• YOUR INDUSTRY IS REALLY CONFUSING TO SOME OF US – WHEN SHOULD WE BE BOOKING WITH AN ONLINE TRAVEL EGENCY RATHER THAN THE ONE DOWN THE BLOCK OR IN OUR CITY?
  Q – 10.22.26 – I can see why a website like TravelTruthIs is needed.  I just discovered you two weeks ago, and I am starting to understand the travel industry and how it really works. But I am still not clear about when I should or should not book with an online travel agency. They are all over the internet, and every time you go to book a hotel, I assume they are, based on volume, getting better rates. Exactly when do I use a 1-800 number because it is in my best interest? A – The correct answer is – never!

  Consumers need to understand that those who book online with an 800 travel agency or hotel booking engine are known as DBV’s – Direct Booking Victims.

  Booking online is almost always a scam because none of the essential professional adviser discussions normally occur, yet the consumer is still charged the travel agent commission. We explain to our clients and our media visitors that when a consumer books directly or online, they should demand a total refund of the built-in travel agency commission of 10%-15%.

  Every travel consumer is entitled to have an adviser who knows them personally, their travel background, specific health issues that could affect their full participation, and alternative programs that might meet their needs and goals in a better way.

  Every consumer is entitled to have a knowledgeable adviser discuss insurance options, something extremely rare online. Every consumer should depend on their adviser to offer truly personalized, caring, fact-based advice. If the consumer is not getting any of this online, they should always receive a full refund of the entire commission.

  Our industry has failed to competently explain why booking online is never in the consumer’s best interests. And yes, of course, professionals know that no major supplier would ever give an online call center in Mumbai or Manila better pricing than a dedicated professional adviser who always has the client’s best interests in mind.

  We could offer evidence of the percentage of online booking sites that are foreign-based scams whose principal goal is to secure your credit card and address information. And they will also know when you are away from home. Here is a hint: If the online “agent” sitting in a cubicle in India doesn’t ask you about your health, present insurance options, or offer hotel, tour, or cruise options with the pros and cons of each, you are likely being set up to have your credit card information compromised. 

  Oh -one more point that the consumer media often misses: Do you really suppose that the top management of hotels, cruises, and tours really wants their potential guests dealing with some commission-based call center “agent” who has likely never experienced their product or even left their country of residence? 

• IS THERE ANY INFORMATION AVAILABLE ON WHERE YOUR SIGNATURE CRUISE WILL BE GOING IN 2028?

  Q – 10-2-26 – We have never been on any of your personally escorted Signature journeys over the years, but several of our friends have, and it all sounds wonderful. We have been Club Members for the past four years, so we know about the Portugal-Spain cruise next June on the new Prestige as well as the “Leaves and Lobsters” sailing in October from Boston to Montreal. Do you have any information you can share about what is being planned for 2028? We hear they sell out, and we do not want to “miss the boat.”

  A – Nothing definite to share yet, but it will likely be a summer sailing that takes us North – way North. Still in negotiations, but we will announce it here first. 

• IS THERE SOMETHING WRONG ON THE DUORO RIVER? WE HAVE READ THE GOVERNMENT IS SEVERELY RESTRICTING RIVERBOAT TRAFFIC AND WE ARE PLANNING TO DO A RIVER CRUISE IN PORTUAL IN 2028.
  Q – Based on some wonderful feedback and what we have read on riverboatratings.com, we have plans to sail the Douro River in 2028. But we just read a post that implied that the government is shutting down the Duoro. What is the real story?

  A – Be careful; not all the travel posts on “TruthSocial” are accurate. It is true that the Portuguese maritime agency has decided to limit future riverboat traffic on the Duoro. Those boats already there will be able to continue, for the most part, to operate, but the Duoro will have strict limits on the number of new riverboats it will allow to sail. This means that only a very small portionof the dozens of new riverboats scheduled to enter European waterways in the next ten years will be able to be based on the Duoro.

  This is not at all political or even, really, environmental. It has to do with hard operational restraints. The reality is that the Duoro River has hit its physical and navigational ceiling.

  The Duoro’s lock system is at maximum operational capacity. The river’s locks are small and slow and they cannot be expanded without major engineering work with huge infrastructure costs.

  The Duoro is much narrower and more winding than the Rhine or the Danube. That is why Portuguese tourism officials are now referring to the Duoro as a “managed capacity” destination.

  We see traffic on this river becoming capacity-controlled for the foreseeable future.  Guests who want to sail this beautiful waterway will be able to in future years, but reservations should be made 10-16 months in advance as experts anticipate that Duoro-based vessels will soon reach 100% annual capacity. 

   

• THERE WAS A POST ON REDDIT ABOUT A GROWING TREND TOWARD NUDIST RESTAURANTS IN EUROPE. IS THIS REALLY A TREND??
  Q – I was following a travel thread on Reddit that suddenly drifted toward the growing proliferation of nude restaurants in Paris and elsewhere on the continent.  Is this really a thing? I can’t imagine being concerned while spending $300 on dinner that we might be surrounded by fellow diners who are unclothed. 

  A – No worries – several years ago there were some high-profile stand-alone nudist dining outlets like O’Naturel in Paris and The Bunyadi in London. There also were a number of pop-up (excuse use of the term) Nudist outlets in Tenerife and even Milan. But the economics were not on their side, and most true nudist dining establishments have found it extremely difficult to turn a profit.

  That is not to say that those who would prefer dining au natural will not be able to find options.  In Cap d’Agde, France, there is a massive nudist village with multiple “clothing optional” restaurants.  Domaine de la Jenny, in Gironde, France, is a naturist tourist enclave on the Atlantic coast famous for its fresh oysters and seafood served in a clothing-optional environment.  Just shucked oysters and diners to the left and right of you who are naked – is that a pretty picture?

• CAN YOU SETTLE AN ARGUEMENT HAVING TO DO WITH THE WAY EUROPEAN VIEW AMERICAN TRAVELERS?

  Q – We had an interesting discussion over dinner last night in Las Cruces. Wish you could have been there. It had to do with the way that Americans are currently viewed in terms of friendship and our relationships within Europe.  Over Osso Buco, most of us took the position that the Second World War was not that long ago and Europeans still consider us friends and Allies. I just don’t believe that has changed that much.  My friends, Ralphie and Peter, disagreed, and they are putting off any immediate travel to Europe because they feel like we are no longer viewed as “Allies” in places like France, Germany, Italy, and England. 

  Sure, there are ups and downs, but I still gotta believe that the Europeans know we will come to their aid just as we did in the very recent past. Is there any way to factually look at this to prove them wrong? If we can, I think we can get them to pick up the tab during our next dinner together. 

  A – We are first trying to get over the fact that you were enjoying Osso Buco in Las Cruces. Great to hear, but we are afraid that Ralphie and Peter have a free dinner coming. The European Council on Foreign Relations issued a report earlier this year that showed that only 11% of Europeans across 15 European countries view the United States as a supportive Ally. That is a historic low down from 22% in 2024. So yes, it appears that European memories are, indeed, short.  Or, perhaps, they follow US news reporting more closely than we imagine. 

  Despite this disheartening statistic, there is still very little evidence that the residents of Europe who interact with visitors from the United States are anything but polite. It is true, however, that they are increasingly seeking to vacation in places where we’re not.

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