Archive for August, 2009

Sting Operation in Rome at Restaurants

Friday, August 28th, 2009

THE ROME REPORT: written by Liza Salvatore (Roman historian/Papal scholar)

You can get fined in Rome if you have the  wrong Reciept for your meal.

Look to see if the restaurant is giving you an official receipt known as a ricevuta fiscale which has the proprietor’s social security number, etc. IF it does not, it means that they are not paying taxes on what they have charged you so don’t feel obligated to leave anything more than a few coins. I would suggest in any case that you get a “ricevuta fiscale” an official receipt because you are in danger of being caught in a sting with the Guardia di Finanza who may think you are colluding with the restaurant to help them avoid paying income tax. YOU are required to have a ricevuta fiscale when you walk out of a restaurant, a store, a coffee house and may be asked to provide it if the Guardia di Finanza is spot checking.

Tipping in Italy

Thursday, August 27th, 2009

THE ROME REPORT: written by Liza Salvatore (Roman historian/Papal scholar)

Generally, Italians leave about 5% tip on their bills for a tip in a trattoria or average restaurant, but this depends on wether there is “pane e coperto– bread and cover” already added to the bill or if they have charged your group a “servizio”. The bread and cover should no longer be charged as it was done away with when the currency changed from the lira to the euro BUT almost all restaurants still do it and Italians don’t challenge them because they want to return to that restaurant again. You decide if you want to challenge the “pane & coperto” charge. If you do so, do it in a “gee, I thought it had been done away with” and see what they say.

How to Get More Stuff In Your Suitcase

Saturday, August 22nd, 2009

I had the opportunity to try out the Eagle Creek Clothes Pack-it Folder  on my trip to Moscow. It says it holds up to 7 shirts. I put in 3 shirts, a sweater, and a pair of pants with room to spair. It fit well into my Pretty Neat Domestic bag. ( I have yet to get an International bag.) The first thing I noticed is how it saved space in my bag because it compressed the clothes I put in. This left me with more to put the great deals I found in my suitcase.

When I got to Moscow, my clothes were wrinkle free. It looked like I ironed them before I went out to see the sights. My clothes are usually wrinkled but I don’t care because I am usually to tired to iron them anyway.

When I was done with my trip and I had to commute home, then benefits of the Pack-it System realy hit home. I caught an earlier flight home then the jumpseat I had reserved so I wanted to change out of my uniform so as not to get asked the usual questions like “ have you ever been scared flying?’ I also wanted to have an adult beverage. I simply pulled out the Pack-it System , went into the bathroom, and changed. Then when I came back to my seat on a full flight, I slipped the Pack-it System into the overhead bin instead of pulling out my suitcase. The crew would not have appreciated that.

I think this is the prefect device for the professional traveler who wants to keep their clothes looking like they just came from the cleaners. It is also great for increasing the room in your bag. All in all I would recommend this for the traveler who wants to look professional, stay organized, and travel as compact as possible.

At 15% off at Crew Outfitters, they are lower then any other place I have found on the web. If you would like to purchase a pair, go to Crew Outfitters and use the promo code LW15.

But don’t take my word this is the best deal on the web, search the web for yourself. Just put in Eagle Creek Clothes Pack-it Folder  in my custom search engine, programmed to find deals, and see what you get.

Screw Your Buddy Pass

Sunday, August 16th, 2009

I was in the pilot lounge today when I heard a conversation about someone trying to get a friend from Seattle to Atlanta. He jumped through the hoops in the pass bureau to find it would cost $320 round trip. His friend Said thanks but no thanks because on line he could get a one way ticket for $139… for everything including Tax! You do the math. The pilot called the pass bureau again because he thought there was a mistake made with the buddy pass.

The person at the pass bureau said that that was correct fare. He asked why it was so high. The answer was ‘you have to understand that YOU have to pay for the taxes. The pilot said, if that is true, the fare on the internet has less tax than our buddy passes, right? There was silence. Not to let this fact go he added ..’Or is the company making money off us?’

So I went to my company’s pass webpage and got the price. Then I went to the Internet and used my search engine at NONREWEBSITE.  And put in the city pair. The prices at the top and right side were more than enough proof of this story. But as I always say, don’t take my word for it, go to my search engine with the city pair, look at the results, especially at the top and right and click on the to see what the total price is. Then, try the same with Google to be sure. The results will surprise you.

New Jumpseat Tool

Sunday, August 9th, 2009

The Airline Pilots Association has just put the finishing touches on their National Jumpseat Page. It was created as a one stop site for commuters and pilots traveling. The public portion is open to all.

On the Public portion you will see several Links. Here are a few;

  • Airline Jumpseat Procedures – These are several Airlines and their Jumpseat Polocies. It also gives contact numbers and websites to disseminate as much information as possible on getting a jumpseat.
  • Jumpseat Etiquette – This is a guide to tell you what is acceptable when Jumpseating.
  • TSA complaint form – The TSA is looking for your input to make the system better. Here is the document for you to help them improve the system.
  • FDX Jumpseat Finder – Allows you to find a jumpseat on Fed Ex and gives the contact information.
  • UPS Flight Finder – Allows you to find a jumpseat on UPS and gives the contact information.
  • Flight Explorer – Lists ALL flights between cites.

This ais a great tool for all those who commute to get to job. It is also helpful if you are traveling and trying to find a way to get home. To see this site, go to http://jumpseat.alpa.org/ To see this and other Nonrev Links, go to Useful Non-Rev Websites

Ripped Off in Russia

Monday, August 3rd, 2009

After our flight was cancelled, we had an extra day in Moscow so we decided to go to Lenin’s Tomb. It is open Tuesday to Thursday and Saturday and Sunday, 10 to 1 and is free to enter. After getting our brief on when we would leave the next day, we headed of to the Metro to start our journey. We got to the entrance 15 minutes before it ‘closes’ only to have the guards tell us no more visitors for the day. We asked them about the time and they just shrugged their shoulders. The tour guides were circling around us like sharks.

The first one came up informing us that for 500 rubles each he can get us in. Apparently there is an agreement that when no more visitors are allowed in for free but before the tomb closed, tour guides could get us in. We said no to his offer and he puts on the pressure like a good con-man saying I hope you can come back tomorrow. When we leave and look for another way in, we are approached by anther saying we are very late but for 1200 rubles he can get us in and give us. I tell him the other guy would do it for 500. He said his price includes a tour of all the other 4 graves including Yuri Gagarin, Stalin, and Brezhnev. This is interesting because we have 10 minutes until it closes and this tour seems longer than 20, yet the guards won’t let us in just to see Lenin. I start to see the scam.

Next he says for 700 Rubles he can let both of us just see Lenin and we agree and he sets the hook. As we get closer, the guide looks at his watch and the starts running this is to see how bad we want to get in. As he runs, he says we are very late and tries to bid the price up saying historical facts along the way. He then says for 900 rubles we can get more information. We say no then he passes another guide and they exchange words. We go a little farther and he says we cannot get in because we are too late.

So if you are going to Lenin’s Tomb make sure you get there at least 30 minutes before it closes. Otherwise you will be charged 1200 Rubles, around $40, to see something that is for free. Also, be careful of the guides and know some are ‘hyper-capitalistic.”

See more tips like these at NonRevWebsite.com