Tagged: travel

Nightmare Guests: 5 Tales From Hotel Housekeepers

Hotel guests often feel entitled. After all, when was the last time that you made the bed before checking out? Each day, housekeepers are tasked with restoring each room to its…

How to Be a Better Hotel Guest: 5 Tips from Hotel Housekeepers

Housekeepers at hotels see everything from outright theft (stolen comforters and blankets) to guests who forget to retrieve valuables from the hotel safe. The next time you check into…

Survival Tips for Plane Crashes & Other Accidents

Remember that amazing story about a guy who sawed off his arm when he couldn't lift the boulder that had trapped him in a desert canyon? Or the hikers, skydivers, airplane crash…

Will Lie-Flat Airline Seats Create a Snoring Epidemic?

While everyone else is touting the benefits of new "lie-flat" airline seats in business- and first class, I know I can count on you, dear readers, to find a "down" side.And here it…

Flying 10 Years After 9-11: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Ten years after 9-11, it's both harder and safer to fly. We have fewer airline and flight choices, we pay less for tickets but more in fees, and airport security can be really, really…

London Riots: What Visitors Need to Know

Advice for VisitorsVisitors to the UK will be understandably nervous right now. There have been riots and looting in many parts of London during the past week, sparked by the shooting…

TSA Tries Pre-Screening, Again

Nearly a decade has passed since the American public has given up its soul -- well, taken off its shoes, removed its belts, emptied its pockets, raised its arms, and otherwise danced…

Oslo Travel After the Attacks: Where to Go, What to See

Tourism in Norway was at its height in mid-July when a bomb went off in central Oslo and a gunman opened fire a Labour Party summer camp on nearby Utøya island.The bomb demolished a…

Wheelchair-Accessible Cabins Offer Comfortable Camping Alternative

Summer is prime time for outdoor fun, and in many cases that fun also includes an overnight stay at a campground. And although many folks like to rough it and sleep under the stars,…

Headed to Europe This Summer? It's Going to Be a Riot

If you're looking for a little adventure this summer -- a strike, a riot or maybe even a revolution -- skip the Middle East and head to Europe. Traditionally quiet and predictable…

Travel Troubleshooter: Dead Passengers Can't Use a Flight Credit

David Walters' wife passes away before they can fly from Dallas to Midland, Texas. But when he asks his online travel agency for a refund, it refuses, saying the airline will only…

Travel Safety: The Economic Situation in Greece

Greece's economic troubles today are a cautionary tale that proves the truth of Shakespeare's aphorism: Neither a Borrower Nor a Lender Be. In this case, Greece is the borrower, and…

Travel Health Tips: Cell Phones on the Road and on Your Brain

Using your cell phone too much could cause brain cancer, the latest report says. No, it won't, says another. Even before the Internet, debates have raged for decades over whether or…

Cruise Trends: New Kid-Friendly Perks & Parties

Cruise lines have been catering to kids for years now, and the perks keep getting better. The latest improvements are the optional add-ons that parents can purchase when dropping…

Chilean Ash Cloud Update: Volcanic Ash Threatens Patagonian Ski Season

Many airports in Australia are still being impacted by volcanic ash in the atmosphere from Chile's Puyehue-Cordon Caulle Volcano, which erupted more than two weeks ago on June 4. …

Top Paris Shops & Museums for Contemporary Design

For centuries, French design has set the standard for style and class. Today, that traditional elegance can be found in Paris right along with the latest, cutting-edge designs. Fans…

Cruise Makeover: Royal Caribbean Takes Ship Renovation to the Next Level

"The Pandora's box is open," said Capt. Claus Andersen, standing amidst a chaos of loose wires and open instrument panels on the bridge of Royal Caribbean's 2,100-passenger Radiance…

How to Tell a Family Travel Deal from a Dud

Nothing can kill a good vacation vibe faster than paying more at check-out than you'd expected. So how can you tell a great deal from a dud? Do the math. We take a hard look at three…

Park of the Week: Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site, St. Louis

Everyone knows which president's face is on the dollar bill, but George Washington has some competition now that the U.S. Mint has issued a one-dollar coin with the visage of Ulysses…

Drinks at Sea: Should You Buy a Beverage Package on a Cruise?

Most cruises include the cabin, meals, entertainment, and activities in the fare -- though you'll have to pay extra for drinks, such as bottled water, soda, wine, beer, cocktails, and…

5 Travel Tips for Middle East Visitors

Mark Lammers planned his April trip to the Middle East in December 2010, months before the first government protests in the region took place. He watched nervously as the riots and…

The New Empire State Building: Faster, Leaner, and Better

If King Kong's great-great-grandson were to visit the place where his late relation made it to the top of the heap (briefly), he would find a modern spin on the Art Deco masterpiece,…

That's Ridiculous! The "Myth" of the Unchanged Hotel Sheets

No recent story has generated more hate mail than my recent investigation of hotels that don't change their sheets between guests. I use the term "investigation" lightly, since the…

Travel Tips: What to Do When the Weather Doesn't Cooperate

My sister called me from her vacation, disgruntled. She had planned a long weekend in Gettysburg with her boyfriend, a history buff who wanted to walk the battlefields. They hadn't…

Hotels Don't Always Change the Sheets Between Guests

Glenn Robins is grossed out. As a frequent traveler, he assumed the sheets on hotel beds are changed between guests. But a new TV ad by the Hampton Inn (www.hamptoninn.com) chain…