Q&A

HOW DO YOU PROTECT YOURSELF AS A FEMALE BUSINESS TRAVELER?

Q – This may be a little out of your areas of expertise but I wonder if you have any advice. I have just accepted a new sales position in my company that will require about 70% domestic travel to major cities throughout the country. Given the Bill O’Reilly debacle, I suppose I am even…

HEADED TO MELBOURNE TO PROPOSE – WHERE TO STAY AND DINE?

Q – I am one of your followers in Spain. Although many of your answers seem tilted to Americans, we still find the responses amusing and interesting. Some of the questions really amaze us! So to my question: I am certain my fiance does not read this blog. I will be in Melbourne, Australia in…

THE MALDIVES BECKON BUT HOW BEST TO GET THERE?

Q – Based partly on your advise, we are moving up our plans to stay in an over-the-water bungalow in the Maldives. We are frequent Delta flyers and we have some miles with American. We are wondering how we should plan on getting there, Online it looks like a really long haul. Also, advice for…

DOING VIETNAM HOTEL PACKAGE AND WONDERING ABOUT BED BUGS

Q – The little woman and I are off on a land tour in Vietnam we booked with an online agency in the country. It will include two day cruises and four cities beginning in Ho Chi Minh City. We’re excited by my wife is a germophile and wants me to ask you the secrets…

DOES IT MAKE SENSE TO RENT A CAR AND DO SWEDISH FOOD?-

Q – We are seriously considering taking a ten-day drive somewhere in Sweden, perhaps renting a car in Stockholm and using services of car detailers so you can keep this car in top notch. Our idea is to get out and try to find the most beautiful examples of quaint, lovely small towns, the best…

HOW TO LAY OUT A WEEK IN POLAND

Q – My husband and I have been frustrated by the planning for a trip to Poland. We don’t know exactly how to plan such a trip and we don’t know how to design a trip in terms of number of nights in Warsaw versus Krakow. Your advice would be greatly appreciated. We will want…

A CHALLENGE FOR YOU FROM FREQUENT TRAVELERS

Q – We are Platinum Amex travelers who have been on more than twenty overseas trips. Now, recently retired, we are trying to work through our list of places we would like to visit off most of the major tourist routes. Right now we are thinking about the Baltics or the former Russian Republics. We’re…

WHERE IS THE BEST SEAFOOD IN MEXICO? HELP A FOODIE OUT!

Q – A little help would be appreciated. We’re New Yorkers in our 30’s and we want to head for Mexico for a week of sun and seafood – though maybe not in that order. We’re probably a bit more price conscious than some of your followers so any information about current  food pricing would…

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS TRIP TO JAPAN?

Q – We have friends who want us to join them on a tour to Japan with Tauck Tours. Part of the trip involves a cruise on a ship called the Austral, which I’ve never heard of. The whole thing lasts two weeks and it cost about $12,000 per person which is almost $1,000 per…

COULDN’T GET POLARIS SEAT INFORMATION FROM UNITED

Q –  I am extremely interesting in flying United to London in the new Polaris Business Class Seats. Believe it or not, the reservations person I spoke to couldn’t tell me which of the flights this May will have the new seats.  Are the new seats worth it – I seem to hear they are…

HOW TO LEARN SOME SPANISH – LIKE IMMEDIATELY!

Q –  Wonder if traveltruth can help us – we’re leaving to see our son at his school in Valencia, Spain in four weeks. We don’t know a word of Spanish – well, maybe just a word. Is there any place you can recommend that offers useful Spanish for travelers at little or no cost? …

WE ARE THINKING ABOUT JOINING FRIENDS GOING TO CUBA ….BUT

Q – My friends are booking a nice cruise that includes a stop in Cuba. But they tell me I will have to complete a personal affidavit to get approved by the Cuban government to go on this trip. A – The Cuban government is in a state of confusion in terms of handling the…

NEED TO GET AWAY IN NOVEMBER – BUT WHERE IS PRIME SEASON?

Q –  My family is extremely well-traveled. Due to work requirements, my husband has to take a few weeks off in November each year. But after lousy weather in Europe, some really bad trips in the USA, and the hurricane season in the Caribbean, I feel we need some new ideas about destinations. We are…

WHAT DO I REALLY NEED TO DO IN AN AIR EMERGENCY?

Q –  I tend to fly a great deal in my job as a quality inspector for a manufacturing company. Lately, I’ve started getting to the gate early and asking for the Exit Row window seat. Each time I do I get asked if I would be able and willing to assist in case of…

HOW DO I APPROACH GATE AGENT AFTER GETTING BUMPED?

Q – Can you give me some advice about what to do if I get bumped from another flight. It just happened to us in Cincinnati. While they got us on a flight two hours later and everything worked out, the gate agent was not that helpful and I still think I should have gotten…

CAN YOU GET US AWAY FROM THE CHAMPS ELYSEES?

Q –  Off in three months to take my girlfriend to Paris. Per your suggestion we are dividing our stay between the banks but we really are serious walkers and explorers and we want to get into the neighborhoods that are both interesting and away from selfie-seeking lemmings. We’re in our early forties and we’re…

DO YOU RECOMMEND THE NAADAM FESTIVAL IN MONGOLIA?

Q –  My wife and I are just starting to enjoy traveling and we’d love to form a relationship with your company. It is clear that you value honesty over profits, although I am sure there is a huge market for honesty in your profession. For our first big trip, we’re thinking about traveling to…

WHY ARE YOU KEEPING US FROM DRINKING COFFEE ON MY UNITED FLIGHTS?

Q – OK, I’ve become a traveltruth addict, I just can’t handle the news sites these days. But I read  something last night that kind of upset me as much on this site last night – you are saying flyers should not consume coffee in flight. Please explain as my life pretty much consists of…

TIPPING IN BRAZIL: DO THEY WANT OUR DOLLARS?

Q – Wondering if I should be tipping in local currency or US dollars during a planned ten-day stay in Brazil? May I assume they all want US dollars? A –  The answer is a bit nuanced. If you are dealing with hotel staff or those working with upscale travelers, tipping in US dollars is…

HOW DO YOU GET UPGRADED AUTOMATICALLY AT HOTELS?

Q – I travel frequently on business, often staying at top-tier properties in major cities, particularly in western Europe, Korea, and Japan. I am an independent consultant in the chemical industry and I don’t work with a corporate travel agency – my secretary handles all of my travel and she’s really sharp. So my question…

WHERE DO WE SEND A REAL DOG LOVER?

Q – Our mother has never really been anywhere and she seems to have no interest in going to Europe or South America. For her birthday, we would love to send her somewhere for a great experience. Her passion in life is her love of dogs. Four of us would go with her on a…

DO THEY STILL HAVE AROUND THE WORLD FARES FOR GEEZERS?`

Q – My wife and I are in our mid-sixties and we want to start doing some longer trips that might include cruise or train components. I think you would define us as really good travelers and we’ve enjoyed a wide range of terrains and accommodations during our travels. Now, we are planning a four…

HOW BEST TO DO EASTER ISLAND?

Q – Easter Island is near the top of our current Bucket List. We are planning to go to Chile and then spend some time on the island but no sure how much time it deserves. What do you recommend. We are adventurous and we would want to use private guides throughout with great accommodations….

WHAT IS THE SECRET OF BEST MONTH TO VISIT IRELAND.

Q – My two boys, 16 and 14, will be joining my brother, my wife and I on a two-week jaunt that I want to be memorable in every way. I have budgeted about $20,000 USD per person for top everything. Is that reasonable?  I would like to consider working with you and, yes, we…

WHAT IF I LOSE MY PASSPORT DURING MY TRIP?

Q – We have friends who just had their rental car broken into in Switzerland. A bag was taken including their passports, wallet, cell phone etc. We have an upcoming trip planned to Greece and Italy and we will be renting a car for a portion of this trip. What do we do if  we…

PLANNING ON TOURING GALAPAGOS: WHEN DO WE

Q – I have gotten my golfing, Bloody Mary drinking, lazy retiree of a husband to agree to take me on a cruise in the Galapagos islands in January or February of 2018. I am wondering when I should make these arrangements? How far in advance should I start locking this in? A – The…

LOOKING FOR A WINTER TRIP TO AFRICA BY PRIVATE JET

Q – We have dear friends who recently returned from a Private Jet Tour around South America and they absolutely raved about the experience, We’re in our early seventies and we’re at a stage in life where we want the details handled. Our friends said the private jet made everything easier with no overnight flying,…