Kaleel Sakakeeny's Blog – April 2010 Archive (14)

Travel Superstars I'd Like to Have a Drink With







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…

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Added by Kaleel Sakakeeny on April 30, 2010 at 12:00am — 1 Comment

Single Parent Travel: Second-Class Travel Citizens

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…

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Added by Kaleel Sakakeeny on April 29, 2010 at 11:30am — No Comments

Buttocks, Beaches and Breasts: Medical Tourism









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

Added by Kaleel Sakakeeny on April 28, 2010 at 2:00pm — 2 Comments

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

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

Added by Kaleel Sakakeeny on April 25, 2010 at 5:30pm — 2 Comments

Will Travel Insurance Cover Volcano-related Travel Snafus?









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

Added by Kaleel Sakakeeny on April 20, 2010 at 7:13pm — No Comments

Travel Fees Make Pet Owners Dishonest

From Blogger Pictures




Airline Fees Make Pet Owners… Continue

Added by Kaleel Sakakeeny on April 19, 2010 at 3:30pm — No Comments

Boeing Says “No” To Ryanair’s Pay-to-Pee Plan

From Blogger Pictures




You have to admire the gall.



Ryanair CEO, Michael O’Leary,… Continue

Added by Kaleel Sakakeeny on April 18, 2010 at 3:46pm — 8 Comments

Nicaragua: Now Open to Curious Travelers



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

Added by Kaleel Sakakeeny on April 16, 2010 at 11:00am — No Comments

Banning Kids from Flying...at least First Class



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

Added by Kaleel Sakakeeny on April 11, 2010 at 1:30pm — No Comments

Nude Travel Vacations (Nakations): Big Business



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

Added by Kaleel Sakakeeny on April 11, 2010 at 1:30pm — No Comments

Carbon Offset Programs: More Hype Than Hope?

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

Added by Kaleel Sakakeeny on April 9, 2010 at 12:00am — No Comments

When Women Travel Alone





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

Added by Kaleel Sakakeeny on April 8, 2010 at 3:14pm — No Comments

Six- and Seven-Star Hotel Ratings Inflation

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…

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Added by Kaleel Sakakeeny on April 6, 2010 at 11:00pm — No Comments

When Trip Advisor Gets It Wrong

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…

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Added by Kaleel Sakakeeny on April 6, 2010 at 1:55pm — No Comments

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