Budget Travel Alternatives
Happy Jetting!
Apr 16th
On my recent trip to Miami, I had the pleasure of flying JetBlue. This was my first time on the airline; my traveling companion, however, is a JetBlue frequent flyer. For her and her family, JetBlue is always their first choice — particularly because they frequently make trips between New York and Florida.
I honestly did not realize JetBlue offered service from Newark or I might have checked them out sooner. I knew they flew from JFK as I have driven past the new terminal the airline recently opened at the airport. However, I do whatever I can to avoid JFK, instead opting for Philadelphia or Newark. JetBlue was just never on my radar. Now that I have flown them, they are definitely on my radar for the future.
Judging from my experience on JetBlue, I never would have guessed I was on a discount carrier. Unlike many of the other U.S. airlines, JetBlue still offers passengers complimentary amenities. I didn’t check a bag, but if I did, it would not have cost me a dime. With JetBlue, the first bag is free. Both my departure and return flights left on time, and boarding — from the back of the plane forward — was quick, efficient and painless.
The seats are roomy and there was plenty of overhead space for passengers. Each seat was equipped with an individual TV screen, offering a wide range of viewing options. It’s quite rare to find economy cabins equipped with individual monitors, especially on short jaunts (such as the Newark-Florida leg). Snacks are complimentary, and the airline offers a nice selection of cookies, snack mixes, chips and nuts.
Somehow JetBlue has found a way to make it all work, even in the turbulent times of late, and I was definitely impressed!
– Kimberly Krol, eFlyer editor, circulation and public relations executive
The Motel Makeover
Apr 1st
After the huge hit the majority of hotels took during the recession, it makes sense that some motels and budget hotels are making small upgrades to accommodate those who are making the downgrade. With the upcoming release of Global Traveler‘s Indulgence Book (formerly our annual Luxury Book), I think it’s important to address this new level of comfort and class for the budget traveler.
I recently read a New York Times travel article describing motel rooms with flat-screen TVs, bathrooms with granite countertops and rain-flow shower heads and platform beds with chic bedding. Motels are notorious for hideous floral bedspreads, vacant mini-fridges and basic cable. Hotels and motels, such as Super 8 and Red Roof Inn, are making upgrades. Though not plush or luxurious by definition, they bring a new level of comfort and class that is minimalistic and affordable.
With hotel rates dropping so low, motels have been challenged to upgrade in such a way and offer amenities that rival more upscale properties or boutiques. But, with the slow upturn we have been seeing, the low hotel rates won’t hold steady for too long. The end result, however, is a better option for everyone. Perhaps not everyone is lucky enough to stay at 4- or 5-star properties, but no one deserves to sleep in stale, offensive, floral bedding. Three cheers for motel chain upgrades!
– Courtney Centeno, account executive
Spring Break for Everyone
Mar 11th
According to The New York Times travel section, Spring Break is not just for college students anymore. Student travel agencies, such as STA Travel, StudentUniverse and StudentCity, may not openly target older travelers, but they do not discriminate when it comes to age. This has been a long-kept secret for years, but now certain agencies, such as STA Travel, have started actively promoting their “flights for everyone” campaign, featuring round-trip flights from New York to Sydney for as low as $798. In addition to low airfare, some of the best deals can be found in the form of package or group tours.
This is something only the budget traveler should keep in mind, as booking a package trip might place you right in the heart of the college Spring Break action. For cheaper airfare, however, it might be worth checking out.
– Courtney Centeno, account executive
Notes from a Student Abroad
Feb 7th
If you’ve been reading my blog over the last few months, you are aware that my younger daughter, Jenny, has been traveling in Europe the last three weeks with a group of fellow nursing students. They have now settled in the picturesque town of Guildford in Surrey, England, to begin their one-month study of community health issues and some practicum experience. Jenny really enjoyed her whirlwind tour of several cities on the Continent but now seems equally pleased to be somewhat settled for a while in one place with a room to herself. I thought I’d just share a few of her impressions of the places she visited along the way and a few lessons she and her friends learned on this, their first big travel adventure on their own.
It doesn’t take much snow to foul up transportation in London. One inch brought havoc to the rail lines, closed the runways at Gatwick for several hours and caused them to rebook on a later flight to Madrid. The girls from Chicago just couldn’t see what all the fuss was about.
Loved Madrid, the Prado Museum, Plaza del Sol and . . . sangria! Also fell in love with Barcelona (I have yet to talk to anyone who’s gone there and doesn’t) and wants to return. After cold and snowy England, the girls loved the sun in Spain.
Jenny celebrated her 22nd birthday in Paris, preferred the Musee d’Orsay over the Louvre and learned a valuable lesson: Check to be sure the site you want to visit is open before you take the time and expense to go there. The group trekked out to Versailles on a Monday only to learn the palace is closed on Mondays (and the grounds, in January, are rather subdued).
Roman men can be charming at any age. On their first evening in the Eternal City, the ladies enjoyed the chivalrous attentions of their “older” waiter (For all I know, he was only 35. Ah, perspective!), and the bartender bought each one a rose from a roving vendor. St. Peter’s was impressive; but Jenny found the colors in the Sistine Chapel to be much brighter than she expected, and the Creation of Adam to be smaller than she thought it would be (again, perspective!).
Squeezing too many cities into too few days along with certain train schedules can lead to frustration. Upon arriving in Florence, the group found that there were no remaining seats available on the train they planned to take from their next stop, Venice, to Munich. Instead, they would have to take an overnight train north, leaving them less than 10 hours in Venice. They never even took a vaporetto to see St. Mark’s Square — sacrilege!!
Food and transportation expenses gobble up the euros; so do entrance fees (and drinks at the hostel bar??).
The Wombat’s hostels in Munich and Berlin offered great, free (except for the tip for the guide), half-day walking tours of those cities, full of great information. Dachau touched Jenny deeply: “I don’t think it is possible to explain how I felt when we were standing in the gas chamber. The evil that existed is unbelievably horrific.”
Be sure you get on the right train. The trek from Munich to Berlin took all day and five trains to accomplish; it should have been one train and a few hours. At least the snowy countryside was pretty!
Based on all the other things Jen has said or written to us thus far, I would venture to say that her greatest lesson is how much there is yet for her to see and learn, and what a great teacher travel can be.
– Patty Vanikiotis, proofreader
