Tagged: safety

Holiday Road Trips 101: Staying Safe

For the majority of travelers, heading home for the holidays involves hitting the road. That translates to crowded highways, and drivers making stupid mistakes because they're driving…

Innovative New In-flight Safety Video Animated with 1,000 Delft Tiles

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is the latest entrant in the battle to come up with the least boring in-flight safety video. The novel concept: Create an animated version of the pre-flight…

TSA's Luggage Lock Skeleton Keys Leaked

Consumerist and Wired report the design of the master skeleton keys used by the TSA to open and inspect your luggage has been leaked on the Web. Now anyone can use a 3-D printer to…

A New App Promises to Make Travel More Safe for Solo Vacationers

Men and women travel differently. And that’s not a comment on shopping habits or boozy pub crawls. For women, especially solo travelers, safety is always front of mind,…

Acapulco Sets Up Special Tourism Safety Force

When gangs overtake your once-glamorous seaside city and force the military to move in and the U.S. to issue a travel warning, you've got a public relations problem.Acapulco is…

After an Incident, Disney Bans Selfie Sticks

Leave them at home.Disneyland and Walt Disney World—and Disney parks around the world—have banned selfie sticks. This means that the most popular theme parks on the planet have…

Unrest Makes Puerto Vallarta a No-Go

Royal Caribbean, Disney Cruise Line, and Celebrity have all cancelled port visits to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, following a wave of crime in the tourist city and the surrounding…

After Germanwings: Are the Budget Airlines Less Safe than the Others?

On Thursday morning on ABC's The View, Michelle Collins, one of the show's revolving co-hosts, suggested that because the European cut-price airlines are tough on customers…

Use It Or Lose It: Will "Dead" Electronics Be Confiscated At Airport Security?

That's the question many travelers were asking themselves after the TSA posted a notice, on Sunday night, that those entering the United States would be asked to turn on…

When Travel Vendors Demand Your Home Address, Do You Have to Give it?

How much do they have the right to know about you?Because I travel so much, I use a post office box. It's a simple security trick that I recommend to everyone who…

A Tip on Digital Safety for Travelers: Always Look for the "S" in http. Here's Why

Identity theft is a growing problem, especially for travelers. That’s because criminals tend to congregate in hotel lobbies, cafes and other areas with free wifi, because they know…

Theft of Mobile Devices Is On the Rise At Airports and In Airplanes. Here are Some Strategies to Keep Your Possessions Safe

Some 50% of the thefts in North America today involve mobile devices. That’s right: there are few more coveted prizes for criminals today than the laptop, phone or tablet you’re…

The Dog Ate My Vacation: Why Pets and Travel May Not Mix

Pets may enhance our daily lives but they ruin our vacations.That’s the surprising conclusion reached by a recent poll conducted for obvious reasons (see below) by the website…

Lessons to Take Away From The Recent Pickpocket-Inspired Shutdown of the Louvre

Last May, I hosted a tour of France for the listeners to my radio show. We had days of touring together, and days when we set off on our own. On one of the free days, a group within…

Lessons to Take Away From The Recent Pickpocket-Inspired Shutdown of the Louvre

Last May, I hosted a tour of France for the listeners to my radio show. We had days of touring together, and days when we set off on our own. On one of the free days, a group within…

Is it Safe to Fly American Airlines?

As American Airlines (www.aa.com) pilots formed picket lines at airports across the country and the nation's third-largest air carrier canceled hundreds of flights, David Ludt made…

Travel Troubleshooter: No Refund for Derailed Train Trip

David Battas exits his first-class train halfway through the trip after numerous problems and decides to fly to his destination. He wants a refund from Amtrak (www.amtrak.com). But is…

That's Ridiculous! What Does Sandals Owe for Deleting a Traveler's Wedding Photos?

This is one of the strangest cases I've come across in my two decades of fielding consumer complaints. It involves a honeymooning couple's missing wedding photos, me, and another…

Vacation Rental Phishing Scams Catch More Travelers

Shauna Kattler thought she'd found the ideal rental home in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, for her Christmas vacation: a two-bedroom penthouse condominium with a hot tub and an impossibly…

5 Things to Know When Planning a Trip to Greece

Philoxenia, the tradition of giving a warm and generous welcome to visitors, has a long tradition in Greece. Almost every visitor comes home with at least one story of an encounter…

How to Get Married in Hawaii

Hawaii is a great place for a wedding. Not only does the entire island exude romance and natural beauty, but after the ceremony, you're only a few steps away from the perfect…

Survival Tips for Plane Crashes & Other Accidents

Remember that amazing story about a guy who sawed off his arm when he couldn't lift the boulder that had trapped him in a desert canyon? Or the hikers, skydivers, airplane crash…

Oslo Travel After the Attacks: Where to Go, What to See

Tourism in Norway was at its height in mid-July when a bomb went off in central Oslo and a gunman opened fire a Labour Party summer camp on nearby Utøya island.The bomb demolished a…

Headed to Europe This Summer? It's Going to Be a Riot

If you're looking for a little adventure this summer -- a strike, a riot or maybe even a revolution -- skip the Middle East and head to Europe. Traditionally quiet and predictable…

That's Ridiculous! The ATM Sucked My Money Back

When Robert Hillestad tried to withdraw £200 from an automatic teller machine in London last April, he got a bait-and-switch. Almost literally. "While waiting for the machine to reel…