Mobissimo

Rugs can be a simple pleasure, but an expensive one.  Going to the source in Morocco, India, Nepal is one solution, but do you really know for what you're looking?  More here via The Travel Editor.

In the medinas of Morocco business is still conducted like it has been for centuries and an integral of part of that is bargaining. While a way of life in many cultures where price tags are non-existent, haggling can be intimidating for the uninitiated.

Upon entering any carpet shop in Morocco you will be offered a warm welcome and asked a series of questions, disguised as small talk. Your answers will be used to calculate how high the starting price will be. The carpet merchant, like any good salesman, is qualifying your spending potential. Here are some of the typical questions and a translation of their underlying meaning:

Where are you from? If you are from North America, Japan, Western Europe, the U.K. and Australia the starting price will be higher.

NY is going through a phase of super high end cocktails.  While the current NY economy may not support $30 drinks, beer is always cheap.  Here's a list of top beer (wallet friendly as always) places in NY.  This via Gridskipper.

Coffee and beer: the two most important beverages in the lives of New Yorkers. Coffee rules our days, and beer reigns after dark. No disrespect to juice, wine, and cocktails, but coffee and beer are the only two beverages you really need in this life, besides the occasional sip of seltzer. I've had my java for the day, so let's focus on beer, shall we?

Sometimes that flight can be bone-jarringly boring.  Or you just need to escape, here's yet another marketing idea from 1time, a South African carrier, read more here via Gadling.

South Africa-based 1time Airlines is a low cost carrier. In order to keep their prices low, they decided against adding any built-in in-flight entertainment in their fleet. Not really a problem, because most of the flights are not lengthy. The bulk of their air time is between their hub in Johannesburg and other South African cities like Durban and Cape Town.

Kyrgyzstan is not often on people's travel lists.  But adventurers know that Kyrgyzstan holds many natural wonders, including white water rafting, here's more via globorati.

So much for nostalgia. The government of Uzbekistan recently stymied Mountain Travel Sobek’s upcoming 40th anniversary celebrations by forbidding the adventure travel pioneers access to the Chaktal River — an extremely remote Class IV and V whitewater canyon Sobek has been running since 1988. The plan was to return this year as part of Sobek’s Signature Series, where legendary guides brave classic rivers such as the Rufiji in Tanzania and the Tuichi in Bolivia.

Jazz, you think of New Orleans, San Francisco, even Tokyo, but Madrid Spain?  25 years strong the Madrid Jazz Festival is going and going.  Check it out, more here via the official site in Spanish.

In 2008, the event is held in memory of Tete Montliu, commemorating ten years since the jazz pianist's death, and the line-up is as impressive as ever. A range of jazz legends travel across the Atlantic to perform, including Harry Connick Jr, Dianne Reeves, saxophonist Ornette Coleman and four-piece group The Manhattan Transfer. European artists include Madrid-born Joaquín Chacón and the Vienna Art Orchestra.

Yes, everyone is talking about the grim economy, we'll help you save money, not only of flight, hotels, and cars, but information on the best deals out there.  Check out the best ski deals here via Forbes.

Skiers and snowboarders planning on postponing or canceling their winter vacations in the face of a slumping economy might want to reconsider storing their parkas. Airlines, resorts and ski areas are slashing prices on airfare, lodging, lift tickets and gear to compensate for what they fear might be a slow winter season.

While we're not going to belabour the fact that the economy is horrible, think snow.  The ski resorts hope you do, a bumper crop of snow is making the season start a bit early so get a jump start on the season.  Flights to major ski resorts are as low as $119, check out Mobissimo for the best prices.

 Early sales and reservations figures for some destination ski resorts suggest the nation's financial crisis could put a crimp on the $6 billion ski industry. But industry leaders say past downturns -- such as the 1970s fuel crisis and the post-2001 terrorist attacks -- show that snow and proximity to urban areas matter.

"If it snows and we have a great snow year, the impact of the economy tends to be negligible," said Michael Berry, president of the Lakewood, Colorado-based National Ski Areas Association. "If there are early, significant snows, people will find a way to bring their families and friends together to share time in the mountains."

Without a doubt, a hotel room in New York is expensive, even the YMCA is 120 a night.  So what to do?  Stay in Jersey?  Sleep in the airport?  Here is a solution, while not super cheap, a break from the median price of $500 for a hotel room.  Read more here via USA Today.

Welcome news for those seeking a nice room in pricey Manhattan at rates that aren’t as high as a
skyscraper:

A former Quality Inn just off Times Square has been transformed into the hipper Stay. (the period is
part of the name.)

Rooms at this new boutique hotel aren’t spacious, but start at $240 a night, before taxes. That’s below the Manhattan average of about $300. Rates are due to be as low as $190 in January, typically a slower time in busy Manhattan.

Ever want say goodbye to the working world and head out and explore the world?  $5 a dollar is all you need.  Apparently that is what this traveler has been able to do.  Check out more here.

“If you can earn $5 a day, you can travel forever.”

That’s Andy the Hobo Traveler’s motto, at least. And he can talk: for close to 11 years, Andy has been perpetually travelling the globe, with no intention of returning home.

For most of us, travel is a finite experience. Our trips may be long, but they always have a Point A and a Point B: a beginning and an end. Most of us return home; some people relocate to a new home; but we always arrive home.

Not Andy. Thanks to the success of his two websites, HoboTraveler and HoboHideout, Andy has been able to travel perpetually for over a decade, making his way through 77 countries across the globe. A little while ago, I asked Andy to share his story.

Many scary things in England, Russian mafia, soccer hooligans, cuisine.  Here are 10 haunted houses for you to check out, try this one in Cornwall.

1. Jamaica Inn, Bodmin Moor, Cornwall

Yes, it's that Jamaica Inn, of Daphne Du Maurier fame. Unsurprisingly, the 250-year-old tavern hosts an extensive collection of smuggling paraphernalia. Less well known is its collection of other-worldly goings on: the inexplicable noises of cartwheels and horses' hooves in the cobbled courtyard; footsteps in empty corridors; a gentleman in a tricorn hat who walks through walls; and a murder victim who calmly sits outside musing on something. For a guaranteed sleepless night, ask for bedroom four.

Now is a great time to visit Italy, the dollar is stronger, it is not hot, and the crowds are low.  Check out Italy in the fall and you won't be disappointed.  Read more here via travelbite.

Home to a developed cultural milieu for millennia and a European leader during the Renaissance, the Italian peninsular has long occupied a prized position on the cultural stage.

This autumn is no different, with a selection of exhibitions, events and festivals celebrating the country's creativity in its many guises. And with Italy just a short plane trip from Britain, holidaymakers will have little excuse for not checking out some of the finest the country has to offer.

Here travelbite.co.uk examines what is on offer over the coming season.

There are only a few more days left, but make sure you don't miss this great fare sale from the newest luxury airline, OpenSkies.

Our friends at AirTran are at it again, huge 2 day air sale, tickets are still cheap.  Forget the economy woes, this could be you.

Tapas, that famous, tasty Spain treat is probably the finest happy/cocktail hour snack.  They can e intricate or simple, they can be ornate or plain, but usually, they are delicious.  One of our favourite cities, Granada Spain has a list of top tapas bars, since the dollar is stronger now, perhaps you should check them out, prices from $800 here on Mobissimo.

The first thing that every backpacker in Spain knows is that tapas (delectable little portions of Spanish food) comes free when you order a drink in Granada. This, in fact, (along with the host of other great free things to do) is practically the main reason that most go to the city!

Light tapa in GranadaThe city, it’s claimed (largely by proud Granadinos who don’t care that Seville says something very similar) has more tapas bars per capita than anywhere else in Spain. But it goes without saying that there’s tapas, and then there’s tapas