Fare Alert! Get to Buenos Aires in June and July for under $650!

by Grant Martin on

With apologies, I’m a day behind on this fare alert because I didn’t have access to Blogsmith over the weekend. I was surprised to find the fare still in tact when I returned from traveling though, so thought I would pass around the good news.

United is having a crazy sale to Buenos Aires that went into effect yesterday. From destinations all over the country including the Washington DC area, Los Angeles, New York City and even Detroit, travelers can book round trip tickets into Argentina for well under 650$, with some tickets as low as 599$. Travel dates appear to be valid through the end of June, with even some availability over the Fourth of July.

Book an extra long weekend over the Fourth and take some time to visit Mendoza, Argentina’s famous wine country, Patagonia, the huge nature preserve after which the outdoor clothing company is named or Montevideo, Uruguay’s Capital city that’s only a short boat ride away. I’m already jealous.

Mind you, it is winter time in Buenos Aires, so you’ll be experiencing weather in the mid 50’s while you’re down there. But the country is beautiful, the dollar is strong and the culture is rich. You can handle it.

Use Kayak’s flexible three day search around your target dates to find availbility. As of 2230 EST on June 15th, I’m still finding plenty of availability.

Photo of the day (02/04/08)

by Iva Skoch on

Whenever I travel, I always come back with a few door pictures. I don’t know what it is about doors that I find so fascinating. I would get into some metaphysical thing about spaces behind closed doors, but I will spare you.

This is a photo by tysonwilliams, taken in Buenos Aires. I like the kitschy yellow job on the door. I never know how these things are done. Do you first make the photo black & white, then color the door yellow? Or, do you start with a color photo and make everything–but for the door–black & white?

***To have your photo considered for the Gadling Photo of the Day, go over to the Gadling Flickr site and post it.***

It takes $60-80 to tango in Argentina

by Iva Skoch on

Argentina is seeing a comeback of tango, according to the International Herald Tribune. The so-called tango economy is growing 25 percent a year, which experts attribute to the jump in tourism to Argentina after a deep economic slowdown in 2002. Because the peso currency plummeted, travel to Argentina suddenly became cheap.

When tourists visit Buenos Aires, they want to see tango. That is the “it” thing to do. The easiest way to do this is by booking a diner table at one of the dinner theaters, such as Esquina Carlos Gardel, and eat steak while watching tango. Most such shows go for $60-80, making the tango business a $450 million a year industry. Industry of primarily observers and dinner-eaters, not dancers, that is.

I guess you’ll have to bring all that passion back to the hotel room if they won’t let you butcher the dance on the floor.

Stranded travelers riot at Argentine airport

by Justin Glow on

In most airports I’ve traveled through, when confronted with flight delays or rude ticket agents, passengers quietly express their concern with the situation. Sure, there are a usually few outcasts who raise their voice or stomp their feet to show their frustration. Some of us even shake our fists in the air, bravely vowing to blog to the world, Mr. Johanson, just how rude you are, and how ugly your vest.

But in Argentina, they riot

After learning of numerous flight cancellations, frustrated travelers at Ministro Pistarini International Airport (also known as Ezeiza Airport) near Buenos Aires turned their anger towards the ticket counter, “tossing computers in the air and shoving security guards,” according to an AP article. “Local television broadcasts showed passengers overrunning ticketing counters, throwing computers and wrestling with airport personnel, even as a spokesman for the airline attempted to explain the cause of delays.”

The delays were said to be caused by a labor dispute involving pilots and baggage handlers. Incidentally, these are the same baggage handlers who have been frequently accused by a local news station of stealing electronics out of luggage, according to Wikipedia. The unions, naturally, blamed the delays on overbooked flights.