Arthur Frommer Debunks Friendly Travel Advice
February 18, 2006. Mention your interest in a luxury vacation rental, and someone's bound to offer you some advice. But how valid are those nuggets of insight? Legendary travel writer Arthur Frommer wrote a great column debunking some common myths and assumptions perpetuated around the water coolers and dinner tables of America.
"Though they mean well, your friends can ruin your next vacation by giving you bad advice. To wit: You get what you pay for. Wrong. All over the world there are expensive hotels that rip you off and bargain properties that offer great value. For instance, there are all-inclusive deluxe hotels in the Caribbean that claim they have several a la carte restaurants, but none seems to be open when you want to use them. Don't automatically assume that a high price is a guarantee of value. Do your homework."
We agree. VacationRental.org has plenty of private homes on the beach that offer spectacular value.
Frommer goes on to skewer conventional wisdom passed around in party conversations.
Booking at the last minute? Sorry, but sellers have become wise to this buyer's strategy. Foreign currency? You don't get a better exchange rate at home, so don't make yourself an easy mark for thieves by stepping off the plane with a wad of bills. Devices and gadgets? Leave 'em at home, unless they're absolutely necessary.
