How the travel industry can win you back
September 25, 2009 ·
The travel industry wants you back. But before you say “yes,” listen to Laura Salisbury, a teacher from San Jose, California. She mistakenly typed the wrong return date when she booked a vacation for her and her mother through Expedia. “All I wanted to do was give my mom a trip of a lifetime to [...]
Airline tickets to raise cash for UN health effort
September 23, 2009 ·
Travelers will soon have the chance to donate $2 or more to help fight AIDS in developing countries when they buy an airline ticket. The money will go to the Millennium Foundation. The Geneva-based group is working with the United Nations to fund health goals, including fighting AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. The three major ticket [...]
Climbing Table Mountain a must
September 22, 2009 ·
A trip abroad is never really complete until I’ve taken at least one long (possibly lethal) nature hike. Maybe it’s my love for fresh air, or maybe it’s my constant need for a change of scenery. But, usually, it’s simply because somebody tells me it’s part of the merit badge requirement. “You just HAVE to [...]
Three ways to avoid the newest travel ‘gotcha’
September 22, 2009 ·
Kenneth Miller thought he had squirreled away more than 100,000 Delta Air Lines frequent-flier miles, which he planned to use for a special 20th anniversary trip. He thought wrong. When he checked with the airline, it claimed he had no miles. “My balance was at zero,” he says. “It turns out that even though I [...]
National parks headed for banner year
September 21, 2009 ·
The national park system is headed for a record-breaking number of visitors this year if travel trends hold up. Nearly 232 million people have already visited national park sites this year, with recreational visits in 2009 up almost 5 percent compared to the first nine months of 2008. If visitation stays strong through year’s end, [...]
Mexico on agents’ top 10 travel despite swine flu
September 21, 2009 ·
Mexico took four of the top 10 spots on a list of international destinations booked by agents, managers and agency owners from the Travel Leaders company (formerly Carlson Wagonlit Travel Associates). The annual survey asked 452 Travel Leaders agents to name the top destinations for the fall, through Dec. 31, using actual booking data. The [...]
Athens no longer cheap, but bargains exist
September 21, 2009 ·
Athens is no longer a discount destination. Cab fares, taverna meals, and other costs have steadily crept up. Many Greeks blame the euro for higher prices following the demise of the unsteady drachma, Europe’s oldest currency. But Athens, noisy and densely populated, remains a place where outdoor enjoyment is a way of life: open-air cinemas, [...]
