Spendthrift Shoestring

Avianca to South America from NYC

Another amazing deal this week: $342 from New York to Lima via Bogotá on Avianca in early April. Unbelievable! I can't remember the last time that two airfare deals caught me off guard in a single week.

Another Icelandic Migration to Manitoba?

Some attention—though truth be told not as much as I'd have anticipated—has been devoted to the coming economic migration from Iceland. (Migrants to the country have already begun to depart in huge numbers. The BBC reported back in October about the exodus of Polish citizens, who have comprised the largest group of foreigners in the country many times over.) On a Monocle podcast a few editions ago, editors discussed where Iceland's economic migrants might be heading, suggesting that due to cultural links and the right of free movement, the Nordic countries were the obvious recipients.

But what about a possible migration westward? In yesterday's Globe and Mail, Patrick White writes a fascinating piece on the expected migration of Icelandic citizens ("...a trickle, not quite a torrent" in the words of Atli Ásmundsson, Iceland's consul-general in Winnipeg) to Gimli, Manitoba, a city of about 6000 north of Winnipeg. Gimli is the epicenter of Icelandic Canadian culture, and as such would be an obvious destination for economic migrants from Iceland.

But would savvy exiles from Reykjavík find cultural satisfaction in Gimli? Winnipeg, I dare to wager, would be a better fit. I'm a huge fan of the sorely underappreciated city, and have sung its praises in print. Winnipeg is a very creative place with loads of artists and other experimental types and an interesting ethnic and cultural mix. A modest influx would inject a distinctively Icelandic dose of creativity into the local scene, providing yet another dimension to a dynamic city already full of surprises.

Fare Alert: Good Spring Deals on TAP Portugal

I just went ahead with some spring travel planning courtesy of the ever-useful Kayak and discovered some incredibly cheap Newark-Spain fares in April on TAP Portugal.

According to the airline's homepage, there are current promotional fares fares to Madrid, Seville, and Barcelona via Portugal for as little as $518. The multistop itinerary I researched between Newark to Barcelona on the outgoing leg and returning from Bilbao, via Lisbon in both directions, came in at a very attractive $541 roundtrip.

Also of note: Roundtrip fares to major Italian destinations (Rome, Venice, and Milan) begin at $556 and roundtrips to Lisbon and Porto begin at $619.

List: My Top 25 Pop Songs of 2008

Quite late, this one, and I'm not entirely sure that I haven't excluded some really good tunes. Still, here it is: my favorite tracks of 2008.

1.   Dance Wiv Me -- Dizzee Rascal & Calvin Harris ft. Chrome
2.   Beat Control -- Tilly and the Wall
3.   Fascination -- Alphabeat
4.   Lights & Music -- Cut Copy
5.   Longing for Lullabies -- Kleerup ft. Titiyo
6.   I’m Good, I’m Gone -- Lykke Li
7.   Kids -- MGMT
8.   Don’t Call Me Baby -- Kreesha Turner
9.   Stay the Same -- autoKratz
10. Divine -- Sébastien Tellier
11. Der Kuschel Song -- Schnuffel
12. We Love the Disco Sound -- Streetlife DJs
13. Just Dance -- Lady GaGa
14. Blijf je vanavond -- Monique Smit
15. Downtown Boys -- Infernal
16. Hear It In The Cans -- We Have Band
17. Gymnastik -- Hej Matematik
18. Come On Girl -- Taio Cruz ft. Luciana
19. Thank You -- Amy Diamond
20. Better in Time -- Leona Lewis
21. Non ti scordar mai di me -- Giusy Ferreri
22. Quicksand -- La Roux
23. Naughty Girl -- Mr. G
24. Want U -- Lo-Fi-Fnk
25. Baas -- Ali B ft. Sjaak

Jordan: A Few More Images

Road sign, Mount Nebo.

Desert Highway.

Torn map, Dana.

Feb Budget Travel: Mixed Bag

I returned last night from Jordan to the February issue of Budget Travel in my mailbox. I'm growing accustomed to reacting schizophrenically to each issue of the magazine. This one has an absolutely fantastic feature on boutique hostels. Included are Mama Shelter in Paris (with rooms beginning at €79), Stay in Los Angeles (rooms beginning at $65), and Lub d in Bangkok (rooms with shared bathroom beginning at $30). All of the properties are beautiful and aesthetically interesting.

Less pleasing is the "Where Next" feature on various Caribbean destinations. The hotel rate range begins at $150 and proceeds up to $270 per night. I've just booked a room for $50 a night in an old sugar mill in the middle of high season on Nevis—a property surrounded by several acres of fruit trees just feet from a lovely pool, no less. In March Matt and I will spend a few nights on Terre-de-Haut off Guadeloupe, where our room at an exquisite little hotel will run, somewhat splurgily for me, €82. Perhaps, if I hadn't just made these reservations, I wouldn't find the inclusion of the above properties so annoying. But I have, and I am prompted to wonder, yet again, just how hotels at $270 per night belong in a budget travel magazine.

Amman: Some Signage

Some sights in Amman, between the Citadel and the Roman Theatre...

Jordan Update

I'm back in Amman now, after a few days exploring some of Jordan's tourist circuit highlights. Unfortunately, due to some unforeseen issues—incredibly expensive internet hotel fees in Petra and an internet connection here in Amman so slow that I haven't been able to load images—I haven't been able to share images and observations. I'll post some entries next week to compensate.

For now, I'll share the words of our Bedouin guide this morning in Wadi Rum, reflecting on the inauguration: "Yowm Obama," or "Obama's day."

In Jordan

Royal Jordanian Airlines headrest detail.

London: My EuroCheapo Tips

Meredith Franco at EuroCheapo wrote a lovely blog post today detailing some of my London tips and suggestions. Thanks for the mention, Meredith!

Those headed to London should be sure to check out EuroCheapo's London guide.