“Boutique” and “budget” are rarely used to describe the same hotel, yet my travel companion and I managed to find one in Buenos Aires. We were a little dubious upon hearing the name, but were pleasantly surprised upon our arrival. The Pop Hotel in the San Telmo district of Buenos Aires is a treat for [...]
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The overnight stopover. These very words, especially in recent times, have conjured up something akin to fear for the traveller. The overnight stopover is something that arises when the traveller books flights on a search engine and focusing solely on price while paying no attention to flight times. I have encountered a few people who booked flights online, only to later scrutinize their ticket and find themselves stuck with an overnight layover on the way to their intended destination.
It turns out that overnight connections can have real advantages in terms of pricing, especially when traveling internationally. Oftentimes, if an international flight heading east departs early in the day, fewer connecting domestic flights are available to the flyer. In larger cities, you tend to find a wider range of airlines offering flights. International carriers do partner up with domestic carriers. For instance, Lufthansa partners with United to extend its range of coverage, so somebody flying from Frankfurt to Denver on Lufthansa can connect to Jackson Hole via a flight operated by United. However, if Lufthansa were to offer a great sale, it would not be unusual for the sale to exclude that extra flight to Jackson Hole. In this case, one might save money purchasing the last leg to Jackson Hole separately.
While it is true that a one can at times slash (sometimes drastically) the price he or she pays for airfare by buying two tickets to get to one place, this type of travel booking does not come without risks. If you prefer to check bags, you could be subject to varying weight allowances (domestic vs. international) in addition to double baggage fees in this age when airline inclusions are becoming slimmer by the day. Moreover, if you must make any changes to your tickets, you would incur a change fee for each ticket. Finally, if you miss the second flight because the first was late, the second airline may not be very helpful leaving travelers with the possibility of a low-priority standby option or something less pleasant.
After considering the risks, you may find that the savings from booking separate tickets can be surprisingly worthwhile. The worst of the risks with buying two tickets to get to one place can be minimized by staying overnight in the stopover city (a bonus to boot for those who hate to sleep on aircraft).
Using this technique, my travel partner and I got an amazing deal with LAN Airlines. However, to take advantage of the deal, we had to stop in a city to which the airline flew. Like so many world travelers, we (heart) NY: the Big Apple; Gotham; “the city that never sleeps.” New York City is a place the whole world wants to visit and (even if you have already been) always has something to offer its visitors. Get some nosh. Do some shopping. Pay respects at Ground Zero. Visit the MOMA or the Getty. A day in New York is seldom wasted. You could end up spending what you saved on the tickets, but you will have a great time which is the whole point of going on holiday.
So, to you, I suggest an alternative phrase to the dreaded phrase, “overnight stopover.” I present, rather, the “vacation extension.”
Live in Denver and planning to visit Europe? Fly to New york, hit a Broadway show, and fly out on one of those morning departures where you fly all day, arrive in the evening, catch a bit of sleep and hit the ground running the next day. Live in Chicago and thinking of visiting Asia? Take it easy on the flights and spend a night in LA. Plan your stop on a day when the Bulls play the Lakers and make the most of it. Heading to Africa from the United States? Why spend two nights in a row on an aircraft when you could stop in London for a nice rest followed by a morning that starts with a proper English fry-up. Spend the rest of the day seeing treasures from all over the world at the British museum before heading off on the next leg of your adventure. The possibilities are endless.
Overnight stopovers, i.e. vacation extensions, tend to avail themselves in big cities with a lot to do. Finding something great to do is usually as simple as taking a look around. If you have to stay the night somewhere, make the most of it and have a blast like we do.
In recent years, the hospitality industry has been growing in an interesting fashion. The style of large, resort type hotels may be slowly becoming passé. The new wave of accommodation has come in the form of boutique hotels. These properties are much more intimate than most traditional hotels and this intimacy can have its benefits. [...]
We look at ways to reduce your carbon footprint whilst on holiday, and great green activities for tourists in Australia For those of us trying to do a bit for the environment and cut down the old carbon footprint, a long-haul flight to Australia doesn’t immediately strike one as a good idea. However, I found [...]
Here are some pictures from my recent visit to the Statue of Liberty which is situated in Upper New York Bay on Liberty Island, just south of Ellis Island. Entrance to the Statue of Liberty National Monument is free, but there is a $13.00 charge for the ferry service that all visitors must use, as [...]
Easy to Book truly makes booking a hotel easy and convenient. Users can even change the site language and currency very easily from the main booking page. Personally, I like to be able to filter hotels in many different ways. I also tend to amend my searches after seeing prices, pictures, or reviews. Oftentimes, amending [...]
Traveling north from Broome in Western Australia, you’ll find the Beagle Bay Aboriginal Community, one of three Aboriginal communities on the Dampier Peninsula. Beagle Bay is home to the Sacred Heart Church and its glimmering pearl shell altar. The interior of the well known church in Beagle Bay is decorated with mother of pearl, cowries [...]
One of the most beautiful towns in Europe, Bled is situated on the stunning Lake Bled at the edge of the Julian Alps in Slovenia. There are many outdoor activities to get the blood pumping in Bled like rafting, caving, canoeing, swimming, and biking to name a few. Or, just walk, cycle or Rollerblade the [...]
Known as the Serbian Athens, Novi Sad has been built, destroyed and rebuilt over the centuries and is an interesting mixture of old Serbian cultural heritage, Austro-Hungarian architecture and scenic beauty. The city sits on the banks of the Danube River. It is surrounded by fertile farms and vineyards and framed with hills in the [...]
Comprised of the grounds of a seventeenth century pleasure palace, the Villa Borghese Gardens is a large park in Rome with a widespread area that includes a lake, lots of manicured green grass and a number of museums and attractions. The second largest public park in Rome after Villa Doria Pamphili, the Borghese Gardens is [...]
From its colorful markets and bougainvillea-covered walls to its pastel colored colonial buildings, Guatemala is arguably one of the most colorful countries in the world. One of the first things I noticed upon arriving in Guatemala, were the intensely hued buses. Known as “chicken buses,” these old, retired American school buses arrive in Guatemala in [...]
Èze is a medieval village located in the French Riviera along the main road between Nice and Monaco. This picturesque village is perched atop a narrow rocky peak overlooking the Mediterranean sea and can be seen from afar. The panoramic view of the sea from the top is absolutely amazing. After parking the car we [...]
While it may no longer be the premier entertainment district it once was in the years leading up to World War II, Asakusa, part of Tokyo’s downtown Taito district, still has plenty of lively activity. Today, Asakusa is best known as home to the Senso-ji Temple. The ancient temple, Tokyo’s oldest and one of its [...]
The unique I&I Bar is a great little place to soak up the positive vibrations and chill out on a hammock or swing with a cocktail. One section has swings hanging from the ceiling and it’s connected by a hanging rope bridge to another section.
