Tagged: safety

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…

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…

Olympics Then and Now: Melbourne, Australia, Summer Olympic Games 1956

When Ava Gardner arrived in Melbourne in 1956 to film On the Beach, she was quoted as saying it was "a great place to make a movie about the end of the world." In truth, Melbourne was…

Pacific Paradises of Tahiti & Fiji -- on a Budget

As you lie on your local beach this summer, the furthest thing from your mind should be the fact that fall and winter will soon be on our doorstep. But what better time than now to…

What's New: An Online Update for Frommer's Croatia

When the 7-time Emmy award winning TV show The Amazing Race put Dubrovnik on its itinerary in October 2007, it was confirmation that Croatia had arrived as a tourist destination.…

All Aboard: 5 Tips for Getting on the Plane Pronto

What's the fastest way to board a plane?A free-for-all, like Southwest Airlines? Boarding by window, middle seat or aisle, like United Airlines? Or by zone, like AirTran…

Stepping out of London and Into England's Charming Peak District

Where is the quintessential England? Is it London, is it Stratford? Like the elusive Scarlet Pimpernel, it may be here, it may be there, it may be everywhere. In my case, after a…

Reports of Hawaii's Demise as an Affordable Vacation Destination Have Been Greatly Exaggerated

The specific prices described in this article have now passed, but it remains online so that the resources named will be of future use to travelers.Here's a dirty little secret…

My Trip Planning Strategy: Divide and Conquer

There's an old saying: "You pay your money, you take your chances." When it comes to planning a trip, I prefer: Divide and conquer. Twenty years ago, I would phone my travel agent,…

Focus on Mount Rainier National Park

Washington state's majestic Mount Rainier, sometimes called "the Mt. Fuji of the USA" (the two locations are "sister parks" in fact), goes by several other names, none of which have…

Travel Troubleshooter: Not Satisfied With My Choice Hotel Room

A recent stay at a Comfort Inn in Vancouver does not impress Richard Simms. His room is filthy, the shower runs lukewarm and the coffee maker is busted. But when he tries to invoke…

Travel Troubleshooter: Hey Marriott, Where Are My Miles?

Sally Savona books a vacation at Marriott's Ko Olina Beach Club, where she's promised a 25,000-mile bonus. But the loyalty points fail to show up in her account, despite repeated…

Travel Troubleshooter: No Room, No Refund, No Fair?

When Colin West arrives at the Howard Johnson Express in New York, there's no room for him. He's sent to another nearby hotel, but has to pay for the room himself. West gets his money…

Travel Health & Safety: Are You Going to Eat That?

Getting sick from something you ate is bad enough at home, but ten times worse when you're traveling. It can happen to you anytime, anywhere, as it did to a boatload of American and…

Exploring the Forests of Western Arkansas

View Larger MapMention Arkansas to most nature-lovers, and they'll likely picture the Ozarks, the state's celebrated backwoods mountain range. But farther south (and extending into…

Skip New England for Leaf-Peeping, Japanese Style

View Larger Map br> Coming from Australia, a country that really doesn't have the colors of fall (i.e. most trees are evergreen), my first encounter with the hues of autumn leaves…

Learn the Art of Travel Writing in Key West, Florida

"I think all good writing is travel writing," says author Russell Banks, and he goes on to mention Melville's Moby Dick. You may have thought of writing about your travels, too, even…

Travel Health & Safety: How Clean is Your Airplane's Air?

The old joke about certain foreign countries -- "Don't drink the water and don't breathe the air" -- is only partially true and in certain places at certain times. For the water, yes,…

Fast Trains and Medieval Cathedrals Make Champagne Sparkle

Love was in the air, or perhaps it was just the constant scent of the blooming linden trees, seemingly following me everywhere in Reims, the capital of the Champagne region. It was…

The Early Bird Catches the Package Deal to India

There are many beautiful and ancient things to see in India, which is not surprising considering it is a diverse country that boasts about a sixth of the world's population. It's also…

System Icon Yosemite in the Balance

The National Park Service is destined for trouble is a statement that's been true for the last 90 years. At its inception in 1916, the Park Service was tasked with the impossible, to…

Great Meals, Shopping and Antiques in . . . Atlantic City?

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 had been at least three years…

What's New: An Online Update for Frommer's Amsterdam

With more than half of its "land" area, and two-thirds of its 16 million inhabitants precariously situated below sea level, Holland is beginning to get a little bit nervous about…

7 Ways to Have a Winning Time in Macau (Without Gambling)

Planning a trip to Macau can be deceiving. For the traveler with a casual interest, a quick online search finds countless articles about Macau's colonial Portuguese charm and its…