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Did I go all “Incredible Hulk” on my rental car?

There are dents on Mark Ferguson’s rental SUV, and Enterprise wants him to pay for the repairs. But there’s just one problem: they’re on the roof, and neither Ferguson, nor the manager who inspected the vehicle, checked the top before he accepted the car. Is he still responsible?

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Why doesn’t travel insurance cover dad’s illness?

When Jessica Kamzik’s father was diagnosed with stomach cancer last summer, there was no question about what she had to do. Dad’s prognosis was “grave” — the doctors said he probably wouldn’t make it to the holidays — and, “as any loving daughter would do, I immediately cancelled our vacation to stay closer to him,” she says.

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Oh, did I hurt your feelings?

Although I consider “reader mail” posts a journalistic cop-out — a favorite tool of lazy columnists who can’t think of anything else to write — I’m willing to make an exception today.

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I love New York in January — how about you?

It was inevitable. Sooner or later, I knew I’d have to come back to New York. So here I am!

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Is this any way to treat a member of the President’s Club?

Sarena Wiener thought she’d taken every precaution before embarking on her Vantage Deluxe World Travel tour of India recently. Her flight itinerary gave her plenty of time to make her connections, she had purchased travel insurance, and to besides, she was a valued customer — a member of Vantage’s “President’s Club.”

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Murphy’s unfortunate stay in an AirBNB apartment

You know Murphy’s Law — “anything that can go wrong, will go wrong”? Well, Eric Schwartzman had one of those experiences when he rented an apartment from AirBNB recently.

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TSA Watch: Oh, so this is what they mean by “zero tolerance”

Here are two more reasons you should never check valuables in your luggage when you’re flying: Michael Pujol and his wife, Betsy Pujol Salazar.

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Costa Concordia sinking leaves other cruise ship passengers alarmed — and out of luck

he tragic sinking of the Costa Concordia cruise ship last week is leaving a line of worried passengers in its wake. Betty Westbrook is among them. The retiree from Allen, Tex., called me hours after the ship sank off the Italian coast, hoping that I could help her. “What are my chances for a refund?” she asked.

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The Insider: How to complain to the TSA

If you have a problem with the TSA, what’s your next step?

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Why can’t I transit through London?

Mita Upadhyay has a “Catch-22″ problem with a visa, but British Airways wants $500 to fix it. Is that good customer service — or a hard lesson learned about having the right paperwork?

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Introducing the ebook that will make you a better traveler

Want to travel like an insider? Well, now you can.

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The Insider: Read this before your next TSA screening

Want to get through the TSA screening process as quickly and painlessly as possible? Sure you do.

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This volunteer vacation to New Orleans ended on a bad note

Erik Szabo is “livid.”

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The Insider: Mythbusting the TSA screening experience

With the possible exception of fares, no aspect of air travel is more misunderstood than the TSA checkpoint. So as a public service, I’m going to deal with some of the common myths about TSA screening.

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When revenue-hungry airlines play “chicken” with passengers

Here’s a decision most of us will have to make the next time we fly: Should we splurge for a “premium” seat in economy class — an aisle or a window seat — or leave it to chance, and possibly end up in a middle seat?

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