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Shopping's learning curve
What we are learning on our Argentina tour has reversed how we buy. If you charge on a credit card, the rate of exchange is. 5 pesos to 1 dollar. If you pay in cash the rate is 8. This is a huge difference so bringing some cash is a must.
Secondly, tourists do not go to a bank, they change money in stores. All seems totally legal and above board.
Argentines do the reverse, they buy dollar goods on line using cards as they get pay the least for US goods that way getting each dollar for.…
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A/C issues in hotels abroad
Europe is hot! So when you plan your trip,look for a/c but expect something more like a fan
Here are some tricks of the a/c world.
Here are some tricks of the a/c trade.
Ask if the hotel is air conditioned all night. Many hotels turn the air off in the middle of the night for economies.
Ask if “climate controlled” is actually air conditioning and get it in writing. Many websites use the wording climate controlled.
Ask if the public rooms have the same low temperature setting as the hotel rooms- they often are set lower.…
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Telephone Roaming: A Dangerous Way to Break the Bank Overseas
After hours on the phone with AT&T discussing costs overseas and getting complicated answers…. I moved on to the web to find clearer instructions. The goal was to be able to get emails overseas by turning on and off the roaming function a few times a day to glance at important emails.
As hard as AT&T operators tried, their answers seemed vague and mega bites are hard to quantify for the nonengineering brain. How many megabytes in our plan cover how many emails?…
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Earplugs not Earrings: Travel Tips for Women
In a British hospital having my first son, Nick, a nurse told me to buy earplugs to block noise, when he was in the nursery. In Britain in those days, mothers recovered from childbirth in a room with 5 others and all 6 babies. One or two nights the babies stayed in the nursery to give us rest before going home.
Earplugs have been my best friend ever since. If you are a light sleeper or just want extra guarantees while traveling, invest in earplugs.…
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Asiana Airlines: where was the crew?
I was on an American Airlines Boeing 767 years ago, where there was an engine loss over the Atlantic. The crew was everywhere helping, talking, comforting, holding passenger hands when needed. They were amazing, putting their training into action. In the Times article about Asiana this morning, this crew/pilot assistance is missing according to passengers interviewed.
A frequent flyer on the Asiana route, a Mr. Levy, describes how he opened the emergency door, helped 30-40 passengers leave the plane and never saw or heard a crew member.…
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Choosing the least crowded airport
If you can choose between more than one airport, choose the long distance international one for long weekends and the short haul domestic one for long vacation periods.
Here is the example, on July 4 weekends out of NY, JFK is empty but LaGuardia mobbed. Most people are traveling for 3-4 days short distances from LaGuardia. So if you can find a flight from JFK to your destination, use it for a less crowded terminal experience. On traditional longer holiday period like Christmas / New Year the opposite might work out better.…
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Should Hotels Be Fairer to Solo Guests?
[polldaddy poll=7219256]…
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Solo Travel Tips: Are You in Danger?
Even if you are traveling with others, there might be a time when you go out alone. These tips will help you stay safe.
1. Check street safety in the English language newspaper of your destination. There are many sites with lists of these local papers.
2. Use Google translation to understand news in other languages before you leave.
3. Check not just the US, but also UK, Canadian, Australian, and New Zealand Foreign Ministry news reports.4. If you go out with anyone you do not know extremely well, make them leave their national identity card with contact.…