The rest of Q&A

Q – Through a recent merger, I am going to be spending a fair amount of time in Tokyo and environs. In Manhattan, my fiance and I love going out to the best sushi restaurants. I know there is a ton of great Japanese food to be discovered in Tokyo but I was wondering if your food experts know of a place where I might feel comfortable dining alone while having some of the best  food in the city. I guess I am looking for a place where I won’t be stared at (I have red hair).

A – No worries, half the kids under 18 have pink and green hair in Tokyo. It sounds to us that you might really like Kanda. It sits in a plain apartment building near Ropponji Station. The door is unmarked so you might need a local the first time. There is an 8-seat counter that you will find extremely comfortable as you sample the Kaiseki-style menu. Try the kawahagi, a fin fish sushi served with liver. Seriously.

Q – Ultra-cool travel site – but no one has written in yet who seems to share my need to feel constantly hydrated while flying those stretch aluminum cans. I have to have water when I fly – lots of it. I just think dehydration is an awful feeling on a plane and its so easy. I used to bring several bottles through the airport (am I boring you yet) but TSA make me empty my super-size water bottle. This leads to my question – is it appropriate, normal, polite, expected that I would keep asking the flight attendants to refill them?

A – You have posed an interesting moral-ethical dilemma. Yes, ask them to refill your bottle from time to time, but since you will be getting up to use the lavatory every hour, carry the bottle up with you so it is easier for them to fill it. Then beware of what you are drinking. If they give you the aircraft’s stored water you very well get sick. Never drink anything but water that you see being poured out of a bottle on any aircraft. The water hose is hooked up to each plane on the ground and the fuel and water tanks are filled up. This is not tap water and the storage tanks may never have been scrubbed for decades. But we do not think you are overstating the need for hydration. We don’t think you’re weird. At least not all of us.

Q –  My fellow anesthesiologists and I have been following traveltruth for several years and all I can tell you is that if you ever want to be put out we’re here to help. The question of which travel-related credit card is best came up last week at our morning meeting. Can you fly any of the major airlines with the Chase Preferred Card which you seem to rate highly?

A –  Dear Docs – nice to know your business meetings center around which credit card will get you the best perks. We like the initial perks that come with the Chase card, the double points on travel and restaurants, the no foreign transaction fee policy, and the sign-up bonus coupled with the waived fees for the first year. But the card is weak on airline partners. The only airlines currently in the program are United, British Airways, Korean Airlines, and Southwest.

If you are after primary mileage perks on the widest variety of airline partners, look at the American Express Starwood Card.

Q – We are going to be leaving for the Seychelles in six months on a trip booked through GoWay, a company we are working with for the first time. They wish to sell us insurance but before committing, we are wondering what your take is on that subject. We are First Class but definitely not deluxe travelers (don’t know if my terminology is correct) and we’re recently retired from Wells Fargo and ready to do likely two major international trips a year. Do agents make commission on this stuff and do you usually recommend travel insurance to our clients?

A – Our team has strong opinions on this one and we can easily ramble on about travel insurance. So let us summarize our response by offering

TEN THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT TRAVEL INSURANCE

01 – Each time anyone sells you insurance they are earning a commission that is built into the price.

02 _ Travel insurance is expensive – the cost on many policies is now between 8-10%. If your insurance is 7% or less of the total value of the trip you have gotten an insurance “deal”.

03 – Do not compare policies or look for “deals”. Insurance companies are never on your side. But some have a reputation to maintain and they do not want to lose the business of multi-billion travel agency groups. Your travel consultant should know, from personal experience, which insurer is best for you. If you are using a travel advisor for the first time, test them by asking them to summarize why they recommend a specific company or policy for your specific trip.

04 – As a general rule, avoid supplier-issued insurance. You will normally get better coverage and stronger advocacy from an independent policy. There are many exceptions to this rule and they include AMA Waterways, Tauck Tours, and Disney Cruises and Land Tours.

05 – One advantage of a private versus supplier travel insurance policy is that private policies are age-based, so if you are under 65, you may get far more reasonable premiums than travelers in their seventies or eighties. Supplier issued policies are not age-based so the fees for more mature travelers are figured into the total premium cost.

06 – Check with your home insurance agent to determine your level of insurance when you travel internationally. It’s probably worthless but do check.

07 – If you have Medicare or work-related insurance, we are less likely to recommend the absolute need to take out insurance for travel in the United States.

08 – Unless you are a Bernie Sanders supporter, you likely feel that insurance companies are entitled to make all the money they can. Yes, 8-10% of your total trip cost is rather obscene, but that should not prevent you from insuring travel to Asia, Africa, South America, Antarctica, and southern Europe. If you are traveling in Northern Europe hope that you get sick in Scandinavia. We would never recommend that you travel anywhere outside the United States, with the exception of Canada, without carrying some form of trip cancellation and medical coverage. And if you’re travelling to Asia, and want to visit an island, the use of Borneo Eco Tours is perfect for this since it has insurance cover.

09 – Do not ever book travel insurance on the internet. If you have a claim, your travel consultant can be your advocate if a claim is unjustly denied.

10 – The single biggest financial hit you can get while traveling overseas is medical evacuation by helicopter or medical aircraft. Do make note of how much coverage you receive for this eventuality. If you receive less than $50,000 in medical evacuation coverage, walk away from the policy.

Q –  Given that I am a  multi-state franchise territory manager, I guess you could say I’m a very frequent flyer. As a large man, I’ve started noticing that sometimes my economy seat feels like I actually have a squoosh more room but for the most part, it seems like the seats are getting smaller. I was talking to another frequent flyer on a flight to Minneapolis last week and he swears the seats are, despite what the airlines might say, actually getting smaller. I told him I knew who to ask.

A – The web site, Seatguru.com actually studies this stuff and they have compiled some interesting statistics that clearly demonstrate that seats have been getting narrower in the back of the plane.

In the 1970’s, the average seat width on America’s major airlines was 18″. In the 1980’s, a rather competitive decade for the airlines, seating increased to 18.5 inches. But currently, seat average are down to 16.5 inches of width. Meanwhile, the average male passenger weighed 173 pounds. Today, the average male passenger weighs in at 196 pounds in a significantly narrower seat. So you are not imagining anything.

Airlines in the 1970’s flew at 70% capacity with 17 inches as the average seat width. Today, most airlines are maintaining 85% capacity loads.

Airbus has partnered with the London Sleep Center and determined that an 18 inch seat in coach will actually enable a passenger on a night flight to experience a “53% improvement in overall sleep quality”. As a result, Airbus has been calling for a mandatory 18″ seat width as industry standard.

If you want to understand how this all really works, look at a company called Recaro Aircraft Seating, a major industry player. They claim the airlines have been asking them to make seats that are both smaller and more comfortable. To achieve this, according to CNN, the company has slimmed down armrests to give passengers more room for their over-sized hips and they have moved the literature pocket above the tray table which, at least theoretically, increases leg room. They are also working with a netting material that clings to the body, replacing foam. This creates a bit more legroom.

But, the deal is that airlines can order seating tot heir own specifications and some airlines are more concerned with squeezing in so many seats that comfort is normally unobtainable. We see this on a 777 that is delivered with ten seats across in economy. The airbus 380’s always provide 18 inches of seat width in coach.

So – what to do about all of this. Well to assure the airline’s profits remain healthy we could all go on a nationwide fast and lose 100 or so pounds. But it might be easier to follow the seating charts on Seaguru.com to determine if you are flying in a seat that has been designed for maximum profit instead of maximum comfort.

Q – Really cool site and we love the lack of ads, pop-ups, and other distractions. We’re headed to Maui with our 9 and 11 year-old boys and we want to spend a day or two inland. We’ll be based in a family-suite at Kea Lani but would love just a few specific suggestions. Yes, we have used a travel agent and she has been quite helpful – up to this point.

A –  If you head inland make the Surfing Goat Dairy a planned stop. The kids can pet the goats, you can buy cheese, and get a tour of the farm.To get there. We also like the idea of a day on Lanai for kids. It has none of the commercialism of the other islands and is easily reached by day boat from the Maui Marina. Look into The Feast at Lele, a good quality luau that is less Las Vegas than many. Finally, consider taking the kids on a helicopter tour to Hana-Haleakala to fly over the crater.

With two kids you have likely rented a mini-van. Consider ditching it and opting instead for a convertible big enough for four. If you are doing the back roads of Maui you must be in a convertible or you will be viewed as “uncool”.

Q – We will soon be visiting Portugal. We were in our doctor’s office on Saturday and he mentioned that there was a fantastic, curvy, atmospheric tram ride through some interesting neighborhoods in Lisbon. But he he didn’t remember the name of it. He couldn’t remember if it was orange or yellow. Actually, he’s not even sure if it was Madrid or Lisbon – this was about ten years ago. Anyone on your staff who might know about this?

A – Well our first thought was that we hope you are not seeing this doctor for help with memory loss.

You want to catch the #28 tram that runs between the quite hilly Alfama District to the Prazeres Cemetery. This is an old, old route and the cars reflect that. They are painted a bright yellow and have wood interiors. There will be lots of close turns down narrow streets. It’s a great ride and should not be missed by anyone visiting Lisbon.

Q – Although I appreciate that this site deals with upscale travelers, there are those of us in our thirties who can afford to travel well. But to do so, I would want to use my iPhone for payments. It’s just easier. How do I do this?

A – Yes, we understand. Taking a credit card out of your billfold is just so damn time-consuming. If the Apple Pay machinery is working properly, you might save two seconds. Delta Airlines is the only major airline currently on-board with Apple Pay. But you have to access it through their “Fly Delta App” so there goes the two seconds.

We think you will see other airlines quickly following Delta’s lead. In 2016 it is estimated that about 18% of all online airline bookings will be made via smartphone technology. This means that everyone is being trained to squint at flight schedules at fares in the palm of their hand. The airlines love this because it cuts their distribution costs. This is not good news for online travel agencies who, of course, have their own smartphone apps.

The consumer meanwhile will look back wistfully and recount stories for their grandchildren about the time they actually got to deal with a human being when making flight reservations.

Q –  I thought I’d reach out to you for suggestions to extend a Scandinavian trip for next summer already booked. We are considering having our kids  fly to Stockholm to meet us and then spending a week in Sweden, just the four of us. We are active, nature loving, travel veterans and usually enjoy avoiding cities and renting a house or cozy inn in a smaller town with easy access to the outdoors. I’m guessing Sweden has neat towns on pretty lakes but I could use a little direction. The alternative, or additional, thought is to head up north to check out Lapland since it is so unique. Our travel time is July 28th – August 6th and we probably wouldn’t want to go more than 2 places in that time. We usually do the travel planning ourselves, how does working with an agent work in terms of fees work out?

A – We think that either destination could work well for six days or so. There are some transportation issues in Lapland, but those can be overcome.

The answer to your question is simple – all of the years that you have been making your own arrangements you have been paying a 10-15% supplement for a travel consultant’s services. It is in everything you ever bought. If you demanded a refund of that money after the booking was made, then you have not been ripped off. Otherwise, you have consistently been charged for services you never received. When we arrange  a tour or a cruise, we have never had to charge   fees of any kind. It is always part of the supplier’s price.

In any other industry we suspect, this would be considered fraud, the idea of being charged for consulting and processing services that the hotel, airline, cruise line etc. never provided. But in travel it is accepted practice. It is one of the industry’s dirty little secrets.

Now there is one exception to the rule above. If you ask us to craft a vacation experience especially for you, using the best available guides, vehicles, and planners, we work with a mark-up in the 30% range. That is rather standard but it often goes higher. But that is only when hours of work are devoted to creating something unique for you and your family.

Lapland is a location where both Sweden and Norway-based travel firms handle arrangements. You can book directly and save some substantial planning fees.

Most of the better travel agencies in the States have consortium affiliations with top-level travel firms in Sweden. They can  create a wonderful private experience based entirely on your likes and dislikes using properties that will please you and one-of-a-kind experiences. But in Sweden, this can get fairly expensive.

Lapland Highlights

This is a remote wilderness stretching north of the Arctic Circle, that is a part of Finland. Lapland has always had an air of mystery about it, not least for its climatic idiosyncrasies—the omnipresent Midnight Sun of the summer months, the perpetual twilight of winter and, of course, the dazzling spectacle of the Northern Lights.

Blanketed with snow from September to April, Lapland is one of our  ultimate winter destinations for families.  Just imagine a vacation where your kids  can visit the official home of Santa Claus, whiz through the snow on a snowmobiles, ride a husky-pulled sled past herds of wild reindeer, then bed-down in an atmospheric ice hotel.

The decision to have a travel agent do personal trip planning on your behalf is a delicate ratio of expertise versus cost. The public is generally unaware of the high mark-up tour operators attach to arrangements for individuals. Tours and packages that reflect group savings can be of high quality while coming in at a substantially lower cost. Your travel consultant needs to be a travel traffic cop – directing you toward the best options for each component of your trip. This is particularly necessary when considering travel to Scandinavia and the areas surrounding the Arctic Circle.

So, bottom line: One of world’s top destinations for families – but comes at a high price for ice.

Q – We’ve been looking at several ways to do  Australia and New Zealand including cruising on Seabourn or Crystal, or possibly doing a land tour like Tauck’s 20-Day Grand Australia and New Zealand. You seem high on Tauck as a company and wondering what you think of their A/NZ trip? By way of background, I’m a scriptwriter in the LA area and I’ll be traveling with my wife who is a radiologist. Both mid-fifties, not especially well traveled, good health, love walking and seeing as much as possible when we travel. Both into photography and I don’t mean iPhone snaps. Price not really an issue. Mingle well with other humans but like quiet moments. And, finally, as I suspect you have already guessed, really into wine and experiencing some great stuff from both countries, particularly Syrahs. Likely our only trip to this part of the world so we want to choose the best option. Neat site.

A – Short of doing a personalized designed trip, which we would recommend if you were going to be joined by several friends, the Tauck Tour is going to be your best option. You will see far more of each country than you would trying to do a cruise. Sailings that include both Australia and New Zealand need to incorporate several wasted days at sea. Some of the best locations in each country are inland. The Tauck program gives you eight full days in New Zealand and only includes one single-night hotel stay so you are seeing a great deal and not unpacking every night. You will be able to dine by yourselves even while dining in a restaurant with the group. That is an important Tauck benefit. To maximize your photo ops with the disposable camera you use, and to truly assist the Australian and New Zealand vintners with their bottom line, the tour is clearly the better option. If you’re someone who is into the food and scene of Australia, you should try out the Swan Valley Wine Tours. They offer a unique and luxurious way try wine and tour around beautiful vineyards in a limousine.