Author Archive: John

12 Wellness Tips For The Road

Keeping healthy at home is hard enough. Just ask anyone who has survived a Northeastern winter. Between hacks, coughs, drips, sneezes, wheezes, and fevers, it is amazing that we can make it until spring. But when traveling, it’s a completely different story. Of course you have purchased travel insurance for your trip, but the key to a successful trip is to remain healthy and not use the insurance at all. Staying healthy on holiday is not just about avoiding the Centers for Disease Control hotspots or getting a shot or…

5 Tips For Getting The Star Treatment

You’ve probably seen it on TV. There’s Robin Leach is teeing off of the 17th hole at the Port Royal Golf Course. Or Joan Collins is sipping champagne in first class. Or Nicole Kidman is frolicking in the warm waters of the newest Jamaican resort. And you’ve wondered: how do they do it? Strictly between us, these perks are available to mere mortals, too. You just need to know how to do get the star treatment. Here are five sure-fire strategies. 1. Book off-season. There is no law that says…

A Mostly-Inclusive Vacation

Is an all-inclusive vacation really all inclusive? It’s a question that comes up often when travelers consider whether to book a resort or a cruise. So often, in fact, that it makes me wonder if there really is such a thing as an all-inclusive vacation anymore. And if so, which one is more inclusive: the cruise or the resort? Answer the question correctly, and you’ll have a great vacation. Answer wrong — and by that, I mean you or your travel agent fail to research the product — and you…

How To Survive Spring Break

The beach was pristine. The clear blue water of the lagoon-style pool beckoned. The food was fabulous and the room exquisite. After years of planning, Brian Mayers was finally able to escape the pressures of his job with the Anne Arundel County, Md., Fire Department to take a well-deserved break from his three kids. He had arranged for the pet, house, and baby sitters. He and his wife were finally headed to the paradise called Cancun to celebrate an anniversary. But when Mayers landed in the tropical paradise on Mexico’s…

5 Reasons To Fire Your Travel Agent

You probably consider yourself a nice person. So when it comes to dealing with your travel agent, you can’t imagine pulling a Donald Trump and telling your trusted travel adviser, “You’re fired!” But sometimes, you gotta do what you gotta do. Your travel agent is a professional, after all. And if the relationship isn’t working out, you have to go your separate ways. So when do you say enough is enough? 1. He’s not into you. Your agent is exactly that — your agent. For the time you are with…

Top 5 Travel Scams

Scams are all around us and unfortunately, travel scams tend to be near the top of the heap. It seems that for every legitimate travel offer there is one that isn’t. According to the National Fraud Information Center, the average loss to fraud in 2004 was $803 per incident — up from $468 two years before. While travel is not at the top of the fraud list (that is reserved for online auctions), it is number two in frequency of complaints. Be sure to steer clear of the folks…

5 Secret Caribbean Bargains

The Caribbean has become a second home to the mega-rich including the likes of Mick Jagger (Mustique), Richard Branson (Necker Island) and Donald Trump (Canouan). But with a bit of careful planning, your jaunt to the sunny shores of some obscure island does not need to break the bank. While those islands will definitely be a pain in the wallet, here are five that won’t. 1. Palm Island. There are more than 30 islands in St. Vincent and the Grenadines — but you don’t want to miss this one. Built…

Don’t Sink Your Next Cruise: 5 Tips

Think a cruise is a problem-free, no-hassle vacation? Think again. As with any uncharted waters, danger lurks below the surface. The brochures may advertise smooth sailing — after all, they’re brochures — but as a travel advisor, I know better. Cruise lines haven’t conducted any surveys on floating vacations that head south, figuratively speaking. But I estimate that roughly one in 75 trips run into serious trouble. Most problems can be avoided with a little effort. Here’s how not to become a statistic: 1. Know the required documentation. While the…

Don’t Sink Your Next Cruise: 5 Tips

Think a cruise is a problem-free, no-hassle vacation? Think again. As with any uncharted waters, danger lurks below the surface. The brochures may advertise smooth sailing — after all, they’re brochures — but as a travel advisor, I know better. Cruise lines haven’t conducted any surveys on floating vacations that head south, figuratively speaking. But I estimate that roughly one in 75 trips run into serious trouble. Most problems can be avoided with a little effort. Here’s how not to become a statistic: 1. Know the required documentation. While the…

Notes On A Nutty Year

2004 was a year of peril for the airlines, that’s for sure. Bankruptcies. Liquidations. Kate Spade uniforms on Song. There were fare wars, air rage, security tensions, body-cavity searches (oops, I’m getting a little ahead of myself—that’s 2005), and of course the omnipresent “job actions.” Now don’t get me wrong, I think everyone is entitled to a fair wage, and that unions have a very prominent, important and useful place in our workforce. But, for those who support these “job actions,” I have one question: Are you nuts? Should airline…