Here’s a tip that the airlines don’t tell you: You can often get great savings on airfares–especially international airfares–when you use more than one airline ticket for the same trip.

But there is technique to it. Some challenges can arise when you use two tickets–but don’t worry, I’m going to tell you how to avoid them right here.

Coming up with possible combinations

When you use two tickets for your trip, you are using two airfares, which normally couldn’t be combined on the same ticket. Typically, this means booking different airlines.

So, how do you find two airfares that are cheaper than one?

One way is to think of popular cities between your origin and destination that you would love to visit. Popular cities usually have more competitive airfares.

For example, you may not find a reasonably priced ticket from your city to Malaga, Spain, but you may find a great deal to Dublin, another fabulous city to visit. And, because Malaga is popular with travelers from Ireland and the United Kingdom, it should be easy to find a cheap ticket from Dublin to Malaga.

You’ve saved a bundle, and enjoyed two destinations for less than the price of one.

Another way to save with two tickets is to use a budget airline for part of your trip.

For example, you probably won’t find good airfares from Raleigh to Mazatlan, but you’ll almost certainly come across low fares from Raleigh to Las Vegas and other major cities in the West because low-priced Southwest Airlines flies these routes.

And, because Mazatlan is a popular destination for travelers in the western U.S., you can expect to pick up a great fare from major cities to Mazatlan. In most cases, these two tickets will cost significantly less than buying one ticket from Raleigh to Mazatlan.

To see where several budget airlines fly, check out the route maps of Southwest, JetBlue, WestJet (Canada), and Ryanair (Europe, Ireland, and the United Kingdom) at their websites.

Consider secondary airports and changing airports

When setting up your two tickets, think of secondary airports and changing airports while traveling, if you really want to save.

If you’re traveling to Europe, Frankfurt, Paris, Rome, and London all offer less well-known airports with incredibly cheap fares to other points in Europe. (Ryanair’s site lists its European airports, which are also used by other budget airlines.)

For example, you may fly into London’s Heathrow Airport from the U.S. on a bargain ticket, but you can fly on to other points in Europe more cheaply if you fly out of London’s Lutton, Stansted, or Gatwick airports.

Many cities in the U.S. also have more than one airport, and usually the lesser known is predominantly used by budget airlines, such as the Midway Airport in Chicago.

Five ways to avoid inconvenience when you combine tickets

Using two tickets does increase your chances for inconvenience, so follow these procedures when you’re setting up your itinerary:

* Plan to schedule at least one day between your two tickets. Suppose you arrive late on your first ticket and miss the departure flight on your second ticket? The airline on your second ticket may not have another departure to your destination that same day, or it may charge you high fees to rebook. You can avoid this potential problem by scheduling your departure for the next day from the outset – and possibly enjoy the sites, a great restaurant, or friends in that city while you’re at it.

* If you must check luggage, plan to schedule at least several days between your two tickets. I always recommend that you pack everything you need in your carry-ons, but I realize this is not always possible. So, if you must check luggage, plan to schedule at least several days between your two tickets.

Since you cannot check your luggage from one airline to another when using two tickets, if your luggage is late, the airline on the second ticket may not be obligated to send your luggage on. So, if you are still in that city when it arrives, you will be able to pick it up yourself. (You can see how picking a city you’d love to visit fits in quite well with this strategy.)

And speaking of luggage, be sure to check the limits on luggage size and weight with all airlines. The rules occasionally change within the U.S., and note that airlines outside the United States have far more restrictive limits on luggage size and weight for both carry-on and check-on luggage, when your ticket does not start or end in the U.S. The penalties for noncompliance can be steep.

* Consider asking a travel agent to set up your itinerary. What if you pay for one ticket and then find that the other ticket is suddenly unavailable for the price you expected? No airline price (even one displayed clearly online) is guaranteed until it’s paid for.

Because of this, you may wish to use a travel agent for two tickets. In most cases, he or she can void the first ticket if you are unable to get the second ticket.

On the other hand, if you’re flexible about your dates and airports, you may wish to go for discounts on Priceline and other online sites for maximum savings.

* If you’ll be switching airports, find out how much time you’ll need. Research the amount of time you need to switch airports and factor that into your flight departure time. For example, if you arrive in Paris Charles de Gaulle and depart from Paris Beauvais, transferring from one to the other can take hours, unless you choose to go by taxi–quicker, but expensive.

* Although a few budget airlines, such as Southwest and JetBlue, are very financially strong, be sure to check out ones you’re not familiar with. If an airline’s stock price has lost most of its value, the airline may offer more than the usual number of flight cancellations and changes.

Knowledge equals…

Using more than one ticket has helped me afford to travel the world. But be sure to follow these tips to avoid inconvenience. You’ve heard of knowledge = power. Well, here let’s say knowledge = great savings plus smooth traveling.

Don Nadeau, president of BidonTravel.com BidonTravel.com, loves helping people travel economically. He specializes in helping people find great bidontravel.com/lastminute.html last-minute airfares and bidontravel.com/hotels.html hotel discounts.

Toilets in London, U.K.

Why is “toilet” written on all of the buildings in London? That was the question put to me by one of my students and I was unable to answer the question, because I have lived in London and I know that toilet is not written on most buildings. After a while I came to realise that what it does say on many buildings in London, is “To Let” – meaning to rent on a long-term basis. The student and I were both left amused by the initial confusion.

The word Toilet by the way, in American English is called ‘Restroom’ or ‘bathroom’. If you are in England and ask for the restroom, people will genuinely be confused. In American the opposite situation can happen whereby if you ask for a toilet, people will understand but they might laugh at you. Americans are not used to using the word toilet even though they understand the meaning. In America the word ‘toilet’ is considered impolite even though in other countries it is used without any problem at all. In England, people use the word bathroom usually when they talking about having a bath (or shower). Confused? Do not worry because you can also use the word ‘Gents’ or ‘Ladies’. Believe it or not, there are dozens or words in Anglo languages for the word toilet. Some very common expressions in English to say the word toilet are: bathroom, bog, can, cloakroom, comfort room, commode, convenience, dump tank, dunny facility or facilities.

‘Throne’ for me is one of the funniest for saying the word toilet. The idea is that the Queen of England always has a throne (a ceremonial chair on which to sit on). In this case, even the Queen of England sometimes has to use a toilet and sit down, hence the origin of the use of throne to describe a toilet, is the idea that even the queen has to sit down (on her thrown as it were) to take a long toilet visit.

Interesting Translations

English words and their translation into Korean can also be a cause of amusement, embarrassment and interesting situations. In one situation, one of my friends ‘Niall’, an Irish guy, was teaching two children and he had a problem to explain the word ‘Ambidextrous’ (which means ‘a person who can use both hands’). Niall had bought an electronic dictionary in Seoul, so he typed in the word ‘Ambidextrous’ and he showed the two children the screen of the dictionary. The Korean English translation came up with the translation as ‘bi-sexual’. Bi-sexual does mean two ways but not two ways with your hands. He quickly took the electronic dictionary away from the students.

Another amusing situation, which one of my female students told me about, was when she visited Australia with a friend. They were shocked and scared when they were riding in a taxicab and hearing the driver saying “Good die” to them. The driver said ‘Good die’ a few times and they were very worried. After they got out of the taxi and had time to think about the situation, they eventually realized that the driver was saying “Good Day” – the Australian way of greeting people.
Every country has its own peculiarities and what one traveler finds strange in a country, is often a way of life in the country being visited. On a recent visit to Italy for example, I was surprised by the way in which everyone, including men, kiss each other on both cheeks on the side of the mouth, in greeting. I have got used to this now, although I recently went to kiss the wrong side first and ended up almost head butting someone.

seoulkoreaasia.com/flights.htm” target=”_blank Asian travel. Getting to Seoul, South Korea
seoulkoreatravel.blogspot.com/” target=”_blank South Korea Seoul Blog

A yacht charter in the Caribbean has so much to offer. So many different countries, islands, cultures, food and so much more. Perfect sailing conditions in picture postcard surroundings. The scent of fresh coconut and the sound of steel drums carried on a warm breeze. A Caribbean vacation is a truly tropical experience, it’s the ultimate romantic escape with long, sandy beaches and tiny desert islands. The main sailing season in the Caribbean runs from November to July with the period December to March as the busiest when escapees from the winter weather of North America and Europe arrive. The Caribbean is affected by hurricanes from late July to mid October although they are rare in the southern Caribbean along the coast of South America. Hurricanes are prevalent in the nortern Caribbean each year and have been more numerous in the last few years. It is best to avoid the central and northern Caribbean up to Florida and the Bahamas during the hurricane season. April to July is a nice time to charter a boat as there are less visitors in the area with some nice settled weather with a warm but steady breeze.

The Caribbean is made up of many different multi-nation (and multi-cultural) islands. There are amazing sailing grounds stretching from Cuba and Jamaica in the west, through the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, The Virgin Islands, The Leeward Islands and the Windward Islands, finishing with Trinidad and Tobago, Aruba and Curacao off the coast of Venezuela. Due to the scale and diversity of the different yacht charter areas of the Caribbean we have covered the major charter locations individually.

The Caribbean is the truely the king of yacht charter locations. It is an ocean laden with history and treasures, from tiny beach ridden coral atolls to substantial mountainous islands exuding rich and colorful cultures. You will be sailing over waters once sailed by pirates, buccaneers and Spanish treasure fleets which now offer wonderful locations offering so much choice to sailors and vacationers. Thriving bars and Caribbean nightlife; first rate cuisine; spectacular beaches; lush tropical rainforest; cloud-fringed mountain peaks; exotic birdlife; amazing diving and snorkeling and a serene blend of European sophistication and warm Caribbean hospitality. Yes it truely is a wonderful area to sail.

As the most popular charter ground in the world the types of boats available in the Caribbean include all the main types. Motor, sailing, bareboat charter, skippered, crewed yachts, catamaran, luxury yachts and the ever increasing super yacht charter. Both beginner and expert yacht charterers alike are drawn to the Caribbean for its warm winds, protected waterways and beautiful anchorages that lie snug and safe within the tropical island chain. A caribbean yacht charter is a truely wonderful experience for experienced and novice yacht charterers alike.

Bruce Walls is an author and webmaster. Read this article and more at caribbeanyachtcharter.yachtcharterreview.com/ CaribbeanYachtCharter

Ecuador’s Cuenca, a city of 300,000, sits in what passes for a valley in the Andes: It is 8,200 feet above sea level and flanked by still higher mountains.

It carries the legacy of Spanish occupation in its lovely Old Town, now a Unesco World Heritage Site.

And it is renowned as the home of the Panama hat — yes, the Panama hat.
Tourism centers on the Old Town, of course, and the starting point for sightseers must be the central Plaza Calderon, which underwent a six-month restoration, completed in 2002.

The most appealing building here is the 16th century Old Cathedral which was also restored, but for use as a cultural space.

Its replacement as a house of worship is the New Cathedral across the square. Built between 1885 and 1960, it is less appealing on the outside, but there is plenty to appreciate on the inside, including a prodigious application of gold above the altar. In some design elements, it reflects local pre-Hispanic culture: stained-glass windows featuring Andean people, the sun (worshipped by the Incas) and the moon (worshipped by the indigenous people who got here before the Incas).

After these de rigueur viewings, it is time to walk the streets of the Old Town. Restoration projects have produced a particularly charming outcome for visitors, the creation of boutique hotels that are tourist attractions themselves.

The two-story, family-owned Santa Lucia was built as a private home in 1859 and debuted as a hotel in 2002 at the completion of an award-winning restoration that preserved the character of the original. Its 20 rooms surround a central patio, which is now the setting for the Trattoria, one of two Santa Lucia eateries (per room, including breakfast: $65-$100).
The Carvallo, with 30 suites, is a beautifully refurbished 1917 home with an entry atrium showing off wooden balustrades on the second and third floors; at the back, a second courtyard is surrounded by more rooms (per room, including breakfast: from $50).

A restoration across the street produced the very popular Cafe Eucalyptus, which serves more than 60 tapas items, averaging only a few dollars each.
The Hotel Victoria, is one of the Old Town’s “hanging houses.” These are huge homes built on bluffs overlooking the Tomebamba River. The Victoria dates from the 17th century and was recently converted to a hotel (per room, including breakfast: from $35).

These blufftop homes seem to spill down the side of the riverbank, as well; therefore, to get to the restaurant at the Victoria, we entered the building at city-street level and walked downstairs. As we ate in Victoria’s El Jardin, where a big glass windows afforded grand views of the city across the river (three-course meal: $15-$20, without drinks; choosing lobster bumps the price up).

Finally, the best of the hotel conversions, tour operators say, is the 19th century Mansion Alcazar, which in 2001 debuted its antiques-filled drawing room and 14 rooms positioned around the traditional courtyard (per room, including breakfast and English tea: $65-$155).

Services charges and taxes of 22% are added to all hotel rates, as well as to restaurant bills, eliminating the need for tipping.

Shopping choices vary: Cuenca’s Thursday fair offers plenty of Andean handicrafts, not to mention a chance to look over medicinal drugs brought in from Ecuador’s rain forest.

But, for something quite different, visit the workshop/gallery/store of ceramic artist Eduardo Vega to choose from colorful works in traditional and modern styles.

The best-known local industry is hat making. Teddy Roosevelt dubbed these Ecuadorian toppers “Panama hats” after seeing them on construction workers at the Panama Canal site.

Although the hats originated in the jungle and are still made in Ecuadorian villages, Cuenca is home to the big factories, and the Homero Ortega P. & Hijos factory is the biggest exporter. Travelers can tour the facility (call ahead for an appointment), or skip the factory tour and drop in at the Homero Ortega hat shop.

There are other Cuenca hat factories plus numerous shops in Cuenca and elsewhere in Ecuador for buying this local specialty.

The hats come in many styles and colors. The prices (based on a survey in the capital Quito, as well) cover an astonishing range, from $10 to something in four figures. The variation reflects the quality of the fiber and the weave, and the very finest hats can be rolled into tubes without damage to their underlying shape.

Finally, a couple of other, good-news tidbits deserving noting:
Travel to Ecuador is considered long-haul, but there is no jetlag because the country is in the same time zone as the U.S. East Coast; there is a one-hour time difference in summer because the U.S. has Daylight Savings Time, but a country on the Equator does not need it.
And there’s no need to change money. A few years ago, Ecuador adopted the U.S. dollar as its national currency, too.

The author, Nadine Godwin, is editor at large for Travel Weekly, the nation’s largest travel trade newspaper.