As the summer begins and travel plans solidify, the question of “drive or fly?” will certainly arise.  As we all know, the world economy is not doing well, and at the same time fuel prices are as high as they have ever been.  These factors create a double whammy for travelers who want to get away but have limited budgets.  Money spent on a vacation should go towards good times rather than fuel, and this post will help you determine the best ways to save money on the physical travel portion of a trip.

Best to fly or take public transportation:

Fuel prices are highest in Europe, remote island nations and nations under political or social stress.  When traveling in Europe, your best bet is to take advantage of the extensive and easily accessible train system or cheap regional carriers like RyanAir.  You will save a huge amount of money on fuel without losing ease of transportation, as most, if not all, major European cities have highly developed public transportation networks.  Many areas of the United States also have very high fuel prices, especially in major cities like New York, Chicago or Los Angeles.  Airline fares will be more expensive in the USA, but will often still be cheaper than renting a car a driving.

Best to drive:

In areas where safe public transportation does not exist, fuel prices are very low, or driving is the only way to reach your destination, renting or hiring a car is the way to go.  Many African countries fall under this category, as do remote locations across the world.  Safety should always be a traveler’s first priority, and if you’ve heard tourists get robbed on public buses, avoid them.  This is common sense!  Another time when driving will be cheaper than flying is if you are traveling in a group and can split the cost of gas.  Perhaps your gas bill will total $400, whereas four airline tickets would cost $120 each.  In such a case it is clearly cheaper to drive.

(honoluluadvertiser.com) — Hawaii hotels experienced the fifth consecutive month of record low occupancy in June, when the rate fell by 5.8 percentage points to 63.1 percent.

In the latest report from industry analyst Hospitality Advisors LLC, the occupancy rate for the first half of the year was the lowest recorded since the survey began in 1987. It reflected the 9.8 percent drop in visitor arrivals to Hawaii reported by the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.

Although O’ahu hotels led the state in occupancy at 67.8 percent, that number was 6.4 percentage points below a year ago, according to Joseph Toy, Hospitality Advisors president and chief executive officer.

With visitor arrivals down for 13 consecutive months, Hawaii hotels have cut rates and added deals to try to fill up rooms but the discounts have dropped revenues.

Deep discounts reduced the average daily hotel rate 16.6 percent to $171.97.

“It’s just been something that’s completely unprecedented in the market,” Toy said.

The steep decline indicates that the traditionally busy summer season has not brought recovery to the state’s largest private industry, he said.

“Despite the steep discounting of room rates in the market, hotel occupancies during what would normally be our busy summer season are at record lows, and the impact on hotel revenue and Hawaii‘s tax base is tremendous,” Toy said.

“With such weak performance, we still do not expect to see any foundation for recovery until mid-2010.”

Toy said Hawaii is experiencing a slump that is reflected throughout the industry and at destinations across the country and internationally.

“Similar to most destinations, we have experienced a tremendous pull-back in the market, unlike anything we have seen before,” he said.

Hotels on Kauai suffered the most in June, dropping 10.3 percentage points in occupancy to 61 percent, with the average daily rate falling by 17.1 percent to $180.26.

Maui experienced the sharpest drop in average daily rate at 19.3 percent, falling to $227.35.

Toy noted that in the first half of this year, Hawaii hotel room revenues fell by $339 million to $1.22 billion, representing a steep 21.8 percent decline compared with the first six months of last year, according to Toy’s Hawaii Hotel Flash Report.

This loss was driven by a combination of a 7.8 percentage point decrease in occupancy to 66 percent, and a 12.6 percent decrease in the statewide average daily rate to $181.13.

But Toy said Hawaii is holding its own compared to tourism markets across the nation. Although Hawaii slipped to fifth place in hotel occupancy among major U.S. destinations, it remained second behind New York City in average daily rate.

Hawaii‘s budget market posted the highest occupancy for the first six months at 74.7 percent and had the smallest decline from the prior year at 4.6 percentage points. The luxury hotel segment had the steepest decline in average daily rate — 13.5 percent, to $256.92, compared with $296.95 a year ago.

All islands reported losses in occupancy and rates for the first six months of the year. Maui suffered the largest average daily rate loss at 13.3 percent, to $242.36, with occupancy falling by 9.6 percentage points to 64 percent. The Big Island had the lowest occupancy in the state at 55.6 percent with an average daily rate of $187.07.

O’ahu fared best, but still saw occupancy drop by 5.4 percentage points to 70.9 percent, with a 12 percent decline in average daily rate to $150.69 for the first half of the year.

The luxury price segment achieved the highest occupancy at 68.1 percent, but was down 6.8 percentage points from the prior year.

The hotel survey is compiled by Smith Travel Research in conjunction with Hospitality Advisors.

The last movie in the Harry Potter series

Full release schedule from imdb.com

Pets are now getting top-flight treatment, so to speak. Pet-loving husband and wife team, Alysa Binder and Dan Weisel have launched an all-pet airlin–Pet Airways. Now the name may not be novel, but the idea certainly is.

Using their consulting and business backgrounds, the pet-friendly duo spent the last four years taking care of business requirements, like FAA regulations and airplane designs to accommodate the furry folks.

The airline is slated to operate out of the following five cities:

• New York
• Chicago
• Denver
• Washington
• Los Angeles

We can’t say we’re totally surprised. I am sure somebody did their market research and discovered those top 5 markets have the highest rate of pet ownership and disposable income per capita–types of cities where pets could potentially be treated better than people.

Now that’s the cats meow.

Read more here…

Check out the airline: www.PetAirways.com

Bastille Day Fireworks; Paris

 

 

 

Bastille Day is the French national independence day celebrated on 14 July each year. In France it is officially called Fête Nationale (“National Celebration”), or more commonly, le quatorze juillet (“14 July”). It commemorates the 1790 Fête de la Fédération storming of the Bastille on 14 July; the  storming of the Bastille fortress-prison was seen as a symbol of uprising for the modern nation, and of the reconciliation of all the French inside the constitutional monarchy which preceded the First Republic during the French Revolution.

Festivities are held on the morning of 14 July, on the Champs-Élysées avenue in Paris in front of the President of the Republic.

The parade opens with many cadets from the École Polytechnique, Saint-Cyr, École Navale, and so forth, then other infantry troops, then motorised troops; aviation of the Patrouille de France flies above. In recent times, it has become customary to invite units from France’s allies to the parade; in 2004 during the centenary of the Entente Cordiale, British troops (the band of the Royal Marines, the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, Grenadier Guards and King’s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery) led the Bastille Day parade in Paris for the first time, with the Red Arrows flying overhead.

The president used to give an interview to members of the press, discussing the situation of the country, recent events and projects for the future. Nicolas Sarkozy, elected president in 2007, has chosen not to give it. The President also holds a garden party at the Palais de l’Elysée.

Article 17 of the Constitution of France gives the President the authority to pardon offenders, and since 1991 the President has pardoned many petty offenders (mainly traffic offences) on 14 July. In 2007, President Sarkozy declined to continue the practice.

This year America’s Lance Armstrong is trying to make a comeback and win an unprecedented 8^th Tour de France.  Armstrong is the all time leader with 7 wins which he won consecutively from 1999 to 2005.  Armstrong is the prototypical hero to millions; surviving from testicular and brain cancer to win one of the most grueling physical competitions multiple times.

During the tour there are so many stops and checkpoints, making your stay in any region will most likely give you a look at the race from the roadside.  Locals come out of their towns to celebrate the event and cheer their countrymen on.  If you’d ever had the urge to participate in a foreign national pastime, this is fairly easy to assimilate into.  Some mainstay hotspots on the tour include Montpellier, Marseille, Monaco and Paris.  Go to the official Tour de France website to keep up with Lance, and check out any of the cities you’d like to visit.

Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly, his debut book, was followed by a television offer.  Bourdain went on to write two more books and produce the food network series “A Cook’s Tour” before landing his Emmy nominated show No Reservations.  In its fifth season, No Reservations travels the world seeking out the not so popularized eating havens of today.  Like our gonzo journalists here at HotelReservations.com, Tony seeks out the cheapest and best experiences before the rest of the world has caught on.  He secretly works for us…:)

The first episode of this season airs July 13^th in Chile.  But in relevance to our endeavors, check out the 3^rd episode which comes out on July 27^th on Travel Channel.  This episode will check out some great culinary staycations to help you become the ultimate connoisseur of underground U.S. culture.  Tony will be traveling to Baltimore, Detroit and Buffalo.  Although you may be imagining a grey cloud hovering over these cities known for traffic and crime, these blue collar cities of the U.S. invoke a culture and vibe that cannot be re-created by resorts or newly booming cities.

Food, art, architecture and personality are aspects that take years to develop in a dense city.  This is certainly why everyone loves to travel to Europe; there is a vibe and culture of honesty that surrounds you when you walk along cobblestones.  When a new resort is opened up most of the attractions are new, and have been put there just to attract tourism.  When you step into Buffalo or Detroit, the food and places of entertainment have survived years of bad economies and emigration.  This honing of a city is what gives the bricks the same dark hue that you see in the shops of European towns.  So please, go check it out before the episode airs so you are ahead of the curve.  Catch a ballgame, eat some American pastime and catch some local music.  I don’t have to tell you how cheap it is to visit these cities, you already know.  Safe Travels until next time.

Yes Pandemonium, Andy Murray is flirting with the possibility of being the first British tennis player to win Wimbledon in over 60 years.  The Scottish born right hander has been climbing the ranks and has birthed new local excitement in his homeland.  One of the four major professional tennis tournaments in the world, Wimbledon Centre Court in London is the only one still played on a grass surface.  This speed and excitement makes it a visual experience that cannot be replicated by other tournaments around the world.  I strongly suggest trying to attend this year’s competition because of the domestic significance.

Although it may be just another year to most tennis fans, if Andy Murray wins, it will be the greatest sports accomplishment for British sporting fans since the taking of the FIFA World Cup in 1966.  This means, if you are there for this event, you will be a part of one of the biggest after parties London has seen in the last 25 years.  Wimbledon still does not use a roof so bring an umbrella.  Tickets for the event can be purchased at the official Wimbledon website.  There are some good hotels on the pub row near the “All England Tennis Club”.  Take the Express by Holiday Inn at Wandsworth-Battersea.  It’s close to all the cliché London landmarks: The River Thames, Buckingham Palace, and the Wimbledon courts.  Don’t miss out on another big celebration, I only got so many up my sleeve.  Safe Travels.