IS CROSIEUROPE A DECENT LINE?

Q – So glad we discovered this incredible web site. But we’re disappointed that you have nothing on CrosiEurope, a line we discovered online. They have offices in America so they must have a fair share of Americans onboard and they seem to be a great value. Wondering why you have not reviewed them and…

WHY DOES VIKING NEED FULL PAYMENT UPFRONT?

Q – I will be taking my wife on a Viking River Cruise on the new Odin Longship sailing from Germany on June 12th. My travel agent informs me that I have to pay in full six months in advance of my cruise departure. In reading the fine print, Viking makes it clear that final…

WHICH AIRLINES HAVE THE BEST BUSINESS CLASS BEDS?

Prepared exclusively for the use, and sleeping comfort, of Churchill & Turen Ltd. Business Class Overnight Guests World’s 10 Best Business Class Airline Seats (all with flat-bed seats) 1. Kingfisher Airlines 2. Singapore Airlines 3. Oman Air 4. Qatar Airways 5. British Airways 6. Etihad Airways 7. Swiss 8. Virgin Atlantic 9. Jet Airways 10….

WHICH PORTS IN ISRAEL ARE BEST FOR CRUISE PASSENGERS?

Q – Now that the Iranians have promised not to build nukes and the Syrians are dismantling their nerve gas depots, it is time for a family cruise to Israel we’ve been putting off for close to 20 years. We’re not worried, if you’re not worried, about taking our teens, 15 and 17, to Israel…

iPHONES AND PASSPORTS IN CUBA

Q – We are really excited to be going on one of the first scheduled tours to Cuba. We just signed up but we had two immediate questions. Will our iPhone work in Cuba and what do we do with our Passport? Will we be carrying it with us? A – You will be able…

AMERICAN VERSUS UNITED TO LONDON

Q –  We are going to be attending a conference  in London next  month and we’re trying to figure out whether we should be booking our air on American or United out of Chicago. The seating in Business Class is really important to us and we are wondering which of these has beds that will allow…

WHAT IS THE BEST SINGLE PRODUCT ON THE MEKONG RIVER FOR RIVER BOAT ENTHUSIASTS?

Q – My wife and I have done eleven river cruises throughout Europe. We are now looking to expand our horizons a bit but we’ve learned the hard way that nothing is more miserable than a poorly managed/staffed river program. We’ve had a few of those. We appreciate your ratings, although from personal experience, we…

WILL ANYONE TELL US WHEN TO AVOID RIVER CRUISES IN EUROPE?

Q – Just discovered your site and am hopeful I can get an answer to a question that my engineer’s mind can’t help asking, We’re contemplating a Danube Riverboat cruise, company to be determined based on my spreadsheet results, but I really want to know how I can best minimize the high river flooding that…

WILL AN ATLANTIC HURRICAINE BANKRUPT OUR VACATION?

Q – Our family of five is booked on a Crystal Cruise to New England and Canada in top suites in Mid-October. We booked this cruise largely based on the traveltruth ratings, the most honest we’ve found. But given our substantial investment for two doubles and a single all upper decks, I am concerned about…

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ANNOUNCING THE ‘WORLD’S TOP TEN TOUR OPERATORS”

We are very pleased to announce the 2013 List of the World’s Top Tour Operators. Each of these firms is among the very best at what they do, operating First Class and Deluxe Tours around the globe. Each is specialized and enjoys an enviable industry reputation for the quality of its programs.   # 1…

ANYTHING COOL AND HIP IN THE CARIBBEAN?

Q – My boyfriend and I are professionals in the fashion industry in New York and we are in dire need of a Caribbean getaway sometime in December, perhaps over the Holidays. We like hip resorts with progressive food and rooms with modern design touches. We also have rather high expectations about service, a rare commodity, from what we…

WHY NO REPORTING ON THE REAL SCENT OF PARIS – URINE?

Q – My husband and I have just returned from a week in Paris. We were rather amazed at the number of homeless people on the streets. We had been there in 1994 and it was nothing like this. The smell of urine is everywhere and people are just setting up cots on the sidewalks all…

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….