Tagged: vacation

Travel Troubleshooter: After the Storm, Who has Your Refund?

The recent superstorm and series of nor'easters that slammed into the East Coast grounded tens of thousands of travelers, including Neil Weiss. Fortunately, most travel companies…

That's Ridiculous! Bad Holiday Travel Advice and the Bad Pundits Who Give It

I'm done with offering the same dry travel advice every year at about this time. Finished! You've seen the tips: book your tickets early, travel on the holiday, spread your legs for…

That's Ridiculous! Whatever Happened to the Journey?

What's more important to you -- the journey or the destination? This is as good a time as any to ask the question (with apologies to Ralph Waldo Emerson). Change is in the air,…

The Able Traveler: Wheelchair-Accessible Ballooning and Wine Tasting in Northern California

Hot air ballooning is a very popular activity in Sonoma County; and admittedly there's no shortage of outfitters that offer scenic flights over the Northern California vineyards,…

Nightmare Guests: 5 Tales From Hotel Housekeepers

Hotel guests often feel entitled. After all, when was the last time that you made the bed before checking out? Each day, housekeepers are tasked with restoring each room to its…

Cruise Makeover: Royal Caribbean Takes Ship Renovation to the Next Level

"The Pandora's box is open," said Capt. Claus Andersen, standing amidst a chaos of loose wires and open instrument panels on the bridge of Royal Caribbean's 2,100-passenger Radiance…

Park of the Week: Cliff Dwellings at Tonto National Monument, Arizona

Don't confuse the Tonto name of this imposing national monument with that of The Lone Ranger's sidekick. (Tonto is a Spanish word meaning "fool" or "idiot", so I guess the cowboy…

The 5 Best Dinosaur-Hunting Sites in the UK

On the occassion of London's Natural History Museum opening its summer blockbuster exhibition Age of the Dinosaur, (www.nhm.ac.uk), we dig deep for the best places to spot dinosaur…

Five Nights in Spain's Costa del Sol from $729, With Air

I had to look at this one several times before I realized I was, indeed, reading it correctly. Gate 1 Travel (tel. 800/682-3333; www.gate1travel.com) is offering a five-night trip to…

3 Family Travel Packages: Deal or No Deal?

We've said it before, and we'll say it again: you just won't know if that tempting special offer is a deal until you crunch the numbers and see the savings for yourself. Or, you could…

Travel Troubleshooter: Help! The Airline Canceled My Honeymoon Flight

Loyd Jobe's honeymoon doesn't get off to a good start when his flight is canceled. His airline sends the newlyweds on their vacation the next day, but they must pay for an extra night…

Travel Troubleshooter: A Canceled Disney Vacation, a Missing Refund

After Terry Thompson's daughter runs away from home, she cancels her Disney World vacation. But her travel insurance company refuses to refund $588 in airline tickets. Can't Disney…

10 Tips for Better Family Road Trips

Summer is on its way, which means that families are gearing up for road trips. WeJustGotBack.com readers share 10 easy ways to smooth out the journey and banish backseat boredom. Tip…

Free Nights at Florida Hotels: Spring Savings in the Sunshine State

Whoever said "nothing in life is free" never looked for a hotel deal in Florida. Just in time for spring break, a handful of properties in the Sunshine State are giving away at least…

Grand Canyon, Great Price: Save up to 50% With a Spring Package Deal

Springtime is always a fabulous time for families to visit the Grand Canyon, thanks to the winning combination of fewer crowds, comfortable weather, and affordable rates. This year,…

The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World for Couples

So many couples marry or honeymoon at Walt Disney World that a department was created to tend to their needs. Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings & Honeymoons offers a range of wedding…

Slope Specs: Glacial Challenges at Early Season Favorite Les Diablerets

Les Diablerets (pronounced lay dee-AH-blur-ay) is part of a ski region that includes the linked villages of Villars and Gryon in Switzerland. Of the three, which are skiable on a…

4 Surprising & Spectacular Family Destinations in St. Louis

Driving into St. Louis at sunset, I was awestruck by the site of the imposing arch, glistening against the orange-hued sky and reflecting on to the Mississippi. It only took that…

7 Places to Eat: From Pork Cutlets to Sushi in Tokyo

For sheer urban energy, you can't beat Tokyo -- densely populated, affluent, juiced up with a thirst for whatever's new. Even if the cultural demand for corporate entertaining hadn't…

How to Get Up, Up and Away in Barcelona

Barcelona is blessed with a dramatic setting: the entire city slopes from dramatic hills down to the sea. But most tourists don't get much higher than Montjuic, the complex of museums…

5 Ways to Eat for Less in Stockholm

Admittedly, Stockholm isn't the cheapest place on earth to wine and dine. For starters, alcohol is heavily taxed. Add that to the fact that one-time meal mainstays -- sausage and…

Slope Specs: Mad River Glen, Iconic Vermont Ski Area Celebrates its 60th

Mad River Glen (tel. 802-496-3551; www.madriverglen.com) is an anomaly in this era of accommodations-oriented mega-resorts where real estate sales rival (or eclipse) skiing…

Slope Specs: There's No Place Like Stowe Place

Skiing began on Mt. Mansfield, the future Stowe Resort, in the 1930s when stalwart locals hiked up the old carriage road to the summit of Vermont's highest peak and skied back down.…

Winter Events Across the U.S.: From Pirates to Polar Bears, Turkey Bowling to Ballooning

Don't let a bit of cold weather keep you indoors this winter. From Florida to Alaska, and Minnesota to Colorado, you'll find a diverse and interesting range of festivals to…

Motoring Minus Meltdowns: Tips for Toddler Road Trips

Despite the high cost of gas, driving to your vacation destination is still almost always the cheapest way to go. Taking the car also gives us control of when and where to stop, which…