Become a shipboard host

Become a shipboard host

If you are male, gregarious, hospitable, and
relatively good looking, you can be paid to travel
on board a luxury cruise ship. That's right, not
only will the cruise itself be entirely free, but
you will be paid a salary in addition.
In return, you simply must agree to act as
companion to those ladies on board the cruise who
find themselves without partners when it comes time
for dinner and dancing.
More and more women are taking cruises alone.
But that doesn't mean they want to eat alone...or
sit alone while everyone else is dancing the
samba...or wander alone in each exotic port of
call. The cruise line wants to ensure that these
women have a good time (and that they return for a
second or third cruise), so they arrange for
debonair and polished older gentlemen to join the
cruise and act as hosts.

Most of the men are retired military officers,
executives, and professional men. In return for
treating their female companions to a few rounds of
drinks at the pool and engaging in lively
conversation over dinner, they are given free
round-trip transportation to the port of departure,
a completely free cruise (including food and
drink), and a sizeable salary.
The two cruise lines that employ the greatest
number of male shipboard companions are Cunard
Lines, 555 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10017, and
Royal Cruise Lines, One Maritime Plaza, Suite 1400,
San Francisco, CA 94111.

Buy a new car in Europe

Buy a new car in Europe

The next time you're ready to buy a new car,
look to the showrooms in Europe. In Europe, you
can choose from many makes and models (with
optional U.S. environmental and safety standards,
if you want to sell the car in the United States).
These cars are exactly the same as those you'd see
at showrooms in your country. But they cost less,
and European sales tax (which can run as high as
35%) is not added to cars bought by foreigners.
All things considered, you can save enough
purchasing your new car in Europe to pay for your
trip -- and have money left over. By purchasing
the car in Europe, you save more than enough to
enjoy a week or two tooling Europe's country roads
in your new automobile. And if you do use your new
Mercedes as transportation during your European
vacation, you'll also save the cost of renting a
car.

Almost any European car dealership in your
country can handle the transaction for you. When
you plan your trip, try to arrange to pick up the
car and to leave it for delivery to your country in
cities specified by the dealer. Volvos, for
example, will be shipped free to the United States
if you drop the car off in either London or
Antwerp.

If you intend to resell the car in the United
States, Be sure to specify that your car be
equipped to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards and to U.S. or California emissions
regulations. If you get a car that does not meet
these standards, modification costs will wipe out
any savings you reap.

Rest assured that any new car bought in Europe
comes with the same manufacturer's warranty as a
car bought in your country. We're not talking
"grey market" deals here, we're talking about
tourist purchase arranged by the car's manufacturer
and authorized dealers.
The following European dealers handle cars
built to U.S. specifications:
Shipside Tax Free World on Wheels B.V.,
Shipside Buildings, Kruisweg 631, P.O. Box 430,
2130 AK Hoofddorp, The Netherlands; (201)818-0400
in the United States. This company operates
showrooms and delivery centers at airports in
Amsterdam and Brussels. It offers a large selection
of makes and models. A free catalog is available
upon request.

Cars of Copenhagen, Vodroffsvej 55, DK-1900,
Copenhagen, Denmark; tel. (45-3)5-37-7800.
Iczovitz Tax-Free Cars, Claridenstrasse 36,
CH-8027 Zurich, Switzerland. This company sells the
following makes built to U.S. specifications: Audi,
Mercedes, Saab, Volvo, and Volkswagen.
For a real insider's guide to buying a tax-free
car in Europe, the definitive book is available for $135
including airmail postage from Scope International Ltd.,
62 Murray Road, Waterlooville, Hants. PO8 9JL, Great
Britain. Tell them you want the tax free car report.

Let the airline pick up the tab

How can you fly from point A to point B
without ever opening your wallet? You've got to
know your way around an airline.
The easiest way to fly free is to get yourself
bumped.
Airlines typically overbook their flights by
10% to 30%, knowing that a certain number of paying
passengers will not show up for one reason or
another. Sometimes, though, their calculations are
off, and they're faced with 200 seats and 205
passengers, five of whom are likely to become very
annoyed unless something is done in a hurry.
That's where you come in. You made a
reservation on that flight, because you knew it was
very overbooked. And you are standing at the end of
the check-in line, observing airline officials as
they realize their predicament. So, you step out of
line, find an airline representative, and offer to
be bumped from the flight. You're doing the airline
a favor -- and in return, it will do you the favor
of allowing you to fly to your destination free on
the next plane out. What's more, the airline will
put cash in your pocket for your trouble. (The
amount varies, depending on the airline and the
circumstances.)

The frequent flyer story
Many airlines offer frequent flyer programs
that allow passengers to accumulate points every
time they take a trip with that airline, and then
redeem them in the form of free tickets to selected
destinations. You have to fly a lot of miles to win
any free trips, but for the business traveler, this
is an easy way to arrange free travel.
The main problem with Frequent Flyer programs
is that they change their rules or become
discontinued altogether faster than you can say,
"I'd like a round-trip ticket to Cabos San Lucas,
please." The best way to get up-to-date information
is to contact the airlines themselves.
If you know you won't travel enough in any
given year to accumulate enough points as a
Frequent Flyer to earn a free trip, you can still
take advantage of Frequent Flyer miles. Coupon
brokers buy these Frequent Flyer awards and resell
them to the public at very low prices. Coupons are
especially good deals if you want to fly first or
business class or if you will be flying a very long
distance. Generally, you must wait five to six
weeks to get the coupon issued in your name.
But you must be careful when dealing with
coupon brokers. Airlines are not fond of what
coupon brokers are doing and are on the lookout for
tickets purchased from them. For the past several
years, airlines have been confiscating tickets
issued by coupon brokers and leaving the ticket
buyers stranded at boarding gates all over the
world.
It is not illegal for coupon brokers to
operate in most countries, but it is illegal in
some. It is, however, against the airlines' rules
in all countries, which prohibit the sale of
Frequent Flyer coupons.
But if you're willing to take the risks, you
will be rewarded with a very cheap airline ticket.
You will usually find coupon brokers advertising in
the travel classified advertising of major Sunday
newspapers around the world.

Go as a companion

Go as a companion

You can travel the world in style -- sleeping
at the Ritz in Madrid, lunching at the Balzar in
Paris, taking high tea at the Hyde Park Hotel in
London, jetting across the ocean on the Concorde,
no less -- as the guest of a gentleman (or -woman)
who has the time and money to travel but no one
with whom to share the experience. More and more
well-to-do would-be travelers are employing
professional companions, paying them well, and then
rewarding them further with first-class trips to
the world's most exotic destinations.
The requirements for the job are easy to fill.
Generally, you must be friendly, reliable, neat,
easy to get along with, and willing to travel.
Language ability and previous travel experience are
pluses, but they are not necessary.
You can advertise yourself as a traveling
companion in the classified section of a travel
magazine or newsletter. Indicate when you are
available to travel, any previous travel
experience, any language ability, and a number to
call for more information. You will be asked to
produce references. And then you will be asked if
you're ready for a week in the Caribbean...or a few
days wandering the museums of London...or a month
exploring the Irish countryside.
The other way to find a traveler looking for a
companion is to list your availability with the
Travel Companion Exchange, P.O. Box 833,
Amityville, NY 11701; (916)454-0880.