Q&A

WE WANT IT ALL IN TUSCANY

Q – We are six friends traveling together to Tuscany next summer. Call us luxury travelers for this trip, a celebration of two anniversaries. We’ve decided that we want to use Tuscany as a base, get a few vehicles, perhaps hire a chef or do some upscale dining, and we would like to do some…

SHOULD WE FLY THE AIRBUS 330 TO FIJI?

Q – We have set up a great family vacation to Fiji next September. In looking over the air options, we notice that Fiji Airways is using an Airbus 330, a two-engine plane. Is there any way to fly over on a larger aircraft with four engines? Does the Fiji plane handle turbulence well? My…

QUIET, FANTASTIC, HIDDEN GEM IN TOKYO

Q – Through a recent merger, I am going to be spending a fair amount of time in Tokyo and environs. In Manhattan, my fiance and I love going out to the best sushi restaurants. I know there is a ton of great Japanese food to be discovered in Tokyo but I was wondering if…

THE HYDRATION WEIRD LOBBY RAISES ITS VOICE

Q – Ultra-cool travel site – but no one has written in yet who seems to share my need to feel constantly hydrated while flying those stretch aluminum cans. I have to have water when I fly – lots of it. I just think dehydration is an awful feeling on a plane and its so…

CAN I FLY ANY AIRLINE WITH THE CHASE SAPPHIRE CARD?

Q –  My fellow anesthesiologists and I have been following traveltruth for several years and all I can tell you is that if you ever want to be put out we’re here to help. The question of which travel-related credit card is best came up last week at our morning meeting. Can you fly any…

BIG GUY WANTS HONEST ANSWERS ON SEAT WIDTH

Q –  Given that I am a  multi-state franchise territory manager, I guess you could say I’m a very frequent flyer. As a large man, I’ve started noticing that sometimes my economy seat feels like I actually have a squoosh more room but for the most part, it seems like the seats are getting smaller….

MAUI-BOUND FAMILY WANTS TO HEAD INLAND

Q – Really cool site and we love the lack of ads, pop-ups, and other distractions. We’re headed to Maui with our 9 and 11 year-old boys and we want to spend a day or two inland. We’ll be based in a family-suite at Kea Lani but would love just a few specific suggestions. Yes,…

IT LIVES IN LISBON, IT’S # 28, AND IT’S YELLOW

Q – We will soon be visiting Portugal. We were in our doctor’s office on Saturday and he mentioned that there was a fantastic, curvy, atmospheric tram ride through some interesting neighborhoods in Lisbon. But he he didn’t remember the name of it. He couldn’t remember if it was orange or yellow. Actually, he’s not…

CAN I USE MY PHONE FOR AIRLINE TICKET PURCHASES?

Q – Although I appreciate that this site deals with upscale travelers, there are those of us in our thirties who can afford to travel well. But to do so, I would want to use my iPhone for payments. It’s just easier. How do I do this? A – Yes, we understand. Taking a credit…

ICE IS NICE BUT AT WHAT PRICE? CONSIDERING LAPLAND.

Q –  I thought I’d reach out to you for suggestions to extend a Scandinavian trip for next summer already booked. We are considering having our kids  fly to Stockholm to meet us and then spending a week in Sweden, just the four of us. We are active, nature loving, travel veterans and usually enjoy…

CRUISING VERSUS TOURING WHILE TASTING IN AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND

Q – We’ve been looking at several ways to do  Australia and New Zealand including cruising on Seabourn or Crystal, or possibly doing a land tour like Tauck’s 20-Day Grand Australia and New Zealand. You seem high on Tauck as a company and wondering what you think of their A/NZ trip? By way of background,…

A SOLILOQUY ON SEASICKNESS

Q –  I enjoy your site and appreciate all of the valuable information I have encountered! I have not seen any questions on how to avoid motion sickness on a cruise. My husband and I will be first time cruisers celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary. I have heard that motion sickness is not much of…

HOW TO REALLY THANK MY SON IN A MEANINGFUL WAY

Q – We’ve got the world’s greatest kid. He just won a full music scholarship, saving us four years of college tuition and we want to take him on the best trip of his life somewhere outside the USA. He’s been to London – that’s about it, and his passion is seeing whales up close….

ARE THERE FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE VACATIONS AVAILABLE IN AFRICA?

Q – Hello. I’m an off-road enthusiast. My wife and I drive a Jeep Cherokee and we’ve had it on just about every hill in Arkansas we can find, we got our car in a great used car agency call Autozin, if you want an adventure car make sure to buy the correct vehicle. A…

YOU SAID SOMETHING THAT MADE NO SENSE ABOUT HOTEL RATES

Q – We were reviewing your truly ambitious site. You have set yourselves quite a challenge. But how are we to trust your information when we read that “if you know the price you’ve paid for a hotel room – you’ve paid too much.” Please explain. Otherwise love the information and the way it is…

BUDAPEST IS OUR DESTINATION: IS IT TOO DANGEROUS TO GO?

Q –  We are scheduled to stay in Budapest for three days before boarding our Uniworld River Cruise. The news is just awful, and the refugees seem to be causing all sorts of problems in the city. My wife is somewhat fragile and I will admit, based on what I am seeing on TV, I’m…

0

BRITAIN HAS A CONTINGENCY PLAN FOR EMERGENCY EVACUATION OF TOURISTS FROM GREECE

Here is what tourists planning future travel to Greece need to know as Greece enters a pivotal week in its testy relationship with the Eurozone:1. Greece’s most immediate – as in first thing Monday morning – source of danger is its banking system. To compensate for accelerated deposit flight, the European Central Bank injected additional…

0

SHOULD WE DO A DECEMBER CROSSING ON THE QUEEN?

Q –Need your advice and help on a possible trip for this December. Since we had to cancel our July Silverseas Baltic trip (which has been rescheduled for next year) I need to use or lose my airline credit by the end of the year. For many reasons, December would be the best month for…

0

TRAVELING ON SEABOURN AND NEED HELP WITH SMARTPHONE STRATEGY

Q – I am taking our family on a really nice cruise. Fortunately for me, our children are gainfully employed and will need to be in touch with their offices, as will I. I went tot he Seabourn web site and got links to a satellite provider for the ship. Utterly useless. So what do…

MEET MY LOVING BUT ANNOYING TRAVEL COMPANION

    Q – This has been bothering me for years and I thought you might be able to help. Our best friends are absolute wine snobs. I am getting tired of my friends habit of insisting on doing all the wine tasting on our frequent forays abroad. He makes a big deal of swirling…

LOOKING FOR A HIP, QUALITY, BOUTIQUE HOTEL IN LONDON

Q – Any recommendation for a nice, unique, small hotel, in London that attracts a hip crowd?  A – Try the new Chiltern Firehouse. This small, 26-room property was a firehouse in the 1890’s. It has a lively bar and a recommended restaurant. Can’t promise “hip” but it has been attracting an artsy, younger crowd….

CALM, CONVENIENT, CARIBBEAN LUX RESORT

Q – We want to find a Caribbean resort that will provide sun, spa, serenity and an opportunity for my husband and I to have, well, never mind. But we’re stymied because we live in Chicago and it has to be an easy non-stop flight.  Is there an answer to our dilemma? A – There…

AN IDYLLIC GETAWAY LESS THAN TEN HOURS AWAY

    Q – If your writers could take a month off and go  somewhere lovely next summer where they could enjoy village life, the sea, authentic, fresh local foods, and hours spent sitting at an outdoor cafe working on a novel, where might it be? It would need to be less than a ten…

WHY WERE OUR FRIENDS UPGRADED WHEN WE WEREN’T?

Q – We’ve been enjoying traveltruth for a long time. We sail the better cruise lines and have used the same Denver agent for years. But our friends,  just got back from an NCL cruise got upgraded by their travel agent the first time they used her.  Should our travel agent be upgrading us? If…

JUST HOW BAD IS THE FOOD ON ROYAL CARIBBEAN?

      Q – We’ve been asked to join friends on the Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas. They’re wonderful friends, great company, but we’re folks who enjoy fine dining on vacation. So how bad is this going to be? A – There are specialty restaurants that you will likely find tolerable and perhaps…

SAVING ON BUSINESS CLASS TO SYDNEY

     Q – I am bringing my family to Australia for a well-deserved holiday. It will be a costly trip and we are looking at flying coach. We are wondering if there are still any ways to dramatically save on Business Class tickets to Sydney from the States. A – This is one of…