My local paper has an interesting article on their web site about when it’s best to travel along with the “crowd”. I’m a big fan of avoiding becoming one of a tourist pack, but the author makes some good points about when it’s best to go with the flow. Though I’m with him 100% when it comes to traveling during shoulder season, especially since I don’t have to consider school vacations when it’s time to plan a trip.
For me, one of the saddest days of most any trip is the day I get on the plane to come home. And the funk tends to linger for a while after. So I can appreciate this article over on BootsnAll about dealing with the end of a trip letdown. There’s some good advice over there.
I found this post on The Travel Critic blog on how to spot a genuine bargain vs. a rip-off. With so many carriers, providers and other companies competing for your hard-won travel dollars, I think it’s well worth a read.
According to this article at Yahoo News, European budget carrier Ryanair is considering charging passengers for using the loo. If you aren’t familiar with Ryanair, they tend to offer really low published fares but make their money by charging fees for checked in luggage or in-flight sales.
I have found that pay toilets are much more common overseas than they are here in the States (or at least the parts I’ve visited), but even the European press originally thought this concept was a joke. But so far, it looks like this may happen.
With the way the airline industry is suffering these days, I wonder if any American carriers would go this route. I’m sure there will be more than one executive keeping watch on how this story develops. Me, I just feel for the flight attendants, because you know there will be some cheap folks who will try to come up with their own in-flight toilet solutions.
Your friendly neighborhood Diva was asked by a friend the other day to provide some travel assistance to another friend who was planning her first trip to Europe. Since I can’t afford to go myself, I’m more than happy to engage in a bit of vicarious living and was happy to oblige.
The so-to-be traveler had mentioned that she wanted to do a couple of train trips while on the continent. I suggested a Eurail pass; she said she was already planning to get one. Good.
On her way out, I mentioned that she may want to talk to the folks at Rail Europe before she left to get some help with hotel questions and bookings, as well as her Eurail pass – since she had to get that before she left the country anyway. Which caught her by surprise; she had assumed – incorrectly – that she could buy the pass once she got to Europe.
Eurail passes are for international visitors, not those already living on the continent. Even if you produce a passport, plane tickets, birth certificate, or any other form of documentation you can think of, you won’t be able to buy a pass once you arrive in Europe. And don’t put it off until the last minute, since you’ll need to be sent the paper ticket; to my knowledge, there isn’t any kind of electronic option available.
And by the way, I do highly recommend getting a Eurail pass for travel within Europe (with the exception of Ireland). You can get to most everywhere pretty easily (except in Ireland, unless you want to stay in Dublin and do day trips out), and you get to look at the scenery while doing so.