Internet strikes back
The Web won’t give up without a good fight, at least when it comes to finding a bargain airfare. How do I know? Because the Internet answered a challenge I put to it in an earlier column as only the Internet could - immediately and, it turns out, impressively. No sooner did the Travel Tightwad I’m referring to appear than I got two answers suggesting I shouldn’t count online out when buying air travel.
Should you rule iPass out?
Internet connections are important to Deborah Rollins, and if you could see where she lives, you’d understand why. For eight months out of the year, Rollins resides on a boat-never too far offshore, usually within U.S. waters, but frequently relying on a cellular phone to connect to the Internet. “I’m in constant search of the perfect Internet connection with which I can primarily upload and download e-mail with occasional ‘live’ Internet time,” she says.
Can’t log off
Q: My partner and I flew to New Orleans last Wednesday, and because it was our vacation, I did not bring my laptop computer. Once there, we decided that we wanted to go to Washington for the rest of the week. I called several airlines and got fare quotes from them. Then I went to [...]
Holiday bargains
Conventional wisdom on traveling during the holidays used to go something like this: Avoid it at all costs. The conventional wisdom is wrong this year. Booking your next business trip during the busy season could save you lots of money. Let’s do away with one misconception first: The holidays aren’t as hectic as you might think.
Getting stoned in Marathon
To understand what makes Florida’s stone crab so irresistible, you have to skip the gruesome parts. Like where you drop a severed pig’s foot into an underwater cage to attract the creatures. Or when you forcefully pry the claw off a living crab and then toss the writhing crustacean overboard. Instead, have a seat on one of the outdoor picnic benches at Keys Fisheries in Marathon, Fla., a resort town about halfway between Key Largo and Key West. That’s where, after an afternoon aboard a commercial stone crabbing vessel in the Gulf of Mexico, your steamed catch is served with a side of either melted butter or mustard sauce.
Internet’s no match for a good agent
Click or call? When it comes to making travel plans, I’ve never hesitated to lift the mouse before picking up the receiver. I used to think travel agents were as obsolete as biplanes. Then I tried to find a reasonable airfare from Miami to Vienna to visit my family this Thanksgiving, and I discovered I’d been dead wrong.
Tech help isn’t everything
Interested in buying a new laptop? If you travel a lot, chances are you’ll check the price, peripherals, and programs, like any other computer shopper. Maybe you’ll pay close attention to the PCs weight. But then, when you’ve had a chance to mull everything over, you’ll buy a new machine based on…its technical support.
Kicked off a flight
Q: I was recently removed from an AirTran Airways flight because a crewmember accused me of “not apologizing” to her after she claimed that I bumped her with my bag.
The flight I was ejected from wasn’t the flight that my alleged offense took place. It was a connecting flight that the same crew happened to [...]
Can’t get a refund
Q: My fiancee and I had a reservation at the Lamothe House in New Orleans. However, when we arrived, the only desk clerk on duty was extremely rude to us, our room was well below the standard we expected, and there was a note telling us of an energy fee that was to be added [...]
When is a deal not a deal?
Travel prices are dropping faster than temperatures this fall. But look closely at who’s subsidizing these sales - it could be you. Take Air Canada’s recent Thanksgiving fare discounts. You could fly from Vancouver to San Francisco for as little as $248, or from Calgary to Phoenix, Ariz., for just $198. Not bad. But who’s underwriting the fare reductions? Could it be…the taxpayer?
Batteries give travelers a charge
What a difference the right battery makes. Believe me, I know. Finding a fitting power supply is often the last thing you worry about when you buy a new gadget, which is exactly what happened to me when I started shooting pictures with a new Leica digital camera last year.
Afraid to fly
Q: My wife and I both travel for our jobs. After the events of September 11, the first thing [our supervisors] asked us was, “You’re going to fly next week, right?” This seems very unreasonable to me. What are your thoughts? Do you know who we could ask if it’s reasonable to refuse to travel [...]
Going back to school this fall
I used to hate autumn as a kid. The end of summer meant the beginning of school - and nine months of misery for this below-average student. But I got over it. During college, fall meant escaping my summer job and returning to the world of so-called “higher” education. After graduation, it just meant the end of the warm weather.
Better bargains are in the cards
When a massive thunderstorm diverted Stephanie Seacord’s Columbus, Ohio-bound flight to Pittsburgh recently, she knew the fastest way to her destination would be on wheels. But she worried that high demand for rental cars at the airport could drive rates out of reach. Seacord phoned Hertz to check prices anyway. “When the reservationist asked me if I had a membership rate, I remembered the little card that came with my Professional Sports Car Club race credentials,” she says. “So I mentioned it.” Total cost: just $59.
Like El Al
Q: I just flew from New York to Barbados on American Airlines last Saturday and returned Sunday. I’m concerned about the safety measures. Anyone can walk into the terminal. Nobody checked tickets or identification. At check-in, there’s wasn’t one question-even the old basic ones like, “Who packed your bags?” or “Where have they been?” I [...]