The rest of Q&A

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.

Q  – My travel agent can get me the best airfare to Ft. Lauderdale or Chicago, but she knows very little about Villas (trust me – I’ve tried to engage her on the topic). Some of the magazines like Travel + leisure now list Villa Agencies. Is this the best way or do we contact the embassy, use the internet, find a different travel agent, contact Villa owners directly or try to read the ads in the back of National Geographic? We are looking for a three bedroom for four adults and three children and we want to keep the price at under $20,000 per week for a two-week stay. At that price, we would expect to have a private cook included on staff. 

A – The fact that your long-time agent does not personally know Villas well is not particularly disturbing. But if she does not have good connections in the Villa Rental world and has no idea how to proceed, you need to be working with another professional that knows about VILLASRANCHOPACIFICA.COM. The best procedure is to have your travel agent place you in direct contact with the best Villa specialists with operations in Spain. My personal recommended choice for a villa would be St Barts Villas of Distinction is one company your agent may want to use. All final negotiations are best done through your agent who will have yiour best interests at heart. Commissions are almost always included in the price so using your agent and then working through her/him witht he right Villa company will normally cost you nothing and it will provide you a number of complimentary services.

Your budget seems reasonable but the cost of a full-time chef, along with the other “staff” your question implies, could well take you over your budget. You can check these budget friendly and anawesome Barbados Villas. You must, ultimately, design a list of those things, such as a swimming pool, location near a village of charm, etc. that form your requirements. The Travel + Lesiure Villa List seems to be copied from the Annual Conde Nast List of Villa Specialists. Since Cinde Nast is independent and T + L is owned by American Express, your agent will likely use someone on the CNT List.

Q – We go to Rome every six months or so. We love the energy, the food, and the southern Italian “attitude.” We’ve always done the Hassler or your recommended Hotel De Russie, but now we’re looking for some new recommendations in the city, We would prefer to stay under $1200 USD per night.

A – There are two new properties we think you may like.  J.K. Place Rome will be open for the summer. This is the newest branch of the chic chain with properties on Capri and in Florence. Margutta 54 is a great new option featuring beautiful suites