ARE THESE CRUISE UPGRADE OFFERS SOMETHING TO POUNCE ON?
Q – (2.25.25) – We just received an unsolicited offer from Regent Seven Seas for a Suite Upgrade Bidding Offer. I wonder, first of all if this is legit as it did not come from my agent. But if it is legit – what gives? When did Regent start marketing like a three-star Vegas Hotel?…
WHAT IF MY ‘LOVED ONE’ DIES ON DECK 7 WHILE CRUISING FAR AWAY FROM HOME?
Q – (2.21.25) – Do not want to bring everyone on TT down BUT …………just returned from a cruise to Australia and New Zealand. Loved the cruise but one of the passengers died in his sleep and I could not believe the way it was handled. An announcement was made about what had happened and…
SHOULD WE GO OR SHOULD WE GO TO THE ‘ASIAN” SIDE OF THE RIVER IN ISTANBUL?
Q – We are going to be in Istanbul for eight days this Fall, visiting friends and spendings several days on our own exploring. One of the things we are wondering about is whether or not it is recommended to cross over the Bosphorus for the day? Is it safe? Worthwhile? A – It is…
IS THERE A RELIABLE WAY TO SEARCH FOR THE LOWEST AIRFARES ONLINE?
Q – Is there one best place to check online when seeking the lowest price for a domestic air ticket? A – We hear a great deal about this subject and, were we to believe the ads, online travel agencies are each given their own, private airfares on every worldwide flight. Of course this is…
WE LIVE IN MANITOBA – WE’RE DIFFERENT – WHEN SHOULD WE SAIL THE DANUBE?
Q – Greatly enjoying this site – even if it is not written by a Canadian. We are anticipating our first European River Cruise next year. I know that my friends in the lower 50 are greatly concerned about too much sunshine and the fact that other tourists may be present in “alarming” numbers. Not…
WHAT IS THE BEST STRATEGY TO USE AIRLINE POINTS – I HAVE OVER 1 MILLION ON UNITED
Q – I have, lovingly supported United Airlines for the past fourteen years in my work which requires frequent cross-country travel. I am not a “points geek” and I don’t waste my time using points to fly for business domestically. I just gather those points like a squirrel hoarding nuts with the idea that in…
CAN WE GET THIS DEAL ON AMA WATERWAYS?
Q – We are booked on our second AMA sailing on the Rhine River in May of 2026. We were able to receive a nice discount of about 20% when we originally booked this several months ago. Yesterday, we received an AMA e-mail notifying us that they are now offering complimentary three-night land packages to…
I KEEP SEEING THOSE CHARMING VIKING ADS – BUT WONDERING WHO OWNS THEM AND WHO IS PAYING FOR THEIR SEEMINGLY UNENDING GROWTH?
Q – (12.9.24) – I keep seeing these rather charming, British voice-over ads for Viking Cruises. It seems like they are among the largest lines but I am wondering who owns them and are they really that successful? The ads keep talking to me and inviting me to sail – but who is really doing…
MAY WE REQUEST MORE “INSIDER’ AIR INFORMATION – THIS IS AN ‘AIRLESS” SITE
Q – (12.9/24) – No one would deny that this is an unusually honest and helpful site, but I do have one criticism I hope you will consider. Whatever destination or mode of exploration you are discussing, the fact is that we need to fly there. So I think it would be extremely helpful to…
A PERSONAL QUESTION ABOUT HOTEL TIPPING
Q – Thanks for this really uniquely honest site. I keep looking for the ads! So nice to see a site where no PR crapola is tolerated. My wife and I like to stay in four and five-star hotels when we travel regularly throughout Europe. We are wondering, under normal circumstances, who and how much…
HOW DO WE FIND THE VERY BEST ALASKA CRUISE OPTIONS AND AVAILABILITY AND PRICING ONLINE?
Q – We will want to be booking a nice, very nice, Alaska Cruise next summer. We will be joined by four friends and we will want to sail out of Vancouver B.C. or Juneau on a cruise that is somewhere between ten and twelve nights. How do I do my research before taking it…
WHY IS NO ONE TALKING ABOUT THE ANTI-AMERICAN FEELINGS THAT WILL LIKELY GROW UNDER A TRUMP PRESIDENCY?
Q – (12.3.24) – Given all that is involved in traveling overseas on vacation about twice a year, and as a former engineer with a wife who is a CPA, we like to plan our travels almost two years out. As we look at 2026 and beyond, we are struck that neither traveltruth or any…
WE HAVE JAPAN ON OUR ‘BUCKET LIST’ BUT WE KEEP HEARING IT IS THE WORLD’S MOST EXPENSIVE CITY? IS THERE A WAY TO BEAT THE HIGH COSTS WITHOUT SACRIFICING QUALITY?
Q – (12.1.24) – This site has been really amazing and we use it to guide our future travel planning. Some day we hope to be able to afford your personal services. Like everyone else, we have a bucket list, and Japan is at the top of the list. But we keep hearing that Japan…
IS FOOD POISONING TYPICAL ON LONG-DISTANCE FLIGHTS?
Q – I fly a fair amount for business and recently returned from the Orient on Malaysian Airlines where I managed to get a bad case of food poisoning despite flying Business Class. Malaysian has responded to my online account but I am wondering just how common food poisoning is on long-distance international flights? I…
HOW DOES AQUA EXPEDITIONS STACK UP AGAINST AMA OR AVALON?
Q – (11.28.24) – We are thinking about joining friends who have booked a small ship, I guess you would call it a riverboat line, called Aqua Expeditions sailing the Amazon next year. I looked over the consumer riverboat site, www.riverboatratings.com and could not find Aqua listed among the top five lines. Wondering why? A…
HOW DO I GET REGENT SEVEN SEAS TO GET ME ONE OF SEVERAL NON-STOP FLIGHTS HOME?
Q – (9.21.24) – We are sailing Regent Seven Seas next summer and just received our included Business Class Air Schedule. Although there are several non-stop options to Phoenix from London they are asking us to fly to LA and then connect back to Phoenix on the return. With several non-stop alternatives, I don’t see…
WONDERING HOW SILVERSEA IS HANDLING RESTAURANT UPCHARGES ON THE SILVER DAWN THAT WE ARE BOOKING FOR MARCH 2026?
Q – We have been following your ratings and rankings of the top, the very top, worldwide cruise lines and we are excited to be trying Silversea in 2026 on a wonderful itinerary. You rank them as second best in the World – high praise. But on one of threads I follow I see that…
FLYING TO JAPAN AFTER CONNECTION IN DALLAS: HOW CAN WE MAXIMIZE OPPORTUNITY TO SLEEP?
Q – We have a long flight coming up on Japan Airlines but first we have to connect from Las Vegas then on to Dallas for our flight. We are fairly well traveled but this is a long flight on an Airbus 350 and I am not prone to fall asleep while flying. Any advice…
WONDERING IF YOU FEEL ‘CLEAR” MEMBERSHIP WILL HELP US MOVE THROUGH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORTS FASTER?
Q – (9.19.24) – We have heard that CLEAR is actually preferred to TSA Pre-Check to save time and effort in airport security lines. I love shortcuts – do you recommend that your clients take out this membership? A – We are not yet enthusiastic about CLEAR. It costs $189 Per Year and there is…
WE ARE PLANNING A MEMORABLE FAMILY VACATION IN FRANCE. WHAT ARE THE MAJOR ‘BEHAVIORAL’ RULES TO KNOW?
Q – Although our planned trip to Paris and Bordeaux with our grown kids and their three children is still eight months away, we are wondering if there are a few cultural rules we ought to start drumming into everyone now? In other words, what does it take to be a successful “tourist” in the…
ANXIOUS TO STAY IN THE COUNTRY THEY SAY DOES NOT EXIST? SO WHERE IS IT?
Q – (9.7.24) This one may be a wild goose chase but a fellow golfer was bragging that he was planning to visit a country that really “does not exist”. But he claims he can still go there and intends to add that nation notch to his rather wide belt. Does this ring a bell…
IS IT TRUE? IS THERE REALLY AN AIRLINE THAT CATERS TO DOGS
Q – (9.4.24) I heard it but I won’t believe it until I hear it from you. There is now an airline that caters exclusively to dogs? Is there a “just cats” airline as well? A – There have been several budget airlines that cater to “mutts” but, yes, BARK Air is now flying. Nothing…
OFF TO BRUSSELS AND BRUGE IN APRIL, 2025. WILL WE NEED TO GET ETIAS PASS?
Q – (9.4.24) – Our trip for ten days will take in some fine dining in Brussels and some boating through the center of Bruge in Belgium. But I read that there is this new kind of Passport called ETIAS that is now required for all Europe-bound Americans. Can you let us know the latest…
READY TO TRAVEL AND NEED FEEDBACK ON A 32-DAY VIKING CRUISES AUSTRALIA CIRCUMNAVIGATION
Q – Good to see that you are keeping up this site. There is really nothing else like it. After some downtime, we are ready to travel with you again. This time, we are thinking about a 32-day itinerary on Viking, recommended by friends, that does a full circumnavigation of Australia. Love to know what…
How Do We Find the Best Travel Insurance Information that Isn’t Biased?
Q – We have been doing mostly vacations in the West and Southwest – two exotic parts of the world given that we live in South Burlington, Vermont. But now that I have tried my last case I think we are ready to do some intensive travel. I am an information gatherer and am ready…
HEADING TO HAWAII AND PLANNING TOURING BY HELICOPTER – IS IT SAFE?
Q – My husband and I have been to Hawaii twice before. We went up in a helicopter in Maui once and we were rather pleased although a tad nervous when the wind drafts carried us upward. Now, we are going back to Hawaii for three weeks, in part, because we want to help the…
SHOULD WE SWITCH OVER OUR CURRENT REGENT BOOKING TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE NEW ROUND-TRIP LIMO THAT IS INCLUDED WITH AIR?
Q – We are fairly new to the cruise game – so forgive us a rather basic question. We are, or were, happily booked on a lovely Regent Seven Seas Cruise to Japan in 2026. We live in Arizona and were thrilled to discover we could receive free air with our cruise in Business Class,…
REQUESTED AGENCY REFUND FROM HOTEL BUT HAVING TROUBLE GETTING AIRLINE TO RETURN TRAVEL AGENCY COMMISSION
Q – Thank you! Amazing how much of the “travel truth” escapes media interest given the huge ad spending stats from the industry. My wife and I are in our early forties and we are waiting to travel internationally until we get a bit closer to retirement age. We do most of our own planning,…
GOING ON A LONGER SEABOURN CRUISE AND WONDERING IF THE DOCTOR’S SERVICES” COME WITH THE FARE?
Q – (5.14.24) I won’t bore you with my medical history. I am going to be 79 and I have type-2 Diabetes along with several other maladies – some related, some not. We are going to be going on a 54-day sailing on Seabourn in Asia that combines several shorter sailings. Can you confirm that…
