Tagged With "Booking.com"
Reply
Re: Trains in Cuba
Great question...and possibly not an easy clear answer. Cuba's trains have generally been in poor shape in recent years as older equipment has run down and spares not available. However, according to Mark Smith (The Man in Seat 61), that's changing with the arrival of a fleet of new Chinese-built locomotives. On his site ( Seat61.com ) he has an extensive update of recent changes in schedules, routes and locations (that's important because Havana's main station is closed for a 3-year...
Comment
Re: Expedia lifts the veil on airline fees
I like transparency and think this is welcome news for travel consumers. Also a smart move on the part of Expedia, I think.
Comment
Re: Capital of Culture Series: Liverpool
In Europe, I have had good luck finding value accommodations at Booking.com and Europe-Stays. com. Those sites list hostels with their ratings and prices. A quick peek for June shows several promising choices for around $ 21 USD per bed per night. Unless you just want company, you might budget hotels pricing similar to the hostels. They often charge per person, not per room, which is a big help for the solo traveler. Tune Hotels will work for the London part of your trip, but they are not in...
Comment
Re: Hotels.com: Most mobile bookings are last-minute
That actually makes a lot of sense. The beauty of smartphones and the like is their ability to let you get things done at the last minute -- complete with price comparisons, etc. I know that a lot of hotels offer deep discounts the last day if they have a lot of spare inventory, but you're taking a risk at a busy time in a busy place. I tend to be more of a planner and to save my travel time for traveling and not looking for hotels. But to each his own.
Comment
Re: Dublin, Ireland's Trinity College: Where Gumbo Was #29
Amazing Library, very inspiring, if i would go to college there i will be at library every day ( at my college i go to library only at the end of the semester )
Comment
Re: Dublin, Ireland's Trinity College: Where Gumbo Was #29
Thanks for the note, Andre. It is a great library, but like many college students those at Trinity College like to party as much as study, so you'll likely not see them there much before the end of the semester either. What you might find even more amazing is that every student has the right to sign out any of those books (with the exception of the ancient ones like the Book of Kells). Despite how historic it looks, it is still a university library for students.
Reply
Re: Books That Sent You Packing (your bag, that is)
Detectives and espionage thrillers. George Simenon in France, Eric Ambler all over and especially in Istanbul, an expanding list of Scandinavians going back to Maj Sjovall/Per Wahloo and including Mankell, Nesbo and Larsson; Arnaldur Indridadsen and others in Iceland, Brunetti and Montalbano in Italy...the list is endless and appears to be a real driver of our travel. I've tried to think why, and I think it is in part because detective and spy novels, when well done, are of their time and...
Reply
Re: Books That Sent You Packing (your bag, that is)
People always laugh when I tell them this but the book that most inspired me to travel was Arthur C Clarke's "2001 a Space Odyssey". It made me want to see the universe -- or at least Clavius Base on the moon. It wasn't until later that I learned I'd have to settle for staying on the planet. Little did I know those journeys would one day lead me to the home and friendship of the man who wrote the book that so inspired me.
Reply
Re: Books That Sent You Packing (your bag, that is)
I get booksellers' e-newsletters and paper catalogs and run across interesting travel-related items from time to time. Many are on remainder sites so "quantities are limited" but when a post is fresh here, you'll likely get it if you want it. Spotted today in the Daedalus Books catalog is one by Ian Buruma, Bad Elements: Chinese Rebels from Los Angeles to Beijing , " a dissident's eye-view of the world's most secretive superpower, observing, "Strange things happen when Chinese dynasties near...
Comment
Re: Waived Booking Fees on AA Award Travel
Really good news, because some of those partner flights are hard to book online even when you know they exist. This should make it easier to make connection to a number of areas in Europe without having to do Heathrow...
Reply
Re: Liverpool and Manchester
Trains run every hour between the two Cities Paul. You need to add Liverpool Anglican Cathedral and the Catholic Cathedral of Christ the King. We have two.The Anglican one was the worlds largest - but I think St Johns in NY had to beat it. Speke Hall. Chester. Here's a list to peruse at your leisure. Meanwhile I'll put a reserved in my diary. http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/A...seyside_England.html Liverpool Cathedral 360' tour: http://www.liverpoolcathedral360.com/tour/ Liverpool World Museum
Comment
Re: London: a Few of My Favorite Things
Nothing quite like Chinese dumplings, a fine house tour, and the smell of English books to round out a gooooood travel day!
Comment
Re: London: a Few of My Favorite Things
Thanks for the memories, and the reminder of how much of London's best bits are hidden away in odd corners! And thanks also for the prompt to stop skipping the Portrait Gallery...
Comment
Re: London: a Few of My Favorite Things
Daunt's Books, one of my favorite things, made The Guardian's list of favorite independent bookshops . . . yay!
Reply
Re: How do you buy your travel?
Few more thoughts, following HistoryDigger and DrFumblefinger... 1. Definitely check all your affiliations on car rental; after years of getting better price through AAA than any other way I knew, I recently found that going to the same vendors through USAA (my car insurance) gets me even better. 2. Not only does Priceline have good pricing on cars, I've often found I can get 30-40% lower through their blind-bidding (Name Your Own Price) service. 3. RailEurope is something of a red flag for...
Reply
Re: Need help planning Morocco trip
If you're passing through Europe and plan to go directly on to Marrakech, keep in mind that the low fare carriers more often than not use secondary airports which will add to your travel time if go straight on. For instance, if you fly into London's Heathrow airport a low fare airline will likely use either Luton or Stansted. I believe British Airways has flights from Heathrow so check on the variables and you may find that with time and costs involved to change airports a bit more expensive...
Reply
Re: Spain or Portugal?
Portugal's rail system feels a bit worn in places, and some trains look terrible from outside...but the interiors are clean and the system seems to work. Not a terribly large country, so that time between the two largest cities (Lisbon and Porto) is about 3.5 hours. If you add in getting to the airport early and getting in from the airport at the other end, it's probably faster than flying. Other significant points in Portugal also have reasonable rail service, including Coimbra, the...
Reply
Re: Spain or Portugal?
I just visited www.seat61.com and it seems a fabulous website for travelers wanting to catch trains in Europe! So many tips and price comparisons!! And thanks for your info on trains. I think I'll take them even if they're a little beat up looking, LOL You been wonderful with all your help, PHeymont! I might have more questions later. Do you keep an eye on these posts? How does that work? What's the best way for me to get in touch with you if I have more questions?
Blog Post
British Library Unites Last Copies of the Magna Carta
The British Library will unify the last four remaining copies of the Magna Carta on February 3 for the first time as Britain celebrates the 800-year anniversary of the constitutional charter. They handed out 1,215 tickets to see all four documents to...
Blog Post
What changes in European hotel booking could mean to you...
You may soon have a real reason to use a "metasearch" site such as Kayak or Travago to find your European hotel room, rather than an actual booking site such as Booking.com or Expedia. Up to now, almost all prices have been the same; that may be about...
Blog Post
Airbnb Starts #OnelessStranger Pay It Forward Campaign
Airbnb will give $1 million dollars to 100,000 global community members. Those chosen members are asked to use the money for a random and unique act of kindness and share it on social media. ...
Blog Post
Hotels.com: Most mobile bookings are last-minute
Hotels.com, one of the leading on-line bookers, reports that over 60% of its mobile app users are booking same-day. It also reports that mobile app users tend to shorter stays than traditional customers. CLICK HERE for more.
Blog Post
Peer to Peer Travel Expands
A plethoria of Peer to Peer travel sites changing the way people travel. http://travel.france24.com/content/peer-peer-travel-redefining-landscape-report
Blog Post
Gumbo's Pic of the Day, January 17, 2015: Shakespeare Books, Avignon
I didn’t really need more books, but how could I not visit the English bookstore, Shakespeare Books, in Avignon. I was staying in this great medieval town on the Rhône, on the south side just inside the wall near...
Blog Post
How big is the hotel booking business? Now you know!
Sometimes numbers get so big they're hard to visualize or believe, and here's one of those numbers: During the first three months of 2015, booking.com handled 106,400,000 hotel room nights. That's right...over 100 million....
Topic
Books That Sent You Packing (your bag, that is)
The book I always think of in this regard is ‘The Sheltering Sky’, by Paul Bowles. And the subsequent movie, with the devilish John Malkovich as, guess who, Port Moresby. It inspired me to take the plunge and travel outside Europe, to Morocco, a place I’ve returned again and again, sure that would be so as soon as I read the book. But there have been others - ‘The River’s Tale: A Year on the Mekong’, by Edward Gargan, added Yunnan Province in China to my first round-the-world destination...
Blog Post
Hop on the Bus, Gus...or maybe a train
Wanderu, a startup travel aggregator (think Kayak) is now offering schedule and fare information for the major U.S. bus lines (Greyhound, Megabus and Boltbus) and has just signed a distribution agreement with Amtrak that will allow them to include...
Blog Post
Booking.com's new venture: services for hotels
Booking.com's new plan: work both sides of the front desk at hotels. Photo: Wikimedia / opera cadet Booking.com, possibly the biggest busiest on-line hotel booking site, is trying out a venture on the other side: Their...
Blog Post
Holy Cannoli! Italian town builds 3-ton Tiramisu!
The northern Italian town of Gemona has gotten its just desserts: a listing in the Guinness Book of World Records, and over 3 tons (3015 kg) of tiramisu. The coffee-flavored treat beat a months-old record by over 1000 kilos. I know what you're...
Blog Post
Expedia buys Orbitz; now it's down to 3
Or maybe 2. Expedia has snapped up Orbitz and its subsidiary brands, including ebookers.com and CheapTickets.com. In the past year it has also acquired former main rival Travelocity. Its remaining big rival is Priceline, which owns...
Blog Post
"Tide of the Century" Coming to Mont Saint-Michel
Crowds gathered along the coast of Brittany ,near Mont Saint-Michel, to watch Saturday’s high tide. The tide will be the first in nearly a month of large spring tides due to culminate on March 20 and 21 . March 21 has been touted as "the tide of...
Blog Post
Big Changes Coming to United Airport Lounges
Photo from United Airlines :United Club Bar- London Heathrow Lounge This coming year ,United will build two new lounges in Atlanta and San...
Blog Post
Sphinx Courtyard to open after 4 years!
According to the Antiquities Minister of Egypt, Mohammed al-Damati, the Sphinx courtyard will be opening soon for the first time in four years since it's restoration of the monument. No date was given. ...
Blog Post
Amazon Edges Closer to Hotel Booking
Amazon has repeatedly denied it wants to move into the world of online travel agencies such as Expedia and Travelocity or booking sites like booking.com, but they keep making moves that look like that's in their future. The latest move is...
Blog Post
Waived Booking Fees on AA Award Travel
This may not be news to some of you, but it is new to me. Heading to the AAdvantage webpage to see what flights might be available, I discovered a notice informing us that American now waives fees when booking by phone, starting today, when reserving...
Blog Post
Four Ways to Savor Savannah
Stephanie Kalina-Metzger shares some of her favorite ideas on what to see and do when visiting Savannah, Georgia
Blog Post
Kirsten Hines' new book just released!
Frequent contributor, Kirsten Hines, has a new book on beautiful Biscayne National Park. Kirsten did all the photography and co-wrote much of it.
Blog Post
Why Zurich Is The Place To Be In Summer
Roger T makes an excellent case why Zurich (especially during its short but beautiful summer) should be on your travel list!
Blog Post
London: a Few of My Favorite Things
PortMoresby ends the tale of her trip to England with the things she cannot do without - art, food, books and a visit to a beautiful house.
Blog Post
Oct. 25, 2017: Harvard Square, Cambridge
Take a walk with Samantha through the famed neighborhood that is a center to both the university and the city of Cambridge.
Blog Post
Trains to Scotland gaining riders
Upgraded rail service between England and Scotland is taking market share away from airlines.
Blog Post
Books, Posters and Magic
Jonathan L takes us on a tour of some small galleries in midtown New York.
Topic
The Ultimate Guide To Booking Your First Cruise
Even though it’s a piece of cake compared to booking a conventional vacation, booking your first cruise might seem like an intimidating experience. Do you visit the Komodo national park ? Do you opt for an Amazon cruise? Or do you go for something completely else? There are decisions to be made – from where to sail, to which cruise line to opt for, and how to get the most for your money. So, is there something that can be done in order to make booking your first cruise an easier experience?
Blog Post
Boston to celebrate Mayflower anniversary
A free maritime festival commemorates the Pilgrims' voyage to the New World and the ship they rod in on.
Blog Post
"Pops" is a New Route 66 Icon
I know this is going to be a fun stop on Route 66 just outside Arcadia, Oklahoma when I spy a 66-foot pop bottle on the horizon. Getting closer I can see it stands in front of an uber-modern structure with gas pumps in front. I have never seen...
Blog Post
St. Augustine Celebrates 450th Anniversary
St. Augustine, Florida is celebrating its 450th anniversary September 3rd through September 8th. Pedro Menendez landed in St. Augustine, Florida on Sept. 8, 1565, making St Augustine the oldest continuously occupied...
Blog Post
Travel Times Listed on South Central Pennsylvania's Electronic Message Signs
Starting today, south central Pennsylvania will have travel times posted on the electronic message signs over and along interstate highways and major expressways. The estimated times will be based on real-time traffic conditions on the major...
Blog Post
Saudi King and His 700 person Entourage Draw Mixed Reaction in France
French Patisserie, Cassis by IslandMan King Salman of Saudi Arabia will be arriving in France with a 1000 person entourage. He and his inner circle will...
Blog Post
Travel Agents Not Happy With Marriotts Direct Booking Campaign
The President of the American Society of Travel Agents, Zane Kirby, released this statement about Marriott's Direct Booking Campaign. "Suppliers have the right to market their product however they choose, as long as the advertisements are legal...