September 7th, 2008
We’ve talked a lot about how to sleep cheap, as hotel accommodations can quickly eat up your travel budget. But if you are an adventurous sort, there are multitudes of other ways you can catch your forty winks without losing sleep over the price.
CouchSurfing is the social networker’s way to find a free bed. Basically, you sign up on the site, offer your spare room, couch or other sleeping implement to a traveler passing through your town, and when you go a’ visiting, you can crash at someone’s pad as well. Another similar option is a home exchange. At these sites, you most likely will pay a fee for access to the company’s database of subscribers. You find a place you’d like to go and contact the owner directly to perform a home switch. You’ll go to their house and they’ll come to yours at the same time. One company is HomeExchange.
If the idea of staying in someone’s home appeals to you, and you don’t mind watering their plants, you can sign up to be a house sitter. You’ll have to pay a small fee to be registered as a sitter, but then you may receive offers from around the world to take care of someone’s house while they are away. Pets are sometimes included, and you may have to pay your own utility bills, but it may be a good option for someone who can be away from home for perhaps extended periods of time. House Sit World is one company.
Pop in tomorrow for more ideas on how to get free or really cheap accommodation in exchange for a little work on your part.
Photo Credit: Dave Austria@Flickr
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By Jacy Meyer -- 0 comments
September 5th, 2008
Welcome to Fun Time Friday’s. Today the Fun Master takes us to the city of music and chocolate – Vienna!
Vienna is an impressive, compact city. Which makes it affordable for two reasons – you can walk it and there are tons of buildings, monuments and statues hanging about for you to gawk at. If you want to get inside something; the Museum of Applied Arts has free entry every Saturday. All of the city’s municipal museums are free on Fridays before noon. Many of the city’s churches are free to enter, and often have concerts as well. St. Stephen’s is the largest and most recognizable. Mozart’s wedding and funeral were both held in this Gothic cathedral. For a do-it-yourself stroll wander the so-called “Ring Road – Ringstrasse. Most of Vienna’s sights are located in the Innere Stadt (inner city) and are easily accessible from this route. It’s raining? No worries jump on tram 1 or 2 (Ring-Linien.)
Vienna has a ton of beautiful parks, perfect for a wander or picnic. Both Schonbrunn and Belvedere Palaces have large gardens and you can find beautiful ones in the vicinities of the town hall and Imperial Palace (be sure to check out their rose garden if the season is right.) If you truly need a green getaway, hit Stadtpark.
For many people, a trip to Vienna would not be complete without seeing a concert or opera in one of the city’s famous venues. If your wallet is feeling light, do as the Austrians do and stand. You can buy standing only tickets on performance day straight from the venue.
For a cheap meal, indulge in an Austrian hotdog at a Wurstelstand, or look for restaurants called Wiener Gasthaus. Wine lovers must visit one of the many heurigens that ring the outside of the city. In these wine taverns you’ll get to sample the heurigens’ own production and most have a cafeteria style restaurant on site with well-priced food. If you like the wine, be sure to pick up a bottle or two for a cheap souvenir.
Christmas is coming up and Vienna’s markets are some of the best in the world. Excellent variety, plus many truly artistic and creative creations. In my opinion, the best one is in the garden of Schonbrunn Palace, but they are all free!
For more information visit the Austria Tourism Bureau or the tourist information office in Vienna. The Vienna site even has a free downloadable “Mozart Walk” tour and one of Schonbrunn and its surroundings.
Next week, we’ll be wowed by Warsaw!
Photo Credit: Schonbrunn Palace Gardens, Vienna. Jacy Meyer
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By Jacy Meyer -- 1 comment
September 4th, 2008
European Heritage Days are a joint promotion between the Council of Europe and the European Commission to promote cultural experiences across Europe. What this means for the lucky visitor is free access into numerous sites, as well as a peek into buildings and other places not normally open to the public. This year, 49 countries will help spread the message about Europe’s cultural diversity in conjunction with the European 2008 Year of Intercultural Dialogue campaign.
Dates and events vary, but most are held sometime in September. In the Czech Republic for example, the theme is Monuments in the Landscape and the Landscape as a Monument and the dates are September 13-21. In Denmark, they are showcasing Buildings of the Welfare Society 1950-1980 on September 13-14. Austria is celebrating on September 28 and is offering Imported Culture: Chinese Chambers, English Landscape and Italian Frescoes. Bulgaria’s theme is Together in Diversity and they’ll be holding events September 26-28. Germany will celebrate one day only, September 14. Uncovering the Past – Archeology and Building Research is their focus. Even smaller countries are happy to be involved. Lithuania will promote Historical Organs in Lithuania from September 19-28.
The great thing about European Heritage Days is everything is free, or the sites ask for a symbolic donation. If you will be in Europe in September, or live here, be sure to find out what “your” country is doing and when. Last year we had randomly taken a day trip to a small town south of Prague during the Czech Republic’s European Heritage weekend. You could visit all the city’s museums for free, and they had opened a church that wasn’t normally open to the public. The city had also sent up an exhibit of paintings form local artists, so all in all, it was an unexpected bonus to our day out.
For more information visit the European Heritage Days website. Here you’ll find more information on the history of the program, its goals as well as links to the websites from individual countries participating in the events.
Photo Credit: Jule_Berlin@Flickr
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By Jacy Meyer -- 0 comments
September 3rd, 2008
When budgeting for your trip to Europe, food is often the most difficult item to factor in. Airfare and hotel prices are set and web searches will reveal the prices of many attractions you may want to visit. But food? Unless you are an uber-planner, who knows where you’ll be eating every meal and what you’ll be in the mood for? Enter the Economist magazine and their Big Mac Index.
Stick with me for a moment; this is information straight from the Economist’s website on what the Big Mac Index is and seeks to do: Burgernomics is based on the theory of purchasing-power parity, the notion that a dollar should buy the same amount in all countries. Thus in the long run, the exchange rate between two countries should move towards the rate that equalises the prices of an identical basket of goods and services in each country. Our “basket” is a McDonald’s Big Mac, which is produced in about 120 countries. The Big Mac PPP is the exchange rate that would mean hamburgers cost the same in America as abroad. Comparing actual exchange rates with PPPs indicates whether a currency is under- or overvalued.
Fascinating – but what does it mean to you? Results from the 2008 survey reveal you won’t be getting much burger for your buck in Europe. The Euro, Swedish krona, British pound and Swiss franc are all overvalued when compared to the dollar. The best bargain places to get your two all beef patties are Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. You can use this as a tool when planning your meal budget by seeing how the local currency is valued towards the dollar. For example, the index values the Euro at 50% to the USD, so if you are going to France, add about 50% to what you would spend on meals on a domestic holiday. Check out the full results here.
Photo Credit: Phil Dragash@Flickr
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By Jacy Meyer -- 0 comments
September 2nd, 2008
Recent Prague news sources have been reporting about updated US State Department country specific information on the Czech Republic. The not-so-cheerful report mentioned the pickpockets, high probability of being ripped off by taxi drivers and increased incidents of rophynol (the so-called date rape drug) being slipped into unsuspecting people’s drinks. The City of Prague and tourism folks are of course up in arms about this, not wanting to further endanger their tourist numbers which have already been affected by the low dollar and rising prices of the city. Never having visited this section of the State Department’s website, I decided to see what information it can share.
The International Travel pages present travel warnings, travel alerts as well as country specific information. Travel warnings will be fairly obvious to anyone who watches the news: currently they are warning against travel to Georgia, Algeria, Yemen and Columbia. Travel alerts are used for more brief incidents that may affect your travel, like hurricanes, planned protests or high-profile events that may be occurring. The country specific information is extremely thorough. It includes useful information like contact information for the local US embassy or consulate; health conditions; entry requirements; crime statistics and security information. It’s a great place to do some research before visiting a country for the first time.
Even though the above mentioned crime stats on Prague seem alarming; even the State Department admits the Czech Republic has a relatively low crime rate. And the warnings about taxi drivers and pickpockets can apply in nearly any large city around the world.
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By Jacy Meyer -- 0 comments
September 1st, 2008
As if it wasn’t already all over the news, and a simple Internet check couldn’t confirm it; it’s official – airfare prices have gone up. American Express Business Travel has released new data revealing that airfare prices did indeed rise in the second quarter of 2008. The group tracked average fare paid for one-way travel in a variety of fare types including first class and economy, unrestricted and discount fares across hundreds of domestic and international routes.
Their survey found international airfare reached its highest price in nearly a decade. They reported an 11 percent increase from fare prices from the same time period in 2007. Data also showed that the most popular type of tickets are not business class, but other service classes (economy!)
American Expresses’ best advice is to book in advance. Don’t forget to shop around, sign-up for airline e-newsletters and if you have a difficult itinerary, consult with a travel agent.
And in other airline news; have you heard about United’s new plan to cut free inflight meal service to coach passengers on its transatlantic routes? Seems come October 1 if you are flying from Washington DC Dulles to Europe; no free meal for you. United will be happy to sell you a sandwich or salad though for 9 USD.
Photo Credit: Marc Lacoste@Flickr
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August 31st, 2008
Money moguls, travelers and game lovers can unite with Hasbro’s new Monopoly version: Monopoly Here and Now: World Edition. Released this past week, world cities have replaced the streets of the original version. The cities in place were nominated by votes from around the world – and based on some of the choices, it seems some cities got their citizens involved. European destinations include some expected ones: Paris, London, Rome as well as Athens and Barcelona. Riga is an up-and-comer so that was nice to see. A few eyebrow raisers? Kyiv, Belgrade and Gdynia (it’s in Poland).
To celebrate the launch, thousands of Monopoly fans gathered in more than a dozen cities, including London, Frankfurt, Tokyo, Bogota, Lisbon, Hong Kong and Las Vegas to try and set a world record for the World’s Largest Simultaneous Game of having the most people playing Monopoly at one time.
Twenty-two destinations in all; experience wanderlust, and if you are good, can perhaps own the “world” in one afternoon.
Photo Credit: Hasbro
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By Jacy Meyer -- 1 comment
August 29th, 2008
Welcome to Fun Time Fridays – a new weekly city review article. Here, we’ll share tips on budget things to do, go, see and stay in a variety of European cities. We also hope to kick off your weekend with a new destination to dream about. First up: Prague!
While not as cheap as it was in the ‘90’s, Prague can still be an affordable destination. The city is compact and if you are staying in a centrally located hotel and like to walk, you could avoid city transportation costs. From the airport, get to the city center by taking bus #119 to the metro station Dejvická. Either the Muzeum. Můstek or Staroměstká metro stops will put you in the center.
A number of museums and galleries have a monthly free admission day. Check out the National Museum which has free entry the first Monday of the month, while the Prague Castle Picture Gallery is free EVERY Monday from 4-6pm. The Prague Castle grounds are free to wander as is entry to St. Vitus Cathedral. Vyšehrad, one of the most overlooked attractions in the city is free – explore the beautiful park, photograph the gorgeous view and pay your respects to Prague’s cultural elite in the cemetery. The first Wednesday of the month is a good day to be in Prague; Lobkowicz Palace at Prague Castle has free entry from 4-6pm, the Kampa Museum is free on this day as is entry to all eight sites of the National Gallery, from 3-8pm. Tuesdays see no charge at the Museum of Decorative Arts from 5-7pm. And for a true taste of the city, don’t forget about the Free Prague Tours we wrote about here.
For cheaper food and lodging, check out the neighborhoods of Holešovice and Karlín in Prague 7 and 8 respectively. Still walking distance to the center, you’ll find much less tourists and more local prices. As is true in most cities, even in the tourists zones you will have a slight drop in prices by slipping off the main route onto side streets. For more information on Prague and the Czech Republic visit CzechTourism or the Prague Information Service.
Please share your thoughts on this new feature, suggestions for upcoming cities and additional tips! Next week join us in Vienna.
Photo Credit: The Tyn Church in Old Town Square, Prague by Jacy Meyer
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By Jacy Meyer -- 0 comments
August 28th, 2008
Europe by train is an enduring ideal in many people’s minds. But don’t overlook another option – the bus.
Eurolines is probably the most well-known inter-Europe bus company. They have 500 European destinations, and are especially good if you are looking to travel further east or in countries where the inter-country rail links aren’t as good. They offer online booking, however it is through the local Eurolines operators and the websites aren’t always in English. They also have a Eurolines Pass which gives you the option of 15 or 30 day unlimited travel between 40 destinations. You can book as you go (2-day advanced notice,) so it’s pretty easy to be flexible, and prices start at 199 EUR for the 15-day and 299 EUR for the 30-day for an adult pass in the low season.
Busabout is another option. They are a bit more tour-like and cater to a younger set. They run May-October and have 30 destinations in 10 countries. You can design your own trip or they have loops covering a certain region of Europe.
And don’t forget about in-country travel. Often the bus is easier, cheaper and has better options than the train. In the Czech Republic, you’ll find more direct routes and shorter travel times for most cities if you take the bus. The bus system in Spain is also excellent – nice buses and quite inexpensive.
BUG is an excellent resource for overview information about bus lines throughout Europe.
Photo Credit: srqpix@Flickr
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By Jacy Meyer -- 0 comments
August 27th, 2008
Are you a big traveller? A recent report from Eurostat, an organization that collects information and statistics on a wide range of issues across the European Union found that, for the most part, Europeans are a travelling bunch.
The study covers the year 2006 and looked at what percentage of the population went away for four days or more. They also spilt the information between domestic and foreign trips. On average, about four out of 10 Europeans travelled abroad that year. For the most part though, more trips were made in-country than out. Exceptions include Luxembourg, where only 1 percent took a domestic trip, while a whopping 99 percent left for countries elsewhere. I guess there’s not a whole lot more to see in the tiny country if you already live there. Other countries where significantly more people went abroad than stayed home include Belgium, Ireland and Slovenia. And who are happy to explore their own countries? The Romanians, Greeks, Spanish and French top that list – with more than 80% in each country content to take a trip domestically.
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