ACTUALLY, WE MAY ALL BE AUSSIES

Smack in the middle of nowhere northwestern Australia, scientists have recently discovered  detectable signs of earliest life on the planet that they are dating at 3.5 billion years. Given current estimates that our earth is 4.5 billion years old, this finding of microbially induced sedimentary structures can now be said to serve as an indication…

SHOULD WE BRING MAGNETS ON OUR CRUISE?

Q – We will shortly be taking our first cruise aboard the Celebrity Eclipse. Do you like and recommend this ship and Celebrity generally? Also, we read on the internet that you are supposed to bring a set of magnets on a cruise but we have no idea why nor does our travel agent. Any…

GOING TO KINGSTON MON, AND NEED GREAT FOOD

Q – We are heading to Jamaica for a vacation that will involve a great music festival in Kingston. We’re foodies but know little about dining in Kingston. Any recommendations would be appreciated. Our air fare and hotels are set. Know you will provide trustworthy advice. A – While Jerk Chicken is everywhere, we would…

HOW FAR CAN I GO ON A NON-STOP FLIGHT?

Q – Wondering whether one of your editors can tell me who is operating the longest passenger flight these days. For the ultimate getaway, I might be tempted to take it and let that be the degree to which I do itinerary planning. Is there any advantage to using a travel agent once I decide…

BARCELONA IN JULY – ANY DANGER?

Q – My husband and I read traveltruth on our iPad in bed. So thanks for that. Despite the time devoted to your excellent site, we have managed to have two kids and we’re all scheduled to do an Azamara Cruise next summer that will spend two days in Barcelona. Our perfectly behaved angels are…

AUSSIE’S CONSIDER BOYCOTT OF US

The senseless killing of a Melbourne  college student and baseball player in a drive-by in Duncan, Oklahoma has aroused the passion of the Australian press and renewed calls for a boycott of travel to the United States. Australia’s former deputy Prime Minister helped introduce tight gun laws in the country in the 1990’s. He is…

BARBADOS TO RIO: SHOULD WE SPLURGE?

Q – We are seriously considering joining friends from work on the January 15th sailing of Silverseas from Barbados to South America. We’ve never cruised this line but the combination of the Caribbean and South America intrigues us. Is $5650 a great deal for a window suite?  We’ve been working with an agent but were…

ROME DURING EASTER WEEK?

Q – We are taking our 16-Year old on a dream trip to Italy this coming spring. Our highlights will be Venice, Rome, and the Amalfi Coast. Our tentative schedule puts us in Rome Easter week flying home after the Holiday. But we don’t know how insane Rome will be that weekend. We had wanted…

ANY WAY TO DO THE SILK ROAD BY TRAIN?

Q – Your site was recommended to help us answer a question about my personal bucket list. Can you actually do the Silk Road through Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazahkstan by train. I want  to see it all, and my wife will indulge me, from the Karakum and Kysilkum deserts to the Tien Shan Mountains. We’re rather well-traveled, much…

THE TOP TEN SECRETS TO REMAINING HEALTHY WHEN TRAVELING ABROAD

Travel agents are not doctors and doctors are not travel medicine specialists and travel medicine specialists can barely keep up with a constantly changing medical landscape. Between tracking cheap flights, researching your destination, and making reservations, a lot of planning goes into travel. Add diabetes management on top of that and preparing for a trip…

CUBA NOW – SI OR NO?

Q – Like many traveltruth fans, we have always wanted to go to Cuba. Now, it seems, things are opening up and we noticed that Tauck Tours is offering programs there next year. Can we book this and do you recommend this. Does Tauck have a  decent reputation? A – Tauck is, in our view,…

WE ARE BOOKED ON A SHIP THAT JUST FAILED ITS HEALTH INSPECTION

Q – We are really worried about a cruise we have booked for next year on Silverseas Cruises Shadow, This will be our third cruise, first on this line, but we are now quite worried because our daughter-in-law was checking the ship out online and tells us it just failed its health test. There also…

WE CAN ONLY DO ONE RIVER BOAT VACATION – WHICH IS THE BEST?

Q – I know this is a tough question, but we are not world travelers, we’ve never been to Europe, and we are getting ready to start thinking about a river cruise for next summer. Is it too early to plan? We’re on a bit of a fixed income and we can see only one…

DO WE GO WITH ONE OF VIKING’S LONGSHIPS OR THE UINIWORLD ANTOINETTE?

Q – We’ve done a fair amount of research as this will be our first river boat cruise. The best options seem to boil down to the Viking Longboats, all of which are new, or the Uniworld company and their boat the Antoinette. We’re in our early sixties, not all that traveled, and we like…

DOES DISNEY REALLY DOUBLE ESCORT THEIR TOURS IN EUROPE AND SOUTH AMERICA?

Q – We are thinking about doing a trip to Great Britain with a family whose daughter attends grade school with my son. The parents get along well and so do the kids. My friend is recommending the Disney Tour company and says they actually provide two las vegas escorts blondes. Is this really true…

THE SAVVY TRAVELER MUST NOW BE ON SPICE ALERT

The Food and Drug Administration dropped a spicy bombshell this week when it announced that of 20,000 shipments of imported spices to the United States, 7% of the shipments were found to be contaminated with Salmonella which can result in death if the infection spreads from the intestines to the bloodstream where it can then attack organs….

MOST SEX AND MOST PARTNERS AWARD GOES TO THE RESIDENTS OF

According to https://www.malerevue.com.au/male-strip-club/, just over 50,000 people in 30 countries by Men’s Health Magazine, Croatia is the country where sexual activity is most frequent as is the number of partners engaged in such activities. This should present some interesting challenges for the Croatia Tourism Board as they work on their ad campaign to trumpet the…

Churchill & Turen Ltd.                         Mainstream and Top Ten-Rated  Cruise Line Smoking Policies Azamara Club Cruises The Azamara Journey and the Azamara Quest have a designated smoking area on the starboard forward section of the Pool Deck. Smoking is prohibited in all other areas…

BEST FIVE-STAR CRUISE OPTIONS FOR NON-SMOKERS

  Q – Quite frankly, we are disappointed that traveltruth does not have more questions about smoking on cruise ships. The vast majority of us are non-smokers and we feel that the last thing we need is to be exposed to second-hand cigarette smoke. We understand that smokers have rights, but we would choose a luxury…

CRUISING TO WORLD WAR TWO PACIFIC BATTLE SITES

Q – I am a retired Officer who would love to visit some of the sites of the Second World War  Pacific Theater with my wife. I have the time and the means to do it right and was wondering if there is a cruise that might make us happy in terms of a focus on…

DO I NEED PAPERS TO GET INTO AUSTRALIA?

Q – My buddy and I will stop trading commodities for a few days, hope the markets can withstand our absence, and we’re off to Sydney for a few days of rest, relaxation, and some sailing. We’re getting conflicting advice about the need for an Australian Visa and we were wondering if getting one is…

TRYING TO FIND LISBETH SALANDAR?

Q – Both my husband and I have just finished the three Scandinavian detective thrillers in Stieg Larsson’s “Millennium” series. We know Mr. Larsson passed away but we would really like to enjoy a visit to Stockholm to try to trace the steps of Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salendar, the wonderful tattooed computer hacker and…

THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT AIRLINE MILEAGE CREDIT CARDS

Collecting credit card issued complimentary airline miles is a serious science. Here are three important things to know to help you choose the best airline mileage credit card for your needs: 01 – Be patient and wait for an offer that may be unadvertised and offered on a Frequent Flyer Blog or through the mail….

STRIKING A BLOW AGAINST THE MAFIA AT FIUMICINO

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…

REALLY GETTING ANNOYED ABOUT SHORE EXCURSIONS

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…

GOING TO PROPOSE IN EZE AND NEED HELP

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…

ARE YOU FOLKS RECOMMENDING TRAVEL TO MEXICO?

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….

ARE THERE REAL LAST-MINUTE CRUISE DEALS ON THE TOP CRUISE LINES?

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…

787 UPDATE: IS THIS PLANE SAFE?

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…