Travel by bus – International travel tip

by Gadling Staff on

Americans are used to either flying to a destination or driving on the interstate. However, don’t pass up the chance to take the bus when traveling abroad.

Many bus companies offer more luxury accommodations than the national airline. Moreover, the cost is usually comparatively low — even for long distance travel. Additionally, bus travel gives you the chance to see the local scenery and meet other travelers. Finally, there is no arduous security, so you can take your razor and as much shampoo as you like.

Just be sure to bring enough water and food.

[Photo: Flickr | E01]

Travel to U.S. off 5 percent in 2009

by Tom Johansmeyer on

The numbers are finally in: international visitation to the United States reached 54.9 million last year, down 5 percent from 2008. The top markets, as usual, were Canada and Mexico, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Commerce, both of which posted year-over-year declines. South America, Oceana and Asia, meanwhile, put up the strongest growth in travel to the United States in the fourth quarter, buoyed largely by action from China and Brazil.

In December alone, 4.1 million people visited came here, a 5 percent increase from December 2008. This marked the third consecutive month of increased travel to the United States, though the entire fourth quarter of the year before was marred by the effects of the global financial crisis. For the fourth quarter of 2009, travel to the United States was up 2 percent, with 15 of the top 20 arrival markets showing growth. Travel from Canada was up 3 percent, with Mexico up 1 percent. Visitation from overseas markets gained 1 percent.For the entire year, only seven of the top 20 arrival markets showed year-over-year increases, with Brazil and Argentina hitting double-digit rates. The United Kingdom and Japan were among the markets with declines. Overall, the top 20 were responsible for 89 percent of all international arrivals to the United States, and the entire cohort was off 6 percent.

Spending, unfortunately, didn’t fare as well as traffic. Last year, visitors from outside the country dropped $121.1 billion, representing a decline of 15 percent year over year. In December, they spent $10.3 billion, off 8 percent from the prior December but at least showing that the trend is headed in the right direction (as the rate of decline was only half that for the year as a whole). December was the fourteenth consecutive month in which travel exports fell year over year.

The decline in tourist spending was likely influenced by several factors, from deals on airfare and hotels to general economic pressures that kept people from spending as much as they’d normally like.

Check your insurance – International travel tip

by Gadling Staff on

One the most important — and overlooked — things to do before traveling abroad is to check into your medical insurance coverage.

Call your insurance company to see if you and your family are covered overseas. This is especially important for destinations where disease and illness is more common, or for trips where a lot of physical activity occurs. If your medical insurance doesn’t extend internationally, consider purchasing supplemental insurance for the time you’re abroad.

Also, before leaving home, write down all your insurance information and carry it with you at all times. It’s also a good idea to make copies for any family member traveling with you. Finally, consider providing copies for family or friends staying at home … in case of emergency.

“Where’s the bathroom?” – International travel tip

by Gadling Staff on

Whenever traveling internationally, it’s important — for obvious reasons — to know how to ask where the bathroom is.

Make sure to do some research before starting a trip to a foreign land. Even if the country speaks the same language, it’s important to know customs so as not to make an unpleasant remark.

One trick that can be used with many phrases is to keep a cheat sheet in your pocket with the translations. This way you can look quickly without having to flip through a book, and pair words together.

A little planing can save a lot of frustration — and a big mess!

Foreign visitor spending in U.S. gets ugly

by Tom Johansmeyer on


The U.S. Department of Commerce tells us that spending in the United States by foreign visitors fell 13 percent to $10.3 billion for the month of October – off $1.6 billion from October 2008. For the entire year, international visitor spending plunged 16 percent. Spending fell $18.6 billion. The good news is that the October decline is better than the year-to-date drop, which the international travel market may be on its way back.

Visitors to the United States spent $8 billion in October on goods and services related to tourism and travel, off 12 percent year-over-year. This money was spent on “food, lodging, recreation, gifts, entertainment, local transportation in the United States, and other items incidental to foreign travel,” according to a Commerce Department statement.

Passenger fare receipts – including air and other forms of international travel to the United States – fell close to 16 percent to $2.2 billion for the month of October. This is off more than $420 million compared to October 2008. October was the twelfth month in a row in which travel and tourism exports declined year-over-year.From January to October this year, foreign visitors dropped $100.9 billion getting to and hanging out in the United States. But, they 16 percent by which they trimmed their spending is not without similarity on our side of the equation. U.S. travel imports – i.e., those of us visiting other countries – reached a mere $81.6 billion, off around 13 percent ($12.1 billion). The result was a trade surplus of $19.2 billion for the first 10 months of 2009, representing a decline of 25 percent from the 2008 travel and tourism trade surplus.

The tanking of the travel market at the end of 2008 – following the near-collapse of the global financial services market in September – marked the end of more than five years of consecutive monthly growth in travel and tourism exports. For the past 12 months, the situation has been grim, but the pressure appears to be easing, at least slightly.

The broader economic climate seems to be improving slowly, but it remains vulnerable to many risks. Another financial time bomb could send everything off the rails again, so it’s certainly too soon to say the travel market is returning to normal. There are signs, however, that it could be headed in the right direction. Fast and easy answers, on the other hand, will remain elusive for a while.