The rest of Q&A

Q – We were out to dinner last night with two couples at Nomad.PDX here in Portland and a fascinating topic came up that I wanted to share with traveltruth. Our friend, the radiologist, asked us how we would respond to  the question “What is the Best Country in the World”. That led to a conversation that lasted almost two hours. It was a 15-course tasting menu so we had lots of time to talk. I promised I would ask you to answer the same question.

A – We would answer New Zealand – for the people, the values, and the incredible scenery. Australia, Italy, and France would follow closely.

But ours is apparently a minority opinion. In fact, The World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland has recently tackled this question in a joint study between the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business, RAV Consulting, and US News & World Report. They asked the question of over 16,200 business leaders and frequent world travelers. The Top Three were:

# 1 – GERMANY

# 2 – CANADA

# 3 – THE UNITED KINGDOM

But no worries – Trump is going to fix the order of things when he gets in and he knows “the guys from Wharton.” Look for the US to be at the top of the list next year. Except what do we do about Norway and Sweden?

Click here to read the lastest spyderco tenacious reviews by C.Knives.

Q – I am just hearing about this Zika virus on the news. It sounds pretty bad and absolutely awful for pregnant women. We’ve booked a vacation in Puerto Rico in 30 days and I have some concerns as I suppose my girlfriend, and soon to be fiance, is in the “pre-pregnancy” stage of our relationship. Is there anything we should do to prepare or should we seriously consider another destination? We know you are not doctors so pointing us in the right information direction would be most appreciated. Can we get our money back at this stage?

A – We are getting many questions about the Zika virus. Your travel consultant should be discussing this with you in terms of specific recommendations to get a refund should you cancel. Your travel insurance may cover your expenses so that you can travel to the Cape May rentals with liberty.

Puerto Rico is certainly an area that pregnant women and “women who are trying to become pregnant” should avoid right now. We think that there are serious questions involving ports in the Caribbean, travel to East Africa, and portions of Mexico. For the best information and latest updates you should be in touch with your physician or the closest tropical medicine clinic.

The disease is not treatable and is spread by mosquitos. You will need to wear some protective clothing and use deet-based mosquito repellent. While we don’t advocate that everyone cancel travel to the Caribbean, we do think that a knowledge of the disease and how it is spread, as well as protective measures to take, should be required of all travelers planning to visit Brazil and those countries in Latin America and the Caribbean where the Center for Disease Control is reporting outbreaks.

Take this threat seriously even though the odds of contracting the virus are still low. Do not trust the information you get on this subject from folks like us or anyone connected with .selling travel for a living. Last week the New York Times contacted three major cruise lines to inquire about any port changes or policy changes in reaction to this outbreak., The Times reported that not one of the spokesmen for any of the three lines had ever heard of Zika.

We think you should seriously consider putting off this vacation unless you can seek expert medical advice within the week. Why go on a beach vacation if you have to constantly be watching out for attacking mosquitos? Try Iceland.

Q – Interesting discussion with friends last night about which of the world’s airlines is considered to be the best within the travel industry. Realizing this is subjective, wondering if you might care to shed some light on this? Appreciate your approach. Lots of food for thought – and dinner conversation! 

A – Surprisingly, there is s real consensus regarding the top three or four airlines in the world and one of them is generally considered to be the best of the best. That would be Etihad, based in Abu Dhabi. Three of the remaining four are also airlines based in the Middle East.

Airline ratings are less subjective than you might imagine. Careful records and analysis are kept regarding every aspect of an airline’s operations. This includes passenger service, seating/comfort, safety, cleanliness, food, schedules, aircraft conditions, home airport, partnerships, and financial stability.

We are working on producing an up-to-date ratings list of the world’s best airlines in all classes of service that will be specifically dedicated to non-business travelers. When completed, these ratings will appear on traveltruth.com

There are concerns among many of the world’s airlines that certain carriers are being heavily subsidized by their governments in the United Arab Emirates corridor. This is clearly reflected in the ratings but it would be a mistake to assume that service ratings are simply a reflection of financial strength.

Q – My husband is an excellent chef and a real foodie – but only a few of our friends in Manhattan really know this. He will turn 60 in February and I want to arrange to fly him to the best restaurant in the world. I really don’t care about favorable weather as this will just be a long weekend, somewhere on the planet, dining in the world’s top dining room. So how do I set this up and where will it be?

A – Right now, that would be NOMA in Copenhagen. But you will need to hurry up as NOMA will be permanently closing at the end of 2016 so Chef  Rene Redzepi can open a new, somewhat larger “urban farm” in 2017. Have your travel agent book the entire stay in Copenhagen, stay at the best hotel;, and have the On-Site, together with the hotel concierge, figure out how to get you in. These are sime of the toughest restaurant seats in the world to book so get started on it right away and don’t commit to air or hotel until NOMA is confirmed.

Q – Visiting relatives in Warsaw in spring. Is there a small, boutique hotel that is well-located and has less than 50 rooms? We can’t stand the chains or the larger hotels. 

A – Try to book the H15 Boutique Hotel on Poznanska 15. This new property just went through a five year renovation. It was formerly the Soviet Embassy and the Nazi Party Headquarters. Pleasant dreams.

Q – Y’all lost me a few weeks back. My wife and I have been huge fans of both this site and the information you provide for the past five years. We’ve used your information in our travels and passed it on to friends. But you just about lost us with the idea that anyone who actually knows what a hotel room costs is paying “too much.” Can you just touch on that one again?

A – Sure. And thanks very much for your time on traveltruth. It is good having you visit from time to time. When you look for the best rate for a hotel you are looking at three possible sources: A so-called OTA (online travel agency) like Expedia, a travel agent, or, perhaps, the hotel on its own site. In most cases, they are working under rather strict rules that mean that you will find the same pricing from all three sources. Certainly, no hotel in its right mind is going to allow an internet site to charge less than it is charging on its own web site and then turn around and pay the OTA a commission as well.

But there is a fourth way to book a hotel and that is the method that will get you the lowest rate virtually each and every time. Hotels in major cities and locations around-the-world are willing to offer special, lower-cost, contracted rates to key travel agencies and tour planners within their own country. These rates are highly confidential and may only be used when they are included in an itinerary. Your travel agent will work with an On-Site office wherever you are traveling abroad who will be able to package hotel rates that are simply unobtainable online or in the States. The price is not broken down as that would reveal the confidential tariff. So, the way to get the lowest rate is to have it be a part of other services you are receiving where the lower hotel rate can be included in one lump sum. It is absolutely true that if you know what you have paid for a hotel room you have not received anything like the best rate. Hope this helps. It is a bit counter-intuitive.

Q – My new agent belongs to something called Travel Leaders. Any good?

A – Travel Leaders is the largest network of travel agents in the United States. They have offices in 41 States. With 4,000 member agents, some are better than others. But you can trust their pedigree and credentials and know that they are well connected. They have won numerous awards, have grown quickly under enlightened leadership, and they offer full-services in the traditional travel agency model. No red flags here.

Q – We’ve reached a point in our lives where we have the income to travel anywhere in the world and to do it in some style. But we’re relatively young and we have two girls ages 11 and 14. Given our age, we want to try to see places in the world that might really appeal to our girls while providing the family with the opportunity to walk, see animals, and experience cultures different than our own. But for the next several years, at least, the focus is on our girls. Any suggestions from your team would be really appreciated.

A –  There are lots of suitable responses but here are some of our personal favorites:

Lapland – Incredibly beautiful snow-filled villages, the northern lights, sledding and other winter sports. Great for the pre-Christmas vacation.

South Africa Safari – A bit of Cape Town followed by a family-friendly safari experience taking in Kruger National Park. This can be followed by a flight over Victoria Falls. Unforgettable.

Sicily – Not on everyone;s radar -but the kids will love the food and Sicily has awesome beaches. Try staying at Cefalu where you can take hydrofoil boats over to the lovely Aeolian Islands.

Other options you might consider are New Zealand, with many outdoor options and a generally kid-friendly populace, and the Lake Districts of Italy or Switzerland.

Which of the above we would recommend would be heavily influenced by the specific period of time you would like to be away. Make certain that your consultant understands your priorities for this series of journeys. Knowing that this is primarily for the girls, will heavily influence the decision-making process.

Q – As we work on our future post-retirement travel plans, two things are clear. We want to see some of the world that we’ve missed out on all these years, and we want to stay in touch with traveltruth to help us make plans that will not disappoint. Could you give us a quick list of the most overrated popular destinations that you think we might want to miss?

A – Congratulations on your coming retirement. When ours comes, it is likely we will stop traveling. But then again, we always seem to do things in reverse.

It’s a challenging and quite subjective question. We prefer saying there are some places we would recommend you place on the back burner. Here is a quick list of places well worth avoiding in lieu of much better, more authentic  options:

Athens   –   The Spanish Steps in Rome   –  Stonehenge   –   The Leaning Tower of Pisa   –   The Taj Mahal   –   Frankfurt   –   Loch Ness   –  Buenos Aires   –   and virtually every Caribbean Island on the cruise ship itineraries.