The Washington herald., 1911-06-04
HOW TO SEE EUROPE
ON NEXT TO NOTHING
The Second of a Series of Articles by Govern
ment Clerk Who Has Made Several Tours
Abroad on Small Funds.

er than during any Of my four previous
voyages, which occurred during the month
of June and September. and the air no
colder. Far from land, on the ocean,
the contrast between summer and winter
is not marked
The Tourist Agencies.
The tourist agencies cater almost en-
tirely to travellers with plenty OF money,
and 1 have found that can make in
comfort trips advertised by them at from
one-half to three-quarters OF what their
rates are. They never carry their patrons
in third-class railway carriages, and sec
ond-class travel costs from 80 to 80 per
cent more than third-class. In their per-
sonaIly conducted tours, the travelling ex-
penses and salary of guide, about $225
in the aggregate per month, must be
divided among about a dozen tourists. not
to speak of a good-sized profit which goes
to the tourist agency. The tourist agen
hotel coupons cost much more than what
it is possible to get decent accommoda-
tions for.
Go by Third.class Rail.
The Germans have a saying that only
Americans and fools travel frst-class.
Many native Americans Of even the mid
die class Of society who travel In Europe
| foolishly go in first-class carriages, be-
| cause, as they say, IT does not cost any
more than the ordinary coach costs in
, America. OF Europeans, the mobiles and
| the very wealthy travel first-class, and
other wealthy people, second-class. The
third class-the fourth in some parts OF
Germany-is that used by the vast ma
| jority of native travellers. In this respect
| II corresponds to our day coach.
1 have travelled third class In most of
| the countries of Europe, and only on
| very rare occasions have I been thrown
| in with dirty or repulsive travelling COM
| panions for an hour or two. In only three
countries, Spain, Italy, and Russia, did
| find my fellow-passengers to average as
| low in desirability as the fellow-passen-
| gers I meet on a New York or Washing
! ton electric car. and in the three countries
| named, fortunately, each compartment
was generally not more than one-third
| occupied. so that It was possible to iso-
late oneself to a considerable degree.
Finding Cheap Hotels.
In the leading countries of Europe It is
not at all difficult to find clean accomfo-
| dations for the night for about is cents
| in the villages which one passes through
on a bicycle or pedestrian tour. The
| finding Of cheap and clean hotels in the
large cities, however, is the most difficult
| feature Of travelling on next to nothing.
| but even here the difficulty is inconsider-
able when women are not among the
party of travellers. On arriving in q city,
the tourist should leave his baggage in
| the parcel room Of the railroad station,
and start out to find suitable accommoda-
| tions. In most cities there are many fur
| nished room houses and pensions or
| boarding houses, with the proper signs
| displayed. When spending several days
| in a place, / have many times secured
quarters in such houses, more desirable
and cheaper than at the cheap hotels.
All over England are the s>called
Temperance Hotels" where decent
rooms can be had for from 25 to 80 cents
a day. and to the better class Of which
women can go. Still cheaper hotels for
men only abound in the cities. In the
cities of Germany are found the Hos
pize," which correspond to the temper
ance hotels of England in respect to both
accommodations and prices. Men can
find cheaper accommodations in the So
called ''Herbergen'' or lodging houses.
To those intending to travel in the most
Bohemian fashion, patronizing hotels of
the "Herbergen" type, the writer urges
the use of a sleeping-bag made of muslin,
large enough for its owner to crawl into.
In hotels of the type named. charging
about 10 cents a night, the bed-linen may
not always be span-clean. and for a stay
of one night. considering the price
charged the traveller could hardly insist
on change of the linen. Carrying a
sleeping bag is equivalent to carrying
alcng ones sheets.
Beware OF Getting Stung.
distinct understanding Should be ar
| rived at with hotel keepers as to what is
included in the rates named, otherwise
lights and service may be added as
extras.
1t is nearly always cheaper simply to
hire a room at the hotel and take the
meals at restaurants, except possibly the
European breakfast of coffee and rolls.
Some hotels which rent good rooms for
from 40 to so cents day expect to
make a big profit on the meals. II TAX
ing meals at the hotel a la carte, insist
on paying for each meal when finished.
If the meals are charged IN the bill,
mistakes in favor the landlord are COM
mon, and 1t is practically impossible to
rectify them. Some countries, as Spain,
Portugal, and Sweden, are practically
without restaurants independent of e.
hotel, so that the meals must be taken
at the hotel.
Everybody Must BE Tipped.
Tips must not be forgotten on ship
Dooio dhd III IuiOpt, IOT Oil menldlS
who render any kind of service. Tips
here are not a matter of magnanimity,
but Of obligation. In general, walters
and other hotel servants receive no
wages from their employers.
In the second cabin the proper tips,
which are to be paid at the end of the
voyage, are 81 to the table steward and
81 to the room steward, with smaller tips
to the deck steward and others of the
crew who have been of service In the
steerage. a total of Is or so cents is suffi-
cient to devote to tips.
For those who travel at the rate of
SIS a month for all current expenses, the
proper tips in Europe are at the rate Of
40 cents a week to the waiter and %
cents a week to the chambermaid. The
rates named imply no extra services
The hotel porter should receive cents
for each time he carries a suit case up
or down stairs, and the hotel concierge
or doorkeeper should ordinarily be paid
Is cents in case of a weeks stay. The
concierge, sometimes referred to as the
porter, In the sense Of doorkeeper, is the
person to whom the traveller. should go
for information as to the hours when
public buildings are open, and the best
routes to take, and he should be re-
warded in proportion to the services rem
dered. In general. no tips are given to
the hotel employees until the traveller
takes his departure.
For q single meal in q restaurant, the
proper tip is from to cents, depending
on the size OF the order, and for q single
night at hotel. the proper tip to the