WAITING FOR U WITH ANTICIPATION

Q –  We were really thrilled to read your piece about the new river cruise line for people in my age group – 2o and 30 year-olds. I’ve read a little bit about it on River Boat Ratings but would like to know how this idea came about. I am a business major in a…

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…

ANYTHING FOR ACTIVE, FOODIES, WHO LOVE BIKING?

Q – I suppose you could say we are the representative of the new breed of river boat cruiser. We’re active Gen X’s who love the idea of a river cruise, food events, and the opportunity to do some longer bike rides. We realize that most of the folks we’d be traveling with would have…

DO ANY RIVER BOATS HAVE EXTRA-LENGTH BEDS?

Q – We want to do a river cruise on the Moselle but I would need to find a ship that has larger than normal beds. I am 6′ 8″ so I need a bed with length. Any suggestions would be appreciated. A No worries. Most of the leading lines do stock bed extenders for…

CONSIDERING A RIVER CRUISE BUT WE HAVE SOME BIG BUT’S!

A – We are looking at joining our dentist and his wife on an Avalon cruise next year on the German rivers. We’ve cruised with Celebrity, which you really short-change in my opinion on your cruisetruth site, and Oceania, which we love, numerous times. We want to sail with our friends but my husband is…

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF CROSI EUROPE’S NEW PROGRAM IN AFRICA?

Q – We have been doing our homework online and found a compelling program offered by a company called Crosi. We’ve always wanted to do southern Africa, particularly Botswana, by river boat and this could meet our needs. What do you think about this line? They are not rate don your cruisetruth and we wonder…

ARE THERE ANY ITINERARIES IN EUROPE DEVOTED TO JEWISH CULTURE THEMES?

Q  – We’ve sailed Crystal and Holland America – never a river cruise. But we are thinking about a river cruise that might take us to some important Jewish heritage sites. Do such programs exist?  A – Yes, there are several options. The most popular route to explore Jewish history is passing through Germany along…

JUST HOW BAD ARE OUR CHANCES ON THE ELBE?

Q – As you seem to be the only folks talking openly about river flooding on some of these European rivers, we thought we would pose this question to you. We want to take our two teenage daughters with us this summer on a cruise itinerary that takes in Switzerland and Germany. You identify the…

WHAT IS THE MOST EXOTIC PLACE YOU CAN GO ON A RIVERBOAT CRUISE?

Q – We are previous river boat guests of AMA and Gate 1. Now, we are looking to spend a bit more money to do something a little more exotic than Europe. We are looking at AMA’s Africa and Vietnam programs, each of which we know from reading RiverBoatRatings you rate quite highly. But as…

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…