From time to time I need some help in keeping up with the twists and turns of travel, so I thought of a few travel "heroes" I'd like to have drink with and talk travel.

I’d first set a date with Travel Weekly's Editor in-Chief, Arnie Weissmann, a terrific writer whose editorials always leave me wanting more.

TW is the travel industry’s publication of record, and Arnie’s one of…

Continue

Travel’s Second Class Citizens

Can you imagine the travel industry, limping along in this sclerotic economy, not catering to the needs of an important travel niche market: Single Parents?

This travel cohort feels like second class citizens.

They’re not swingers.

Not looking for wild parties.

They want quality vacations that let them connect with other single

parents, and they want attention paid to them and their kids.

They want the travel…

Continue

Medical Tourism: Beaches and Buttocks



People travel for many reason.

They travel to see the ocean, to meet people or to shop…

and now they’re shopping for a new nose or bigger breasts all while seeing the sights.

Medical tourism is the latest trend in the search for the perfect body or a money saving medical procedure like replacing a hip or getting your teeth straight.

Or for costly medical procedures for the uninsured and… Continue

What’s the Difference Between a Kid and a Carry-on Bag?



Judging by the new round of airline fees, probably not much!



Southwest Airlines opted not to charge for carry-ons (other airlines opted out too), but then announced it was doubling the fees it charges unaccompanied kids to fly.

There has always been a fee for “UM’s aka/Unaccompanied Minors, as they’re called in the biz, but Southwest’s jump from $25.00 to… Continue

No sooner do we do a piece on Travel Insurance, and a volcano blows, stranding thousands of people and ruining hundreds of vacations.



But don't worry, you read our post, bought insurance and you're covered.



Well, it seems that your claim could be denied, depending on whom you bought the insurance from and whether the company views the disaster as "weather related," usually covered, or "natural disaster,"… Continue

From Blogger Pictures

Airline Fees Make Pet Owners… Continue

From Blogger Pictures

You have to admire the gall.



Ryanair CEO, Michael O’Leary,… Continue

After the Revolution: Nicaragua Opens its Doors to Curious Travelers

By Kaleel Sakakeeny



In a ramshackle yet proud artisan studio in the dusty town of San Juan de Oriente, a young boy about 15 casts pots using his feet for power on an old throw wheel. The wheel hums, the clay spins and the pottery that evolves is astonishingly intricate yet elegantly simple.

His younger sister tends to a new littler of seven puppies, and his even younger brother… Continue

No Fly Zone for Family Travel and Kids



Most Americans are not anti-kids, just some mean-spirited, presumably well-heeled ones who fly first class.



As part of a thread on kids and families flying first class, one guy (maybe a woman) said:



“ If I paid money for first class, I WILL GET FIRST CLASS. I don't want any ROTTEN CHILDREN anywhere near me…Or breathing MY FIRST CLASS AIR, THAT I PAID FOR.” (sic)



Whoa!



And… Continue

The Naked Traveler: Nude Holidays



Jaws dropped (and pants too) a couple of years ago when German Travel agency OssiUrlaub.de said it would start taking bookings for a nudist day trip from an eastern German town to a popular Baltic Sea resort.



Apparently the 55 passengers will remain clothed until they board, undress during the flight, then dress before disembarking.

The crew remains clothed throughout the flight for, well obvious reasons, I… Continue

Carbon Offsets: More Hype Than Help

Travel honchos in the travel and tourism industry are running a bit scared.



With all the hand-wringing about Global Warming, the execs wondered if they are about to become the next Exxon Valdez of travel, villains in the making: major contributors to global pollution.



Will the government, they worried, come out with a slogan: “Save the Planet. Travel Less?“



Actually… Continue

Too many movies and books give us too many images of women as helpless victims. That’s unhealthy.



But the truth is that a majority of women say that security issues are their number one concern when traveling alone.

And given the choice, 79% of women road warriors say that they prefer to travel with a companion.

It seems though, that the joys of travel are so strong, these women would rather travel alone than not travel.



To which we… Continue

Burj al Arab Hotel



So far no international classification for hotels exists, but that hasn’t stopped ambitious hotel marketers from slapping any number of stars, diamonds, cacti on their properties and touting them as 5 or 6 or even 7 star properties,

whatever that may mean in real service and amenities.

I think the ratings inflation trend began with the Xanadu-like building frenzy in Dubai, especially…

Continue

When Trip Advisor Gets it Wrong

Unarguably, Trip Advisor has changed travel dramatically. It’s changed the way we look at… and book destinations and properties, from all-inclusive resorts to family-run boutique inns.

But the review site can get it wrong, and when it does, given Trip Advisor’s enormous clout, it can cause damage to…

Continue