Articles

Trends & Hacks

Article / Air Travel

Why the Transportation Security Administration Likes to Keep You Guessing

Shoes on, or off? Laptop computer in the bag, or on the conveyor belt? And tickets: middle name, middle initial or just first and last? Why the confusion may be good for you (but is…

Article / Hotels

Travel Troubleshooter: Hotwire's Half-Star Mistake

Our reader books a four-star hotel on Hotwire, and ends up with the three-and-a-half star one she didn't want. Hotwire claims it just changed its ratings and she cries foul. Is she…

Article / Money and Fees

Travel Troubleshooter: A Canceled Flight, a Missing Refund

When our reader's honeymoon flight is delayed by two days, she buys a ticket on another carrier with the promise of a refund from her first airline. But now that the honeymoon is over,…

Article / Health, Insurance, Security

10 Questions To Ask Your Travel Insurance Provider

Travel insurance is a tricky, slippery world, but we've identified 10 good questions to ask any broker or insurance company to get you started.

Article / Cruise

How Young is Too Young? You Must Be This Old to Cruise

When's the right time to take kids on a cruise? And how do you find help taking care of them once you're all on board? Refer to our quick and handy chart for all the major lines.

Article / Cruise

Oasis of the Seas: The Game-Changer Cometh

She's finally here: 'Oasis of the Seas,' the 225,282-ton, 5,400-passenger colossus that cost Royal Caribbean $1.4 billion and nine to ten million working hours to design and build. And…

Article / Air Travel

It's Holiday Travel Time! You Heard It Here First!

Which holiday travel tips are cliches that should be ignored, and which are bona fide, you-must-do-this advice? If you've been reading these stories as long as I have, you must be…

Article / Air Travel

Don't Fly High: 7 Reasons to Lose the Booze

When I proposed an alcohol ban on flights more than a decade ago the response from readers was a resounding 'no.' But a lot has changed since then. Here are a few reasons for keeping…

Article / Air Travel

Don't Let Holiday Shopping Frequent Flyer Miles Slip Through Your Fingers

Travelers forgo millions of frequent flyer miles each holiday season because they forget to buy from their favorite online merchants via links at the airlines' shopping mall websites.…

Article / Hotels

Whoever Wins in the Online Hotel Booking Tax War, Guests Still Pay the Bill

Online travel companies pay hotel taxes based on the low rates they negotiate with hotels. Cities disagree, and want all the taxes they collect. Who's really going to pay?

Article / Cruise

Cruise Tipping: How Gratuitous Do You Feel?

Tipping used to be simple, now it's not. Here's an up-to-date primer on tipping policies and rates at the principal mainstream, luxury, and small-ship lines operating in and around the…

Article / Hotels

Travel Troubleshooter: 'Keystroke Error' Turns $289 Rate Into $28

Our reader finds a $28 a rate at an Orlando Westin. Turns out the hotel made a mistake, and that the real price is $289 a night. Should the resort honor the original price?

Article / Air Travel

Traveling Smart and Healthy With Children This Holiday Season

Airline surcharges, swine flu, and the trials of traveling with children will keep some people home for the holidays. Here are nine ways to keep you healthy, richer, and more relaxed…

Article / Miscellaneous

How Free Wi-Fi Can Help Cure the Holiday Travel Delay Blues

Down time is getting a little less dreary this holiday season as airports, airlines and hotels are all lowering their rates on Wi-Fi. Here's a rundown of the latest free Wi-Fi…

Article / Cruise

Get Smarter at Sea: Top Ships for Onboard Learning

Sure, cruises are all about taking it easy, ditching the diet and being pampered. But a cushy setting doesn't have to equal a mindless one. A cruise offers the perfect learning…

Article / Cruise

Sailing Under the Radar, Pt. 5: British Columbia & the Pacific Northwest

This week we focus on an area that many cruisers think of simply as the gateway to Alaska, but which is really so much more: beautiful British Columbia and its American neighbor, the…

Article / Health, Insurance, Security

Travel Insurance: What You Need to Know Before You Buy

Here's the good news: travel insurance covers more than it used to. The bad news is, travel insurance is more complicated than ever. Here are the ins and outs of insurance.

Article / Health, Insurance, Security

The Health-Care Gap That Traps Travelers

The debate about health-care reform seems to be ignoring a significant group of Americans: international travelers. Especially since most of them travel without adequate coverage.

Article / Health, Insurance, Security

7 Ways to Find Excellent Customer Service on the Road

How do you get top-notch treatment every time -- even from companies that don't have well-known reputations for customer service?

Article / Car, Bus, Rail

Travel Troubleshooter: Help! My Car Rental Company is Taking Me to Court

Our reader is charged to repair a rental car tire -- a tire she says she never damaged. When her charge card sides with her, Hertz threatens to sue. What should she do?

Article / Health, Insurance, Security

5 Tips to Avoiding a Customer Service Nightmare

As the industry wraps up one of the most difficult years since the invention of the wheel, it's taken a visible toll on the people who work in travel. Here's how to play nice.

Article / Air Travel

Home for the Holidays? Our Annual Calendar of the Best Days to Fly

The total gutting of the American economy encouraged lower airfares for those who could still afford to fly home for the holidays. But as those much-spoken-about 'green shoots' come up…

Article / Car, Bus, Rail

New Routes, New Discounts for Amtrak This Winter

Amtrak is offering plenty of discounts, and you're now just as likely to find fare discounts automatically on its website as you are using obscure savings code. That might put this…

Article / Air Travel

Travel Troubleshooter: One Airline Ticket for the Price of Two

Our reader's flight from LA to Dallas has all the makings of a trip from hell, including weather delays, cancellations, and almost-missed flights. What could be worse? Having to pay…

Article / Cruise

Dropping Anchor: How to Get Married on a Cruise Ship

If you'd like to have your marriage and honeymoon all in one, you can legally get hitched on many cruises, either aboard ship or at one of your ports of call. Here's what you must plan…