The Meanest Roads in America: More Public Highways Bleeding Tourists with Cashless Tolls
Posted on 08/12/2013, 4:15 PM
They're the meanest roads in America.If you haven't taken a road trip vacation in the last few years, you're in for a rude shock. More states are implementing what's called "cashless tolls," which require vehicles to carry transponders that roadside sensors debit with the price of tolls. While cashless tolls have sped up traffic on many commuter routes, some states have unwisely and uncharitably ad...
Way To Stay Classy, Ryanair! Wait Until You Hear What's In The Airline's Training Manuals
Posted on 08/11/2013, 12:15 AM
The same airline that once declared it would install pay toilets (that didn't happen), has been instructing its flight attendants to avoid making change for passengers when they buy a snack from the onboard trolley (that did happen). According to the UK's Daily Mail newspaper, Ryanair flight attendants were given a manual on how to boost revenues during flights. In a copy obtained by the new...
Whether to Buy a "Chip-and-Pin" Credit Card for Your Next European Trip, Is an Increasingly-Hard Decision to Make
Posted on 08/10/2013, 11:45 AM
A European credit card employing modern "chip and pin" technology, is clearly superior to the old-fashioned "magnetic stripe" credit cards issued to Americans. But is it worth the time and expense to equip yourself with a "chip and pin" card for your next trip to Europe? That's a hotly-disputed question. My own one-time experience in buying a "chip and pin" card was not a good...
Here's a Fast Stab at Choosing the Five Best Bargain Vacations for the Immediate Months Ahead. Have We Missed Any?
Posted on 08/09/2013, 1:30 PM
Although their prices may vary from month to month, five packaged holidays remain so uniformly cheap in all months as to provide the basis for an impulse vacation--a sudden decision to take advantage of an eye-opening bargain. Here are our choice of five vacation opportunities that cause you to suddenly go on vacation: (1) Mediterranean cruises on Norwegian Cruise Line and MSC Cruises...
Looking Ahead to Fall Travel: Places To Head and Strategies for Saving Money
Posted on 08/08/2013, 2:00 PM
Forget what your kindergarten teacher taught you, at least where travel is concerned. There aren’t four seasons, there are three: high season, low season and the period we’re about to enter, shoulder season, which combines reasonable costs with sunny skies. Actually, scratch that. There are even fewer seasons now, according to search engine Hipmunk.com’s CEO Adam Goldstein. “The airlines thin...
Americans traveling within Russia must now be aware of new laws that criminalize "pro-gay propaganda"--and threaten them with imprisonment or worse
Posted on 08/02/2013, 1:45 PM
Although it has received only spotty mention in the press, the recent enactment by Russia of legislation limiting free speech, seems important to me--and of especial relevance to travel and tourism. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed both laws last month, and already a group of Dutch film-makers traveling within Russia (to make a film about sexual orientation in that country) have b...
Gambling for Freebies: What You Need to Know If Your Vacation Will Include Time at a Casino
Posted on 08/01/2013, 9:30 PM
Gamblers are a superstitious lot. They know that only a rube counts his money at the table, walks in the main door of a casino or whistles as he cranks the one-armed bandit. But even the most hardened cardsharp will tell you it takes little luck to finagle freebies from casinos. Having a plan can help, though. “What people don’t understand is that they’re going to have to do more than go in a...
A British Businessman Dreams Up a Fantastical Fake Restaurant, Submits it to a "User-Generated Website", and Watches His Invention Climb up a List of Popular Eateries
Posted on 07/30/2013, 3:30 PM
Angered by what he regarded as a fake criticism of his friend's hotel, a British businessman has devised the practical joke of the year. It is described in the July 30 edition of London's Daily Telegraph, and left me howling with laughter. The restaurant he dreamed up was named "Oscar's", and supposedly occupied a "phantom class" sea vessel that moved with the tides from place to p...
The Wonders of Alaska (In One Relatively Compact Area): Meet the Kenai Peninsula
Posted on 07/30/2013, 9:45 AM
Alaska is massive. Intimidatingly so. Transpose its outline on a map of the lower 48 United States and its north-south boundaries would stretch from Mexico to Canada, poking up around Winnipeg and dropping down to Tijuana. For many visitors, trying to forge their own path in this vast, and often road-less, land is simply too scary. And so a good 60% of the state’s tourists opt for a cruise. I...
The How To's of Choosing the Right Broadway Show to See
Posted on 07/25/2013, 10:30 AM
During the 2012-2013 theatrical season, some 11.6 million people attended Broadway shows in New York City, more than the attendance at the games of all of the city’s major league teams combined. That statistic comes via the Broadway League, which also notes that Broadway shows netted $1.14 billion in grosses. Which leads to an admittedly rude question on my part. It’s no secret that going to ...
