A Warm Welcome to The Nation’s Most Respected Travel Q&A Site.
We suspect you are busy and we appreciate your visit:
Here is a fact: The three largest categories of web site visits account for almost 80% of all of the hours spent by Americans on the internet: They are, in order of the number of visits and time spent, Gambling – Pornography – and Travel Searches. We can’t do anything about the first two, but we can do our best to offer one travel site that does not insult your intelligence. This is a site for educated adults who are tired of years of travel hype aimed at naive budget travelers.
You don’t want flashing lights and phony “sale” prices all designed to lure you in. You don’t want a song and dance. You don’t want fake content written PR firms disguised as travel writers or cloying articles that are, essentially, payback for free vacations. You certainly don’t want some commission-based travel agent bothering you. You don’t want to filter through hours of travel drivel to find a kernel of truth. And you certainly don’t want your travel questions interspersed with meaningless chatter from self-proclaimed “critics” whose credentials you cannot certify, many of them paid marketing shills using e-mail aliases.
You can count on the fact that no one here is trying to sell you anything. You will never receive any unsolicited communication from us. Ever. There is nothing to purchase on this site. There are no links or pop-ups. This is, likely, the only consumer-driven travel site you have ever visited that will not accept advertising or money from advertisers or suppliers. We think it is impossible for any travel site to really be honest with the consumer if it is accepting payment from the very people it is reviewing.
We’ve been in business for thirty-one years, our phone numbers are unlisted, we’ve won all the awards and accolades that count for anything in this industry. That includes being named the “World’s Best Luxury Cruise Specialists” by Conde Nast Traveler for the past fourteen years. We do not need to use this site to troll for new business. You will, in fact, need to reach out to us and complete a Profile if you ever wish to initiate a long-term relationship with our firm.
In our current environment, the travel consumer is bombarded by misinformation and outright lies on a daily basis. Bait-and-switch “from $499” ads are the rule – not the exception. A half-inch is defined as “extra legroom” and a moldy hot tub may be a “luxurious spa”. Google virtually any travel-related topic, from hotel properties to destinations and you are smothered in a sea of tens of thousands, perhaps millions of ads disguised as information. No one seems willing to help. Everyone wants your credit card number. Travel does not have to be about lies, hype, or ads that treat you like a child. But a travel site for intelligent adults seeking honest travel advice should not be that hard to find. Travel is not a commodity to be sold at Costco next to the frozen peas. We’re talking about people’s dreams, some of the best experiences of their lives. You are entitled to professional consultation free of bias and always offered on a complimentary basis.
Travel industry marketing is predicated on the assumption that the consumer is not smart enough to figure out that all of the top tier travel agents receive exactly the same pricing on cruises, tours, safaris, and even hotel rooms. The “travel truth” is a rare and precious commodity. The world’s real “top-rated cruise line” is unknown to the vast majority of cruisers because of its limited ad budget.
Our mission is simple: We strive to be the most unadulterated, truthful, and industry knowledgeable travel site in the world.
Meet Our Editor Richard Bruce Turen
Richard is a graduate of an American Indian College with a major in History. He received an MBA in International Relations before pursuing a Doctoral program in Political Science at the University of Maryland. He has been a soda jerk, a nightclub bouncer, a stand-up comedian, a college instructor in Political Science, a teacher, the Founder and Headmaster of an American School in Tuscany, a syndicated travel and food columnist, host of a travel talk cable TV series that ran for fourteen years, a cruise line executive during the Love Boat years, author of three books on Travel and Restaurants, and a syndicated restaurant reviewer. He is currently the Senior Contributing Editor at Travel Weekly, the industry’s most respected travel industry publication. Richard and his wife Angela launched a new type of vacation planning firm, Churchill & Turen Ltd., in 1987. Since its launch, Churchill & Turen has won more “World’s Best Travel Specialists” Awards than any other travel firm in the United States. The Turen’s have been named “Top Worldwide Producers” for the $26 Billion Virtuoso Luxury Travel Group three times. They currently have clients in 48 states and seven countries who utilize their services to plan upscale cruise and tour vacations worldwide. Last year, 91% of their services were offered on a complimentary basis. There are currently five web sites in the C&T Media Group. All offer ad-free-hype free content that is unavailable elsewhere. The C&T Media Group accepts no financial support for any of its content. Churchill & Turen does not employ travel agents, outside sales agents, or commissioned salespeople. The firm’s award-winning Concierge Team includes extremely talented salaried employees whose only job is assisting guests to achieve the best possible cruise vacation outcomes.
