PONDERING SOUTH AFRICA ON A RIVER CRUISE

Q – We have found a sixteen-day tour to South Africa run by AMA Waterways. I’ve never heard of them or the river cruise boat they are using, a boat called the MS Zambezi Queen. South Africa has been a dream of ours for a very long time. On this trip you get to see…

ONE OF OUR MOST IMPORTANT SECRETS REVEALED

We love our tribe of traveltruthers. So, today, a reward. The name and telephone number of the one woman in the United States who can have you sleeping in the lap of luxury each and every night. Call Ms. Laura Wolff at the Four Seasons Hotel in Chicago and order one or two of the…

IDEAL TIMES TO VISIT CHINA AND THE SILK ROAD

Q – We’re recently retired from the financial sector where, I suppose you could say, quoting  that famous Saturday Night Sketch, “we’ve done berry, berry well.” So now it’s time to see the rest of the world excluding Europe, a continent we know well. Our first thoughts are to do, perhaps, two trips to China,…

VIKING RIVER CRUISES STUNS INDUSTRY WITH NEW SHIP ORDERS AND EXPANSION PLANS

Viking River Cruises, already the largest player in the travel industry’s fastest growing segment, has  announced a massive newbuild program that will give ther line 31 vessels by December 2013. Industry insiders surprised by the large number of new Viking ships due this year, six in all, were impressed with the announcement that Viking is…

SO HOW MUCH DID MY BAKED ALASKA REALLY COST?

Q –  We’ve sailed  on NCL twice and Royal Caribbean three times, the last time on the Oasis of the Seas. On our last cruise we shared a table with a couple from Arizona and another from Philadelphia. The fellow from Philly owned a restaurant and we talked quite a but about the food on…

CAN WE DO OUR DREAM HONEYMOON FOR $10,000?

Q –  We have this dream that we  can do an over-the-water bungalow honeymoon for no more than $10,000 including economy airfare from New York.  Is this in any way possible and how or where do we begin? A – Difficult but not really impossible. The trick will be to use an agent who works…

THE CATTLE ASSOCIATION WOULD PREFER YOU DIDN’T KNOW THAT

There really is a food product nicknamed “Pink Slime” that is only now being discontinued by some major food chains and fast food restaurants because Celebrity Chef Jamie Oliver exposed the fact that 70% of the supermarkets in America were putting the stuff in their hamburger meat. The processed material is gelatinous, ammonia-treated, pieces of…

A POSTCARD FROM CHINA THE IMPORTER

It seems like folks in the States believe that nearly everything that costs less than $20.00 is made in China. But the Washington Post points out that we Chinese have been consuming a good deal of stuff made int the USA. In fact, the Post reports that exports to, not from, China have increased by…

DO WE WANT THE CRUISE LINE’S INSURANCE?

Q – We will be taking our two teenage girls on a Christmas Cruise aboard the Celebrity Eclipse. Our travel agent wants us to take Celebrity’s insurance but has been less than helpful in educating us on this fairly important component of our trip.  One of the girls has, what I think would be, a…

WORTH KNOWING: DID YOUR BIG BOX BANK PASS THE TEST?

The Federal Reserve recently completed a series of “stress tests” to determine which of banks bailed out by the government three years ago are sound enough to weather another financial storm. As reported in the NY Times, four major banks failed the tests. They are Citigroup, Ally Bank (but A for Advertising), Sun Trust and…

IS THE PAUL GAUGUIN GETTING A SISTER?

Q –  We had an extraordinary time on the Paul Gauguin sailing the Society Islands last May. Since then, we’ve heard rumors that there will be a Gauguin # 2. Any truth to the rumor? Wonder how they rate currently and when the 2012 Revised Cruise Line Ratings will be finalized? I hate to be…

DOES DISNEY DISCOUNT FOR EX-MILITARY?

Q – Don’t know if anyone ever just says “thank you” for this site, but we feel like we ought to. I am ex-military and my son is currently based at Ft. Hood. One of my neighbors told us that Walt Disney World actually has a resort for the military with sharply reduced rates. Any…

EXPLORING AMAZON RAINFOREST WITHOUT POISON DARTS

Q – We are going to be turning the corner on seventy and we are starting to think we ought to move on some of our bucket list exotics. We’re really anxious to get into the Peruvian Amazon to see as much as possible off a safe, comfortable expedition boat. Any company we should be…

A POSTCARD FROM SLOW TO CHANGE MYANMAR

I visited Myanmar last November and it became one of my two top trips of my travels.  As a child at school in Robin Hood country, the British Empire and Ex British Empire were taught in history and geography lessons.  The magical names of Rangoon, Mandalay and the Irrawaddy river sparked a lightbulb so that,…

HIDDEN BELT OR FANNY PACK?

Q – In a few months we’ll be off to Europe for the first time, visiting primarily Italy with some France. As we walk around, we were wondering if we should buy one of those hidden money belts or a fanny pack for our valuables? A – The money belts and fanny packs are not…

OUR 2012 “EXPEDITION OF THE YEAR”

For true travelers seeking something different, we highly recommend Zegrahm Expeditions land-based tour, “The Five Stans: The Hidden Heart of Asia”. This 18-day journey beginning September 7th, 2012, includes time in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan,and Turkmenistan. Participants will follow in the footsteps of Marco Polo gazing at river-studded plateau steppes, snow capped mountains, camel caravans,…

ATHENS IS CHANGING BEFORE OUR EYES

There is just no way to sugarcoat the fact that Athens is not the tourist-friendly city it was as recently as one year ago. The visitor to Athens is not going to be in any danger. The crime rate in Athens, while growing, is still lower than that of many popular European cities and even…

HOW DO WE AVOID BANQUET QUALITY RIVER BOAT FOOD?

Q –  It is our 40th anniversary and first European trip. We are looking at river cruises. Outstanding food is a concern with any cruise or all-inclusive tour. We’d hate to be in Europe for two weeks eating buffet or banquet style food. Any advice would be appreciated. A – Since you used the term…

WILL OUR FELLOW TOUR MEMBERS BELIEVE THE EARTH IS FLAT?

Q – No one has ever asked traveltruth a really important question. My wife and I are off to China on our first ever escorted tour. We are extremely nervous about this trip as we really have no sense of who our fellow guests will be. The tour company is Gate1 and the feedback we…

URGENTLY NEED MEDICAL TEST RESULTS FROM CRUISE

Q – Thank you for FINALLY telling the truth, the whole truth, the cruise truth! I hope you can answer the question I have. My Mother just disembarked from Singaport on a flight to Dallas Texas after a 52 day segment of the Seabourn’s world cruise ( Seabourn Quest). She was taken from the airport…

MY CRUISE WAS LIKE A BAD WEDDING RECEPTION

Q – Dear Traveltruth – Greetings from Australia. I know that Aussies have a reputation for telling the truth in a direct manner. Hence these comments and question. I found your site by accident on the internet. But I sense I will get a truthful response. My dear husband who is now in a wheelchair…

ROMANTIC BEACHES AND A GOOD DINNER

Q – OK here’s the deal. We’re in our mid-thirties, not all that well traveled, but we have a week and want to do a Caribbean island that has a nice variety of beaches. We are willing to spend up to $1200 a night for a great beach and we’d love a restaurant recommendation on…

IS MY TRAVEL AGENT PARANOID ABOUT SOUTH AMERICA?

Q – We are headed off to Brazil in October for a two week custom-planned vacation. Our travel agent is recommending that we take out a new credit card just for this trip because she is concerned that the card could be compromised during our stay. Do you think she is being just a little…

HELP SUPPORT THESE BOOBIES

Q – We were referred to you by a serious world traveler friend. My husband and I are planning a trip to the Galapagos but we’re not sure that the Celebrity Expedition  Cruise is the way to go. There are land trips and other sailing vessels but we feel like the blue foot boobies. Help!…

WHY DON’T YOU WRITE ABOUT ROYAL CARIBBEAN, CARNIVAL, OR NORWEGIAN?

Q – We are going to devote a portion of this weekend reading this site, but so far, we can’t find anything much about the Splendour of the Seas, the Enchantment, the Norway, or the Celebration. We’ve sailed all of them and wonder why these cruise lines, which I believe are the largest, seem to be…

MEXICO’S TOURIST NUMBERS UP IN 2011. HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?

The crime rate in sections of Mexico has caused the US State Department to issue a series of warnings related to travel within Mexico, The body count from the various internal drug wars keeps rising. Yes, in figures just released by the Mexico Tourism Board, travel to the country actually grew by 2% in 2011,…

SEEKING COLLETTE VACATIONS RATINGS

Q – We are members of Marriott’s Vacation Club and we are thinking of going to Italy with them. They use a company called Collette Vacations and we’ve been trying to find ratings of the company. Any advice would be appreciated. A – Collette Vacations is a highly reputable company that is family-owned and has…

SHOULD WE DO EGYPT IN OCTOBER?

Q – We are considering joining our church group for a tour our Minister is leading to Egyot and the Holy Land. As part of the trip, we’ll be spending nine nights in Egypt and we’re a little nervous. We’ve never been to Europe or the Middle East so this is kind of a big…

FORGIVE US – WE’RE NOT ON FACEBOOK – YET

Q – Cool site but we I wish you could tell us where we can find you on Facebook. We’ve tried several searches and we can’t seem to find anything. A – Well first you have to sign in to Facebook. Then put our name, Churchill and Turen Ltd., or our web site name, www.traveltruth.com in…