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Tags: Rental Cars / Cars / Driving / New York Times / → All Tags

What Is With Rental Car Prices These Days? The NYT Investigates

Just when we finally thought it safe to book an affordable flight, hotel, and rental car, a New York Times story gets us all disappointed over rates. Apparently, despite the deals elsewhere, rental car costs are going up. One consulting group notes that in May, the average weekly rate for a car booked seven days in advance went up almost 75% from the previous year.

Although the demand for rental cars is down, the car companies are responding by not ordering new cars and selling off the really old ones. In the past, drivers were greeted with a low-mile cream puff, often with a new car scent, but now they are usually stuck in something with many more miles on the odometer. Unfortunately, it’s just simple supply and demand, and less rental cars mean we’re stuck paying more for the dogs that are left.

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Tags: North Carolina Travel / New York Times / → All Tags

The NYT Eats Tongue Tacos In North Carolina's Triangle

One of the New York Times’ best travel features is their 36 Hours series. For those with no attention span, like us, it’s a short and sweet way to get a taste of a location in only 1,500 words. This week’s article featured a jaunt to the Research Triangle region of North Carolina.

Having called this area home for the last couple of years, we were pleasantly surprised to see a feature focused on the area in and around Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill.

The NYT recommends it, but we always get sidetracked before making it to the North Carolina Museum of Art. Maybe now that the museum got a big shout-out, we’ll finally get to see some American favorites like Winslow Homer and Georgia O’Keeffe. Their permanent collections are free to visit, so we just have to stop making excuses and finally get a little culture.

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Tags: Recessionomics / Dubai Travel / New York Times / → All Tags

Even Dubai Residents Don't Want To Be There Any More

Perhaps the global economic crisis was always going to hit Dubai harder than most cities: Its explosive growth and splashy, celebrity-studded new projects may have earned it a spot in the dictionary illustrating the word "hubris." But the exodus of foreigners who rushed to the emirate for plush jobs raises some unsettling questions about its future.

The New York Times reported today that former engineers, advertising executives and financiers are ditching their cars and their apartments as their work visas expire. The real estate and tourism industries are in such a crater that these people are willing to risk debtors' prison in order to get out. And with no bailout forthcoming from the other members of the United Arab Emirates, Dubai officials seem to have trouble even admitting that there is a crisis.

Will Dubai be able to bounce back despite its loads of debt and ailing industries? Or will it stand deserted in the desert, devolving into that city from "Wall*E"? Truth is, we may have knocked its ever more extravagant offerings, but we kind of always wanted to see what the fuss was about. Guess we should take a trip before it's too late.

Related Stories:
· Laid-Off Foreigners Flee as Dubai Spirals Down [New York Times]
· Three Weeks Ago: Bad Economy Gives Dubai A Good Kick in the Shins [Jaunted]
· Dubai Secretly Turned On By The Idea Of More Beach Liasons [Jaunted]
· Dubai Building Islands, Buying Up Celebrity Souls [Jaunted]

[Photo: ~Aphrodite]

Tags: Statues / Monuments / Attractions / Tourist Attractions / National Parks / New York Times / → All Tags

Urban National Park Travel: A Heady View

The weather must be good up there: After seven years, the National Park Service is thinking about re-opening the Statue of Liberty's crown to visitors willing to make the climb.

The statue reopened in 2004 after improvements were made to get the monument up to post-9/11 security standards. But the spiral staircase to the crown, most recently replaced in 1986 for Lady Liberty's centennial, isn't up to code and may have to be replaced before it's an option for up to 30 island-bound visitors at a time. A recent Park Service memo leaked by a New York congressman sought bids to make the crown safer.

On our first trip to New York City we walked all the way up to the crown, and the view is incredible. Let's upgrade this lady!

Related Stories:
· Statue of Liberty Crown Reopening is Studied [NYT]
· The New 7 Wonders [Jaunted]
· National Parks coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: stevesheriw]

Tags: Matt Gross / New York Times / Frugal Traveler / Travel Blogs / Jaunted Interviews / Videos / → All Tags

Jaunted Interviews: Chatting with Matt Gross

We've been following Matt Gross on his Grand Tour across Europe this summer, barely keeping our jealousy contained as he partied in Rome and volunteered at an organic farm in southern France.

But we were eager to ask him if travel through the unaffordable continent is really that great. And how the hell was he getting by on just €100 ($155) a day?

To find out, we called him up on Skype and recorded our video chat. Check it after the jump.

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Tags: Matt Gross / New York Times / Frugal Traveler / Travel Blogs / → All Tags

Play Travel Agent to the Frugal Traveler

The Frugal Traveling Matt Gross is five weeks into his 12-week Grand Tour, and so far he's hit a number of classic vacation spots in Western Europe. But as he moves east, he's wondering what there might be worth doing near Lithuania.

So, since it's 2008, he's asking for The Internet's help in planning his Week 10. It sounds pretty gonzo:

I'm letting you, the readers, pick where I'll go in Week 10 of my 12-week Grand Tour. A Baltic beach town in Poland? A vineyard in Slovenia? Anything is possible. Well, almost.

It's not just the destination you'll pick--I want you to map out my entire week: How will I get there? What will I do? Where will I sleep? Where will I eat?

You can give Matt your picks over at his Grand Tour blog.

We'd be remiss if we didn't mention our own "Tell a guy where to go" crowdsourcing. The latest Jaunted Contest is underway, and your good ideas for airport layovers could net you a three-day Caribbean vacation. You can enter our contest here.

Related Stories:
· The Grand Tour [NYT]
· Jaunted Contest: Layover Nation [Jaunted]
· Travel Blogs coverage [Jaunted]

Tags: Chinatowns / New York Times / Restaurants / → All Tags

Chinatown Travel: Sino City

Las Vegas dining is ruled by big-name chefs like Wolfgang Puck, Joël Robuchon and Daniel Boulud. But the restaurants from the famous types are usually more expensive and less well reviewed than their New York and Paris counterparts--and are sometimes set in fake New York or fake Paris.

The New York Times has word this week, though, on a genuine ethnic neighborhood in Sin City--the makeshift Chinatown that has sprung up over the last decade. This being Las Vegas, even Chinatown is set in a mall:

Ask any Chinese tourist and you'll find that Las Vegas' Chinatown is high on their checklist. Tour buses regularly motor a mile off the Strip to stop at Chinatown Plaza, an open-air mall founded in 1994 ...

"Everyone in China knows about Chinatown here," one woman said. "They go to the Strip, and then they go to Chinatown."

Like so many other Chinatowns, Vegas' has a great restaurant scene, with everything from Sichuan to Korean on offer. And, yes, there's plenty of karaoke.

Related Stories:
· Dim Sum Amid Las Vegas' Casinos [NYT]
· Las Vegas Chinatown Plaza [Official Site]
· Las Vegas Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Evil Jungle Prince]

Tags: Travel Media / New York Times / Stuart Emmrich / Arthur Frommer / → All Tags

Refereeing the Travel Media: Arthur Frommer Escalating His Attacks on the New York Times

On his blog, the Andy Rooney of travel, Arthur Frommer, frequently gripes about the pricey experiences sometimes covered in The New York Times' Sunday travel section. (Recently he was half-mystified, half-offended that the Times would report on The Plaza hotel, where rooms go for $875 a night.) But in his most recent rant--about this mention of a one-day, £345 Orient-Express train trip, Frommer has gone from crotchety complainer to conspiracy theorist:

The New York Times travel section has now plumbed such depths of absurdity that I, for one, have concluded that this senselessness can't be accidental. The decision to sprinkle the pages of a travel section with references to sky-high travel offerings can only have come about from a directive from on high to do so.

It must be part of an effort to attract advertising from the producers of luxury goods ... In writing as they do, I am now convinced that the travel writers and junior travel editors of the New York Times are attempting to execute a policy consciously set down by the Times.

Sounds bad! And it would be--if Frommer's suspicions had any basis in reality.

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Tags: Surfing / Beaches / New York Times / Travel Trends / → All Tags

Keep Your Trunks on Travel: NJ's Prudish Beach

Last we heard, naked vacations were the newest hotness. Now The New York Times says at least one beach town isn't getting in on the latest vacation "trend." So if the idea of cavorting nekkid with other tourists isn't your idea of fun, perhaps you'll be more comfortable in Long Beach, New Jersey.

The beach town has just passed an ordinance outlawing:

The change of clothes in any public area or public street unless within a permanent enclosed structure.

Doesn't sound too draconian, really, until you realize that just about everyone in town--locals and visitors alike--hit the beach as often as possible. And since wet suits and swim trunks don't mix, that means, yep, some people change on the beach.

Locals are split on the new rule, as it satisfies some tourists (the prudes) while causing headaches for others (the surfers). But while other people have mixed feelings on the ordinance, Surfrider Foundation manager John Weber has his mind made up on how important it is:

I'd like to fight the polluters and doers of evil, but we've got to fight about people changing their wet suits.

Related Stories:
· A Beach Where Discretion Is More Than Just Advised [NYT]
· No Shoes, No Shirt, No Worries [NYT]
· Beaches coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: john w]

Tags: Frugal Traveler / Matt Gross / New York Times / Japan Travel / → All Tags

Matt Gross Recommends Kyoto, Too

Our favorite frugal traveler Matt Gross seems to like our style because we mentioned the beauty of Kyoto last week. In this weekend's New York Times, Matt gave us some insights into a few more enticing parts of this stunning Japanese city, and we've got to admit, it still sounds good.

For example, at the Nanzenji Temple Matt found swarms of tourists at the front--but kept walking to find one of those quiet, soul-searching shrines that give you a sense of the real Japan. He also recommended the Nijo Castle and Arashiyama as good sightseeing destinations, overpopulation with tourists notwithstanding.

The best part was that Matt managed his weekend in Kyoto frugally--because like much of Japan, it ain't cheap. Big tip: Hit the bottom floor of department stores where food halls offer heaps of free samples, saving you the cost of a meal.

Related Stories:
· Seeking Tranquility on Less Than $200 A Day [NYT]
· Japanese Summer: Hit the Gion Matsuri in Kyoto [Jaunted]
· Kyoto Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Hyougushi]

Tags: Museums / Art / New York Times / Seth Kugel / Travel Media / → All Tags

Secret Travel: Undetected Art in NYC

It's a well-known fact that the minute you mention a "secret" anything in the travel media, people lap it up. So we couldn't help but be taken by Seth Kugel's latest piece in The New York Times that reveals some of the little-seen and, yep, "hidden" treasures in NYC's museums.

At MoMA, the playful "Water Tower" high above the museum's sculpture garden is the thing to watch for. An official explains its appeal:

The water towers of New York are proverbial, they're vernacular, they're on every building, it seems. Casting it in this translucent resin, it's as if the wooden parts of the water tower have fallen away and what you have is an almost icelike object. For me it truly became a magical piece when I saw the sun coming through it; it really glows.

We don't know if that one piece is worth the $20 admission charge, so if you're feeling cheap, the Metropolitan Museum of Art (with its "suggested admission") is the place to go for secret art.

The South Asian galleries there are rarely visited, Kugel says, because they're so hard to find. Following his excellent directions, though, you'll suss 'em out and enjoy an uncrowded journey through the entire artistic history of the region. No wonder we all love secrets.

Related Stories:
· Curators Point the Way to Hidden Treasures [NYT]
· Museums coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: tilaneseven]

Tags: Golf Travel / Golf / New York Times / Travel Media / Kashmir / Dangerous Travel / → All Tags

Golf Travel: Kashmir Is the New Vietnam

We're willing to look past the fact that you still haven't gotten to the greens in Vietnam. But the, ahem, forefront of the golf scene is no longer Southeast Asia. To truly impress your buddies, book those clubs through to Kashmir.

There are already four courses in the region, and a fifth is set to open this year. Says The New York Times:

The golf-loving chief minister of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, Ghulam Nabi Azad, has spoken of his desire to see the region become an "international golfing hub."

"There is a need to mobilize golfers across the world to come and play the game here," he told reporters recently, in something of an understatement.

It would probably help if the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office didn't warn "against all travel to, or through rural areas of Jammu and Kashmir other than Ladakh." After all, says the Director of Tourism for Kashmir:

People are going to Sri Lanka. People are going to Israel and Lebanon. But why not Kashmir? It's safer here than New York...In 18 years of trouble, we have had only 25 tourist victims.

Only!

Related Stories:
· Kashmir Says Come On In, the Tee Times Are Safe [NYT]
· FCO: India Travel Summary [Official Site]
· Golf Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: prakhar]