I periodically get motivated to write something up on a topic, usually in a BBS, and this is going to be the catchall for the ones I feel like sharing. Some of it is humourous and some is just me going on a rant over something that struck a nerve. Yeah, I know I said no blog here, but eventually something is going to really tick me off and I'll fire my broadside over it here. I've held off on making this page as, although I had a couple of things I wanted to keep from getting buried in Archives, I really haven't got much prepared and they didn't warrant the site changes to incorporate them.

What finally got me motivated to make this page was the learning curve I went through in making travel arrangements from the US to get to, and around, Europe. By no means am I going to save anyone who follows the advice any time or effort. This is not a "fill in the dates and locations" quick-click scenario you'll get from things like Orbitz or Travelocity. I've laid out the groundwork and provided some links and search terms, but you'll have to do the research and the math yourself. My only goal was to save money, and I did quite well at it. In my view, a few hours of work three months in advance is nothing compared to saving over $1,000/week and these pages should help you do the same. For six international flights and four weeks of lodgings in the summer of 2006, I spent $3500, while those sites would have cost me $6000+. There is some cross-application to trips around North America, as well as for trips to Africa, Asia, and South America, but no specifics are posted as yet. For now, you'll have to use these as a stepping stone to finding what you need to do for those other areas.

The VAT (Value Added Tax) rules have changed significantly with the onset of the EU. Basically, as a foreign national, you aren't exempt from paying any applicable sales taxes at the point of purchase, but you can get a refund for everything when you leave. Simply saving all your receipts used to be enough, but is no longer sufficient. I know what I've been doing wrong, but it's now just a matter of getting all the specifics together and writing a page for it.