Browsing: Troubleshooter

You drag in your suitcases and other assorted paraphernalia (especially if you have been on a car trip), drop it all in the middle of the floor, and collapse onto the couch. Your trip was amazing in every way but now you are home, and you are exhausted. After several years of travel, here’s what I have learned that makes that coming home part of the trip a little less painful.

Before you leave on
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In today’s world, it’s difficult to unplug for a week while traveling. We are more and more connected and as a result, all that technology can inadvertently make us more attractive targets for crooks.  It’s not enough anymore to watch your wallet and be conservative about the jewelry you display–thieves have gotten smarter, and in order to protect your possessions and identity, you’ll have to travel smarter too. Here are some tips to help keep …

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I received an invitation to visit an all-inclusive resort the other day and I carefully saved that email as I thought why, yes, I would love to visit an all-inclusive resort. Because they are completely wonderful in every way.

Located in beautiful, tropical locations like Mexico and the Dominican Republic, all-inclusive resorts are often described as a cruise on land and it has been my experience that they are very much like that. When …

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Think a cruise is a problem-free, no-hassle vacation? Think again. While the recent accident with the Costs Concordia was an extremely rare occurrence, cruises are ruined for people every day for varying reasons.

As with any uncharted waters, danger lurks below the surface. The websites may advertise smooth sailing — after all, they’re flashy websites created by the marketing department — but as a travel professional, I have had many cruises go down the drain.…

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Most of the bases for cruising have already been covered: We know how to keep your floating vacation afloat, how to find the best ships for singles, how to survive a cruise with Norwalk virus and how to cruise with the kids. But, as recent news stories have warned us, there may be a dark side to cruising for those who are not prepared.

Terry Riley, Ph.D., author of the book Travel Can Be Murder

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Welcome to the wonderful world of crowdsourcing. Everyone is an expert on everything and thanks to sites like TripAdvisor, Yelp, and Angie’s List there are now platforms for everyone to display their expertise. Well, sort of.

First of all, let me be clear, TripAdvisor can be an incredibly valuable tool for today’s traveler. But like any tool, for it to be effective, it needs to be handled properly. Not many nails get driven with the …

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Hotels are a necessary part of the travel experience. Be it one night or several months, a hotel is your temporary home away from home. But the difference between a hotel and your home is that a hotel can be fraught with danger. I don’t mean to be an alarmist, but we all know that there are bad people in the world—and a hotel might just be a good breeding ground for them. Let me …

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“Psst, hey buddy, come here, I got a great deal on a brand new Rolex.” If you are an experienced traveler or have visited a large city in the United States, you have probably been approached with a similar line. Of course, the guy in the trench coat is not selling the real deal—they are knockoffs and it is a scam. People have a tendency to become complacent and think they are too smart to …

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Hello and welcome to Travelhoppers! I am thrilled to have been asked to participate in this project as the Ombudsman for the travel woes of our readers. But, before we get into problem solving, I wanted to take a few moments to outline exactly how I feel an Ombudsman comes into play.

Don’t Wait

When a travel issue crops up, the time for action is when it crops up. Not after you have spent a …

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