Posted by David Porter on May 18, 2018 · Leave a Comment
Travel Photo: Sacre Coeur: Montmartre in Paris, France
When one stands upon the Eiffel Tower in Paris, this is one of the cathedrals you will see standing high on the summit of the Butte Montmartre in the distance. Although we’ve been to Paris numerous times, this was our first venture to Montmartre. I’ll share more about that in a future post.
To learn more about Sacre Coeur, click here.
If you enjoyed this article, sign up for our travel newsletter to keep abreast of our best travel tips, on-location reviews, exclusive travel offers, group travel events, and much more.
Roaming Boomers Travel Services is an Independent Affiliate of Cadence, a Virtuoso® member. CST#201120-40
Posted by David Porter on April 24, 2018 · 1 Comment
CLICK FOR MUCH LARGER VIEW
Travel Tip: Buy Some Euros or Foreign Currency Before Leaving the U.S. for Europe
When making a trip to Europe, one of the important topics to consider is the whole subject of currency exchange.
When you travel to a foreign country, you must provide payment in their local currencies. If you aren’t careful, there can be so many hands in the currency exchange pot that you simply wind up getting ripped off without even knowing it until you get home.
Therefore, with foreign currency exchange, it’s buyer beware!
First off, I recommend that you read our article: 7 Currency Exchange Tips for International Travelers. This article will give you all of the basics to consider.
For this article, however, I want to suggest that you bring some foreign currency with you before you even leave the U.S.
You see, once you land in your destination, you’re going to need some cash to make your way to your ship and/or hotel. If you’re going to use a taxi service, you may well be able to use a credit card for the fare, but then you’re also going to need some small local currency for tips as you make your way to your ship’s stateroom or your hotel room.
CLICK FOR LARGER VIEW
Therefore:
- Step #1 – Click the map above to determine what types of currency you’re likely to need. The blue countries are in the Eurozone and accept the Euro. The dark gray countries are in the Eurozone but DO NOT accept the Euro. And the light gray countries are not in the Eurozone and DO NOT accept the Euro.
- Step #2 – Contemplate how long you are likely to be in the various countries. For example, if you are doing a river cruise on the Rhine or the Danube, you are going to encounter Switzerland, Hungry, and perhaps even the Czech Republic; countries who do not use the Euro. However, if you’re there for just a short period, then use your credit card to make purchases. If you find you need cash for some reason, then find a bank ATM and take out some additional cash to cover tips, etc.
- Step #3 – For most of you traveling to Europe, you’re likely going to need some Euros. Therefore, head to your local bank a few weeks before you leave and grab €200 in small denominations (5s, 10s, and 20s) to keep on hand for small purchases and tips. The smallest paper denomination in Euros is the €5 bill, so if you prefer to give smaller tips than roughly $6, then grab some €2 coins in the airport before you take off. Currency exchange booths are readily available. For the best exchange rate, we recommend that you get your Euros from your local bank. However, our local bank will not deal in coins, so the currency exchange booths in the airport are our only option for the €2 coins. If you burn through your €200 Euros while traveling, then make your way to a bank owned ATM and get yourself some more cash. We don’t recommend that you bring large amounts of cash with you when traveling.
Travel Tip: Don’t forget to let your credit and debit card issuers know that you will be traveling internationally. There’s nothing worse than having your bank’s fraud protection shut your card down while you are traveling overseas.
Benjamin Franklin said: “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Take our advice and purchase some of your destination’s local currency before you leave the U.S. You’ll thank me later.
If you enjoyed this article, sign up for our travel newsletter to keep abreast of our best travel tips, on-location reviews, exclusive travel offers, group travel events, and much more.
Roaming Boomers Travel Services is an Independent Affiliate of Cadence, a Virtuoso® member. CST#201120-40
Posted by David Porter on April 20, 2018 · Leave a Comment
Context Travel: Private Guides and Very Small Group Tours
As expert travel advisors, one of our missions is to be constantly on the hunt for exceptional experiences for our clients and readers.
And, as we send hundreds and hundreds of folks to Europe each year, a reputable tour guide service is an essential arrow in our quiver.
That is why I was excited to see Context accepted into our Virtuoso Travel Network in January. You see, Context has gone out of their way to have only the very best docents (not guides), AND they offer enriching tours with a maximum of 6 people in the group.
Now, that’s my kind of tour! Don’t you agree?
Here, take a peek at the Context Vision Statement:
The Context vision is to create an atmosphere—a context, if you will—for curious travelers to engage with local experts; to give them access to places and cultures that might otherwise remain out of sight to the casual visitor; to invite them off the tourist track and into the real life of the people, history, and culture that makes these cultural capitals amazing. With no more than six other people, you’ll participate in an intimate, hands-on, conversational experience. No Tour Guides – Our “docents” are first and foremost scholars or specialists, with MAs, Ph.D.s or other terminal degrees in their fields of study.
Carol and I have heard good things about Context not only from our peers in the industry, but from our clients as well.
Therefore, when Carol and I again visit Paris in a few weeks, we’re going to take Context for a spin on their Baguette to Bistro: Paris Food Tour.
We’ll take lots of photographs and tell you about our experience when we return. In the meantime, if you would like to explore Context Travel for private guides and very small group tours, CLICK HERE.
If you enjoyed this article, sign up for our travel newsletter to keep abreast of our best travel tips, on-location reviews, exclusive travel offers, group travel events, and much more.
Roaming Boomers Travel Services is an Independent Affiliate of Cadence, a Virtuoso® member. CST#201120-40
Posted by David Porter on April 19, 2018 · Leave a Comment
Click photo for larger view.
Proposed Skyrider 2.0 Airline Seats Would Have Passengers Standing, Not Sitting
The photograph to the right features silent film star Harold Lloyd on a crowded NYC subway.
One has to wonder, if standing airline seats are in our future, are we also to expect that sometime in the future our airliners must resemble the packed crowds on the NYC subways?
While this scene is likely preposterous and unsafe for an airliner, it is certainly a fact that airlines are always looking for a way to squeeze another nickel of profit out of each and every flight.
Over the years the seats on the typical airliner have gotten more narrow, leg room is disappearing, the seats barely recline, and if you’re a wide-shouldered man, using the bathroom has become a feat that requires a certain amount of contortionism.
If you click on the photo above for the large view, you will notice that these “seats” are more something to lean back against rather than to offer guests a comfortable place to sit.
The creators of these seats boast that these Skyrider Seats will allow the airlines to obtain more profit while allowing those of lesser means to obtain an airline ticket where they may not otherwise be able to afford it. OK. As an airline stockholder, I understand the desire for bottom-line profits, and I’m all for allowing more folks to travel.
Here’s this from the folks at Avioninteriors:
“The Skyrider 2.0 is an innovative seat, it allows an ultra-high density in the aircraft cabin. Skyrider 2.0 opens the traveling experience to a wider passenger market, also creating a useful space for the introduction mixed classes boarded on the same aircraft. Its main feature is the original bottom that ensures an increased upright passenger position allowing installation of the seat at a reduced pitch while maintaining an adequate comfort.The design of this seat enables to increase the passenger number by 20% allowing increasing profits for airline companies. Furthermore, Skyrider 2.0 weighs 50% less than standard economy class seats and the reduced number of components enable minimum maintenance costs. In conclusion, Skyrider 2.0 is the new frontier of low-cost tickets and offering a possibility to fly to whom today cannot afford it.”
While these seats may never see the light of day, you can rest assured of one thing: if they do come, I won’t be standing in one of them.
What are your thoughts? Would you lean on one of these “standing seats” to fly from one place to another?
If you enjoyed this article, sign up for our travel newsletter to keep abreast of our best travel tips, on-location reviews, exclusive travel offers, group travel events, and much more.
Roaming Boomers Travel Services is an Independent Affiliate of Cadence, a Virtuoso® member. CST#201120-40
Posted by David Porter on April 11, 2018 · 1 Comment
Review: Our Visit to the Pendry San Diego Hotel
Note: click all photos for larger views. Photographs via Pendry San Diego.
Modern cocktails from the Pendry’s Fifth & Rose cocktail bar.
Carol and I recently made a quick two-night hop over to San Diego for a series of business meetings.
Ordinarily, as SoCal is replete with fabulous beach-front resorts, we would pick a lovely resort on the ocean.
However, having learned of the fairly new Pendry San Diego, we decided to give it a try.
Plus, we thought, as the Pendry San Diego is one of the luxury properties in our Virtuoso Best of the Best Collection; if we liked the property, we’d be able to offer our readers and clients complimentary VIP perks for their stay.
Pendry San Diego is the debut property from Pendry Hotels, a new luxury hospitality brand from Montage International Resorts.
Pendry San Diego is located at the epicenter of the historic and energetic Gaslamp Quarter, a few blocks from the home of the San Diego Padres, Petco Park, and the San Diego Convention Center.
With 317 guestrooms (including 36 suites) spread across 12 stories, multiple dining and entertainment venues, the hotel offers a dynamic hub where guests and locals are invited to socialize and relax, all under one roof.
And besides all of the great opportunities for exploring in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter, Pendry San Diego also offers guests:
- Lionfish: Signature restaurant driven by seasonal, local ingredients, the menu features inventive fresh-catch along with prime meats.
- Oxford Social Club: Decked out with luxe furnishings, plush couches and eclectic street art, Oxford Social Club is a new approach to an elevated nightlife experience.
- The Pool House: Premier rooftop lounge embodies the true essence of the Southern California lifestyle with its light, contemporary open-air design and indoor/ outdoor aesthetic.
- Nason’s Beer Hall: California coastal establishment featuring local and international beers, global comfort food, and vintage bar games.
- Provisional Kitchen, Café & Mercantile: Three-meal restaurant and marketplace featuring seasonal fare and grab and go offerings, designed in partnership with the team behind Los Angeles’ famed Alchemy Works retail concept.
- Fifth & Rose: The hotel bar is an elegant hideaway with an alluringly old-fashioned, sophisticated feel.
- And for you spa lovers, Spa Pendry: where you can relax, restore and indulge in a tranquil sanctuary where you can retreat from the demands of day-to-day life. Combining a holistic approach to wellness, spa treatments are personalized to bring balance and equilibrium to body, mind and spirit.
Pendry San Diego Grand Room
Beach Boys Plaid Shirts
During our visit, Carol and I enjoyed a Pendry San Diego Grand Room which offered us city views with the San Diego Bay peeking through the opposing skyscrapers.
At 350 sq.ft., a little small for our tastes but generous for a city hotel, we found the room to be comfortable, tastefully modern and offered us all of the amenities one would expect from a luxury hotel.
One of the things that you are certain to notice about the Pendry San Diego is that there are plaid designer cues throughout the hotel. Not sure of why this was, I inquired and was told that this was a nod to the Beach Boys and their famous plaid shirts.
As I reflect back on our visit, I find fond memories.
We enjoyed walking out the front door into the heart of the Gaslamp Quarter, the hotel was shiny and new with fabulous service, and our meals in the three restaurants were fabulous; particularly our evening meal at Lionfish.
Final Verdict? Thumbs Up!
In fact, our visit was too short and I’d love to go back and spend some time in San Diego’s Little Italy to sample the local culinary scene and to experience some of San Diego’s renowned craft beers.
Want Perks? We’ve Got Perks!
So, how ’bout it? Want to go to San Diego and stay at the beautiful, new Pendry San Diego?
If so, we’ll bring you great rates and our world-renowned complimentary Virtuoso VIP Perks.
For booking information, and to check rates 24/7, please visit our Virtuoso Booking Engine by CLICKING HERE.
If you enjoyed this article, sign up for our travel newsletter to keep abreast of our best travel tips, on-location reviews, exclusive travel offers, group travel events, and much more.
Roaming Boomers Travel Services is an Independent Affiliate of Cadence, a Virtuoso® member. CST#201120-40
The Roaming Boomers
