• FLIGHT CANCELLATIONS, AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER SHORTAGES, HUGE FARE RAISES ON INTERNATIONAL ROUTES, AND CROWDED AIRPORTS IN EUROPE RTEQUIRING NEW FORMS OF ID: AS WE PREPARE TO MAKE OUR AIR ARRANGEMENTS FOR TWO WEEKS IN BRUGES, ANTWERP, AND AMSTERDAM, SOME AIR ADVICE WOULD BE REALLY HELPFUL. ALL I SEE ONLINE IS ‘BOOK EARLY”

  Q – My girlfriend and I keep received airline warnings and airport updates that make us wonder if we should contemplate traveling to Europe at all this fall. Our friends who will be traveling to Spain (we are headed to Belgium and the Netherlands) keep telling us we should book with one of the larger online agencies like Expedia. We want to do this right – and price isn’t everything. As a Traveltruth fan, I am sure there are many folks like us who would really appreciate a concise list of recommendations and strategies for flying this Fall. I take it you don’t mess with airfare but wondering if you might share some thoughts about the current projections of massive international travel issues. Thanking you in advance.

  A – Thank you for this question(s) – we have received many like it. We are currently working on an article to be published soon that ranks the media levels of exaggeration when issues like shortages of air traffic controllers, shortages of pilots, airport crowds and chaos due to insufficient staffing, along with new European biometric requirements, and the cancellation of major international routes. Finally let’s add significant price increases across the board throughout the summer and fall.

  You need to heavily discount all but one of these anxiety-producing concerns. The one concern that is based in reality has to do witht he new system adopted in much of Europe that now requires biometric identification and registration. This can easily add two or three hours to your arrival or departure customs procedures. That is the one that is real and not media exaggerated.

  The online agencies are sort of neat places to do online research but you would be a silly traveler to actually book anything with an online agency. In some cases their tickets can’t be transferred, in many cases their service levels are awful, and in far too many cases you would be giving your credit card number to an unknown entity pretending to be an online booking engine. Plus – they don’t know you nor do they really care to. They have no connections to utilize when things break down. When it comes to travel, always avoid fraud and avoid anonymous 1-800 Booking entities no matter how many positive online reviews they have purchased over the years.

  Here are the strategies you have requested. We sincerely hope this information saves you some stress with your air arrangements:

  Our Recommended Strategies to Book the Lowest-Priced Business-Class Tickets This Fall and The Summer of 2027

  

  # 1 – Try to be flexible with dates and airports – balance number of trip pre-nights with current fare pricing.

  # 2 – Remain flexible on dates and airports. Try to fly on Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday to avoid weekend peak fares

  # 3 – Use competitive major airport hubs like LON/CDG/AMS/FRA

  # 4 – Engage a fare watch service such as price monitoring and look for airline sales 8-12 weeks prior to Fall Travel this year and 6-11 months prior to peak summer travel next year.

  # 5 – Remember: Seats generally become available at 3:00 am. on the date exactly 11 months from the date of your return flight.

  # 6 – If you are not adept at Fare Search tactics and matrix-style multi-search tools, engage a professional booking and monitoring service such as Cranky Concierge to handle your arrangements.

  # 7 – At times, two one-way fares can be less expensive than a round-trip fare.

  # 8 – Explore booking Premium-Economy on an upgradeable ticket and use miles for the upgrade to Business.

  # 9 –  Explore the use of accumulated miles, points, and partner awards. Transferable points from American Express, Chase, and Capital One to a specific airline or air alliance can sometimes provide outsized value for your awards.

  10 – Fully explore partner award availability, such as United Star Alliance points on ANA, Avianca, Turkish, and Air Canada. Note that award seats usually become available 11 months or 360 days prior to your flights.

  11 – Use credit card portals to explore discounted Business Class Offers.

  12 – Consider long-haul on one carrier with a short connection with a low-cost or partner carrier

  13 – Book refundable/changeable fares that allow you to rebook shortly after you buy if a sale appears.

  14 – Always try to avoid third-party 1-800 airline sites. Use a trusted credit card for all air purchases. (Note that Elite American Express cards provide stronger consumer support than Mastercard or Visa)

  15 – Given the uncertainty in pricing resulting from events in the Middle East, we strongly advise our guests to engage an air ticketing firm that provides the best available pricing and Concierge-level flight monitoring. Only use those companies that enjoy the highest consumer ratings in the field. Both Travel + Leisure and Condé Nast Traveler rate Cranky Concierge # 1. (Note: Churchill & Turen Ltd. is not affiliated with Cranky Concierge, and they are not Preferred Suppliers in our Virtuoso Group)

   
• JUST HOW MUCH CAN WE EXPECT IN TERMS OF PRIVATE ROOM SERVICE DINING ON A LINE LIKE SILVERSEA, SCENIC, OR CRYSTAL?

  Q – We have never sailed with any one of the cruise line son the 2026 List of The World’s Top Ten Cruise Lines. We have sailed with so-called “Premium” Lines four times. I travel frequently for work and never feel I spend enough time with my wife. We want to book several of, what you call, “TrueLux” lines but we have one specific question. Our ideal day on a cruise in someplace like Malaga or Positano, spending a full day ashore and then retiring to our Suite for an evening oif private dining on the terrace.

  I would love to know if this is realistic on these lines or would we have to settle for inferior offerings from a rather standard room service menu – which is my understanding. Really appreciate your approach and lack of advertising.

  A – There is no reason to order from the standard room service menu if you are sailing on one of the very top-ranked TrueLux lines. You can inform your butler, or suite attendant with advance notice, that you would like to receive a copy of the evening menu in the main dining room. You should then be able to enjoy a leisurely, course-by-course dining experience in the privacy of your suite. That is five-star service but it is not widely advertised as this really requires some extra effort on the part of the staff. There is never going to be an upcharge for this service but, sadly, many upscale cruisers are unaware that this service is available.  You can also custom-design your dining. Order all appetizers one night or several different desserts to cap off a meal. If you can’t decide between the lobster or the grilled Wagu steak – order both. No one will blink. We do suggest that you have tuck-down service for your suite before dinner so you won’t be interrupted or rushed. If the weather is right and the sea gods are calm, dining along on your private terrace with your butler in charge is, we agree, a nearly perfect end to a long day. By the way, do inquire if you can order dinner on your terrace from any of the specialty restaurants aboard your ship. Don’t assume you must order from the larger, main restaurant menu. Nice to know at least one of our readers is a “cruise romantic”.   
• HOW HARD WILL THE WALKING BE ON OUR ABERCROMBIE & KENT SEPTEMBER SIGNATURE TOUR?

  Q – As you are aware, we will be joining you, along with 34 other Churchill & Turen clients on the Ponant Yacht chartered by A&K around the southern coast of Italy this coming September. The entire program will begin in Florence and end in Venice. 

  In reviewing the just-released list of shore excursions for our sailing, we noticed that many of them seem to be rated carrying the designation “elevated” with the notation that “Walking longer distances while traversing uneven terrain and/or stairs; suitable for active guests”. 

  This surprised us as we are in our early seventies and we were not fully expecting A&K to be offering such “elevated” offerings to typical retirees who wish to see the world in style but who have, lost a bit of “pep in the step”. Wondering how what A&K’s reasoning is since you rate them so highly? We know it will all be OK but will we be embarrassed when we start looking for the nearest bench? This will be our fifth guided tour/cruise to Europe and we are truly excited. But we are just wondering why A&K would advertise they are offering an “elevated” physical requirement?  Looking forward to seeing you and Angela soon. 

  A – This is an interesting question and it has been discussed at length with A&K. The fact is that Italian cities are ancient, often hilly, and the streets have been, for centuries, paved with cobblestones. Any tour operator must provide what the average traveler will want and in the case of a deluxe operator like A&K the assumption is that no one really expects to see the museums, to visit the outdoor markets, to tour ancient buildings, and to maximize their time in each location on a tour designated as “easy”. There are some tour operators that specialize in tours for those lacking full mobility, but for most, the planning is done to provide maximum exposure to the destination – and that includes walking, sometimes climbing stairs, and often entering neighborhoods where buses are not permitted. 

  A&K like most tour operators does and is providing tour experiences on our program graded at “intermediate” level. But you are correct – when it comes to fully experiencing and immersing oneself in a destination, guests do need to be out walking the destination, walking the unsmooth streets, and exploring the ancient sites. 

  

  A&K has responded to your question by stating that “we tend to veer away from the typical “cruise” excursions, i.e. just sitting on a bus all day – as that is not “our guests expectation.

  That said, what do we recommend: First, you can be sure that one of us will remain with you if you are unable to proceed with the included sightseeing. We will come up with solutions. We may, in some ports where “intermediate” tours are not available, suggest that we inquire about hiring a private guide/driver to allow you to see portions of our journey at your own pace. We can arrange for private touring at your own pace in advance and will be happy to do so. You can speak with the Tour Desk soon after boarding to set up private touring (at an additional cost of course) in any of the ports. Or, to save a bit of money, we can forward a special report that will list the better online shore excursion booking agencies so you can pick the pace of your tour far in advance and have it quickly confirmed online.

  If you do join our tours that are causing a bit of anxiety, please know we will be present to make certain that the guide slows it down and allows for a break when the group is feeling it necessary. This is meant to be a life-changing journey with friends – not a marathon through the streets of Tuscany and points south.

• IS IT TRUE THAT THERE ARE NOW VISA REQUIREMENTS FOR ENTERING FRANCE?

  Q – We have friends who left for Paris for a week of rambling around and investigating croissants “fillings” in the better neighborhoods. They know we are leaving for Paris ourselves next month on a Scenic Seine River Cruise and they warned us that there is a new Visa system in place that can take a long time. We had heard that the Visa’s they are talking about for entry into the EU have been delayed so all we have are our passports. Please let is know the real story.

  A – The “European Entry/Exit System” is currently being implemented at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. However, we are receiving mixed feedback depending on the terminal and the time of day. Some passengers pass through quickly, while others experience longer waiting times, especially during peak hours. Travelers who need to register biometric data, such as fingerprints and photographs, should allow extra time for passport control. Waiting times of around one hour or more have been reported during busy periods.   We  recommend that travelers factor this information into their pickup time when departing. This is not a “New” visa that is required – it is, instead, a new way to gather more detailed information from travelers arriving in France. You don’t have to bring anything other than your Passport and another photo ID. Be prepared to fingerprints etc. It is not required of all arrivals but it soon may be required as soon as CDG is fully staffed. 

   
• IS THERE ANY WAY TO BUY PARISIAN SKIN CARE PRODUCTS/PERFUMES ETC. AT A DISCOUNT ANYWHERE IN THE CITY?

  Q – We visit Paris as often as we can. This time, however, our journey has a new purpose – we want to try to find a store where we can find quality French beauty products, health supplements, and the kind of typical drugstore products you might find at a CVS in the States, There is no reason other than the fact that my wife loves the true local French brands and we love to gift friends with French beauty products. The question is where do we go? Are there any names you can share where we won’t be paying list price like most tourists in the city? By the way, unusual site and love the fact that you don’t have ads.

  A – If only all questions were this straightforward:

  You want to head to CityPharma (there are several locations) or Pharmacie Monge Notre Dame at Place Monge in the 5th arrondissement. We think you will be pleased with the pricing and selection at either drug emporium. But CityPharma will have a larger selection.

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HERE ARE JUST A FEW FACTS ABOUT CHURCHILL AND TUREN LTD. THAT MIGHT BE OF INTEREST

No one on our staff is a “salesperson”. We have earned our worldwide reputation by always trying to be “Travel Truthtellers”. We don’t churn out trips to Vegas or airline tickets. Instead, we devote 100% of our energies to the planning of the vacations in the lives of our guests that truly matter.

Our on-site offices in 91 countries enable us to provide the very best locally organized travel arrangements for some of our country’s most passionate travelers. Everything we do, from escorted tours to cruises, from safaris, to riverboats, is done on a truly personalized basis.

• We’ve been named one of the nation’s Top Ten “Bespoke” Travel firms by Travel + Leisure
• Celebrating our 36th year. We have Operations offices in Illinois and Texas. Angela and Richard Turen are based at our Corporate Headquarters in Naples, Florida.
• We do not employ travel agents or any outside sales agents. We do not believe that travel should ever be “sold”. Our gimmick is exposing the truth about every top-tier travel product we represent. For instance, we rate the world’s top ten cruise lines, publish those rankings, and those are the only cruise lines we will represent.
• No one on our staff “sells” Our Concierge Team is fully salaried and we do not hire Travel Agents or Outside sales people. This allows us to draw from a deep pool of talent. When you work with us you work with a “Team” dedicated to the success of every aspect of your overseas vacation. No one on your team is commission-based.
• Our Managing Director was Vice President of one of the world’s largest and best-known cruise lines.
• Our President was instrumental in planning the travel for the television series “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous”.
• Our media group consists of six web sites, three of which are the largest consumer, ad-free sites in the nation in their special area. One of them deals exclusively with Riverboats. One with cruises and one is totally devoted to non-cruise Q&A. Our consumer sites have no ads, no booking mechanism, and no silly, unfounded comments.
• Conde Nast has named us both the World’s Best Luxury Cruise and Riverboat Specialists for the past decade. We are the only firm to share this honor. We have won more “World’s Best Travel Specialist Awards” from the Editors of Conde Nast Traveler than any other travel firm in the United States.
• One of our owners is currently the Senior Contributing Editor at the nation’s most respected travel industry publication.
• Prior to Covid, we had the distinct honor of being named the “Top Revenue Producing Consultants” in the $23 Billion worldwide Virtuoso Network. We have earned this recognition for four of the past five years
• We operate the Elite Traveler Concierge Club whose members receive benefits, our monthly Travel Intel Report, and the waiving of all travel planning fees.
  
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