An Excess of Tourism Has Now Eliminated Much of the Appeal that the Medieval Cinque Terre Once Possessed
Posted on 06/24/2016, 4:00 PM
If you're like me, you have spoken to a great many friends on their eve of a trip to Italy, who have made a point of saying that they would include the "Cinque Terre" in their itinerary. And when you have asked them why they were planning a detour to these out-of-the-way, cliffside towns on the northwest coast of Italy, they have responded somewhat sheepishly that the Cinque Terre were...
What Will Brexit Mean for Travelers? Some Counterpoints from Pauline Frommer
Posted on 06/24/2016, 3:15 PM
A dream died on June 23, the dream of a unified, peaceful Europe. After centuries of wars, it seemed like the European Union was going to finally forge a partnership between peoples who had far more in common than they had differences. Unfortunately, slightly more than half the populace of the United Kingdom decided they’d rather go it alone. That choice has economic and political implicatio...
Britain's Exit from the European Union May Have Adverse Consequences for the American Tourist
Posted on 06/24/2016, 12:45 PM
It may be too early to determine exactly what impact Britain's exit from the European Union may have on us American tourists. Certainly, it will take several months, according to many experts, before the exit may have a discernible impact on border crossings and the like. And on a longer timeline, it's possible that this breakup of a once-idealistic union may heighten the chances of sporad...
Today's Eurail Pass: A Conversation on What Travelers Need to Know
Posted on 06/24/2016, 12:30 PM
The Eurail Pass is not new, but it’s still not as well known among first-time travelers to Europe as it should be. The pass, which has a number of different iterations, allows vacationers to hop on and hop off European trains within a set number of days each month, for one reasonable rate. It allows those who wish to see a number of different destinations on the continent to do so in a convenie...
The Airlines Have Been Working Hard to Overcome the Much-Publicized Problems at Airports Both Here and Abroad
Posted on 06/23/2016, 1:45 PM
If you've been disappointed by the failure of U.S. airlines to announce scheduled services to Cuba (now that Americans can freely go there), it hasn't been because of inaction on their part. To properly operate from a new destination, airlines need to have well-functioning internet programs designed to check on reservations and luggage. Yet the Wi-Fi available at airports in both Ha...
In Declaring War Against the "Online Travel Agents," The Major Hotel Chains Have Created a Mighty Reason for Always Going Direct to Those Hotels
Posted on 06/23/2016, 11:15 AM
The battle between America's large hotel chains and the so-called "Online Travel Agents," who attempt to place reservations at such chains, has now come into the open. Hilton Hotels, among others, has begun placing large advertisements urging the public to place their reservations directly with the various Hilton hotels, and not to use the "O.T.A.'s" (Expedia, Priceline, Booki...
The Legality of Short-Term Apartment Rentals Remains Hotly Contested, But Numerous Additional Companies Have Now Begun Acting as Agents for Such Rentals
Posted on 06/20/2016, 11:00 AM
Source: FreeImages.com/miro_penev In all of travel, there is no topic more puzzling and contradictory, more challenging and debatable, than the short-term rental of apartment accommodations. In cities scattered across the nation, and overseas, various laws prohibit some such rentals or burden them with odd requirements, and innocent people have been prosecuted for running afoul of the...
A "Refurbishing" by Carnival Cruises of the Classic 'Queen Mary 2', Has Raised Danger Flags About a Possible Alteration of the Latter's Character
Posted on 06/20/2016, 11:00 AM
Sculpture aboard the Queen Mary 2, 2013 When I first learned that the Queen Mary 2 was going into drydock for several weeks, for a "complete overhaul," a "retro-fitting of the entire ship," I felt sick at heart. It was as if every fear that cruise critics like me had felt when the Queen Mary's Cunard LIne was acquired by the slick and modern Carnival Cruises. If you had asked me at th...
There are Tentative Indications That a Slight Decrease in Tourism May be Currently in Progress, Opening Opportunities to Travelers Who Have Not Yet Made Their Plans
Posted on 06/11/2016, 2:15 PM
Photo credit: Carnival Cruise Lines Is the current travel season an especially slow one? Are there plenty of empty seats on both domestic and international flights? A number of old-timers in travel will claim that travel is always slow in a presidential election year, when national politics captures the attention of millions, a phenomenon known in the trade as the "election year curse...
A Survey Performed by a Noted Analyst Shows a Sudden Increase in the Sales of Printed Travel Guides
Posted on 06/11/2016, 11:45 AM
Photo credit: Manfred Heyde via Wikimedia Commons As the co-publisher (with my daughter) of a series of printed guidebooks, it would not be appropriate for me to use this blog to publicize our own particular books. But when it comes to the entire guidebook industry, some comments might be in order. In the six years prior to 2014, the travel guidebook industry was in serious t...
