The rest of Q&A

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.

Q – I have been reading this material religiously but I keep coming back to one piece of advice you gave some time ago. Wondering if you are still suggesting that it is really dangerous to drink coffee aboard an aircraft. If there was an issue – it would seem like the airlines would have fixed it by now. Are you really suggesting that I bring a cup of Starbucks aboard my future morning flights? 

A – Dangerous may be too strong a term. Let’s just say that those savvy travelers who do their research, stay away from coffee and tea cooked aboard aircraft using tank storage water that has not been properly brought to the boiling point. That makes it possible for storage tank well-documented bacterial content to exist in the water. Our own investigations into this subject have never uncovered a single aircraft where care was taken to boil the water being served to passengers. We have never, for example, encountered an airline that used sealed bottled water to brew coffee in coach.  You drink their coffee and you take your chances! This is very much a budgetary issue. The cost of using bottled water versus the storage tank water filled by airport maintenance crews would be significant. This is a bottom-line issue. So, yes, absolutely board with your own Starbucks.

Q – Great site – thinking about renting a Ferrari for a slow drive from the Bay area down to LA. Can this be easily done and any advice?  This is a definite bucket list item I want to complete before my 40th birthday. 

A –  You are breaking the “Bucket List” rule. Bucket lists are not supposed to begin until you are at least fifty years of age. You can certainly rent from a number of companies. The Ferrari California is, of course, the model everyone wants. The standard rental is just around $1,500 plus delivery fees and taxes. But the cars are rarely rented for less than a week. The costs of transportation are just too high. The real cost is when they have to fly out a techie to show you how to use the car. If you can avoid that, the cost is much less. This is one of those situations where you need to know exactly what you want and then call the top three companies in the market for price quotes. And make one of those calls to the exotic car department at Hertz or Avis. We believe that you will find that costs vary tremendously. Make sure to verify that your current auto insurance policy offers coverage for “exotics.”

For starters, try Menlo Park Exotic Car Rentals, Gotham Dream Cars, Italia Rental, or San Francisco Exotic Car Rental by Enterprise. 

Q – My husband and I were scheduled to fly our favorite airline, Alaska Air, to Cuba in March. We live in Pasadena and the non-stop flight from LAX was perfect. Now, we have been notified that they are operating their last flight in January. We’re making other plans, but we’re wondering why they would pull out when the flights appeared to be going out full?

A – Actually, business to Cuba is down significantly, Alaska Air says by 80% since the November 9th U.S. government decision to end the people-to-people program. Given the sharp reduction in business, Alaska, along with several other operators, have canceled or reduced their operations to Cuba. 

There are several intertwined issues here one of which is the fact that laws in Cuba currently require heavy percentages of Cuban hotel and tourism industry ownership. This basically means that if you construct a new hotel, there is a likelihood that your partners will be Cuban military and government officials. We have been advising that travel to Cuba should be postponed for 24 months. We now think that a more realistic timetable is five or six years assuming new construction plans with ownership adjustments can be implemented by the current administration. (wasn’t that said nicely?)  

Q –  We are doing a Caribbean cruise that includes several days in Cuba. The information about spending money in their country is a bit contradictory. Do we just bring a bunch of singles, do we use local currency for best results? What is the best strategy? As Cuba is opening up, we think you should increase your coverage of questions related to this destination.

A – Actually, Cuba is closing up last we looked. If you found anyone willing to accept US dollars you would be totally ripped off. Cuba hosts many European tourists. The strategy that is the simplest is bringing in Euros for your shopping and incidentals. They are readily accepted and the exchange rate is quite fair. Leave your dollars in the room safe aboard your ship. Bitcoins seem to have been heralded by most as the currency of tomorrow, but there are only a handful of sites that agree to accept them. Luckily for us, transforming bitcoins to a workable currency like dollars is simple and plain. If you desire to be aware of just how much bitcoin is worth, run a simple net search. If you want to essentially convert bitcoin to dollars, transfer them in an internet market and sell them to an interested consumer. The online marketplace might promptly and easily convert your bitcoins to dollars and transmit them to a debit card, bank account, or digital wallet of your determination. You can latest news found here for more about the bitcoin.

The Bitcoin market is worldwide and the citizens of China and Japan have been particularly active in its purchase along with other Asian countries. However, recently in Bitcoin news the Chinese government has tried to suppress its activity in that country. That action drove the value of Bitcoin down for a short time but it soon surged back and is now close to its previous value. The Bitcoin history chart is very interesting. Its creator was an anonymous group of brilliant mathematicians (using the pseudonym Satoski Nakamoto) who designed it in 2008 to be “virtual gold” and released the first Bitcoin software in early 2009 during the height of the USA economic crisis. They knew that to have lasting value, it like gold had to have a finite supply. So in creating it they capped the supply at 21 million Bitcoin. To get your feet a little wetter, you can go panning for gold. There are a number of services and websites out there that will pay you in bitcoin to do things like go to certain websites, fill out online surveys, or watch sponsored videos. These are harmless, and you can earn a few extra bitcoins this way, but it is important to remember that these are businesses that get paid when people click on the links on their sites. They are essentially kicking back a portion of what they get paid to you. There is nothing illegal, or even immoral about this (you might like what you see and make a purchase!), but they are frequently flashy and may not be completely straightforward. All the ones that I have tried (particularly bitvisitor.com) have paid out as advertised. It is interesting to experiment with these, but even with the likely rise in the value of bitcoin, you won’t become a millionaire doing this. So, unless you are an advertisement junkie, I would recommend you move on. If you would like to try, simply Google “free bitcoins” or something along those lines and you will find numerous sites. Bitcoin mining refers to the process by which new Bitcoin is created. With conventional currency, government decides when and where to print and distribute it. With Bitcoin, “miners” use special software to solve complex mathematical problems and are issued a certain number of Bitcoin in return.

Q – This is a bit out of your normal range of questions but wondering if  you might help me with a recommendation on an issue of personal security. As I write this it looks like the US is moving the Israeli capital to Jerusalem and I am headed to visit several parts of the middle east, including Iran, where protests could be an issue. I also have to meet with manufacturers in India and China, not always in the best of locations. Any hotels you might avoid and any recommendation as to whether or not I should plan on purchasing a satellite phone just in case internet is disrupted. I worry about that more than anything as I imagine CNN will not always be available. I’m not afraid, and I’m fairly well read on these countries, with some travel experience in India and China, but just wondering what you all would advise. Thanking you in advance.

A – There are several questions here so let us break them down as clearly as possible, point by point:

• We recommend that you stay in a non-US luxury hotel, preferably one that is locally-owned. Try to ascertain in advance if you will be able to get CNN in your room – in an emergency that could be extremely useful. Avoid hotels that cater to American guests. In times of duress you might actually find that having Wolf Blitzer in your room is comforting – although we can;t really see why. 
• Start practicing used text messages on your phone. In fact, China and India have outlawed satellite phones so that is not a good option. 
• Figure out where the safest neighborhood is in each of your scheduled stops and try to choose a hotel located within that area.
• In all cases – do not make these arrangements on your own. Have your agent use a locally-based on-site office with whom they have a close relationship. That will provide a valuable source of comfort and protection should any situation get out of hand. 
• As you are no doubt aware, India and China are significantly safer than we are here in the US. Gun violence is extremely rare. Iran does, of course, have parts  of town that are not kosher. Travel safe 

Q –  How do we get in and back out of Canada without a passport. My fiance and I had no idea you needed one and it appears that for certain trips you do, if you want to do travel as road trips using used cars ottawa, Canada for this purpose. This is just a vacation at a nice hotel we booked using points. Our agent never mentioned that we needed a passport. What should we, could we, do at this point?

A – First, initiate legal proceedings against your travel agent. You are going through a lot of hassle for no reason. Secondly – don;t worry – spring into action. Use one of the better passport and Visa Processing firms like A. Briggs and ask for a 48-hour expedited passport. They will tell you what to do or you can use their web site. Unless you have committed multiple felonies, you should, at a rather steep cost, be able to get passports within eight days on an expedited basis. Tell your fiance we suggested she “reconsider”.