The rest of Q&A

Q – (6.24.25) – What are the advantages, if any, of booking our hotels through a travel agent? My wife and I will be setting up two driving trips in Croatia and Spain. and we’re looking for the best strategy. We like travel planning and will do most of the work ourselves but wondering what Traveltruth sees as the advantages of using one of the large online agencies or someone in the neighborhood?

A – That is actually a question that could justify a book. Here is the short answer:

You never want to book anything on an 800 number with someone claiming to be a huge online player. The site could be a fraud designed to gather your credit card and other personal information. The mega online legit bookers are always a bad idea because they never beat the rates the hotels charge directly and if you are booked by one of these firms online several hotel executives will admit to assigning their guests the worst rooms. The idea behind that is that online bookers are price searching and are not likely return guests. They likely are looking for the least expensive type of accommodation and it is doubtful they will spend much in the hotel on drinks and meals when compared to loyal past guests or those guests personally referred by a high-producing travel advisor.

Try to find an advisor who is a top-producing member of one of the better travel agency consortiums. They may not be able to get you a better rate than the hotel is offering to direct calls BUT:

01 – They can get you a comp upgrade

02 – They can get you a free breakfast

03 – They can personally introduce you to hotel management so they know you are coming.

You have not indicated your budget so we won’t make any assumptions. Let’s assume that you are really seeking out 3 or, perhaps, 4-star properties that are under 500 Euros per night. In that case, we would suggest that you carefully review the ad-free, professionally written hotel inspection reports and then contact the hotel directly when you are ready to book. But please be careful – a majority, a vast majority, of the online hotel booking sites are not affiliated with the hotel and are, therefore, not worthy of your trust or your credit card information. 

Q – (6.23.25) – You had something wild a few months back regarding never ordering coffee on any flight anywhere in any class of service. Does this still hold, and are there other things one should never order while flying a respectable, commercial aircraft (I fly four times a week on average)? Your site is wonderful except that I now know more than my TA and it can get somewhat embarrassing.

A – In general our advice holds. Coffee and tea are made using water from the aircraft’s bacteria-laden water storage tank. Virtually all airlines handle hot drinks this way as it saves them tens of millions of dollars per year.

We won’t get into alcohol consumption except to say that there is clear evidence that in the thin atmosphere aloft, alcohol has a more immediate and decisive effect. There are a few other “nevers” on our list. Here is the current short list of “nevers” when flying. Abd look carefully – see if you ever spot anyone from the flight crew actually drinking the tainted coffee or tea.

1. Never drink Hot Tea or Coffee 
2. Never drink water poured from a pitcher
3. Never drink anything aboard an aircraft in a glass filled with ice (it is not purified ice – it is also made from tank water)
4. Never drink Bloody Mark Mix on an aircraft (one of the highest sodium levels you can imagine at a level that could affect your well being at 33,000 feet)
5. Never consume food on long flights that can cause serious bloating and after effects such as broccoli or beans. If your seatmate on a flight to Singapore has brought a large bag of tacos aboard it might be wise to change your seat. 

Q – (5.20.25)  A bit of a challenge for your researchers: My wife of forty-two years loves great seafood. We will be on a tour of Australia through Scenic and I am wondering if there is one seafood gourmet dining experience that might provide a memorable experience for her?  I really want to knock her out! I suppose you might say we’re foodies but she has no idea I am planning this. Is there one best option?

A – We think there is but start working on your reservation right away. You want to try for Saint Peter, a new restaurant by, perhaps, the most famous chef in Sydney, Josh Niland. His “Saint Peter at the Grand National Hotel” is seen as an ultra-creative “scale to tail” fish concept. For an incomparable night, try to book a room in the adjoining 14-room luxury 14-room boutique hotel. The rooms continue the theme with fish-fat soap and ceramics made from fish bones.

You will want to order the 10-course Chef’s Table experience. If you can’t get in for dinner know that they are open for lunch. You can’t taste the best of Aussie cuisine at the moment until you’ve dined with dishes overseen by Chef Niland. 

Australians don’t pay all that much attention to stars from a tire manufacturer in France. Instead, they rely on their own system, the Three-Hat ratings. Of course, Saint Peter comes complete with a rare “3 Hat” ranking.

Q – I travel a lot and, if I’m being honest, I don’t spend a lot of time worrying about getting a deal or an upgrade and my secretary is far too shy to ask hotels for special treatment. But my wife and I have some trips upcoming and I wonder if you might reveal the two or three best ways to get an upgrade. I am sure that some of your legion of followers would appreciate your response, even if the hotels might not.

A – There are 11,237 posts online that address this question. Some have bits of truth while others are patently false. Here are the five secrets the real pros who work in the hotel sector rarely discuss:

Rule # 1 – Never book your room through an 800 call center online. Always book directly with the hotel making sure you are not engaging with a ghost site. The lousiest rooms are often set aside for deal seekers who booked online. The hotels figure they will never return.

Rule # 2 – The best rates are going to come from members of the top-level travel agent groups producing many billions of dollars annually for the top hotel chains. The room rate may match what the hotel will offer you directly but you will now be eligible for complimentary perks like free upgrades (really) and full breakfast included. 

Rule # 3 – If you are not booking in advance try to arrive at the property between 4:00 and 6:00 OM. That is when rates are often reduced. 

Rule # 4 – Give the front desk a real reason for upgrading you. It might be your birthday, your anniversary, or perhaps, “I’ve always dreamed of spending the night at your hotel”. 

Rule # 5 – Be extraordinarily nice to the front desk staff. Simple – but it works because “nice” is often not what they encounter as a rule.

One Additional Rule: If all else fails, request a corner room. It will likely be larger with windows on two sides – it will seem like an upgrade and, as it is at the end of the hall, you will not have to worry about loud guests on one side of the room. 

Q – (5.16.25) – There is this bucket list idea that originated with my lovely wife that we need to cruise through the Panama Canal. I am a Construction Engineer by trade and I have read a bit about the construction phase and I am also intrigued. We were directed to your website because you only evaluate and list sailings for the world’s top ten lines. We want to do a Canal cruise in February but all we could find was a ship operated by StarPride Cruises. We have never heard of them and they are not on your list. Meanwhile, I could not find a single alternative. What is going on here? Is your site just wrong?

A – You have actually uncovered a rather remarkable trend among cruisers. Panama Canal cruises were extremely popular at one time, providing ports on either side of the journey in Mexico and the Caribbean. But a regular series of high-end ships doing a “season” of Canal cruising really boils down to one current option – Windstar Cruises and their ship the the Star Pride. It carries fewer than 400 guests and cruises between Costa Rice and Panama. 

Here are some key ports:

• Colon, Panama – The starting point for many itineraries.
• Panama Canal – A full daylight transit through the canal.
• Balboa, Panama – A gateway to Panama City.
• Isla Parida, Panama – A secluded island with pristine beaches.
• Golfo Dulce (Puerto Jimenez), Costa Rica – A biodiverse rainforest region.
• Quepos, Costa Rica – Near Manuel Antonio National Park.
• Puntarenas, Costa Rica – The final stop for some itineraries.

The Windstar Product is not among the Top Ten-ranked cruise lines, but they are in the top fifteen. Their itineraries and food, including outdoor dining, get high marks. The ship itself was formerly owned by Seabourn Cruises where it sailed the world. 

These days, the top-ranked cruise lines (www.cruisetruth.com) only sail through the Canal on repositioning cruises between the US and Europe. These twice-a-year sailings normally take place in April and October to allow for the resumption of summer and winter sailing schedules. 

The major cruise lines believe that demand for Canal cruises has dropped substantially during the past decade. Executives believe that this is more a comment on the ports surrounding this itinerary than it is about the Canal itself. 

We would recommend the Windstar cruise or – you could just wait until the Panama Canal becomes “The American Canal” and see what new itineraries emerge from the change.

Q – (4.27.25) – This September, we are headed on our first river cruise on Viking. I think we may be less traveled than some of your readers and we are getting extremely concerned about the anti-American feelings we hear mentioned on the news. There are obviously a lot of European who can’t stand Trump because of his abandoning NATO, tariffs, lack of support for Ukraine etc. But how will all of that affect US travelers? If we are going to be placed in a position as Americans of defending our country, I think we are comfortable delaying our overseas travels until calm prevails. My local travel agent says I am a “worry-wart” and I should just go and have a good time, or words to that effect. How are you counseling your clients on this matter. 

A – This general subject is generating dozens of questions addressed to Traveltruth and we receive about five or six inquiries a week from guests of Churchill & Turen Ltd. over the phone. (800-445-7979)

We can well understand your concerns. We explain to our clients that, yes, there is a significant degree of anti-US Government  reporting and editorial coverage in large segments of the European press. We are seeing things said about our current government that are new and some respected observers feel that, where in the past the American people were not necessarily linked to the actions of any President, that is not the case now. 

We have been collecting a database of anti-American commentary from the world press in preparation for future articles we are working on. One of the things we discovered is that the most vitriolic commentary we could find, referring to our President as a certified “Psychopath” did not appear in any newspaper in Europe – it appeared in the Toronto Star.

But, to date, there seems to be no connection to what is shown overseas on TV and what appears in their newspapers and any overt anti-American actions taken toward tourists. Most of the world, a vast majority, feel that Americans are some of the nicest tourists on the planet and we are among the highest spenders. 

Some travelers with imminent plans to travel abroad, are stating concerns about confrontation, tough questions, and political arguments. We think these concerns are overblown and there are few facts to support the contention that this will happen.

It might be wise to sort of turn the tables. Instead of you heading for the Danube, let’s suppose that you meet some tourists from Budapest sitting at the next table in your favorite restaurant back home. Are you going to start questioning them about Orban’s leadership and arguing politics over dinner?

You won’t do that because it is impolite and not really part of our culture and the manner in which we interact when we meet citizens of other countries. The same can be said of Europeans. They are generally far too polite to confront visitors for their political beliefs. 

Sadly, you would be far more likely to possibly encounter a political argument on a cruise or tour filled with Americans of various educational backgrounds.

Go and enjoy. Turtles just don’t have much fun. 

Q – My wife  travel overseas two or three times a year since my retirement. We have not had a major lost luggage issue but our next-door neighbor has had two such experiences. My teenage son says I should get the Air Tags. Wondering if that is a good idea?

A – We highly recommend that all international travelers use Apple’s Air Tags in/on their checked luggage when traveling overseas and domestically as well if there are connecting flights. 

No one has developed a better system than Apple for monitoring where your luggage is at any stage of your journey. The capabilities of Air Tags are increasing and there are now several airlines that work in tandem with the system. At a cost of $75-$100 for a set of three, we think this is a reasonable investment. 

The biggest mistake made by Air Tag users is allowing the batteries to run low. They do need to be fully charged prior to your departure.

We do not accept compensation for any products ever recommended on any of our consumer sites. We like to recommend Apple products because we like to support “the little guy”.

By the way – you can now have your Air Tags engraved with your name and contact information. We think this is an unnecessary expense as your normal luggage tags will suffice. Do be certain that your luggage tags on your outbound flights  show the name and location as well of the dates of your first  hotel. 

Q – You have not responded to many questions about renting a rental car for vacation or even business use. I realize that this site is more centered on vacation planning. But  I read some of the online stuff and everyone talks about Expedia or Kayak for rental cars. There are, apparently, a great many car rental websites that allow you to compare rates etc. Is this the way to go – simply pull up one of the mega-sites and book what looks like a good deal? Here in Philly, there are many of us who support your efforts. By the way, what are the two or three top-rated rental car companies?

A – Let’s be honest – if you really supported our efforts you might send us some Philly steaks from  Pat’s or Geno’s.

Our advice: Always check some prices, types of vehicles available, and special promotions online. But anyone who books a travel product online is asking for problems. It is, virtually always, a sucker move. Get whatever information you want online and then book directly with the rental company. You never want to be dealing with a third party site that could be located anywhere on earth. What is there are issues with your rental or if you need to change your plans? Going through a third party on a car rental is just never a good idea.

The same is true, by the way, in the case of hotel reservations. Remember that online sites demand you personal address, credit card information and they already have your computer information recorded. Remember that ghost travel sites number in the tens of thousands online. Booking online is, in the vast majority of cases, a sucker move.

Know that off-property airport locations have lower rates generally than in-airport locations. Try to secure AARP or AAA Memberships as most of the major rental car companies offer discounts for members.

The top-ranked car rental companies are:

1. National
2. Enterprise
3. Alamo

But the quality of service can vary greatly by location. Not every rental car location is a Pat’s or Gino”s!

Q – As a telecom exec for the past 11 years, I find myself on the road about 60% of the time. My secretary books nice hotels and I just follow her directions. I find that hotel rates seem to vary from city to city among similar level accommodations. Is there any data you can find that shows which specific cities in the United States are currently able to charge the highest average hotel rates. This might be interesting to others who use your sites and might help me in terms of future business planning. 

A –  There are several ways to look at your question but the latest real-time data comes from a major study issued by the Travel Resources division of Bookings.com, one of the largest online hotel booking sites. The new data is rather surprising but when you look at demand and availability of 4-5 star properties, it sort of makes sense. These are the cities with he current highest hotel costs. The report includes the average per night cost of hotels in all major categories:

# 1 – Detroit – $278.88 Per Night  (78% higher than average cost of US hotel room)

# 2 – Washington, D.C. – $261.04 Per Night

# 3 – Long Beach, Ca. – $$261.04 Per Night

# 4 – Arlington, Va. – $235.56

# 5 – New York City – $231.90

We should also mention that if your secretary is booking your hotels by contacting them on your behalf, that is considered a “direct” booking. But unless you have demanded a refund, you have been paying the built-in travel agency commission of 8-10%. That amount should have been refunded to your credit card at check-out. Hotels will try to charge you the agency commission ever when you have not used an agency. You are entitled to a refund of that expense. In America, it is still unethical to charge individuals for services that were never provided. If you ask a hotel about this they will simply explain that we are “crazy”. But we have our sanity tested every day and we think that this is such a major consumer rip-off that it needs to be discussed.

Q – Like a fair number of your followers, my wife and I are each anticipating retirement in about a year if Elon does not get to us before then! We are talking to agents here in Dallas but we are getting conflicting answers. We are not that well traveled, we will be in our mid-sixties in excellent shape, and we are, I suppose more adventurous than most. Cost is not really a factor.  And here’s our dilemma and where we are getting confusing information:

We understand all of the advantages of cruising but there is no way we would ever board anything that carried more than a few hundred guests. We would want to travel to some really fascinating places – not London or Paris – and we would want to do some hiking, perhaps biking off the boat. We’d love to travel with a brand that stood for excellent service with fellow guests with enough energy to want to truly explore some exotic destinations.

That all said, is there one cruise product that your team feels comes closest to potentially meeting and exceeding our expectations? Please just give me your first choice – we’re not interested in second or third. The agents I have talked to keep throwing Silversea and Viking at me. Thanks and very much enjoy the hardcore info on your site. 

A – When it comes to the sailing experience we are convinced that “size” is the critical component. You should look first at Aqua Expeditions. They are, we believe, the best in the small ship expedition field. Their vessels never carry more than 350 guests and some of their smaller ships carry far less. They are best known for operating exploration journeys of quality in Peru on the Amazon, the Mekong (Cambodia and Vietnam) along with coastal yacht voyages to Komodo National Park and the Spice Islands. 

Aqua’s newest yacht, the Aqua Mare, is based in the Galapagos Islands and carries up to 16 guests.

Your stipulation that your “ship” carry fewer than 100 guests is self-limiting. We would suggest you use a new number – 600. That will get you more options, more activities, more shore excursions, and more dining choices. If you are amenable to that, we would suggest you throw Ritz Carlton Yachts into the mix. We would not rule out Silversea which will shortly be designated The World’s Top-Rated TrueLux line. 

Please let us know how this all turns out and give all of the Dallas agents our warmest regards.