The rest of Q&A

Q – (11.28.24)  – We are thinking about joining friends who have booked a small ship, I guess you would call it a riverboat line, called Aqua Expeditions sailing the Amazon next year. I looked over the consumer riverboat site, www.riverboatratings.com and could not find Aqua listed among the top five lines. Wondering why?

A – Your friends have made an excellent selection – choosing the very top-rated riverboat experience along the Amazon. Aqua Expeditions is a well-run, high-end, small collection of vessels that ply waterways in South America and in parts of Asia like the Mekong River. They are not ranked, although they are mentioned, on Riverboatratings.com because the site is dedicated to riverboats that ply the rivers in Europe, where Aqua does not operate. From food to personalized service and quality of shore excursions, you will be in the best possible hands with Aqua. Kudos to your friend’s travel advisor. 

One bit of advice – the Amazon River basin is one of the most disease-ridden areas of the world for tourists. You should definitely use the services of a tropical medicine clinic as well as your personal physician to make certain that your shots are all up-to-date as required and recommended. This is not a reason not to go – just a warning that advance preparation and the information provided by a trusted advisor are critically important. 

Currently, there is no small, exclusive Riverboat firm operating where Aqua Expeditions sails that offers a superior product.

Q – (9.21.24) – We are sailing Regent Seven Seas next summer and just received our  Business Class Air Schedule. Although there are several non-stop options to Phoenix from London they are asking us to fly to LA and then connect back to Phoenix on the return. With several non-stop alternatives, I don’t see why they would inconvenience their guests with this kind of schedule. How can we get them to change it? Why in the world would they pick a schedule that is so clearly inconvenient for their guests?

A – You are booked on the, now discontinued, “Free Business Air” Program operated by Regent for many years. This process in fairly complex as tickets are purchased and flights assigned through a separate office at the airlines contracted for specific gateway cities. In fact, it is the airline that ultimately chooses the flights based on the pricing parameters set up contractually. In your case, the airline fares for the non-stops are significantly higher than the agreed  fare arrangements with Regent. They will book you on the non-stop return but the airline is requiring a $2200 per person upcharge to reflect what the real cost of the non-stop would be versus the net contract rate. 

You have not been assigned the non-stop on the return because the airline is charging the cruise line significantly more than their agree-to budgetary costs for the air service.

The fact is that the major airlines operating routes to Europe no longer feel that they need to dilute their revenue by providing contracted fares to cruise lines and tour operators. We are starting to see major lines eliminate or drastically change their previous air programs based on favorable rates unavailable to the general public. 

Regent has been affected by this is a major way as previously discussed on this site. Effective September 1, 2024, they eliminated the Free Business Air Option. Now, guests are given a specific quote for air based on the class of service, their gateway, and the specific flight option. The “Ultimate” Regent option includes the air, transfers on arrival and departure, as well as a $500 Limousine company credit to be used for transportation to/from the airport or some time during the cruise in port. 

We are now advising, that in the case of Regent, guests carefully consider choosing and booking the air independently. 

It is important to point out that Regent’s competitors on the TrueLux List  of the world’s best cruise lines are not currently offering an inclusive Free Business Air Program. There are carefully orchestrated efforts by major luxury lines to get out of the air business whenever possible given the disappearance of once-common “contract rate” agreements. 

Cruise lines were once able to offer attractive “free air” rates on international itineraries. The airlines have now moved away from these arrangements as they feel they can fill their seats at higher rates than cruise lines are willing to pay.

Q – We have been following your ratings and rankings of the top, the very top, worldwide cruise lines and we are excited to be trying Silversea in 2026 on a wonderful itinerary. You rank them as second best in the World – high praise.  But on one of threads I follow I see that Silversea is now charging for dinners – something that doesn’t compute with its high per diems. I can afford whatever they charge but I would really like to know what my additional dining costs will be on the Dawn from Split to Lisbon? By the way, your telephone number is tough to find and I recently discovered you are unlisted. Who the hell is your Marketing Manager?

A – We now have cruise lines that are engaged in partnerships with top-line Michelin chefs and some of the options on the very top lines in our rankings are now charging for dining that really goes beyond the normal gourmet experience. Some of the “extra charge” dining experiences come with or offer extraordinary wine flights for those so-inclined. What we look for in our rankings is just how necessary is it for guests on a five star line to avoid paying anything extra to dine while still enjoying a “better than the restaurants at home”.

Here is a point often missed by cruisers: Your best restaurant at home normally gets deliveries on Monday/Tuesday and/or Thursday/Friday. Weekend food is rarely fresh. But on most itineraries, the Chef and staff make runs into local markets and pick out groceries and proteins that are fresh and meet their high standards. So you are often dining on better overall ingredients, like fish less than 24 hour sold, when you dine aboard one of the five-star’s on our list. 

On your cruise, there are five restaurants that carry no additional charge. They are: Atlantide – La Terrazza – Silver Note – The Grill – Spaccanapoli

There are the extra charge dining options and the current pricing:

• Salt Kitchen – Stands for “Sea and Land Taste”. This is a “culinary voyage into local cuisine and culture. It is normally $230 Per Guest. It is worth trying once but we find that our “Foodies” like to dine in this venue more than once during a voyage.
• La Dame – Truly French with some great DNA, $160 Per Person at the moment.
• Kaseki – A serious Japanese venue at $80 per person. Some of the discussion revolves around the fact that Crystal does not charge for its sushi bar. 

So – is there kickback about these extra charges? Really very little. Food costs are hard to predict almost two years ahead of a sailing and extra charge dining options seem to be ingrained in portions of the lux cruise experience.

Our telephone numbers have been generally unlisted for forty years. Our Marketing Manager, one A.V. Churchill, has never felt that we should be accessible. A.V. is very British and will not book anyone on any travel unless it is to Great Britain or its (Empire) and reachable by British Airways. But always feel free to reach out to us at 630-717-7777. We’ll make sure that A.V. doesn’t answer the phone. After 40 years, he still does not know quite how to work the phones. 

Q – We have a long flight coming up on Japan Airlines but first we have to connect from Las Vegas then on to Dallas for our flight.  We are fairly well traveled but this is a long flight on an Airbus 350 and I am not prone to fall asleep while flying. Any advice for us specific to how to prepare for a good night’s sleep? Any information about how comfortable we will be in Business versus First Class? Can’t tell you how much we value this site and its honesty. 

A – Well let’s start out with the good news. You will be flying the recently configured Airbus 350-1000 with one of the most innovation and comfortable Business Class seats that convert to beds in the skies. You will have a privacy wall, excellent food, a large screen, and more technology than you will ever be able to figure out during one flight. And – you will have a comfortable bed with speakers in the pillow section that will help play the sounds of sleep if you wish.

Here are the specific recommendations we discuss with our clients who have sleep concerns on longer flights to Asia, Africa, and portions of Pakistan:

• Start by considering Melatonin and a strategy to wear compression-socks. 
• For two days before your flight go on the “FJD”, the Flying to Japan diet. That might mean lean meats, fish, nuts, dairy, and some complex carbs. Avoid the hard to digest foods you normally eat.
• Try to get into deep relaxation in the 24 hours prior to your flight. Avoid raising your heartbeat – no strenuous exercise..
• Carefully select an eye mask and comfortable earplugs in advance. Test them out at home. Don’t rely on what the flight attendant hands you.
• Always avoid any hot, water-base beverages offered on an aircraft. They are likely using tank water but they do not advertise that. Notice how rarely, if ever, you have seen a flight attendant make themselves a cup of coffee. The stuff they drink is from Starbuck’s in the terminal.
• Try to book the latest flight out so you are exhausted when you board.
• Consider making a picnic at your seat using healthy choice options you purchased in the terminal. It is OK to pass on what is being served in favor of your own creation. If it keeps you more comfortable it is worth it.

Travel safe and well.

Q – (9.19.24) – We have heard that CLEAR is actually preferred to TSA Pre-Check to save time and effort in airport security lines. I love shortcuts – do you recommend that your clients take out this membership?

A – We are not yet enthusiastic about CLEAR. It costs $189 Per Year and there is good US Airport coverage. But we are not at all impressed with its coverage overseas. There have also been delays based on the need for each passenger to input information into machines that can be moody.

Bottom Line: If you regularly fly out of a home airport with CLEAR by all means sign up – but don’t rely on it as an international strategy for scooting through airports ahead of the masses. 

Q – Although our planned trip to Paris and Bordeaux with our grown kids and their three children is still eight months away, we are wondering if there are a few cultural rules we ought to start drumming into everyone now? In other words, what does it take to be a successful “tourist” in the eyes of the French? This is a 70th Birthday Celebration and we want everyone to fully enjoy the experience – but aside from us, no one in the family has been abroad. 

A – There are several things worth knowing about French cultural norms that will be helpful. Here are our personal French “House Rules”:

• Never speak loudly in a restaurant or cafe. If other tables can hear you – tone it down a few octaves,. The French don’t mind being seen but they dislike being heard. 
• Never ask for food to go or for leftovers to be placed in a doggie bag.
• Everything that touches your lips should be eaten slowly – always carefully and thoughtfully savored. Americans, the French feel, do not know how to slowly enjoy anything from coffee to snails – to life itself.
• Never ask a French person what they do for a living. The French are proud of their life-work balance and they do not enjoy discussing work after hours. 
• Never enter or leave any French establishment without a proper Bonjour or Monsieur/Madame acknowledgement. And always make sure you utter hello or goodbye in French before the staff. 

Q – (9.7.24)  This one may be a wild goose chase but a fellow golfer was bragging that he was planning to visit a country that really “does not exist”. But he claims he can still go there and intends to add that nation notch to his rather wide belt. Does this ring a bell of any kind? He seemed sure it is in Europe but I can’t imagine a nation in that part of the world that “does not really exist” in the eyes of the world.

A – It’s real and its name is Transnistria, a smallish slice of Moldavia that declared its independence. Unfortunately, no other countries recognize it even though it has strictly patrolled border crossings, along with its own anthem, flag, and “military”. Transnistria is a sad by-product of the Soviet Union’s collapse.

Intrepid Travel, a reliable operator, once offered  a 13-day day tour of Moldova, Ukraine, and Romania that included two nights in Transnistria. It would, we think, almost be worth a trip to bring home a few pieces of the local currency that is made of plastic and looks like slot machine tokens.

The best thing about this miniest of miniest Soviet wanna-be states is the Aquatir Sturgeon Complex which produces some world-class caviar. 

Your local guide, if you can possibly find one, will likely drop you off at the train station. It is overgrown with weeds and has no trains – but at least it is in a central location.

They sort of want tourists but you can never be certain if the serious-looking border guards in their fur Russian hats will have received the message, To date, the tourist board in Transnistria has not offered Churchill & Turen a consulting position designed to increase the tourist numbers.

Q –  I heard it but I won’t believe it until I hear it from you. There is now an airline that caters exclusively to dogs? Is there a “just cats” airline as well? 

A – There have been several budget airlines that cater to “mutts” but, yes, BARK Air is now flying. Nothing for cats quite yet. No one is sure that cats would remain in their seats or pay any attention at all to to the  safety drill.

On its first flight earlier this year, Bark flew from Westchester County, New York to, need you guess, Los Angeles. It was and is a curated luxury experience. On the Inaugural the plane was carrying six dogs and eleven proud owners. The dogs receive calming music, scents, and colors along with belly rubs from the on-board concierge. (a service we recently discovered is not offered to passengers in Business Class on American Airlines) The cuisine included dog-friendly cupcakes as well as chicken-flavored puppycinos, something Starbuck’s marketing department has overlooked. The transcontinental flight was $6,000 per dog and owner. The scheduled JFK to London service is currently priced at $8,000 a ticket and BARK reports that most flights are sold out. This is a very real, new business venture off to a good start.

Q – (9.4.24) – Our trip for ten days will take in some fine dining in Brussels and some boating through the center of Bruge in Belgium. But I read that there is this new kind of Passport called ETIAS that is now required for  all Europe-bound Americans. Can you let us know the latest on these requirements?

A – This is not a big deal – it is a little deal designed to enable European nations to use the internet to bring in some additional revenue for each arriving tourist. It was initially supposed to kick in in 2024 but some disagreements within the European Union postponed its introduction. It appears it will be ready to roll out in 2025 but nothing is certain as of today. This is what we know at this stage:

Americans will need to apply for a form of travel authorization before being permitted to enter 30 European nations. The authorization can be obtained online and should just take a few minutes. This of this as a toy passport. The cost will likely be 7 Euros but as a special offer for Traveltruth visitors, every European country has reached out to us and agreed to waive the fee for those under 18 and over 70 years of age.  In some cases, the application can take up to four days but that will not be typical. If you want to get the latest details go to travel-europe.europa.eu/etias

Here is the current list of countries that will require ETIAS Registration:

Q –  Good to see that you are keeping up this site. There is really nothing else like it. After some downtime, we are ready to travel with you again. This time, we are thinking about a 32-day itinerary on Viking, recommended by friends, that does a full circumnavigation of Australia.

Love to know what you think of the line and this particular cruise. As you know, we prefer to be away for two or three weeks at a time.

A – Great to hear from you. We can discuss in-depth on the phone, but here are some thoughts we would like to share:

01 – This is a rare and in-depth itinerary. It is designed to attract some guests from the South Pacific and Europe.

02—Viking is not a Five-star line. Given your cruising history on several of the better all-inclusive lines, I have concerns you might be disappointed in several aspects of the experience. You will note they never use the word “luxury” in their advertising. Viking is not trying to be five-star, and we think that is really an important part of their success.

03 – As a rule, we feel that trying to see this part of the world by ship is a mistake. If, for instance, you did one of the better land tours with Tauck or Abercrombie & Kent, you would have 4-6 required international flights, just to get to some of the major sites you would miss on a cruise ship that never stops inland.

04 – This cruise has ten days at sea and Viking is not the best when it comes to sea day stimulations. You are essentially wasting one-third of your time seeing nothing.

05 – When the election is over and all votes are tabulated, New Zealand is most often preferred to Australia as the most memorable of the two destinations. If you have already spent time in New Zealand, then Australia in-depth makes sense, particularly if the relaxation of many days at sea is attractive. But if you have never been to New Zealand we think it is a major mistake to miss it.

06—Given that Viking is competitively priced and ultra-modern, this Viking in-depth sailing makes sense if you are willing to spend the days at sea while skipping New Zealand. If you are up to lux touring, I would strongly recommend the Tauck 21-Day Australia/New Zealand Program. It is unique in that it gives you 50% of your time in NZ. A&K also does a similar itinerary that is excellent, and they do not take more than 24 guests.

07 – Melbourne is actually preferred by many to Sydney.

Upscale clients seem to love an itinerary we created using some of the best lodges in New Zealand. It can be a separate vacation or an add-on to a cruise or tour. New Zealand is one of the safest, friendliest nations on earth. It is well worth a vacation on its own without a single hour in Australia.