But now that the (absentee) voting is done, the question becomes: How to observe the election from Copenhagen? Right now I can think of three ways about it:

Option one: Tune out, then tune in on November 7

I’ll be visiting Copenhagen’s many sights with a group of other American travel writers on Tuesday, November 6. Certainly the subject will come up, but our attention will be happily focused on Nyhavn, the National Gallery and the city’s palaces.

We’ll be gleefully six hours ahead of any action back home. Even tuning in at midnight will mean that almost no polls will have closed. (Indiana and parts of Kentucky close at 6 PM EST, but those states aren’t really nail-biters.) I might as well go to sleep at a normal hour, and wake up refreshed to find out about the results. Yeah, right…

Option two: Stay up all night in a bar

A drastically different option would be to pull an all-nighter in a local bar that’s showing the event. Perhaps it will be the hotel’s bar, or we will undoubtedly hear about spots in Copenhagen to watch the event. This would surely attract visiting Americans, as well as interested Danes and travelers from other parts of the world who are likewise wound up about the election.

I find this option, in theory, to be quite attractive. It’s always fun to watch big events with others, allowing your energies to build. All of that waiting (and all of that commentary) goes down a bit easier with a few beers and new-found friends. And, hey, if things go south for you, you’re already in a bar!

The reality, of course, can be less ideal. If the election is mostly decided when major swing states in the east close (Florida at 7 p.m., Ohio at 7:30 p.m.), we’d find out in Copenhagen around 1 a.m. That’s doable… but what if it’s close in those states? What about western swing states? This thing could go late in the US, which means it could go really late in Europe.

And, of course, there’s that 9 a.m. airberlin flight we’ll be catching to Vienna the next morning.

Option three: Early to bed, early to rise

The last, and perhaps most responsible, option is to go to sleep early-ish, and wake up early (say, at 5 a.m.) to figure out what happened, or even catch the tail-end of the event itself.

This sounds perfectly reasonable, but is it possible to fall asleep early on election night? Maybe for some, but as a political junkie, I’m pretty sure that even if I do fall asleep, I’m certain to wake up at 3 a.m. knowing that I could turn on the TV and see the first big results coming in.

Or a messy mix of all three

What will most likely happen, of course, is a big, messy mix of all three. I’ll probably intend to go to sleep early, but first grab a beer with some of my traveling companions. This will lead to “just one more” before the first results come in. Despite the excitement around those first numbers, I’ll force myself to sleep, only to wake up a few hours later in the middle of the night, flip on the TV and half-dream about Wolf Blitzer for the next few hours.

When you factor in a 7 a.m. trip to the airport, it sounds a bit grim. But, hey, even if we’re all exhausted, it will be over. If “my guy” wins, it will be a happy, relieved exhaustion. If he doesn’t, well, I’ll be headed to Vienna.

I guess traveling during an election has its benefits after all.

Are you watching the election from abroad?

If you’re traveling or living abroad and excited about the election, how do you plan to watch it? Will it be an all-nighter, a middle-of-the-night wake-up, or a wait-and-see? Tell us about your plans in the comments section.

The post How to watch the US election results while traveling in Europe appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Here are a few tried-and-tested tips for traveling on the cheap in Dublin. They all worked for me this very week!

1. Change money at the bank

We usually recommend taking money out of ATMs when traveling in Europe–even if some banks charge a one-time transaction fee as well as a percentage of the money taken out. (Read much more about ATMs in Europe here.) However, in Dublin I recommend changing your money at a bank.

Just this week I got a competitive exchange rate at AIB (Allied Irish Bank) with no pesky fees. You don’t need a bank account or to fill out any forms: Just get in the line marked “foreign exchange” and voila, you’ve got your euros. You can also ask for small bills—instead of those annoying 50 euro notes that ATMs give and no one wants to accept.

2. Look for hotel deals

During the Celtic Tiger boom in Dublin, a LOT of hotel rooms were built in the city. That means there are deals everywhere – particularly for Cheapos who are willing to do a little research. There are two popular deals going on in Dublin right now. One is an advance purchase rate (usually 10 – 15% off the total cost of your stay – paid in advance with no refunds), while another deal offers the incentive of an extra night for free. Examples I’ve seen include stay “Two nights and get a third free,” or “Stay three nights and get a fourth free.”

Also look for a hotel that offers a hearty breakfast, as this will set you up for a day of exploring Dublin without expensive snacking. When you do a hotel search on EuroCheapo, you’ll see examples of discounted room rates and plenty of options offering Irish breakfasts.

3. The Early Bird

Dublin was once known as an expensive city for food, but this has all changed. Cheapos with a refined palate can dine at Dublin’s best restaurants—affordably—simply by eating early. The Irish capital is full of incredible value for those who are willing to sit down before 7 p.m. Deals can be found for as little as €19 for two courses or €25 for three courses.

Especially during the week, this is also a great way to meet the locals. Many Dubliners take advantage of these specials by heading out for an early dinner after work.

4. Freebies abound

Once you arrive, be sure to check out the newspapers and even turn on the radio (Ireland has excellent radio) for up to date details on free events and entertainment. Just this week I enjoyed an outdoor afternoon summer concert and checked out a new exhibition at IMMA (Irish Museum of Modern Art).

The post Dublin: 4 ways to keep it cheap appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Hints of Italy

Menton hints of Italy even before you cross the border, with its bilingual street names and Italian-style architecture. Curiously, the town only became French in 1860, having historically been part of Monaco until in 1848 it seceded from the Principality in a spat over taxes on lemon exports. Menton then enjoyed a brief fling as an independent republic before throwing in its lot with the Kingdom of Sardinia and eventually joining France.

Mentonasques are quick to remind visitors even today that Menton is in France merely by choice, and the town’s window shutters in that distinctive Ligurian green are a reminder that this most Italianate of French Riviera towns still has a part of its heart in Italy.

Menton’s health resort history

Climb up to the cemetery high above the Old Town and you will quickly discover how Menton established its credentials in Riviera tourism. A hundred years ago, Menton was one of Europe’s premier health resorts, with thousands of northern Europeans taking their bronchial bacilli to sunny Menton to try and rid their lungs of tuberculosis. The crowded cemetery, full of those who died of consumption, attests to the fact that a few months of indolence in Menton did not always guarantee recuperation. Russians, Germans, English and Irish share the same burial ground, all victims of a disease that indiscriminately struck down poets and philosophers, counts and colonels.

The pulmonary pilgrims of yesterday have been replaced by a new generation of traveler, often anxious to find the quieter side of the Riviera. Menton is always a great stopover on routes from Provence to Genoa —made easy by the frequency of trains along this stretch of coast. Both westbound towards Nice and eastbound into Italy, trains generally run twice hourly.

Exploring the town

But with direct daily TGV services from Paris (and a useful direct overnight train, too), Menton is a place worth visiting in its own right. Our best Menton days have involved nothing more demanding than wandering around the produce stalls in the Moorish market on the waterfront and then drifting from café to café.

Our favorite local curiosity is the “salle de mariage” (wedding hall) in Menton’s City Hall, which is a striking piece of interior design by French artist and film director Jean Cocteau. Further afield, the attractive mountain town of Sospel is reached by direct bus from Menton. And the stunning Giardini Botanici Hanbury (Hanbury Gardens), just over the border in Italy, which we featured last year on EuroCheapo, are only four miles east of the city.

The post Menton, France: A Riviera gem appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Last week, in the wake of the eruption of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull volcano, first the countries of northern and western Europe closed their airports. And then country after country to the south and east followed suit. The whole thing proceeded as if by incredibly rapid viral transmission. Very quickly all sorts of relatively arcane volcano terminology began to crop up on television news programs in Europe.

The ash arrives in Romania and Moldova

For days I monitored the expanding shade of ash across the BBC’s map of Europe. Then on Saturday morning, I awoke to learn from an employee at our hotel in Gura Humorului, Romania that Romania and Moldova had closed their airports. Suddenly it seemed likely that I too would be directly affected by the air travel stoppage that had come to paralyze Europe.

The lack of regular updates by trusted sources became a source of frustration. Eurocontrol, the European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation, has been updating their volcanic ash cloud maps far too infrequently. And then there are many publications listing European countries with full or partial airspace closures that have been omitting Moldova from their tabulations altogether, despite the fact that the Chisinau airport has been closed for days.

Taking flight today?

Today I’m scheduled to fly from Chisinau to Istanbul on Turkish Airlines. As of this moment, very early on Tuesday morning in Chisinau, my flight is scheduled to take off as planned around noon.

My mother—my traveling companion for the past week-and-a-half—is supposed to be Milan-bound on Meridiana at noon tomorrow. Her flight has been canceled outright. We’ve spent many of the last few hours sketching out contingency plans for her. Happily, she’s on vacation and can take the time to make her way south and west.

The post Flight Memo: Volcanic ash across Europe appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Last week I flew from New York’s JFK to Istanbul and connected from there to Sofia. Aside from the duration of the layover in Istanbul (six hours!) the journey was very pleasant. The layover in Istanbul was also a blast, despite my personal jetlag-induced fog. Turkish Airlines has very wisely turned Istanbul into an intercontinental hub. Loads of passengers on my flight were continuing on to places like Tel Aviv and Tashkent, and massive numbers of Dutch and German tourists were heading home. The airport is a thoroughgoing cultural crossing point.

Onboard Turkish Airlines

But back to the Turkish Airlines experience.

Let’s start with the best bit of branding, the showcased food items. Our pre-dinner drinks on the JFK-Istanbul flight came with little bags of hazelnuts, replete with the propagandistic slogan “The Miracle Nut Hazelnut Comes from Turkey.” The question of origin aside, this particular miracle nut is a pretty delicious introduction to a meal service. The dinner that followed was unexpectedly tasty. It included a small tube of very flavorful olive oil and lemon juice packaged to call attention to its Turkish provenance.

Also of note: the yogurt cucumber salad served with dinner and the sandwiches passed out late at night, between dinner and breakfast. We’re talking about airplane food, granted, but everything was pretty acceptably tasty. I can only imagine what sorts of things passengers at the front of the plane were eating.

My second flight, from Istanbul to Sofia, was in the air for fifty minutes or so. According to the flight distances list posted in the back pages of the airline’s in-flight magazine, the Istanbul-Sofia flight is Turkish Airlines’ shortest international journey. Nonetheless, a decent meal and drinks were served in that short window. The meal contained another gorgeous tube of olive oil and lemon juice.

A little reading

The April edition of Skylife, the Turkish Airlines in-flight magazine, continues the work of interweaving airline and national brands. The issue’s best articles: lengthy spreads on Denizli and Ekaterinburg, both with multiple images, and a short piece on a trio of Turkish springtime destinations.

Most exciting of all is the route map in the back of the magazine, with its documentation of Turkish Airlines’ impressive list of routes. The links across Central Asia, the eastern end of the Mediterranean, and the Gulf States will no doubt appear especially suggestive to seasoned European travelers looking to push beyond Europe. The airline’s domestic routes across Turkey are also impressive.

Next week I’ll fly back to New York on Turkish Airlines from Chisinau via Istanbul. Here’s hoping for a similarly enjoyable return journey.

The post Airline Memo: A maiden journey on Turkish Airlines appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

And so in Trieste, which always seems to us the most un-Italian part of Italy.

We were in Trieste for a few days prior to Easter and were so very struck by the city’s role as a microcosm of European life. The “Triestini” gaze from a distance at the Italian mainstream — no surprise perhaps, for the city is on a slender slither of Italian territory that juts into neighboring Slovenia.

A plurality of religions and cultures

The fact is that Trieste is a long way from Italy’s principal cities: over four hours from Milan and over eight hours from Rome on the very fastest trains. But it is worth the haul, for Trieste is truly something special. It is a city that lies at the crossroads of Europe, a place with a distinctly central European demeanor perched on the edge of the Adriatic. Trieste is cosmopolitan and challenging with its mix of Austro-Hungarian, Italian, Slovene and wider Slavic and Balkan influences.

Look for the soul of Trieste in the city’s eclectic range of churches and other places of worship. The synagogue was, when it was first opened, the largest anywhere in Europe. Throw in a Catholic cathedral or two, a Greek Orthodox and a Serbian Orthodox church, even an Evangelical Lutheran church, and you get a sense of the plurality of cultures that have influenced and still help shape Trieste.

A city full of history

This is a city with space, a place where visitors and locals can stretch out and relax, and one blessed with a fabulous hinterland. The old Venetian city of Pirano is just over the border in Slovenia – nowadays it is known as Piran. Miramare Castle on the outskirts of Trieste was once the stunning seaside home of Maxmillian of Habsburg, a place which Max was prevented from really enjoying by his premature death in central America while affecting to be Emperor of Mexico. Just north of the city is the superb Cividale valley, the very heart of Friulian culture (with some tasty Merlot wines, too).

Trieste travel tips

Go to Trieste and allow yourself to be surprised by the beguiling mix of accents and voices; Friulian blending into both Tergestino and Slovene. Allow a few days to strike out from the city, taking in Cividale, sedate Grado, edgy Gorizia, and beautiful Palmanova, as well as heading across the border into Istria.

The Friulia-Venezia-Guilia Card is a great value and covers entry into museums, galleries, and other attractions (including Miramare) on the Italian side of the border.

And pack a copy of Jan Morris’ Trieste and the Meaning of Nowhere, which we rate as one of the very finest pieces of travel writing published in the last ten years.

Trieste accommodations

Trieste offers a number of affordable options for visitors. You’ll find many well-furnished rooms for under $100 per night. Search hotels for Trieste.

The post Trieste, Italy: A European microcosm appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Although excited (a bit like a child on Christmas morning), I had no difficulty falling back asleep, lulled by the steady rainfall. At 9 AM, when I went downstairs to breakfast, I headed straight to the hotel’s front door to check out the scene. Sure enough, the water had come, turning my street, the Calle de Botteghe, into a stream.

A metal water guard.

My hotel is the charming, 10-room Locanda Art Deco just off Campo Santo Stefano, in Venice’s San Marco district. Last night before heading to bed, the receptionist had warned me about the water’s expected arrival. “It should start in the morning and peak at 10 AM, when it hits 1.15 meters [above the water table],” he explained. They really have this down to a science.

I’ve been in Venice all week, visiting about 50 hotels for our Venice guide, updating reviews and scouting out new picks. In between rooms, I’ve had a chance to talk water with the hotel owners. Yesterday, one owner showed me a text message she received during the day warning her of today’s expected flooding. They’re high-tech!

The water hits the city unevenly, depending on elevation. The Piazza San Marco is one of the lowest points in the city, and is thus constantly flooded. I took the photo at the top of this post yesterday in the piazza, while hardly any other streets were flooded. Note the pedestrian walkways the city constructs to help tourists cross the most heavily-trafficked areas.

This morning, I approached the hotel’s front door to find a metal guard secured in the doorway, locked against the front of the building to keep the stream at bay.

The Calle de Botteghe, this morning.

The morning receptionist explained that, in fact, the water wasn’t as bad as expected. “They told us to expect 1.15, but it turns out it will only be 1.05,” she told me, with a bit of a smile and a shrug. That’s nothing, in fact. If it goes over 1.2 meters, the water will enter the hotel’s lobby, forcing them to move all of the furniture (and there’s quite a bit!) up a staircase to the second landing.

Meanwhile, outside on the Calle de Botthege, Venetians sloshed by in their rubber boots, unfazed. A delivery man pushed a cart past the hotel stacked with boxes headed for the wine shop next door. Life goes on.

The water is set to peak at 10 AM (which is, by the way, right now as I write this in my room), and then subside over the next hour. The rain stopped about two hours ago, but it will take that long for Venice’s drainage system to do its work.

As for the city’s tourists, you either stay put and wait, or shove off. A British couple sitting at the breakfast table next to me decided to go for it. With the rest of us watching from our tables, they stood a bit apprehensively at the door, behind the metal guard, “Lonely Planet” in hand, sporting their heaviest shoes (decidedly not rubber boots). And then they took the plunge. The water went up over their feet, and they pushed off down the street.

As for me, I’ll give it a few minutes to drain before I set sail. But alas, the rain just picked up again.

Hmmm. Which pair of shoes do you think…

The post Venice: Postcard from a city under water appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

However, there are a few key things to keep in mind when planning how to get around Montenegro:

Avoid trains, unless you’re heading for the mountains

Unlike Western Europe, the local train system in Montenegro doesn’t cover much ground and makes rail travel difficult. The line is from northeast to southwest, starting in Bijelo Polje and ending in the coastal town of Bar. Trains are a good option when heading into the mountains, but pointless when staying on the seaside. Cheaper than the buses but not as efficient (and some would argue not as safe), railways are to be used at your own risk.

The wheels on the bus go ’round through town

Planes fly in and out of the capital of Podgorica and the touristy town of Tivat, though the most common way to enter is via bordering countries (Croatia or Serbia, for example) by bus. What the train system lacks in broad coverage, the country’s bus system makes up for in frequency and destination choice.

Buses in Montenegro, like in many countries in Southeast Europe, are not the newest, but they are reliable and get travelers from Point A to Point B in a timely manner (around 80 kilometers per hour on the highways). Smaller shuttle buses are also available at bus stations and sometimes cost less.

We didn’t find the bus stations to be terribly confusing or too large, although the local language doesn’t make things simple for foreigners. It’s quite easy to figure out which bus goes where and when, so make a match and stay alert for the departure call. When people begin to board your bus, that’s a good notion for you to do the same.

Avoid taxis

In short, buses are the best way to get from town to town, and travelers won’t have to deal with fretting over fair prices. This is not the case with taxis, and it won’t be easy to find a driver willing to give you a “local price.” Montenegro runs on the euro, and bus transit prices run cheap at €5 to €10 for a two to five-hour journey. A taxi driver will easily ask for twice as much without blinking an eye, so either be smart when bargaining with private transportation or hop on a bus and enjoy the ride.

The post Montenegro Transportation Tips: Trains, buses, and taxis appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

1. Wash your hands

It’s a given for locals, but visitors often forget—washing hands before meals is an crucial prep move in Morocco. Clean hands mean clean utensils, as many Moroccan dishes are devoured using the right hand. Also, shopping around the busy souk market is a hands-on activity for the millions who drop by; it’s smart to sanitize. Every café and restaurant should have a small sink with soap in the restroom, so lather up before chowing down.

2. Say no to alcohol

Don’t expect a frosty beer selection or fine wine list to pair on every Moroccan menu: Most restaurants do not sell alcohol. However, cocktails and the like can be found in the many bars and clubs within Marrakesh. Luckily, there are a variety of other beverages to choose from (see below).

3. Say yes to mint tea

There will never be a restaurant without hot mint tea on the drink menu, so order one upon sitting down for a cultural nightcap. Fresh mint leaves are brewed best in the intricately decorated silver-plated pots. The pour—a single stream cascading from the spout a half-meter down to the cup—is essential and easily the most impressive performance of the evening. Be aware that Moroccans drop an abundance of sugar cubes into this steamy nip, so get ready for a minty sweet sensation.

4. Shop around

Getting lost in Marrakesh’s souk streets might bring you to a local culinary find, but it probably won’t. It’s best to stick to the busy and bustling areas of the center and surrounding area. Yet, like every city center, there are many over-priced cafés reeling in passersby, so shop around before deciding who will get your business. Do not feel pressured to eat somewhere because someone’s giving an arm tug; look at the menu, the price, and then decide if it’s worth it.

5. How the locals eat (cheaply)

Cheap eats bursting with as many sights as smells are found at the many food tents that open in the Djemaa el Fna by nightfall. Offering everything from snail soup to grilled veggies and other specialties, these small tents are equipped with benches for seating and an open kitchen to watch chefs at work. These open-air restaurants have menus cheaper than other establishments and offer savory dishes in an entertaining atmosphere.

The post Marrakesh Food: Five tips for dining in Marrakesh appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

But like every beach diamond vacation, Dubrovnik is beginning to saturate itself with tourist traps and overpriced snags. To stay within the local cost range, here are some helpful tips:

1. Book (or don’t book) your hotel accordingly

Like many Mediterranean destinations, there are three ways to book accommodation: online, at the tourist offices, or from the hotel owners who linger at airports and bus stations. Heading to the tourist office is the least favorable, as it’s a hassle to locate and rates are rarely appealing. While booking online guarantees a reservation and a variety of room rates, it also lacks the real deals that owners are willing to offer upon your arrival.

That’s why the third option is your best bet for a great deal, if your stomach can stand arriving in town sans reservation. Most hotel owners are like a gentle, friendly mob waiting to greet the tourists. Take time to observe the brochures being displayed, especially as names might match up with ones in online guides and travel books.

Get a few quotes on prices before making a final choice; ask around to find a hotel that offers airport drop-offs, internet, breakfast, a good location, etc. The whole experience might seem a bit unusual and disorganized, but this advertising method is much more effective for mom-and-pop pensions.

2. Ferry and bus transport prices vary

Day trips out of Dubrovnik to nearby islands and small towns vary in price depending on time, day, and company. Simply expecting a list of options to be given at the ticket counter isn’t going to happen, so be prepared to ask. Workers generally speak enough English to answer inquiries about timetables and prices, so quiz the ferry port and bus station ticket desks with a paper and pen in hand.

Get a few quotes on midweek and weekend prices, as well as morning, midday, and evening departures. Another important thing to note is the return time. Off-season transport runs on a more sporadic schedule than the popular summertime, so get the round trip info figured out before setting sail.

3. Buy out of Dubrovnik’s “Old Town”

This advice may seem obvious, but it’s surprisingly intimidating to venture out of the picture-perfect walled city. For the best deals, however, strap on your adventure boots and get out of the tourist area for the real local gifts and wallet-friendly prices.

The district of Lapad is a beautiful neighborhood outside the Old City to stroll around. Shops and restaurants around the beach area streets of Šetaliste Kralja Zvonimira and Šetaliste Nika i Meda Pucica will carry a higher price tag than ones off the beaten path, but Lapad’s greenery and admirable architecture will make exploration a pleasantly satisfying one. Rentals for beach fun like snorkels and fishing are at a lower price than Old Town, so planning a day in the sand along Lapad is also worthwhile.

Just like any knowledgeable traveler will know, doing a little research before arrival will really help you out. However, having the confidence to interact with locals and venture away from the masses can be just as helpful and cost-effective, especially in budding tourist towns.

The post Dubrovnik Budget Tips: Hotel reservations, ferries, and neighborhoods appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.