Timeshare trap: 6 tips for avoiding a fractional ownership tragedy
It’s a classic come-on. You’re on your Vegas vacations, ready to try your luck at the casino tables catch Bette Midler’s show, when a clipboard-toting salesman materializes in front of you. How about a pair of free tickets, he asks. All you have to is sit through a 90-minute timeshare presentation. What could go wrong? Everything, actually.
Help! Princess confiscated my Cognac
When Jerry Leonard and his wife transfer from their cruise ship to a train, they give Princess their luggage, which includes a bottle of Cognac. The luggage is lost and later found, but the cruise line confiscates the Cognac. Should it replace the bottle - or is he out of luck?
Cycling in Europe for the dollar-impaired visitor: the long and the short of it
Pedaling through vineyards, riding past 300 year-old mansions, stopping along the way for wine tastings and hearty lunches — it doesn’t have to be as expensive as it sounds. Tim Leffel points us to places where seeing Europe at a bicycle’s pace is more reasonable, just a little bit to the east.
Check it out! 10 clever luggage tips from a flight attendant
Anyone with a lick of sense will tell you that once airlines charge for a second bag, more and more passengers will start carrying them on board, adding to the sea of already overcrowded storage space. But it doesn’t have to be that way. James Wysong explains.
Bigger is better: Britons get their Independence
Will the world’s largest cruise ship that spans four football fields, rises 15 stories high, and carries 4,328 people play in the UK? Royal Caribbean is betting big that the brand new Independence of the Seas will woo Britons with a jolly good cruise.
To merge or not to merge
The airline world is roiling with merger talk. Delta and Northwest have announced their engagement and the betting is whether they will make it to the altar. The other airlines are assessing how their world will change.
Room with a wrong view
Bob Ledford is promised a room with a two-sided ocean view when he books through Expedia. But when he arrives, the view isn’t what he expected, the hotel doesn’t seem to care, and Expedia won’t post the negative review of the resort. What’s wrong with this picture?
Green — or greenwashed? How to tell if your hotel loves the environment
Every April, my email “in” box is clogged with press releases from hotels touting their new and fabulous eco-friendly policies. This April was no exception. But unlike other columnists who press the “delete” key, I read every one. I can’t help myself. I’m both a cynic and a bit of an eco-nut.
Surviving airline turbulence: 10 tips from a crewmember
The airline industry is a bit chaotic these days with oil selling for well over $100 a barrel, big mergers in the works, and airlines like ATA and Skybus folding. Who’s next — and how do you protect yourself? James Wysong has the answers.
Carnival’s ‘Man’ attraction
John Heald, Carnival Cruise Lines’ senior cruise director, has become the most famous cruise director since Julie McCoy of “Love Boat” TV fame. Except John’s not on TV, he’s taking the Internet by storm with his blog that boasts thousands of readers. Even more than that it has changed the way cruise lines interact with their customers by building online communities.