Disney Just Raised Prices on a List of Things—by More Than Twice the Inflation Rate
Posted on 10/11/2023, 5:30 PM
Dwindling cash reserves, huge corporate acquisitions to pay off, crazy costs to lift the Disney+ streaming service off the ground, boardroom battles . . . the Walt Disney Company sure is dealing with a lot of financial woes right now.It's a good thing Disney has vacationers to milk for cash!Open your wallets, travelers, because that's where Disney will make the magic it needs to save the castle.Dis...
California Bans Deceptive Resort Fees: See What's Affected and When
Posted on 10/09/2023, 5:00 PM
The resort fee dam is breaking.California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a new law, SB 478, that reins in the practice of slipping extra fees into travelers' bills.While some media coverage has portrayed the act as a "ban" on resort fees, the measure actually just enforces disclosure of the fees at all stages of a transaction. Now, any business, whether it deals in travel, concert tickets, or anythin...
No ETIAS Authorization Fee to Enter Europe in 2024 After All: More Delays
Posted on 10/05/2023, 1:30 PM
Proving that Americans aren't the only ones who have difficulties getting their border entry procedures in working order, Europeans have had to postpone introduction of their European Travel Information and Authorization System, or ETIAS, yet again. The new travel authorization process and entry fee were supposed to take effect in 2024. Before that, they were supposed to start in 2022. Then they...
Which Airlines Have the Worst Extra Fees? Someone Did the Math
Posted on 09/26/2023, 3:30 PM
Everyone knows that travel booking has become an industry of fake-outs and skullduggery, a netherworld of mounting hidden fees that only reveal themselves after you're deep into the reservations process. Buying travel is now a spendy striptease that bleeds accounts by a thousand cuts. The big airlines love to claim they "unbundled" core services like seat selection, checked baggage, and printing b...
Thinking of Renting an EV? You'll Need to Make These Adjustments to Your Plans
Posted on 09/14/2023, 7:15 AM
The major car rental agencies now offer electric vehicles (EVs) as part of their standard inventory, but knowing what it takes to operate an EV may not yet be a part of your own repertoire. At rental lots operated by Avis, Budget, Enterprise, National, and many others, EVs are being loaned to many drivers for the first time. You can practically hear the naive exclamations at the rental counters: I'...
What Are the Best Days to Fly This Holiday Season? CheapAir Predicts the Cheapest Flights
Posted on 09/06/2023, 10:00 AM
Airport traffic and airfares have been in constant flux for years now. Knowing the best days to book flights for the cheapest airfare has become something of a guessing game. But if you have to make a guess, at least make it an educated one. CheapAir is only a medium-sized travel agency in the global airfare selling game. But the company has been in business since 1989 and claims to track some 1...
The First Orlando Theme Parks Have Gone Cashless
Posted on 08/31/2023, 6:00 AM
The cashless revolution has reached Orlando. Five popular theme parks in Central Florida stopped accepting cash this week. Although the banishment of paper currency and coins has been advancing steadily for the past decade, plastic-only transactions made a huge leap toward dominance during the worst of Covid-19. SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment has been rolling out cashless payment systems at all...
America's Downtown Hotels Are Cheaper Right Now, but How Is the Neighborhood?
Posted on 08/24/2023, 7:00 AM
Across the United States, downtown business districts are hurting. Many former office workers continue to do a substantial share of their jobs from home, leaving entire blocks without functioning businesses. According to commercial real estate analytics firm CoStar, the U.S. is now saddled with an estimated 1 billion square feet of empty office space—a record high. The widespread vacancy is so en...
Fall Foliage in New England: What to Expect in 2023
Posted on 08/23/2023, 7:30 AM
It has been a rainy summer in New England, characterized by flash flooding in Vermont and the second-wettest July on record in Boston. What does that mean for the region's famous fall foliage displays? In 2022, scientists worried that a drought would result in a brief, less vibrant season of autumn colors. So can we conclude that the wet and muggy conditions of summer 2023 will lead to the opposi...
Minion Land Now Making Mischief at Universal Orlando Resort: Check Out the Videos
Posted on 08/11/2023, 6:00 AM
Minions, the animated yellow capsule creatures (think sentient Percocet pills, but adorable) from the Despicable Me cinematic universe, now have their own theme park area at Universal Orlando Resort in Florida. Officially open as of Friday, August 11, Minion Land (really more of a Minion Lane since it's actually a re-themed street area) is located on Illumination Avenue in the Universal Studios p...