The rest of Q&A |

THE BEST ATLANTIC CROSSING IN 2015

Q – After only a decade of talking about it, my procrastinating husband has finally agreed to take me on a crossing to or from Europe next year. Wait until he finds out he won’t be able to get ESPN on the ship. We want the best itinerary and ship and we’d love to have as many ports as possible. The world’s champion Pitt fan is retired now, so we can go anytime and we figure we can be away for about two weeks. Is there one particular sailing you would recommend?

A – Our favorite crossing in 2015 is going to be aboard the Crystal Symphony on August 30th from Amsterdam to New York City. This is before the Atlantic hurricane season on a five-star inclusive ship that can handle rough seas well. The 13-Night itinerary includes stops in Edinburgh (overnight), the Shetland Islands, the Farce Islands (Denmark), an overnight in wonderful Reykjavik, Iceland, and Nova Scotia. You can get an outside stateroom at heavily discounted pricing below $5,000 per person.
SAILING NOT CRUISING ANTARCTICA WOULD BE COOL

Q – We were directed to your site by another site. Looking for a ship or a company that supposedly will take you to Antarctica on an actual sailing boat. We can’t seem to find any information on this program and wondering if you could point us in the right direction. My wife and I are in our early fifties, we’re sailors, and we always select the most adventurous way to see a place. I think that doing Drake’s Passage on a sailboat would be just awesome.

A – This is a wild one but it does exist. Have your travel agent contact Natural Habitat Adventures. They have been using the 75-foot Australis, a true sailing vessel that is equipped for polar ice. The 17-Day Immex program normally goes out with eight passengers from Ushuaia down the Beagle Channel, along the coast of Argentina and then across the Drake Passage to the coast of Antarctica. There will be an on-board biologist and, if weather cooperates, you will be camping on absolutely deserted beaches. They charged $22,995 per person the last time they operated this voyage and that was not for the top accommodation. Get More Information here for best accommodation to enjoy youur holiday. This is easily a $50,000 + adventure. If you are on budget and hunting in search of a durable and high-quality tent, your search ends with ALP Lynx single person tent. Our researches thoroughly check its specs and passed it through the wringer before including this in our list. ALPS is not a novice brand in the manufacturing of backpacking tends, its designed products such as Zephyr is one of the top-selling products on Amazon. The Lynx does not differ much over Zephyr but its cost is significantly lesser. The single person backpack tent comparison comes in hands over $100 price range. The company did not cut the corners, nor integrated it with sub-standard features or manufactured with poor-quality material. By all means, it is on par with other backpacks. As long as the size is concerned, the backpack is only 2 foot 8 inches wide and 7.5 feet long. If you are a larger person, the size might not fit you well. Yes, you get extra space to store things inside, it is long enough for a larger person. The total weight of the backpack falls around 4-pounds, with 2-liter soda bottle thickness. With the Lynx Tent series, you do not need to be worried about the assembly. It adheres to a free-standing design, two aluminum built poles with Plyster ten fly resist water and UV damages. It comes with eight quality zippers, guy ropes, stakes, and one doorway to get inside or go out seamlessly. The vestibule area to store your gear is outstanding integration. It is one of the most notable differences between Zephyr and this. Lynx offers less space inside compare to zephyr but enough for a single person. Yes, the rainfly mesh is lesser, it would not withstand against cold weather, taken down by a bad-weather much easier. The storage features with mesh pockets and a gear loft are important sections to consider in a tent, so the Lynx comes integrated with all. If you are going to hit backcountry and weather forecast tells heavy rainfalls in that area, do not hesitate if you got Coleman Sundome Tent onboard. This is the best selling tent and comes in hands at the affordable price range. The Tent comes with WeatherTec patented system to protect you from soaking. Its welded corners and cover seams keep the water out from you, so you stay dry no matter how much rainfalls. Its large window and vents enhance ventilation and ensure you breath fresh air and stay cool all night. The ground vents push the warm air up and out from the tent, to render a comfortable sleeping experience. It comes with mesh pockets into the tent’s walls for easy storing of small yet, essentials like keys, glasses, watches and other stuff. The tent dimensions are 82.7 inches long, 59.1 inches wide and 47.2 inches height. Two persons can easily fit into it and spent time comfortably. It comes with a 1000D polyethylene floor that is of breathable style and protects campers from extreme weather with welded seams protections. It is coated polyester fabrics on the fly and even on the walls are durable and protects from rough weather conditions. It is easy to set up, one person can pull it up within 10-minutes. It integrates two windows and roof vents for enhanced ventilation, mesh roof also assist in easier ventilation to reduce overall condensation.
GOING TO TOKYO PRIMARILY FOR SUSHI. WHERE SHOULD WE EAT?

Q – We’ve got a situation where I have over a million miles on United and I will lose some of them if I don’t use them. My wife and I are sushi-lovers so we thought we’d do a fast round-trip from LAX for about a week of doing for lunch and dinner. We hope to take an advanced Sushi course so we have a real appreciation of this kind of dining when we return to Santa Monica. You seem tuned in to the best restaurants. What restaurants should we definitely include?

A – Ryugin is terrific and quite a modern take on classic sushi. Sukiyabashi Jiro is an incredible spot in the Ginza district made famous by the documentary “Jiro Dreams of Sushi.” and we think you should include Sushi Nakamara, considered by many experts to be the best in the city even though it is nearly impossible to find with zero signage.
DISAPPOINTED IN YOUR COVERAGE OF EBOLA

Q – We’ve been covering your site for some time and readily subscribe to most of your views. But you have been extremely cautious about even mentioning Ebola even though you must know it is on everyone’s mind. The reaction of our hospitals and our government’s confusion about how to protect us at home, must have an influence on Americans traveling abroad. Why haven’t you addressed this? Afraid people won’t travel if you do?

A – Actually, if you truly follow traveltruth you will note that our position has generally been that one should not travel if concerns about your vacation are serious enough to detract from your enjoyment of the trip. The travel industry, to date, reports very few cancellations by Americans traveling abroad. Travel from the US mainland to the west coast of Africa has not been very significant in the best of times.

Much of the news, and we think you might find better sources for your news than this travel site, concerns Americans paranoia regarding Ebola’s arrival in the US and the closing of our borders. One fact we think is worth noting: To date, more Americans have been married to Kim Kardashian than have died from Ebola. In fact, three times as many.
IS SEABOURN RIGHT FOR OUR TEENS?

Q – What a neat site. It’s like talking with a friend, perhaps a friend in the business. We’ve done some nice cruising but we’ve left our 17 year-old daughter and 14 year-old son back home with relatives. We are looking at a Seabourn European cruise to Greece next summer and wondering if we should bring the kids. Is there anything to do aboard the ship, particularly the Quest.

A – Thank you. You make our hearts soar like that of an eagle. We are less worried about the kids than we are about you and Dad. How will you feel when a bunch of rich, retirees, stare at the kids as though aliens have suddenly appeared in the dining room? If your kids are polite and well-behaved, there will be few issues. You are going to be off the ship pretty much all day. If you are traveling in the summer, there could conceivably be other aliens aboard the Quest.

If the kids are willing to dress properly, and if they would enjoy using the water sports marina at the back of the ship, it could be a win-win. But there will be stares. Some grumpy folks go on cruises choosing lines like Seabourn specifically because they offer no kids programs and cater to adults.

It is hard to be more specific without knowing your children well.
DO ESCORTED TOUR COMPANIES INCLUDE HOTEL TIPS?

Q – If I might put forward a question: when staying in a hotel arranged by the tour operator as part of the itinerary, are personal gratuities to hotel staff employees redundant? We realize that one can never give too much & have been generous, but remain uncertain as to proper & expected protocol. This isn’t a topic addressed by the tour operators themselves.

A – This tour tipping confusion is really quite common and we are very grateful you asked about it. Many tips are not included on upper-end tour programs as really exclusive travel firms like to discuss the fact that “tipping is a truly personal …..” Well that’s nice, but the real point is that the last thing a tour operator wishes to do is tell you about additional fees that are not included.

Tour companies vary in their policies. In terms of hotels, we would recommend that you assume that baggage handling, meaning tips to valet staff that bring bags to your room, is included. All other hotel services are generally not included in the tour price so tipping is advised. Your travel professional should give you a list of recommended tips. This information should be included in your documents. Pay little attention to what the tour operator materials say. Have your personal consultant brief you.

As we’ve mentioned on traveltruth elsewhere, the people who are most overlooked by Americans are those who need your tips the most – the hotel maids who clean the rooms including, ugghh, the TV remotes and the bathroom. An envelope with a note of thanks and a $5 to $10 per night tip in local currency is doing the right thing “traveltruth style”. You will likely be supporting a family that really needs help.
IRAN TOUR; SHOULD WE PLACE IT ON HOLD GIVEN LATEST INCIDENT?

Q – We are booked on a tour that will concentrate on the history of Persia (Iran). Yesterday, my local newspaper announced that several women have been attached by having acid thrown in their face for not dressing in the proper Islamic fundamentalist manner. The trip is in three weeks and we are seriously thinking of cancelling. What does your staff think we should do? Appreciate any help with this.

A – Clearly travel to Iran has its inherent risks. Eight women were harmed in the acid attacks, 1 of them died and several were blinded. They were all in or driving cars and had stopped to make a phone call or drop a friend off and two men came by on a motorcycle and threw the acid.

If it was us, we would still go… but we would stay with the group and keep our wits about us. The risk in and around hotels which cater to westerners and tourist sites are not being targeted. They will be traveling by bus, so the MO of the attackers would not be possible – plus authorities believe they have the assailants in custody.

The US and Australia have not posted travel warnings other than to say stay away from the borders with Afghanistan and Iraq. The UK’s language is stronger, but refers more to UK nationals being arrested in Iran for political reasons.

Likely, these resent attacks are the result of a new piece of legislation coming down on morality police/militias as the new regime tries to move in a more secular direction.

But please note our fundamental (oops sorry – perhaps the wrong term) feeling that if you are truly fearful about a trip you should cancel it immediately. A vacation ought to be something you look forward to, not a game of Survivor.
STILL WAITING FOR EBOLA UPDATE
Q – We have been debating cancelling our planned trip to South Africa next August. We read the comments from the fellow whose wife is spooked – you advised them to cancel their trip. But I am sure many of your followers would like a simple, up-to-date summary of where the Ebola problem stands in terms of future travel to Africa. We are from Manhattan and we don’t scare easily. And my wife is even more anxious to go than I am.

A – We are not going to give you the same advise we offered to the gentleman whose wife had real concerns about their trip. We think the following summary from Abercrombie & Kent summarizes the situation quite well:
- Africa is a vast continent. The Ebola outbreak in West Africa is thousands of miles from safari destinations in East and Southern Africa and there are no direct links by land.
- Commercial flights between West Africa and East Africa, and West Africa and South Africa have been suspended.
- Major European carriers – including British Airways and Air France — have suspended flights to West Africa so their planes are not picking up travelers from the region.
- East African and Southern African countries have introduced restrictions on entry for those who have passed through Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia.
- There have been no cases of Ebola in East or Southern Africa including Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
- Senegal and Nigeria have been declared by World Health Organization as free of Ebola virus transmission. Both countries had victims in the current outbreak of Ebola, but vigorous quarantine and contact tracing proved successful in halting the spread of the disease.
- Dakar, Senegal, is closer to New York (3,818 miles) than it is to Nairobi (3,865 miles) and Cape Town (4,100 miles).
- It’s important to keep in mind that Ebola is not transmitted through casual contact, but by direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person.
Every situation, every traveler, is unique. The ground operators in Africa will, of course, try to put the best face on it. But the facts speak for themselves. How interesting that Nigeria has eradicated the disease, but we’ve had two cases in the United States. Our problem is that many low-income individuals use local clinics or small rural hospitals in the United States. They are less well-trained in the handling of a serious epidemic than big city hospital centers with close ties to the CDC. People feel they want to run away from “Ebola” to be safe. The fact is that the United States does not qualify for the list of the world’s safest places – not even close. Other than “travel paranoia”, a disease you have not yet caught, we can;’t come up with a single good reason to cancel your upcoming trip.
LAKE BLED BEFORE I DIE

Q – We were going to sit down with a travel specialist and then we discovered traveltruth. I am Slovenian and I have had a rather charmed corporate life. I want to take my wife, who happens to be from Nicaragua, to Lake Bled, a place my father spoke about for years. I am sad to confess I’ve never been there. Rather than a tour, I would love to go on one of the small group Private Jet trips where everything is included. I do suffer from mild coronary disease and wonder if doctors go along on these trips? Is there anything you can recommend next year that would include Lake Bled.

A – You need to look carefully at TCS Expeditions Eastern Europe and Beyond by Private Jet Program departing from London on September 17th next year and returning to London on October 6th. This tour spends two nights in Ljubjana and you have the opportunity for a full day trip to Lake Bled. This tour visits Prague, Riga, Krakow, Moscow, Kotor, and Baku in Azerbaijan. The price, a relative bargain given the quality of the hotels being used, is $59,950 per person. And, yes, there will be a physician accompanying the group, something that is not automatic on around-the-world-by-private-jet tours. Private jet tours are easy on the body, much easier, than traditional commercial aircraft, train, or bus travel. You will see nine countries in 20 days and your longest flight segment will be two hours and forty-five minutes. Take care of yourself and hope this works out for you.
NEED SOME HELP: DO WE GO ON SCHEDULED SAFARI?

Every year thousands of tourists travel to Tanzania and Kenya in the hope of getting a glimpse of one of nature’s greatest phenomenons. It is one of the most spectacular sights you will ever witness, but it is one that is unpredictable and can vary wildly from year to year. The migration traditionally describes the movement of wildebeest from the Serengeti in Tanzania to the Masai Mara in Kenya, however climate has a big impact on the behaviour of these animals and their path is not strictly defined. To know more about wildebeest migration, you can check out on wildebeest migration map. The wildebeest move in relation to the availability of food, which is largely dependent on rainfall. During the rainy season, they are typically found on the plains in the south east of the Serengeti, moving to the woodlands in the north west during drier times.

Q – A co-worker turned me on to this site yesterday and I hope you can help me even though I am not a client. We’re booked with a well-known agency in Los Angeles. Our plans are to go on a safari taking in Kenya the Serengetti and the Masai Mara. We booked with a reputable travel agent through a very well-known tour operator and we are scheduled to leave in less than 90 days.

Our travel agent keeps telling us that travel to Kenya is not a problem and that it is a long way from the West African nations affected by Ebola. What would you do. We have been told we can still get out of it, but our agent insists it is safe. My wife is really worried about this and will be most anxious to read any reply you might provide. I have been pushing her all along to go on this trip. We understand that you are under pressure to say we should not try to get out of it.

A – Actually, we’re not. You don’t see any safari providers advertising on this site. In fact, our feeling is that you should postpone this trip. If you were sitting across from us, that is what we would advise.

Your travel agent is giving you generally correct information. The game parks in Namibia, Kenya and Tanzania remain free of any Ebola-related dangers. Namibia private luxury safari tours are advising you not to go for two specific reasons:

First, you are saying that your wife has anxiety and is worried. Case closed. A vacation is supposed to be totally enjoyable. Sure, there is nothing wrong with pushing your limits, but if you both can’t enjoy the pre-trip “high” that should precede any vacation, we think it is time to cancel. Your travel agent can come back and earn her commission another day. When it comes to vacation planning “Happy Wife – Happy Life” takes on some specific meaning. Don’t plan on going anywhere unless your wife is enthusiastic about the choice.

The second reason has less to do with Ebola than it does with some serious security services warnings about imminent danger in Nairobi from anti-western groups related to Al-Queda. This is just not a particularly safe part of the world. We do not have faith in the government’s ability to interrupt planned attacks on western interests or tourists.

Understand that ours is a minority view within the travel community. You might want to solicit other opinions.

Think about changing your itinerary to southern Africa where security is stronger and the game opportunities can be just as rewarding. Look at Botswana and Namibia in addition to South Africa. Travel safe.