The toilet paper chronicles

by Aaron Hotfelder on

I want to tell you about how I first discovered the meaning of the word “love.” Sounds pretty heavy, huh? Stay with me.

Several years ago, some friends and I were traveling through Morocco in a rented Fiat Uno– the car Fred Flintstone might have designed had he been born a few centuries later. All of a sudden, as if a bolt of lightning struck my intestines, I felt rather ill. [Too graphic? Keep reading.] I was at the point where, as most travelers to the “third world” will sympathize, I was in need of a trip to the facilities.

We were driving along, and I made my requirements known: “If we don’t stop somewhere,” I said, “something very bad is going to happen.” That was all my fellow passengers needed to hear.

We soon pulled into some one-horse town– a place that probably wouldn’t have appeared on any map– and I bolted to an open restaurant. Seeing the establishment’s proprietor, I spoke my very best French: “Perdon, où est les toilettes?” Perhaps the man couldn’t speak French, but he could tell by my gingerly gait, and the look on my face, what I was after. “Upstairs,” the man said in Arabic, as he pointed to a nearby stairwell. “Shukran,” (thank you) I said gratefully.

I quickly made my way to the Promised Land, and soon everything was right with the world. Admittedly, the bathroom turned out to be a hole in the ground, but that would meet my needs considering the circumstances. But wait. Apparently this restaurant did not have the same hygienic standards as the nearby Denny’s in my hometown, because there was a roll of very important paper (VIP) missing.

“What the hell am I going to do?” I wondered. Without much elaboration, you can imagine the scenarios that rushed through my head. “What the hell/shit/fuck/ am I going to do?” (Really, pick an expletive– they were probably all used.)

As I am considering this nightmare situation before me, I suddenly hear a knock on the bathroom door. “Aaron,” said my then-girlfriend’s angelic voice. “You might need this.”

I opened the door, and accepted one of the most cherished gifts I will ever receive– a cloud-white roll of the softest toilet paper known to man. “Fiona,” I told her. “You have no idea how much I love you.” She had brought me the roll without a reminder or a prompting. She knew what I needed, and she came through. “That–,” I thought, “that’s true love.”

The moral of the story– besides that insignificant bit of wisdom about the real meaning of love– is to always carry a roll of the white stuff with you. You never know when it might come in handy.

Another round of “top travel picks” for 2008

by Aaron Hotfelder on

Every section in every decent newspaper out there can squeeze two feature stories out of the Earth finishing another revolution around the Sun– one that takes “a look back at 2007” and another with predictions on the “hot new things” for 2008. And travel writers are notorious list-makers, so, well, here’s another one. London’s Times has come out with its 40 travel trends and trips for 2008.

In its “Where in the world to go” section, the Times jumps on the Argentina bandwagon, citing the still-favorable exchange rate. It also mentions China because of the upcoming Olympics, and Egypt because of a brand-new five-star resort for people who make a lot more money than I do.

The list also looks at some of Lonely Planet’s forecasts for the new year: “The guidebook publisher highlights two big themes in travel for 2008: travelling to Muslim countries and seeing endangered wildlife. It recommends visiting “countries of the crescent” such as Brunei, Mauritania, Tunisia, Turkey and Uzbekistan to “debunk [the] myths and stereotypes” surrounding Islam. Trips to see endangered animals – often helping to contribute to projects to protect wildlife – include seeing Komodo dragons in Indonesia, Siamese crocodiles in Vietnam and giant armadillos in Bolivia.” Lonely Planet recommends them… Obey! (Only kidding, LP!)

Whole thing here. The NY Times 2008 list– already covered to death– is here.

Do you have a New Year’s travel resolution?

by Aaron Hotfelder on

Our friends over at Budget Travel are asking for your New Year’s travel resolutions. Feel free to drop by and tell them about yours, or read those in the Comments to get some ideas.

So far, most commentors list destinations that they’d like to see– St. Petersburg, Cairo, the Galapagos– but some have to do with re-thinking the way in which we travel. For instance, one commentor is resolving not to travel by plane at all during 2008. Another commentor is pledging not to forget about the wonderful things to see in her own country: “Sometimes we get so caught up in the exciting travels we have abroad that we forget what adventures await us in our own backyard.” Guilty!

As for me, my resolution is to travel a bit faster. While many travelers often rush through countries in a feverish attempt to see everything, I have the opposite problem. I try so hard to, as someone once said, “know well a tiny piece of one place” that I end up missing some really worthwhile destinations. Well, I’ve shared mine, now how about you? Are you making any travel resolutions for the new year?

Car rental scams to look out for

by Jamie Rhein on

Whenever I’ve rented a car, I’ve always felt a bit anxious wondering what option to take when it comes to the insurance–or if the price is going to truly be what the information says it will be. Driving off a car lot in something I don’t own is thrilling on one hand, but disconcerting in another. What if something goes wrong?

So far, I haven’t been scammed, but I’ve probably paid for insurance I didn’t need–that loss of use business makes me wary–and I’ve double and triple checked what it is I’m signing up for. In many cases, I’ve been able to work out a better deal like trading up for a roomier car at the same initial rate for a smaller car.

Chris Elliot outlines scams to watch out for in his article “Hell on Wheels: Four Car Rental Scams.” They are scams because they unfairly tip in the car rental companies’ favor if a customer doesn’t pay attention to the fine print. Here are the three that I’ve watched out for myself. For the fourth one, read his article.

1. Refueling- For example, as with happened with us this summer when we rented our car at the Bellingham airport, the car rental person offered us the refueling charge option. At first it seemed like a fair deal, but it only would have been be a fair deal if we brought back the car with an empty tank. In our case, we turned him down and refueled making sure the needle went above the F right before we hit the airport. Elliot says that sometimes car rental companies will charge refueling anyway, even if the tank is full, but the needle is a tad below the F.

2. Doing anything outside of the initial terms of the contract. If you bring a car back early you can pay for a much higher rental feel. If you’ve rented for a week, you have a week rate. One day earlier puts you into the pay by the day category. I’ve always stayed within the original contract so this hasn’t been a problem. Years ago I added an extra week to a car leasing deal in Paris for not much extra money, but that sort of deal may be long gone.

3. Damage to the car. Car rental companies have also been known to charge for the same dent more than once. Technically, if the car is damaged while in your care, your insurance is responsible, unless you have the insurance through the car rental company. Elliot suggests taking pictures of the different sides of the car before you drive it off the lot to prevent the chance you may be charged for something you didn’t do. This fall I had a car rental after a car accident and made sure the guy marked down any ding I saw no matter how small. The car was white which made me feel nervous the whole time I was driving it. I found myself parking far away from other cars whenever possible.

[via CNN.com/travel]

Rick Steves on being a guidebook writer

by Aaron Hotfelder on

After 30 years producing guidebooks, Rick Steves could easily throw his suitcase into a closet and spend all his time swimming through his piles of money a la Scrooge McDuck. But the man continues to plug away, meticulously researching various European locales for his eponymous guidebooks. And more power to him.

To many of us, Rick Steves has the dream job– earning money to travel around the world, to think, write, and talk about travel. But in a recent article, he explained the process of researching a guidebook, and how it differs from what most people might imagine (as some Gadling contributors already know).

Rick says that while on location, guidebook writers’ entire days are spent conducting research, and he offers his secrets for how to get the best information about restaurants, hotels, activities, and more. For example, “Checking hotels before 10 a.m. is bad news — — people haven’t checked out yet — and the staff is still busy with breakfast. It’s hard to see a room. Checking late in the afternoon is also bad — everyone’s checked in for the day and places are reluctant to show rooms. Prime hotel-checking time is 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.”

Rick also answers a question I’ve always had about guidebook writers– how do they eat at all those places? Turns out, sometimes they don’t. “Restaurants are a big priority for any guidebook researcher…. I can’t eat everywhere, but I can talk to customers in each place. My reward — just before the kitchens close — is to eat at my favorite place.”

Personally, Rick’s guidebooks have never really fit my travel needs, but I’ll give the guy points for appearing to be one hell of a nice guy. And if you’re so inclined, you can give him points for this as well.

Last year, Neil Woodburn “hated” on Rick Steves here.