Travel
Tried-and-true tips for when you're traveling abroad.
Hedonism in Central Europe
Date: 05/07/2008
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Piestany, Slovakia
Read more about Europe in International Living Postcards—your daily escape
I went to check out Slovakia’s premier spa town, Piestany, which is just 90 minutes by bus from Bratislava. You can come here for hedonism, but most guests come for health reasons.
In central Europe, spa culture is really popular, and is still more about therapeutic cures than pampering. Spa treatments in Slovakia used to be funded by the communist state; now it’s generally health insurers that foot the bill. Even so, spas realize they have to be commercially viable, so now they are attracting paying guests with cosmetic treatments and wellness packages.
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Discover a New Europe: Opera $17, Two-course Lunch $5…
Date: 04/17/2008
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Bratislava, Slovakia
Read more about Europe in International Living Postcards—your daily escape
Bratislava is an eye-opener. On the banks of the Danube, it’s the capital of Slovakia, a small central European country established in 1993.
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Money-saving Tips When in Rome
Date: 03/10/2008
Monday, March 10, 2008
Rome, Italy
Read more about Italy in International Living Postcards—your daily escape
On this latest Italy trip, I was scouting properties in Abruzzo and Molise. To reach these southern regions, you’ll probably fly in and out of Rome. It can be costly, so here are a few money-saving tips:
See More [+]Get Your Credit Card Provider to Pay YOU $25
Date: 02/18/2008Monday, Feb. 18, 2008
Get more expat advice in International Living Postcards—your daily escape
I hate the foreign transaction fees that banks charge when you use a credit card overseas, especially when the banks embed the fees in the exchange rate.
Like me, some lawyers and their clients decided these fees are abusive. They filed class action lawsuits against Visa, MasterCard, Diners Club, and the banks that issue the cards. The court consolidated these class actions in 2001, and last year the lawyers cut a deal. In the settlement, the banks deny the claims and assert they did nothing wrong, improper, or unlawful. But they’ll pay up just to get rid of the lawsuit.
See More [+]You CAN Get a 90-day Tourist Visa for Panama
Date: 01/31/2008
Thursday, Jan. 31, 2008
Panama City, Panama
Read more about Panama in International Living Postcards—your daily escape
Last May, the Panamanian government passed a new law, completely out of the blue, reducing the amount of time tourists could spend in the country. U.S. and Canadian tourists, who were always accorded 90 day stays upon entering the country, were suddenly only given 30. Sure, many applied for and got extensions of up to 60 days, but what a pain…who wants to deal with red tape in a government office when you ought to be sipping cervezas on the beach?
See More [+]Steenie’s 10 Best-value Destinations for 2008
Date: 01/21/2008Monday, Jan. 21, 2008
Read more about international travel in International Living Postcards—your daily escape
Some people salivate at the phrase “luxury travel.” Even with a lottery win, I wouldn’t want to ski at Gstaad, play roulette at Monte Carlo, or blow $400 in a Michelin-starred restaurant.
Quite frankly, I’d rather overnight in a viper pit than some ludicrously priced boutique hotels. Especially the ones designed for needy, pretentious types preoccupied by status.
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