Finding Flights to Europe
Our European low-cost air guide is mostly concerned with getting around Europe. But what about getting to Europe from North America? We've got some ideas. Gather round, pay attention and then get packin'!
There are two keys to getting to Europe from North America without breaking the bank: flexibility and timing. Say it again. Flexibility and timing. Of course, these aren't the whole story, by any means, but they're crucial to getting to Europe inexpensively.
We'll also profile trans-Atlantic budget airline options, discount airfare sites, rate comparison tools, charter flight options, the travel agency option, air/hotel packages, travel by courier, and last-minute deal alerts.
Flexibility: Rethink Your Trip's Timeframe
The first key to getting to Europe cheaply is to be flexible—and this includes your timeframe. Try to begin your trip research before deciding on your exact dates. By prioritizing a cheap fare and devoting serious time to figuring out the best window for travel, you'll be able to take advantage of seasonal fluctuations.
And even if you can't be flexible about your travel period, you can still test out different fares on a range of days of the week, even at different times, to figure out the cheapest flight within a given time frame.
It's tough to generalize, but we've found that our flights are cheaper when they leave or return on Saturdays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays.
Timing: Rethink Seasons
During high season, round-trip flights to Europe are expensive. End of story. High season, loosely speaking, stretches from June through August. Not only are flights between North America and Europe more expensive during this period, but they appear, if anything, to be getting more pricey.
This past summer, one EuroCheapo staff member flew from New York to Athens in mid-July and then back home from Madrid in early August. His ticket ran $1200, despite the fact that he flew both directions on a Saturday.
Another member of the office flew roundtrip from New York to London in May. London is traditionally one of the least expensive European destinations from North America, but even so, a $500 roundtrip was a real bargain.
Timing is everything in this example. May is before the summer season; mid-July through early August is the height of summer season. But consider May as a travel month. Much of Europe is warm and inviting. The most popular cities and the most engaging sites are not yet swarming with tourists.
And while you're at it, consider a wintertime trip to Europe. Traditionally, January and February witness the very best transatlantic airfare pricing all year round. Yes, it will be cold in much of Europe, but with low-season hotel rates throughout Europe (barring beach and ski resorts) you'll save money and appreciate Europe in the off season.
Here's a quick and dirty seasonal fare grouping. It's not scientifically tested, but it matches our observations over the past several years of travel.
Cheapest travel period: mid-January through March; mid-November through mid-December
Most expensive travel period: June through August; mid-December through early January
Shoulder season (mid-range fares): April, May; September through late November
Rethink Airline Loyalty: Trans-Atlantic Budget Airlines
The benefits accruing to your conventional airline just seem to get paltrier and paltrier. Your carefully harvested frequent flyer miles are less and less broadly useable, and you're understandably frustrated.
It may be time to question airline brand loyalty, which to the loyal Cheapos behind this air travel channel, has never seemed like less of a safe bet.
Cheap Transatlantic Hops: Zoom, Virgin Atlantic, Aer Lingus
Closely monitor Zoom, a Canadian CHECK low-cost transatlantic carrier. Zoom flies from several cities in Canada (Calgary, Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver, and Winnipeg) and New York to London, Paris, and some other cities in the United Kingdom with very cheap fares. Not all of Zoom's flights are direct. Double-check the Zoom timetable to avoid any unhappy surprises.
Office favorite Virgin Atlantic, while not exactly a budget airline, regularly offers very affordable flights between the United States and London.
Aer Lingus has offered some of the most affordable transatlantic flights we've seen.
The Open Skies Agreement of 2007 will allow airlines to fly between the United States and Europe without bilateral national deals beginning in 2008. It will likely push fares down, and it will probably lead to the creation of a few hardcore, no-frills low-cost transatlantic airlines. In the spring of 2007, Michael O'Leary of Ryanair set tongues wagging by suggesting that Ryanair would be offering one-way jaunts between Europe and the United States for as little as US$12 by 2010.
Compare Rates
Utilize multiple booking sites before making a purchase. Compare Orbitz, Expedia, and Travelocity, as well as discount sites like Priceline and Hotwire (see below.) also take a look at aggregator Web sites like Sidestep, Vayama, and Kayak. These sites will help you determine how to locate the cheapest fare possible.
And, while we're here, try searching these same rate comparison sites for different airports. For example, the entire staff had to take a trip to Berlin and, after researching roundtrip fares in and out of Schoenefeld airport, we found that flying into Berlin's Tegel airport, but out of Paris' Charles de Gaulle saved us more than $300 per ticket. Hey, we're flex. And, we always love a good excuse to get to Paris.
Incidental Routes
Keep your eyes open for "incidental" legs of massive multi-stop journeys. One example is Malaysia Airlines' cheap New York-Stockholm fares on planes that continue to Kuala Lumpur. Air India also features in season some great fares on New York-London routes on planes that continue to India.
Discount Airline Sites
Priceline and Hotwire in the US both offer discounted fares. Hotline generates routes with fare, layover, and duration information. The site will also suggest cheaper departure dates and cheaper departure and arrival airports, when applicable. Priceline provides a similar experience.
Charter Flights
Seats on charter flights can be some of the cheapest around. We've been long time fans of French charter airline Corsair, which delivered one of our members from California to Paris roundtrip in the middle of summer five or so years ago for about $500. Corsair doesn't currently fly to the United States, but they do fly to Montreal and Moncton in Canada, and they continue to offer low fares.
Travel Agencies
With the advent of the Internet and the proliferation of booking sites, travel agents have become less and less essential to average budget travelers. That said, travel agents can be very helpful. To give one example, good travel agents will be able to help you locate flights at their lowest listed fares. Travel agents can also be extremely useful for navigating extensive and complicated itineraries and journeys to places off the tourist track.
Air/Hotel Packages
Gate One Travel and Go-Today Travel both offer inexpensive air and hotel packages to Europe. The best of these packages cost around what you might pay for an air ticket alone.
Traveling as a Courier
Once upon a time, courier flights were a Cheapo's best friend, permitting last-minute ultra-cheap fares for flexible Cheapos. Typically, courier flights offer reduced fares in exchange for the courier's willingness to transport administrative materials. These days, courier flights are no longer quite as cheap as they once were. Most courier fares we've seen are priced at discounts of around 50 percent. Though no longer as cheap as they were, courier flights are nonetheless worth investigating, especially for people living in or near major transit airports.
Deal Digest Web Sites
Check deal digest sites like Travelzoo and Sherman's Travel to find deals, some of which are "last-minute." On Travelzoo, we once spied a promotional New York-Cologne roundtrip for under $200. While the majority of offers on these sites won't help you get to Europe on a dime, relevant deals do pop up from time to time.
Parting Shot
Prioritize flexibility, keep timing in mind, train an eye on trans-Atlantic fares, and explore the other options we've laid out here, and you'll be able to turn up far better deals than the average traveler. Go to it, Cheapos!
Arlington (October 08, 2007) - CWT|SatoTravel, the military and government division of Carlson Wagonlit Travel, has been awarded the E-Gov Travel Services task order with the Social Security Administration to provide an end-to-end travel authorization and voucher system.
CWT|SatoTravel, a premier supplier of E-Gov Travel Services to the federal government, will implement its proprietary web-based E2 Solutions product for all of the Social Security Administration’s travel needs, including online planning and authorization, approval, and fulfilment of vouchers, otherwise known as travel and expense reports in the corporate environment. CWT|SatoTravel will also provide comprehensive, nationwide travel management center services for domestic and international reservations and ticketing, group travel, meetings services and 24-hour emergency traveler assistance. The base period of the contract with CWT|SatoTravel runs through November 2008, with options to extend the agreement through November 2013. According to the publication Government Executive (Aug. 15, 2007), the Social Security Administration spends approximately $61 million in travel each year.
In addition to the Social Security Administration, CWT|SatoTravel provides E-Gov Travel Services to the following U.S. government bodies: Department of Justice, Department of Education, Department of Labor, Department of State, General Services Administration, National Business Center, Holocaust Memorial Museum and a number of other federal agencies.
CWT|SatoTravel is one of three travel management providers chosen by the General Services Administration to support E-Gov Travel Services. The goal of the E-Gov Travel initiative is to streamline and automate the travel process for government employees. In three years, the service has been widely deployed and provides reduced costs, aggregated information, faster reimbursements, better security, improved access to government preferred programs, and guaranteed policy compliance.
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Mystery Amazon listing for Rough Guide to Sex attributed to 'Doug E Style'
The doppelgänger book appeared on Amazon in May 2009, seven months before James McConnachie's title – which is a blend of social history and manual published by the Penguin-owned Rough Guides imprint – was launched. Although the Doug E Style title was listed on Amazon and other books websites, it is not available for purchase, and there is no reference to it on the website of Artnik, the publisher Amazon accords it to. The listing has been removed from the Amazon site in the last 24 hours, but at the time of publshing this story could still be found at a number of other online booksellers.
"[It's] such a mystery," said McConnachie, who admitted to enjoying the "naughty Viz ring" to his rival's pseudonym. "I confess I have no idea what's going on, and if this is part of a bigger thing or just a one-off. Is it a rogue Amazon employee? A discontented editorial assistant? A hacker? The best part of the joke for me is that, pre-publication, Amazon's system had it ranked above my own, relatively real book."
McConnachie had considered using a pseudonym for his own book, which took more than three years to write, but decided against it. "I thought about it, just because the topic of sex gets so quickly turned into ribaldry and innuendo in this country ... and I wanted to spare myself the endless jokes: 'the research must have been fun' - that kind of thing," he said. "I also thought about using a pseudonym to protect books I may do in the future from forever afterwards being referred back to this one – people seem to get so weirdly entranced by sex. But then I decided that I was bloody well going to write a book that I'd be proud of, so I wanted my own name on it." A review in the Observer this weekend called it "much more an intelligent compendium than a porn-inspired smut-fest", praising McConnachie's "good-spirited, intelligent approach".
A spokesperson for Rough Guides said the publisher was looking into the Doug E Style issue. "It did make us chuckle [but] essentially someone has used our name and brand, and that's our copyright which is quite a big deal," she said. "It's quite flattering that someone thought it was a great idea for a book but obviously we'd prefer that it's books we endorse that have our name and brand on them."
The publisher believes the Doug E Style book itself is not real. "As far as we are aware, this book doesn't exist," said the spokesperson. "It is not listed on the Artnik website. We can't imagine they ever intended to publish this book as there is no way they'd get away with using the Rough Guide brand. So did they put it up for a joke? Or to interfere with our book sales? As the publisher of the real Rough Guide to Sex we apparently can't do anything about taking down this entry even though it doesn't exist, because only the publisher can remove it."
Rough Guides said the next step would be to contact Artnik about the issue. Artnik, which describes itself as a popular culture publisher, did not respond to a request for comment.
The National Geographic guide got okay reviews, people either loved or hated Lonely Planet, and so I chose Rough Guide, which got moderate to good reviews, but had a few that mentioned it had a good section on Bucharest, which was my travel destination. I had never purchased a Rough Guide and had never been to Romania, so I had no idea what to expect or even what to look for, and I desperately needed some sort of direction on what to see and do in Bucharest and the surrounding areas.
The other reviews were right when they mentioned that a lot of the focus was on Bucharest. The rest of Romania was covered very broadly. Most of the maps in the book are for Bucharest. The maps themselves are easy to read and made it easy to find my way through a very large and complex city. I had about three days in the capital city, and the book did provide logistics and history.
I honestly didn't do much with the rest of the book, though. Because I had a day trip planned out to Poienari Castle (Dracula's real castle), I thumbed through the sections on Transylvania and some of the other major cities. These sections have a lot of history around the 1989 revolution.
The Rough Guide to Romania worked pretty well for me on my trip this September. I found its recommendations for museums and points of interest very good, and when I did get lost in Bucharest it was due to the lack of street signs, not the map in the guidebook. The book's recommendation of taking taxis and the expected prices was accurate and extremely helpful, and the tips on getting around and what to see were pretty spot-on for my travel style.
The only complaint I did have is that its restaurant recommendations and hotel information left a lot to be researched either beforehand or by wandering around. The hostel I stayed at was listed in the book, and I found it nice if not charming, but the restaurant price ranges were definitely geared to the ultra budget traveler.
There isn't much on the market in terms of guidebooks for Romania. It is still very much a country in transition, with a large sprawling city for its capital. The Rough Guide to Romania worked very well for what I wanted, which was some history, good maps, and logistics on how to get around. I think these guides are geared toward backpackers, so if you're willing to plan your own sightseeing and are looking to be as thrifty as possible this is definitely your best bet.
As a state organization, Sato Travel government agency is one of the most important travel service provider in the US, selling tickets of almost $4.2 billion yearly. The agency has been functional for fifty years now and enjoys a good name for offering quality travel conditions to the U.S. government all over the world. Sato Travel government agency contracts not only airline tickets, car rentals and hotel bookings, as it is also specialized in airport meeting and leisure travel services, also proving end-to-end travel solutions. In the United States there are three hundred customer on-site offices, but the agency also has bureaus in ten other countries.
advantages of Sato Travel government agency refer to a very advantageous fee policy, the possibility to book routine travel on the Internet, the chance to use vouchers, all activities being tackled with superior management skills. The necessities of a military or a governmental traveler are unique in terms of service, and it is only natural that there be an organization to meet specific requirements. Sato Travel government policy relies on the use of the Defense Travel System that enables any military or government member to set the details of their trips in the best of conditions whether for work or leisure purposes.
Since its launch, Sato Travel government agency has served the purposes of the Department of Defense for good airline traffic at the highest extent. Thus, the agency covers all the departure details from the the booking and the specific estimates to the authorization approval. Moreover, the traveler receives weather updates as well as all sorts of tips for destination planning. The fees for the reservations are considerably lower as compared to any other travel agency. Yet, alarming reports and very serious accusations have been made concerning the purchase of millions of plane tickets that were never used or refunded, which equals with a very serious budget waste.
Presently, Sato Travel government agency is an official partner of FlyteComm, a top service provider of travel flight tracking solutions. The Sato Travel government clients receive recommendations for various kinds of flight tracking services that refer to real-flight data from many North American airports and airlines. The travel experience is thus expected to increase in terms of quality and efficiency, since the managing companies now have all the tools necessary to coordinate the flight traveling schedules of their customers in the most advantageous of ways.
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WASHINGTON, Oct. 4, 2006 – The Defense Travel System continues to evolve as it efficiently serves military and civilian travelers on official department business, a senior military officer said yesterday. DTS is “an end-to-end, secure, integrated financial-management system that automates the temporary duty (travel) process for DoD,” said Air Force Col. Lynne T. Hamilton-Jones, program management office director at the Defense Travel System Office, in Arlington, Va.
“DTS works,” Hamilton-Jones emphasized, noting the system is available around the clock to provide superior customer service.
The automated system administers authorization, reservation, voucher and reimbursement processes for DoD’s business travelers, Hamilton-Jones said. It also accelerates travel-related task processing time for customers, she said, while saving taxpayer dollars.
People on official DoD travel orders are required to use DTS to make their airline ticket, lodging, rental car, and other travel arrangements, Hamilton-Jones said.
The automated system began as a pilot program in June 2001, the colonel said. Now accessed at more than 8,700 sites, DTS is slated to expand to more than 12,000 sites by the end of fiscal 2007, she said.
DTS has undergone many fine-tunings designed to provide better customer service since the system was implemented worldwide in 2003, Hamilton-Jones said. In November, DTS will introduce more upgraded features, such as fewer pages for travelers to fill out, she noted.
More than 50,000 customers log in to access DTS daily, Hamilton-Jones said, noting the system processes more than 7,000 travel authorizations and about 6,500 vouchers each day.
DTS usage “continues to increase significantly, as we continue to evolve the system and increase overall functionality,” she said. “The more users we have for the system, the more costs will be reduced overall for DoD.”
Most DoD travelers will spend about 15 to 20 minutes arranging a trip using the DTS web site, Hamilton-Jones said. That’s a vast savings in time compared to previous processes when travelers had to make airline and hotel reservations over the telephone and fill out reams of travel-voucher paperwork, she noted.
System customers “can take care of all of their travel needs and basically get reimbursed between four-and-a-half and five days,” the colonel said. “I really encourage people to use it
Smoky Mountains
I have found it very hard to convince people that I'm a nature girl and that I have absolutely no problems roughing it. This maybe because I spent a good part of my career with the Travel Channel staying at exceptionally luxurious hotels where I would indulge in their award winning food, wine and spa treatments. With that show I certainly grew a fondness for a nice bed and a deep soaking tub but I wouldn't wither away if I didn't have that. So let's just say I am really excited, no overjoyed, about this trip. Even though I love the outdoors I never camped -- my family preferred the kidney shaped pools and scratchy small bath towels of Motor Lodges. But I always thought that I could really get to love camping if I just had the chance.
Before we start our next few days of camping we are staying at a beautiful hotel called the Lodge at Buckberry Creek. Located on top of a mountain it looks out over a beautiful forest with large balconies and even larger fireplaces. First order of business is to go for a quick hike to absorb the outdoors, next is to buy beer and wine for the crew. I headed down to Gatlinburg to find a liquor store when I brought my order to the counter the older gentleman asked me if I was going to Dolly Parton's parade that night in Pigeon's Ford. "Is Dolly Parton going to be there?" -- ask a stupid question -- "well, yeah" he said, "that's why they call it Dolly Parton's Parade." I deserved that.
Gatlinburg is an interesting place. Considered the gateway to the Smoky Mountains, an area of extreme natural beauty, there's actually nothing natural about it. In fact I needed to buy a few more pieces of outdoor clothing and foolishly thought I could pick something up in town but driving down main street with its fudge shops, t-shirt emporiums and wax museums, I realized that it's easier to buy camping equipment on the island of Manhattan. Unless of course the t-shirt which listed why a six pack of beer was better than a man had wicking technology. The one place we all desperately wanted to go for dinner was a place called Cooters with a replica of the General Lee out front. We never did make it.
Morning at the trailhead we all feel like we are school kids away from our parents on a field trip. We have a very challenging hike ahead of us -- 7 hours to the top of the over 6,000 foot Mt. LeConte. I think I practically skipped the first third of it I was so happy. Rory on camera and Damian on sound have a more challenging task due to the added weight of their gear but everyone is pretty fit. Even Christina my intrepid stylist is hiking along. There of course is some concern about "my look" a large hike followed by camping with no water or electricity means no shower or blow dryer. Let's just say I don't wake up looking like I do on camera -- no where near it in fact. Actually my skin's pretty good, I don't need or like a lot of make-up but my hair is another story. Not blessed with beautiful hair when I wake up I could pass for one of the members of 80's rock bands like Poison or Flock of Seagulls. So in Christina's bag she has packed dry shampoo, Velcro rollers and hairspray. Items you would never find at an R.E.I store.
We all did very well on our hike until I would say the last hour. The trail was at its steepest and 18 inches of snow had dropped two days before making it a bit more strenuous. The good news was the snow had forced a group of hikers to cancel their trip so a large cabin opened up and now the entire crew would be sleeping in a cabin as opposed to a bear shelter (???? -- I didn't ask). By the time we got to the top I was too tired to move my lips. I could have so easily curled up in the snow and fallen asleep. We still had to shoot the dinner and as we sat down with the camera rolling my mind went blank and I couldn't remember what the fluffy white contents in the bowl were (mashed potatoes) I think I just mumbled "please pass the…the…" and then my voice trails off. The people who run Mt. LeConte Lodge are just awesome. Smiling happy faces -- a welcome site for tired souls and soles. They even made me a birthday cake. As exhausted as we were at the end of dinner the crew and the staff sat around a kerosene lantern with mason jars of wine and talked. Well fed and exhausted it was time for bed.
We were all sharing the same Cabin which had a large main room and two smaller rooms off to each side. Christina and I were in one of the side rooms WITH BUNKBEDS! There's something really wonderfully awkward about sharing such an intimate space with the people who you work with. We end each shooting day exiting a van, confirming tomorrow's call time and saying good night ultimately going our separate ways to our own rooms behind bolted doors. Now it was like a 13 year old's sleep over party. Christina and I ended the night in fits of giggling -- about what I now forget -- and we all yelled good night to each other like our last name was Walton.
Nashville
This is my first time to Nashville. Then I think, maybe I'm wrong because
that just sounds weird. How could I have traveled to places like Nicaragua
or Xi'an China and not good old Nashville? The theme of the episode has got
me very excited -- I have to become a Country singing sensation in two days. I
like this theme a lot because along with visiting places that the normal
traveler/tourist could visit we are also showing a more immersive insider's
view that will bring out the essence of this city that might not be so
obvious to someone traveling there. I like when I get to go "behind the
scenes" so to speak. Instead of standing and watching a band at a famous
Honky Tonk, I get to spend time with a band and get up there myself and
hopefully convey how truly difficult it is to "make it" in this city. It
reminds me of NYC in a way in that it's a real creative center. Where NY is
known for actors, Nashville is filled to the brim with songwriters. Both
have to hold survival jobs, which is usually waiting on tables. Something I
became very good at for 8 eight years in the Big Apple. When we arrived at
Loveless Café I was more than happy to put on an apron and see if I still
got it. The plates rested on my arms so easily and the pencil still fit
snug behind my ear… it's like I never left. Good to know I still have
waitressing to fall back on.
We were setting up a shoot at Ernest Tubb Records with Those Darlins, the
band I'm going to join on stage if I don't chicken out. I was in a back
room reading a short article about their music as they were setting up their
instruments and amps. I am not in any way exaggerating this story
-- promise -- but as I was reading the description of their style "sometimes a
playful 50's romp with screaming thrown in like in Leader of the Pack -- look
out, LOOK OUT! LOOK OUT!!!!!" At that moment I heard screaming come from the
record shop, then I heard some smashing noise and other people shouting. I
thought to myself, man this article ain't kidding. When I came out something
very different than playful music had happened. One of the girls was being
electrocuted by an ungrounded mic, the voltage running thru her body was so
intense that her body curled around the stand making it impossible for her
to be released from its hold. She was physically unable to utter even a
cry for help so for a long time no one even realized it. Enter MY
HUSBAND!!!!! (the hero in this story) who was the first to recognize what
was happening. As it was later described to me he leapt onto the small
stage and firmly smacked the metal stand to the floor. At which point the
poor thing dropped to the floor like a sack of potatoes. Needless to say we
cancelled that scene. She went to the hospital immediately and wasn't truly
alright for another three days.
I don't get to meet a lot of celebrities in this job and certainly don't get
to sing with them either so meeting Vince Gill was a bit of a nerve racking
experience on so many levels. I had heard he was simply a good person, as
normal as can be. How can you be normal with over 30 Country Music Awards,
Grammys and American Music Awards? I don't know his music well, I know him
mostly as the host of the Country Music Awards, which was his gig for over 12
years. (An interesting fact about me is that I don't really follow country
music but I never miss a CMA awards show -- even with my travel schedule, the
stars somehow always align and I'm in a hotel room watching it every year.)
Although we are really excited to meet Vince Gill, the ladies in my crew --
Christina my stylist and Elizabeth my executive producer -- are HUGE fans of Amy Grant, Vince's equally talented wife, and really, really hope she comes along to the recording session. We all loved Amy, we all wanted her hair, her
clothes, and her corn fed girl next door style. She didn't come. But let
me tell you what a great guy Vince was and how I will now always be a big
fan. First off whenever we have to play any kind of music or I, heaven help
me, have to sing the clearance issues are a real nightmare. Managers,
agents and lawyers go back and forth round and round earning their
retainers. So when we walked into Dark Horse recording studios we just had
no idea what was going to happen. Especially since Vince Gill agreed to be
on the show at the last minute so there was no time for all the legal eagles
to get involved. We asked him if there was a song he wouldn't mind we used
on the show. He said sure, which song do you want? Ummm … well, which one
would be okay and cleared to use for repeated broadcast? What do you mean?
he asked. Ummm … well. We usually need the writer of the song, publisher and
singer to sign off on it. Then he said something that to me summed up his
incredible music career in one sentence. "I wrote, published, recorded and
sang all my own music. You can pick whatever you want."
We had a great day with Vince.
Memphis
Like most people I have always wanted to see Graceland. I had heard about and seen in pictures the over the top interiors, the massive white couch and the shag carpeting not only on the floor but on the ceiling. I had expected to be in awe half snickering at the out of date-ness of it all in the same way you do when you see pictures of yourself back in the 70's with feathered bangs and blue eye shadow. But what I didn't expect would be to really feel a more personal side to the man we call The King and that even though this has become a shrine and museum like for the masses who make a pilgrimage here it still feels like a home. Which it very much still is. Priscilla apparently visits frequently (it's by law her residence) and what shocked me - she stays there. We did a basic tour of the house but were then given access to something very few get to see…Elvis's stables. Elvis loved horses and his estate will have them so that his spirit is always at Graceland. The plan is to eventually open up the stables to visitors as well so that gives everyone who has been to Graceland another reason to go back.
At Sun studio records the famous studio where Johnny Cash, Jerry lee Lewis and of course Elvis recorded music. Memphis is a city of music from the Soul, early rock and roll and Gospel taking in the city you can feel how all three have influenced each other. During the tour of the studio I noticed that a good number of people were actually visitors from England and Ireland - coming to see for themselves what would eventually become our greatest export to them -- great music. While at the studios I wanted a picture of me and Elvis's microphone so badly that I fumbled carelessly for my camera which then fell out of my hands and fell hard on the wood floor. It's broken. I have had my new camera for all of two months. I really should keep a ledger of all the electronics I go thru while on the road and the total costs, which I am thinking is up to a year in tuition at a nice liberal arts college
The only downside to my job is that there are things I don't get to do-so close and yet so far-as I always say. Every destination has its own list but in Memphis it's the National Civil Rights Museum at The Lorraine Hotel where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. Since we are working during its open hours the best I figure I can do is at least stand in its parking lot looking up at the rooms. So that's what I do.
Florida Keys
We are in Key West with my crew: Michael Wechsler Producer, Lesley Grossman AP, our Travel coordinator Rosalind making a rare appearance, Dave Gaffney on sound, Rory Mclees behind the camera and of course as always the lovely Ms. Burns. All of us are traveling on the day that just about 20 of the 50 states were hit by a terrible winter storm. We are all very happy to be in Key West.
First up aerobatics. Up in a bi plane doing loop de loops, flying upside down that sort of stuff I get motion sickness pretty bad, so the danger doesn't scare me as much as the thought of being nauseous does. There are three cameras taping this: one mounted outside on the tail, a lipstick camera in front of me to capture my expressions and Rory the cameraman in a helicopter doing side by side shooting. If I get really sick at least it will be well documented.
Up in the air I am nervous because I really don't know how my body is going to handle this. We go up and position ourselves next to the chopper and that's when the fun began. Flying upside down was crazy and I belatedly realized I should have removed the change from my pocket. I certainly shouldn't have brought my camera. The tricks got more and more extreme and at one point we flipped over tail over nose. That's when I started to feel sick. The good news was we were done and heading back to the airport.
We got back to the hangar and while I nursed an ice cold coke and put a cold compress to the forehead Rory and Michael went to check the tape in the cockpit. That's when what everyone fears in production happened. Absolutely nothing was caught on tape. The deck cut out when the plane engine was turned on. We have Rory's shots from the helicopter which are no doubt impressive but we have nothing to cut to as the camera rigged to the back of the plane didn't give us anything really interesting.
"I'll go back up" (it must have been the nausea talking). I see Michael, my producer's eyes go wide as even he -- A PRODUCER! -- wouldn't have suggested such a thing. My dare devil Pilot Fred asks me if I'm sure as going up again will absolutely without a doubt make me sick. I just think we didn't come this far for nothing. Just have another coke ready for me.
This time I hold a monitor in my lap with a running time code -- this way I'll be able to tell immediately if the camera is not rolling. The engine starts up and cuts off the camera, Rory makes a few adjustments and we are back in business.
I was told we didn't have to go thru all the aerobatics just a few to get some of me on tape. We do a side roll and I'm feeling fine, we fly upside down and I feel great. So I tell Fred to do more because with each turn my headache, my nausea is going away to the point where I feel actual euphoria. It's the strangest thing. Fred asks me if I want to do the doozy of aerobatics again: the forward tumble. Its name means headache in Czech so I don't remember it. We go tail over nose again -- which is just something no plane should do -- but its sooo much fun.
Going barhopping with a group called the Bone Island Buccaneers. I get to dress and talk like a Pirate. I have no idea why that is so much fun but it is. We raid bars, entering them and brandishing our pistols and daggers demanding patrons buy us drinks and hand over their jewels. This is Key West so our group of marauders is not seen in any way other than a normal fun group out on a Saturday night.
Walking up to a bar a man came up to me and told me that he wrote a book and I am in it. The book is strangely about coincidences. He gives me one of the books and finds a passage where he writes how fun it would be to travel with myself and Mr. Bourdain. He goes on to write that I am "Hot in a weird way." Okay, I'll take that
At dinner with the crew, at a restaurant called Abbondanza. It's a perfect place for us as it's a cozy place and not at all crazy like the restaurants on Duval Street. We all get big bowls of pasta that could feed a family of four. I ordered the spaghetti and homemade meatballs which is my favorite comfort food dish.
One of the best days shooting ever. Road trip to Key West. (We are shooting out of sequence.) To mix things up a bit during various points, members of my crew will be joining me in the shotgun seat for some good road trip banter. What's that saying? Nothing like a fistful of wheel and a full tank of gas?
It's funny what you learn about somebody while driving and listening to 80's music. I found out that Christina loves to listen to musicals like Cabaret and Sweet Charity and does her own choreography while driving and Rory likes the song Total Eclipse of the Heart which embarrasses him and his friends still make fun of him for it. I personally love that song and have it on my Ipod right now.
On a morning off I headed to a local favorite, Camille's, for brunch. I had their supreme omelet -- eggs, peppers, cheese, potatoes and turkey sausage. Didn't have to eat the rest of the day.
Just got to get up on stage with the band Mile Marker 24 and make fresh margaritas using a blender powered by an outboard motor while singing along to their song "Blame it on the margaritas." I get to sing the chorus and botch almost every note. I can't believe it after 12 years of voice lessons its official: I can no longer carry a tune. I guess I could just blame it on the margaritas.
Really bummed, because we are losing light, we now don't have time for me to learn how to kite board. It's that crazy sport where a boarder is hooked up to a parasail which can lift them up off the water and in the air. I have always imagined that to be one of the best feelings ever. All we have time for is a quick jet ski -- fun but not as thrilling.
Montreal
Last time I was in Montreal was when I was 13. It was a business trip for my father and we all tagged along. I don't remember it that well except for one very vivid memory. My parents bought me a really cool outfit that was mustard yellow and charcoal grey. It was a sophisticated ensemble that would betray any New Hampshire Mall purchase and make me stand out in 6th grade.
Montreal is a dead ringer for Europe and we are visiting at a time when due to dollar/euro conversion rates more people are looking for European alternatives. The two are so similar that even though flight time from NY to Montreal is a whopping two hours with no time change I still feel tired. I have phantom jet lag triggered by European architecture and the smell of cigarette smoke.
American Airlines to charge for checked baggage
By Peter Pae | May 22, 2008
With oil prices hitting new records almost daily, the nation's largest air carrier, American Airlines, announced drastic steps Wednesday to "remain viable," including charging new fees for all checked baggage, slashing domestic flights and laying off thousands of workers. It was one of the most extreme moves yet by a U.S. airline, and came as the price of oil jumped Wednesday to $133.17 a barrel, up $4.19. Starting June 15 most American passengers must pay $15 for checking a single bag.
A final flight into the history books
By Paul Thornton | January 7, 2007
FOR WHAT many consider an aviation failure, the DC-10 has had quite a run. But this morning, more than 35 years after the first of the planes was built, Northwest Airlines Flight 98 will pull up to an airport gate in Minneapolis after an eight-hour trip from Hawaii, and the last paying passengers in the U.S. to fly on a DC-10 will disembark. The DC-10 is indeed a remarkable plane, but not for its innovative wide-body design or even its signature tail-mounted jet engine.By Paul Thornton, PAUL THORNTON is a researcher for The Times' editorial page.|January 07, 2007
FOR WHAT many consider an aviation failure, the DC-10 has had quite a run. But this morning, more than 35 years after the first of the planes was built, Northwest Airlines Flight 98 will pull up to an airport gate in Minneapolis after an eight-hour trip from Hawaii, and the last paying passengers in the U.S. to fly on a DC-10 will disembark.
WiFi returning to airlines
By Peter Pae | May 16, 2009
Googling in the air After a three-year hiatus, airlines are bringing back wireless Internet service on planes, allowing business travelers to check their e-mails, browse the Web and log into their corporate networks while in flight. There hasn't been in-flight Internet access since Boeing Co. killed a very expensive, multibillion-dollar project to wire planes all over the world with a satellite-based system.
Googling in the air
After a three-year hiatus, airlines are bringing back wireless Internet service on planes, allowing business travelers to check their e-mails, browse the Web and log into their corporate networks while in flight.
With a quirky culture and a fleet of more than 500 Boeing 737s, Southwest Airlines has come to dominate domestic air travel in the United States. Its fares influence other airlines in many markets. Other low-cost carriers, notably AirTran and JetBlue, have copied and in some ways improved on Southwest's no-frills service. And its conservative financial management — it is the only major airline to have hedged most of its fuel needs — has kept it the only big airline to be consistently profitable.
In 2008, however, Southwest faces big challenges. Network airlines like American and United have reduced their costs, some by going through bankruptcy, allowing them to report profits in some quarters while competing directly against Southwest. Southwest needs to update its service, offering Internet connections or other tools on planes to attract business travelers. And its growth has slowed. That means it is hiring fewer new, lower-wage employees, pushing its average wages up and raising its costs. It faces negotiations with worker unions over new contracts that could further increase expenses.Meanwhile, its founder and chairman, Herb Kelleher, and its president, Colleen Barrett, are both scheduled to retire from Southwest's board this year. While Gary C. Kelly has been chief executive since 2004, Mr. Kelleher and Ms. Barrett are the connection to Southwest's past and to its raucous culture. Mr. Kelly, a former certified public accountant who rose up on the financial side of Southwest, has worked to also embody the irreverent culture — dressing up like Edna Turnblad, the bouffant mom from the musical "Hairspray'' for last October's headquarters Halloween party. The question is if he can keep Southwest standing out from the competition by as much. — Jeff Bailey, Feb. 12, 2008.