THE GIRL WHO LIVES ON TRAINS
WHEN German student Leonie Müller fell out with her landlord, who was charging her R6 000 per month for her Stuttgart apartment, she decided she’d rather not rent anywhere.
So she bought a R5 000-per-month train ticket that enables her to ride on any train throughout Germany at any time, thus saving herself R1 000 per month on rent. Railways Africa reports that the 23-year-old now uses the high-speed trains to travel the 480km between her boyfriend’s flat in Cologne and her mother’s home in Berlin. With no fixed abode of her own, she carries all her possessions — clothes, laptop and a toiletry bag — in a backpack and uses the station bathrooms to wash her hair and spends her travel time studying.
‘STOP THE SQUASH’
A US-based passenger rights group wants airlines banned from further reducing the size of their seats.
FlyersRights.org says the diminishing size of seats and shrinking legroom has become “intolerable”.
Travelmole reports that the group has asked the US Federal Aviation Administration to block any further downsizing.
The group has delivered a petition with more than 30 000 signatures asking for minimum standards for legroom and seat width.
“The shrinkage of seats and passenger space by airlines to generate higher profits while the size of passengers has substantially increased has created an intolerable crisis situation,” the petition says.
The FAA said the petition would be assessed in “an appropriate time frame”.
The airline industry trade group Airlines for America rejected the idea and said government action is unnecessary.
“We believe that government should not regulate airline seat sizes, but instead market forces and competition should determine what is offered,” said A4A spokeswoman Jean Medina.
HOW TO PACK LIKE A PILOT
A recent edition of The Club, the British Airways newsletter, features some interesting tips from those who are well versed in the finer details of travel: pilots.
Along with the usual advice to pack lightly and put your name on your cases are some clever and more unusual ideas.
One tip is to put your liquids inside ziplock bags in case anything leaks — plus, adds one pilot, they’re great for storing wet bikinis.
Another smart tip is to, when using the hotel safe to secure your passport, put one shoe in there with it. This will help you not forget about it when you’re leaving.
Frequent travellers are advised to keep a suitcase ready to go at all times. When you return from a trip, simply wash whatever’s in your bag and put it back in, ready to go.
Perhaps the weirdest piece of advice is about quick snacks for those on the go. Travel with tin foil, says one pilot. Why? So you can use the iron in your hotel room to turn a cheese sandwich into a toasted sarmie.
FLYING GETS CHEAPER
Average fares at Europe’s biggest low-cost airlines increased since last year. But if you compare the ticket prices of today with those of a generation ago, we’re better off, the Telegraph reports.
In 1989, for example, the lowest fare to Venice on a scheduled airline was £171 return. Charters were cheaper — from £85 return — but they mostly flew to Treviso, and probably only on two days a week. Today, you can fly in and out of Venice with Ryanair for as little as £66 return — despite the introduction of departure taxes, and including hold baggage. Also in 1989, a return to Nice cost £144 on the newly privatised BA. Today you can book the same ticket with the same airline from £89 — including baggage.
IMAGINE PROMISES PRICE FIX
If the state of the rand is putting a dent in those holidays plans, here’s some good news. Imagine Holidays and Cruising is fixing the price of all cruises and holidays at the time of booking in rands.
The price confirmed at the time of booking will not be subject to any further increases as a result of any fluctuations to the rand.
This applies to all new bookings made from today, for all holidays and cruises departing in 2015 or 2016, booked by October 31 2015.
Elle Hudson, general manager for Imagine in South Africa, said the move was designed to “give our customers peace of mind” and as an incentive to book by October 31.
For more, see imaginecruising.co.za and imagineholidays.co.za or call 0861 111 988.