Experience Europe

In my last post, I wrote about the beauty of Europe and reasons why a traveler should include Europe in his list. While it is impossible to describe Europe's beauty because it cannot be described - just experienced. And secondly, Europe is very vast. Countless languages are spoken in Europe. Even 2 cities within the same countries differ greatly in culture and tourism.

Take Italy for example, divided into North Italy and South Italy are very much different from one another. So to bring Europe's beauty to you I'll be starting a series of posts in which I'll include city guides to some of the most beautiful European cities.

I'll also include places to see in these cities. How to get around without getting lost or cheated. I'll also point out places of accommodation to suit every budget. 5 star hotels? No problem. Cheap accommodation? No problem again.

I'd also ask you to contribute to the content by making a comment as it'll not only help me but other visitors who'd be very likely to visit those places.

Reasons why you should travel to Europe once in a lifetime

If there is one dream place where every traveler wants to start his journey then it has to be Europe.

The immense natural beauty, adorned with rich historical monuments, abundance of delicious cuisines and ever-cheerful people of Europe make it one of the most ideal places to throw away your towels!

Besides, Europe is also a traveler-friendly continent - and why wouldn't it be when tourism fuels a nice chunk of the economy of European Union's many member nations.

One of the great things about Europe is that you don't have to find places to see. Almost anywhere you turn your eye you're sure to be surprised by the beauty and charm of the place.

You can travel by air although I really like seeing Europe by trains and buses because the real Europe is to be seen on land! And biking is also a new trend that let you see Europe upclose while saving the environment.

You will find the most exotic of hotels as well as backpackers  & hitchhikers and Europe seems to like all of them!

And if you're coming from a country like US you'll be pleasantly surprised by the culture that Europe still preserves! Even though almost all of the Europe is well-equipped with modern amenities Europeans take life easy and live it in the truest sense.

Time seems to stop at the roadside cafes and parks. Retired people seem to enjoy their retirement and are always seen out in the air having the time of their lives.

Europe is also house to some of the world's most treasured places like museums and art galleries - most of which are free to enter!

When it comes to travel Europe wins the race (and the tourists!) by a long shot. But due to heavy commercialization in some of the most popular toursit destinations in Europe, it has started to lose its charm.

More and more people prefer and opt for places less travelled and visited by other tourists. Something natural, something whose beauty hasn't been ruined by profit-hungry capitalists.

What is yur favorite destination in Europe and Why? We'd like to know!

Deal: Fly Unlimited with JetBlue for $599

In the previous article,Why is recession a good time for travel? I stated how the recession has created some of the best travel deals, along with a slashing in prices. Well, I have another good news for frequent travelers and anyone who has extra time to take all the (unlimited!!) flights that JetBlue is offering for $599.

While $599 is nowhere near cheap, it becomes cheap once you consider that it offers unlimited flights for 1 month. If you have free time on your calender between September 8 to October 8 then this is just what you need. A completely unlimited, 1-month travel pass called All-You-Can-Jet.

While JetBlue is set to make you all warm and fuzzy about this deal let me clear up some points for you. This period, September & October are usually very slow for airlines. The end of summer holidays means kids return back to school and employees are already done with their vacations.

So instead of flying empty planes JetBlue has come up with brilliant deal that wouldn't cost them much anyway (on the contrary, they have everything to gain!) - free publicity, new customers and some extra money which they'd be losing anyways if they flew empty. Call this a Win-Win situation. And they don't have to be afraid of everyone claiming these passes as everyone has gotten busy with their chores, again.

The whole deal is based upon the principle that makes unlimited flights cheaper with each additional flight the passenger takes. So the more flights you manage to take the less money per flight you'll pay. Of course, this will only pay off for frequent flyers or people who have the time and money to make it pay off.

The Fine Print

The fine-print might tick some potential travelers off. The first one is that you'll have to pay a $100 no-show fee. And until you pay this fee you cannot book another flight against the pass. This, I think is done to prevent customers from booking every flight just to be safe and then boarding the one which they think is convenient. JetBlue will of course lose normal seats if everyone starts doing this. So this is totally acceptable.

Another thing you need to keep in mind is that you have to book the flight 3 days prior to departure.The pass is valid for all the flight on JetBlue route network which again doesn't cover all the places but a few important ones.

You can read the fine print in this PDF by JetBlue. And do let us know about your plans or ideas in the comments.

Image: jetblueflickr

Why is recession a good time for travel?

The recession has affected everyone, the economy is facing harsh times. While this has had a very bad effect on currencies and markets it has made the so-called expensive travel well within your budgets.

One of the most profound effect that the recession has is on world currencies. Owing to the recession, many of the world's top tourist destinations have seen a dive in the value of their currencies. On top of that, there aren't many customers - be it airlines, hotels or entertainment to fill the void.

In order to sustain in these tough times, hotels and airlines and all tourist destinations have slashed their prices in order to entice travelers to their businesses. This only means that it is the perfect time for traveling to a dream destination - a trip you always wanted.

To give you a glimpse of how much this recession favors travelers like you - average daily hotel rates have plummeted as much a 34% in Las Vegas and other cities that is, more than 1/3rd which is unheard of in the Sin City!

Airlines have been hit the hardest. The airlines have dropped their rates as much as 15% and we're talking about regular, booked flights. When we talk about last-minute deals the possibilities are endless! It isn't very difficult to find more than 50% discounts on some flights given that airlines don't want to send their flights empty while they could be making whatever they offer their customers.

The whole situation is in your favor - you get to chose your favorite hotel and airline while spending less.

And this is not only monetary - destinations that are crowded the year round are not suddenly crowded anymore! You can enjoy the beaches and the hotels without having to compromise with all the crowd. It means that local shopping is more affordable. Getting around is much more pleasant.

And just when your work colleagues are dealing with more pressures and usually double the workload you're unwinding yourself and having the time of your life creating memories that will last a lifetime.

If there is something called a silver lining then this is it.