history, traditions, and varietals hooked me. Yes, I had Neuhaus, Godiva, and the like back home, but never truly appreciated them like I should have. Now, I treat it like I do fine wine. Hersheys Chocolate bars, M & M’s, Snickers, Twix, Kit Kat rarely ever cross my lips anymore – to this day! It tastes like chocolate chalk!

While in Brussels. I ate chocolate everyday, and every return trip, I filled a half of a suitcase with it. (By the way, it isn’t the best chocolate experience my taste buds have ever had. That was in Interlaken, Switzerland, and is for another posting.)
Every evening, at turn-down service, our hotel maid laid a piece of fine chocolate on my pillow and that would set me off again!!! Into my suitcase I went!

I returned to London and my love of chocolate was taken to another level when I stopped into a chocolate shop on Kings Road in Chelsea by the name of Rococco. The shop manager, an Italian beauty by the name of Rafaella, with whom I have a fantasy love affair with to this day, took me to another cloud. She tasted me on over 40 different varietals and flavors. I left the shop with more than a buzz! It was better than an orgasm (I can legally eat chocolate in public).

On my first trip to Paris, it was the first time I had ever been exposed to chocolate in a fashionable way. Of course! The French had to take something as simple as chocolate and finesse it into not only a sensual experience for the mouth, but alluring for the eyes.

The decor on the shop was a part of the experience. The colours, the fixtures, and displays could have been Yves St. Laurent. The boxes the chocolate were packaged in could have contained jewelry – and it wouldn’t have meant as much to me. The gift wrapping and carry bags looked like they contained something of extreme value. They did! The chocolate was €80.00 ($100.00) a kilogram. (Prices are higher now) I can’t think of too many better ways to spend as much money for as much satisfaction. (Maybe, I need to think it through . . . ) So, please join me on my little journey back in time. I’m not the only one with a passion for chocolate. Look at this line in front of Pierre Hermes Paris Chocolaterie in St-Germain-des-Pres . . .

This is a fabulous chocolate display at the famed Fauchon sweet Shop in Place de Madeleine. The only part that is not chocolate is the trays!

One evening, when I returned to my hotel room, this complimentary evening chocolate tray was in my room. At the top is a chocolate half egg shell filled with chocolate mousse.

This chocolate shop below was in the Marais – not too far from the Temple neighborhood. Now, get this, the strips of wallpaper in the back of the display – are made from white and dark chocolate!!!!

This chocolate shop located on Rue du Faubourg St Honoré (below) has chocolate available in a humidor with sterling silver serving tongs. Check out the solid chocolate slipper – and the packaging!

Below is the famed Michel Cluziel Chocolate shop on Rue du Faubourg St Honoré. His chocolate fountain was the first I’d ever seen. The presentation and molds they use are uniquely shaped and colorful. All this display is chocolate!

In the photo below, I appreciate the technical achievement of the trees and the shading on the Santa. Please send me the box of chocolates on the right!!! Pleeeeeese. The gold is wrapped around the Glazed
Chestnuts. “Marron Glace”

La Maison du Chocolate (several location throughout Paris) had this window display in the 8th arr. on 52 rue François 1er. I appreciate the eye catching colours and festive but simplicity of the display. Almost everything is on display is made of chocolate.

And finally, after the jump is a photo of a chocolate face. I’m sure you’ve seen a face good enough to eat?!?!?

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