Q – We loved your response about river boat companies and their candor is talking about possible weather problems. We are scheduled to do a Danube cruise on Scenic next August and it sounds as though that could be the time of year when draught and low water levels is a problem. We were wondering, looking…
Q – We are one couple, of hundreds, whose river boat cruise turned into a combination cruise (on a different ship than we booked) and bus tour. We are rather surprised at the lack of advance information about flooding or low waters we were provided. Is this common and what are your views on this…
Q – Our travel agent has set us up with a cruise on the Viking River Line, which I understand is the Cadillac of river cruises. We’re scheduled to leave on June 12th next year but I’ve heard from friends that the rivers sometimes flood preventing a full sailing on the river with days made…
Q – I am so damn mad at my travel agent. We’ve asked her three times which side of the ship is best (we’re sailing the Avalon Line on the Danube) but she doesn’t seem to know. It would seem like a simple question. I think I’ll just do it myself next time. Do any…
Q – We have been looking at a longer cruise, next summer, from Amsterdam, but the reverse direction seems to work better in conjunction with my wife’s work schedule, she is a pediatrician. Would appreciate any guidance here – how big a mistake would we be making to do this itinerary in reverse? A –…
Q – As we approach the magic day – two weeks from now, retirement will mean that we will be going out to see much of the same world we have been avoiding for the past six decades. We don’t want to see it all – no interest in seeing the Congo or hiking the…
Based on the volume of inquiries we receive from nervous flyers, the following three observations might be helpful the next time you take to the skies: 01 – If you have concerns about turbulence, try to book a departure before 10:00 am. Most turbulence seems to build up during the day and thunderstorm activity is…
Q – My wife and I read travel blogs for fun and we think your sis one of the best. But I’ve been told by two different cruise lines reservations departments that you are not telling the truth when you claim that booking directly with a cruise line is a rip-off. The two lines I…
Q – We will be doing a driving trip from coast to coast later this summer. We’re in our mid-sixties, relatively well-traveled, but we’ve not done a driving vacation in the United States. Our biggest concern is all those meals we will have in strange places and we want to stay healthy. How would you…
CURRENT RATINGS OF THE WORLDWIDE AIRLINE FLEET By Skytrax, the world’s most respected airline rating service. Five Star-Rated Airlines are considered to be absolutely top tier. Four-Star Airlines are considered to be “Often above-average” Three-star Airlines are considered to be “Average for the industry” STAR RATING AIRLINE (view rating) COUNTRY REGION 3 Adria Airways Slovenia…
Q – We are off to Normandy this August with our 19-year-old son who is, of all things, fascinated by Impressionist art. We will tour the battlefields, but the main purpose would be to enroll him in some painting classes where they stress the Impressionist school techniques. In recent years, it has become a popular…
Q – We have strong environmental interests both professionally and privately. We are rather interested in going to Costa Rica to see and enjoy some of the best most eco-friendly resorts and off-the-beaten path experiences. We want to be in the hands of people who will get what we’re about and who won’t be intimidated…
Q – We are going to be in Paris later this summer. Our dream is to dine at Guy Savoy’s Restaurant. We tried online but that doesn’t seem to work. I hope this is not an inappropriate question, but is there any secret way to get into a restaurant of that caliber when traveling overseas?…
In 2013, the twenty-five highest paid Hedge Fund Managers earned two and a half times the combined income of our nation’s 157,800 Kindergarten teachers. The top four Hedge Fund Managers earned a higher combined salary than the salaries of every Kindergarten teacher combined. This information was highlighted in the annual “Rich List” published by Alpha…
Q – My wife and I have planned a trip that includes a number of days in Bangkok through one of the better tour companies in that part of the world. We worked with Pacific Delight directly. We’re under deposit for a trip in August. It may be hot but we’re both school teachers so…
Q – We are trying to figure out which river boat company has the best theme cruises for foodies like us. We’re in our mid-forties, New Yorkers, and we couldn’t conceive of going to Europe without food being our top priority. Which line should we look at first. When we asked our travel agent about…
There are still pockets of availability on some of the best escorted luxury tours this summer. The following journeys are part of the Travcoa collection, a series of extremely high-end, personally escorted journeys that have proper pacing, the best available guides, and hotels and meals of five-star quality. Based in California, Travcoa operates tours at…
Q – In late September we’ve booked a great itinerary on the Seabourn Spirit round-trip out of Venice for ten days. The cruise will visit ports in Greece and Croatia that we really want to see but it overnights at the end in Venice. The problem is we’ve been there twice before, once with a…
Q – We will be leaving in three months for a two-week cruise to Greece and Turkey with Sea Dream 1. Picking the cruise was easy, the ship only has 50 cabins and 100 people. But choosing insurance is tougher. How do we find the best deals on travel insurance? A – We’re not going…
Q – We would very much like to have your help with planning our ultimate trip, a celebration of my retirement from the financial world with a month-long journey that might include as much wildlife as possible in Africa as well as, if at all possible, the Amazon. We’re open to what else we might see…
Q – We leave for a cruise to South America this winter and we’re already looking forward to it – except for the communications part. Is there any way to cut down on the cost of making a call while still using my regular phone (Android)? A – There is one rather new technique that…
The “Girl” is more likely a woman, but that aside, no one can deny the status of Singapore Airline’s unrivaled record as one of the World’s Top Three Airlines” for more than a decade. Despite challenges from the new collection of Five-star airlines based in the Middle East, Singapore consistently ranked # 1 or #…
Q – We love reading this site even though it is clearly aimed at the upscale traveler. I suppose we are about fifty-fifty upscale. But we just hate spending money we don’t have to for another inch of chair for eight or nice hours. For a 5-star hotel at the other end yes – but we just…
Q – Don’t know if you can help with this, but would appreciate it if you can help. I am not a vegetarian but my fiancé and I do not eat meat. We do eat chicken and fish. We will be in Paris for six days in August and we would love to know that…
Wendy Perrin, the nation’s most respected consumer travel advocate and the long-time Consumer Editor at Conde Nast Traveler Magazine, announced her resignation citing differences with the current direction of the publication under its new management team. Just a few days later, Perrin was named to a new position, created just for her, as Travel Advocate…
The Chinese government has been facing increasing pressure to improve the quality of its air and its exported toys. But what about domestically produced foods? In an unusually bold step, the Chinese government has banned food production in an agricultural center of approximately 8 million acres. The ongoing production of fruits and vegetables was banned because…
The international charity, Oxfam, has just released a report indicating that the 85 richest people in the world now have $1.7 trillion in personal assets. That means that their personal wealth is now equivalent to the total wealth of 3.5 billion people living with them on the same planet. Never, have so few controlled so much. Several…
Q – We will be leaving for a European Cruise booked through Regent Seven Seas in three weeks. We booked the air/sea program and paid extra for an air deviation. We were flying United Airline on a flight from Atlanta that is actually going to be operated by Lufthansa. We have a connection in Frankfurt…
Q – We have read that Iran is a great destination with friendly people and a great deal to see. Wonder if you agree? We’ve been looking at Travcoa and Mir Tours. They each seem to be operating two departures this year. Which of the two passes your “legitimate Tour Operator” Test? Really enjoying the…
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