What should we be afraid of when we travel? And are the phobias justified? Here are the top travel fears, along with your chances of actually being hurt while you’re on the road.
From the monthly archives:
May 2009
When he calls the Residence Inn, Michael Tushan is offered a rate of $116 a night. Oops. Turns out the representative wasn’t “authorized” to negotiate — and now the price is $149 a night. Take it or leave it. What should Tushan do?
Mark Mitchell, American Airlines’ managing director of customer experience, is the point man for customer service at the airline. With the summer travel season now underway, I asked him how air travelers could have the best possible experience, and what airlines like American are doing to make it better.
Every now and then, it’s useful to take a peek behind the scenes in the travel industry to see how the machinery works. But don’t stare — it could drive you mad. That’s what almost happened to me when I tried to mediate the case between Jerri Olsen and Carnival Cruise Lines. Before you continue, a warning: The following case contains information that some travel agents might find offensive.
Two to three billing cycles. That’s the formula answer you’ll get from a travel company when you ask how long your refund will take. But the formula doesn’t always work.
No three words inspire more dread — or heated discussion — than “kids on planes.”
It’s no secret that fare rules — the all-uppercase gibberish you often see on the bottom of your computer screen when buying your ticket — are designed to make your airline a few extra bucks. Some of so-called tariff rules require a Saturday night stay. Others insist you use both halves of the ticket.
Kerr City, Florida, was abandoned a long time ago — or was it? Aren, Iden and Erysse found that there are still people there And you can even rent a cabin.
When it comes to wireless headsets, I had all but given up on finding something usable for my travels. The leading products are too bulky, uncomfortable or deliver inferior sound quality. I preferred the cheap wired unit that comes with my iPhone 3G. Then I tested the Plantronics Voyager Pro and now I can say there is hope.
Fumiko Seguchi did everything by the book on her recent flight to Tokyo. She confirmed her departure 24 hours in advance. She secured a seat assignment. And she arrived more than two hours before departure. It wasn’t enough.
Even though she prepays for a hotel room on Hotwire.com, Elke Rist gets half of what she’s promised: just one bed and quarters the size of a “jail cell.” It will cost her twice as much as the room she reserved. Can the hotel do that?
Karen Schaler is the author of Travel Therapy: Where Do You Need to Go? A former embedded war correspondent in Afghanistan, she’s experienced the highs and lows of travel. I asked her how to get the most out of your next vacation.
Mariah Nunn has been a loyal American Express cardmember for the last quarter century. When she heard the line, “Don’t leave home without it,” she took it to mean Amex would never leave her either, especially when she was out of the country. But she was wrong.
Leslie Kelley’s room rate at InterContinental’s Barclay New York was an astonishingly low $129 a night. Astonishing, because the published room rate is $329 a night. And astonishing, because of the extras the hotel allegedly tried to add to her bill to make up for some of the lost revenue.
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