Archive for December, 2005

Top 5 For 2005

We asked more than 1,300 loyal readers of the Tripso forums to help us forecast the “hip” and “in” places for 2006. Here are the results. Vegas, baby! Vegas is a perennial favorite, offering something for every adult. A few years back, Vegas tried to promote itself as a family resort, and … well, let’s be nice and just say it failed miserably. Today’s Vegas is the Vegas of yesteryear with some fantastic new resorts like Wynn Las Vegas, a great show by Elton John called “The Red Piano” at…

Are You The Client From Hell– Part 2?

Has your travel agent seemed a little on edge with you lately? Have you noticed a change in tone when he talks to you? Are you becoming more and more intimate with his voice mail? You could be turning into the client from hell. Relax. There is still time to reclaim your status as a nice person. As New Year’s approaches, let me remind you of five simple rules for the care and feeding of me, your travel agent. The result can be a much-improved partnership that will serve us…

Dare To Dream: Climbing Kilimanjaro

It all started in Sacramento on October 30, 2003, when a great friend and I witnessed (the word “saw” just doesn’t do it justice) the IMAX film Kilimanjaro: To the Roof of Africa. After that experience, I realized that someday I had to climb that mountain. With a little luck and a new exercise regimen, this dream will come true for me in the summer of 2006. The snowy peak of Mount Kilimanjaro rises majestically above the gently rolling hills and plateaus of northern Tanzania, its slopes shimmering above the…

Dear Mr. Airline CEO

Well, fellas, you still don’t get it, do you? Last year, I offered several suggestions to help you turn your struggling airline industry around. They might have worked. One will never know, because you didn’t try any of them. Here we are, a year later, and nothing much has changed. Oh, wait! Something has changed. Last year at this time, there were two of you operating under the cozy protection of bankruptcy. This year, those two have slid over and made room for two more. Let’s see, that means 67 …

B Is For Barcelona

When you think of the “A List” of European cities, London, Paris and Rome immediately come to mind. But like the 45s of yesteryear (yes, I am that old, and I do remember them), western Europe has several “B-side” destinations that become popular favorites as soon as you pay them attention. Barcelona is one of them. Now, with summer airfares to Europe predicted to remain fairly stable, this cosmopolitan Mediterranean capital is a must-see. My latest trip to Barcelona began with a connection in London — not the most direct…