Greetings from Switzerland

Saluti dalla Svizzera! That’s “Greetings from Switzerland!” in Italian, which is the language, and culture, of choice here in the Ticino canton of Switzerland. My husband and I arrived here last Thursday to attend the Travel Leaders International Summit in the beautiful city of Lugano.

            Just a few miles from the Italian border, Lugano is the largest city in the canton, or state, of Ticino, which is the only one of Switzerland’s 26 cantons where Italian is the predominant language. German is spoken in most of them, with French in the cantons to the west, and one nearby in which German, Italian, and the rare, Latin-based language of Rumantsch are common.

            Its multilingual nature is just one of the many fascinating aspects of this central European nation, which is not part of the EU or NATO and has historically been known for its world-class skiing and its banking. We’ve discovered that there’s so much more here, in a part of the country not generally well-known outside Europe.

            We arrived March 21 after a long, 20-hour trek from our home in northwest Wisconsin, but our lodgings at the Grand Hotel Villa Castagnola were worth the wait. A 5-star hotel built by a Russian nobleman in 1880, it has a distinct Old World Mediterranean charm and is a short walk from the shore of Lake Lugano. There’s a beautiful city park along the lakefront, leading to the downtown district with great restaurants and, of course, shopping.

            Ticino has mild weather thanks to the Alps, which block most of the weather trying to come south through Switzerland. The milder Mediterranean weather that graces Italy makes its way here, leading to the very agreeable climate. We enjoyed it tremendously, especially with our 34km bike ride on the 24^th, up the Maggio River Valley from the town of Ascona, right next to Locarno on yet another large, beautiful lake, Lago Maggio. Our route took us through some villages right out of “Grimm’s Fairy Tales.”

            Many of my colleagues from around the U.S. were here for the conference, and it was great to catch up with them and learn more about the latest trends in travel, especially regarding our host country. Switzerland has an amazing rail system, modern and highly efficient, and we really enjoyed riding it. There are passes visitors can purchase, allowing unlimited use of the rail system for days at a time, taking them virtually everywhere in the country.

            We’re writing this on Monday the 25^th as we ride the train from Lugano to our next destination, the town of Engelberg, where we’ll enjoy a few days in the Alps, including a day in Lucerne, before our final journey to Zurich and flight home.

            If you like gorgeous mountain vistas, charming villages, great weather and friendly people—not to mention an amazing rail system—then Switzerland is the place for you. Maybe you’ll even learn how to yodel while you’re here! Give us a ring, and we’ll help you get over here to see for yourself!

 

 The trending destinations for travelers in 2024

This week, my husband and I are heading to Europe for the Travel Leaders International Summit in Lugano, Switzerland. Traveling to Europe is always exciting, but a recent article by CNBC notes that more Americans are turning their eyes westward for 2024 travel.

            European cities like London, Paris and Rome will always be popular, but Asian cities are attracting a lot more attention these days, according to Airbnb, which writes that “2024 is shaping up to be the year of globetrotting.”

            Searches for international flights are up 13% year-over-year, even though prices are up about 10%. Domestic U.S. travel surged in 2020-21 as the country reopened after the pandemic, but international travel began to ramp up in ’22 and shows no signs of slowing down. The trending destinations for American travelers in 2024:

·         Asia-Pacific. Whoever you talk to in the travel industry, Asia/Pacific locations are leading the way: Tokyo, Seoul, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Taipei. Japan ranks highly among non-U.S. travelers, with Osaka, Tokyo and Kyoto among the top two dozen worldwide destinations for travel later this year and in ’25. Asian nations were among the slowest to ease pandemic-related border closures, and now that they’re open, tourists’ wanderlust is being unleashed. Other factors include a strong U.S. dollar vs. the Japanese yen, which gives American visitors additional buying power, and more flights there from budget airlines. Airbnb says search traffic for Japan has more than tripled for visits planned during the first nine months of this year relative to the same period in 2023.

·         Going off the beaten path in Europe. The Big 3 on the continent are still there, but Americans are finding their way to other cities, such as Stockholm, Budapest, Helsinki and Prague. Other destinations growing in popularity include Copenhagen and Edinburgh. Scandinavian cities are highly recommended because not a lot of tourists go there. Also, Finland and Sweden have recently joined NATO, raising Americans’ awareness of those countries. Paris isn’t going anywhere, though, when it comes to tourism, especially this year, when the City of Light hosts the Olympics. Demand for flights to Paris and nearby cities during the Games has more than doubled compared to the same period in ’23.

·         Atlantic tropics vs. Caribbean. Cancun and other Mexican destinations remain popular, not to mention Caribbean islands, but Americans are increasingly turning to Atlantic tropical spots. Spain’s Canary Islands and Portugal’s Madeiras are increasingly popular. Both island groups are off the coast of West Africa. Although not on the Atlantic coast, the Spanish city of Malaga, on the Mediterranean, is also getting more attention, with its 300 days of sunshine a year and access to southern Spain’s beautiful Andalusia region. Malaga is also the number-1 city in the world for expats, according to surveys that measure levels of happiness for foreigners in their new homes.

·         Canada. Trending high this year are Vancouver, Calgary and Montreal, with winter tourism playing a big role. The ski resorts of British Columbia and Alberta are big draws to American skiers, and another incentive is airfares, which are generally one-third the price of a trip to Europe. Plus, the U.S. dollar is strong against its Canadian counterpart.

Thinking of getting out there this year, or maybe in 2025? Give us a call! The world is waiting for you!

            

Moving abroad inspired by travels

            In the 2003 film Under the Tuscan Sun, a San Francisco-based writer, depressed after a rough divorce, visits the Tuscany region of Italy and on impulse buys a villa. The movie follows Frances Mayes, played by Diane Lane, as she adjusts to life in Italy and—of course—finds new love. Filmed on location, the movie holds up well 21 years later and leaves the viewer thinking about moving to Italy, or some other inviting locale overseas. But do Americans really do something like this?

            Yes, all the time, and so do residents of other countries. CNN recently told the stories of two couples, one Australian and the other American, who have relocated to Italy after being captivated by the country’s charms (and its lower healthcare costs).

            Kelly and Jess Galloway of Australia were married for 18 years before an amicable divorce in 2013. They remained friends and sometimes traveled together. When Kelly visited Italy for the first time in 2018, she fell in love with the country. Excited about moving there, she asked Jess to come along. Within a year, she’d put her Melbourne-area home on the market and made a downpayment on a palazzo, a large Italian residence, in the village of Stimigliatto in the central region of Lazio. Over a century old, the 5400-square-foot mansion sold for $132,700. The couple-that’s-not-exactly-a-couple moved in and began renovations, doing most of the work themselves at a cost of about $50,000 to date.

            One challenge the Galloways faced in moving to Italy was the visa requirements. Non-EU citizens must get an Elective Residency Visa, which allows them to stay in the country as long as they have a passive (non-work) income of about $40,000 a year. That has proven to be more of a hitch to the American couple CNN profiled, Chris and Jennifer Tidroski from Prescott, Ariz. In search of a slower-paced and cheaper lifestyle, the couple, who are both osteopaths, bought a 1400-square-foot home in the historical district of the village of Latronico, in the southern Italian region of Basilicata, for only about $27,000. Like the Australians, the Tidroskis have put about $50,000 into renovations and they’re not done yet. They brought their 7-year-old daughter, Lidia, along.

            How did they find out about the property? They saw it listed online in 2021. The village has a website, Your House in Latronico, designed to help property owners meet prospective buyers, especially non-Italians interested in emigrating. Many Americans do so because of family history, like Chris Tidroski, whose great-grandfather grew up in a nearby village before coming to the U.S. around 1900.

            The couple is still working on obtaining visas which would allow them to permanently relocate. They don’t meet the income requirements for an ESV, which means they can stay in Italy for only 90 days within a six-month span. They’re also finding the renovations to be a slow go, as contractors and workers are hard to find. The Italian government subsidizes homeowners up to 110% for “green” upgrades, which has triggered a renovation frenzy across the country. But they’re hanging in there. Like the Galloways from Australia, the Tidroskis enjoy the laid-back, friendly atmosphere of their small Italian towns, the lower healthcare costs, and in the Americans’ case, what they see is a much calmer political atmosphere.

            The great majority of our clients are perfectly content to stay right here in the good old U.S.A., although my husband told me that if we absolutely had to move to Europe, he’d prefer the Black Forest region of southern Germany, near where he was born. My response? Wisconsin is where we are, and where we’ll stay!

            Interested in getting out there to a place that might tempt you to move? Give us a call, and we’ll help you out!

            

 

 How can you beat airline baggage fees

One of the most significant developments in air travel in this century is the addition of bag fees by the major airlines. For travelers, it’s an annoyance; for airlines, bag fees have developed into a major source of revenue. And they’re going up.

            At the end of February, CNBC reported that Alaska Airlines, American, JetBlue and United have raised their checked bag fees for 2024. United will now charge $40 for your first checked bag—a bag stored in a plane’s cargo hold during a flight—but only $35 if you prepay online at least 24 hours in advance. That’s an extra $5 either way, an increase of about 15%. Delta is holding at $30—for now.

            When all this began back around 2008, the checked-bag fee was around $15. Nowadays, it costs us an extra $60-80 per trip for our checked bags, since we pay when we depart and when we’re about to fly home. Bag fees generate a lot of money for the airlines. How much money? According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, total fees collected in 2022 hit $6.76 billion, with 2023 expected to exceed that by about half a billion. Not a small number, and considering Delta’s annual operating expenses are about $52.5 billion, bag fees are a significant piece of income.

            How can you beat the bag fees? The most obvious way is to avoid checked bags altogether, traveling only with a carry-on, but that’s not always an option, especially on long trips and when families are flying. Here are some tips that could save you some money:

·         Fly with certain airlines. Some still offer free checked bags: Southwest, Air India, Qatar Airways, and Emirates are a few that haven’t yet started charging for bags, but of course these airlines won’t necessarily be able to get you to your preferred destination. Plus, their own fares might be higher.

·         Combine bags. A family of four might be able to get by with two bags, for example. Another way to save when traveling with small children is by stuffing a small duffel into a car seat, since airlines don’t charge for one car seat per child. 
·         Go carry-on. As noted, this might not always be possible.

·         Consider a fare upgrade. A higher-tier ticket, for a higher cost, might include a baggage allowance. Passengers might wind up paying the same total cost for the upgrade as they would for economy class with bag fees, but at least you’ll have more comfortable accommodations during your flight.

·         Add bags early. If you are definitely checking a bag, declare it early and you’ll likely save yourself five bucks.

·         Buy a luggage scale and lightweight bags. Overweight bags (in excess of 50 pounds) will always result in a higher fee at the airport, so weigh your packed bag before leaving home. It’s generally a good idea to go outbound with a bag that allows some room for you to add items bought on the trip, so you won’t exceed the limit on the return flight.

·         Get a preferred credit card or join a frequent flier program. Many credit cards, especially those with airline brands, offer free checked bags as a perk. But beware of opening a new credit card account just to get it; many of these cards charge an annual fee. If you travel a lot, the card option might work out for you if bag savings exceed the card’s fee. An airline’s frequent flier program might also give you a break on bag charges. 

Packing smart (and light, if possible) is not only a good thing when it comes to organizing your luggage, it might wind up saving you money that is better spent enjoying your destination. Ready to learn more? Give us a call, and we’ll help you with packing tips and everything else you’ll need for a great trip!