Spring Break is Back!

The New York Times is reporting that resorts are wooing students to drum up more business. In a good economy, the spring break crowd has been increasingly considered more trouble than they are worth. Panama Beach City, FL, is going to be hosting MTV once again in a week of drunken reality shows and inane hilarity.

Students can get some good deals by sharing rooms through STA Travel, a popular student travel network. For non-spring breakers, I recently saw a deal from Jetblue offering what I believe was $69 flights from Boston to Cancun (courtesy of Travel Zoo). That was very tempting in this sub-20 degree weather.

Toilets for a Quid

A BBC article just announced that Ryanair CEO, Michael O'Leary, was considering charging a pound to use the airplane restrooms. Available after depositing money through a "coin slot on the toilet door", the restrooms may become a new revenue stream for the airline. More likely a PR stunt to get the airline in the papers, the PR chief down-played the idea. A more palatable money saver the airline just announced is the plan to close down all of its airline check-in desks by the end of the year.

While Ryanair has certainly led the budget airline market in Europe, it sure would be nice if some of the prices they offer were available in the US. I am not sure if these techniques are what makes the low prices possible. A more vibrant traveling culture in the US would certainly help to stimulate the economy. President Obama should look at how budget travel can stimulate the economy and lead to richer life-style for Americans.

Ryanair Transatlantic Flights for $13

13 might not be a lucky number, but Ryanair has turned that silly superstition on its head by leaking information about transatlantic flights for $13. Suggested US departure points include New York, Florida, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Boston. With cheap flights all over Europe available from Britain and Ireland, you might soon be able to reach anywhere in Europe for $50! More to come...

[from Boston.com]

Hit the Hay in Germany

I thought I was a pretty seasoned budget traveler, until I heard about German Haylofts. The idea was introduced to me in a podcast by Rick Steves when he interviewed a guy known for Vagabonding. The idea was pretty foreign to me (no pun intended), but certainly intriguing. Fortunately, the NYTimes recently had an article about these Heuhotels. It doesn't take much to provide overnight lodging to the extremely cost-conscious traveler, so a farm with an empty barn and some bales of hay can provide a few dozen accomodations. I don't particularly like the smell of hay or barnyard animals, so I think I would be hesitant to swap a hostel for these. However, if they they had a great location, I would check it out. They seem to usually run about 10-20 Euros for adults, and possibly less for children. Two Hayloft listing sites mentioned by the Times are www.heuhotels.de, www.heuhotelferien.de