HouseTrip.com Blog – The official blog for holiday apartments

In the week that the Colosseum announced plans to open its famous underground passages to the world, a bizarre story emerged about the Russian man who is creating his own subway tunnels underneath his home. Equally bizarre was the amusing precedent set by a Swiss court, which upheld an Appellenzer hiker’s claim that he should be allowed to hike naked.

Meanwhile, the adventurers of the world were not on the mountains but on the high seas. Crazy Scotsman Don Lennox is not only attempting to break the record for the fastest row across the Atlantic; he will then run coast to coast across America, hoping to complete both feats in under 100 days and raise $1m for charity in the process.

Further North, Norwegian explorers Borge Ousland and Thorleif Thorleifsson will soon embark on a daring attempt to sail around the North Pole, which was previously thought impossible. All of that must seem like an awful lot of effort for Jonathan Trappe, who leisurely floated across the English Channel under a bundle of helium balloons.

One wonders if similar methods might end up being a last resort for Read the whole post »

It hasn’t been a good week for the airlines. There’s the ongoing and unresolved row between British Airways chief executive Willie Walsh and the UNITE union, resulting in strikes, chaos at Heathrow Airport and thousands of passengers stranded; the German ban on Ryanair charging credit card fees; and the extraordinary case of the woman who was left sleeping on a plane for three hours because she was allegedly too short for the cabin staff to see her. One positive announcement was the results of the 2010 World Airline Awards, although there wasn’t much joy for European or American Airlines.

Lewis Pugh at Mount Everest / Photo: BBC News

Mount Everest has also been in the news a lot this week. Jordan Romero and mountaineering legend Apa Sherpa both set world records for their climbs; Romero was the youngest person to scale the mountain (aged 13) and Sherpa increased his own remarkable record to 20 successful summits over 20 successive years. Romero’s ascent has caused some controversy Read the whole post »

100 table tennis tables will be placed in open-air locations around London this summer as part of the run-up to the 2012 Olympics.

The scheme was dreamt up by Colette Hiller of Sing London, who previously placed 30 pianos around the capital in 2009, adorned with the slogan “Play Me, I’m Yours”.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson, who has previously irritated the Chinese by claiming that table tennis is a British invention, will kick off Ping London with a match against Lord Coe, head of the 2012 Olympic Committee

The ping pong bats will include the tongue-in-cheek message “Please put me back”.

Arthur Frommer

Arthur Frommer, the legendary writer, publisher and consumer advocate for budget travel, yesterday threw his weight behind holiday apartments as the best way for Americans to save money in Europe.

In a blog post, he noted that the decreasing value of the Euro and British pound against the dollar has been counteracted by rising airfares from America to Europe – unless Americans can find a cheaper source of accommodation than hotels.

And the author of the seminal guidebook Europe on 5 Dollars a day believes that holiday apartments are the best bet. Frommer stated that “Europe is abundantly stocked with real estate agents who will rent you a spacious apartment in a fairly central location for much less than you’d spend at an equivalent hotel”.

Funnily enough, it’s what we’ve been saying for ages!

With cycle hire schemes already going strong in many European cities such as Paris, Barcelona and Rome, it was only a matter of time until London followed suit. Mayor of London Borish Johnson announced plans for the scheme in April 2009, and Transport For London have named the official launch date as the 30th July this year.

Although urban cycle hire had been in existence for many years, it gained worldwide acclaim after being trialled in 2007 in Paris, where the “Vélib” (Vélo Libre) is still going strong. With over 20,000 bicycles around the city, the Vélib is the largest system of its type in the world.

To hire a bike, users must register with a credit or debit card, and there is a large fine if the bike is not returned. Although this by no means eliminates vandalism and theft, it does reduce the number of bikes that go AWOL.

In London, as in Paris, there is a rapidly escalating payment scale: the first half hour is free, while an hour is only £1, but two hours costs £6 and three hours £15. The model strongly favours the use of the bicycles as a means of short-term transport, rather than a leisure activity.

With 400 docking stations available, it’s a great way to see more of the city, instead of relying on the tube. It’s yet another great reason to visit London this summer.

According to an Associated Press report, the US Department of Transportation announced this week that 2009 saw a 42% increase in airline fees from 2008, to the tune of $7.8 billion. These “ancillary fees” include charges for checked baggage, seat assignments, reservation changes, pillows, food, drinks and anything not included in the flight price.

Delta, the world’s biggest airline, took $1.6 billion in ancillary fees, including $481 million from baggage fees, around 9.1% of their total revenue. Spirit Airlines made an astonishing 21% of their revenue from these fees.

So how can you avoid paying them?

Baggage Fees

These make up the bulk of the ancillary fees. The most important thing to remember is to check your airline’s baggage policy before travelling. Most airlines allow at least one carry on bag for free, and the size allowance is normally generous e.g. 55 x 35 x 20cm. That’s plenty of room for at least a few days, so think carefully before packing that suitcase. Do you REALLY need it?

If you are checking in a piece of luggage, see if you can add it to your flight before going to the airport. EasyJet is just one of the “budget” airlines that charges double price when you check in luggage at the airport. And make sure you weigh your bag carefully! Airlines are sticklers for rules, and they’ll charge a hefty price per kilo if you’re over. Use your bathroom scales if you don’t want to buy purpose-built ones.

Check In and Seat Assignments

Check in online. It’s very easy. Ryanair will charge you a sizeable fee if you forget your boarding pass, while easyJet will put you in the last boarding group if you check in at the airport. And you don’t need priority boarding. A lot of the time you’ll get on the same bus from terminal to plane as the Speedy Boarders (which will annoy them a lot), and if you’re elderly, travelling with children or need special assistance, you’ll get priority boarding anyway.

As for seat assignments, policies vary by airline. US airlines will often charge to reserve a seat at all: Spirit Airlines charges a $15 fee to passengers who choose a window seat, $12 for an aisle and $5 for one in the middle. The only way to avoid the charge is to check in as early as possible and you may be able to reserve for free. As always, the bottom line is to check the individual airline policy carefully when you book.

Reservation Changes

Obviously, if you have to change your flight as a result of a change in circumstances, there’s not much you can do about it. But you can avoid making a mistake the first time. These sorts of errors make airlines hundreds of millions, so check the details very carefully before clicking “Book”. Are your dates and times correct? Are names entered exactly as they are on the passport? Many reservation changes are the result of carelessness when booking, and they’re costly to change.

Booking and Payments

Although it is worth looking for the cheapest flights on a meta-search engine such as Kayak or Skyscanner, the cheapest way to book is almost always through the airline’s own website. By avoiding the middle man, you may avoid their commission. Don’t call the airline direct, though. They will normally charge extra, as well as charging you a premium rate number for your call.

For your payment, most airlines charge more when you pay with a credit card, so it’s normally best to use a debit card unless you want financial protection against the airline going bankrupt! Many airlines offer free payments with a certain type of card e.g. a Visa Electron.

Hidden Extras

• See if you’ll be offered a complimentary meal or snack by the airline before heading to the airport. You can easily bring food for the plane from home.
• It’s a good idea to keep hydrated, especially on long flights, but current airport restrictions forbid taking more than 100ml of liquid through the security zone. Having said that, you can normally buy drinks much cheaper in duty-free than you can on the plane.
• Bring an inflatable pillow, if you want to sleep. If you borrow one from the airline, you may be charged for the privilege.

If you want to save money on the rest of your trip, try booking a holiday apartment instead of a hotel and see how much you could save.

In the 2009 World Travel Awards, one city stood head and shoulders above the rest of Europe. Not only was it elected Europe’s Leading Cruise Destination and Europe’s Leading City-Break Destination but also Europe’s overall Leading Destination.

The award broke Copenhagen’s incredible five-year stranglehold on the Leading Cruise Destination award, and the monopoly of Europe’s elite tourist cities (London, Paris, Barcelona etc) on the Leading Destination award.

So which city made this breakthrough?

I guessed it must be somewhere on the Iberian Peninsula. If you agreed with me, you’d be right. But if you thought, like me, that it must be Barcelona, you’d be wrong.

The answer, in fact, is Lisbon.

Lisbon

At first glance, the awards might seem a surprising choice, given Lisbon’s unwanted and ignominious reputation only a few years before as a tired has-been: a poverty-stricken remnant of its former medieval glories.

But in fact, its recognition as one of Europe’s premier tourist destinations capped a remarkable renaissance that began in 1994 with its selection as European Capital of Culture and continued with the hosting of the 1998 World Expo and the 2004 European Football Championships.

It was the sort of attention expected and demanded by a city which had attracted settlers as early as 900BC, which had launched countless explorations in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, and which had been at the heart of an empire stretching from Brazil to India.

Jeronimos Monastery

This historical pre-eminence can be seen in the magnificent medieval buildings that dot the Lisbon cityscape: there are cathedrals, museums and monasteries aplenty, such as the UNESCO-protected Jeronimos Monastery and Belem Tower.

Yet the spirit of the city is defined neither by these glorious historical monuments that pervade its narrow hillside backstreets, nor by the mournful songs of the fadistas that lament the maritime decline and the eighteenth century earthquake that destroyed so much of the city.

Lisbon’s spirit remains quintessentially youthful, with a vibrant pavement café culture that is suppressed only by the coldest and wettest days of winter, and a buzzing nightlife that keeps revellers going until dawn in the old town of Bairro Alto or Docas.

Lisbon tram

Bright yellow turn-of-the-century trams wind their way through leafy streets, past Lisboêtas and tourists enjoying an espresso and pastry, exploring art-nouveau shops or enjoying the exceptional local gastronomic specialities: grilled swordfish or sardines, caldo verde (green soup) or pastéis de bacalhau (salt cod fritters).

And when you’ve had your fill, there’s always more to see.

Outside the city, there is the fairytale town of Sintra, famous among romantics worldwide as a lush, verdant paradise replete with richly hued palaces and precipitous Moorish castles. Not to forget the stunning coastline and gorgeous beaches that make Lisbon a quite unique European capital.

As well as being unique, Lisbon is also Western Europe’s cheapest capital. Accommodation starts from just 40€ per night, with deals on longer stays.

Palacio de Pena, Sintra

Dear readers,

I just wanted to introduce a startup located only a few minutes drive away from HouseTrip in Lausanne, Switzerland. We find their services pretty awesome so we wanted to share it with you.

RouteRANK is a software solution for travel planning. Unlike other solutions that consider only one means of transport at a time, routeRANK addresses the entire travel route by integrating rail, road and air connections. In a single search, routeRANK’s technology finds and ranks the best possible travel routes, allowing users to sort them according to their priorities such as price, travel time and CO2 emissions.
RouteRANK also offers custom developed versions of its proprietary software to corporate customers and organizations, for their internal use or use on their own website, in travel and logistics.
The routeRANK public website illustrates one fully functioning version of the software. Although here the focus is on European travel, airports and flight connections outside Europe are integrated. A widget is freely available for those who wish to easily integrate this routeRANK functionality to their own website.

Do go and test RouteRANK on their website. My guess is you’ll be pretty amazed at how detailed they can calculate a route for you!

Arnaud