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Traveling smart ALSO means changing smart

30 April 2015 by Harold Glit

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When traveling overseas something that never ceases to surprise me is how unwisely people change their money for the local currency. To my surprise, this is often true for travelers who are on a budget : They carefully look for reasonably-priced accommodation, are cautious when selecting a restaurant but, strangely enough, do not seem to apply the same level of scrutiny when buying local money. This is too bad because some savings can be made and is still a domain where some basic rules apply. Let’s review some of those rules :
1/ Avoid changing money at the last moment when you have zero currencies left. Instead try to shop around. This is easier in large cities as exchange offices tend to be grouped together in the downtown section or in tourists areas. Usually the largest, most luxurious offices are the ones you want to avoid. More often than not you get the best exchange rates in the “tiny-tiny one-person” operations.
2/ In the same vein avoid changing your money upon arrival at the airport. The exchange rate is never good and only change a small amount for transportation from your place of arrival or when you arrive at a time when everything is closed.
3/ NO Western Union. Western union gained recognition as one place where you could send money to friends and family overseas. I do not do that so it may still very well be a very good choice for that. For buying local currencies however it is a no-brainer. In my 25 years of traveling all over the world I have NEVER found one instance when Western Union had the best exchange rate. In fact, when visiting large cities it is now often that WU is the absolute worst choice. Let me give you a recent example : In my  trip to Poland earlier this month, I exchanged money for the local polish currency (zlotys) in both Krakow and Warsaw. Comparing the WU exchange rates with three or four other foreign currency exchange offices, the difference was between 25 and 27 percent higher !!!. This is a HUGE difference especially if you change money for the duration of your stay. In my case I calculated that, had i used WU in the three instances when I bought the local currency it would have costed me the equivalent of TWO hotel nights in Krakow or more than 50%of the total cost of all my lunches during my 8 days stay in Poland !!!
Of course,there might be some instances when you do not have a choice of exchange offices (like in some remote locations in Asia or Africa for example). But for those traveling in Europe or other developed touristy places, you should always find several options.
4/ Finally, don’t be a “typical tourist” and pay NO attention to the “zero commission ” sign that you see nowadays in most currency exchange places.Yes, you read me correctly ! When you change your own currency against the local one, the ONLY THING that matters is how much you get in the end .Whether they bill a commission, a fee or just include all of their margins in the rate, at the end of the day, only the amount you get is important, not the name attached to it.In fact charging a small commission makes sense since it is a way for an exchange office to discourage people from changing tiny amounts and depriving in the process their biggest clients to get money in small notes. Indeed, regardless of the currency,  getting your local currency only in BIG  notes (equivalent to $50 notes (or more)) to pay for local transportation, meals  in poor countries is never practical.

And as already mentioned in this blog , NEVER keep your money in only ONE place.

Safe travels !

Filed Under: Tips of the month, Travel, Travel tips

The Conde Nast Travel list of Top cities : Forget Paris !

6 April 2015 by Harold Glit

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There is no hiding it : I have always been big with rankings when it comes to things, places ( or even…people) that I really like or dislike. One may think that it would be an asset when writing a blog, considering how lots of people wants to access information without too much effort.But, when making your own top 5, or top 10 (or whichever number you want to settle at), you are considering things from your own perspective. If I make a top list of my cities, I would always feel the need to explain my biases beforehand so that someone who has very different priorities when traveling can put things in perspective.
This is why I could not stop shaking my head in disbelief when reading the latest CNT survey of the “Top 25 cities in the world”. The first thing that jumps to the mind is how american-focused the responder group must be. Out of the top 25 contenders no less than FIVE cities in the US. (not to mention that New York is not one of them !!! ). Only one in Africa, NONE in South America… It is pretty obvious that this is not an international traveler list , simply an American traveler one. nothing wrong with that as long as one keeps that in mind. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Rants & raves, Travel

The Carnival from the point of view of the models …

26 March 2015 by Harold Glit

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Venice is one of these cities that get tourists crowds all year long. However, there is no denying that the Carnival attracts not only more tourists but different ones. Last February was my third time at the Venice Carnival but my previous time was 12 years ago.
Lots of things changed over the years but one thing remains constant : The magic of the event. This magic revolves around the models, i.e the people who come to pose with their beautiful costumes.(many people who visit the cite during that time like to buy and wear on and off some kind of mask but they are who I am talking about here)
The people I am talking about here are those who have spend the previous months to create and manufacture those raffinate and complex venetian costumes who could give you the impression that you are thrown back a few centuries backwards.Lots of those models I met were using the terms “ the costumes “ and for the purpose of this article this is how I will sometimes refer to them.Having spent the entire week at the Carnival I got a chance to photograph many of them. Upon my return, I send them some of my pictures along with a questionnaire to get their feedback about the carnival. I was pleased to get enough response to give a meaningful review of their feedback
So, here it is : the Venice Carnival as experienced by the costumes. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Photo, Travel

An amazing B&B stay in Venice

22 February 2015 by Harold Glit

There is a decent  selection of quality B&B in Venice but one I highly recommend is the Venice & Venice :

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Nestled in a tiny street (near Campo Santa Maria Nova) in the Cannaregio district (one of the most interesting of the whole island IMO), it offers first a great location : It is remote enough from the touristy stops to avoid noisy gatherings at night and “tourists-only” restaurants. Yet, it is walking distance from the Piazza San Marco (about 15 minutes walk), the Rialto bridge (less than 10 minutes walk) & the vaporetto stop which get you to the Burano Island or to the airport (less than 10 minute walk). Venice & Venice B&B is located on the first floor of a small building. It has only three bedrooms. Each bedroom has its own private bathroom. The largest bedroom is called the family room (pictured above). It is the brightest room and is worth the extra amount if you are on a romantic trip .
The rate normally includes the breakfast. (only the city tax is extra).
The rooms are comfortable (I actually tried two of the three rooms) and well-kept. No TV in the room ( it is NOT that type of place). You have free wifi (you even have two networks to make sure you always get a strong signal regardless of where you are in the place).

But the feature which, in my opinion, makes this B&B such a great lodging option is the welcoming of the owner. Monica is a true venetian woman and in addition to her great sense of hospitality, her knowledge of the city is going to make your stay a more pleasant one by your getting precious advice on which places to see, places where to eat,..
I was there for an entire week and can attest that I did not get a single bad recommendation from her. I recommend it without hesitation.

Filed Under: Hotel & Accommodation, Tips of the month, Travel

Some useful tips for photographers regarding the Carnival in Venice

21 February 2015 by Harold Glit

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Each year around the world the period around Mardi Gras sees what seems the endless list of Carnivals and festivals around the world. Some of those carnivals in Europe have been organized for decades. Each of these events have some different layouts . Some of them are March in the streets where one often has to stay behind barricades, some better seem from above …All of them have something in common . Bigs crowds of people wanting to make pictures of the participants and their costumes. Having shot professionally the Venice carnival three times over a period covering two decades , I thought it might be useful for photographers who are planning to cover this event in the future to read some of my advice to avoid some major hindrance when shooting the event. Here are some of the most important things to keep in mind for a photographer covering the event : [Read more…]

Filed Under: Photo, Travel tips

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