Comments on: 5 Things That Are Getting on My Nerves

By: tim

tim — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 04:11:50 +0000

Brad, you may be a company shill, but still—are you for real?
http://www.charlotte.com/122/story/561375.html

“The gas company’s base rate covers its day-to-day expenses, major project costs, plus the built-in profit margin, which Piedmont wants to increase from 8 percent to 12 percent.”

I’m sure most people in business would love to sell their core product “at cost” if they could just add an automatic built in profit margin on top of expenses. Nice work if you can get it.

By: Brad

Brad — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 14:42:51 +0000

Just to clarify, parts of #3 display a slight ignorance. If the author were to do some research, he/she would learn that Piedmont Gas doesn’t earn a single penny when you actually use natural gas. They are required by law to sell you the natural gas at the exact same price they bought it at. The only way they are allowed to make money is by charging a fee for allowing you to be hooked up to their natural gas lines. Think about it from the company’s point of view. Is $11.35 per month really that irrational? They do own and maintain thousands of miles of pipeline throughout the southeast…and that isn’t cheap to do.

By: tim

tim — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 05:04:51 +0000

I don’t know Steve–I sort of buy what you’re saying but the logic is partly flawed. Prices in the U.S. have gone up a lot since my book came out too. Been to a grocery store or gas station lately? Europeans are complaining that everything is going up except their paycheck. Hungary is decoupling from the euro because inflation is out of control. Reality is that no place is stuck in time right now because commodity prices are rising so fast. Inflation is a bitch, but it’s inevitable when the current global forces are at work—blame it on China.

Meanwhile, I’ve been in four countries I highlighted in the book over the past year and things aren’t all that far off, especially in Mexico. When I look at online prices for places I stayed in Argentina less than 2 years ago, none of the prices are more than 10 percent higher. The places I stayed in Peru two and a half years ago haven’t budged except in the highest of the high season. As for transferring assets, 30 percent of my retirement funds and one of my houses is outside the U.S. Always good to hedge your bets…

By: Steve H

Steve H — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 00:53:44 +0000

Thanks for the reply Tim. I have now spent several days each in Salta, Cafayate, and Tucuman and gotta tell ya, it may still be a good value, but not even close to what it was when your 2nd edition of ‘World’s Cheapest Destinations’ was published. Personally, I love the country and have many friends here now….I will probably keep coming back here no matter what….but I think people need to be made aware of one very important, yet hidden fact: unless you actually have on-the-ground knowledge of inflationary forces here, you could look at a Yahoo Finance currency chart from February 2007 to February 2008 and think ‘No kidding, the dollar is actually doing better in Argentina by about 3%’….but in fact, the fact that it’s still just over 3 pesos to a dollar – instead of, oh 5 pesos to a dollar, means that the dollar has weakened substantially against the Argentine Peso. And though by all appearances the dollar has held it’s own against Latin American currencies, by taking inflation into account I have seen how the dollar has actually gotten crushed here (Peru, Chile, Argentina) as well. You may need to target the 3rd edition of ‘World’s Cheapest Destinations’ solely to European readers, because US readers will literally have no bargains left!I am well aware of how pessimistic my view is, but let’s take action while we can by transferring our assets into better investments….as Americans, that may well be our only chance to maintain a selection of ‘cheapest destinations’ for travel in the coming years.

By: tim

tim — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 17:45:24 +0000

I haven’t been there lately but had heard the increases were mostly confined to the high-end hotels. Seems like it’s trickling down to the others as well. Inflation is bad in Argentina and the current price control policies aren’t helping. Sounds like the good times for tourists aren’t going to last unless the supply starts catching up with demand in terms of hotel rooms. Looks like my favorite Salta place is still only about $40 though: Hotel Del Antiguo Convento.

By: Steve H

Steve H — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 02:09:39 +0000

Hey Tim

Great post, and while we´re at it – here´s something that´s getting on my nerves that would probably also be near and dear to you – I´m back in Salta and looking for lodging in Cafayate – it´s just one year later (exact same time of year, mid-February) and even though as you state the dollar is doing well against the AR Peso, inflation is going crazy – the place I stayed at last year which was excellent, and cost 50 pesos per night, is now charging 130 pesos per night. Other mid-range places listed in my 2008 (yes, you ready that correctly) Footprint guidebook are at least 50% more than printed at the current market rate. This is frustrating me greatly because of the trend, moreso than the extra 30-50 bucks I´ll shell out for 3-4 nights later this week in Cafayate….any thoughts, Tim?

Best, Steve

By: John

John — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 21:09:11 +0000

Yep, I was pretty disgusted when I heard that UAL is changing an extra $25 for a second bag. Guess they figure, if you’re gonna travel far, what’s another $25? – you’ll pay it!! I imagine them fiendishly laughing – and hey, how DID they arrive at $25??

By: Bryan

Bryan — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 04:41:39 +0000

5) Even better are lists of lists: The top 10 travel destination lists would be a good one.

4) I agree and disagree with you on this one. I think personal recommendations are exactly what people are looking for in travel articles, whether they are right or not. Takes the risk out of traveling, I guess. I do like the way that you approach it, though. You have a similar writing style as the Costa Rica HQ blog, of which I’m a regular reader. I love that.

By: Beki

Beki — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 23:54:20 +0000

To be fair, your last entry was a list too…and also a good one.

May I add to the annoyance list–Aer Lingus/Ryanair/Easyjet’s nitpicky baggage policy which addresses everything from golf clubs to skis and fiddles but cleverly leaves out guitars (on purpose?) so those can fall under the €8 per kg for extra weight category?

By: Leif Pettersen

Leif Pettersen — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 15:30:37 +0000

Tim,

I’ve already got like 200,000 words down for a project like you’ve suggested. Have your agent call my agent and we’ll start the paperwork for the editor’s agent.