Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-11-16
JUST TRAVEL

Turkevl and will tell him what cars to take,
or give him directions to points OF interest.
Avoid cabs if YOU would economic. Don't
go to any place of amusement without first
learning the price You do these things at
home: so keep on doing them abroad. Also
one must remember that the places where he
learns the most, and expands the most, and
OF which one retains the most pleasant recol-
lectionS. are the places that cost but little
or nothing. The wonderful art galleries and
museums usually ask an almost tritling fee
The Cathedrals palaces, and places of mar
VeouS architecture are all free.
THE question of eating is one Of the trying
ones, and is closely connected with the
subject of lodging; but it is a good plan
never to stop on the American plan, and
never to buy a ticket from a tourist COM
panv that includes meals and lodging III its
price. You are given what we call in Amer
lea "the worst of it in about sixtv-hve per
cent. of cases. Most of these tourist COM
panleS get a commission from the hotels
where they place you, and therefore the
landlord cares very little whether YOU are
satisfied. He takes it for granted, with
bone headed stupidity, that this is the only
time he will ever see you, and must therefore
profit all he can from YOU.
once lived in a hotel in Paris where tour
ist trippers were slowed away in rooms that
in no circumstances would be given to other
transient guests. On one occasion the ser
wants were doubled up"-that is, put two
in bed-and the ugly, i'll furnished rooms
thus obtained turned over to a tourist party,
personally conducted" and those poor
tourists were paying higher rates than had
ever paid in that hotel Because these trav-
elerS were fellow countrymen, and inasmuch
as they were interior school teachers, taking
probably the greatest trip of their lives,
expostulated with that landlord. He merely
shrugged his shoulders and said, "But
don't care for these tourists, ANYWAY. Next
year | shall refuse to sign contract with
that agency, because it wants too big per
centage.
If YOU have no one to furnish you list of
lodging places in Europe, don't be fright
ened. There IS not big city in Europe, or
the British Isles, where you cannot get rooms
at surprisingly low rates Don't be in
hurry when YOU arri in town. Don't per-
NIT Yourself to be bewildered. If YOU have
no place to go, and intend to remain for
few days, put in an hour or SO looking for
quarters that will suit your purse and taste.
1t won't hurt YOU to ask the policeman on
the corner which tram, car, or omnibus will
convey YOU to quiet rooming section of the
NIIN II lC IclI III lliliS SfioSo
out OF ten he will lead you to someone who
does. Leave your luggage at the station.
You will see something of the city IN your
search, and instead of paying from two to
ten dollars a day for one small, stuffy room
in hotel, you will probably get a nice big
one for two to five dollars week, in place
where the people will be interested in you,
and strive to assist YOU and give you advice.
Also they will send for your baggage while
you are resting after your trip, and will get
it delivered for considerably less than 1t
would have cost YOU. You may not reach
a fashionable neighborhood; but what do
YOU careo You are there to see, and to learn,
and to shun pretense and wasteful eXpend1-
ture.
Probably there will be some little, obscure
restaurant round the corner, which the aver
age traveller never hears of, at which you can
dine as sumptuouslv as you wish for about
tenth what the big hotel downtown
would have charged you. And these places
are not difficult to find. All it requires is
plain commonsense. You may be "stung
once or twice; but you'll find place.
You will be able to eat comfortably in any
big city YOU may visit for from forty cents
to dollar day, if you will but make
slight effort. There are several millions of
persons in Europe who live and seem to
thrive on less than twenty-five cents day,
lodging included. have, on occasion, lived
4 a,,J - Il,