The rest of Q&A

Q —  We are in our early and mid-seventies, in great health, and we love adventure. We don’t mind camping out to see great sites but we do have some qualms about safety as we consider a trip to Colombia, every time we decide to camp over there we find ourselves in the need to find the best camping knife on the market. We’ve been big fans of Narcos on Netflix and it does not paint the most beautiful picture of the local crime scene. Any thoughts would be very much appreciated. Our entire community in Scottsdale now follows your Q&A. 

A – The deal is that the FARC rebels made a peace agreement with the present Colombian government in 2016. That opened up major portions of the country including the west coast, which appears in Narcos. It is a land of lovely beaches and underdevelopment. Make certain that you use a really good on-site tour company to handle your arrangements. There are now flights from both Bogata and Medellin to the really quaint towns of Nuqui and Bahia Solano.  You will likely end up staying in eco-lodges. We think this is a safe destination when compared to the average city in the United States. Hard to imagine that when watching Narcos – but true. Do the trip but take out emergency evacuation air insurance with a company like Med-Jet.

Q –  We are in our mid-forties and, being self-employed, I’ve worked things out so I can get away up to four weeks a year on various vacations. Most last a week but sometimes we do a longer trip. I don’t use an agent because all we are booking are flights and hotels and, quite frankly, sometimes we just arrive in our destination and select a place to stay or we use AirBnB to book a small home or apartment. Yes, we’ve one or two hiccups, but for the most p[art, the freedom to just do our own thing, mostly beaches, is worth it.

My question has to do with strategy. Given our profile should we be using a travel agent and how should we focus that search? I would also like to know whether you would trust Kayak or Skyscanner more in terms of finding the lowest fares? 

A – We really see no reason why you should not continue to make your own travel arrangements. We think that a professional agent with expertise might get in your way. Kayak and Skyscanner are really quite different. Kayak is good at showing you routing, who flies it, and what the airlines are charging on their own sides. It is one-stop for fares and schedules. Skyscanner consolidates data from a number of firms that sell discounted tickets. It also checks them out, to a degree, as discounted international air tickets from third parties is frequently not what it appears to be. The best strategy for air is simple. Search everywhere and everything you want to until you have all of your “information”. Then go to the airline’s actual site and book it directly with them. It is foolish to do otherwise as you have little recourse if there is a change or more serious problem down the runway. 

Vacations are supposed to be a wonderful yet relaxing experience to unwind and chill out. A great hotel management company like Prospera Hospitality is, in big part, responsible of such an amazing experience. However, any vacations wouldn’t be complete without experiencing a stay in the right hotel for your needs. That’s when a travel agent comes into play to do all this planning for you.

Q –  We are now taking three to four vacations a year and we’ve been using a local travel agent here in St. Louis. She seems fine but I’ve started noticing that we’re being charged $25 per hotel for every booking she makes. Since I assume she gets a kickback from the hotel, does it seem outrageous to you that we’re being charged these fees which certainly add up? We tend to use middle-of-the-road smaller hotels and we do a great deal of touring on our own. But we book the car and the airlines through her. She charges something or everything she does, When we went to Australia last year, our fees totaled $600. 

A – Based on the information you have provided, it would appear that your agent is seriously undercharging you. If you asked us to plan a truly memorable vacation in Australia, which we have to assume was in the two to three-week range, our Planning Fee would be $500 Per Person. Charging for hotel reservations is now standard industry practice. Agents don’t get “kickbacks” from hotels but you are paying the travel agency commission in the price of your room. The trouble is that hotels are notoriously slow in paying agents these commissions so there is often a great deal of back-and-forth paperwork. Many agencies now charge $50-$100 per hotel booking for their time and work. 

There is some good news. You have a choice. You can always book your hotels directly and get the best Trisara Promotions online. You can and should demand a refund of the travel agent commission because you booked direct. That way you can save the agent’s booking fee as well as the commission.  If you go on one of the online sites be prepared to be treated as a statistic and know that there is a good likelihood that the best-located rooms are not going to be assigned when you arrive.

You can assume that your travel agent is making next to nothing on your airfare unless you happen to be a First Class flyer, which, we suspect, is not the case. There is a general rule you might want to try to understand: If you book your trip yourself, you should theoretically be saving between 12-15% of the total cost in travel agency fees and commissions. That sounds pretty swell until you realize that the only fees you will actually save are the small fees assessed by your agent. You will still be charged the agency commission by the hotels, the auto-rental firms. and airlines. You can kick and scream but they are going to charge you anyway. So even though you will be devoting a great deal of time into reserving your trip with all details confirmed, you will have saved very little in the big picture since the commission that makes up well over 80% of your costs are still going on your credit card. In the United States of America, you are charged for the services of a travel consultant even when you don’t use one. That appears to still be legal. It is the secret no one wants to tell you because it involves huge profits for billion-dollar corporations. They absolutely want you to book with them directly so they can double and triple their profit on your transaction while giving you nothing in return except a short chat with Harry or Harriet Headset who are clueless about you and your vacation. 

Q – This airline business is uniquely frustrating and I am wondering if they make it intentionally tough to cash in miles? I currently have miles and elite status with American, Alaska, and United Airlines. I get e-mails and notifications but it is all very confusing and I tend t just give up and pay whatever they ask me for. Is there some way to make this easier? I do a lot of flying at age 73, but it is now mostly to visit family and friends. Two of my children are studying abroad, one in Milan, Italy and the other in San Paolo, so there is a good bit of traveling. I just hate the idea of leaving miles on the table. This is a well-run site and we have recommended it to our friends. You should advertise a bit. It never hurts. 

A – Well, actually, they do make it complicated so that approximately 20% of all miles are never cashed in. There are a number of strategies but we don;t want to give you a strategy that is too challenging. We can understand why you are traveling overseas frequently – we wouldn’t buy the “study in Italy and Brazil” stories either. You can affiliate with a travel agency that does a lot of business air ticketing. They will have a program where, for a fee, they will keep careful track of your miles. They use computer programs that do this for them, Or, you can do it yourself by using one of the better Apps that manages airline miles. The two best are Awardwallet.com,  and Points.com. Thank you for the advice. This site, as well as our others, is primarily designed to help our own clients navigate the complicated world of travel planning. 

Q – We are off on our second trip to Europe, following London last year. We’ve arranged a Italy tour and we are trying to do some homework. We love Deli food in the US, being New Yorkers I suppose that is not surprising, and we are wondering if the Delis we see listed in Venice and Florence are going to look familiar and have some of the sandwiches we love. We really hate to take the time to eat a sit down lunch – we far prefer take-out Deli food and a stroll in the park.

A – Italy does not do the kind of Deli food you would find in New York  Deli, in the New York sense,  originated in Germany in the mid 1700’s and then spread to the United States where Ashkenazi Jews who had migrated from Germany were served by kosher delicatessens which first opened int he late 1800’s. But the ritual you describe is very Italian and you should seek out shops in Italy bearing titles such as gastronomica, bottega alimentare, and salumeria (a store that features salami). Italian delis are wonderous places and the adventurous traveler will find a wide variety of things to enjoy on a park bench or back in your hotel room. Whether or not you will enjoy sharing your Italian deli products with the pigeons is another story. Better to stick with Katz’s. 

Q – This is only marginally a travel question. My wife is extremely concerned about the environment and the lack of cleanliness in American cities compared to what we have seen in our travels. America really is a garbage dump in a high percentage of our cities with litter and filth everywhere. We’ve about had it and want to move. We would move to the cleanest city in America if we knew what it was but we’re not averse to moving north or south. The data we’ve examined is mostly biased so we’d love to know because you don’t seem to be in bed with any of the tourist boards, what city you might look at for a reconnaissance visit?

A – We will take this as a serious request, although there are a great many small towns in New England, the Midwest, the South, and the Western States that would seem to be cleaner than the city you are describing. But if you want an itinerary – fly north and go to Ottawa, Canada. There are dozens of programs in the Canadian capital designed to keep the city clean and livable. Our favorite is the annual Spring Cleaning Program that starts every April 15th and lasts a month. Last year, more than 60,000 volunteers showed up to clean the city’s roadways, sidewalks, green spaces, and parks – even though many hardly needed it. 

From Ottawa we’d head to Calgary, which is generally acknowledged to be the cleanest city on the planet. Calgary has a well-planned grid system that reduced traffic and pollution. There is a terrific light rail system and any number of transfer stations that sort through every citizen’s garbage removing recyclable and biodegradable materials. Click here if you want to know more about the Dumposaurus Dumpsters & Rolloff rental. Dumpsters are available in different sizes and choosing the right one is important because the bigger dumpster you choose, the more it will cost. If you are doing a house renovating or home expansion project, then you will have to deal with a lot of waste, which will require a dumpster size of 30-40 cubic feet. Choosing the right dumpster size not only determines the cost of these services, but it also determines how effectively you can move the waste from your property. A dumpster is an American term meaning a garbage bin. This garbage bin is mobile and can therefore be moved around. The main function of a dumpster is storing trash for a short period of time before it is emptied into a garbage truck that comes around maybe two times a week depending on your agreement.

These dumpsters are used for dumping many kinds of waste material and also recycling purposes. Apartments, schools, businesses, offices and industrial sites have dumpsters to store waste. Front loading-trucks, which have large prongs are used to empty these dumpsters. They have hydraulics used for lifting the dumpsters and then flip them to empty its contents in the truck’s hopper. It’s not about renting a cheap dumpster. It’s more appropriate to order the proper dumpster size because if you underestimate what ever cubic yards you need. This can be costly on your wallet. This is why our friendly staff is here to assist you with what ever dumpster size you need and we take the time to assist in these factors then well proceed to giving you the best price you can imagine. Another tip to consider that the best and most popular sizes out there is our 20 yard bin. This size can accommodate you threw out your project if your not 100 percent sure. One of the most important part in a home renovation is appointing best painting contractor from https://www.malerstaubo.dk.

To most home owners, disposing of their junk can be a major chore and a fairly unpleasant chore at that. Yet, it is a task which many of us may require to complete in order to keep our homes clutter free, and in times where we need to remove a large amount of junk, this is where a Junk Removal Service can come to our rescue.

Following your call, a junk removal service will dispatch a crew to your home and remove any set aside items which you no longer want or need. In addition, they may also provide a dumpster when required, for you to load your unwanted junk into, and then take this away at a later date. This is one way in which a service may operate following your needs. An alternative is for the junk removal service to leave a dumpster in your driveway for an agreed period of time, during which you can fill with your unwanted goods. Click here If you are looking for the Denver CO Location | E.Z.D.J.R.

A further option for some clients who require a more thorough service is that in addition to providing you with a dumpster and removing it when full, they will also clean your home of specified junk. There are companies that will organize a junk management and removal service for you which is ideal in the event that large amounts of junk are generated on a regular basis.

This is the in between size dumpster rental and we can offer the best dumpster rental prices on this size. To further more assist you on tips lets say you are knocking down a single car garage to the slab. You would want to check out our 30 yard dumpster rental prices. Another tip if it’s a double car garage you would need two 30 yards. We’ve seen many customers over the past rent the wrong size dumpster and this like we mentioned above can be very costly on you pocket. Most of our clients have rented a 10 yard dumpster and that is good for cleaning out there basement or renovating a kitchen. So it’s so important to understand when your shopping around for the best dumpster rental prices. Do not just estimate any size dumpster rental is going to get the job completed. You have to actually estimate the volume of waste you have to gauge what proper size you need and this can be tricky if you haven’t rented a roll off dumpster before. If your in need of assistance with any of our dumpster rental sizes and need help to determine the most effective and efficient size for you home or construction project call us or check out our site. When you order a dumpster in the USA, We have over 25 years experience in the Dumpster rental waste industry.

We strive for longterm customer satisfaction as well as a trusted longterm business relation. Our Affordable prices vary all the time from company to company depending on the contents, such as what you are disposing of,size of dumpster and location of your dumpster rental. With Book Your Dumpster, we offer special flat-rate pricing & standard tonnage limits depending on your location when you rent a roll off dumpster with us, we have flexible rental time periods and appropriate basic dumpster terms that our clients understand then most companies. No sneaky fee’s or surprises when you book your dumpster here.Our clients range from Homeowners, Contractors and mid – large national accounts. We can handle any size projects small to large scale.Our roll off dumpsters & roll off containers can help with all your types of projects. Plus, our dumpster service is astonishing. If your not sure what size dumpster you need, Please, do not hesitate to call us we can provide a reasonable price as well as helping you decide which roll off container size you need.

Also did you know it really depends on which size bin you order. What we are trying to explain is depending on the size of your renovation project or general cleanup you need to understand which size rental is right for you. It’s not about renting a cheap dumpster. It’s more appropriate to order the proper dumpster size because if you underestimate what ever cubic yards you need. This can be costly on your wallet. This is why our friendly staff is here to assist you with what ever dumpster size you need and we take the time to assist in these factors then well proceed to giving you the best price you can imagine. Another tip to consider that the best and most popular sizes out there is our 20 yard bin. This size can accommodate you threw out your project if your not 100 percent sure. This is the in between size dumpster rental and we can offer the best dumpster rental prices on this size. To further more assist you on tips lets say you are knocking down a single car garage to the slab. You would want to check out our 30 yard dumpster rental prices.

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Finally, we’d suggest you end your tour by giving one American city a try. Fly to Honolulu, the cleanest large city in America. The city is covered with a transportation system using pollution-free buses that are the envy of city planners from all over the country. 

Or – just get your wife a new vacuum. Let her know that, while we may not be the cleanest country in the world, our Olympic Curling team is really good. 

Q –  We are kind of newbies to the idea of travel out of the country. We will be taking our first trip to Europe aboard a Celebrity cruise in July sailing the lower Med to Spain, Italy, and Greece. We couldn’t be more excited. One bit of advice we need concerns credit cards. We took out an American Express card because our travel agent said it was reliable. We also like the way American Express totals everything when you get your bill. Our agent, who works for Celebrity, also said we should pay for everything in dollars as it makes it easier. Also wondering about the dress for this trip. The agent said it might be warm and to bring some summer clothes but not shorts. Any comments about this would be appreciated. As I said, this is all very new to us.

A – You want “comments” – we’re going to give you comments:

01 – No Travel Agent works for Celebrity. Since it would appear that you have only made deposit and not a final payment, take the booking away from Celebrity and sit down with the best local travel agent in your town. Have them take over your booking. You’ve been dealing with a reservations staff member who works on commission and knows nothing about worldwide conditions, credit cards, or much of anything else that will be useful for you to know. The job of someone in reservations is to secure your booking.

02 – You haven’t told us which type of American Express card you took out. There are several different cards and each one carries different benefits and features. It is likely that the one you chose does carry a foreign transaction fee which normally is 3%. This is a total rip-off. You should always travel with a card that has “No foreign transaction fees”.  Amex has some co-branded cards that carry this benefit. We do agree that Amex is “reliable” and they are aggressive about fighting fraud. They are also less readily accepted by merchants abroad than Visa or Mastercard.

03 – You always want to pay in local currency using your US bank credit card. That will assure that the currency conversion is done by your bank utilizing the official rate. This will negate costly commissions and conversion fees abroad.

04 – Finally, your “agent” seems to be underestimating the heat issues. July has seen heat waves with temps reaching 100 degrees for the past two years. You can wear shorts in that weather but it would be better to wear lightweight slacks given the likelihood that you will be touring churches and buildings of historical importance. Discuss this with your real “agent” once you convert the booking.

Q – We recently checked in to a Hilton at the airport in Rome. I was really disappointed with my room and I went to the front desk and reminded them that I had made my reservation with one of the largest online agencies and that I personally post frequently on Facebook, Instagram, and TripAdvisor about my travel experiences.  This did not seem to do a lot of good. Finally, I asked for the manager-on-duty, who explained that they were sold out that night and she could not make a change. I’m not sure if I believed her. It was only for one night so I didn’t pursue it further. How should I deal with this in the future to obtain an upgrade?  I certainly feel that with my postings, I am influencing lots of their potential customers but they do not seem to want to hear about it.

A – When you are shown to a disappointing room you should politely walk back down to the front desk and ask to speak to the Rooms Manager or the Manager-on-duty. Explain why this trip is important to you and keep your tine low and polite so other guests do not hear your conversation. We would suggest you keep your TripAdvisor connection to yourself as hotels are quite tired of hearing about those who expect to get something for free because they have enough time on their hands to type amateur reviews as self-anointed “critics”. Most of the better travel critics we know have years of hard-earned credentials. 

If you belong to Hilton’s Honors Club, your room preferences should be a part of your stored profile. You should not be assigned an inferior room. But you booked on one of the online sites and you were, we would guess, assigned one of the remaining rooms in your category. Hotel chains want bookings to be made via their own sites so they do not have to be paying out commission to third-party web sites. When it is noted that you have been brought to the property by a discount online agency, you should expect less than VIP treatment. If you care about your accommodations, have your travel consultant VIP you or write a short note tot he Hotel Manager in advance explaining why you worthy of upgrade consideration. Never mention that your blog or have online “followers” or billions of “likes”. Travel industry staff are so tired of hearing this from consumers headed their way that it has become an industry joke. The fact that you are celebrating an important anniversary or taking a “second honeymoon” will get you much further than referencing the junk you share online. Most hotel staff have a healthy disdain for opinions posted about their properties online. They realize that the internet has proven itself to be the most perfect vehicle for the dissemination of misinformation ever devised. 

Q – I fear I may be ridiculed in your pages, but let me explain that there are certain liquors and tequila that I really prefer to what is offered in Business Class on the airlines I fly. The flight attendants tell me there is no way to legally bring my own liquor on the plane but I just wonder if you guys know of a workaround. I do not have a drinking problem – I suppose my real problem is that I am a snob when it comes to choosing my alcoholic beverages. Am I out of luck?

A – Actually there is a workaround. We’re going to share it with you but we are wondering just how long these flights are that you can’t abide by the drink offerings in Business Class – no less. TSA rules require that any liquids be clearly displayed and carried in small bottles not to exceed 100 mil. Just try to find the mini-size bottles of your favorite brand and keep them in your carry-on next to your hand cream and cologne. They have to be kept in a clear bag for inspection. But they are totally legal.

Now, here’s the thing. You can drink them at your seat but absolutely are not allowed to open the mini-bottles by yourself. Only a flight attendant is allowed to do that.

One more thing. You are permitted to purchase a bottle of liquor from the duty-free airport store and you may request that a flight attendant open it for you aboard the aircraft. But do not attempt to bring the bottle with you when connecting to another flight. It will be confiscated and show up at a TSA Supervisor party weeks later.