Tagged With "oil price"
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Re: Arriving in Venice, 1960
Almost a Big Mistake in Venice. I remember taking my daughter to Venice for her birthday then buying a $750 ring for her in one of the jewelry stores. The owner told me I could get the tax refunded from the government and he said it would be about $700. I said that is almost the entire price of the ring, then he told me the ring was $7,500 because I converted the Lira wrongly on my calculator due to many Lira zeroes with that currency. She did get a ring but not that one.
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Re: Miami or Orlando to Brussels : $324 Round Trip
Great price! Even for a week long getaway.
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Re: Motel 6 freshens its rooms...and its image
The French AccorHotels owned them for a time and really made some great improvements, updating rooms and making new hotels. And those prices were the same price as their old rooms. I wonder what happened to Accors plans that they sold
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, October 5, 2015: Stone Gingerbread House
Did you happen to notice the price tag? Not that I'm thinking of moving, but...
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Re: Local Flavor: Pearl Brewery Farmers Market, San Antonio
I'm so tempted to buy the wonderful foods I see in street markets. But being a tourist with nowhere to store and cook I regret I must pass. Much of the fruit and veg I have never seen before and I'm eager to try. Which is true I suppose for most folks in England. If we don't recognise a sweet potato - then we don't buy it. I do miss the vanilla flavoured Apples ( Custard Apples ) I had in Australia.
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Re: Obama eliminates restrictions for travelers buying Cuban cigars & rum
You'll be pleased to hear that the price of Cuban Cigars ( in Cuba ) has rocketed in anticipation of American customers buying them. Is nowhere safe from Capitalism ?
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Re: Now an airline charge for NOT flying!
If you do call the airline to cancel your return ticket you get no refund. They will probably sell your seat for more than your two-way ticket cost. If you try to reschedule your return for another day they will charge full price with no discount for being polite and doing the right thing. So you just walk away and find another airline. The Philosophy of W.C. Fields. "Never give a sucker an even break"
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Re: Do you Like these Hotel Tipping Tips ?
I'm well aware that there may be many contributing factors to the problem of poor service. But I'm not there to consider the state of the world nor am I there to balance justice among the poor. I just want a decent meal at a decent price. Just as in any job - my own included - people just want me to do my job. Do it well. No excuses. And they show there gratitude occasionally, with a tip. Its the same with me. Good food and good service gets you well rewarded. Shape up or Ship out !
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Re: Do you Like these Hotel Tipping Tips ?
Yes. I get the picture Paul. To be blunt about the experience - I don't care who's fault it is ! Perhaps dining out in the UK is a less frequent event. But when I go out for Dinner I want a pleasant experience. I don't want to hear about other peoples problems. I never get a reduction in the price because the service was bad. And I'm certainly not going to reward it either ! Minimum wage of a waitress in the UK is about = $400 US for 40 hrs. But we still tip for good service !
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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.
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Re: United's Award Chart: Premium Award Cost Goes UP
Not sure I agree with the "burn 'em" philosophy. At the premium class end, there's certainly been a lot of creep, but not so much in coach, which is more price-sensitive, even for awards. True, summer awards to Europe have generally gone from 50K to 60K, but on the other hand, off-season at American went DOWN to 40K--and with the flexibility of taking one-way awards and combining them in interesting ways...it's actually a better situation. Also, there are some card-linked sales on flight...
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Re: Economy cabin "skycouch" bed to debut in Asia
I'd love it if they'd sell one person all 3 seats for 150% of the single seat price. That would be a real deal! Guess I won't hold my breath.
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Re: Ryanair: Sell the Extras, Give Away the Tickets?
For those who were traveling to Europe about 30 years ago, you may or may not remember the short-lived airline, People's Express. I bought 2 tickets from the US West Coast to Brussels for $300 each which was, if I recall, an introductory price and very cheap even then. They didn't last long which I lamented as I liked the CEO's attitude and approach. On the other hand, I think O'Leary has something up his sleeve, he always does, making noise for the publicity. A most unpleasant man, from all...
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Re: Ryanair: Sell the Extras, Give Away the Tickets?
I certainly remember People Express...the only reason I became familiar with Newark Airport. We used to fly to Buffalo ($19, $29, $39) and then rent a car to visit family in Toronto. Then we snagged $49 specials from NY to SFO...and while we were sitting on the plane realized we could have gone to London for the same price! Which we did the next year, but it cost us a bit more. PE didn't always make its schedule, and other things could go wrong, but the staff were unfailingly friendly and...
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Re: Another Blowout Price$487rt- LA- Copenhagen
If you're in LA going to Europe,now's the time to buy $479.50 rt end of April-Early May. MY TRAVEL SELECTIONS Outbound Los Angeles - Copenhagen Tuesday 29. Apr 2014 7:30 PM - Terminal: B Flight DY7092 - LowFare Operated by Norwegian Long Haul 1 Adult $236.70 Return Copenhagen - Los Angeles Tuesday 6. May 2014 3:10 PM - Terminal: 2 Flight DY7091 - LowFare Operated by Norwegian Long Haul 1 Adult $242.80 Total price incl. all taxes and surcharges $479.50
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Re: Shipping Container as Your Next Hotel Room or Apartment ?!
I loved the design of the South African Student Housing.It was pretty cool. I hope someone can post their own photos of them on TG. As for the hotel, I'm guessing that would go good in places were there is only a seasonal demand . I imagine local laws might get in the way. I'd try it though if the price is right
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Re: With no Emirates order, A380 production may end
UPDATE: Emirates saves the day for Airbus , January 18 Emirates Airlines has saved the day for Airbus, with an order for 20 more A380s, and an option for 16 more, extending the production life of the huge plane. Airbus says that it will now be able to keep the line going for 10 years, and hopes that in that time the plane will generate more orders. List price for the plane approaches $500,000,000, but since large orders usually get sizable discounts and since Airbus really, really needed...
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Re: Frommers Color Complete Guides: A New Debut
PortMoresby and Vivie- Thanks for the kind words. I am really excited that these books are out and really good. Garry, I haven't read Frommers England yet .I read the new France and Spain Guides and I liked them so I'm hopeful about England. Frommers is incuding different price ranges now and from what I've seen ,it's a lot more budget choices too
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Re: Is it time to regulate airplane seats? Chris Elliott thinks so!
The trouble with a mandate is that it has deadlines and airlines who fly to the US would have to go through an expensive seat replacement program. That cost is one we share, or that puts the airlines in the red and in jeopardy. Makes sense to pressure them to improve, but that's just my opinion. But I do like the idea of "grading" seats. Helps me know what I'm buying. For example, Canadian airlines definitely have larger seats that American carriers. I'll preferentially fly Air Canada to...
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Re: Why tickets stay high while fuel prices drop
The cost of an Airline Ticket has little to do with the cost of a barrel of oil. That's why I can fly to Sydney Australia for the same price as I can to New York. That's 3500 miles to New York or 10,500 miles to Sydney. Same price. It's solely based on the principle of how much juice you can squeeze from an orange.
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Re: Fares to Europe for as Low as $301 Round Trip Total!
For those of you on the West Coast,Norwegian still has some outstanding deals like this one from Oakland to Stockholm $376.00 rt total Oakland - San Francisco - Stockholm-Arlanda Friday 23. Jan 2015 10:00 PM - Terminal: 1 Flight DY7068 - LowFare 1 Adult $185.00 Return Stockholm-Arlanda - Oakland - San Francisco Friday 30. Jan 2015 6:30 PM - Terminal: 5 Flight DY7067 - LowFare 1 Adult $190.10 Total price incl. all taxes and surcharges $375.10
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Re: Gumbo’s Pic of the Day, November 28, 2014: Postcards from Morocco - the lamp shop
Precision engineering - at a bargain price ! Some of these artisans like you to watch - while they handcraft another piece of artwork. Fascinating to watch recycled art.
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, December 8, 2014: Hudson Bay Blankets, Banff
Thanks for the comment, Neil. Your story is not a unique one. Many of the HBC blankets get handed down from generation to generation to generation. They are very well made, last forever, and are priced accordingly. I hope you're sitting down when you see the price tag. The display in Banff, like those in most of the town, are very much aimed at Japanese tourists, who like to buy "only the best".
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Re: America's Best Ice-Cream Shops? Tell us yours...
As a kid, I always enjoyed Green Tea Ice Cream from restaurants in Little Tokyo,Los Angeles. When i last went to Little Tokyo,I tried a little dessert shop in a mini mall there, Mikawaya, and loved it. They give you just a little, but the price is a $1.00 Mikawaya http://www.yelp.com/biz/mikawaya-los-angeles
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Re: Booking.com Changes as Travelers Change : Interview With Stuart Frisby
Good info. I've always thought booking.com had the feel of another user friendly site,Amazon. I've been amazed when I hear about the size of booking.com now,According to CNBC , Priceline's stock price multiplied by more than 45 times since acquiring Booking and their international business accounted for 87 percent of bookings in the last quarter. What especially got me is CNBC also said that booking has over 100 dedicated mobile app developers in its Amsterdam headquarters alone. Can Stuart...
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Re: Expensive Surface Pro 3, Great for Travelers
There are some features of a tablet that I've grown to like, but I really need a laptop too. This product seems to fit the bill for me combining them into one , but it's way out of my price range!
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Re: AirBnB vs New York. Update
As a frequent Airbnb renter (about 16 times) I obviously think it's a valuable thing and want it to succeed. I also think that there's room for reasonable regulation that's sensitive to local needs, and that a reasonable compromise can be found. Let's take the case of New York City...there is a real shortage of affordable housing. While it's not caused by Airbnb, but rather by a series of market issues that I won't rehearse here, it's reasonable for the city/state to ban short-term rentals...
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Re: AirBnB vs New York. Update
I missed something...what taxes do they collect? None in my case. I collect it, include the bed tax in my price, which Airbnb gives to me in their payment, and I file a return with the county quarterly when I pay them. Income reported to IRS, but my responsibility to pay any tax due. But I think the rest is reasonable. No requirement that Airbnb enforce anything except in response to local authorities that a rental is illegal. In theory, they already remove substandard listings, so much the...
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Re: Six Reasons Why Lisbon Made Me Nostalgic for San Francisco
Thanks, @PHeymont! You're totally right that SF cannot be described as 'steep but cheap'. It's definitely the former but not the latter. The quirkiness of San Francisco is hard to put a price on though.
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Re: Six Reasons Why Lisbon Made Me Nostalgic for San Francisco
@GarryRF - I'm more of a wine person but did enjoy a Sagres or two in Portugal. You can't beat the price. Love the microbreweries in San Francisco and agree that the tasting trays are definitely the way to go!
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Re: Dollar Strength Making World Travel Cheaper for Americans
Exchange rates, the price of oil - prices in general go in cycles. We've paid more for a time, now Europeans will pay more for a while and then back again. I'm sure many Americans used the "opportunity" to travel domestically. I have. I'm just glad to see it cycle back in our direction for a while so I can encourage myself to head to Europe. How is Canada faring in the current trend?
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, May 9, 2015: All-You-Can-Eat Dim Sum
Last time I was at Top of the Mark I was in high school. It was THE place to go on prom night, along with the Tonga Room across the street at the Fairmont. I actually seriously considered staying at one place or the other on this road trip but opted for the free parking at the hostel, so annoying was the price of parking on Nob Hill. Interesting how decision-making can work. And btw, check in next Saturday and see where I actually did have a drink after dim sum.
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Re: Ryanair's 5-year plan: Trans-atlantic for 10£
I love Ryanair for short haul flights but I'm not sure I could 'survive' a trans-Atlantic with that level of comfort. Then again, the trip from Dublin to New York isn't *that* much longer than other flights we've done on Ryanair (e.g., Dublin to Latvia). Perhaps I can be convinced if the price is right ;-)
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Re: Airports, Airlines battle over passenger fees
The other fees that especially bother me are the ones you never see in tickets, because they come out the back door. Compare airport car rental prices with off-airport of the same brand; compare the price of gum or candy at the airport or a neighborhood store. That’s airport revenue, too, either through a direct charge (car) or super-high-rents (newsstand)
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Re: Budget airlines pushing seat squeeze on new planes
Thomas Cook do charter flights - they sell you a complete vacation. Hotel, food, car rental, adventure tours from your hotel and flights. Probably find something in there that's not up to scratch. But complain ? No... not I. I'm looking forward to your report from Berlin. Maybe we'll do a long weekend from Liverpool to Schoenefeld (nr. Berlin) Easy Jet do it for £25 - £45 each way. And for that price I'll sit on the wing for 2 hours !! Would TravelGumbo sponsor you to write a report on this...
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Re: Budget airlines pushing seat squeeze on new planes
Perhaps it has to do with expectations. There has been so much negative buzz about Ryanair for years that perhaps passengers simply know they won't be happy about anything but the price and getting there!
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Re: Budget airlines pushing seat squeeze on new planes
Besides being happy with the low price I got, I thought their service was good the last time I flew them. And, as they let you know about, they have a great on time rate.
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Re: A Price War over Trans-Atlantic? TravelGumbo interviews Norwegian Air
Lasse could well be correct on the Jet Lag. The air was fresher on the Dreamliner. The Captain decided when night fell by using the window dimmers. Same with sunrise. I can get a flight - UK to Australia - 23 hours - for the same price as UK to New York - 7 hours. Trans Atlantic flights have been price-rigged for years.
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Re: A Price War over Trans-Atlantic? TravelGumbo interviews Norwegian Air
I recently saw a cheap fare from Norwegian posted on The Flight Deal website. What struck me is what they said in the post (below) and how it really demonstrates the same Skytrain price matching problem . I do think consumers have to think that if they choose the legacy carriers price match ,instead of Norwegians, there might not be these lower fares in the future that Delta or United will match. " Norwegian is a low cost carrier so they will charge you for everything – advanced seat...
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Re: Lufthansa: Book with us, or pay 16€ fee
It seems a huge and unfair fee. I can't believe a company with Lufthansa's finances really needs to impose something so draconian. And if they do, I think their business will suffer. As we all know, consumers are very price sensitive.
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Re: Airfares have remained flat for 20+ years
I'm with 90% on that survey. Domestic Airline prices did rise steadily from 2009 to 2014 (even adjusting for inflation) according to the DOT. I do think we've had a price break this year because of the steep drop in oil prices. I'm not surprised most customers feel like they are paying more because of what they are getting now. Planes are packed, there's less seat space and a whole array of fees. http://www.rita.dot.gov/bts/airfares/national/chart
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Re: Around the World in 80 Airbnbs
On the Airbnb link I cited, alongside the price ($5000) is a button, "coming soon" which seems to indicate that they aren't yet officially selling the trip, or maybe they sold the 6 places for the 3 dates listed and more will be "coming soon"? Who knows. Having already gone around the world twice, once for 6 months & again the opposite direction for 4, I'm not interested in a package tour, especially one that offers an if-this-is-Tuesday-it-must-be-Bhutan sort of experience as it...
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Re: Around the World in 80 Airbnbs
I also thought the price was low, but assumed it was set there to seem accessible, and also assumed that they probably have a web of supplier special deals wrapped up in it...
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Re: Holiday packages go 'carbon-neutral'
They say the price is not higher, which means that they must be squeezing it out of their suppliers.. like Walmart does.
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Re: Brits still in love with long-haul holidays
I can get an 11 hour flight from the UK to Cuba, Airport transfers, All inclusive Resort on the Beach and evening Entertainment. 2 weeks in June. Same price as I pay for a return Flight only to New York - 6 Hours. $1250 US. I'll be responsible when the UK Prime Minister gets the Train from London to Brussels instead of Flying.
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Re: Apr. 7, 2016: Budget Vacation in France
We enjoy camping here. And we have our own equipment. And we can put it up in 10 minutes too. But going to an area of Europe and getting budget accommodation that's central to exploring Paris - Berlin - Munich - Marseilles - St Tropez - Brussels - the Spanish Costa's etc and all at a budget price. With toilets - showers - hairdryers - on site stores for wine and food - then even the Ladies can't complain. And a car park so you can be off touring the caves and vineyards. Staying in a Budget...
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Re: How to spend 24 hours in Dublin
Great post and welcome to TG! I spent a few days in Dublin last summer and it's also a good place to catch up on during a long trip. They have cheap internet places open 24 hours a day and good full service Laundromats where you can drop off laundry in the morning and pick up in late afternoon. it's about the same price as a luggage locker so good to use if going on a day trip and headed home
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Re: Emirates cuts U.S. flights, blames 'Trump Slump'
Having just flown Emirates from Dubai to Colombo and back, and having gone through security at DXB several times, I have these observations to share: 1) Emirates offers among the finest service of any airline in the world. And at a very good price. If it was a convenient option, I wouldn't hesitate to fly Emirates again. The only other airlines in my experience with a similar level of service are Singapore and Thai. American and European airlines don't even come close. 2) DXB has security we...
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Re: Luggage to withstand airline handling
We alternate, depending on trip configuration, on two "soft" but not very 21" Delseys and a single 25" Swissgear of similar construction. They're all from a lower-price territory than Eagle Creek, but have worked well for us. But my experience with the Swissgear has taught me to watch one thing I didn't think so important before: the wheels. The Delseys are a 'trolley' style with two wheels; they're easy to move over almost any terrain, even cobblestones. But the Swissgear is a 'spinner,'...
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Re: Luggage to withstand airline handling
Good point about the wheels. It was while pulling a suitcase across cobblestones that I became devote to the trolley-style wheels. Even Eagle Creek and Pacsafe bags can be purchased on sale or at discounted travel supply vendors. Whatever you buy, be sure it is a well constructed bag with heavy duty zippers and latches that won't fall apart on you when you travel (which has happened to me with a cheaper duffel-style roller made by Sierra Design).