Travel Tales
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| Buying 'scalper' tickets to see an opera in Vienna can be a "win-win-win" situation. |
Every month we feature funny, cautionary, or inspiring anecdotes from travelers. If you have a true (short) travel tale to share, send it to stories@ricksteves.com. If you have a photo that illustrates it, please attach it. And don't forget to tell us your first name and the city where you live. We'd love to hear from you!
Too Good to be True?
My family always relies on Rick's travel advice to help keep us safe from deals that are "too good to be true" in any new city. But on our most recent trip to Vienna, it was Rick's advice that let us take advantage of a deal that seemed like a potential scam.
My husband and I had wanted to see the inside of the famous Vienna opera house, but we missed the last tour of the day. On the spur of the moment, we decided to see if any tickets were available for the performance that night. As we were deciding whether to purchase standing-room only tickets (for a three hour opera!), an Austrian man approached us, right in the lobby of the official box office. He had balcony level seats for only 10 Euros more than the standing room seats, a savings of at least 30 Euros per ticket over the price at the box office just 10 feet away. I was convinced that he was a scalper (how bold to scalp tickets in the lobby!), but my husband had the guide book. He confirmed that Rick's guide to the Vienna Statsoper mentions this standard practice. Enterprising individuals purchase season tickets at the beginning of the year at a substantial discount, and then resell them at the time of the concert for a small profit. The system is actually a "win-win-win" situation: the individual salesman makes some money, the Opera company sells more up-front tickets for a stable source of revenue, and the tourists find affordable seats.
Thanks Rick, for giving us the confidence to take advantage of a legitimate enterprise and enjoy a spectacular night of music without killing our feet!
Looking forward to more deals on our next trip,
— Erika in Cambridge, MA
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