Trip $$

["Danziger, Marc" <marc.danziger@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Tim wrote:

> Marc and co.,
> I checked out the Lotus website - the tour descriptions sound 
> great, and the
> whole philosophy of the people behind it too.
> however, I'm struck by the hellishly expensive prices - often 
> up around
> $4-6,000 per person, exclusive of air-fares, fuel and lunch - 
> a minor detail
> in the overall budget <gasp>.
> OK, it was a gastronomic delight and a good time was had by 
> all - but do
> people really think it's worth it, I wonder?
> Tim

While some of the folks on the trip were doubtless rich enough that the cost
wasn't a factor, it certainly was to me...

Before I signed up, I did some math:

Bike rental: ~$100/day here in LA = $1000
Hotels: (we stayed in amazing hotels, including the Pitrizzi, my guess on
best average room rate would be about $400) = $2000 (shared room)
Dinners: Based on what we spent in Rome for equivalent meals, about
$50/night = $600

So the cost for an equivalent unsupported trip would be about $3,500 -
$4,000; I figure I paid $1,500 to get guided and have my gear carried.

Now in practice, you could do the trip _much_ more cheaply; as the folks in
Yurp know, there's a highly developed auberge network everywhere as well as
a great camping infrastructure, often close to the same areas where the
bitchen but expensive hotels were.

I often enjoy carrying my own gear, renting rooms or camping, getting lost,
and finding stuff by serindipity.

I also enjoy really guided to nice stuff (hence the ST!!), and this trip was
definitely from that page.

So, yeah, I thought it was worth it, and I'm someone who can't casually toss
off $5K for a few week's entertainment...


Marc

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