I’m on the move…

No, I’m not taking off on some exotic trip somewhere. I’m not even going on a fun filled day trip within my own region.

I’m moving this blog to Typepad.

Thats right, you can change your saved favorites to www.tightwadtourist.typepad.com.

I know what you’re thinking…
“Why is  The Tourist  moving so soon?”

It’s simple really, Typepad will allow me to put up ads which will help to subsidize my next exciting trip somewhere, which will in turn bring more news to you. That, and I could use a new laptop, which of course will also bring more news to you.  So, Typepad will have to do for now, or at least until I can get out to Salt Lake City so that The Coolest Computer Geek Ever can give me some tips on how to build a real website.

Change to Southwest Airlines Baggage Policies

I normally don’t find myself affected by baggage restrictions on airlines. As a general rule I’m a light packer and if I do check a bag, it’s only one and very seldom weighs over 25 lbs.

However, I have travelled with glamazons who have to pack half their wardrobe, their entire cosmetics collection, and the whole bathroom cabinet.

For those types, you should take note of the following:

Currently, Southwest Airlines allows 3 checked bags (weighing up to 50 lbs. each) per ticketed passenger.

 Beginning January 29 2008, that will change. The maximum number of checked bags per ticketed passenger is being reduced to 2. The weight limit of 50 lbs will remain the same.

Additional bags and/or overweight pieces are subject to additional charges.

 Full details on Southwest Airlines Baggage Policies can be found here.

Airfare Specials from United

United Airlines is offering some serious discounts on both domestic and international airfare for the new year.

Available January 1, 2008 through January 10, 2008 just a couple of the fares available are:
San Francsico to Salt Lake City - $73 each way
San Francisco to Shanghai - $259 each way

Click here for details, limitations, and blackout periods.

Happy Travels!

Last Minute Vacation Package

Looking for a romantic getaway for Valentines Day?
How does 8 days in Paris AND London sound?

Gate 1 Travel is currently offering 8 days in Paris and London, starting at only $699.
Offer includes all airfare AND hotel with breakfast each morning.
This price is available for departures out of NINE cities - New York, Washington DC, Boston, Philadelphia, Miami, Atlanta, Los Angeles, San Francisco AND Seattle.

Prices like these are normally seen out of the Eastern Seaboard - I’m beyond excited to see them available for West Coast departures as well.

Being skeptical, I confirmed the pricing for this offer out of San Francisco.

Departing from San Francisco on February 13 (other dates are available), based upon double occupancy (avoid that single supplement!), the grand total with taxes and fees comes to $1859.88. Thats only $929.94 per person.
Skip the diamond bracelet and take your sweetie to Paris this February

Just A Reminder

Next Monday is the debut of the “Trip of the Month” feature.

If theres anywhere in particular you’d like to see the cost of airfare and lodgings to as well as the local attractions, leave a comment stating the destination of your choice and I’ll throw it in the lot. If theres a particular time frame that you have in mind for this destination, include that as well. If no time frame is indicated, I’ll use a default setting of six to eight weeks out.

I’ve had some great suggestions so far, everything from Austin Texas to Morocco. The lucky destination will be selected by the random number generator.

Airfare Alert

::Sigh::

I am once again wishing that I were independently wealthy.

While I wouldn’t need a whole lot of money to afford the following deal, it the whole “job” thing getting it the way once again.

The Aer Lingus Vacation Store is offering a spectacular deal right now. Book by November 30, and roundtrip airfare to Dublin PLUS four nights at the Regency Hotel, Dublin starts at just $499 + taxes and fees for travel during January or February 2008.

The price of $499 is based on travel out of New York, but the supplemental charges for other cities are still very affordable:
Boston + $30
Washington DC & Chicago +$20
Orlando +$90
Los Angeles & San Francisco +$110

More details are available here.

Venice, Italy

I returned from Italy last week. The experience was beautiful, amazing, and I learned an amazing amount from this trip. I am working on writing up several postings for this trip, so there will be several upcoming articles based upon my experiences last week. But, the two cities I visited, Venice and Florence, were fascinating and I look forward to visiting both places again in the future. Venice was beautiful. We were really only there for one full day though, so there was a lot that I wanted to see and do that we just didn’t have the time for. Everything I’d heard of Venice was that it was a dirty, polluted, smelly city. As a result, I was expecting something incredibly gritty - maybe something like the Tenderloin district of San Francisco, but without all of the crazy homeless people defecating on the sidewalk. I was thinking the sidewalks and alleyways would be strewn with litter and that the canals would be brown. As a result, my expectations for the ambience were so low, that the city almost felt like Disney in comparison - like an area that was kept clean and sanitized to meet tourists standards, but not in an overly pristine and homogenized way like Disney. It was as though the worlds best set designer had been given the keys to Venice and told “Make it look like a beautiful, romantic ideal, but lived in and vibrant”.One of my favorite things to do while I was  there was to just start walking around the neighborhoods, wander down the alleys until I either ended up in a residential courtyard, or found my way back to a main street. Watching the locals walk their dogs, hang their laundry out the windows, picking up on the true atmosphere of the locals and immersing myself in the culture is my favorite part of traveling. 

On Hiatus

I am on hiatus this week, in Italy.

I will return on Monday, November 19 with lots of feedback on Venice and Florence.

Ciao!

Thursdays Deals

Reykjavik has long been on my list of places to visit. I’d like to see the Aurora Borealis, sit in a thermal hot spring.

If only I had more vacation time.

If you happen to live in Baltimore MD, Boston MA, Minneapolis MN, New York (JFK) NY, or Orlando FL, you are in luck. Right now, go-today.com has package getaway to Reykjavik out of these cities starting at $599, plus taxes & fees, that includes both the airfare AND hotel.

See here for details.

Purchase deadline for this package is 11/20/2007, is valid for travel 11/01/2007 through 12/18/2007 , and is based upon double occupancy.

If you’ll be taking off for this getaway, remember to pack your knit sweaters. And remember that Im jealous.

Airfare Alert…

The “Trip of the Month” feature is going to have to be pushed out until December.

I’m in the midst of preparing for my trip to Italy next week and have not been able to research the first trip of the month as extensively as I would like to. However, this feature will debut on December 3rd. If you’d like to offer a suggestion for the first trip of the month, please indicate the destination of your choice in the comments below, and I will randomly select the location. All suggestions must be received by Monday, November 19th in order to be considered.

In lieu of the “Trip of the Month”, I’m taking this time to announce an airfare deal I just became aware of. TRAVELOCITY is advertising airfares to Ireland, via Aer Lingus, starting at $159 + tax.

These prices are one-way and are available out of Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, or Washington D.C. to either Dublin or Shannon for travel by December 31, 2007.

Details of this special are available HERE.

Ireland was my first international trip, and it was wonderful! That was the vacation that opened my eyes to the world and ignited my passion for traveling. If you’re able, I highly suggest taking advantage of this offer.