Is Airbnb Good for America? Or Does it Worsen the Housing Shortage? New York's Attorney General Takes the Negative View—And May Prevent You from Using Airbnb
Posted on 10/28/2014, 11:30 AM
In a thick and detailed report given considerable publicity last month, the Attorney-General of New York State has declared war on the popular website service that seeks to obtain low-cost apartments for touristic visitors to big cities. And though his threat to prosecute Airbnb and its partners is limited, obviously, to New York State, his threats could eventually induce other...
Sundays Replace Tuesday As the Day to Book Airfares, and More Savvy Advice From An Expert Source
Posted on 10/26/2014, 4:45 PM
You may have never heard of the Airline Reporting Corporation but you've likely purchased a ticket it has had its "virtual fringerprints" on it. That's because the ARC serves as the middleman between thousands of travel agencies and the airlines. In 2013, the ARC (according to its website) "settled $86 billion worth of carrier ticket transactions". Translation: the people who work here kno...
Iceland is Hot! New Flights, New Airlines, New Campaigns Make the Little Country Cheap to Visit
Posted on 10/23/2014, 1:00 PM
Hallgrimskirkja, Reykjavik Iceland is having quite the moment. The small, mostly treeless volcanic island nation in the north Atlantic has always been breathtakingly beautiful—powerful falls of pure water, otherworldly vistas of onyx volcanic stone, geysers, crisp light and air—but this week it's suddenly the center of attention again, and that means tourists may begin to flow there in i...
Government Official Blames 'Cheaper Tourists' For Their Own Deaths in Terrible Avalanche: Is That Fair?
Posted on 10/20/2014, 12:30 PM
"Summit Day" on the Annapurna Circuit, Nepal Last week in Nepal, avalanches hit Annapurna Circuit of the Himalayas. So far, more than 40 have been confirmed dead, with hundreds more still unaccounted for. In a statement that will no doubt rouse many budget travelers, Mohan Krishna Sapkota, spokesman of Nepal's Tourism Ministry, claimed those to blame for the death count were “cheaper...
These Three Newly Announced High-Design, Lower-Priced Hotel Brands Are the Future of Budget Travel
Posted on 10/15/2014, 1:15 PM
Prototype room of the new Hub by Premier Inn Almost as if they knew their core product is losing appeal with a significant sector of the hotel-going public, three major hotel giants have announced new higher-concept offshoots that promise to be markedly cheaper and include more useful free extras than their parent brands. • Hilton has announced something called Canopy by Hilton...
Though Domestic Tourism Remains Placid at Home, Several Foreign Locations—Morocco, Thailand, The Philippines, Hong Kong Among Them—Are Presenting Real Problems
Posted on 10/11/2014, 3:00 PM
This past week has been a rather slow time for travel within the U.S. We've had no really major events, no new fees and charges from greedy airlines and hotels, no unusual new policies, no giant price increases. But overseas, in all sorts of exotic places, this has been a rather troubled time, presenting special problems for adventurous travelers. The big news continues...
Rooms in New York City and Los Angeles Reduced to $100 to $200! Here's How and When to Book
Posted on 10/10/2014, 11:30 AM
A well-known travel industry public relations firm has once again announced the deals in its annual Hotel Week promotion, which drums up business for its clients during low season weeks that are normally quiet. Compared to last year's promotion, more hotels are charging $200 instead of $100, but if you know anyone about New York City, you know that $200 is still a very agreeable rate com...
Munching Your Way Through Melbourne History: The Queen Victoria Market
Posted on 10/08/2014, 10:15 PM
Sydney, The Reef and the Rock: those are the three “constellations” that shine most brightly in Australia’s tourism firmament. But there’s a good argument to be made that Australia’s second city, Melbourne—which at one time, due to an 1850’s gold rush, was the continent’s most celebrated metropolis—shouldn’t be overlooked. Built far later than Sydney (the mid-1800’s rather than the 1700’s), ...
A 5-Night Vacation Next Month for $159! Plus a Bunch of Other Cruise Deals for National Cruise Vacation Week
Posted on 10/08/2014, 10:30 AM
Coral Princess at night. Photo credit: Princess Cruises We periodically ask our friends at AllThingsCruise.com to tell us about the best bargains in cruises at the moment. Here's what they suggested, where to book them, and what, in the opinion of the sellers, makes each one a steal. Most of these vacations are for after the turn of the new year, but there's one for a 5-night trip n...
Marriott Urges Guests to Tip Housekeepers to Overcome the Shortfall of Inadequate Wages—Say What?
Posted on 10/07/2014, 11:00 AM
Marriott is placing pre-printed envelopes in 160,000 rooms to encourage guests to express "gratitude" to its workers in the form of cash. The initiative, called The Envelope Please, purports to be about making hotel workers feel "seen and validated" and less "overlooked." In its press releases touting the initiative, Marriott did not exactly say that we ought to tip because its workers are un...
