Ask Arthur Frommer: And Travel Better, Cheaper, Smarter

515 Pages·2009·8.42 MB·English

by  Arthur Frommer

A
MILLIONS OF TRAVELERS
ASK
S
HAVE LEARNED TO
K
ARTHUR FROMMER
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Ask Arthur Frommer is a condensed encyclopedia of smart travel. r
It answers nearly every major question, discusses every major t
issue, covers every step of travel, reduces every travel expendi- h
ture, and shows you:
u Arthur Frommer
(cid:127) How to get there in the most effi cient and economical r
way, whether your destination is at home or abroad
F
(cid:127) Where to stay and where to eat in whatever city or & travel better, cheaper, smarter
r
other location you select
o
(cid:127) How to maximize the enjoyment of your trip and reduce
m
your expenses
(cid:127) How to overcome scores of obstacles or problems
m
(cid:127) H ow to make the best, most cost-effective use of travel
literature and the Internet e
r
The book also contains Arthur Frommer’s outspoken (and
entertaining) comments on travel issues and controversies.
&
Like any encyclopedia, it is a standard reference work to be
consulted every time you contemplate a trip or are looking
travel
for vacation suggestions. Ask Arthur Frommer is an indispensable
better,
part of anyone’s travel library.
cheaper,
ssmmaarrtteerr
$19.99 USA/$23.99 CAN/£13.99 UK
Find great deals, the latest travel news, trip
ideas, and more at Frommers.com
The ultimate travel guide that answers every major question

by Arthur Frommer
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Published by:
WILEY PUBLISHING, INC.
111 River St.
Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
Copyright © 2009 Wiley Publishing, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey. All rights reserved. No part of this
publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any
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online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.
Wiley and the Wiley Publishing logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons,
Inc. and/or its aĀ liates. Frommer’s is a trademark or registered trademark of Arthur Frommer. Used
under license. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc.
is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.
ISBN 978-0-470-41849-9
Editor: Michael Spring
Production Editor: Heather Wilcox
Photo Editor: Richard Fox
Production by Wiley Indianapolis Composition Services
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Manufactured in the United States of America
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About the Author
Arthur Frommer is widely regarded as the nation’s foremost travel author-
ity. His books, articles, and speeches have profoundly changed the travel
habits of Americans and the products of the travel industry.
He is the author of Europe on $5 a Day, which set off a torrent of transat-
lantic travel; the author of Ā e New World of Travel, which brought awareness
to new forms of alternative, meaningful travel; the founder of Frommer’s
travel guides, consisting of more than 340 yearly volumes of realistic, value-
conscious travel; and the founder of Arthur Frommer’s Budget Travel maga-
zine, the fi rst glossy designed f or average-income travelers. His weekly
newspaper columns on travel are syndicated nationally by King Features; his
weekly radio program on travel is broadcast nationwide by the W.O.R. Radio
Network; his infl uential daily blog on travel appears on Frommers.com; and
he has also written scores of other travel guides and magazine articles on
destinations and modes of travel.
Millions of Americans have learned to ASK ARTHUR FROMMER!
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Disclaimer
Although the prices and other details in this book were accurate as of the
time the book was produced, it should be stressed that this is a period of
unusual turbulence in travel. Th e reader should expect revisions in those
prices or details, the imposition or withdrawal of fuel surcharges, and even
the occasional bankruptcy or disappearance of both small travel fi rms and
large airlines.
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Acknowledgments
I am grateful, fi rst and foremost, to Mike Spring, who rejuvenated Frommer’s
travel guides when he became publisher of them in 1994 a nd soon built
them into the nation’s leading series of travel guides. Th ough he retired
from that position in mid-2008, he agreed later that year to edit the manu-
script of Ask Arthur Frommer, and I am deeply indebted to him for shaping
and greatly improving the book in a m yriad of ways. To my daughter
Pauline, for making hundreds of helpful suggestions, and always alerting
me to the travel discoveries for which she has developed an awesome repu-
tation, I am as always lovingly appreciative. I am so very proud that she will
now carry on the Frommer name and bring our kind of advice to a new
generation of travelers.
Th is book began as a daily blog on Frommers.com, and for launching
that diary with such skill and imagination, I owe a great debt to Bob Bosch,
David Lytle, and Jason Clampet. In addition to editing my daily entries,
Jason also rounded up the photographs illustrating this book and did so
with great talent. But although he also discussed with me a great many of
the assertions in this book, the responsibility for them is solely mine.
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This book is for
ROBERTA
whose values, love, and wisdom
have so improved the journey of my life
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Contents
1: “Into the Wild Blue Yonder . . . ”
All about airfares, airlines & airports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Aggregators ...................................................................................................2
Next time you crave the lowest possible fare, use an “aggregator” ...................2
A Danish aggregator seems to produce the cheapest U.S. rates! ........................3
Mobissimo.com is also coming on strong (for international fares) .....................4
Airfares (& Flights) ....................................................................................4
Arrange to receive “alerts” about air bargains from your city ..............................4
Yapta’s an amazing tool that lowers your airfare ...................................................5
FlightStats.com tells you the time needed for connecting fl ights ......................5
Eight basic tactics for offsetting those high airfares ..............................................6
Fight back! What to do about those pesky new fl ight fees. ..................................8
Airfare Consolidators ..........................................................................10
Don’t overlook the savings from using an airfare consolidator .........................10
But don’t be oblivious to the rules that consolidators impose ..........................12
Airfare Search Engines .........................................................................13
Scarcely any major search engines list the really cheap airlines ..................13
At last, JetBlue lists its fares with the major search engines ..............................13
It’s useful to consult the foreign search engines, too...........................................14
Make sure your search engine looks at fl exible dates ..........................................14
Airlines ............................................................................................................15
Spirit Airlines has become a mighty force in low-cost travel .............................15
Some of Europe’s upstart airlines seem a bit shaky .............................................16
Airports ...........................................................................................................17
There’s a new protocol for going to airports—learn it well.................................17
Those early departures mean we’ve gotta go to the gate...................................17
1 hour of connection time just won’t work any longer ........................................18
For those long layovers, sleeping at airports will save the day ....................18
Print your boarding pass at home before leaving for the airport .....................20
Wise food choices are essential for good airport nutrition ...............................20
Six websites ease the major discomforts of using airports .................................21
It’s those short-haul fl ights that are jamming our airports ................................22
Cut-Rate Carriers (Europe & Transatlantic) ...........................22
Three cut-rate carriers & three websites will whisk you about
in Europe ................................................................................................................22
It’s important to know how to use Europe’s new cut-rate carriers ...................23
Upstarts are fl ying the Atlantic—go directly to their websites ..........................23
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viii Contents
Frequent-Flier Programs ....................................................................24
Attention, frequent fl yers: You have big problems ...............................................24
When they turn down your privileges, try an alliance partner ...........................25
Passenger Rights .......................................................................................26
An organization to protect passenger rights has grown effective ....................26
2: “All I Want Is a Room Somewhere . . .”
Sleeping better & cheaper at hotels, hostels & homes . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
American Accommodations ...............................................................29
If the Motel 6 has “interior corridors,” it’s a big value .........................................29
$25 a night gets you a room—and access to U.S. scuba-diving ........................30
Haven’t been to Mohonk Mountain House? You’re missing big. ......................30
Three historic Western resorts offer major autumn discounts ..........................31
Colorado dude ranches offer autumn bargains to city slickers ..........................32
B&Bs ...................................................................................................................33
Teachers can sleep for cheap in 6,000 B&Bs around the world ........................33
A charming New England B&B can go for $79 in winter ....................................34
London B&Bs can reduce your overnight costs to $36 per person ..................34
British Lodgings .......................................................................................35
In America, it’s Motel 6; in Britain, it’s the ultracheap Travelodge ....................35
Add SmartCityHostels to your list of economical lodgings. ...............................37
Club Med ........................................................................................................38
For intergenerational travel, Club Med Ixtapa is a top choice ...........................38
You’ll enjoy a bargain if you let them choose the Club ......................................39
Condo Rentals ...........................................................................................40
Rueful observations about a recent rental ............................................................40
Convents & Monasteries ......................................................................40
European Accommodations ...............................................................41
Europe & the volatile dollar: What do we do now? ..............................................41
The basic tips for living cheap in Europe deserve repeating................................41
Throughout Europe, you can snare a private homestay .....................................43
Sleep & eat affordably in the suburbs of big European cities ............................43
Hip hostels resembling boutique hotels, but at backpacker prices ..................44
EuroCheapo.com gets you ultracheap lodgings in hundreds of towns ...........45
Private homestays are abundant ............................................................................45
You’ll enjoy an authentic stay on an "untour" from Untours ............................46
Were you aware you could use Priceline.com in Europe? ...................................47
An apartment may be the answer to Europe’s high costs ...................................47
The convents & monasteries of Europe may be a solution ...............................48
European Farm Vacations ....................................................................49
Agritourism is a powerful antidote to high hotel prices.....................................49
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