When it was possible to travel 1st class in Europe on $5 per day: a travel primer

 

  My travel primer begins when Arthur Frommer published Europe on $5 a Day in 1957, it was just a pocket book for GI's who were stationed abroad, nobody was expecting that middle class Americans would embrace his guide with such fervor, but then in the 1960's it was very expensive to travel in the US, and during 1962, for those who lived in New York city or in Los Angeles, CA, Frommer's breakout book was publicized in the NEW YORK TIMES "Travel Section." 

  As it turned out, despite that Frommer's Europe on $5 per day 1st class travel claims seemed too good to be true, many bought the book and they experienced living life large in Europe, in fact the opportunity to experience first class travel abroad attracted thrifty travelers for the next decade. 

  The current advent of private train cars, see the link to the recent NEW YORK TIMES "Travel Section," was the basis for this "travel primer," however, thanks to Google's AI, I was advised about the publication of Arthur Frommer's middle class travel sensation book, decades ago.

  I have experienced the Eurail international rail pass system created in 1959 by major European railway companies to allow tourists to travel across multiple European national rail networks, and sad to say, it was no better than the current USA AMTRAK's TV dinner, dining car experience.

  My personal first class travel experiences also come to mind, decades ago I attempted to book a SNCF Mistral-like train for a memorable trip to Istanbul by train instead of by plane, but catching that train was a logistical nightmare, and I arrived in Turkey's most western oriented city in the 1st class section of the long defunct defunct PAN AMERICAN airplane. 

  Today, travel by train, and eating in a dining car, is like a TV dinner experience, but my travel primer is a reminder that it was once possible to spend $5 a day and travel first class.

  It could be that in a few decades, if the riots in Paris spread to other parts of western Europe, that a bankrupt EU might offer 1st class travel again on $5 per day, that is unless we in the USA decide to try the EU socialists recipe for a worker's paradise here, then we won't have $5 to spare. 

  HAPPY TRAVELS!

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/23/travel/amtrak-private-train-cars.html?unlocked_article_code=1.IFE.jsr6.i7C8943DiHFH&smid=url-share 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Winter holiday travel & the Iran war

  Google's AI has a good summary of the main thrust of what to expect, namely, Winter holiday travel costs are surging, for the Christmas and New Year flights you should figure about 20% higher to cover for the higher jet fuel, as well some airspace disruptions from the ongoing Iran war, resulting in longer detours and higher operating expenses, major carriers continue to bypass restricted Middle Eastern airspace, for instance, Virgin Atlantic, has suspended select regional routes—like London to Dubai, a popular commercial destination, though not a top tourism destination for Americans, however, recently, Delta and American have resumed flights to Israel.

  When I looked for websites to detail some specifics, cnbc.com offered details about renewed interest in Japan and India as safe destination substitutes for the now problematic middle east.

  Insofar as estimates about much airfares, forbes.com is predicting that the traditional shoulder season of lower fares is gone, instead, airfares will climb as high as 39%,  moreover, Yahoo lists 10 ways the Iran war has impacted the public, but doesn't cover the travel scene with any new facts.

  The guardian.com predicts last minute holiday bookings may not be possible.

  If you do plan to travel out of country, I suggest that you bookmark the website, travel.state.gov, I've put it on my research list, it's the last one, mainly for international travel advisories, most travel agents and airlines do not advise with the same specifics as this government website, doing so could save your life.

  However, although my research proves that the Iran war has had fossil fuel energy effects exhibited by higher airfares, there has not a very significant change in the global travel patterns.  

  Traveling is still a way to make memories, wherever you decide to go, I wish you,

  HAPPY TRAVELS

 

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/29/asia-secondary-cities-tourism-boom-domestic-travel-japan-india-iran-war.html 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/suzannerowankelleher/2026/08/25/fall-airfares-up-39-percent-no-shoulder-season/ 

https://travel.yahoo.com/news/articles/ten-ways-iran-war-affect-060000642.html 

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/aug/12/iran-war-high-living-costs-fuel-last-minute-holiday-bookings-tui 

https://travel.state.gov/en/international-travel/travel-advisories/global-events/worldwide-caution.html 

 

 

 

Is there A "themed" 250 year USA travel itinerary

  The idea of a "themed" travel itinerary is well known by many in the travel industry, especially the American Tour Association, that has for many years given the consumer the confidence to put a deposit on a tour member's offering with a guarantee that the tour deposit will be returnable should the tour member go belly up/bankrupt, a not unheard of problem that occurs when the ground operators, those folks make a tour work in each country and city that is on the schedule, take the money and don't produce the tour that was paid for.

   Decades ago, franchise hotels like Holiday Inns were often used by the corporate hotel chain to bring traffic to all their franchises around the nation, I was out of a job and answered a short ad in THE NEW YORK TIMES for a hotel marketing representative, never dreaming that taking the job would help me become a travel industry CTC a decade later, but I had sold travel tours to people I knew, that was enough to qualify and to work my way in this hotel's chain of command to become the travel marketing manager for the same Holiday Inn near 9^th Avenue that had hired me a few years earlier.

  This same Holiday Inn hotel was part of the consortium of hotel space needed for the city's Jacob K. Javits Convention Center—yet during the lull in seasons at the convention center, especially the summer, I wasn't selling hotel rooms, so I imitated a special ravel theme to publicize our franchise chain of hotels around the nation, for instance linking New York with Washington D.C. and offering special D. C. historical tours about the creation of our Republic, as well bringing travelers touring the revolutionary war sites in upstate New York during the day, and at night sleeping at my hotel, of course, but after a dinner at the hotel, I had them enjoying a Broadway show.

   In 2026 only a travel consortium like AAA has special "themed" tours with negotiated rates, however, the middle price hotel chain, Choice Hotels, has what Choice International calls, "detours worth taking" in the USA, that offers special hotel rates.

   If you feel especially confidant to arrange your own transportation around the nation in support of our nations 250^th, use the Department of Transportation's APP, but be aware that you don't get any special hotel discounts, for that you have to book a travel consortium's "tour" such as the AAA is offering.

   Either way, the lure of traveling overseas can assuaged with a family trip to explore part of the USA you haven't seen before, doing so makes those priceless memories, do take plenty of pictures.

   And happy traveling!

 https://www.ustravel.org/travel-250-years-shaping-americas-story
https://www.acg.aaa.com/connect/blogs/6c/travel/america-250-travel-guide-to-the-us-250-anniversary   
https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/trumps-transportation-secretary-sean-p-duffy-general-motors-release-new-app-help 
https://www.choicehotelsdevelopment.com/news/choice-hotels-international-launches-detours-worth-taking-guide-to-help-traveler-MCVYIFETQJOVAJRNM5M2KVRJCYYU