The rest of Q&A

Q – My husband smokes cigars continually, has an eight handicap, runs a five million dollar auto-supply business and knows about 75% of the dialogue from the original Godfather movie. He’s big, loud, obnoxious, and a sort of typical Jersey guy. He’s a sweetie and I want to take him to Sicily as a surprise for his sixtieth Birthday. I don’t think he’d sit still for a tour or even a private guide, so I’d love it if  traveltruth could just tell me one or two villages where filming was done that he would immediately recognize. I’ll see if I can find him a big black Buick to rent over there. By the way – is it safe?

A –  It is safe but we would recommend that your husband not stand in the middle of the village square demanding that all “Mafioso” identify themselves. Start him out in Savoca, a town that Francis Ford Coppola loved. Many scenes that made it onscreen were filmed here. You have to stop at the Bar Vitelli. Your husband will recognize it and he will respect the patrons – he better. By the way, do not order a cappuccino. The drink of choice is a granite Siciliana. Then, we want you to go to a really old village called Forza d’Agro. The main square will be familiar.

To make all of this happen, try to stay at the Grand Hotel Timeo or Villa Sant’Andrea. They are both excellent Orient Express Hotels. Use our name.

OK? Now, we assume you know where to send the cannoli.

Q – OK, we’ve read your entire site, or 90% of it, and, wow!  Congratulations. So the one question we’re dying to know the truth about. All in, which cruise line is really the best in the world. And don’t be concerned about naming names – we won’t tell any of the other lines you work with.

A – No problem and thanks for agreeing to keep it to yourself. The best line overall is Hapag-Lloyd and their two ships, Europe 1 and Europa 2. In terms of service standards, luxury in every aspect of the cruise experience, and fine dining, they are the best at sea. We don’t think that asking you to learn to speak fluent German before selling you a cruise on this line is unreasonable. When it comes to cruising, as with automobile manufacturing, it boils down to the Germans and whoever is in second place.

Q – My husband and I, as well as our best friends, are all working with a great travel agent here in Pittsburgh on a cruise to Europe with Windstar. She has recommended several private shore excursions through her connections with the group she belongs to. They all seem wonderful but pricey. Our friends have gone online, and found similar sounding tours for about half the price. Is this something you think we should pursue?

A – Perhaps. Booking with someone you don’t know from an overseas office who may or not have drivers or guides under contract can be extremely risky. To protect yourselves, we would recommend that you be extremely specific as to the kind of guide you require, the kinds of experiences you will want, and the quality of the vehicle and driver who will take you around. It is also quite appropriate to request local references. A guide in Seville knows he or she will likely not see you again. It is generally best to search out arrangements where long-term relationships exist.

If saving money is an important concern, consider using public transportation or taxis to get into town and where you can do one of the many excellent walking tours organized by a company called Context Travel. That will assure you a comprehensive tour at a reasonable priced without any of the transportation mark-ups associated with private shore excursions. But we recommend this strategy only if you are seriously on a budget. Otherwise, stick with your agent because she has a vested interest in keeping you all entirely happy. And that is no little thing.

Q – There is all this media coverage of dirty hotel rooms, bed bugs, lousy security etc. But I am most concerned about touching something in my hotel room that will make me sick. Yuck. What do I Purell first and how do you know which hotels are the cleanest?

A – Start with the light switches and the Television remote. Then wash the water glasses you will be using in very hot water. Other than that, just know that there is a strong correlation between the average room rate and carefully monitored health and safety matters. Treat most pest infestations with buzzbgone. You would be correct in assuming that a five-star hotel is going to spend more on room cleanliness and on hotel security. They are also going to be able to provide more savvy, better trained staff. The average travel consumer still thinks that, somehow, hotel rates and cruise prices are exempt from the general rule that you usually get what you pay for. We think that room cleanliness and security issues, as well as guest demographics, are all reasons to use a top-rated property rather than a three or four-star “deal.”

Q – I know you are going to say it is extremely expensive, but my wife and I have decided that we are not going to be traveling with luggage when we connect with our Absolute Asia itinerary in Hong Kong. Could you give us the one or two best luggage firms to contact? Thanks so much – awesome site! If you were on Facebook we’d give you twenty “likes”.

A – Well we’re not, so save your thumbs. We prefer talking to human beings instead of clicking like apes in a language lab at MIT. Luggage forward services are fairly new so these firms do not have extensive track records and, yes, the marketshare is still so low that prices haven;t come down vcry much. That said, the two best firms seem to be “Luggage Forward” and “Luggage Free”. Make sure to get luggage tags before you send them off, that way it´ll be much easier to identify which ones belong to you.

Q – Just can’t fathom the way these cruise lines give and then take away. For the past year we’ve been getting mailers from Regent Seven Seas offering a Free Hotel Night before each of their cruises. Now, our agent tells us that she can’t get us the free night for our planned cruise on the Navigator to Alaska this July. Should we work with someone else – like your firm?

A – No, stick with your agent. She is giving you the correct information. Regent has had a change of heart and the Free Hotel night offer ends prior to the summer cruise season. The new policy is that only guests booked in Concierge level cabins and suites will continue to receive a complimentary pre-cruise stay. The changeover policy  takes effect on the following start dates:

Mariner – April 7 with Free Hotel beginning in Category E

Navigator – May 21 with Free Hotel beginning Category D

Voyager – June 2 with Free Air beginning Category E

On all sailings prior to those dates, the old program, meaning Free Hotel night in all categories, will still apply. You should, however, be aware that this program was never really “Free”. Regent guests have the option of taking a $500 credit off the price of their cruise if they do not use the “Free” Hotel night. Do factor in that the hotel night was a package that included baggage handling, transfers, breakfast, and all taxes so, in most of the areas where Regent sails, it was and remains a good value.

In Europe, particularly, simply securing the hotel space would be challenging for any cruise line. A little more than 50% of Regent guests have been using the program which means a minimum of accommodations for 350 guests per ship in the same property. This is a logistical nightmare that has kept other lines from imitating this extremely popular Regent innovation.

Q – We have have heard that people who travel out of the United States should carry clean, or fresh money. A friend of mine in Concord, says she literally irons her larger bills before going to Europe so they look more legitimate. This just sounds crazy to us. What’s the truth?

A – This is far less an issue in Europe than it is in Japan, China, and other parts of Asia. It isn’t that a rumpled twenty is not worth twenty dollars, it is more an issue of pride and cleanliness. Money that has been handled by many people is germ-ridden and it is never, ever cleaned.  In fact, dollar bills are generally the most toxic thing you will touch all day unless you work in the septic business or the state legislature.

The real issue is that paper bills that are soiled, tattered-looking, or just dirty, cannot be given as change to other customers in many parts of Asia. So they do not like to accept it. If you are running off to Europe for a week or two, we wouldn’t worry about it. But for longer trips, particularly those to the Middle East or Asia, we do advise our clients to request “new bills” from your bank when taking out cash for a trip abroad. Your bank will be happy to comply and, shockingly, they have not yet figured out a way to charge for this extra service.

Q –  My husband just retired three weeks ago and I can already tell you, I want out of this house. Wer’re going to start doing some long term travel planning and we are wondering if you are talking on new clients or if  you would be willing to recommend someone in the Little Rock area?  My first question has to do with China. What is the best way to see the most for the least amount of money. We want to tale it all in in about two or three weeks at the most. But we don’t want to travel deluxe, just moderately with nice, clean hotels. We’re in good health – I know you will ask about our health.,  I am a little hard of hearing. You’ll like us if you give us a try. We need some hand holding cause we don’t have passports yet and have never been out of the good old USA.

A –  You have to be careful in China because there is not much in the mid-range category that we can recommend. Local tour guides are often not paid anything, living on kickbacks from local stores they include in their touring. In the mid-price range we would suggest Pacific Delight Tours as a place to begin. But our response to your question is that we would strongly urge you to avoid a group bus tour in China in favor of a land cruise combination of the type offered by Viking River Cruises in China.

Viking’s China product rates higher than its European fleet and they have created a series of excellent land and Yangtze River cruise tours that will enable you to see and experience all of the major sites plus many along the river that will provide insight into rural life. The down side is that that  comprehensive sightseeing in included and you will be exhausted at the end of the trip.  In terms of your hearing, it is important to inquire as to whether or not the tour guides used by the company you are booking use individual headphone amplification. Many firms now do so that everyone in a group can hear what the tour guide is saying. Some of them have volume adjustments. We don’t mean that the guide speaks through an amplification system. We want you in a group where every tour member has their own headset with volume adjustments.

We have had a full house for the past decade, generally accepting new clients exclusively by referral from our nationwide roster of current clients. But we really want to help you start off on the best foot so we’ve forwarded a New Client Application for your use. If you prefer walking in to sit down with someone locally, we will be pleased to recommend the best person to help you in Little Rock. Tell your hubby we said “Congratulations on retirement.” We’ll figure out the best way to get you both out of the house from time to time.

Q – OK, we’re going to trust you with the most important portion of our October trip to Italy. On the last night of the trip, we are going to be staying in Verona, after a few days in Venice. This is a honeymoon of sorts and, if all goes well, we may actually consider getting married next year. White tablecloths and violins are not necessarily our thing. We’re all about the food. We will have a car. Where in Verona should we dine? Please help us with this. We will do whatever you recommend.

A – Thank you, we think, for the responsibility. We don;t want you to stay in Verona. Just about a half hour away, southwest, is the small village of Mantua and a wonderful family-run restaurant called Dal Pescatore. There are three generations of the family running this establishment and it was awarded its third Michelin Star in 1996. Nadia Santini, the chef, is the first female chef in Italy to achieve such distinction. I want you to call them immediately to secure a reservation and ask for the Tasting Menu. If you think of it, order a little extra Tortelli stuffed with pumpkin, amaretto, Parmesan, and Mostarda. Just ship the leftovers to us in dry ice.

Q – Our agent booked us into Cuzco for two nights before taking the train to Machu Picchu, where we will have a private guide for two full days. We are really excited about the history and the views that lie ahead. Any suggestions on what we should do with our time in Cuzco. This is a wonderful site but I think we’re among the last to discover it.

A – Hmmm. You have nothing to do in Cuzco but you have a private guide fror two days in Machu Picchu. That just sounds off to us. We would suggest you cancel the guide for one of the days in MP. Take the money and hire a private guide, instead, for part of your time in Cuzco.

We can recommend all sorts of ways to spend your time. But we want you to have “getting acclimated to the elevation” your primary goal. If you are young enough and strong enough to deal with that, we would suggest that you consider preparing for Machu Picchu by visiting one or two of the Inca ruins that are accessible from the city. The two most interesting are Sacsayhuaman and Quenko.

If no one has mentioned it, this is a trip you run by your personal physician before departing. There are a number of medications that do not get on well with the higher elevations. This trip will mean a great deal more to you if you put some readings about the Inca’s on your pre-departure schedule.