This weekend’s New York Times features an excellent round-up of last-minute advice for would-be Olympic attendees, including some thoughts on hotels provided by EuroCheapo! The piece, part of the Practical Traveler series written by Michelle Higgins, includes advice covering all aspects of visiting the world’s largest sporting event. It includes:

Hotels

EuroCheapo’s editor Tom Meyers explains that it’s not hard to find a hotel in London during the Games, “it’s just hard to find a deal.” ‘Tis true — most hotel rates double during the Games.

However, cheaper options exist, including hostels, apartments and even camping.

Flights

Direct flights into London are still available, although expensive, running about 13% above last year. Fly.com suggests flying into another hub from the States, such as Berlin, and then catching a flight on a budget airline from there.

Tickets to the Games

A limited number of tickets are still available for certain events (including volleyball and gymnastics). However, budget travelers should consider the “freebies,” such as the marathon, which will pass through central London. Without tickets, you can still attend free screenings throughout town.

Read more in the New York Time’s article, “Last-Minute Tips for Traveling to London for the Olympics.”

The post Extra! Extra! EuroCheapo in the New York Times discussing hotels for the Olympics appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

When this recently happened to me, I had to hop into action fast (especially since I had already booked a plane ticket for me and my mini shadow). So, in the spirit of “don’t do as I do…,” here are my top tips for the fateful day when your babe-in-arms finally requests passage across the Atlantic.

1. Photoshop.

Call ahead to make sure your local convenience store or photo place can take and print passport photos specifically. On the day I decided to stuff my offspring into an Ergo baby carrier and “photo shop” we were flubbed up by a CVS that didn’t have a working printer, a Rite Aid whose passport photographer had stepped out to lunch, and finally a specialty studio where you had to book an appointment ahead of time. Doh!

When you finally do get your little one in front of the camera, remember that passport photos become invalid if any part of the guardian’s body can be seen in the frame. That includes toys too. I had to hold my daughter by the thighs and hoist her overhead while she feigned her best Leonardo DiCaprio “king of the world”.

2. Know when to go and where to go.

This seems like a no-brainer, but for me it wasn’t. I assumed every passport office was open five days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Just like all the other government offices, right? Ha. But these days many passport offices—though typically housed in government buildings and post offices—run a more minimal schedule than their umbrella locations.

In some cases, you need to make an actual appointment. So, do your research beforehand and if possible, arrive just before the office opens for the day. If you can too, call ahead or go online and book an appointment to see someone via your local post office.

The easiest way to find out where you should go for baby’s first passport is by visiting the U.S. government’s web site on passports.

Cheapo note: I dread the lines that inevitably form at any type of government or bureaucratic establishment – especially during “rush” hours or at lunchtime. So, ideally try to arrive on “off” hours. That means early morning (if available) or late in the day.

3. Bring the other half, namely your child’s other parent.

If you cannot both be present when applying in person for your baby or minor’s passport, you will need to provide notarized proof as to why. A simple letter stating that one of you has a work commitment or is out of town will suffice. Just remember to get it notarized. Many convenience stores now offer, for a nominal fee, notarizing services.

4. Bring your forms all filled out, but don’t sign them.

Yes, you should certainly fill out the passport forms before you arrive (you can find and print them all online). If you have questions about what forms to fill out or how to do them, this page is very helpful. This is a good video tutorial, too. Just don’t sign the forms. You will have to be witnessed signing them when you are at the passport office or agency.

5. Bring exact cash, and/or a checkbook.

While many passport offices now take all manner of credit and debit cards, a few—namely those in US embassies and consulates, still prefer cash. Make sure you get a receipt that confirms when you applied and how much you paid. This will come in handy if your document doesn’t arrive within the 4-6 week window.

For expedited passports, there’s an additional fee that applies. Expedited minor passports typically arrive within 2 weeks time as opposed to the 4-6 week timeframe.

On that note, passports aren’t cheap to begin with ($80-$95 to begin, plus a $25 administrative fee) and this cost only escalates if you can’t wait out the typical timeframe. Expediting your minor’s passport could cost anywhere from $60 up to hundreds of dollars extra. For more on fees, go here.

Happy trails—and remember—though your pint-sized world traveler may disagree, there’s no crying in baseball or in the passport application process!

The post The Littlest Cheapo: Baby’s first passport appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

A little bit of history…

First inhabited by a tribe of Native Americans in the early 17th Century, Governors Island is afloat with history, lore, and intriguing sights. It’s been home to Dutch and British settlers, the latter who used it for quarantining immigrants.

In 1909, Wilbur Wright flew a plane from the island, over the Statue of Liberty, and back again, thus marking the first flight over U.S. waters. From the 1960s to the 1990s, Governors Island was controlled by the U.S. Coast Guard, which erected apartment buildings for officers on the island (as well as a Burger King and a Super 8 Motel!). From 1995 to 2001, the island was ostensibly abandoned by the Coast Guard until 2003, when the federal government sold the island to the people of New York City for $1.

These days, Governors Island is open for weekend visits from May through October. Locals and tourists alike enjoy exploring, checking out some of the original Victorian homes, and taking part in city-planned events. As of this year, plans for an 85-acre park on the island are in the works.

How to get there

You may visit Governors Island on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from June 5 to October 10.

Free ferries leave from the Battery Maritime Building in Manhattan (South Street at Whitehall), and on designated weekends from the Fulton Ferry Landing in Brooklyn. The island is open 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Friday, and 10 a.m. (11 a.m. from Brooklyn) – 7 p.m.  Saturdays and Sundays. Check out the island’s website for a detailed ferry schedule.

What to do

A full list of events and concerts on the island is available on the island’s website. Free bike rental is available on Fridays (you’ll see signs posted once you dock). On Saturdays and Sundays, bike rental is $15 for two hours and $20 for the day.

For more fun ideas, check out this comprehensive list of activities from New York Magazine.

The post New York: Free ferries to historic Governors Island appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Here are three summertime freebies you won’t want to miss.

Movies in Bryant Park

This year’s line-up includes a EuroCheapo personal favorite “Harold and Maude” as well as classics like “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” and “Dog Day Afternoon.” Locals know to snag a picnic spot early. Bring your own food, wine (we won’t tell), and nibblies and settle in for a fun night under the stars. All movies are free of charge and open to the public. For a full schedule and directions, visit Bryant Park’s web site.

A typical Summerstage scene, photo by wallyg

Central Park Summerstage

Summerstage kicks off its diverse season tomorrow with performances by Calle 13 and Bebe.  The rest of the summer promises more excitement with headliners like Q-Tip (July 18), performances by the Metropolitan Opera stars, and a smattering of renowned dance spectacles. For a full rundown of all free events, go here. Line up early for the best seats.

Free tours and workshops, Prospect Park (Brooklyn)

Prospect Park, in Brooklyn, was designed by the same gents who brought us Central Park.  It measures a hefty 585 acres. Summer brings a lushness to the park that’s out of this world, and also a host of free events and workshops. Tours of the grounds, bird-watching seminars, arts and crafts workshops, and an annual fishing contest are all free for the taking. While Prospect Park’s events are decidedly more kids-oriented, we think adults will enjoy them too. For a full schedule, visit the Park’s web site.

The post New York Tip: Free summertime events appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Cheapos on-the-go can save quite a bit of cash on public transportation—and without walking everywhere, too. You just need to know how to get the best value out of the underground “Tube” system. Here’s a quick Tube primer:

London: The “Big… Onion”?

Transport for London, the main transportation authority, divides London into nine zones. “Zone One” is the city’s center, the “middle of the onion,” if you will. Think Trafalgar Square and Big Ben.  Zones two through nine work out in rings from there, and are the outer “layers of the onion.”

The price of a Tube ticket depends on how many zones you pass through on any given journey. (Tip: Remember, buses work differently. You can travel on them all over London, in all zones, for one price.)

Three ways to pay for the Tube

1. Single Tickets: You could always turn up at any London Tube station, buy a single ticket, and be on your way. But, as locals will tell you, this is the most expensive and least practical payment option, especially if you plan to make many trips on the Tube during your stay in London. (Read more about single ticket prices.)

2. Travelcard: A second option is to buy a printed “Travelcard” for 1, 3, or 7 days. The price of the card depends in which zones you expect to travel. Also, 1-day cards are more expensive if you travel before 9:30 AM.  Remember, most sights are within zones 1 and 2, so stick to those zones and you should be fine. (Read more about 1 and 3-day passes, and 7-day passes.)

* * However, travel agents (watch out!) will often try to sell tourists 7-day passes good for all nine zones, the cost of which is a hefty £68.  For only zones 1 and 2, the same 7-day pass will cost only £25.80.

Tip: If you do need to go further afield, you can buy an add-on ticket (or just go by bus, if you can spare the time – the Travelcard will be valid.)

3. Oyster card: Finally, I recommend that you buy an “Oyster card,” a pre-paid “smart card” that always charges the lowest fare. You pay a one-time refundable deposit for the card (£2 if you buy it from a special tourist outlet; £3 otherwise) and then load it up with money. You can put 1, 3, and 7-day “Travelcards” on your Oyster card, or use your Oyster for single trips (at reduced rates).

* * Pay-as-you-go fares using an Oyster card are half what they are if you pay cash. Also, there’s a price cap per day, so you’ll never pay more than the price of a one-day travel card. (For more info on the price cap and how it works, go here.)

The Oyster card also gives you some security, because if you register your card and it gets lost or stolen, you can claim back any money you had on it. You can’t do that with a Travelcard.

When you’re finished with your Oyster, you simply return it to a Tube station, where an agent will refund your deposit and any money you haven’t spent. (Note: If you’re owed more than £5, it will be given to you in check form, in British pounds, which might be a pain to cash.)

Bottom line

Oyster cards are probably better than Travelcards for most tourists visiting London, as they’re convenient and charge the lowest single-trip fare. Plus, if you plan to travel quite a bit (and for more than one day), simply put a 3 or 7-day Travelcard on your Oyster card.

For more information on using the Oyster card, check out the Tube’s website. A list of Tube fares for zones 1 through 6 can be found here.

One final note

Check with your hotel and in tourist information centers for special offers available to Travelcard and Oyster card users. Benefits typically include reduced entry fees, special deals in restaurants, and more. These offers change frequently, so look for leaflets at Tube stations, or ask a station agent.

The post London Transportation Tip: Get the most out of the Tube! appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Choosing the farm experience over a backpacking trip in Europe

I knew that my own personal budget for a European trip could likely only cover airfare and a few extras (a one-night hotel splurge somewhere, a few good meals, some museums) and originally wanted to find an artist residency program overseas. I had read about several merit-based programs and wanted to try my hand at one. But many have hefty applications and I wanted to get moving quickly. I then remembered that I had a friend who worked as a farm hand in a farm residency program in Tuscany. All the stars aligned. I contacted my friend, got the info on the program, communicated with the farm owner (that was a funny first email exhange!), and started packing.

How a farm residency is different from agriturisimo

Some farms, especially in Italy, focus on agriturismo.  For a fee, tourists can rent out apartments or rooms and live on the farm, enjoying the landscape and people. You won’t necessarily have to work if you go this route, but you will pay more for room, food, housekeeping, and possibly car rental depending on how far the farm is from town. The farm residency experience is intense, hard, and a world-altering. But, all room and board is paid for in exchange for your physical labor.

Green acres

I was excited for my trip. I knew it would be a crash course in how an entirely different set of people lived: I come from huge, flat, urban sprawl (how do you say strip mall in Italian?) and going to live on a farm with dense forests, mountains, swamps, and nearin fact I still sport dozens of scars on my forearms from clearing away thorn bushes from hiking trails. But most of all, I got to know the people on the farm, folks who did not have to pretend to like me to make a sale. There was no tourism involved. I was there to work, and they treated me with the respect of both a guest and a fellow member of the farm staff. When I ate with them, it felt like I was part of the family.

Although I spoke very little Italian, we tried to converse. I heard about the environmental crisis hitting Tuscany this year—the monsoon-like rains that threatened to prevent crop planting. I learned about the school lives of the children that reside on the farm. And I tried my best to share my own life with them.

Unlike when merely visiting a place—or simply consuming mainstream tourism, here I felt like I was leaving a very tangible piece of myself. My own hard work, my personal experience could remain, in some facet, at the farm. I plan to go back there again someday.

Farm tales

Tiziano, the farm manager, and Andrea, his one-man farm crew, handled the bulk of the work. I was introduced to Tiziano just as he was finishing the slaughtering of a pig. He smiled, wiped his bloody hands on his pants, and shook my hand. Then he waltzed over to a cooler, took out a chain of linked sausage, and after wiping a bloody butcher knife on his pants, he began cutting up pieces for me to eat. He then smiled again and offered me the salsicha (pork sausage). I felt that right at that moment, I had entered the world of the farm. Farmers of this region had been doing it this way for hundreds of years. I felt safer in Tiziano’s huge, sure hands than with the USDA anyway.

Tricks of the trade

The other figure that made quite an impression was Andrea. What Andrea lacked in physical stature; he made up for in attitude. He did much of the farm work on the farm by himself. When it was raining, and we couldn’t trail blaze, we were given over to Andrea for sanding duty. Many of the doors and window frames were old and needed to be refinished. So as Andrea explained to us what refinishing the doors entailed, we discovered two things: none of us had any real experience with sanding before, and Andrea was not really equipped to explain to us how to go about doing the sanding, as he knew just a few words in English. Andrea is as Tuscan as Tuscan can be, so he’d speak in a very specific Italian countryside dialect and end with “capiche?” Then he’d wait a second, say “non capiche,” smile, and walk away. We were left to the sanding.

After working with him a little bit, we found that if we just started doing stuff, and if we did it wrong, he’d come over and demonstrate how to do it right.

Cheapo farmer, and how you can be one too

The Cheapo benefits of working on a farm? I got great workouts (hello biceps!), ate amazing home cooking, and gained an eye-opening look at how another culture lives. And all I had to pay for was my plane ticket.  Hey, I got dirty.  I had to spend time with smelly animals and there were lots of physically straining activities. All of my cool city slicker clothes pretty much got destroyed (note to self: Next time, bring overalls.)

To find out more about programs like this one, you can visit http://wwoof.org. If it’s open to you, you can always go the artist residency route. The possibilities here are varied and have specific payoffs. Some programs house you in castles, some on farms, some in tree houses and the like.

Hoe-down!

For more about Reinhardt’s travels, visit his blog: The Pork Chop Express. And be sure to check out his post, “Five Tips for Stretching Your Budget Abroad” here.

The post Agriturisimo With a Twist: One Cheapo’s Italian experience appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

The following two museums, however, are completely free and should make your must-visit list:

Latvian War Museum
Located inside Gunpowder Tower at Smilsu iela, 20

For a quick-hit history of Latvia’s military past, and to catch an illuminating exhibit on the Soviet occupation, check out Latvia’s War Museum. The museum describes its mission as “to save collective, historical memory of the nation about political and military history of Latvia, the influence of the military conflicts… on the destiny of the nation, and the reflection of these conflicts’ consequences…”

Current offerings include a detailed exposition on the Latvian army’s role in Russia’s Civil War (1918-1921).

The museum is open year-round and is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

The Museum of the Occupation of Latvia
Strelnieku laukums, 1, Old Town

Latvia was occupied by German and Soviet forces three times from 1940 to 1991. These included the first Soviet occupation (1940-1941), the Nazi occupation (1941-1944/45), and the long, devastating second Soviet occupation (1944/45-1991).

The Museum of the Occupation of Latvia provides exhibits and a permanent collection focused on these three occupations, their victims (including business and farm owners, Jews, political opponents, and artists), and the crimes committed by the foreign powers.

The museum is centrally located in Old Town, next to Town Hall Square (Ratslaukums). The museum is open daily May through September, 11 AM to 6 PM; October through April 11 AM to 5 PM, closed Mondays during this off-season. (The Museum of the Occupation of Latvia was also the answer to our previous “Name this Museum” post.)

Tell us: Have you ever been to either of these museums? Do you have a favorite free or budget sight in Riga?

The post Riga Free Museums to explore on your trip appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

“Ask Arthur Frommer: And Travel Better, Cheaper, Smarter,” published in March by Wiley Publishing ($19.99), reworks the most helpful of these dispatches into a 512-page budget travel encyclopedia. Flipping through the book is a trip in itself, and reading the book from cover to cover is sure to be an education in the art of budget travel.

Art lessons

“Ask Arthur Frommer” offers up Art’s tips-of-the-trade in an easy-to-follow structure. Throughout, Frommer pushes the idea that technology has changed the way we travel, granting us new-found independence, flexibility, and opportunity to see the world.

Frommer clusters his advice by topic, in sections such as “Airfare,” “Cheap hotels,” and “Transportation.” We were happy to note the attention he pays to less mainstream destinations (hello, Riga!) and his suggestion to open up to “alternative lodgings” like hostels. (Full disclosure: We were also quite happy to see references to both EuroCheapo and our sister site, EuropeanHostels.com on his blog and in this book.)

It’s well worth noting that while Frommer has been around the globe (his landmark book, “Europe on 5 Dollars a Day,” debuted in 1957), he’s no technophobe when it comes to his travel know-how. At 80, he’s still an active traveler, and frequently writes about emerging technologies, new travel trends, airfare comparison sites, and travel meta-search engine.

Our fave Art encounters?

We really enjoyed passages where Art goes “off the keyboard” and gets truly expressive, even controversial, about the mainstream travel media.  He isn’t afraid to berate publications that kowtow to the luxury travel trade, and he names names. He’s also had it with out-of-touch editors defining “budget travel” as $250-a-night boutique hotels and (even more expensive) resorts. Go Art!

Throughout his career, Frommer has pushed his readers to do their own research, find real deals, and get closer to the cultures they visit. This book, compiling a half-century of real budget-travel advice, is a wonderful way to get started.

Have you read this book? Have a comment? Post it below.

The post Book Review: “Ask Arthur Frommer: And Travel Better, Cheaper, Smarter” appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

We love street performers just as much as the next Cheapo. Have any idea where this quintet is making noise? Clue: You might call them renaissance men.

The first correct guess wins a free copy of the book, “Ask Arthur Frommer & Travel Better, Cheaper, Smarter.”

Leave your answer in the comment section below. We’ll reveal the answer later this week.

The post Mystery Photo Wednesday: Where is this band? appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

A little bit of history

The museum is named for Stefano Bardini (1836-1922), an art dealer known for his flair for Renaissance art and his love of blue painted walls (he originally trained as a painter). In 1922, Bardini donated his life’s labor—and the building he housed it all in—to the city of Florence. For years, the museum was open to the public and showcased most of his own personal collection.

Fun fact: Fans of Bardini’s collection during his lifetime included the famed Bostonian Isabella Stewart Gardner, a great collector in her own right. She even used his signature blue-painted exhibition walls in her own self-made museum.

In with the new

The improved Bardini Museum is said to be a one-stop for some of the most unique Renaissance art in Europe. This week, and in the future, the museum will be offering lectures and tours too.

Highlights of the collection include Roman sarcophagi, delicate wooden sculptures, and works attributed to Donatello and Pisano. Newer acquisitions now grace the halls as well as many others thought to be from between the 12th and 15th centuries. All are presented in the Bardini’s unique setting where columns, altars, and even stairs from original Romanesque and Renaissance-era buildings lend the museum’s spaces an authentic, ethereal feel.

If you go…

The Bardini is located at Via dei Renai, 37 (Ponte alle Grazie) and is open Saturdays, Sundays,  and on Mondays from 11 AM to 5 PM. Admission is €5 (adults), €4 (students and seniors), or €2 (children).

For more information, you can visit the Bardini’s site (only in Italian).

The post Florence Tip: Bardini Museum re-opens! appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.