Nov 18th, 2009 at 8:00AM:
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Tipping's a tough nut to crack. Should you tip a housekeeper? Back in the day, the rule was leaving some cash only if your stay was 30 days or longer. Since then, however, it seems to have changed. And, what's appropriate for a valet? Bellman? Skycap? Travel means ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
financialcrisis posts
Tips for tippers: it isn't what you expect
Nov 18th, 2009 at 8:00AM:
tweetmeme_url = 'http://www.gadling.com/2009/11/18/tips-for-tippers-it-isn-t-what-you-expect/'; tweetmeme_source = 'Gadling';
Tipping's a tough nut to crack. Should you tip a housekeeper? Back in the day, the rule was leaving some cash only if your stay was 30 days or longer. Since then, however, it seems to have changed. And, what's appropriate for a valet? Bellman? Skycap? Travel means ...Foreigners are still spending less in the U.S.
Nov 4th, 2009 at 1:00PM:
Visitors from outside the United States came in and spent $9.9 billion in August ... which sounds like a lot. Unfortunately, it's down 21 percent from what they spent in August 2008, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce, as the travel slump continues to clamp wallets shut. The good news, though, is that spending by foreign visitors to the United States edged 1 percent higher from July. ...Berlin brothel to bikers: ride up and save!
Oct 16th, 2009 at 4:00PM: digg_url = 'http://digg.com/odd_stuff/Brothel_In_Berlin_Gives_Rebate_On_Sex_If_You_Come_On_Bike'; The travel and hospitality industry has tried so many ways to go green – from trying to wash fewer sheets and towels to using organic products in spas – that you might start to wonder if it's running out of options. Well, if that is a concern, it's probably time to look to the world's ...Travel from the rest of the world to the U.S. falls ... again
Sep 12th, 2009 at 12:00PM:
Travel fell again in 2009, according to U.S. Department of Commerce data, as a weak economy put pressure on both personal and corporate travel budgets.
Only 3.6 million people arrived from other countries, marking a decline of 11 percent from June 2008 to June 2009. For the six months of the year, international arrivals were off 10 percent year-over-year. The spending situation was even worse. ...Paris pins its tourism hopes on Americans. . . and shopaholics
Aug 27th, 2009 at 1:00PM: Poor Paris. The city was recently voted "most overrated in the world" and tourism is down by 11% (or more, according to some reports) compared with the first half of 2008. The number of British and Japanese visitors dropped nearly 25% each, while the number of tourists from China declined by over 17%.
Mon Dieu! What's a city to do? Well, according to the AP, the director of the Paris Tourism ...Americans stop going to Canada two years in advance
Jul 26th, 2009 at 8:00AM: If you went to Canada this year, you're in a shrinking minority. Visits across our northern border sunk to a 37-year low. Fortunately we have not one but two(!) factors to blame: the ongoing financial crisis and stricter U.S. passport rules. Obviously, unemployment continues its downward spiral, making it increasingly difficult for consumers to open their wallets. And, the tighter border-crossing ...Guilt-free vacation, part II: free your inner workaholic
May 29th, 2009 at 3:00PM: If you haven't read the earlier installments in this series, check them out:
Guilt and fear: balancing vacations, work and getting away with either
Fear-free vacation, part I: look busy while you recharge
Fear-free vacation, part II: look busy while you recharge
Guilt-free vacation, part I: free your inner workaholic
Once you're up to speed, check out the latest round of tips ...Gadling + BootsnAll - Picks of the Week (5.29.09)
May 29th, 2009 at 1:00PM: Gather round dear readers, it's Friday and that means it's time for our weekly roundup of links from our friends at BootsnAll. Think of it like a travel website "cage match:" hundreds of travel stories go into the ring, only five of the best come out alive. Got it? Then to the winner the spoils! Here's what we found this week:
Calm Those Flying Fears - I have a secret confession. Despite the ...Guilt-free vacation, part I: free your inner workaholic
May 28th, 2009 at 3:00PM: If you haven't read about how to screw-off and look good while you're on vacation, check out yesterday's article. This is what you're up against. The workaholic invests even vacation time in career success, and to look like that white-collar stud, you need to deliver beyond the appearances of your lazy, poseur coworkers.
But, you will.
When you get to the office, you see opportunities rather than ...Fear-free vacation, part II: look busy while you recharge
May 27th, 2009 at 3:00PM: If you haven't read the first 10 suggestions for looking busy without actually working on vacation, check out yesterday's post. If you've already been there, let's keep pushing ahead. We have even more for you today, thanks to the slothful talents of me and the rest of the Gadling team. Leave it to a group of bloggers to find so many ways to look hardcore without actually lifting a finger that it ...Hurricane season is for bargain-hunters
May 27th, 2009 at 8:00AM: Hurricane season will not keep travelers from their destinations! A recent survey by TripAdvisor®, which mined the opinions of more than 1,000 U.S. travelers, reports that 43 percent plan to hit a hurricane-prone destination this summer or fall – peak hurricane season. This is up from 36 percent last year. Sixty-five percent of the survey's respondents are doing this to take advantage of ...Fear-free vacation, part I: look busy while you recharge
May 26th, 2009 at 3:00PM: Many are afraid to take vacations these days, according to a recent study by Challenger, Gray & Christmas. The 200,000 layoffs in the United States in January alone underscore the importance of looking essential in the workplace. But, you can't push on forever. Fatigue will catch up with you, and you'll just need a break. Instead of skipping your vacation and burning out – or taking your ...Guilt and fear: balancing vacations, work and getting away with either
May 25th, 2009 at 3:00PM: People are nervous. They're afraid to appear unnecessary in a market where employees are being shed regularly. The strain is brutal. We're all "doing more with less," which increases stress and compounds the need for a break. If you decide to take that vacation, you have two options: look valuable or be valuable.
Looking valuable is tough. Skillful deceit is necessary to create the various ...Continental pilot pension scam, nine disappointed pilots
May 24th, 2009 at 12:00PM: Continental Airlines is looking to cash in on pilots who cashed in on a divorce scam. The pilots used sham divorces to divert more than $10 million to their ex-spouses. Post-divorce, the exes cashed in on retirement benefits, and the fliers could stay in the sky – and keep earning.
It's really pretty simple. A couple divorces. The pilot assigns all pension benefits to the ex-spouse. Then, ...Flexjet cards moving, as even the rich feel the sting
May 20th, 2009 at 5:00PM: The days of the private jet may be over – or at least put off for a while – but those with means are still doing all they can to avoid commercial flights. Fuel prices have come down over the past year, but it still costs a bundle to put a private jet in the sky, especially when much of that "extra cash" has disappeared.
So, it looks like uncooperative financial markets are making ...Memorial Day travel surge to be followed by silence
May 13th, 2009 at 1:00PM: So, there are two visions of the near future: one immediate, the other a bit further out. For Memorial Day, expect to see plenty of traffic, thanks to a drop in gas prices, according to AAA. More than 10 percent of the country's population – north of 32 million people – is expected to ht the road (though some will take planes). This stands in stark contrast to last year, when it cost ...March airline plunge softens in April
May 9th, 2009 at 3:00PM: Passenger traffic is still falling. That's not going to change for a while. But, the decline slowed in April, signaling that the prolonged sharp dips may be behind us. Some optimists even believe that the worst is over – though I maintain a healthy skepticism.
Note the metric being used: passenger traffic. There's a lot of mileage between asses in seats and money in the bank. On a positive ...Young people focused on traveling, despite economy
May 9th, 2009 at 12:00PM: For once, youth isn't wasted on the young. Young adults who aren't burdened by jobs, bills or the other trappings of adult life are realizing that they have a chance that will never arise again. They have the elbow room to go out and see the world ... and they're taking advantage of it.
Because younger travelers visit countries for an average 53 days – compared to 3 ½ for business ...Fairmont joins EMI in the music business
May 9th, 2009 at 8:00AM: There's more to recession-era promotion than cutting rates. In fact, chopping prices is considered one of the least effective ways to remain competitive in a tough market. As everyone races for the bottom, potential revenue is lost, and it's incredibly difficult to fight the tide. So, anything a hotel can do in this market to improve its relationship with guests is crucial.
For the folks at ...Hookers and artists try to coexist in Amsterdam
May 5th, 2009 at 8:00AM: Amsterdam doesn't want some businesses to grow. It seems unusual in a recession (and yes, the Netherlands is feeling it, too), but I guess the situation isn't so dire that they can't be picky over there. So, the locals are fighting the business of naked people with the business of art – which clearly has no history of portraying the uncovered human form (feel free to chortle).
The city of ...
