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Health, Insurance, Security

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Travel Troubleshooter: Smoked Out of My Hotel Room

A traveler receives a hotel room that smells like cigarettes. When he asks to change rooms, he is rushed out of the old room without getting a chance to pack everything up. Should the…

Article / Health, Insurance, Security

Travel Troubleshooter: No Refund for My Canceled Vacation?

A sick child forces this family to cancel an Arizona vacation, but the real headache comes when the refund doesn't come through. Is this family out of luck?

Article / Health, Insurance, Security

Travel Troubleshooter: Do I Have to Pay For That Ding on My Rental?

What do you do when you return a rental car and then receive an €800 bill in the mail?

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How to Avoid Buying Unwanted Travel Insurance

Watch out for these common pitfalls so you don't inadvertently buy trip insurance.

Article / Health, Insurance, Security

How Bad Companies Turn Customers Into Critics: It's in the Fine Print

Travel companies take liberties when it comes to their obligation to their customers, and management sees the maneuverings as profit opportunities.

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The Gulf of Mexico Needs Tourists to Swim Against the Tide

As tens of thousands of travelers cancel their beach vacations in the wake of the massive oil spill, a small number of tourists will swim against the tide. Too bad it's just a small…

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How to Protect Yourself Against Travel 'Phishing' Scams

Desperate pleas from traveling friends in need are just the latest kind of online scams that can sap your bank accounts and leave you in need. Here's what to look out for.

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 / 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 / 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 / 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 / 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 / Health, Insurance, Security

Accidental Tourist? Tips for Maximizing Happy Coincidences, and Avoiding the Bad Ones

Accidents -- good and bad -- happen when we're away. More so, maybe, because there's a certain randomness about travel -- a sense that the unexpected can happen.

Article / Health, Insurance, Security

When Travel Companies Sue Their Customers

When travel operators get desperate, they sometimes look to their customers for someone to blame. You can help yourself avoid legal trouble by taking precautions when you travel.

Article / Health, Insurance, Security

7 Trips You Should Never Book Online

Some vacations should never be booked through anyone but a travel agent, and a honeymoon is arguably one of them. But there are others, too, as travelers have discovered the hard way.

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5 Common Travel Mistakes -- and How to Fix Them

Tired of being penny-pinched and disappointed? These basic rules can help you protect your next trip from unforeseen problems and travel headaches.

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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.

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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.

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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?

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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.

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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.

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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 / 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 / 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?