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.
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?
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.
Airplanes without jet engines aren't for everyone, but great service is--and that's apparently what Porter Airlines is all about. We've shed light onto their unique business model before, and now the New York Post has done the same.
Best part of all is that the Porter "experience" is far better than anything currently available on this route [Toronto City Centre to Newark]. Come to think of it, I don't know of any commuter service (Porter uses sleek, but still turbo-prop, Bombardier Q400's) that has a sense of style and offers free sandwiches, free quality booze (Niagara wine! Belgian beer!) and its own-brand bottled water from some no-doubt-verdant valley in Quebec.
The real joy, though, is arriving in and departing from Toronto, where they've kitted out their very own terminal. The departures lounge is just like a business class lounge anywhere else--espresso machine, free internet, snacks, a help-yourself cooler of soft drinks.
Frugal Traveler Matt Gross also enjoyed his recent trip with Porter.
Here's hoping they stick around. But if not, we pray that someone else buys the swanky lounge so we can still get buzzed on triple lattes and use the free WiFi.
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.
Most of our tour through Uruguay was poorly timed: Montevideo was vacant for Holy Week, we missed the full moon party in Punta del Diablo and we were late for the season in Punta del Este.
By the time we showed up, just about everything was shut down. But rather than whine about our bad luck to our stone-faced hotel receptionist, we dug up an old review of what's worth checking out year-round in South America's South Beach.
The illustrious Matt Gross swung through Punta more than a year ago, but we figured the town's "most popular bakery," Medialunas Calentitas, would still be around. His description made it all the more enticing:
I ordered a quartet of their famous sticky-sweet croissants and a cortado (espresso with a little milk) for 95 pesos, and as I munched them outside at the surfer-chic picnic tables, latecomers cautiously approached the bakery, only to be turned away. For a moment, I felt like an insider.
New York Times travel columnist Matt Gross is living the dream. He works for a publication that can afford to send him all over the world. While he feigns "roughing it" as The Frugal Traveler title implies, he has $100 a day to work with, which would be plenty to keep us comfortable.
Seven weeks ago, he departed for a road trip across the United States. Apparently, he's working hard for the $100 a day. Matt's unearthed some virtually unknown cultural landmarks in unassuming Middle America.
Highlights of his trip include Bardstown, Kentucky or the "the ancient heart of bourbon country;" architecture finds in Columbus, Indiana, a counter-culture community in southwest Wisconsin, and Viatnamese dining in Oklahoma City. Between stops, driving the long, slow hills and flat stretches of land between destinations consumes the rest of his writing.
We wrote similar diary entries driving to visit our grandparents in Boca as kids, but those didn't ever make the Times' travel section.
Yesterday morning, NY Times writer Matt Gross, a.k.a. The Frugal Traveler, took off for his three-month road trip across the Continental U.S. He packed up the 1986 Volvo station wagon he bought on CraigsList. Or is it a 1989 model? The article cites it as both. Can someone ask the Times if he bought two cars?
He plans to drive from New York City to Seattle. The trip starts with the cops taking Matt's footage from the Varrazano-Narrows Bridge. The camera strapped to the roof of his car tipped them off. Apparently, it's illegal to tape NYC's bridges and tunnels. Who knew?
Readers can give Matt advice on where to stop along the way, follow interactive maps, and view video of his travels.
He snagged a deal on a room at the Nuyorican Cafe, which has just opened a new boutique hotel: Da House (pictured above). Though from the sound of it, he didn't spend much time there:
The sun was setting, and I was just heading home when Nacho called. A friend of a friend, he'd heard I was in town and wanted to know if I was up for a night out...I can't say I remember very well what followed, but we bounced around, never spending more than $2 for a beer.
Now, that's our kind of town. Matt spent plenty of time grubbing too, with stops at a street-side stand for an empenada and a diner for a ham-and-cheese breakfast sandwich. Though he skipped Tantra--maybe the only restaurant in town with tandoori mofongo--he did finally end up at the Nuyorican Cafe after a long night and a plate of hot wings. The verdict? Sounds like they were amazing.
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by pbb
