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International travel in hard times; tips for traveling overseas. Part I
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There is nothing like realizing that all you could afford now is to read a travel publication at a Barnes and Noble bookstore for free. This might sound like the only inexpensive experience close to international travel you can get in hard times like this. But you are wrong. You can still do international travel; it will just take more time to plan a trip. The time you usually spend looking for an airfare, hotel, car and other accommodations will just become a little longer, more persistent and less fun (unless you are like me who finds great pleasure in finding ‘best kept secrets’ that do not break my wallet.)
First of all, look at it this way – with the travel agencies loosing business, the travel agents just became more attentive to your needs. They are now willing to go an extra mile to set you up with a perfect travel package to fit your current budget needs. The hotels are willing to lower rates, even the luxury moguls, such as W and St. Regis hotels dropped in rates. And if you think that the international travel services are not aware of the crisis, you are wrong – they are hit by the bad economy as much as we are here in US. Since it’s no secret that Americans bring the most profit to travel industry locally and internationally, international destinations are now more open to offer their accommodations at lower rates.
Secondly, this is actually perfect time to travel oversees – Euro is finally almost 1 to 1 to a Dollar (1 to 1.26 to be precise, as of March 4, 2009), which means – a bowl of Gratinée des Halles (French Onion Soup) that costs you here $6.95 (on average) will cost you five Euros (on average) in Paris (which is $6.33 according to today’s currency rate exchange.) Of course, airfare is not included. But what I’m saying is that you’d want to travel overseas right now, because at your budget today, you will afford more stuff today than at a budget you had last year.
Of course I’m not talking about people who were either laid off, or have families to support, or have to take care of unexpected expenses with no income coming in, like mortgages, car payments, credit cards or medical bills. I would take care of it first, no doubt. But there are many people who did plan and looked forward to a trip abroad and who still have their jobs, just not sure about stability of them. And those folks do not have to give up a trip.
I’ve traveled to many countries in my life (and perhaps that’s the reason I don’t really have a savings account), but the memories and experiences are grand. And I would not change it for a world; I'll just shop less and go out for martinis with my girlfriends. Perhaps, if I have not traveled so much, I would not have become an Examiner. Perhaps, if I have not gone to Paris (when I should have rather saved), I would have still questioned what’s so special about Mona Lisa. Perhaps, if I haven’t gone to Italy (when I should have rather stayed at a job for longer to receive that health insurance), I would have still salivated over Italian movies wondering why everyone becomes silent at the sight of Michelangelo's The Last Judgment at Sistine Chapel. Perhaps, if I have not gone to Mykonos, Greece (when I should have instead saved on rent deposit in New York), I would still be perplexed on why so many photos feature a pelican (and a particular one) by a sea shore. I would have still worried that there are so many homeless street cats in Greece, only later see for myself in person that these cats are actually happy and healthy and that the locals cherish them. Either way, I would have still wondered why I have not taken that trip when the times were hard for me.
(Michelangelo's The Last Judgment, Sistine Chapel)
Also I have the tendency for believing that failure and misery can bring opportunity, if you're alive and alerted enough to recognize it. Thus, I do believe that travel can be helped by the recession, that is if the players of the travel industry recognize it. Most of all – the hotels. How many of you go to London in order to spend a lot of time at a hotel? I’d say none of you - we are in, we are out. We brush our teeth, change our shoes, re-apply body freshener and we are out to experiencing the city and culture again, and again. So, hotels should now understand that all we need, when we travel, is a clean bed and bathroom. Hotels need to stop trying to be destinations; more and more lodgings pretend to be all-purpose resorts with not only a restaurant on a site, but cafés, bars, lounges, spas, saunas, pools, gyms, libraries, etc. If they think that when they put in a sauna room, they can charge you $200-300 a night, they are wrong - for the most part, we'd rather pay $50 for just a plain bed with plain room walls. Most of us, and tell me if I’m wrong, don’t even get to use any of the hotel’s lavish amenities, because when we come in from a day long out in the city, all we think about is laying our heads on pillow – not getting on a treadmill.
We just need inexpensive places to sleep in and wash at. For other purposes, like honeymoon getaways, spa retreats, etc. – we have resorts, we have ship cruises, we have bed and breakfast places! So, this brings me on to my next section – hostels. See below.
And while many of you might still have second thoughts on whether your budget allows a trip abroad, here are a few tips on how stay within your budget and still manage to see Christopher Columbus’ tomb (Seville, Spain) and Sherlock Holmes’ flat (London, UK.)
Forget lonely, share a room
(A hostel in Edinburgh)
Unless you are on a romantic getaway with you girlfriend or boyfriend, don’t shy away from hostels. If you have not experienced it first hand, you might know of it as a dirty, unsafe, stuffed place where strangers share a bedroom and a bathroom with you. Even though you do share the amenities with the others, you might be surprised to find out that not only a hostel experience might be better than a hotel experience, but also that many hostels are run with tremendous professionalism. The secret to choosing a hostel is approaching it the same as with a hotel/motel: look at the site, research the location of a hostel and call in to speak with an attendant. Most hostels’ management knows the stereotypes we have about hostels, so they make extra effort to prove us wrong.
Hostels have flourished over the years, improving on all aspects of it: from bed linens to coffee you share with the others in the morning. Just recently I went to Spain, and while it was challenging for me to find a hotel that will be both inexpensive and close to the center (and historic landmarks), I’ve noticed that hostels were on almost every block of the cities I've visited - Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Toledo, etc. And they looked very nice and cozy. My boyfriend and I even thought of trying one of those next time we travel abroad. The objective is to approach a hostel like a hostel, not as a 5-star hotel expecting napkins with your names on it at a dinner.
(A hostel in Budapest)
And again, staying a hostel, especially when you travel alone or with friends, could be a cultural experience on its own. Not only hostels are more intimate and you get to always see who goes in and who goes out, but you might also make new friends to experience a town with. In 1999, while still at school in Oregon, I went to New York for the first time all by myself. I found a hostel in Chelsea district online, which location I had no idea about. When I came in, I was first shocked by a 4-beds room and one bathroom in the hallway, but was comforted by an attendant who not only gave me inside information on New York, but told me that they have not had anyone steal from each other in a whole history of the hostel. Later in the day, three more girls joined me in the room - foreign tourists from Argentina and Austria. We quickly befriended and helped each other to enjoy the city in a friends group, rather than alone. We went to brunches together, we went to clubs together and we shared our city solo experiences and stories from our motherlands at night, lying in our beds in one room, like classmates at a boarding school. A decade has passed since that time, and I still remember it as one of the best trips I've taken. Perhaps because of that hostel-new friends-new-city combination.
Hostels offer guests not only the best possible hospitality on a budget, but most of them are located in prime time parts of a city, so, if you came to experience a foreign city by foot – being located in the center of all happenings could not get any better than that. Moreover, each year, hostels are being reviewed and rewarded with its own hospitality award on Hostelworld.com – Hoscar (think, Oscar for hostels.) You can see what hostels are out there, as well as see what hostels were awarded (they might happen to be at the destination of your next trip.)
Here are other sites for Hostels:
Hostels.com – the site has a list of hostels in almost every location in the world: Europe, North America, Asia & Middle East, South America, etc.
Hostels.net – a guide to hostels worldwide, the site provides bookings for more than 5,500 hostels.
Make connections – flight connections
(Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam)
While most of us prefer to fly direct flights (no connections, God forbid), since a travel time abroad alone is long as it is, you might find a cheaper flight with connections, which could be a cultural experience of its own. I used to be a religious believer in direct flights, although I could hardly afford any. And since most of the time I could not afford a direct flight, I'd have not one, but two or three connections at a time. When I made stops at various international airports, I discovered that a stop at some international location is not bad after all. Personally, I enjoyed every single connection that I had in Europe. I remember how much fun and culturally-educative was my stop at Schiphol airport in Amsterdam.
(Toilets at Schiphol Airport - and you thought there is no "cultural" experiences at an international airport)
The airport was a country of its own, with stores that offered inexpensive international brands (always keeping in mind you need to bring gifts and souvenirs to your friends and family), local café and fast food chains that we do not have in USA, as well as people in wait who were from around the world. Being a big people-watch person, I enjoyed observing other people and learning a lot about their cultures and human nature overall. All in all, what I’m saying – don’t be afraid to get a cheaper flight with one or two connections. It could be an experience on its own! Not to mention, it will save you bucks.
Forget online, pick up a phone
Today’s world is all about online, and we are pretty comfortable with it. Even more comfortable than to deal in person or on a phone (and I’m not even mentioning an old-fashioned letter with a stamp you used to lick a decade ago.) So, this might come as a surprise to you (personally, I was surprised myself), but you can get better hotel rates by telephone. Even with all the online services, ‘middle men’, that promise discounts if booking online, hotels’ own websites say that you’ll get a better rate if book direct, on a phone. And see if they have Skype services, because you can always make an international phone call from Skype to Skype for free.
While still many of you would tell me to stop talking nonsense as you make online payments for cell phone services, listen to Katy Perry on Amazon.com and g-talk with your girlfriends, you might still want to learn how you’d benefit from a telephone booking. Call the front desk directly instead of calling the general reservation line. Individual hotel managers may have more flexibility. Some people say Sunday is the best day to call. Facilitate your conversation (or, in other words, don’t take no for an answer, you are with a live person, so use it to make your arguments). Even a person with the worst spoken English might give up and offer you what you are asking. Ask about their specials, upgrades, parking discounts, rates without meals, off-peak days, recommendations for other hotels that offer lower rates, etc. Be persistent, but nice – foreigners detect and are more sensitive to rudeness than Americans, who were taught and trained that “a customer is always right” – this will not do in other parts of the world.
At the end of your conversation, confirm all the details: rate, extras, and so on. Ask them to email it to you as well. Be slow and spell each word. This will make both yours and their lives easier.
With the phone, you get an instant connection and you can develop an instant sympathy with a person. Plus, foreigners still prefer human contact to online.
In my next story I will tell you how to save money on discount airfares, get the most out of duty-free shopping and how to save money on dining and wining. Part II is coming.
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