Articles

Trends & Hacks

Article / Air Travel

No Airline Cookie Conspiracy? What About This Trail of Crumbs?

Do airlines and online travel agencies surreptitiously use computer 'cookies' to track your activity on their sites and then raise prices when it appears that you're interested in a…

Article / Air Travel

Fly Safe, Fly Smart: Secrets of Airline Seating

Your seat is where you spend your flight, and travelers have strong feelings about those uncomfortable frames of fabric and metal. Here's how to get the most out of your personal space.

Article / Air Travel

The Lies Pet Owners Tell When Traveling

Instead of paying extra 'pet fees' to hotels or airlines, owners are spiriting their animal companions into their bags or under blankets in the hope of saving a few bucks.

Article / Health, Insurance, Security

Volcano Eruption Grounds Cruise Travelers, Disrupts Sailings

With the volcanic activity in Iceland interrupting thousands of vacations, the delays and inconvenience continues to reverberate far beyond northern Europe and far beyond air travel.

Article / Hotels

Travel Troubleshooter: Who's Charging $257 For a Room I Won't Use?

Our reader cancels her hotel room she booked with an online agency, then she can't figure out who's charging her a cancellation fee. Is she stuck with it?

Article / Miscellaneous

Too Good to Be True? Four Times You Should Just Say 'No' to a Deal

What separates a frugal traveler from a thief? When it comes to finding deals, bargain hunters can face ethical dilemmas. Follow these rules to help keep you traveling with a clear…

Article / Money and Fees

Travel Troubleshooter: Wait! I Never Bought Flight Insurance

A traveler calls her airline to fix a seat assignment and ends up with a $35 charge for flight insurance that she never bought. What was the fee really for, and what can you learn from…

Article / Air Travel

Flight Check: Los Angeles to Zurich on Swiss

Johnny Jet checks in to see if you can really take off and land like clockwork with Switzerland's national carrier.

Article / Miscellaneous

The Honest Guest's Guide to Free Hotel Amenities

Is it stealing if you check out of your hotel with a stash of travel-size toiletries tucked in your suitcase? What about a bathrobe? Here are five simple rules to follow if you're not…

Article / Air Travel

How Unbundling Fees Make Airlines a Bundle of Cash

Lately, the industry has been busy unbundling services that traditionally came with a seat, such as baggage checking, seat reservations, and even the ability to pay by credit card.

Article / Hotels

Travel Troubleshooter: I Cancelled in Time, So Where's My Deposit?

Our traveler's tour operator promises to refund her deposit if she cancels with more than 45 days' notice. But when she does, the company balks. How can you avoid this situation?

Article / Entry Requirements & Customs

Help Me, Uncle Sam! How to Get Government Assistance When You Travel

Here are a few tips on the whens, wheres, and hows to effectively complain to the government about a travel-related matter.

Article / Health, Insurance, Security

Hotels Try to Kick the Smoking Habit

There's good news for non-smoking hotel guests: Properties are beginning to rethink their smoking policies across the country, with some banning the practice outright.

Article / Air Travel

Can't Get No Satisfaction From the Airlines? File a Grievance in 140 Characters or Less

In the time it takes you to get through to customer service, you can tweet your question or comment. And, depending on the airline, you may get your answer and get on you way.

Article / Miscellaneous

Four Secrets for Upgrading Your Next Vacation

There's no need to settle for a mediocre vacation. From using a travel agent to embracing social media to find -- and punish -- the worst hotels, here are four ways to save your next…

Article / Health, Insurance, Security

Affordable Spa and Fitness Retreats

From getting pampered to losing a few pounds, escaping to a spa retreat or a boot camp could be just what you need to get ready for summer. We've rounded up a few places that will help…

Article / Air Travel

Fly Safe, Fly Smart: How to Decode Code Shares

Code shares are lies the airline industry tells to make their lives easier. They take one airline's flight and stamp another airline's name on it. Here's what's wrong and what's right…

Article / Cruise

8 Kid-Friendly Cruise Ships

Picking the right ship can help make your family vacation feel more like a real getaway. As tested by a veteran cruiser and mother of twin boys, these eight ships are ideal for babies…

Article / Money and Fees

Travel Troubleshooter: The Vikings are Real on This Riverboat

Our reader tries to arrange a special side-trip before a Seine river cruise, but the company nixes the idea. What's more, it won't communicate with their travel agent. Can't it bend a…

Article / Health, Insurance, Security

When in Rome, Watch Your Driving

Of all the recurring complaints I get from readers, the one they find by far most vexing has nothing to do with excessive fees, surprise surcharges, or surly employees. It's about…

Article / Air Travel

Labor Disputes at American Airlines and British Airways Put Travel Plans at Risk

What should a traveler do when faced with the prospect that their flight's crew may walk a picket line with a placard rather than the aisle with a drinks trolley? Find out here how to…

Article / Hotels

Travel Troubleshooter: But No One Told Me About the Resort Fee!

What's this mandatory resort fee for on our reader's hotel bill. Didn't the rate she booked through Hotwire include everything? No, it didn't. But that doesn't mean she's out of luck.

Article / Health, Insurance, Security

Too Sick to Fly? When to Put Yourself on the "No Fly" List

If you're feeling under the weather, sometimes it's worth paying the airline change fees and staying put. Here are five common scenarios when grounding yourself makes perfect sense.

Article / Air Travel

Fly Safe, Fly Smart: What To Do About Lost Luggage

Experts tell you to never, ever check your bags if you can possibly avoid it. Short of sticking to a carry-on, here's what you can do to keep your bags with you.

Article / Hotels

How Far Will a Hotel Go to Get a Good Review?

It's not enough to ask guests for a write-up on TripAdvisor or Yelp after they've checked out. Lately, some innkeepers have been pressuring their customers to say positive things…