BY
CLAY LARROY
If you're looking to get away from it all with a trip
away from home, don't forget to travel smart. Regardless of whether you are
traveling to a nearby location for the weekend or taking a week-long
destination vacation, you are always going to benefit from some tips and ideas
on how to make the whole process, more fun and less stressful. Take
time each day to alleviate stress while traveling or vacationing and you will
thank yourself for it when you get back home. When you want to plan a vacation contact me!
Your host tour
operator will provide a number of important services for you while on tour.
Your travel consultant will assist you in determining exactly what is, or what
is not, included in the price quoted for your shopping tour. Various elements
include airfare, taxes, transfers from and back to the airport at your destination,
your guide, daily meals, accommodations, entry fees to fairs and attractions
and directions for logistical arrangements for shipping your purchases back
home.
Many tour operators
will arrange a meet and greet for you at the destination airport and will
assist you in getting settled into your accommodations. Many will also provide
a brief introduction and overview of your itinerary as soon as you are rested.
Depending on the arrangements, the host typically arranges a guide to transport
guests to numerous shops to see general or specialized items, with plenty of
time to browse. Meals and breaks each day are usually arranged in advance by
the host tour company.
If you do not speak
the native language fluently, you will need a translator in many instances.
Most hosts will provide a guide to act as both your chauffeur and interpreter.
Your guide should also be well-versed in local antiques as well. A good guide
can steer you to real bargains, helping you avoid imitation and poor quality.
One important, and
sometimes sticky issue, is whether your host company or guide takes commission
from any shop or enterprise. This is a matter of key importance and should be
disclosed to you up-front. Ideally, you want your guide to be working solely in
your interests. Whether in Europe, Asia, the Caribbean or the Middle East and
Africa, it is not at all unusual for local guides to receive compensation from
shops for delivering customers to their door. This is a particularly important
consideration if your guide will be negotiating on your behalf.
Knowing the best
local venues to look for antiques is a key ingredient to a successful antique
shopping tour. Options include galleries, auction houses and small shops in
cities and villages. There are private estate sales, flea markets and private
individuals. A good host company will have access to a number of different
prospects, sometimes providing private or "first look" opportunities
for their guests.
There
are very few, if any, countries where bargaining for antiques is an
unacceptable practice. However, there are appropriate, and inappropriate, ways
in which to bargain. Your guide will indicate the proper protocol for
bargaining. Typically, cultural norms dictate bargaining customs and the
propriety of particular tactics. Likewise, there is almost always a local norm
with regard to the original "asking price" and the final price at
which a deal is customarily settled. Ask your guide for direction and take
heed. Few things are as annoying to either your hosts or your fellow travelers
as ill-mannered attempts at "haggling" down the price of an item below
what’s reasonable.
You can bargain most
effectively if, before purchasing an item, you have a general idea its value.
Visit different shops, if possible, for purposes of comparison. The longer your
tour, the more time you have to consider, shop and bargain. There is nothing
wrong with being persistent, but always be friendly and keep smiling. Finally,
do not be afraid to walk away! You are the one who makes the decision to buy.
Even taking into
consideration the exchange rates, antiques often can be purchased abroad at
real bargain rates over U.S. prices. Many tour companies specialize in working
with dealers and wholesalers, providing you the opportunity to purchase well
below retail.
Ask your tour
operator about the preferred methods of paying dealers for your purchases.
Because of the cost of merchant fees for credit cards and the desire to obtain
access to U.S. currency (and for other less obvious reasons) many dealers
prefer to deal in cash for a discount. However, this may present unfavorable
exchange rate considerations for the international traveler. Also, credit cards
present a better way to protect against fraud, damage or purchases that do not
arrive as promised. Ask your host for their suggestions, but it is ultimately a
choice you will have to make. Your host tour company should also be prepared to
assist you in recovering your Value Added Taxes, if any, and expediting any
forms processing necessary to do so. In all instances, obtain receipts and keep
them in a safe place. It is also a good idea to make multiple pictures of your
purchases for record keeping, insurance purposes and to make sure that the item
you receive when you are back at home is the one you purchased.
Make sure that your
host tour company can and will assist you with arranging the proper collection
and shipping of your antiques after your trip. Depending on the types of
articles you have purchased, there will be formalities with customs and the
process of "freight forwarding" or shipping internationally. In some
instances the process is as simple as engaging the local UPS office. In others,
however, a more complicated process is involved and your host tour operator
should assist you every step of the way.
Many hosts provide a
collection service that will gather together the goods you have purchased from
the various shops you visited. This is invaluable as it allows you to move on
unencumbered by the necessity to transport your items with you as you travel.
Proper packaging is
essential if your items are to arrive home in as good condition as when you
purchased them. Check to see that your host offers an expert quality packing
service. Any small items of great value you may determine to carry with you if
practical. Make sure, also, to adequately insure your purchases to cover theft
or damage in transport.
In many instances,
any Value Added Taxes you have paid for your purchases can be recouped prior to
departure. Your host will require your receipts for this process.
The cost of a
shopping tour will be the sum of the various amenities offered by your host
tour company, and thus will vary considerably depending on your arrangements.
Airline tickets are a commodity, and your travel consultant can assist you in
getting the best possible price. Accommodations are a personal choice and will
vary with their location and degree of comfort. Seasonality plays an important
part in the cost of these logistical elements. Off seasons or
"shoulder" seasons are often far less than half of the cost of
traveling during peak tourist months. The trade-off means that the weather
conditions might be somewhat less inclement than you may prefer, but the
savings go a long way toward your antique purchases.
If you are traveling
with a hosted group, the costs will be considerably less than if you have
purchased a private tour. The more exclusive your arrangements in general, the
more you can expect to pay. Typical hosted group antique shopping excursions
with the full range of amenities discussed above, exclusive of airfare and
accommodations, will cost $150 to $350 a day. Tips for guides are usually
discretionary and additional.
Now, here’s the
thing: all of those antiques are getting older and more valuable each day. Why
wait any longer?
REFERENCE SITES:
http://www.travelresearchonline.com/
" Travel teaches toleration."
Benjamin
Disraeli
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