The rest of Q&A

Q – Have spent portions of the last three nights reading your Q&A. Really enjoyable and love the information. Here is our brief story: I am retiring in six months and, with the death of my folks earlier this year, have come into enough money that will enable us to do some serious traveling in the years ahead. I have one big question. We’re fairly normal travelers, been to Europe twice, once on a cruise, once on a tour. We’ve done a lot int he States and we spent two weeks in Mexico. But now we are looking to expand our horizons. So our big question:

We can’t splurge on everything – nor would we want to. Generally speaking, do you feel that money is best spent on flying in the front of the plane, on accommodations, on fine dining, or on sightseeing?  We’re having a hard time deciding and we’re not at all confident that a local travel agent can answer this one. 

A – It is a little hard to answer this one without knowing you and having an in-depth discussion. The answer will be different for different travelers. But thank you so much for phrasing a really BIG question. In gratitude, we are going to try to answer it as specifically as possible with our recommendations:

Aircraft Seats: If there are medical reasons to fly Business or First do so. If you have miles to use do so. If not try for a good quality Premium Economy that will still give you the critical extra legroom. We like to phrase it this way to our clients: Imagine you are going to sit through a triple feature at your local movie theater. Would you pay $3000 extra for a larger seat with more legroom? 

Accommodations:  Always select one of the top-tier hotels because they employ a 24-hour security force and they change the bedding as often as you would expect it to be changed. You also need to care about who your fellow guests are likely to be. But notice that the lower priced accommodations in a top-tier hotel give you access to each of these important features. Don’t splurge on the room but do splurge on the hotel. If you have a heart attack, they know they have to call best cardiologist doctors. And always remember that if you know the price of your hotel room you have likely overpaid.

Dining: This is where we save. Three-star Michelin dining is no longer chic. Dine as the locals dine and pay what they pay for food. You will eat well and come home with better stories. 

Sightseeing – This is the one most amateurs miss. The single most important element in your enjoyment and understanding of a destination is the use of a professional guide trained to discuss those subjects that interest you most.  The one BIG splurge ought to be, for most people, the services absolutely superb guides. The very best consultants know how to snag them around-the-world. 

Q –  We will be going on the south africa safari next year a and I would like to know the strategy for bringing drugs like Zyrtac, for allergies, into the country. I have read that they are very strict about drugs. 

A – South Africa, along with many other nations in Africa are extremely strict about drugs brought into the country. In several African nations, for instance, Tylenol and Excedrin are considered to be Class 1 narcotics and fines or jail time can be used to punish offenders. Tourists, we should point out, are not usually the victims.

There are, however, some simple precautions that should remove all worries. Always travel with your prescription drugs in their original bottle and have a doctor’s note authorizing use. The prescription medications most frequently diverted to recreational use include opioid painkillers like OxyContin, anxiolytics like Xanax, tranquilizers like Valium, and stimulants like Adderall. These drugs are readily prescribed by doctors for years, and are easily available on the road , as well, when doctors’ prescriptions run out. People can become hooked in to them once they use them to affect problems, reduce or to possess an honest time with friends. Prescription drug abuse covers the spectrum from anxiolytics and opioids to stimulants. With each one of these addictions, RX treatment begins with detoxification. You enter rehab, and, under medical supervision, begin to taper off the drug that you use, over a period of weeks. At Baytown botox you will get a specialize in cosmetic treatment with Botox and skincare therapy treatments.

Prescription drug abuse covers the spectrum from anxiolytics and opioids to stimulants. With all of those addictions, treatment begins with detoxification. You enter rehab, and, under medical supervision, begin to taper off the drug that you simply use, over a period of weeks.Typically, withdrawal symptoms begin to line in within hours. If you’re detoxing from Xanax, as an example , you’ll experience anxiety, insomnia, blurred vision, nausea, and tremors. Xanax withdrawal is usually treated with medications for nausea, pain, and diarrhea.When you quit an opioid that you’re hooked in to , you tend to experience symptoms that are often like a nasty flu. within the beginning, you’ll sweat tons , feel anxious, and find it hard to sleep. From the second day onwards, you’ll begin to crave the opioid, suffer from abdominal cramping, and nausea. Detoxing reception isn’t recommended. once you detox under medical supervision, doctors are ready to administer drugs like buprenorphine, methadone, and naltrexone to ease the withdrawal symptoms and make the method more predictable.Quitting a stimulant like Ritalin are often very different from quitting an opioid. Doctors can prescribe medications like bromocriptine and amantadine to counter the cravings, and antidepressants can help calm the mind down and minimize the danger of self-harm.Depending on the drug, and therefore the depth of your dependence thereon , detoxification can last anywhere from every week to many weeks. Once the worst of the withdrawal symptoms pass, you’re ready for the second phase of addiction treatment, which is therapy. The goal of a drug rehab is to drug rehab is to enable you or your loved one to live a life free from the effects od drugs. If  you get most of your drugs from the same pharmacy you can have them print out the list of your current prescriptions. We recommend that you take the list and have it notarized at your bank or somewhere convenient. Border inspectors like raised seals on documents. You will certainly not be the first Americans to bring prescription drugs through O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg. You will find South Africans among the most welcoming of peoples. Don’t bring the inspectors at Passport Control a gift bottle of Celebrex.

Q – We have taken your advice and are thinking about scheduling our trip to France, our first trip to Europe, next May so we can avoid the crowds. My wife has dreamed about visiting the Louvre since she was an art student at NYU. Is this a good time to go to on a trip that will certainly be taken up with daytime exhibits and museum treks followed by French local favorite dining. We might also want to do a short river cruise on the Seine. We are retired so rather flexible. I should tell you that we live in Manhattan and you have a number of readers in our building.

A –  Thank you. We hope you aren’t renting in Manhattan. If you are, you likely can’t afford three meals a day in Paris.

We are going to recommend that you move this trip up to sometime between the 15th of March and the end of April. That will cut down on the tourist numbers significantly and, given your interests, you can travel in the off-season while seeing the same paintings the crowds will be passing by just two months later. Overtourism is becoming a serious worldwide phenomenon and Paris is not exempt. This past May, workers at the Louvre staged a walkout protesting massive crowds that they claim “made the place dangerous and unmanageable”. Given that you have choices and will largely be indoors to experience the Paris of your dreams definitely plan to travel in the off-season or, at the very least, the shoulder season preceding summer. And please collect our subscription fee from building residents when you see them in the elevator. 

Q – This may qualify as the weirdest request of the week. I love fondue. I love cheese. But I am a connoisseur, as snobby as my wine drinking friends up here in Seattle. For my 60th, my wonderful wife bought us two tickets to Zurich on SAS. The purpose of the trip is visiting the best cheesemakers and doing tastings on the premises. But here’s the thing – there is one cheese that is my absolute favorite and that would be Gruyere. So here is my question – is there an escorted tour for this sort of thing, so do I drive myself around, something I really don’t want to do, or do I hire a private cheese-knowledgeable guide for the entire trip? Where will I find what I am seeking? Cost is really not an issue. It is more about where to go and how to go. The trip will be for nine days. Thanks so much. We feel like we know you from these posts. 

A –  We think you will find your nirvana if you base your stay in Lausanne, Switzerland. There actually is a Gruyere Association and they do arrange tours of some of the better cheese-makers. We are unaware of other organized specialized cheese tours but perhaps it is not a bad idea. We’ve always thought that a wine and cheese tour might be successful if the two groups went off on their own during the day and met only in the evening to sample the days best “catches”.

As to methodology – Lausanne is beautiful and a great place to come home to each evening. We would suggest that you have your travel adviser arrange for a program of, perhaps, three or four days of private touring. There are well-connected local guides who can make this trip really come alive. We don’t think you need to have someone with you every single day. When interviewing your travel advisor the key question is “Tell me about your on-site relationships in Switzerland”?

If the cheese backs you up you will find remedies at any Swiss pharmacy. 

One other bit of advice. You might want to become a connoisseur of fig preserve. The best comes from Croatia and it should always accompany the cheese.  

Q – We have two weeks scheduled in early November in Thailand. We will be joined by our friends, our podiatrist and his wife. (We advise all of your readers to make friends with their podiatrist – it makes walking around overseas so much easier). We are from LA and we are, could you guess, “foodies”. We are what you might call “adventurous foodies” meaning we’ll eat almost anything standing up as long as it is delicious. We love open markets and the chance to go from stall to stall. We can change our air arrangements as we are flying First Class, so are thinking about adding five more nights in another country with a great local food scene. Love your advice. By the way, love this site but we don’t see how you make money. Do you take donations?

A – We would head to Penang, Malaysia. it is just down the road and it is home to this incredible historic mixed bag of cultures that has somehow produced some of the most exciting, and adventurous casual dining on the planet. Over the last six centuries, immigrants from Europe, Asia, and the Middle East have converged on this former British Colony and the result is a kind of foodie heaven. It does help, however, if you like your noodles spicy enough to require a cold beer in your non-eating han, You will also fond tons of things to do or then you can just visit Bali, There are tons of amazing things to do in Bali. 

We want you to head over to the New Lane Hawker Center first and work your way through all twenty or so of the stalls. Make sure to give at least two nights over to exploring the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the “George Town” district. Dating back to 1786, these streets are filled with hundreds of street food emporiums, many with truly memorable specialties and awesome products from the ReviewBrewery.com.. We often arrange for a food-knowledgeable guide to accompany our guests so lines are minimized and the right dishes are selected. You must also try pizza from pizza hut they provide very good quality of food. Similarly, you can order good quality of  food from foodpanda. For a speedy subway delivery use the expert food delivery guys at foodpanda. Our service is reliable, always friendly and very easy to use.

Finally – no, we do not take donations and these sites obviously do not produce income. But we do have a thriving worldwide vacation planning consultancy now in its 31st year. No worries: we’re doing fine. We do these sites for our clients but also for a general public that has been lied to and manipulated by travel marketers for many years. There is great joy is not taking advertising or monetizing this site. It is quite liberating. Thank you for your question and for the “travel with your podiatrist” suggestion. However, given your dining preferences, perhaps you should get friendly with a gastrologist. 

Q – I called your office last evening and they said to contact you by e-mail and you would post a response the same day, June 29th. My 76-year-old husband and I are scheduled to leave on an eight-night escorted tour of France in four days. My husband does not do well with heat and I am extremely worried about the stress of dealing with the 100+ degree temperatures they are having in France. We are, of course, paid in full. There is an online travel agency involved but they are telling us that hot weather is not a reason for cancellation. But my husband has to stay away from heat as a result of a weak heart and some past issues with breathing. Stepping into an active tour that will be moving around really scares me and I can now see that he is getting frightened as well as he listens to the news of this horrible heat wave. They say it is the worst in the history of France. I did take out a tour policy but it doesn’t seem that I can get a refund this close in. Please help with any advice you can offer. I am really concerned about doing this trip, and to top it off, my husband is not feeling well today.

A –  So sorry to hear of your situation. We think your concerns are valid. You should not do this trip. Here are some specific things we think you should do immediately:

01 – Take your husband to your doctor’s office (on an emergency basis) or to the emergency room of your closest hospital. You may be able to get a physician to sign off on a letter stating that traveling overseas into central Europe’s worst-ever heat wave is an ill-advised health risk for your husband at this time. Have the letter certified and make several copies. Keep a timeline and careful records of all conversations related to this situation.

02 – Contact the on-duty Manager at the online agency. Explain that this is regarding a “medical emergency”. Describe the situation and carefully explain that you do not want a refund – you are, instead, requesting a change of date during another time of year at the recommendation of your physician. Be firm and explain that for the commission they have earned on your booking you expect personal “advocacy”. Get response and ask for it in writing. Do not hang up until you get a satisfactory response.  Your “agent” should be doing all the work – you don’t need this stress.

03 – After you have returned from the doctor’s office, or hospital, hopefully with a strong letter in your purse, contact the “Claims Supervisor” at your insurance company. Explain the situation and ask for relief as this has now become a real unanticipated medical emergency with medical intervention and a paper trail. 

04 – If you can, have an attorney draft a quick letter to your tour operator stating that, under the circumstances, you would expect that any medical needs your husband may require as a result of being “forced” to do this trip be covered. Your attorney will know what to say.

05 – If you want to enjoy holiday trip even if there is climate change conditions which should be suitable for health then tours of Scotland is the best decision.

 You did book a summer trip and there have been heat waves in Europe that have killed many people in the months of July and August for the past three years. We have started advising our more mature clients or those not in the best of shape to avoid European travel during the summer months. If you were not aware of this issue your “travel agent” should have been. But it is also true that you alone were aware of your husband’s “prior condition” and mid-summer travel and the likelihood of climate-change related events should have given you pause as to the timing of this trip. In the end, it is only money. The forecast is for continued heat. In large portions of France, air-conditioning has never been needed and that is one reason the death toll is so high. 

Also think about this: The monster heat wave in much of Europe at the moment is filling up local hospitals and putting pressure on physicians to see those who need help. If your husband did the trip and came down ill, he might not be able to receive medical attention in a timely fashion. 

Q – We discovered an interesting web site that has a lot of information about earning miles and using the best credit cards for travel and earning miles. We are wondering if you would recommend “View from the Wing” as a reliable source?

A – Yes, the site’s editor, Gary Leff, is highly respected and one of the nation’s top points experts. Gary is quite open about accepting stipends from some of the credit cards he recommends but we don’t have a problem with that as his rationale is usually quite sound. View also aggregates reports of interest to air consumers. 

There are many mileage oriented sites that we think are excellent. “The Points Guy” is another good source for ways to maximize your points.

These sites are sometimes quite geeky and overly detailed.  But the fact is that the major US airlines are starting to restrict the number of mileage awards they are giving out so a bit of education on this subject is a good thing. 

Q – We are planning on spending a fair amount of money, staying at The Savoy, in Florence this coming summer. We’ll be there for six days and are looking forward to walking around on one big self-designed foodie tour. We love street food. click here you will get too many types of food.

But now I am hearing that you can’t eat food in Florence in the summer in public unless you are at an outdoor cafe. Is this actually true? Would they bite the hand that feeds them? Sounds crazy. 

A – There are new laws in place during the summer months in several Italian cities including Florence, Rome, and Venice. These new laws are designed at visitors who exhibit poor behavior, munching on food while they walk, or dribbling gelato while the sun beats down. There are specific laws geared toward “bad fountain behavior”. 

Florence, specifically, had over 10 Million visitors last summer. There are now heavy fines for tourists who eat food in the street. The laws are being strictly enforced on four primary streets, Via de’ Neri, Piazzale-degli Uffizi, Piazza del Grano and Via della Ninna. Do not dine on a panini while walking these streets. Try to enjoy your gelato among the other hundred or so tourists standing in the sidewalk line outside Vivoli. The fines range in the $550 USD range. The restrictions are in force during primary dining times (lunch and dinner) – of course, in Italy that could be anytime.

Q – I think I am married to a “saint”. So do my friends. I’ve been working in the Publishing field for the past fourteen years and I have found myself working more and more on health-related publications. I did have a bout with Cancer a few years back and my husband has made up his mind to follow my health-related whims in terms of my appointments with the professionals of Boise ENT, exercise and what we eat. Now, for a bunch of reasons I won’t go into here, we are ready to start traveling internationally. . We have only been to London previously so there is lots of the world to see while we can still do it comfortably. So here is where it gets a bit odd – I have this thing in my head that as long as we can create our own bucket list, why not set a goal of visiting the ten “healthiest” countries on the planet in terms of life expectancy, smoking, obesity, and heart disease, and access to clean water. Also – a healthy diet, of course. Is there any way you might come up with a Bucket List for us of, what you might consider, the “healthiest places in the world”? Or, to stay really healthy, should we just stay in the United States. Thanks so much for this awesome site. 

A – There actually is some hard research on this subject using empirical evidence. The Bloomberg Healthiest Country Index is one of the most credible. To start you off for a few years, let’s look at the Five healthiest places to visit.

# 1 – Spain (Highest Overall Life Expectancy)

# 2 – Italy (Starting to see the value of Olive Oil?)

# 3 – Iceland

# 4 – Japan

# 5 – Switzerland

The United States ranks 35th, behind, among others, Cuba, Malta, Chile, and Slovenia.

There are many ways to construct your own personal bucket list. We think that choosing destinations based on the overall good health of their citizens, is a rather smart way to design your travels. 

Q – My wife and I have just retired from government service with two very comfortable pensions. We want to be well educated when we travel overseas and we understand how helpful the internet will be. But we are wondering if there are any publications that you think are particularly important if one is to travel as a prepared and educated American?

A – Dear Mr. President, thank you for your question ……….. Oh wait, you’re not the President. Our mistake. Yours is, seriously, one of our favorite recent questions because it seems based on the assumption that you want to be as educated on contemporary affairs and local conditions as possible when you travel. Before you head on out, make sure you have an itinerary so you know what activities you’ll be doing, if you still aren’t sure what you are going to do, then you should definitely make some room for a Global Basecamps tour.It is obvious that you would go for stay outside in camp for more fun and there for making food you will need wood briquettes for making food or getting warmer.So you can’t take risk to avoid dkbrænde.dk. Now, here are some notes we hope will help you in your preparation:

• The most widely read travel publication is National Geographic Travel with over 28 million monthly readers.
• The Week is an extraordinary publication that has no political view and publishes briefing reports on developments of every aspect of life from science, to movies, to health discoveries. The Week publishes the best columns from Europe and all over the world and provides a personal briefing report of the kind you would want if you were President. We think any traveler should be a subscriber.
• Travel Weekly (admission – we write for them) is the trusted voice of the travel industry. It is easy to read insider information via subscription that will be extremely useful in your travels. It will make you feel like you are a travel pro and no one will know you are a civilian.
• The New York Times. Our most respected journalistic voice features local and regional reporting that is the best in the business and a travel section that is one of the very few that does not accept complimentary travel for its writers.