Tagged: coronavirus

6 Secrets for Getting a Travel Company to See Things Your Way

I admit, I have an unfair advantage.When I ask a travel company to reconsider its decision to deny a refund or impose a surcharge, my e-mail signature pretty much says it all: If…

Travel Troubleshooter: Funny Math on My Mexico Vacation Refund

Donald Dinsmore's daughter and son-in-law cancel their Mexico trip and are promised a refund by Apple Vacations. But even though they bought cancellation insurance, they're only…

Travel Troubleshooter: A Ski Vacation that Was All Downhill

Colleen Bosler prepays for a hotel at a ski resort during Christmas. But she misses her plane, forcing her to reschedule. The resort offers her credit, but she has to cancel her…

Travel Troubleshooter: Insurance is Extra on This "Hot" Mexican Car

Tom Gainor pays for a rental car through Hotwire.com (www.hotwire.com), but when he gets to the car rental counter in Mexico, an agent strong-arms him into buying insurance that…

Why High Gas Prices Could Cut Your Vacation Costs

Too bad gas prices are falling.While the rest of the world whined about the seemingly unstoppable rise in energy costs this summer, and the greedy oil companies that were probably…

Travel Troubleshooter: Two Bills, One Room, and Zero Options

Rick Petersen prepays for his hotel room in Duluth, Minn., through Hotwire.com. But a few months later, he's charged for it -- again. Now, neither the hotel nor Hotwire seem to care…

Travel Health & Safety: Finding Travel Companions

How would you like a traveling companion who never argued with you, never talked back, and always deferred to every one of your whims? Maybe you'd find such a person on your…

3 Biggest Mistakes Business Travelers Make

A lot of business travelers come off as know-it-alls, moving effortlessly from their towncars to their first-class lounges to the front of the plane, where they're served mimosas as…

Is the iPhone 3G the Ultimate Traveling Gadget? Not Quite

Apple's iPhone 3G could be the next great tool for travelers, but it's got a long way to go to get there. I've got some travel experience and some technology experience -- I've been a…

Travel Troubleshooter: One Frozen Screen, Two Sets of Tickets

When Albert Lewis tries to book airline tickets through Expedia, his screen freezes and goes black. No worries, says a company representative -- the booking didn't go through. So he…

Travel Troubleshooter: Double-Booked at the Days Inn

Chan Hoe Yip booked a room in Bakersfield, Calif., and Williams, Ariz., through the Days Inn website. Then again, maybe he didn't. The reservation ends up being two nights in…

Frequent Criers: Are Elite Fliers Ruining Air Travel?

The last thing I want to do is start a class war at 36,000 feet. But enough is enough. Several weeks ago, when I questioned the efficiency of airline boarding processes, I was…

Top 10 Reasons Staycations Are a Lousy Idea

I don't wear rose-colored glasses, but I bet I'm not the only one who's irritated by the proliferation of the term "staycation" on blogs and in the mainstream media. Defined loosely…

Travel Troubleshooter: What Didn't Happen in Vegas

Mary Jane Prough reserves a room in Las Vegas through Hotwire.com. But the resort she's supposed to stay at has never heard of her, and she's sent to a different hotel that's out in…

Airline Fees Take Off into the Stratosphere

Call it the Summer of Fees. We've all gotten used to a bunch of extra fees from airlines, some reasonable, some irritating. But this summer travel season is taking the fee frenzy to…

6 Summer Festivals Across America

 The specific promotions described in this article have now passed, but it remains online so that the resources named will be of future use to travelers.It seems the warmer the…

Travel Health & Safety: Tummy Tucks Abroad?

People travel for many different reasons, two popular ones are to look or feel better. That frequently means surgery, the plastic type to make you more attractive or the medical type…

Travel Troubleshooter: A Mileage Mess on My Mortgage

Northwest Airlines promises Dave Herstad 18,375 frequent flier miles when he applies for his mortgage. He gets the loan, but not the miles. After several rounds of finger-pointing…

Five Most Common Ticketing Errors -- And How to Avoid Them

As far as mistakes go, the one Janet Gordon recently made didn't seem like a big deal. She booked an airline ticket from Toronto to London under the name "Jan."But what happened…

Travel Troubleshooter: Luggage Gets Spirited Away in Vegas

On a nonstop flight to Las Vegas, Spirit Airlines loses Michael Germano's checked luggage. He files a missing luggage report and a lost luggage claim, but the airline is ignoring his…

Airline Mergers Bring Little Good News to Travelers

Delta and Northwest are trying to merge, and United and some suitor and Continental and someone else might follow. That would leave the US with four major international airlines out…

Travel Troubleshooter: Help! Princess Confiscated My Cognac

When Jerry Leonard and his wife transfer from their cruise ship to a train, they give Princess their luggage, which includes a bottle of Cognac. The luggage is lost and later found,…

Ask Suzy: Our Born to Shop Author Answers Your Global Shopping Queries

Over 25 years of covering the world's best finds for my Born to Shop guides has convinced me that not only is the concept of best a matter of opinion, it's a matter of perspective.…

Travel Troubleshooter: Rome Will Have to Wait

When Allison Fagerness' flight to Rome is canceled, she's forced to call off her vacation and return home. Her online travel agent, Expedia, promises a refund, but her airline,…

What to Expect During the Year of the Fee

Let's assume, for a moment, that you can't stop 2008 from becoming the Year of the Fee.Let's assume you'll cheerfully pay every fuel surcharge, resort fee, excess luggage fee and…