Gena Welsh and her husband each receive a $150 certificate when their flight is delayed. But now the company that gave them the voucher -- TransGlobal Vacations -- has become Funjet Vacations. And it's balking at giving them the credit. What should she do?
July and August tend to be sleepy months on Wall Street as traders ditch their terminals and head for a beach house in the Hamptons or a summer resort on Nantucket.
After months without a day off, it's official: You need a vacation.
So summer's here, and the thermometer has consistently hovered at 80°-plus. You've got one thing and one thing only on your mind, and it's not the Hickenlooper report, which was due last week: You want to get straight out of the office and take a vacation.
Essay: When resorts are tailored to comfort tourists by offering familiar experiences, it can be hard to remember just where you are
It's never going to happen to you, right?
I've been on my share of vacations with friends and extended family and survived the most common pitfalls - like people running up the group tab at dinner with expensive wines, planned activities that I wanted no part of and living arrangements that afforded too little privacy.
ANNE SCHUETTE, SADLY, WAS NOT SURPRISED WHEN HER mother Dorothy died in 2003 after years of battling cancer. But discovering that her mother had left her and her two siblings $400,000 each was a shock. "I had no idea she had that much money," says Anne, 48, who described the revelation as "bittersweet."
I've been on my share of vacations with friends and extended family and survived the most common pitfalls—like people running up the group tab at dinner with expensive wines, planned activities that I wanted no part of and living arrangements that afforded too little privacy. The topper for me was the time a vacation mate I didn't know well but had invited as part of a large group got nailed cheating in a card game with my better friends. I was stuck between their cold shoulders and my misbegotten guest for the rest of week.
When Delta Air Lines cancels the return portion of Sara Grimm's Puerto Rico getaway, Travelocity's fix is to refund her first vacation package and then ask her to book a completely new one. She does, but weeks later, there's no sign of the money she spent on the first trip. Should Grimm dispute the charges with her credit card -- or is there a better way?
Gena Welsh and her husband each receive a $150 certificate when their flight is delayed. But now the company that gave them the voucher -- TransGlobal Vacations -- has become Funjet Vacations. And it's balking at giving them the credit. What should she do?
July and August tend to be sleepy months on Wall Street as traders ditch their terminals and head for a beach house in the Hamptons or a summer resort on Nantucket.
After months without a day off, it's official: You need a vacation.
So summer's here, and the thermometer has consistently hovered at 80°-plus. You've got one thing and one thing only on your mind, and it's not the Hickenlooper report, which was due last week: You want to get straight out of the office and take a vacation.
Essay: When resorts are tailored to comfort tourists by offering familiar experiences, it can be hard to remember just where you are
It's never going to happen to you, right?
I've been on my share of vacations with friends and extended family and survived the most common pitfalls - like people running up the group tab at dinner with expensive wines, planned activities that I wanted no part of and living arrangements that afforded too little privacy.
ANNE SCHUETTE, SADLY, WAS NOT SURPRISED WHEN HER mother Dorothy died in 2003 after years of battling cancer. But discovering that her mother had left her and her two siblings $400,000 each was a shock. "I had no idea she had that much money," says Anne, 48, who described the revelation as "bittersweet."
I've been on my share of vacations with friends and extended family and survived the most common pitfalls—like people running up the group tab at dinner with expensive wines, planned activities that I wanted no part of and living arrangements that afforded too little privacy. The topper for me was the time a vacation mate I didn't know well but had invited as part of a large group got nailed cheating in a card game with my better friends. I was stuck between their cold shoulders and my misbegotten guest for the rest of week.
When Delta Air Lines cancels the return portion of Sara Grimm's Puerto Rico getaway, Travelocity's fix is to refund her first vacation package and then ask her to book a completely new one. She does, but weeks later, there's no sign of the money she spent on the first trip. Should Grimm dispute the charges with her credit card -- or is there a better way?
I don't think my dad ever changed a diaper. Not at home. Certainly not on vacation.
Q: What can one do about a boss who is a chronically poor listener? I will mention an idea, boss will say nothing about it, then come up with it on his own or find it elsewhere later and tout it like the best thing ever. There will be no mention of me coming up with it first.
Internet searches provide hints on how we really feel about the economy
Not again!
Since he's traveling during hurricane season, Al Cooper takes out an insurance policy for his Mexico vacation. It's a good call. A few days later, he's diagnosed with cancer and has to cancel his trip. But now his insurance company, Access America, refuses to honor his claim. What gives?
Worries about inflation are tugging at the U.S. economy again, as consumers pay more for everything from gas to groceries. But that's not the only place where our purchasing power is declining.
We made fun of my sister mercilessly -- behind her back, of course.
Unless you're looking to buy a new home right now, you may be having a hard time imagining the upside to the bursting of the real estate bubble. Well, here's one: There are a lot more places to rent at the beach.
Chuck Carpenter's passport looks more like an exotic guidebook than an official document.
When the aspen Ski Company launched its environment division -- a kind of green management team, think tank and consultancy -- it was the first of its kind in the ski industry: an in-house watchdog to prevent the resort from gorging on energy and trampling its fragile ecosystem. Ten years later, the division's director, Auden Schendler, spends at least as much time thinking about saving Aspen as he does about saving its environment. Both, it turns out, are highly vulnerable to climate change.
Many small business managers work during their time off and some even admit to reading work-related e-mails while in the bathroom, according to a survey released Monday.
For vacationers, there's an affordable, comfortable and convenient alternative to booking a hotel room. It's renting a whole house.
Most elite travelers would never dream of booking a prepackaged vacation. Maybe they should. By booking the hotel of your choice but reserving your flight and rental car through programs like Ameri...
While economists, investors and even Federal Reserve policymakers express concern that the slumping real estate market will hurt the economy, U.S. stocks may well be getting an unexpected lift from problems in the sector.
When a major storm hits the Caribbean, most airlines and hotels eventually wind up waiving the usual restrictions so that customers can change or cancel their plans free of charge. But because policies have traditionally been announced on a case-by-case basis -- and at the last minute -- you had little choice but to wait and cross your fingers. Now, after two brutal hurricane seasons, a few airlines and tour operators have taken steps to ease travelers' concerns.
SUMMMER'S WINDING DOWN, AND YOU'VE STILL got vacation on the brain: the quiet of the country, the crisp mountain air, the lull of the ocean. In the hope of holding on to those images a bit longer, ...
While serious foodies may think the Food Network's dueling Iron Chefs and Emeril's incessant exhortations ("Let's kick it up a notch!") will have a lot to answer for in that great six-burner kitchen in the sky, cooking school administrators acknowledge that these shows have sparked unprecedented interest in learning how to cook. If you add to that development a dollop of post-9/11 hankering to stay close to home and get back to old-fashioned nurturing, you've got a recipe for the latest hot travel trend: cooking school vacations.
Summmer's winding down, and you've still got vacation on the brain: the quiet of the country, the crisp mountain air, the lull of the ocean.
Soaring gas prices are causing many Americans to change their summer travel plans, according to a study released Tuesday.
We've reached the balmy days of August, but for a growing number of workers chained to their jobs, it might as well be January.
Last summer my family vacationed on a remote part of Vancouver Island off the west coast of Canada. We stayed at a nice resort on a beach, with plenty of room for kids to roam and not a chance of c...
It's nearly August and if you haven't planned your summer vacation yet, you're not alone: 64% of leisure travelers plan at least one of their getaways within two weeks of taking the trip and 26% plan all their vacations at the last minute, according to a poll by the Travel Industry Association.
It's getting even harder for Americans to take a vacation. Almost 30% of workers plan to work while on vacation this year, according to a recent survey by CareerBuilder.com.
As summer heats up, more business travelers are veering off their regular schedules for some much-needed time off.
When that extra piece of chocolate or glass of wine is no longer helping you unwind, you may decide to hit the spa for some professional care and a little "R and R." But how do you choose the right spa, and what do you do once there?
Spa experiences for a wider range of tastes and budgets are springing up all over the world, and weary Americans are taking note.
When Lauryn Axelrod plans a vacation with her teenage son Josh, she begins with one question: What new cultural and physical experiences do I want to give my child?
Dear Annie: I've just completed a promising round of interviews with a prospective employer, and I'm pretty sure I'll get an offer. This is great, as I am really excited about this job. There's just one problem: In my current job (after 10 years here), I get a month's vacation time per year, and I've heard my new company will only give me two weeks. I had planned a three-week trip with my family for this August and would hate to have to cut it short. Can I ask for more vacation time, or should I keep quiet? -Yosemite Sam
Summer time means vacation time for most people. But planning your getaway is anything but relaxing this year as the cost of vacationing skyrockets.
When it comes to taking vacation days, a third of U.S. workers apparently aren't members of the clean-plate club.
No matter where you're headed this summer, getting there by plane will be far from a vacation. Thanks to cost-cutting efforts by struggling American carriers, the number of flights within the United States is down by some 5 percent this year.
Are homes still a good buy? Americans seem to think so -- they bought second homes, both as vacation properties but especially for investment purposes, in record numbers last year.
At some point most of us have daydreamed about quitting the climb up the corporate ladder. Who hasn't wondered what it would be like to earn a living as a wine maker, brewmaster, wilderness guide, or horse trainer?
Explore an ancient temple in Cambodia, ride an elephant in Thailand...watch a ping-pong match in China. These days couples are taking trips that complement their style and they are sparing no expense.
We may still be bundled under our winter coats in some parts of the country, but now is the time to start locking in your summer vacation rental. Early birds have already started to book the hottest summer rentals across the country.
During the winter doldrums, we all tend to hibernate a little bit. But now is the ideal time to start thinking about your summer vacation.
I'm single and make about $80,000 a year. I own a home that's worth about $550,000, which is more than $100,000 than I paid for it, and I've just used $60,000 I previously had invested in a diversified portfolio of stock mutual funds in an IRA rollover to buy a $140,000 vacation home in Arizona that is now valued at $190,000. My question is, should I continue with this investment strategy for retirement or do something different?
You've heard of extreme skiing, but how about extreme ski resorts?
Most of us would like our paychecks to stretch just a little further every week.
After watching the aftermath of the London terrorist bombing and the wind-torn shores of Florida, you may be considering getting travel insurance for that long-awaited vacation.
Sooner or later, there comes a point when vacationers don't care to see another museum, castle, landscape, or historical site.
Americans taking to the roads during the July 4 holiday weekend are almost certain to encounter a traffic bottleneck somewhere, but the biggest is likely to be west of Portland, Oregon, the American Highway Users Alliance said Thursday.
Leisure travelers are finding it harder and harder to turn their backs on their personal tech devices while vacationing a survey conducted by web-based travel service Travelocity in connection with syndicated travel columnist Eileen Ogintz, revealed.
Does anyone actually take vacations anymore? Pack up the wife, Alice, and the kids, go to the Grand Canyon, get lost, meet an Indian boy named Jimmy?
With rising prices for many travel services, the majority of leisure travelers this summer will be looking for ways to economize, according to the Travel Industry Association of America.
Memorial Day usually makes for a nice long weekend, but when was the last time you took a real vacation?
The message from the travel industry this spring: Americans are on the road again.
Which would you rather have: more time off or a $5,000 raise? When the folks at Salary.com first posed this question in 2001, 33% of respondents said they'd want more time. The rest said, "Show me ...
Which would you rather have: more time off or a $5,000 raise? When the folks at Salary.com first posed this question in 2001, 33 percent of respondents said they'd want more time. The rest said, "Show me the money."
Baby, it's cold outside. Just when we think it's going to warm up, Mother Nature sends us another Canadian Clipper or a Nor'easter.
When you arrive at La Selva, Riccardo will come down the road to greet you.
Tour operators and travel agents are increasingly filling a demand for vacations that combine golf and activities off the course.
Why have one house when you can have two?
There's something not quite right about the phrase "luxury hiking." Hoofing it through woods and up canyon trails is an unavoidably sweaty proposition, and the toilet "behind that big rock" is hard...
The kids want a dog but you are afraid the family can't handle the responsibility. You've got a black-tie affair to attend, but no bling to match your dress. You're looking to buy a new pair of skis before your ski weekend getaway.
Cold, dreary winter days have many Americans dreaming of a sunny haven near the water this summer.
There's a saying in Italian, dolce far niente, which means it is "sweet to do nothing."
Nothing says "I love you" like a $125,000 five-day getaway that starts in the Alaskan wilderness, stops on Rodeo Drive and comes to a finale on an historic Broadway stage.
When Joe and Terie Wehage of Portland, Ore. bought a vacation house with another couple ten years ago, their goal was to find a retreat that could accommodate a growing family - they have five children between the ages of 8 and 18 - and bring in some rental income.
We received thousands of e-mails in the days after December's tsunamis from people seeking news of friends and relatives in areas affected by the disaster.
We received thousands of e-mails in the days after December's tsunamis from people seeking news of friends and relatives in areas affected by the disaster.
We received thousands of e-mails in the days after December's tsunamis from people seeking news of friends and relatives in areas affected by the disaster.
There have been many extraordinary eyewitness accounts of the disaster that unfolded as giant waves swept ashore after the earthquake. The following are a selection:
Looking for great getaway travel deals now that winter is on its way? Well, they're not hard to find.
Picture a wedding party milling about in an old piazza high above Amalfi Coast. The setting is classically Italian. But these are New Yorkers: an example of couples who desire memorable weddings taking their act on the road.
Almost every popular vacation destination has a secret season. It's the little-known sweet spot between peak travel season, when a place is overrun with tourists and sky-high prices, and the off-se...
If you can't live in the lap of luxury, it's nice to visit it once in a while. That's my sole conscious thought as I lie face-down on a massage table while expert hands rub every kink and knot out ...
If anyone could get you a sweet deal on a vacation to Rome, you'd think it would be New Jersey-based Perillo Tours. After all, the company's website says it "pioneered the concept of the package to...
One of the big attractions of owning a vacation home--apart, of course, from being able to enjoy your own place at the beach, lake or mountains--is the ability to make money renting the place out. ...
One of the big attractions of owning a vacation home -- apart, of course, from being able to enjoy your own place at the beach, lake or mountains -- is the ability to make money renting the place out. And then there's the hope of eventually selling at a profit.
A few months ago, I was having lunch in San Sebastián, Spain, with a group of senior executives from some of the region's top companies. In a dining room at the University of Navarre, we chatted th...
For those who are used to working round the clock and being in touch with the office at all times, taking time off to relax can be one of the hardest tasks.
NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - On the Friday before Memorial Day, a source for a story I was working on gave me permission to call her in the Caribbean. Purportedly, she was there enjoying a vacation.
Michael McIntyre likes to travel in style. The president and CEO of Gentry Group, an insurance company in Dallas, recently flew via private jet with his wife and three other couples to Venice for a...
BEND, Ore. (CNN/Money) - Owning a second home is great in theory. Trouble is, you may not be able to spend enough time there to justify the cost of the mortgage, not to mention the hassle of maintaining another house.
Forty years at any job is a feat. Forty years as a police officer in New York City is remarkable. Forty years without ever taking a sick day, unbelievable but true.
Skyrocketing gas prices aren't putting the brakes on Americans' Memorial Day weekend and summer travel plans, according to new surveys from industry experts, but road trips may be shorter than usual.
Forget the lights of Las Vegas. Look past the Big Apple's mouth-watering sights. Distinctive destinations abound in the United States, far beyond the perennial favorites.
WHAT'S THAT CREAKING NOISE? The days are dark and cold, and everything and everybody seems worn down--that's the sound of midwinter.
After writing a book (My Job, My Self, Routledge, 2000) that established once and for all that we are what we do, Al Gini decided that we work too much. Himself included: Gini, 58, is a professor o...
In most respects it was a typical family getaway. In the summer of 1951, a 38-year-old Memphis homebuilder named Kemmons Wilson decided to take his wife and five kids on a trip to Washington, D.C. ...
When Anthony DeHart got married seven years ago--in the midst of building his precision-cutting-tool company, DeHart Tooling Components--he made three mistakes. First, after a romantic wedding in G...
Chris Crowley, arms folded over his crisp yellow tie, is staring at a very loud, very wet machine. The contraption--a $600,000 Crown Simplimatic soda canner he bought for $225,000--is working flawl...
THE STOCK MARKET'S STUCK IN THE BASEMENT. NO WONDER HOME IS WHERE OUR HEARTS (AND WALLETS) ARE THESE DAYS. WE'RE POURING MORE AND MORE OF OUR NET WORTH INTO HOUSING--AND TAKING MORE AND MORE OUT, T...
It may define the American dream, but buying a home remains one of life's biggest sources of stress. From choosing a loan to paying for closing costs, it's enough to put even the most mild-mannered among us on edge.
Finding a fancy Audi in Beverly Hills is a little like looking for hay in a haystack. Splashy cars are the rule, not the exception, in this notoriously glitzy part of the world. But one of the Audi...
For many of us, winter vacations are as much a necessity as a luxury. They are a respite from a strenuous and often stressful time of year: those months that kick off the Tuesday after Labor Day an...
We asked Golf magazine's Brian McCallen how to build a great golf vacation. Our criteria: loads of world-class golf at less than world-class prices.
Most of the recent changes in the way Americans travel fall into the category of necessary inconveniences: heightened security measures, long airport waits, that sort of thing. But there is one cha...
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