Another Batch of Hot Cruise Deals for Less than $100 a Day
Posted on 04/06/2014, 12:00 PM
Periodically, we ask our friends at AllThingsCruise.com to fill us in on 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. Unless specified, all prices are the lowest possible for an inside cabin, and they are based on double occupancy. These specials may include other extras such as on...
Another Batch of Hot Cruise Deals for Less than $100 a Day
Posted on 04/06/2014, 12:00 PM
Periodically, we ask our friends at AllThingsCruise.com to fill us in on 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. Unless specified, all prices are the lowest possible for an inside cabin, and they are based on double occupancy. These specials may include other extras such as on...
Though Many May Disagree, I Have Strong Opinions as to Where It is Currently Safe to Travel
Posted on 04/04/2014, 3:45 PM
Istanbul Is it safe? That's the question posed to their travel counsellors by countless Americans, as they ponder the choice of a destination. And there's no simple answer to any such question. Terrorists can pop up in the most placid places, violent demonstrations can occur in stable countries, natural disasters may injure or kill the most careful tourist. So I can't guarant...
All Throughout the Year, And Not Simply in Winter, Americans Enjoy the Varied Plesures of Some Seven Caribbean Islands--We'll Name Them--Among Others
Posted on 04/04/2014, 2:30 PM
Though spring, summer and early fall are decidedly "off-season" in the Caribbean, it's surprising to note how many Americans vacation there year-around. The biggest problem they face is choice; among dozens of islands, which to visit? Here are a few notable selections: Aruba is for beaches and casinos. It has some of the world's best oceanside strands--vast expanses o...
Airport and Airplane Etiquette: An Interview with "Mister Manners" Himself
Posted on 04/03/2014, 1:15 PM
In the hopes of restoring some decorum to air travel I decided to interview “Mister Manners”, Thomas Farley. Farley is the author of “Modern Manners: The Thinking Person’s Guide to Social Graces” and helms the website Whatmannersmost.com. After an appropriately gracious greeting, I grilled him with the following questions. Pauline Frommer: Why are manners particularly important when we fly...
Travelers Buying a SIM Card Abroad Faced with Web Censorship They Cannot Reverse
Posted on 04/01/2014, 4:30 PM
Travelers who purchase SIM cards for lower-cost mobile phone rates in the United Kingdom are finding their ability to surf the Web freely has been curtailed. All the big mobile phone providers now use the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) to judge which websites are "adult" themed and which are deemed pure for all eyes. By default, anything with an adult classification is blocked...
Four Summer Learning Vacations in the United States and Great Britain are Almost Guaranteed to Provide a Memorable and Decently Priced Experience
Posted on 03/23/2014, 1:15 PM
Because they usually sell out down to the last classroom seat, late April is regarded as the last time for deciding whether to attend one of four major learning vacations in America and Great Britain. With travel having recovered from its recession-based slump of 2008 to 2011, each of Cornell, Omega, St. John's and Oxford is full-up by that time. Oxford is perhaps the first to turn ...
Jogging While on Vacation Just Got Easier Thanks To Two Helpful Websites
Posted on 03/23/2014, 12:00 PM
The spring before last, I headed to France and to a series of hotels that didn't have usable gyms. So though I have a love hate relationship with running---sometimes I love it, more often it gives me hives, quite literally, on my darn legs (Why IS that?)--I hit the pavement. All went fine in Nice, a city I know well, but on my second outing in Aix en Provence, I came back to one of the round...
Our Lack of Adequate Rail Transportation in America is Condemning Us Not Simply to Discomfort and Inconvenient Travel, But to Slow Economic Growth
Posted on 03/22/2014, 11:15 AM
This is how they do it in Europe. In America, passenger trains are one step above freight. We are facing a grave transportation crisis in America. All across the nation, one small town after another has lost its air service, abandoned by carriers that find no profit in their traffic. On huge swaths of the country, people are confined to the automobile as their sole means of rea...
Some Miscellany of Travel: From Student Discounts to Mountain Resorts to Mexican Towns Attracting American Retirees
Posted on 03/21/2014, 1:00 PM
Although the change hasn't yet been officially announced, we have definite word that the well-known STA (Student Travel Association) will be raising the age limit for their services from 26 to 30. Starting immediately, young people who are no longer students, but are less than 30 years of age, will be permitted to take advantage of STA's "student discounts" on airfares, tours, hotel stays, pac...