A Wholly Unexpected Outbreak of Violence in a Famous Resort City Has Reawakened Fears of Vacationing in Mexico
Posted on 05/12/2015, 11:00 PM
The city is Puerto Vallarta, on Mexico’s Pacific Coast. The incident is a now-subdued battle between various drug gangs and the local police force, in an area of that city far removed from normal tourist activities. The brief violence, which apparently has now ended, would probably have not come to the attention of most Americans had it not been for the reaction of three well-known cruise ...
At Last: A Big and Well-Financed New Airline is About to Charge Budget-Level Prices for Round-Trip Flights Across the Atlantic
Posted on 05/12/2015, 5:00 PM
A major recent development has been the decision by the low-cost trans-Atlantic airline called Norwegian to greatly increase the number of flights it offers from both New York City and Los Angeles to London’s Gatwick Airport. A year-or-so ago, that well-financed (Norway is a rich country, enjoying offshore oil fields) airline entered the trans-Atlantic market rather gingerly, testing the demand...
This Haunting Record of Georgia's Forgotten Country Churches Could Inspire an Unforgettable Road Trip
Posted on 05/12/2015, 3:30 PM
Friendship Baptist, cir. 1831, Wilkes County, Georgia, from HRCGA.org Now and then, we discover a homegrown website that celebrates a topic we'd never thought about much before, and before we know it, we're plotting a new trip. That's the effect HRCGA.org had. It stands for Historic Rural Churches of Georgia, and it's an elegant compendium of the most charming, the most quaint, the most ...
New York City’s Latest Culinary Trend Is One That Your Mother—And Your Cardiologist—Will Approve Of
Posted on 05/08/2015, 6:30 PM
About five years ago came the parade of pork, in every form under the sun, the fattier the better. That trend was followed by the “Cronut” phenomenon: normally sane people getting up at 4 am or earlier to wait online in front of a tiny bakery to taste an unholy marriage of croissant and donut. But since New York City taste buds often set the agenda for what’s eaten across North America—don’t be...
The Views Expressed in a Recent Gathering of the Editors-in-Chief of Our Nation's Travel Magazines, Are a Reason for Dismay
Posted on 05/08/2015, 11:00 AM
It is a long-established practice for the leading publication in the travel industry, Travel Weekly, to conduct an annual symposium of the Editors-in-Chief of America's major travel magazines. In a conference room or restaurant hired for that purpose, these journalistic eminents respond to questions posed by Travel Weekly's editor, Arnie Weissmann, and then comment on each other's responses. W...
The Lessening of Competition Among Our Newly Giant Airlines, and the Resulting Increase in Airfares, is a Troubling Situation That Might Require Legislative Action
Posted on 05/06/2015, 7:30 PM
Over the past twenty years, as one U.S. airline merged with another, reducing the number of major carriers to exactly four (United, American, Delta, and Southwest), we were always told not to worry. In press releases issued by the new behemoths of the air, we were reassured that all was for the best; that the new giants would compete harder than ever before, thrilling us with their barg...
Though Round-Trip, Transatlantic Airfares to Europe this Summer are Almost Always Priced in Excess of a Thousand Dollars, A Few Means Exist for Cutting that Cost
Posted on 05/01/2015, 1:00 PM
A massive number of Americans are planning to cross the Atlantic in the next several months, to take advantage of a stronger U.S. dollar (and weaker Euro). But while they will all enjoy the lower cost of traveling within Europe, they will commiserate about the high cost of flying to Europe from the U.S. Some of these avid travelers will chance upon a low air fare after ...
A Whole Host of Travel Disclosures, Events, or New Travel Services Can Have an Impact on Your Own Next Vacation
Posted on 05/01/2015, 12:45 PM
In a recent announcement, the U.S. State Department has found a slight improvement--a very slight improvement--in safety conditions for American tourists going to Mexico. Twenty of the 31 Mexican states are still found to be either unsafe or iffy in terms of safety. But all of the major Mexican resorts and heavily-visited urban areas and attractions—Cancun and the Yucatan Peninsula, the Maya Ri...
Which Frequent Flyer Program Is the Best for Actually Redeeming Miles? A Massive New Study Provides Some Answers
Posted on 05/01/2015, 10:30 AM
We have to give thanks to Consumer Reports, which has done the heavy lifting on this one, completing a study of some 70 million passenger in the last year has yielded important data on which frequent flyer program actually is allowing flyers to bag free flights. The study looked at the 25 most popular "award routes" and also came up with a value for seats on those flights, airline by airline. H...
The Hotel Mini-Bar Is Dying Out. New Figures Reveal a Chill in Its Popularity
Posted on 04/30/2015, 1:30 PM
When was the last time you bought something from the hotel mini-bar? For most casual vacationers who aren't billing hotel charges to a business expense account, the answer is probably difficult to recall. Never? You're not alone. According to Priceonomics.com, PKF Hospitality Research has found that revenue from hotel room mini-bars has dropped off a cliff: down 28% since 2007. Th...
