Tips for Upgrading Your Airline Seat — On the Cheap

by Catherine Bodry on

I used to enjoy flying, but lately it’s become such a chore. Long lines, delays, and uncomfortable seats. Well, Aviation.com offers some help for the seat situation. These tips won’t get you through airport security any quicker, but they might make a long wait on the tarmac a bit more bearable. Here are a few of the tips for scoring a more comfortable seat:

  • Fly JetBlue. JetBlue’s has added extra legroom on its Airbus jets, with at least a 36-inch seat pitch in the first 11 rows of its Airbus 320 fleet and at least 34 inches in rows 12-25 (seat pitch is the distance between any one point on the seat and that same point in the row ahead or behind). Some airlines have 32 or even 31 inches between seats.
  • Pay for an exit row. Gadling blogger Iva is all for upgrading to an exit row — while it may cost as much as $75 for all that luxurious legroom, it’s worth the price on an international flight. Aviation.com lists some exit row seats going for as low as $5.
  • Look for “premium economy.” On United, you can sometimes upgrade to “economy plus,” which has 5 more inches of legroom than regular economy. Frequent United flyers might want to look into Economy Plus Access, which allows passengers to reserve economy plus for themselves and a guest for a year of travel, which at $349 a year isn’t too expensive.
  • Use miles to upgrade to First Class. I still haven’t flown in First, but one of these days I’m going to cash in my miles for a taste of the good life.

These are just a few of many tips offered; it’s worth reading the full article at Msnbc.com.

Budget Travel’s ‘Cheapest Place in the World’ Not So Cheap

by Catherine Bodry on

When my news feeder gave me the headline “Cheapest Places in the World,” I clicked excitedly on the link, anticipating a new traveler’s hot spot, a place where I might travel on $30 a day at the most.

I was wrong. Budget Travel’s “cheapest place,” Mancorá, Peru, may be inexpensive for someone who can afford a vacation, but it’s far beyond my backpacker’s budget. Usually when I buy a plane ticket to somewhere far, far away, it means I’m going to be gone a good long while. And if that’s the case, there are no $40/night hotel rooms — my budget ranges from $60-100 a day (Europe) to $20 a day (India). If I’m headed to Peru, I’m going to be shopping for the cheapest possible accommodation, and I have a feeling it can get a lot cheaper than $40 for a bed. Ditto for eating — Budget Traveler suggests that a $6 meal is a bargain, but the writers obviously haven’t looked to street food for their culinary delights. As we’ve written about the merits of eating street food many times here at Gadling, I won’t say more than this: Street food is generally less risky, much tastier, and a lot cheaper than restaurant food, especially if said restaurants are anywhere near tourist hot spots.


Get more tips for enjoying budget travel!

So, who is Budget Travel catering to? I’m guessing it’s the demographic I’m increasingly less a part of: the unattached, DINKs (Double Income No Kids), 20- 30-somethings who have the same travel bug in their veins from studying or volunteering abroad when they were younger, but who can afford to class up their travels just a notch. But for now, Budget Travel’s recommendations are a bit out of my budget.

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Planes or Trains? Which is the Best Way to Travel in Europe?

by Neil Woodburn on

There was a time not so long ago that train travel was the only way to travel Europe; planes were prohibitively expensive and only used by businessmen.

Obviously this has all changed with the arrival of budget airlines. Super low fares, some as low as a euro, now make plane travel the obvious choice.

Or does it?

Tips for getting around Western Europe by plane & by train is an LA Times article which tackles the modern day euro-conundrum: train or plane?

To answer this question, Journalist Jane Engle went on assignment, traveling through four countries in four days using a combination of budget airlines and high speed trains. I wasn’t too surprised with the eventual outcome of her journey; planes are better for long distances, trains are better for shorter ones.

The problem with many budget airlines, she learns, is that they normally fly into smaller airports that are usually further from the city center and more expensive to get to. In addition, there are the security lines to deal with as well as getting to the airport an hour early. Trains, on the other hand, simply pull into the center of town, and you’re there!

Giving the option, I personally will always opt for train travel; it’s more scenic and relaxing and is part of the journey itself; plane travel is nothing more than transportation.

Free (and Almost Free) in London

by Catherine Bodry on

Fodor’s Travel Wire recently put out a comprehensive list of sites and activities in London that are free, or close to it. I’ve never spent as much money in as short amount of time as I have when I’ve been in London. The last time I was there the dollar was significantly stronger than it is now, yet I managed to blow through my (admittedly meager) savings in a weekend.

Fodor’s list includes free or cheap art museums, free concerts, and cheap theater, opera, and movies. The “offbeat experiences” are the best: look up ancestors in a public record office, visit Hyde Park or Covent Garden, or watch fishmongers in Borough Market.

Don’t forget to account for the cost of transportation when planning your budget — the Tube is not cheap, although it’s the least expensive way to get around London besides walking.

How to do Europe for (relatively) Cheap: Some Tips

by Martha Edwards on

Ok, I’ll admit — I’m no expert on Europe but I’ve been there a few times and each time, I’ve been on a budget. And while it’s no Thailand price-wise, there are a number of things you can do to make sure you won’t end up having to sell of your belongings one by one to get home. Here are some tips:

  • Know where to go. England, France and Italy are really expensive. And while I know you’ve always dreamt of posing for a picture in front of Buckingham Palace/The Eiffel Tower/The Vatican, sometimes there are better way to spend your money. I found Greece and Spain to be fairly reasonable in comparison, and many parts of Eastern Europe, like Hungary, are a steal compared to these countries.
  • Also, know when to go. It’s no joke — the price of everything goes up in July and August. And by everything, I mean everything — not just accommodation and transportation. Food prices on menus are rarely fixed; this is so they can jack it up in high tourist season. The same goes for souvenirs, admission prices, and just about everything else.
  • Take the bus. I know, it’s not as quick as a plane, or as romantic as a train, but it’s the cheapest way to get around from place to place. If there’s an overnight bus option, take that one because although you’ll end up sleep-deprived, you’ll save a night’s accommodation.
  • Connect. I didn’t have any close relatives in England until I went there with my mom. She did some digging into the old family tree and she discovered many distant cousins scattered throughout Europe and the UK. While it seems a bit cheeky to contact them out of the blue and ask for a place to stay, the worst they can do is say no. In our case, we got to know our distant cousins quite well and now have a place to stay whenever we make our way across the pond. If you don’t have any relatives in Europe, ask around — some of your friends are bound to. Or, try couch-swapping.
  • If you’re staying for a while, rent a place with a kitchen. Eating is expensive. If you can put together your own meals, you’ll save a lot of money.
  • Do some research. There are lots of things you can do for cheap or free, even in the most expensive places in the world. The Tate Modern in London, for instance, is a great way to spend a day … and it’s free!

I could go on and on — there are many ways to save money if you do a bit of brainstorming — but I think you get the idea.