Today from 1pm-2pm (PDT) / 4pm-5pm (EDT), the LA Times’ Travel Deal Detectives, Jen Leo and Jane Engle, will be hosting a live Travel chat session. If you have a free minute, I definitely recommend stopping by and directing your travel and budget travel related questions to them, or just listen to what others have to say.

Should be a great opportunity to pick up some solid advice and inspiration for future travels!

• Check out this link for more information: Oct. 8 live chat w/ L.A. Times Travel Deal Detectives
• Or just follow the direct link to the live chat session at 1pm (PDT) / 4pm (EDT): http://chat.latimes.com

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I recently wrote a post on international airfare savings during winter, and found that one destination that offers very good airfare savings during the winter months is Russia. Unfortunately the savings only seem to apply to North American airports, as airfares originating in Europe and Australia are roughly the same in the winter and summer, but for US and Canadian travelers the savings are significant. A recent search of Kayak.com revealed February roundtrip airfare to Moscow, Russia at around $555 (New York), $720 (Miami), and $815 (Los Angeles). These prices are quite low when compare to July airfares which run around $1045 (New York), $1080 (Miami), and $1335 (Los Angeles). The average savings is $455 or 40% off if willing to travel in the winter months.

So it seems the price is right, but what is there to do in Russia during the winter months? In an attempt to answer this question, I recently had the privilege of interviewing a very experienced Russia traveler, Ruth Imershein, who also maintains an informative website on Travel in Russia. Read on to hear what Ruth had to say about wintertime travel in Russia!

Hi Ruth! First let’s get formally acquainted. Tell us a little about yourself, what you do, and what kind of experience you have traveling throughout Russia

I am a physician employed by the US Department of State and currently residing in Bangkok, Thailand. I have been married almost 27 years and have three children in their 20s. I started traveling in Russia in 1993 and have returned perhaps 20+ times since then. I think I have been there in every month except March which I have avoided on recommendation of friends. I have traveled as far north as the Solovetsky Islands in the White Sea and as far east as the Chinese Russian border at Zabaikalsk. I’ve spent time in many of the Golden Ring Cities, Kaliningrad, Siberia and Altai.

Nice, a real world traveler! Why have you been told to avoid Russia in March?

March and to some degree April and November are iffy months. The chance of freezing rain or snow and the melting snow and refreezing at night reportedly make it a miserable time to be in European Russia. Probably Karelia, the Urals, Siberia and the Far East are ok then and more miserable in April and May.

Which would you consider to be the best winter months for travel in Russia? The worst?

The best winter month is probably February. You can be sure that it will be cold and that the likelihood of rain is slim but there is also more daylight then in December and January. November and March are probably the worst months. November for the possibility of rain and increasing darkness, March for the reasons mentioned earlier.

What do you consider the highlights of a trip to Russia during the winter months? How is travel to the region during this season different from travel during the high summer season?

Anyplace in Russia looks 100 times better after a recent snowfall, but perhaps one of the most magical places with a fresh dusting is the city of Suzdal.

A visit to a banya and a roll in the snow is a unique winter experience.

I haven’t done it yet but a Russian girl friend and I hope to one day spend some time up north going reindeer sledding.

For some it might be seeing the Aurora Borealis. My daughter used to live in Northern Michigan and occasionally saw it there but the likelihood of seeing it is greater the farther north you go so if this is an interest, then a trip to Murmansk, the largest city within the Arctic Circle, might be in order.

Other winter activities are cross country skiing, snow mobile riding, ice fishing, dog or reindeer sledding, troika rides. A troika is a sled drawn usually by three horses. I am not much of a sports participant so except for a rare cross country ski outing, i personally haven’t done these things but know that they can be arranged.

The other issue that one needs to take into consideration is the amount of daylight. In summer it stays light quite late and many northern jurisdictions turn off the street lights from May to mid August but in winter the street lights may be on all day. This means that some photo opportunities may be limited to a few hours during the middle of the day and thus even outdoor monuments and statues that don’t require entrance and fees aren’t worth visiting early or late.

OTOH there are other opportunities in winter. The ballet, theater, concert schedule is much fuller. The museums often have more special exhibitions in winter. BTW one nice convenience, almost every venue has a cloakroom where your coats and bags can be checked for free or at minimal cost. Lots of women wear warm comfortable shoes or boots and carry a tote with nicer footwear for evenings indoor.

Interesting. So it seems winter is the high season for cultural events. What could a traveler based out of Moscow hope to do in terms of cultural activities: theater, ballet, live music, museum exhibitions, etc?

There are quite a few venues for ballet, opera and concerts. The most famous are probably the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall in Moscow, the Mariinsky Theater in Petersburg but there were others. For museums, for Russian art the Tretyakov Galleries, both the old and the new are excellent in Moscow. For international art in Moscow the best place in the Pushkin Museum. For Russian art in Petersburg the Russian Museum is the place to go and for international collections, nothing beats the Hermitage. Of course, these are all the most famous venues for these things, but Moscow has a huge contemporary art scene with various media and both Moscow and Petersburg have lots of galleries, smaller theaters, clubs, casinos, etc. These days a little bit of everything can be found there.

The Symphony Orchestra of Russia, which might be considered the Moscow Philharmonic, has a website, www.symor.ru, which lists their performances at the three venues where they perform, the Great Hall at the Moscow Conservatory, the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall, and the State Central Concert Hall (inside the Kremlin.)

Russians interested in the visual and performing arts often buy a weekly or monthly magazine called “Afisha” which means the poster. It lists the gallery exhibitions, museum shows, movies, club and theater performances, etc. Unfortunately, it isn’t in English so foreigners have to look other places for this information. The Moscow Times English language paper is a good resource for this information, especially the weekly edition of Context.

What should a traveler expect regarding winter-time travel in Russia?

Shorter lines, fewer fellow travelers. OTOH There are also some winter holidays that mid summer visitors don’t experience and these can wreck havoc with making plans to see things during the shorter hours of daylight. Operation schedules are never strictly kept in Russia but during winter factors like holidays, weather and illness will cause unexpected closings. During Soviet times Jan 1 through 14 were usually considered holidays. (7 Jan is Orthodox Christmas and 14 Jan is Old New Year) Now with increased Western influences, the winter holiday seems to run from 25 Dec to 14 Jan.

Getting laundry done in Russia is always difficult but getting it dried is next to impossible. There are few laundromats. Most laundries don’t have dryers. Locals dry their clothing on the hot water pipes in the bathroom or during winter, let it freeze dry outside, then bring it in and beat it a bit until it softens enough to wear. This means one needs to think carefully about the clothing that you bring, and its ability to be washed and dried quickly as cold wet clothing can be dangerous. People die from hypothermia.

Travel in winter requires more clothing and careful thinking to be comfortable. Dressing in layers is essential as the temperature and wind are unpredictable. One year I took my middle son in April when there was still lots of ice and snow. Petersburg in particular, was quite windy and miserable but we managed. Another year I traveled with some coworkers at the same time; it was pleasant, green and sunny so all one needed was a medium weight jacket.

Don’t expect to stay clean. Grit and ash is used to make the ice less slippery, but this combined with car exhaust and air pollution makes the snow and slush black within a short time and it’s guaranteed to get on your clothing.

Summer travelers don’t generally pack gloves, hats, long underwear, heavy socks, waterproof boots, etc., but these are essential for winter travelers. In fact, I often suggest carrying two of certain things unless you want to spend part of your vacation replacing a misplaced or lost, but necessary, item such as gloves or hats.

Don’t expect the streets to be cleared of snow and ice. People need to walk very carefully. Locals cover the same territory regularly and know the ground surface while visitors don’t. Travelers need to look out above and below. Apocryphal or not, I don’t know, but there are stories of people being killed by falling icicles. And then there is the issue of slipping and sliding, stepping into something that appears solid only to discover slush or ice or a deeper hole than expected.

Expect to be cold, even indoors. Many Russian homes and buildings are poorly insulated and drafty. Don’t expect to go barefoot. Even in summer one is expected to wear slippers indoors but in winter, I wear slippers with socks. To be comfortable on trains, I sometimes have to sleep with a knit cap or scarf on my head.

It always seems to me that there aren’t that many Russians wearing eyeglasses but perhaps that is because going in and out the cold the glasses fog over and you can’t see anyway so why wear them. I mention this because when entering the metro, this can be a problem.
Generally I try to remember to remove my glasses so that I don’t get caught sightless and moved along by the masses racing to the turnstile entrances.

Expect outdoor activities to cost more than you anticipate. Expect organizing things to take longer. It takes longer to leave where you are staying, longer to get places. Expect that things won’t go entirely according to plan but then they rarely do.

Great tips Ruth, thank you! One last question, if you had about 2 weeks and roughly $1000 USD to visit Russia in the winter time (assuming airfare is already covered), what would you do?

My first impulse would be to call a girlfriend in Moscow and see if she were free and then, it would depend. As I said, I have always wanted to head north in midwinter for the experience, so I might take the train to Murmansk where my friend’s parents live. My plan would be to spend a few days a couple of days in Murmansk and also try to get to the Lovozero settlement, the capital of Russian Lapland for a few days. I know the train takes about 36 hours and costs about 90 USD each way. I have no idea about accommodation costs in Murmansk or the Lovozero settlement or the cost of transport to the settlement. I know that there are some tours there in winter but these are expensive - perhaps 525 USD per person for a group of 6-8 people for 4 nights. OTOH this probably wouldn’t fit in your budget.

My next option might be Moscow for a few days and Petersburg for a few days, see what special exhibits are at the Pushkin and the Hermitage, get tickets for some Russian theater and perhaps a ballet. There is a private banya in Moscow to which I have access through a friend and I would arrange an afternoon there with some friends. I haven’t been to Veliky Rostov and Yaroslavl in winter so a train ride to Yaroslavl and then back to V. Rostov for a night or two each might be a nice option.

A long train ride is often fun if I have someone with whom to travel so I might head south to Saratov, a Russian town on the Volga with an old German settlement that I read a Moscow Times article about perhaps 5 years ago and is still on my list of places to go.

Sorry but it is hard for me to figure within this budget since I rarely pay for accommodations or some meals and often this is an expensive part of staying in Russia.

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Mammoth Saloon in Goldfield, Arizona (nz)dave

Great links from around the travel web:

• I recently found an old, but interesting article on Brave New Traveler regarding Urine Therapy. The article itself is 100% opinion, and is not backed by any scientific fact, but it does provide an interesting introduction and links on this alternative medicine. Is it for real, or just a load of horse piss, decide for yourself!
• Looking for a Fall roadtrip in the US? Check out Stacy’s suggestions on Rambling Traveler for The Best Fall Roadtrips.
• Would you rather travel around Europe this Fall. The NY Times offers a feature on Fall travel throughout Europe, A Season to Savor: As Weather Cools, Europe heats up.
• If you’ve ever traveled to the Western US, you probably know the region has some incredible parks. The problem, as the parks are so popular they are often extremely crowded, sometimes making it difficult to enjoy the nature around you. If you’re in the California area, check out Jen Leo’s post on the LA Times Travel Deal Blog: California: Top 5 Hidden National Parks. She offers some great tips on beautiful parks to visit where you don’t have to compete with crowds of tourists.

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The New York Times published a story Thursday regarding the recent delayed release of “The Kite Runner” movie. For anyone who hasn’t heard of the movie, it depicts the ethnic tensions facing modern day Afghanistan through the story of two young Afghan boys of conflicting ethnic groups, the Pashtun and the Hazara.

The delay in release was prompted by recent attention given to a rape scene in the movie, which experts believe will offend a large percentage of Afghanis (as rape is extremely taboo in the country), and could even put the boys in danger for their participation in the scene. For this reason the film’s release has been delayed until the potential dangers can be properly analyzed and measures taken to ensure the boys safety.

The NY Times articles states that in over a dozen interviews, studio personnel are struggling with difficult questions such as, “testing the limits of corporate responsibility, wondering who was exploiting whom and pondering the price of on-screen authenticity” (NY Times).

However, to me, the big question is, “Why weren’t these questions asked and this issue sorted out before the studio began filming?”

I admittedly know very little about Afghanistan and the details regarding ethnic tensions in the region, which supposedly are on the rise. However, I do know and understand that the majority of the world DOES NOT live and operate in congruence with Western mentalities. Regardless of whether you are shooting a film, doing development work, or just traveling, it is an absolute necessity to research local customs, values, and mentalities BEFORE taking any kind of action that may have an effect on local individuals or communities.

I hear about it all the time in the international development community. Birth control distribution programs failing in Latin America as devout Catholics see it as an endorsement of premarital sex. Impoverished Africans starving because local food drops are simply hoarded by military dictatorships. Or the failure of small business projects in many of the world’s slums for not properly taking into account the strength and influence of local mob authorities.

This most recent blunder by “The Kite Runner” producers is nothing new. It happens all the time, from multi-billion dollar film studios, to NGO’s, to the individual traveler. However, if we’re ever going to bring countries and people closer together, we need to learn that the world is a very complex place. It’s a principal that can be applied to pretty much any interaction between individuals of different cultures: Understanding MUST be a prerequisite to action.

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After reading a reference to the infamous “Frankenstein Shower” in yesterday’s Brave New Traveler post: “Do You Know What’s Crawling in Your Hostel Shower?”, I felt inclined to publish some photos of the legendary invention for anyone out there who has never had the privilege of experiencing it first hand.

The following photos come from my very own “Frankenstein Shower” here in Quito, Ecuador. In my opinion the whole mechanism, which seems to be standard throughout most of South America, is both a marvel of inventive ingenuity and an inspiring disregard to common-sense.

I can say that in the 1000+ showers I have taken in dozens of “Frankenstein Showers” I have never experienced even the slightest shock, but you never know what the future will hold!

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Travel Story Contest

If you’re an aspiring travel writer or an experienced travel journalist, you may be interested in entering Traveling Stories Magazine’s new $125 Writing Contest. Entering the contest is simple, just write a 300-1000 word story about your personal travels, or an article about a topic of interest to travelers in general. Chosen submissions are then posted to the Traveling Stories Magazine website where readers can read and vote on submitted stories.

The contest is a great way to get exposure for your travel writing, have some fun writing about a topic you’re interested in, and possibly win $125! If you’re just finishing on your submission to my $500 Getaways Contest and are looking for another travel contest to enter, check out this one!

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San Francisco: David Paul Ohmer (flickr)

I have long been a runner. I find running a great way to stay in shape while also giving me an opportunity to clear my mind and reduce stress. However, maintaining a running schedule while traveling can be very difficult. Especially if the majority of your travel is through cities. Some cities are quite runner friendly (Europe, the US, and Canada), but many others make it extremely difficult to find refuge as a runner. There isn’t a green area within 50 miles, many roads don’t have sidewalks, traffic doesn’t respect the pedestrian, sidewalks are overrun with people, air pollution is suffocating, etc. These are just a few of the problems facing runners in many global cities, and the problems are compounded by the fact that you are new in the city and don’t know how to get around.

Many times I have found myself running down crowded city streets, dodging traffic, sucking car exhaust, and getting myself lost as I was totally unfamiliar with the area as a runner. Luckily, however, like so many others the internet has found a way to resolve this problem.

There are a few new sites on the web where users can map and post their favorite international running routes. This way visitors to a new city looking for a place to run can just consult the website and pick out a run that matches their interests and skill level.

Obviously some routes are better than others, and some cities have better coverage than others, but if your looking for a place to run, these sites are a great place to start!

• Map My Run: Seems to be the largest database, though not by much. Lots of good run descriptions from destinations around the world.
• Run the Planet: Also features an interesting e-zine on the homepage regarding running and training abroad.
• Run.com: Sister site of Run the Planet, is still in beta, but has an attractive interface and seems to be growing quickly.

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Winter in Amsterdam: siebe (flickr)

It’s now October, the “summer or high” travel season has now officially come to a close, and we find ourselves at the beginning of the “winter or low” travel season. Fewer people travel during this time as the temperature drops across the Northern Hemisphere. However, for those who do decide to travel internationally, they are often rewarded with dramatically reduced airfares by commercial airlines.

We all know that it’s cheaper to travel to Europe in the winter than in the summer. But by how much? Does the drop in price really justify battling the European winter? And what about destinations in Asia, Africa, the Pacific, or Latin America? Do they experience similar drops in airfare?

Yesterday, I spent a good portion of time playing around with Farecompare’s Cheapest Airfare Search Tool and have come up with a rough guide as to which airports and countries experience the greatest drop in airfare during the winter months when compared to their cheapest summer prices. The guide is based on airfare using New York City as the city of origin, and tracks the low winter airfare in comparison with peak summer fares. I realize that not all US travelers use New York as their home airport, but the airfare price trends from NYC are the same ones that you will experience from your home airport, so it makes for a good index airport. The goal of this guide is to determine how much you can actually save by traveling in the winter as opposed to the summer, so that budget travelers can decide if the drop in price justifies a trip in the winter, or if they would rather wait and pay extra for summer travel.

A note to my European, Australian, and other Global readers:
Unforunately, Farecompare’s search tool only works when travel originates or ends in the United States, so I could not put together a similar guide for other global hubs. You can still use the guide as a general description of yearly airfare trends, but any information inferred should be checked against your local air hub.

Regional Airfare Trends (Winter vs. Summer pricing):

Region:	Winter Fare:	Summer Fare:	Difference:	% Increase:
Europe (averages)	$510.90	$935.85	$424.95	83.1%
Middle East (averages)	$753.00	$1252.00	$499.00	66%
Asia (averages)	$1093.46	$1470.93	$377.47	34.5%
Africa (averages)	$1213.80	$1573.60	$359.80	29.6%
South America (averages)	$670.37	$710.87	$40.50	6.0%
Central America (averages)	$421.00	$422.50	$1.50	0.3%

*New York’s JFK used as airport of origin

Local Airfare Trends (Winter vs. Summer pricing):

Airport:	Winter Fare:	Summer Fare:	Difference:	% Increase:
Netherlands (Amsterdam)	$357	$933	$576	161.3%
France (Paris)	$390	$928	$538	137.9%
Czech Republic (Prague)	$460	$1028	$568	123.5%
Austria (Vienna)	$469	$1037	$568	121.1%
Hungary (Budapest)	$505	$1063	$558	110.5%
Belgium (Brussels)	$442	$927	$485	109.7%
Norway (Oslo)	$488	$952	$464	95.1%
Romania (Bucharest)	$511	$990	$479	93.7%
Russia (Moscow)	$556	$1068	$512	92.1%
Turkey (Ankara)	$662	$1242	$580	87.6%
Italy (Rome)	$422	$749	$327	77.5%
Spain (Madrid)	$365	$642	$277	75.9%
Ireland (Dublin)	$407	$713	$306	75.2%
Jordan (Amman)	$743	$1246	$503	67.7%
Poland (Krakow)	$571	$955	$384	67.3%
Sweden (Stockholm)	$505	$818	$313	62.0%
Bosnia (Sarajevo)	$772	$1242	$470	60.9%
England (London)	$472	$751	$279	59.1%
Taiwan (Taipei)	$903	$1420	$517	57.3%
Serbia (Belgrade)	$616	$967	$351	57.0%
Bulgaria (Sofia)	$610	$955	$345	56.6%
Greece (Athens)	$531	$830	$299	56.3%
Belarus (Minsk)	$769	$1169	$400	52.0%
Cambodia (Phnom Penh)	$1033	$1563	$530	51.3%
Philippines (Manila)	$1011	$1513	$502	49.7%
United Arab Emirates (Dubai)	$854	$1268	$414	48.5%
Vietnam (Hanoi)	$1110	$1593	$483	43.5%
Egypt (Cairo)	$864	$1234	$370	42.8%
Japan (Tokyo)	$982	$1372	$390	39.7%
Ghana (Accra)	$936	$1295	$359	38.4%
South Korea (Seoul)	$989	$1318	$329	33.3%
Nigeria (Lagos)	$1221	$1611	$390	31.9%
Thailand (Bangkok)	$1031	$1359	$328	31.8%
India (Delhi)	$973	$1275	$302	31.0%
China (Shanghai)	$937	$1190	$253	27.0%
South Africa (Cape Town)	$1327	$1677	$350	26.4%
Indonesia (Jakarta)	$1158	$1463	$305	26.3%
Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur)	$1128	$1415	$287	25.4%
Bolivia (La Paz)	$942	$1129	$187	19.9%
Kenya (Nairobi)	$1721	$2051	$330	19.2%
Nepal (Kathmandu)	$1529	$1817	$288	18.8%
Kazakhstan (Almaty)	$1722	$1985	$263	15.3%
Australia (Sydney)	$1426	$1619	$193	13.5%
Chile (Santiago)	$645	$719	$74	11.5%
New Zealand (Auckland)	$1473	$1604	$131	8.9%
Brazil (Rio de Janeiro)	$787	$839	$52	6.6%
Colombia (Bogota)	$548	$559	$11	2.0%
Panama (Panama City)	$594	$603	$9	1.5%
Belize (Belize City)	$572	$572	$0	0.0%
Guatemala (Guatemala City)	$304	$304	$0	0.0%
Honduras (Tegucigalpa)	$476	$476	$0	0.0%
Nicaragua (Managua)	$309	$309	$0	0.0%
Costa Rica (San Jose)	$271	$271	$0	0.0%
Venezuela (Caracas)	$534	$534	$0	0.0%
Ecuador (Quito)	$517	$517	$0	0.0%
Peru (Lima)	$659	$659	$0	0.0%
Argentina (Buenos Aires)	$731	$731	$0	0.0%

*New York’s JFK used as airport of origin

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Machu Picchu, Peru: Lee Otis (flickr)
Every year millions of people across the world book tours to famous travel destinations such as The Great Wall of China, The Pyramids of Egypt, and the Galapagos Islands. If you are a budget conscious traveler, you will likely make these tour arrangements on your own (as opposed to using a travel agent). So, you have a choice to make. Do you book with a well-known international operator or do you book with a local tour provider?

Always book locally:

In my opinion, you should always try to book your tour with a local operator. First of all, it is much more responsible to invest your money directly into local businesses and operators who can use it to further develop their travel infrastructure and quality of life. Second, it is significantly less expensive to book a tour with local operator than an international one, as the international operator is almost guaranteed to charge you for numerous unneeded services that usually double, triple, or even quadruple the total cost of the tour.

Let me provide an example by analyzing the cost of booking a tour across the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in Peru. I’ll compare the tour cost between a well-known and “reasonably” priced international operator - Adventure Life, and local operator in Peru - Peru Treks and Adventure.

International vs. Local Operator Price Analysis:

The following links will take you to the two itineraries offered by Adventure Life Inca Trail Hike and Peru Treks and Adventure Inca Trail Hike.

At first glance you will see the the Adventure Life tour costs $1775, while the Peru Treks and Adventure tour costs $390. Obviously this is a large price disparity, however, you will probably also notice that the Adventure Life tour is a 10 day tour, while the Peru Treks and Adventure tour is only 4 days. The Inca Trail hike itself only runs for 4 days on both tours, the difference is that the Adventure Life tour includes a few days spent in Lima and Cusco, Peru in addition to the time spent on the Inca Trail. So, the big question is, are those 6 extra days really worth the additional $1385 that Adventure Life charges for the tour? Let’s see:

I will now analyze the entire Adventure Life itinerary and break down costs per day so that we can see if it’s a good deal or not:

• Day 1: Arrive in Lima - All you do on this day is arrive in Lima, Peru, and head to your hotel for the night. You stay in Hotel Carmel in Lima, which costs $60 for a double room or $30/person. No meals are included.
• Day 2: Fly to Cusco - Wake up and hop on a plane to Cusco, Peru. Spend the day looking around Cusco, things you could do on your own. Night in Hotel El Balcon, $60 for a double room, or $30/person. No meals are included.
• Day 3: Free day in Cusco - Another day on your own in Cusco. You can take advantage of a day excursion, however the cost is extra. Night in Hotel El Balcon, $60 for a double room, or $30/person. No meals are included.
• Day 4: Sacred Valley of the Incas - This day you do something different. Head to the Sacred Valley of the Incas, visiting ancient villages and ruins. Night in El Sauce, $79 for a double room, or $39.50/person. No meals are included
• Day 5-8: Hike the Inca Trail - Hike the Inca Trail. I will value this at $390/person the price charged by Peru Treks and Adventure with all amenities included.
• Day 8: Night in Machu Picchu - Night spent in the Machu Picchu Inn, a nice hotel running $125 for a double, or $62.50/person.
• Day 9: Head back to Cusco - No activities other than transport back to Cusco. Night in Hotel El Balcon, $60 for a double, or $30/person No meals included.
• Day 10: Fly to Lima, return home - This day simply involves flying back to Lima, then flying home. No activities, hotels, or meals included.
• Total Cost: $612.00 USD

Conclusion:

Basically, you could independently follow the exact same Adventure Life itinerary, stay in the same hotels, and visit the same places for roughly $612.

So, does this mean that Adventure Life simply pockets the other $1183 they charge for this tour? No it doesn’t.

A sizable percentage goes to what I like to call the “hold your hand” fee. The one thing that you get with an operator like Adventure Life that you won’t get with a local operator like Peru Treks and Adventure is someone to hold your hand from start to finish. Adventure Life will have people waiting for you at the airport in Lima, and that will accompany you throughout your tour until you arrive at the Lima Airport again 10 days later to go home.

The big question is how much is the “hold your hand” fee worth to you? Some travelers are more than willing to pay $1000+ for someone to make sure they get everywhere they need to go, that everything in properly organized, etc. However, many others, including most budget travelers, consider this a waste of money, and would honestly prefer the adventure of doing all the “in-between” work on our own. That’s why for the budget traveler, I recommend avoiding international “hold your hand” operators as much as possible. The majority of the services they provide are completely unnecessary, and they will charge you an arm and a leg for them.

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In 1914 an ingenious young aviator by the name of Lawrence Sperry, introduced a revolutionary new invention to the aviation world: the autopilot. Sperry, a selfless man, did not work tirelessly on the perfection of his new invention for money or fame. No, his was a much more noble cause.

Lawrence Sperry devoted his time and effort into the invention, so that in November of 1916 he could truly change the world, and become the very first member of the Mile High Club, engaging in sexual activity in his own plane while flying over Babylon, New York. On this historic occasion, Sperry changed the face of Air-Travel in America forever, and will always be remembered as an innovator and leader in American Aeronautics.

The preceding is based on fact from Wikipedia.org, however the actual motives for Sperry’s autopilot invention have been fictionalized.

The Mile High Club:

Ever since Lawrence Sperry founded the club in 1916, it’s become very well-known across the United States and even the world. Membership generally includes having sex in an aircraft at an altitude over 5,280ft.

The difficulty in joining the club is that the majority of us fly on commercial airlines, in which cramped lavatories are the only truly private areas, and where pushy flight attendants are often attuned to your every move. The legalities of joining the club are hazy (BBC: Is sex on a plane legal?), but at the very least you can be guaranteed a little embarrassment if caught.

For this reason, a number of charter flight companies have begun setting up private charters targeted at individuals who want to join the club, but don’t feel comfortable doing so on a commercial airline. The charter company generally offers about one hour of flight time, a bottle of champagne, and a “discreet pilot”. For the duration of the flight the cabin is yours, free to do whatever your hearts desire!

When I first heard about these companies I assumed they charge a hefty fee for their services. However, the flights are actually pretty reasonably priced, and can run as low as $220 per hour (flights generally run for one hour, unless more time is requested).

Maybe this is your cup of tea, maybe it isn’t. But I know you’re interested in learning more, so check out the following Mile High Charters:

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