Evening star., 1925-07-05
Travelling Abroad.
BY WILLIAM RUFUS SCOTT.

London, June 25.
On reaching London in the daytime,
| II you are seeking moderate prices,
leave your suit cases in the checkroom
OF the station and tell taxicab driver
TO take you to the vicinity of the
BRUSH Museum. In this great area
there are literally thousands of hotels
large and small and rooming houses.
DISMISS the taxi and hunt a place
ou VIII nave to pay from shillings
| up lor room and breakfast or Sl25
and, in view OF the great flood of
tourists, likely up to or 10 shilIings
per day. But that is much better
than the case of an American here,
recently, who was charged SIS a day
at downtown hotel for room without
bath. The same hotel would have
been glad, outside the tourist season.
to get $3.50 for the same room. Or
buy morning newspaper and tele.
phone some Of the advertised places
about rooms and rates.
X ~
One useful line of information is
from fellow tourists already here. Talk
to them on bus rides and elsewhere.
ASK them about hotels, and be spe-
enc about prices, not merely if the
hotel is mice" place. Often they
will give advice that will save money
and time. The professional travel Of
1ces almost invariably will refer YOU
to high-priced hotels. The rates they
quote may sound reasonable, and so
they are-if the hotels followed them
but likely as not they will be all out
or such rooms when you arrive and
speak English! Don't be afraid OF
small hotels, but go see a room before
engaging 1t.
For short visits TO Europe the
sightseeing bus parties are the only
way TO cover the ground. However.
there often are cheaper bus rides
than the most widely known ones.
and inquiries may result in saving 10
francs or shillings or so per ride
In ordering theater tickets through
hotel porters or ticket agencies, watch
prices, and see what you will save If
you go to the theater and buy the
seats yourself. Sometimes this takes
too much time, and you simply pay
the extra charge for that reason.
X x X
English IS spoken so widely in
Europe that no fear need be entertain
ed on that score. Even where 1t is not
spoken there is no trouble. In res
taurants, however some trouble will
be saved if you learn the French
names for the food you ordinarily eat
at home, so you may order what you
want. II it is a fixed-price dinner,
naturally you will have to eat what is
served. 1t is a good thing to want to
eat what the French eat, or the
Italians or Germans, for a time at
least, rather than what you have all
the time at home. It is part of the
trip. If dining a la carte in good
places, don't let pompous walters
foist expensive dishes on you that
you do not want. One American
woman entertaining some friends had
an S18 bill by giving the waiter too
much leeway in making suggestions.
X * * X
Take time TO master the bus and
subway routes, as they Will save much
expense and energy. Sightseeing is
hard work, and distances between
points of interest that may appear
trivial on a city map often turn out
to be quite far apart.
x x X
Lastly, bring along more money
than you have estimated will be re-
qu!red for the trip, as, despite all care.
prices are going up, for the American
tourist, at least. Say about $50 more
than you figure will be needed And
learn, in advance, something of the
foreign moneys you will handle.