The "I'm Traveling somewhere" Thread

[pg1067]

So I'm planning my trip to Toronto in February and looking at hotel prices, I'm contemplating getting an AirBnB instead.  I'm seeing some spots at good prices with some good enough reviews that's cheaper than the hotel I am thinking about booking.  The issue is that I have never reserved an AirBnB before.  Are they an ok thing to book and have a safe sleep in?

I've never used AirBnB, but I've used VRBO, which is basically the same thing.  In fact, my 20yo is coming back today from a trip to New York, and he stayed at a VRBO in Jersey City.  No problems at all, but a couple of cautions when booking:

1. Some listings are better than others about location.  Some will only give you a radius, while others will be more exact.  I try to look the places up on Google Maps/Earth so you can get an idea of the neighborhood.

2. There are all different types of places on VRBO, including single rooms or just the upstairs of someone's house.  Sometimes hotels will list on VRBO.  Make sure you understand what you're getting.

3. As Bart noted, you're going to get charged a cleaning fee at most places, and there are other fees and lodging taxes (just like you'll pay at a hotel).  Sometimes you'll think you're getting a great place for $100 per night for five nights, but it jumps up $150-200 when you go to reserve.  Also, we ran into something really unusual when we booked the place my kid just stayed at.  They had a mandatory damage deposit - either a refundable $5,000 cash deposit (charge on a credit card) or buy a $99 damage insurance policy.  My kid really wanted a place with a kitchen so he could cook for himself and his friends, so he went with it (it was also still less per night than any hotel he might get).

[chknptpie]

I've only had good experiences with AirBnb stays. I prefer to get the entire place/apartment whatever. I've never done just a room. Hosts have always been super accommodating and respectful of privacy.

[lordxizor]

I've had good experiences with AriBNB and VRBO as well. The only thing that I would caution is to look at the full cost of the AirBNB compared to a hotel before you make the decision. AirBNBs look artificially low in cost if you just look at the nightly rate. There are fees galore on AirBNB and it's incredibly annoying. But it can still be much cheaper for more space.

[El Barto]

As a rule I've never found the ABB fees to be anything that obnoxious. And they show them to you when you look at the actual listing. Since the cleaning fees are per stay, rather than per day, they'll be alright for most travelers. Where I run into a problem is that it's highly unusual for me to spend more than two nights in any given location. I'm always on the move when I travel, and mostly it's one night per town. That's when the cleaning fees become a big problem. If I were staying five days somewhere the cleaning fees would be a drop in the bucket. Paying the full fee each night is a dealbreaker.

Side note, those cleaning fees are ridiculous in Mexico City. Seems the Mexicans have started charging US rates for cleaning, while the pads themselves are still priced relative to the peso. It's not unusual to see a nice apartment for ~$45, with a $50 cleaning fee. They used to be $45+5 or so. It's unfortunate.

[TAC]

I honestly couldn't ever envision myself using an AB&B.

[lordxizor]

I honestly couldn't ever envision myself using an AB&B.

Where we've enjoyed them is on longer trips as a family where we want to have the option to cook our own meals. Having multiple bedrooms and a living room is nice rather than piling into a small hotel room. Having the ability to cook meals is a huge money saver. But if those aren't issues or priorities, having a regular hotel room is great. I prefer that when traveling by myself.

[TAC]

I honestly couldn't ever envision myself using an AB&B.

Where we've enjoyed them is on longer trips as a family where we want to have the option to cook our own meals. Having multiple bedrooms and a living room is nice rather than piling into a small hotel room. Having the ability to cook meals is a huge money saver. But if those aren't issues or priorities, having a regular hotel room is great. I prefer that when traveling by myself.

I totally get the cooking angle. My wife prefers to have a kitchen type setup too. It's much cheaper and healthier. We just can't eat out breakfast/lunch/dinner everyday in vacation. We just book a hotel room that accommodates this. We are Disney Vacation Club members, so when we travel, the DVC points can be used with a third party (timeshare company) so we'll use that wherever possible, and we've had some great accommodations.

[lordxizor]

I honestly couldn't ever envision myself using an AB&B.

Where we've enjoyed them is on longer trips as a family where we want to have the option to cook our own meals. Having multiple bedrooms and a living room is nice rather than piling into a small hotel room. Having the ability to cook meals is a huge money saver. But if those aren't issues or priorities, having a regular hotel room is great. I prefer that when traveling by myself.

I totally get the cooking angle. My wife prefers to have a kitchen type setup too. It's much cheaper and healthier. We just can't eat out breakfast/lunch/dinner everyday in vacation. We just book a hotel room that accommodates this. We are Disney Vacation Club members, so when we travel, the DVC points can be used with a third party (timeshare company) so we'll use that wherever possible, and we've had some great accommodations.

That makes sense if you have the DVC points pre-paid for. We've found that AirBNBs are better for us than hotel suites with kitchenettes in general.

On a side note, how do you like being a DVC member? We tossed out the idea a while back of joining, but we live in Minnesota and travel to the DVC locations is too costly for us to go enough to make it worth it. If we were within a days' drive of Orlando, we probably would have talked ourselves into it. We love Disney parks (were just there last week actually).

[TAC]

Yeah, whatever works, but we do have the cooking in common. Basically, load up at a local Walmart of grocery store. So much better for the family.

On a side note, how do you like being a DVC member? We tossed out the idea a while back of joining, but we live in Minnesota and travel to the DVC locations is too costly for us to go enough to make it worth it. If we were within a days' drive of Orlando, we probably would have talked ourselves into it. We love Disney parks (were just there last week actually).

We loved it. Of course we bought in about 20 years ago. We bought two 150 point memberships through a resale and I think it was like $65-$70 per point. Plus, there's a yearly "Maintenance Fee" which has basically doubled over the last 10 years. 
There's a ton of rules around banking and borrowing your points, but my wife is the expert on it.
It wasn't necessarily a cheap or bargain thing. I mean, we did buy in at a good price. My youngest son turns 20 in two months, but my kids basically grew up there.

I'd be fine selling the thing. The yearly fee, basically locks you into using it just because. The timeshare isn't always in a convenient location to where we are travelling. But we have had great accommodations.

Honestly, unless you can get a good deal on a membership, I'd pass. It's way more expensive to purchase, and like I said, the yearly fee is a killer.
Plus the Disney Experience has not grown commensurate with the cost.

[lordxizor]

Yeah, whatever works, but we do have the cooking in common. Basically, load up at a local Walmart of grocery store. So much better for the family.

On a side note, how do you like being a DVC member? We tossed out the idea a while back of joining, but we live in Minnesota and travel to the DVC locations is too costly for us to go enough to make it worth it. If we were within a days' drive of Orlando, we probably would have talked ourselves into it. We love Disney parks (were just there last week actually).

We loved it. Of course we bought in about 20 years ago. We bought two 150 point memberships through a resale and I think it was like $65-$70 per point. Plus, there's a yearly "Maintenance Fee" which has basically doubled over the last 10 years. 
There's a ton of rules around banking and borrowing your points, but my wife is the expert on it.
It wasn't necessarily a cheap or bargain thing. I mean, we did buy in at a good price. My youngest son turns 20 in two months, but my kids basically grew up there.

I'd be fine selling the thing. The yearly fee, basically locks you into using it just because. The timeshare isn't always in a convenient location to where we are travelling. But we have had great accommodations.

Honestly, unless you can get a good deal on a membership, I'd pass. It's way more expensive to purchase, and like I said, the yearly fee is a killer.
Plus the Disney Experience has not grown commensurate with the cost.

The main reason I wouldn't bother at this point is because my company likes to hold seminars at events at Disneyland and Disney World. So I've gotten highly discounted and subsidized trips through work. We just stayed at the Grand Floridian for 5 nights (work covered 3) for $329 a night and got discounts on park tickets. This kind of thing happens at least once a year, so we wouldn't really have a chance to use DVC points anyway. The cost has gotten a little out of hand in recent years I think for the DVC, but it can still make sense if you're set on going once every year or two and staying on Disney property.

[El Barto]

I honestly couldn't ever envision myself using an AB&B.

There are advantages and disadvantages, as will all things. Something I like is that you get to stay in a neighborhood, or a small town, away from where hotels tend to be. Sometimes you want to be in the busiest part of the city, and sometimes you want to be among the locals. Since I eat out exclusively when traveling, being around the locals and eating where they eat is much better than eating in the touristy part of town.

And honestly, things tend to even out. I've had great beds and crappy beds in both. I've had peace and quiet and noisy neighbors in both (though ABnB typically wins that one). I've been in good neighborhoods and crappy neighborhoods in both. Same with plumbing, TV, HVAC, etc. Overall I've probably done a bit better in ABBs, and definitely saved a ton of money.

Really, it's the neighborhood thing that makes it for me, though.

[TAC]

I get that.

[pg1067]

I honestly couldn't ever envision myself using an AB&B.

Where we've enjoyed them is on longer trips as a family where we want to have the option to cook our own meals. Having multiple bedrooms and a living room is nice rather than piling into a small hotel room. Having the ability to cook meals is a huge money saver.

Absolutely.  We don't typically travel as a family anymore, but nowadays, I don't want to subject my kids to my snoring, and my daughter is now 18, so it's a little more comfortable for her.  Our best experiences with VRBO places were when we went to England back in '09 and Boston in '12.

The only thing that I would caution is to look at the full cost of the AirBNB compared to a hotel before you make the decision. AirBNBs look artificially low in cost if you just look at the nightly rate. There are fees galore on AirBNB and it's incredibly annoying. But it can still be much cheaper for more space.

After I posted yesterday, I looked at the confirmation email for my kid's trip to NY/NJ:  $120 per night (for five nights); $100 cleaning fee; $94 service fee; $99 damage insurance; $116.38 lodging tax.  Ended up a hair over $200 per night, but it was still better than a hotel in Manhattan - especially when you factor in the saved food cost.

[Anguyen92]

All right, thanks for the insight everyone.  I booked my reservation at an AirBnB in Toronto and I'm pretty pleased with the price.  After fees, the prices is about $55.00 a night.  It's a bit of a travel coming from YYZ in public transportation, but it's pretty darn close to History (the music venue that I'm going to be at for a concert).  Going to be a good one.

[Azyiu]

Has anyone here taken a 4-day trip from London to Paris via the EuroStar train? And, what are some of the must-sees or do in Paris for such a short trip? I am thinking about doing that sometime in January.

[TAC]

Has anyone here taken a 4-day trip from London to Paris via the EuroStar train? And, what are some of the must-sees or do in Paris for such a short trip? I am thinking about doing that sometime in January.

So we did a weeklong trip to Paris/London back in 2014, flying in to CDG and home from Heathrow. We took the Eurostar from Paris to London through the Chunnel. It was awesome to take the train through the countryside. We actually stayed at Disney Paris for 3 or 4 nights. There's a train station right there that we took right into Paris. I think it's about 40 minutes by train south of Paris.

In our one day in Paris...
We took the train and got out at The Arc (which was amazing). I think in the 20 years since we have had kids, it's one of my favorite family photos.
From there we walked to the Eiffel Tower.
At the Eiffel Tower, we took a river cruise up the Seine and back, which was really nice.
We then walked to Notre Dame, and had a nice lunch at an outdoor cafe in that area.
From there, we walked to the Louvre. We got there too late to get into the actual museum, but the large lobby was still open, as was the gift shop.
We then walked to the nearest train station and went back to Disney.

We did that all in one day. Walking the whole time, we got a really nice look at some of the different parts of the city. Obviously, we missed a lot, but we hit the touristy points and got our family photos.
One thing I'd love to do if we go back is to actually go into The Arc.

[pg1067]

Has anyone here taken a 4-day trip from London to Paris via the EuroStar train? And, what are some of the must-sees or do in Paris for such a short trip? I am thinking about doing that sometime in January.

This is going to sound stupid, but when we (wife + 7yo and 5yo) were in London in '09, we took a day trip to Paris on the TGV.  Left one afternoon.  Spent the night across from the Louvre.  Visited the Louvre (about 3-4 hours), walked around to the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe, got back on the train and went back to London.  In retrospect, it seems ridiculous to stay such a short time, but the kids enjoyed the train ride and the Louvre, and we had a great time.  With more time, we'd probably have visited Notre Dame and Versailles.

[Nekov]

Has anyone here taken a 4-day trip from London to Paris via the EuroStar train? And, what are some of the must-sees or do in Paris for such a short trip? I am thinking about doing that sometime in January.

Did one recently and one a long time ago. The Eiffel Tower, Arc de Tripmph are a must. The Louvre has some great stuff, specially the Egypt and middle east wings.
If you like impressionism (monet, maner, van gogh) then Musee d'orsay is a must.
Then there is the museum of weapons which is where napoleons grave is which is also really nice.
Versailles is great, but much more enjoyable in spring or summer when the garden is in full bloom.
And whatever you do, don't leave without eating racklette. It is a one of a kind experience.

[TAC]

Awesome pics Paul!

Some pics of the TACation 2014..

Inside the Louvre








Oh, and this is us after flying all night with no sleep. We couldn't check into our hotel (the New York Hotel), so we walked over to the park..

[DragonAttack]

It's obvious from our meeting a couple of months ago that your youngest has grown just a tad, Mrs. TAC is as lovely as ever, and... that those reading glasses of yours are permanently attached   

[pg1067]

Very nice, Tim!

[cramx3]

Last Saturday night was spent in Atlantic City, Sunday I went to a concert in New York City, and yesterday morning I flew out to Los Angeles.  Needless to say, I was wiped yesterday when I made it to work out here.  What a busy 3 days of traveling around. 

The Hertz in LAX ran out of cars in the lot they assigned to me yesterday.  After a 15 minute wait, out came a mustang for me. I'll take that wait for the upgrade.  Also going to try to hit up the Amon Amarth concert at the Forum on Saturday 

[Anguyen92]

^^ If you are still around in the area at the time, the USA and Canada women's hockey teams are going to be playing a game at the building formerly known as Staples Center next Monday if that interests you.  I'll be there.

[cramx3]

^^ If you are still around in the area at the time, the USA and Canada women's hockey teams are going to be playing a game at the building formerly known as Staples Center next Monday if that interests you.  I'll be there.

I probably could go, work seems to be pretty light for this trip, but honestly, not sure that interests me. I'm still going to try and find a somewhat affordable ticket for Metallica / Greta Van Fleet on Friday.  I noticed some drop in prices, but it's still too much. 

[El Barto]

Last Saturday night was spent in Atlantic City, Sunday I went to a concert in New York City, and yesterday morning I flew out to Los Angeles.  Needless to say, I was wiped yesterday when I made it to work out here.  What a busy 3 days of traveling around. 

The Hertz in LAX ran out of cars in the lot they assigned to me yesterday.  After a 15 minute wait, out came a mustang for me. I'll take that wait for the upgrade.  Also going to try to hit up the Amon Amarth concert at the Forum on Saturday 

My free Avis upgrades have been great. I had a brand new Mustang for the last NJ/PA trip, <400 miles, and a Jaguar SUV from LAX. I've started renting the cheapest car I can get from them since they're always upgrading me to something nice.

[cramx3]

Technically I got a free upgrade from intermediate to Presidents Circle, but the cars that were in that lot before being taken were not muscle cars.  The guy in front of me waiting got a charger.  When I told my boss about the wait, he said he had a better experience at Avis, but I've always been solid with Hertz from experience so I never thought to try somewhere else. I think Hertz is the only consistent spot though for all my work locations which is why I opted for it initially.

[El Barto]

Technically I got a free upgrade from intermediate to Presidents Circle, but the cars that were in that lot before being taken were not muscle cars.  The guy in front of me waiting got a charger.  When I told my boss about the wait, he said he had a better experience at Avis, but I've always been solid with Hertz from experience so I never thought to try somewhere else. I think Hertz is the only consistent spot though for all my work locations which is why I opted for it initially.

I'd hated Avis until I signed up for their loyalty program. It certainly paid off for them, as it's my go-to. The skip the line part is awesome, too. Once I turn my phone on at landing they'll offer up an upgrade. If you decline it they'll offer something else, assuming they're available. Walk straight to "D-47," get in and drive off. I doubt I'll ever get enough points or status to get other perks, but I'm happy with what I've got.

[cramx3]

Technically I got a free upgrade from intermediate to Presidents Circle, but the cars that were in that lot before being taken were not muscle cars.  The guy in front of me waiting got a charger.  When I told my boss about the wait, he said he had a better experience at Avis, but I've always been solid with Hertz from experience so I never thought to try somewhere else. I think Hertz is the only consistent spot though for all my work locations which is why I opted for it initially.

I'd hated Avis until I signed up for their loyalty program. It certainly paid off for them, as it's my go-to. The skip the line part is awesome, too. Once I turn my phone on at landing they'll offer up an upgrade. If you decline it they'll offer something else, assuming they're available. Walk straight to "D-47," get in and drive off. I doubt I'll ever get enough points or status to get other perks, but I'm happy with what I've got.

I can't remember the last time I waited in line for a rental.  From what I could tell, all these places have free programs so you can just go to your car.  For Hertz, they don't assign you a specific spot in the lot, but they assign you a specific lot and you can pick your car from what's available in that lot which is kind of nice because you can get an idea of the condition of the car before you take it.  My issue was there was two bus drops off of people at the same time to the lot resulting in a rush of people grabbing all the cars.  Honestly, still not a bad experience though.

[MirrorMask]

In early January I will have my first business trip ever!

I never had a job that required to travel, this is gonna be an absolute first for me. I'm working in tech support for a multinational company, and since the german division is not doing so well performances wise, they asked me and my other coworker to go there and share the way we train newcomers in Italy, to streamline and improve their training process.

So from the 8th to the 13th of January I will be in Dusseldorf, Germany, which I never visited so far even though I've been many times in Germany, for festivals and for travelling around with friends met there. My return to Germany has been long overdue and it's gonna happen for work this time! bit scared but also excited, I already know there won't be time for sightseeing but at least I'll see a bit of Dusseldorf. Pity I won't have time to go to the nearby Koln and see the majestic black gothic cathedral, would have been a cool occasion to do that!

[Azyiu]

Could you take an additional day or two of annual leaves while you are there?

Business trips, at least back then when I was with another job; are usually half business and half networking. Things usually get done easier remotely down the road, if you have established a pretty friendly relationship with the local teams.

[cramx3]

My business trips, historically, are all work and no play, but as time has gone on, I've found my ways to have some fun.  Having said that, this business trip in LA has been cake walk.  I've been bored out here actually, but I did have my fun this weekend checking out some concerts.  I fly home today, a day early since there's no work left here, and I actually don't think I need to work until January 2nd.

[MirrorMask]

Could you take an additional day or two of annual leaves while you are there?

Business trips, at least back then when I was with another job; are usually half business and half networking. Things usually get done easier remotely down the road, if you have established a pretty friendly relationship with the local teams.

Never really got back on this, sorry.

This is the first of a kind for me and my coworker so we'll just do the minimal stay for now. We'll see next times. The german division of the company gave us a nice modern 4 stars hotel, they definitively weren't cheap! flight is confirmed for this sunday, I'm kinda excited to see how it goes, and as I said, I will finally be back to Germany, yay!

[MirrorMask]

Anyway, you were right on the "half business, half networking" part! remember how I wrote I didn't have time to go to the nearby Koln? actually I did! even better, it was two people from their office who offered to bring me and my other coworker there, and that was on top of having another work dinner all together in a fancy part of Dusseldorf a couple of days before! those people are gonna visit us in Italy (always for working reasons) in a month or two so we're gonna return the favor any way we can 

[Podaar]

Anyway, you were right on the "half business, half networking" part! remember how I wrote I didn't have time to go to the nearby Koln? actually I did!

Please Odin, tell me you went Kolsch hopping while you were there!

[MirrorMask]

Anyway, you were right on the "half business, half networking" part! remember how I wrote I didn't have time to go to the nearby Koln? actually I did!

Please Odin, tell me you went Kolsch hopping while you were there!

First of all, I don't drink beer and I basically don't drink any kind of alcohol.

Having said that, when you're on a business trip and a hot german woman asks you to drink Kolsch, can you say no....?  I trusted her when she said it was somehow sweet and light for a beer and she was right, so I almost enjoyed drinking that in the honor of someone who decided me to bring me to Koln just because I mentioned that I loved the city, she (and the other guy that came along with us) didn't really have to do it, they were so kind in bringing me and my coworker along!