PRACTICAL TIPS
Tim shows readers how to shave transportation costs, how to find
quality souvenirs for a fair price and how to take advantage of
seasonal price fluctuations.
The sidebars are topnotch. I love sidebars as they are evidence
that the author communicates with colleagues. The sidebars --
written by travel pros including Clay Hubbs, Rolf Potts and others
-- underline the great diversity travelers have in thinking for
themselves. How Clay drove his family across the Sahara Desert
is pure inspiration.
The book concludes with a useful section of helpful resources.
Excellent!
EXCERPTS
You could describe the 'contrarian traveler' with many words:
uncommon, adaptive, astute, resourceful or savvy. The idea is
that by taking the left fork in the road, while everyone else
is taking the right fork, these people are able to save a bundle
and get a better experience for their money. (p. XI)
* * *
Try a little experiment on your computer. Pull up Expedia, Travelocity
or Orbitz and try to find some information on little family-owned
inns, places with fewer than 30 rooms. See what you can learn
about public transportation where you're headed ... Don't feel
bad if you strike out; you're not meant to succeed. (p. 17)
* * *
You could buy a round of the world's best pilsner for yourself
and five friends in Prague for what you'd pay for a bottle of
Carlsberg in Denmark. (p. 41)
* * *
Experienced travelers refer to this perception problem as "The
CNN Effect." You'll hear nothing about a country on the news
until suddenly something bad happens and it's all the perky newscasters
can talk about. A bomb goes off in Casablanca, so everyone stops
going anywhere in Morocco ... Tourism to Bali dropped after the
tsunami hit in Asia, even though it's over a thousand miles from
the affected area. (p. 43)
* * *
A report on the September 11 terrorism attacks, written by the
National Institute
of Standards and Technology, found that least 2,500 World
Trade Center lives were saved because people ignored what authorities
told them to do. (p. XII)
* * *
In a foreign culture (which for vegetarians could mean Texas),
understand that your requirements might be met with puzzlement.
Be insistent when necessary. Be doubly insistent when there's
an allergy involved. (p. 111)
* * *
The more a vacation costs, the more likely that resort or tour
company has an ample marketing budget. If more people come, that
drives up revenue. If those people spend more on high-end lodging
and services, that improves 'margin.' ... High margins are a key
factor in tourism marketing. It's why very few magazines for budget
travelers survive over time. There are plenty of budget travelers
who are voracious readers, but the advertisers don't care about
reaching them.
DETAILS
Tim Leffel's Make
Your Travel Dollars Worth a Fortune is published by Travelers'
Tales, 2006, ($12.95, 226 pages)
Author
Website
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