Back in 2007, my first Travel Talk column was about losing my cell phone. It fell out of my pocket on the first leg of a trip to London and ended up flying to Pittsburgh alone. There was a happy ending - we were reunited. Since then my cell phone has strayed a few other times, often while we're traveling. It happened again last week. I remembered using my cell on the drive to Logan,…
May 6, 2012
On the homeward leg of a trip to St. Maarten last week, the dreaded happened: A number of confounding variables combined in a perfect storm and our late-day flight home was canceled altogether. The St. Maarten US Airways ground crew had to find accommodations for and rebook 180 people - at 8 Saturday night. Booking issues: We got into this situation because I broke one of my cardinal…
April 8, 2012
Wouldn't it be lovely to go back to the days of remaining mostly clothed while going through security at an airport? Good news! The Customs and Border Protection's Trusted Traveler Program has partnered with the TSA and a number of major U.S.-based airlines to create the expedited screening program TSA Precheck. TSA Precheck was tried out over the summer in a few big airports and…
February 19, 2012
Egypt is in the headlines nowadays: riots at soccer matches, clashes with the police in Cairo, and now two American women abducted. Read behind the headlines before you cancel! Location, location, location: Egypt is a big country, and events happening in outlying areas have little or no impact on tourist destinations. The soccer riot was in Port Said, 100 miles northeast of Cairo.…
February 12, 2012
If you've ever dreamed of riding a camel in the shadows of the Great Pyramids, floating down the Nile in Cleopatra-like splendor or walking in the Valley of the Kings, I have a recommendation: Book it now! Ignore the gasps of friends and family. Ignore any niggling misgivings. Just book it. You'll get the best…
February 12, 2012
In the best of times, making connecting flights is a bit of a stressor. Even if you've done your homework and know the gates ahead of time - well, things happen. Jetways get stuck. Flights are late (or early) and are diverted to another gate - or worse, to a remote location on the tarmac, meaning you wait for a bus. Construction happens. And sometimes an airport decides to just…
February 5, 2012
Has anyone noticed that nowadays flights to almost anywhere are almost always less expensive out of Boston than out of Manchester? This is a sad state of affairs. I've always considered Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, well, my airport - small enough to navigate easily, a quick 25 minutes from our house in Bow, plenty of services and comfort. But when Bud and I have to pay an…
January 29, 2012
Back when vacations included our four school-age kids, I remember being thrilled to see a promotion for "companion airfare" arrive in the mail (yes, this was before internet booking). Wow, I thought. Two-for-one - a deal! This could cut our travel cost in half, right? Turns out it wasn't exactly true then, and it's not exactly true now. Nevertheless, companion airfare programs can…
January 1, 2012
There aren't many things that bring Bud and me to the edge of panic when we're traveling. We've flown through cyclones in the Pacific, teetered on the edge of cliffs in the Alps and held our breath as a pride of lions scoped out our safari vehicle in South Africa. But have our ATM card rejected when we're on the road? Not have access to cash? That's a real heart-stopper! Here's…
December 18, 2011
Booking a hotel room is a very personal thing, as odd as that sounds. After all, it's most often done online nowadays. (How impersonal is that?) Then there's the fact that complete strangers have occupied the room, the bathroom and (horrors!) the bed before your arrival. So why do I say it's personal? Easy: What's more personal than your sleeping and bathing habits, routines - even…
December 11, 2011
Call us crazy, but Bud and I decided that this would be the winter to check Egypt and Kenya off our bucket lists. Prices will probably never be better. Upgraded award seats were readily available. Will this be the best - or the worst - travel decision we've ever made? We've tried to build in safeguards in critical areas like transportation, communications and health/safety. Getting…
December 4, 2011
If you have visions of sun-drenched Caribbean beaches rattling around in your head about now, you're not alone. The Caribbean is our closest shot at a bit of exotica mixed with sugar sand, palm trees and a pink drink or two. But which island to pick? After all, there are close to 7,000 land masses - islands, reefs, cays - in the Caribbean Sea. Not all are vacation destinations,…
November 20, 2011
Last weekend's snow storm was way too early for comfort. It reminded all of us that the season of challenging weather (and travel) is upon us. It reminded me that it's time to update some tips that might help avoid disaster if you're traveling this winter.
November 6, 2011
