When Roger Bell takes a vacation, he normally flies to a national park or visits friends up north for two weeks. But like many Americans, Bell, a Woodstock, Georgia-based technical writer, lost his job in 2009. And that changed the way he vacations -- maybe permanently.
Terri Widder hesitated seconds before she booked a recent flight from Chicago to Tulsa. Something felt wrong.
Although he sometimes feels "a little dishonest" about it, Jeremy Reed says he doesn't have much choice: With seven children, from an infant to a teenager, and on a limited budget, he often reserves only one hotel room when he's on vacation.
Lizelle Figueroa calls Expedia to hold her ticket to California. But shortly after that, she's rushed to the hospital, where she spends five weeks.
Do you like to be one of the first people to board a plane, avoiding crowded aisles and getting your pick of overhead bin space? There's a fee for that.
A stolen bag. Lost cash. A missing passport.
Hotels want to know who you are, especially if you're reviewing them anonymously.
When Jeff Allen falls and breaks his tibial plateau just before a Carnival cruise, the company offers him a 50 percent cruise credit. But he thinks the company should let him redo the cruise after his surgery. Who's right? And is there anything he could have done to avoid losing his vacation?
Renting a reliable vacation home isn't easy.
How do you know that the rules restricting electronics on planes are impractical? When you see a crewmember openly texting at 36,000 feet.
There's an unwritten rule in travel journalism that any story about pets on planes must contain at least one Chihuahua anecdote. I know, because I've written many of them. So let's get right to Charlotte Coan and her travel companion, Cricket.
Having second thoughts about those new full-body scanners being used at airports by the Transportation Security Administration?
Want to go somewhere? Book the trip yourself.
Now that Spirit Airlines has done the unthinkable, announcing plans to begin charging for carry-on bags this summer -- that's right, carry-on bags -- the question everyone seems to be asking is: What's next?
When Michelle Rothstein tries to arrange a special side-trip for her husband before a Seine river cruise, their company nixes the idea. It insists the family arrive when everyone else does -- no exceptions. What's more, it won't communicate with their travel agent. Can't it bend a little rule?
After President Obama's negative comments about Sin City and his subsequent mea culpa ("I love Vegas -- always have!"), I realize that this might not be the most prudent way to start a column. But how do you fire up a discussion about smoking in hotels without mentioning America's capital of secondhand smoke?
Debra Hitti's tour operator promises it will refund her deposit if she cancels with more than 45 days' notice. But when she does, the company balks, insisting it never made any such assurances. Who's right, and how could a situation like this have been avoided?
What's this on Sonja Johnson's hotel bill? A mandatory $25 per day "resort" fee for the use of the spa. But didn't the rate she booked through Hotwire include everything? No, it didn't. But that doesn't mean she's out of luck.
Oh, the things hotels will do for a good review.
Alaska Airlines pays Ashley Cates $239 when she's bumped from her flight. Then it stops payment on the check. Why? And is there anything she can do to get the money back?
First her flight is canceled. Then she misses another flight after her bus breaks down. Finally, Rebecca Canter decides to cancel her Australia tour. But her tour operator refuses her request for a refund. Can it do that?
When Stephanie Farrow books a nonrefundable hotel room through Priceline, she's promised a four-star property. She ends up with a three-star and when she complains, she's given the runaround. Is her lost star a lost cause?
Royce Smith planned to visit Sydney, Australia, during spring break to attend an arts festival and work on a book, when he found an unbelievably good fare on American Airlines' Web site: A round-trip ticket from Wichita, Kansas, to Sydney for just $1,198.
Starting in May, American Airlines will charge passengers $8 for a blanket and pillow pack. Would you pay?
The best rate Darren Popik could find on a weekend car rental at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport recently was $114. So he decided to look elsewhere.
The holiday blizzard was a warning to air travelers: Winter is only starting, and when bad weather moves in, your flight schedule isn't worth the paper it's printed on.
Just days after serving subpoenas to two travel bloggers, the Transportation Security Administration withdrew the subpoenas late Thursday, saying its investigation into how the bloggers received a sensitive security directive "is nearing a successful conclusion."
The Transportation Security Administration likes to keep terrorists guessing. Apparently, it likes to keep travelers guessing, too.
Go on. Ask your airline for a favor -- maybe an upgrade to business class or a waiver on a ticket change fee. While you're at it, see whether your hotel will offer you a suite for the price of a standard room.
On second thought, maybe you should leave home without it.
It's been almost a year since American Airlines started charging passengers for their first checked bag, a move that every other legacy airline quickly followed. It's taken almost that long for the luggage industry to catch up to that unfortunate new reality.
Here's a holiday travel forecast you probably won't read anywhere else: look for lower prices on everything from airfares to hotel room rates, smaller crowds and a more pleasant overall experience.
Is your flight about to be canceled?
Oh, the terrible things we come home to from vacation.
Flying solo? Prepare to pay up.
What's the fastest way to board a plane?
Let's assume, for a moment, that you can't stop 2008 from becoming the Year of the Fee.
Your cruise ship may not be seaworthy. Your airline isn't responsible for your checked luggage and if something's stolen from your room, good luck getting the hotel to cover your losses.
If you've seen one tourism brochure that refers to itself as a "year-round" destination, you've probably seen them all.
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