Posts about Budget Conscious Travel
Given that we operate in 19 cities worldwide and I spend a good chunk of the year traveling between them, you’d think that I’d be pretty expert in all the ins and outs of visa requirements and travel planning. And yet, on a recent trip to Beijing and Shanghai from the U.S. I was caught out at the last minute without a visa for China. Read more »
Posted by Paul Bennett | This post has no comments
May 11th, 2012 under Beijing, Budget Conscious Travel, City Life, Context Travel, Shanghai, Transportation, Travel News.
Everyone has their favorite season for visiting New York City, but we think the early spring, when the trees and flowers are starting to bud and bloom, and before the heat sets in, is prime time for a weekend trip. If you already have a weekend booked, or are considering a last minute trip, here are some of our top activity picks you won’t want to miss.
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Posted by Carolyn | This post has 3 comments
March 15th, 2012 under Architecture, Art, Budget Conscious Travel, City Life, Culture, Family Travel, Food and Wine, History, Museums and Monuments, New York, Special Events, Uncategorized.
The holidays are rapidly approaching, and amidst the shopping crunch we all need to take little time to revel in the spirit of the season. Below are some of our favorite ways to get into the holiday mood in Philadelphia without spending a dime.
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Posted by Carolyn | This post has no comments
December 12th, 2011 under Budget Conscious Travel, Food and Wine, Music, Theater, and Dance, Philadelphia, Shopping, Transportation, Uncategorized.
Enjoying your summer vacances in Paris? It’s a great time to discover the city of light, while things are a little quieter and calmer than the beginning of the summer. During the month of August there are tons of great events happening almost daily, Here’s our top pick of some of the don’t miss activities to make the most of summer in Paris. Read more »
Posted by Lily | This post has no comments
July 27th, 2011 under Art, Budget Conscious Travel, City Life, Culture, Family Travel, Museums and Monuments, Paris, Special Events, Uncategorized.
One of our favorite ways to travel is to stay in small inns, guesthouses and bed and breakfasts. We feel this is a great way to further steep yourself in the cultural fabric of a city and neighborhood. Not only is the architecture usually more interesting (and sometimes historically significant), but the proprietors are locals who value the cultural heritage that surrounds them and make it part of their daily mission to share it with visitors, while providing a homier, personalized lodging experience. Boston is the perfect city to take advantage of such accommodation. Below are some of our favorite places to stay in the city:
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Posted by Carolyn | This post has no comments
May 5th, 2011 under Accommodation, Boston, Budget Conscious Travel, Culture.
On a recent visit to the newly open Savoy Hotel, I picked up a copy of a handy map of London. Â Far from being the traditional tool to navigate the city, this handy document is designed to help visitors be more environmentally conscious when visiting London. Read more »
Posted by Petulia | This post has no comments
May 3rd, 2011 under Accommodation, Budget Conscious Travel, City Life, Context Travel, Family Travel, London, Transportation, Travel News.
A few weeks ago we sat down docent Ann Marie Mershon, a co-author of the amazing Istanbul’s Bazaar Quarter, and asked her to share her suggestions for good hotels in Sultanahmet, the historic center of Istanbul where it’s tough to find a decent hotel. It’s a question we get asked quite a bit, and in her role as a kind of unofficial ambassador of the city (Mershon also teaches in a local British school) she came up with some helpful ideas.
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Posted by Paul Bennett | This post has 3 comments
October 14th, 2010 under Accommodation, Budget Conscious Travel, Context Travel, Istanbul.
Last week a friend and I were lamenting the state of data roaming. In my role at Context I do a lot of travel. Every month finds me in one of our cities, whether Istanbul or Madrid or Boston or Rome. Like most people, I’m completely tethered to my email and the internet. But the roaming charges on my AT&T iPhone are extortionist. So, as a result, I usually keep the data roaming switched off and spend a good portion of my trip hunting for decent wifi.
Enter Fonmigo, a neat little outfit that we crossed paths with the other day. Fonmigo rents smartphones to travelers. Because they are actually a network provider (like AT&T, Vodafone, etc.) they do so at regular, local rates—which, currently, is limited to the UK, but promises to roll out to Italy and France in the next 8-12 months. So, while AT&T might charge me $2 per minute for a call in London, Fonmigo is going to give me that at a couple of pence.
Of course, being an iPhone user I can’t really just jump to another smartphone. What about my email, my apps, my profiles? Fonmigo has a fantastic solution. They also rent out mobile broadband, which connects into the local cellular network and then transmits a locked wifi signal. The renter of the device (and his colleagues or friends) can then connect to that like any normal wifi and have full connectivity. I use a similar devise to this in the U.S., the “mifi” system provided by Verizon, and it’s fantastic.
One caveat, the Fonmigo wifi caps usage at 1 GB (typical mobile broadband usually caps at 5 GB), and you have to pay extra for any overage. Still, at £7.50/day, it’s not bad.
We like the concept so much that we’ve struck a strategic partnership with Fonmigo that earns our customers a 10% discount on their services. Simply visit them from our site to take advantage.
Posted by Paul Bennett | This post has one comment
October 10th, 2010 under Budget Conscious Travel, London, Travel News.
It’s that time of year – September is a big month for culture with the Journées Européennes du Patrimoine, the European Patrimony Days, held on the 18th and 19th of September in France. This year, the theme is “”Great Men: When Women and Men Build History” and there are hundreds of special events and openings taking place the whole weekend.
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Posted by Lily | This post has no comments
September 14th, 2010 under Architecture, Art, Budget Conscious Travel, City Life, Culture, History, Museums and Monuments, Paris, Special Events, Uncategorized.
Once a year, in September, London opens up its doors to architecture enthusiasts.
The London Open House weekend is on Sept 19 and 20. I asked one of our docents, Eugene Pooley, to give our readers some suggestions for places to see during the event. Read more »
Posted by Petulia | This post has one comment
August 30th, 2010 under Architecture, Budget Conscious Travel, City Life, Culture, Docent Essays, London, Special Events, Travel News.
