Traveler’s passing through Rome’s Fiumicino Airport can now order a cannoli or a cassata sicliana and feel they have struck a blow at the Mafia. Although most Americans know the term “mafia”, Italy is home to more than one major crime group. The Cosa Nostra controls much of Sicily, Calabria’s main crime group is the…
Q – In your reviews of the Top Ten Cruise Lines, we notice that you say very little about the cost these lines are charging for their shore excursions. We’ve done one previous cruise on MSC and we’re trying Oceania in Europe next May. But we notice that they are charging up to twice as…
Q – My girlfriend and I visited the hilltop town of Eze in the south of France on a recent cruise and we fell in love with it. Now, I want to go back and spend a few days so I can propose in a beautiful setting. Where should I book and how should I…
Q – We are thinking about a trip to Cabo San Lucas but were wondering if you are sending people there and if you feel it is generally safe? We’re rather high-end travelers, I suppose, fans of Peninsula and Mandarin Oriental, but my wife is worried about traveling where drug cartels are ruling the streets….
Q – We just returned from a cruise on Crystal to the Baltic and loved the experience. We’re already signed up for another trip next year. But being retired, we can cruise on short notice. We’ve read what you’ve recommended about the benefits of being among the first 20% to book. But now, we’re wondering about…
Q – My entire family of seven is scheduled to fly from Houston to Denver in October and we are currently bo0ked on the new Boeing 787. First we had the battery issues and now it seems that there are more issues with the airplane. We do not fly often and we are a little…
Q – We are working with a travel agent we’ve known for years. Last week, I brought her a tour put out by General Tours that really looked interesting. But she quickly tried to turn things around trying to get us to book a Viking River Cruise in Russia instead. I’m just wondering about how…
Q – Our friends from Portland recently joined us on a custom arranged vacation that took in portions of Switzerland, northern Italy, and almost ten days in Germany. We loved this vacation and being with our friends of twenty-five or so years, was terrific. But we ran into one problem that we just didn’t understand….
The rise of the affluent class in China has had interesting repercussions, but the recent attack by some drunken Frenchmen on Chinese students in the Bordeaux region has created a diplomatic tiff of magnum proportions. Six students were brutally attacked while being subjected to racist abuse. This is seen as related to China’s rise as…
Even if you’re not mesmerized by the city’s soaring skyscrapers and monuments, you’ll be blown away by its flourishing arts, food, fashion and nightlife scenes. You can spend your morning browsing Fifth Avenue’s designer racks and your afternoon catching stunning city views from the Top of the Rock Observation Deck. Or, if you’re an art lover, you…
Q – I’ve been getting mailings about a new credit card called the Mercedes-Benz Platinum. In terms of travel benefits, is this one of the better cards. Given the cost of my Mercedes, I’d love to feel that I can get a few free international tickets out of my purchase. A – This is one…
Q – My husband smokes cigars continually, has an eight handicap, runs a five million dollar auto-supply business and knows about 75% of the dialogue from the original Godfather movie. He’s big, loud, obnoxious, and a sort of typical Jersey guy. He’s a sweetie and I want to take him to Sicily as a surprise for his…
Q – OK, we’ve read your entire site, or 90% of it, and, wow! Congratulations. So the one question we’re dying to know the truth about. All in, which cruise line is really the best in the world. And don’t be concerned about naming names – we won’t tell any of the other lines you…
Q – My husband and I, as well as our best friends, are all working with a great travel agent here in Pittsburgh on a cruise to Europe with Windstar. She has recommended several private shore excursions through her connections with the group she belongs to. They all seem wonderful but pricey. Our friends have…
There is a pork shortage in China as a growing middle class is demanding more pork atop their rice. So the China’s largest pork producer, Shuangthui International, just paid $4.7 billion to buy venerable Smithfield Foods, the Virginia-based owners of Smithfield hams.
Just how to get an inbound H-18 Visa approved by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services was made clear in an investigation by Bloomberg.com We like fashion models so over 50% of their visa applications are approved. Only 28% of HB visa requests for computer-related occupations were approved. Nice to have our priorities straight.
Q – There is all this media coverage of dirty hotel rooms, bed bugs, lousy security etc. But I am most concerned about touching something in my hotel room that will make me sick. Yuck. What do I Purell first and how do you know which hotels are the cleanest? A – Start with the…
Unions in Sweden are protesting the fact that the average Swedish work week has just hit a historic high of 26.2 hours per week. Since this is an average, it means that a substantial number of the Swedish full-time work force is working even less than that. This new report, says one of the major…
That would appear to be affirmative. In fact, changes in cabin air pressure may affect the brain to the degree that making decisions or even properly responding to e-mails when the brain has less oxygen at 40,000 feet is not a good idea. The good Professor David Gradwell of King’s College London is Britain’s first Professor…
Q – I know you are going to say it is extremely expensive, but my wife and I have decided that we are not going to be traveling with luggage when we connect with our Absolute Asia itinerary in Hong Kong. Could you give us the one or two best luggage firms to contact? Thanks so…
Q – Just can’t fathom the way these cruise lines give and then take away. For the past year we’ve been getting mailers from Regent Seven Seas offering a Free Hotel Night before each of their cruises. Now, our agent tells us that she can’t get us the free night for our planned cruise on…
Q – Great to have a site like this where we can feel we are sitting down with real experts. Don’t quite understand your business model, since the site has no ads and the advice is free, but you’re not worried so I won’t worry. Here’s the deal. My fiance (we’re in our late 30’s)and…
Q – We are rather pleased past guests of Uniworld. We think their cruises are, based on our experience, the “boutique” kind of experience on the water that we prefer. We just learned of your site and thought we would run their newest ship, the River Orchid, past you. It only holds 60 guests, which…
Q – We are about to pull the trigger on a cruise called “Waterways of the Czars” with Viking River. We note that you do not rate them very high. The ships in Russia look even older including the one I am considering, the Viking Rurik. The itinerary fascinates us but we are pretty much…
Q – We have have heard that people who travel out of the United States should carry clean, or fresh money. A friend of mine in Concord, says she literally irons her larger bills before going to Europe so they look more legitimate. This just sounds crazy to us. What’s the truth? A – This…
Q – My husband just retired three weeks ago and I can already tell you, I want out of this house. Wer’re going to start doing some long term travel planning and we are wondering if you are talking on new clients or if you would be willing to recommend someone in the Little Rock…
Q – OK, we’re going to trust you with the most important portion of our October trip to Italy. On the last night of the trip, we are going to be staying in Verona, after a few days in Venice. This is a honeymoon of sorts and, if all goes well, we may actually consider…
Q – Our agent booked us into Cuzco for two nights before taking the train to Machu Picchu, where we will have a private guide for two full days. We are really excited about the history and the views that lie ahead. Any suggestions on what we should do with our time in Cuzco. This is…
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