July 23, 2008
For t he best information we’ve seen about U.S. cell phone (mobile) pre-paid plans and phones for international visitors, see this article on TravelTechTalk.
June 28, 2008
We’re not yet sure ourselves about its usefulness, but a new hotel-rating website may be worth looking at. TripKick offers reviews of hotels in (so far) a limited number of cities, and offers suggestions about the best rooms for quiet, views, elevator access, and other options.
June 27, 2008
Much has been made of the coming retirement of millions of American baby boomers. This generation is supposed to be the wealthiest in history; to be interested in travel and recreation; and is expected to (bad pun alert) fuel the future of the travel industry. See our Special Report.
June 18, 2008
In the never-ending battle against car-rental ripoffs, here’s another tool to consider.
American Express offers a $19.95 car rental insurance policy that is primary rental insurance. Insurance provided by all other credit cards (except Diners) is secondary – in other words, the credit-card insurance only kicks in after you’ve gone through your personal auto insurance provider to try to resolve the issue. The Amex policy is valid anywhere in the world except in Australia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, or New Zealand (which is typical with most credit-card car-rental insurance coverage).
(There are some slightly different coverages and options, depending on what state you live in. See the Amex site.)
The Amex coverage is for the entire rental period (for up to 42 days), not per day. This seems like a cheap way to give yourself an additional layer of protection, especially if you’re a leisure traveler who rents a few times a year for longer periods (rather than a business traveler renting for a day or two many times a year). You are required to register your Amex card, but there are no charges until you reserve and pay for your rental with your Amex card.
May 12, 2008
Flight Centre Limited, a large Australian travel agency, has expressed concern about the impending June 1 switch to all-electronic airline ticketing. There has been nary a peep from the U.S. media about the switch, yet Flight Centre makes some interesting points, including:
“...significant issues had not been resolved in relation to: Customers travelling with infants, as most carriers would not allow infants to travel on e-tickets; Some codeshare and interline fares involving more than one carrier; Some round-the-world fares.”
We’re not sure how much – if any – impact there will be for travel to and within the U.S., but in today’s aviation environment, anything that throws a wrench in the system can have cascading effects down the line.
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April 28, 2008
Discover Financial Services (Discover card) is buying the Diners Club credit card from Citigroup. Integration will take awhile (two to three years for full implementation, according to the announcement), but once in place it should mean that Discover cards will be accepted wherever Diners cards are taken, and vice versa. Discover has been known for its various cash-back rewards programs, while Diners has a more extensive travel services program. Whatever card(s) come out of this arrangement, we expect to see a much more useful (both U.S. and international) travel product.
April 15, 2008
Lest you think it’s already spring in the mountains, just because the daffodils are coming out in your yard, see this article on USA Today. If you’re planning on visiting Yellowstone (or any other big-mountain destination, such as the North Cascades) before June, check road conditions in advance.
April 14, 2008
It’s all over the news, and there will probably be a lot more in the future, but Delta and Northwest airlines have decided to merge. As with most such actions, there’s still a lot uncertain. But for international visitors coming to the U.S., the merger may be favorable with more international flights and more domestic U.S. connections. In related news, United and Continental are also discussing a merger. This, too, might benefit international travelers for the same reasons. Stay tuned.
April 7, 2008
Most U.S. airlines have begun to impose additional charges to check more than one bag. And if an airline hasn't, it probably will. The over-weight and over-size fees are also increasing. If you travel with a lot of stuff and are on a U.S. carrier, don't automatically assume that your old two-piece limit applies. This is especially important for overseas visitors, because the one-bag-free rule applies to domestic U.S. travel — you may not have a fee for your flight to the U.S., but then be hit with a fee for air travel within America.
March 5, 2008
Surveys and opinions; opinions and surveys. The Airports Council International has named the “best” airports in service quality, from a survey of 200,000 travelers in 2007. The top five were all in Asia, with the best being Incheon International in Seoul, Korea. The highest ranked in the U.S. were Dallas, San Diego, and Detroit. When ranked by size (number of annual passengers) the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th airports in the largest-airport category were in the U.S. – Dallas, Denver, and Houston. While very few people make travel plans based on the quality of the airport (“Gee, honey, let’s go to Texas instead of California because they have better airports.”), the airport experience can have a bearing on the quality of your travels.
March 4, 2008
According to the newly released annual list of the most popular museums in the world by Art Newspaper, first place goes to the Louvre in Paris. Five U.S. museums made it onto Art Newspaper’s top 20 list.
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
National Gallery of Art, Washington
Museum of Modern Art, New York
Field Museum, Chicago
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
February 4, 2008
The nominations were opened, the votes were cast, the numbers tallied, and the winners of the 8 Wonders of Kansas are....
- Big Well, Greensburg
- Cheyenne Bottoms and Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, Barton and Stafford counties
- Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, Abilene
- Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center, Hutchinson
- Kansas Underground Salt Museum, Hutchinson
- Monument Rocks and Castle Rock, Gove County
- St. Fidelis Catholic Church (Cathedral of the Plains), Victoria
- Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Chase County
According the organizers, more than 24,000 people from all 50 states cast votes. The only place on the list that we’ve been to is the Tallgrass Prairie, and it truly is a spectacular landscape, in a subtle and expansive way. We were a little disappointed that World’s Largest Ball of Twine (one of the finalists) didn’t make the winner’s circle.
February2, 2008
As we reported back in February 2007, JetBlue (U.S.) and Aer Lingus (Ireland) airlines have begun a joint marketing partnership aimed at creating a more seamless booking process between the two low-cost carriers’ networks. European travelers can buy one ticket from Ireland to New York, and then connect to any of JetBlue’s 53 U.S. destinations. The companies hope to soon add JetBlue’s destinations in the Caribbean and Aer Lingus’ flights to other parts of Europe.
February 1, 2008
As we’ve noted before, we’re pretty big fans of the Hilton HHonors frequent traveler program, and it has now gotten even better. Hilton as instituted no blackout days and no capacity controls. We’ve suggested that travellers join frequent flyer and frequent guest programs, and if you have enough Hilton HHonors points, this change can benefit your U.S. travels, as Hilton has extensive properties (Hilton, DoubleTree, Conrad, Hampton, Homewood, Embassy, Waldorf) across America.
January 29, 2008
The website of the British magazine Business Traveler has a series of quick-bite city guides to various cities around the world. Not at all comprehensive or detailed, the guides nonetheless list about half-a-dozen spots in each city, with a handy small map. These are, obviously, geared to business travelers who maybe have an afternoon free to explore, yet can be useful to anyone. U.S. cities currently covered include Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Diego, and New York. These will never replace Lonely Planet or Michelin, but if you are in any of these cities for business, or are on a very short stop-over on a longer trip, the guides might be just the ticket to lead you to a few interesting sights.
January 10, 2008
In a nod to the new Open Skies agreement, which allows airlines to fly between any U.S. destination and nearly any European one (not just between the U.S. and the airline’s home country), in June British Airways will begin operating a new airline with routes to New York from either Brussels or Paris (with flights to the other city to begin later in the year). Competing international routes are usually beneficial for consumers, but in reality this may be more about BA being able to offer lower-cost U.S.-to-Europe routes (fees into the UK and Heathrow are high). The new airline’s name? “OpenSkies.” Everyone is speculating about the impact of the Open Skies agreement on consumer air travel and pricing, and everyone has a different opinion. We’ll keep you abreast of changing news.
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