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Trends & Hacks

Article / Hotels

Dog Days of Summer and Early Fall at National Parks

Summer is ending and parks are eager to fill their breathtaking interiors with families or couples. Here is a sneak preview of rates, discounts, and special activities that will be…

Article / Air Travel

Travel Troubleshooter: My Airline's Giving Me the Cold Shoulder

Our reader books seven tickets on Icelandair's website. Then it bills her twice and cancels her tickets. Rebooking will cost $100 apiece. Plus, there's still a $6,897 charge on her…

Article / Air Travel

The Baggage "Insurance" Airlines Never Tell You About

Excess valuation can come in handy when you're flying with valuables. Never heard of this? The airline isn't likely to tell you about it unless you ask. So let us explain.

Article / Car, Bus, Rail

Travel Troubleshooter: Broadsided By a Car Rental Bill

When our reader picks up her rental car, an agent tells her not to worry about the nicks and scratches. Now the company wants her to pay for the damage. Can she do anything about it?

Article / Air Travel

7 Ways to Avoid Checked Luggage Fees

Airlines are depending on ancillary revenues in general, and luggage fees in particular, more than ever. Here's how air travelers can be more vigilant than ever about avoiding them.

Article / Money and Fees

5 Secrets Travelers Need to Know When Dealing with a Collection Agency

Travel providers are paying attention to every penny, and going after customers who may or may not owe. What should you do if a travel company sends a collection agency after you?

Article / Money and Fees

Travel Troubleshooter: Your Airline Ticket's No Good Here

When our reader lands in Mexico City on her way to Tapachula, she's told her airline ticket from Cheapoair.com isn't valid. After paying for a new ticket, she waits in vain for a…

Article / Air Travel

Watch Out! 11 Airline Fees You Haven't Heard Of ... Yet

If past experience is any indicator, several new fees could be tacked on to your fare. Maybe not today, not tomorrow, but someday soon, and for the rest of your flying life.

Article / Health, Insurance, Security

Should the Travel Industry End Its War on Smokers?

We forced smokers to ridiculous lengths to escape from our collective tyranny. Here's why we need to lighten up when it comes to smoking.

Article / Money and Fees

Travel Troubleshoter: No Ticket, But They Remembered the Bill

Travelocity sells but doesn't get tickets to a member of the military looking for a little R&R. The credit card company sides with the soldier, but Travelocity sends a collection…

Article / Car, Bus, Rail

Amtrak Discounts Get Easier This Summer

Amtrak is trying a neat new trick this summer: making its discounted rail fares easier to use. Bye-bye confusing codes, hello lower fares.

Article / Money and Fees

Beyond the Buzz: How to Use Twitter for Travel Help

Even if you don't care about Twitter, there are two reasons you need to know about it: it can save you time getting through to customer service and it can save you money.

Article / Air Travel

Get Out of the Penalty Box: Tips for Avoiding Long Taxi-in Times

When flights arrive too early, they can spend a considerable amount of time waiting before you can get off. Here are four ways to get to the gate faster.

Article / Cruise

Selection of Construction Proposal Advances Panama Canal Expansion

This week the planned expansion of the Panama Canal moved one step closer to reality as the Panama Canal Authority announced its pick for the design and construction of the new…

Article / Money and Fees

Travel Troubleshooter: Double Trouble on My Honeymoon

Our reader prepays for his Paris car rental through AutoEurope. So why did his car rental company suck another $368 from his account after he got home?

Article / Air Travel

Pet Fees Gone Wild: 4 Reasons Animals Shouldn't Fly

If dogs and cats belonged at 36,000 feet, they would have wings. And the current system, whether it's a moneymaker or a deterrent, is hopelessly broken.

Article / Hotels

Travel Troubleshooter: Hey, That's Not the Hotel I Booked

Our reader thinks she has a reservation at a very nice resort in Cancun, Mexico. She's wrong. Orbitz booked her at a smaller, lower-rated hotel on the same complex. What now?

Article / Miscellaneous

How to Get a Jump-Start on Travel Writing and Photography

Summer is the busiest season of the year for would-be scribblers, and for aspiring travel writers, there's no event as celebrated as the Book Passage Travel Writer's and Photographers…

Article / Hotels

Get Comfy for Less: Staying in Private London Bed & Breakfasts

In many places staying in a quaint private room usually corresponds with a huge uptick in price. Fortunately, English hosted flats have been one of the world's great travel bargains…

Article / Hotels

3 Weekend Trips from New York City

Sometimes the lure of New York City is also its greatest trap, because within a two hour drive there's a multitude of jewels to discover.

Article / Cruise

Cruising from Seattle: Highlights of the Emerald City

Seattle has become a huge center of cruising at the same time it has upped its game by building downtown sports stadiums, and countless new cultural centers, hotels, restaurants, and…

Article / Cruise

How to Bathe Yourself in Luxury at Sea

For those with a penchant for luxurious shampoos, creams and gels, the cruise lines got you covered. Here are the best.

Article / Packages

4 Affordable European City Breaks This Summer

Each of these sojourns comes in at less than $1,000 a person and while all include airfares, taxes and accommodations, some also include breakfast and tours.

Article / Car, Bus, Rail

Travel Troubleshooter: Help, I've Lost My Train Tickets

A passenger loses her Amtrak tickets. But instead of replacing them, the company wants to charge her for new ones. Can it do that? And what are her options for a refund?

Article / Hotels

Travel Troubleshooter: Charged for a Room I Canceled

When a blizzard bears in, our reader asks a manager at the Ramada to cancel her reservation. She's told yes, but she's charged anyway. Is she out of luck?