Articles

Trends & Hacks

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…

Article / Cruise

How to Keep Busy on Cruise Days at Sea

Cruise lines make it easy to keep you from being completely at sea with yourself while you're at sea. Here's what type of activities you can expect and tricks you need to watch out for.

Article / Cruise

November's Prize: Win a Caribbean or Mexican Cruise for Two!

Frommers.com and Travel Themes and Dreams are sending one lucky winner & a guest on a Caribbean or Mexican Cruise. Register now to win this vacation.

Article / Health, Insurance, Security

Don't Go There! 6 Things You Should Never Do When You're Away

There's a difference between a polite but firm request and a shrill demand, but where's the line? Here are six things you should never do when you travel.

Article / Hotels

Travel Troubleshooter: An Unmade Bed -- And No Place to Go

When our reader checks into her hotel she's greeted by an unmade bed. When she asks for clean sheets, an employee tells her if she doesn't like it, she can find another hotel. Whatever…

Article / Health, Insurance, Security

Will A Passenger's Bill of Rights Ever Fly?

Every time another news story details he suffering of trapped passengers, no doubt another few hundred flyers take to their cars and Greyhound. But will the proposed bills actually do…

Article / Air Travel

6 Really Nice Ways to Get Your Way When You Travel

Is politeness a new form of currency in travel? Could a smile be more effective in getting preferential treatment than elite-level status or the amount of money you paid for your…

Article / Hotels

New York and the Holiday Season: Perfect Together, from $136 Per Night

Whether your trip to New York is your first or your fiftieth, there is plenty to do between Thanksgiving and New Year's. You can spend a lot of money on hotels, but it is also possible…

Article / Cruise

Sailing Under the Radar, Pt. 4: Baja California, the Mexican Riviera & Pacific Central America

Another look at the lesser-known, family-owned, mom-and-pop, historic, adventurous, and otherwise niche segments of the otherwise monolithic cruise industry. Move over, Carnival and…

Article / Health, Insurance, Security

Travel Troubleshooter: Claim Denied on a Terrorism Technicality

Our reader cancels her vacation to India after the terrorist attacks in Mumbai. But her insurance company won't honor her claim because she wasn't visiting Mumbai. Is the $7,300 she…

Article / Hotels

Travel Troubleshooter: Billed Twice For One Night

When Best Western double bills our reader she waits months for a refund, and all she has to show for her efforts is a claim number. Is there anything she could have done to prevent…

Article / Air Travel

Is Upgrading Using Miles Just a Wild Fare Chase?

It's not easy to snag an upgradeable seat at a reasonable fare, as major U.S.-based airlines have tinkered with their upgrade policies and changed mileage requirements and the eligible…

Article / Hotels

5 Insider Tips for Knowing Your Hotel Is in Foreclosure

There are a record number of hotel and motel foreclosures either here or headed our way. Here's how to spot a troubled property and what to do if you find yourself checking into one.

Article / Cruise

Sailing Under the Radar, Pt. 3: Small Ships to New England and Canada's Atlantic Provinces

Fall colors along Canada's Atlantic coast and New England are best seen aboard small ships, which hug the craggy coast and explore small bays and inland waterways up close and personal.

Article / Car, Bus, Rail

Travel Troubleshooter: When One Day Less Costs Three Times More

Our reader prepays for a rental car through Alamo's website. But when her flight is canceled, and she arrives a day late, the company charges her three times the original rate. Can it…

Article / Money and Fees

Travel Troubleshooter: A Hurricane Hit My Hotel, So Where's My Refund?

Our reader's hotel promises a refund for a nonrefundable hotel room after a hurricane strikes. But it's months later now and the hotel has gone into radio silence. Is the money gone…

Article / Air Travel

Air Chapter 11: 5 Tips for Surviving the Bankrupt Skies

One day -- maybe soon -- you could be flying the bankrupt skies. How will that affect your trip? Here's how you can prepare.

Article / Hotels

5 Insider Strategies for Avoiding a Hotel Billing Error

Billing snafus have been happening since there have been hotels, but in this awful economy, hotels are far more reluctant to fix the mistake unless they can find the guilty party.…

Article / Cruise

He Said/She Said on the Best Cruises for Everyone

What are the best cruises? It's not easy to answer in a snappy one-liner, but our two in-house cruise experts give it a shot anyway.

Article / Health, Insurance, Security

Travel Troubleshooter: No Refund for Canceled Vegas Vacation

Our reader's husband falls ill before a trip to Las Vegas, and the couple cancels their vacation. Now US Airways wants to keep their money. Why can't it offer them a refund?