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The Games plan: Drop Beijing trip?
April 13, 2008
Not a javelin has been tossed nor a hurdle hopped, but already the Summer Olympics in China is embroiled in controversy.
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Air-passenger rights bills are still on the taxiway
August 12, 2007
The last nine months have brought a flurry of anger and activism involving fliers trapped on tarmacs with limited food and water and inoperable toilets.
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Air-passenger rights bills are still on the taxiway
August 12, 2007
The last nine months have brought a flurry of anger and activism involving fliers trapped on tarmacs with limited food and water and inoperable toilets.
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History with special effects: Is it museum or haunted mansion?
March 19, 2006
WHAT'S shaking at museums these days?
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Neither Motel 6 nor the Ritz, these hotels meet you halfway
March 12, 2006
CHRIS WILLIAMS appreciates plush surroundings.
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An overhaul due for oversized bags in overstuffed bins?
February 26, 2006
IT'S a scene any flier will recognize:
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The sum of it all? People sure get around. Go figure.
February 19, 2006
WITH all those circling airplanes, ever-bigger cruise ships and mega-hotels, it's apparent that travel is a big industry. But how big?
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This much is for sure: Leave the crowbar at home
February 12, 2006
ON a Hollywood set, it might be called "Travel Security, Take Two."
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Measuring snowfall is not an art, but not a science either
January 29, 2006
SKI resorts can build all the fancy shops, cafes and condos they like. What skiers and snowboarders really want is the white stuff.
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You're American. You die overseas. What happens next?
January 15, 2006
OVER a little more than a year, the tsunami in Asia and hurricanes here and abroad killed thousands, including many travelers. These tragedies raise anew a question: What happens if you die far from home?
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Planes, cruises and trips to Europe: the outlook for 2006
January 1, 2006
FOR more than 30 years, Susan Tanzman, owner of Martin's Travel and Tours Inc. in Los Angeles, has been a passionate advocate for consumers and travel agents alike.
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Sometimes, those airline vouchers are like a lump of coal
December 25, 2005
HOME for the holidays? If the past is any guide, some fliers won't make it because blizzards or other emergencies grounded their jet-fueled sleighs or because overbooking bumped them from their flights.
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What'll they charge you for next, the room key?
December 18, 2005
DURING a recent stay at the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago, I was dazzled by the Beaux Arts-style lobby, with its painted coffered ceiling, and the solicitous staff.
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Punctuality: Some cultures are wound tighter than others
December 11, 2005
IN Switzerland, the land of watches, trains really do run like clockwork.
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Belt-tightening? Quite the opposite on some airlines
December 4, 2005
THE first airline meals may have been served in 1919 on a flight from London to Paris, when customers of now-defunct Handley Page Transport paid 3 shillings each for boxed lunches.
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Hotels have rates down to a science: Here's the formula
November 27, 2005
HAVE you tried to bargain with a hotel for a lower room rate lately? If not, get ready for a Kafkaesque experience. It often goes like this:
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Song's legacy will live on, even as the carrier bids adieu
November 20, 2005
OK, I admit it. I have a soft spot for Song, the stylish low-cost carrier that Delta Airlines launched in 2003 and that it now plans to terminate in May.
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For fliers delayed on a runway, there's not much recourse
October 23, 2005
REMEMBER the prisoners of Northwest Airlines? Trapped by the thousands for hours in jets at the snowbound Detroit airport in January 1999, often without water or working toilets, these fliers became cause célèbres for abused air passengers.
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Though boating is a 'safe industry,' it's not without troubles
October 16, 2005
A tour-boat accident on New York's Lake George that killed 20 people earlier this month raised questions about the safety of smaller passenger vessels, such as tour boats, ferries and fishing charters.
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What to do when a vacation goes south because of a storm
October 2, 2005
THIS season's hurricanes have shattered countless travel plans, raising questions about what happens to the consumer who gets caught in the storm.
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Outsourcing cuts carriers' costs, but at what cost to fliers?
September 25, 2005
THAT plane you're flying on may have been assembled in America, but where was it last serviced? Increasingly, the answer is this: not in the airline's hangars and maybe not even in this country.
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With all these recent air crashes, should fliers be worried?
September 18, 2005
THE recent spate of air crashes could cause anyone to wonder about the safety of flying.
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Since 9/11, the emergence of the Teflon tourist
September 11, 2005
When terrorists seized passenger jets on Sept. 11, 2001, and flew them into the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in suburban Washington, D.C., they could not have fully imagined the consequences.
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Check in or out at any time? Sure, if you have clout or cash
September 4, 2005
IN a perfect world, you could check in and out of your hotel room at any hour, without penalty. Pay for 24 hours, get 24 hours, right?
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Can't face another endless line at the airport? Fly off-peak
August 28, 2005
IT'S 7:20 on a Sunday morning in August. Across Los Angeles, churchgoers shuffle into pews, hipsters sleep off Saturday night's revelries and freeways flow freely.
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Attention frequent fliers: Changes are coming your way
August 21, 2005
DON'T throw away frequent-flier newsletters. Do sign up for e-mail updates.
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In a city, county or state, booze laws can run wet, dry or damp
August 14, 2005
WHISKEY, whiskey, everywhere. Nor any drop to drink.
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Buying car rental insurance shouldn't be a snap decision
July 31, 2005
Poring over insurance policies may not be your idea of fun bathtub reading, but it beats making split-second decisions on financial and legal matters at a car rental counter.
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Mr. Rogers / L.A. Dodgers . . . The Local mall / Disney Hall . . .
July 24, 2005
You have to suspect something's wrong with your city's image when other towns try to lure tourists by pointing out they're not you.
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Agents Close Doors and Go Home To Work
July 10, 2005
Remember when booking a vacation meant visiting a travel agency that overflowed with brochures of exotic places?
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Where have all the rangers gone?
June 5, 2005
On a recent visit to Yosemite National Park, I was enchanted by new paved trails and boardwalks that meandered through towering pines, shady glades and rippling streams at the base of Yosemite Falls.
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A baggage-free trip to the airport: That's a load off your mind
May 29, 2005
If you hate juggling luggage at the airport, consider having it delivered. Once an option mostly for well-heeled fliers, it may soon take off as an affordable luxury. Sometimes it's even free.
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The skies won't be so friendly to your wallet this summer
May 22, 2005
You'd better hope your wallet sprouts wings this summer.
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Mexico and Canada crossings: Hey, you can't just waltz in
May 15, 2005
NEWS about U.S. plans to require passports for people returning to or entering the U.S. from Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean set off a firestorm of protest last month. Critics said the requirement would complicate their lives.
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Who's in control here -- the guests or the gizmos?
May 8, 2005
Is your hotel room smarter than you? Mine often is.
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Lost? Confused? Help just might be standing nearby
May 1, 2005
They wear white cowboy hats, rescue the innocent and round up the strays.
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Europe is easier to afford if you paddle across the Pond
April 24, 2005
Cruising the Continent? You'll have company.
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With new rules, it pays to travel light
April 17, 2005
Tom and Jean Craft received quite a shocker last summer when they checked in at Rome's Da Vinci airport for a post-cruise flight to Paris: a $332 charge for excess baggage.
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Just like Eloise, you too can become a fixture at the Plaza
April 10, 2005
Owning your hotel room sounds like the ultimate luxury.
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California's train riders rival those of New York, but why?
March 27, 2005
As Congress conducts its annual debate in the next few months about how, or even whether, to fund the troubled Amtrak system, we'll hear a lot about rail's role in the urbanized Northeast and in serving rural towns.
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A deal to take your breath away, fine print to put it back
March 20, 2005
"LAX to JFK from $99!" "London from $215!"
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When is a suite really a suite? The lingo of lodging
March 13, 2005
How suite it is. Or isn't.
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In Europe, tough new rules favor fliers, annoy airlines
March 6, 2005
They've been hailed as the world's strictest rules for air passenger rights, welcomed by consumer advocates and denounced by airlines.
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Oops. You have a pocketknife at the airport. What to do?
February 27, 2005
Earlier this month, I found myself on the wrong side of the law at LAX. And I got away with it.
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For this party over spring break, bring your own hammer
February 20, 2005
John KINDER was cagey about what happened on spring break two years ago.
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A Las Vegas landing strip for innovative, high-tech ideas
February 6, 2005
If you're looking for innovative airport services, it's a sure bet you'll find them in Las Vegas. And I'm not talking about on-site slot machines.
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LAX-downtown rail plan may finally be leaving the station
January 30, 2005
They heaped scorn on Angelenos in 1995 when we introduced a light-rail route that bypassed the region's biggest airport. MTA's Green Line trains, originating in Norwalk, pulled up two miles shy of LAX before veering south toward Redondo Beach.
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You're abroad and tragedy strikes. How prepared are you?
January 9, 2005
Bill FLEETWOOD and his wife, Sam, were anchored in their 50-foot ketch, the Blue Banana, off Phuket, Thailand, on Dec. 26 when they felt the sea heave. Then they heard screams.
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Dollar less pummeled on the road less traveled
January 2, 2005
Twenty-five British pounds apiece for a round-trip shuttle train between London and Heathrow Airport didn't sound so bad at the time.
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The year in review: what made us merry, what made us mad
December 26, 2004
Americans this year took to the skies and highways in numbers not seen since 2000, the boom year before the bust that followed the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Even business fliers came back.
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When it comes to kids and flying, the ground rules shift
December 19, 2004
Derek Shields, 14, of San Diego, has flown on his own for years to visit his grandparents near Minneapolis. But this summer was different.
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Fuel costs trickling down, but travelers aren't getting soaked
December 12, 2004
You're paying more to travel as airlines, taxi and ferry companies pump up prices to counter high fuel tabs. Filling up your car costs the most in nearly a decade: $1.36 per gallon, on average, in the U.S.
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Long legs, square feet: room-rate math for those who value space
December 5, 2004
Some of us rate hotels by service, others by location or luxury. But what about the price of a room per square foot? It's not a frivolous question, especially in a place like Manhattan, where hotel rooms are getting dearer and, if anything, smaller.
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It takes more than a passport to speed you on your way
November 28, 2004
Alexander Anolik last year was enjoying a carefree early morning jaunt before leaving Monaco, driving his rental car down streets used in that seaside principality's renowned motor races.
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In the front of the cabin, airlines ladle on the la-di-da
November 21, 2004
Let us, for a moment, imagine how the other half flies.
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When it comes to airline code shares: Buyers, beware
November 7, 2004
It's like this: You grab a box of General Mills' Wheaties off the grocery shelf. Or so you think. In fairly big type below "Wheaties," the package says, "Contains Kellogg's Frosted Flakes."
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Girlfriend, this tour package is for you -- and your sisters too
October 31, 2004
Mary Beth Lyle, a computer software consultant from Marietta, Ga., near Atlanta, was at a midlife crossroads. Fed up with her hectic career pace and hoping to meet new people, she went on sabbatical and booked a five-day, women-only tour to Santa Fe and Taos, N.M., in September.
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The cost of flying doesn't end with the airfare these days
October 24, 2004
Airfares may be at historic lows, but that doesn't mean it's cheap to fly. Taxes and extra charges can add substantially to a journey.
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Solo travelers often pay a hefty price for going it alone
October 17, 2004
For solo travelers, dining alone can feel awkward. But at least they pay the same price for their salads and steaks as the twosome seated at the next table.
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In the storms' wake, conflicting reports can cloud conditions
October 10, 2004
There's nothing like a natural disaster at a tourist destination to kick the machine of public relations into full spin cycle.
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17-cent airfares? Budget carriers in Asia fuel bargains
October 3, 2004
A dogfight is raging among budget airlines in Asia, producing eye-popping prices. Would you believe 58 cents to fly from Singapore to Thailand?
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A few precautions for fliers in financially turbulent times
September 26, 2004
It's déjà vu all over again: For the second time in two years, US Airways has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
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Around the world in 800 stops: the World Heritage Sites
September 5, 2004
It's hard to believe that a glacier in Greenland and the gritty burg of Liverpool, England, have anything in common. But they do. They're both UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
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Meal policies have some fliers (and their stomachs) growling
August 29, 2004
Figuring out what and even whether you'll be fed on a flight is becoming almost impossible because the rules are complicated — and constantly shifting. Even airlines have trouble keeping up.
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It's taxation without representation for hotel occupants
August 22, 2004
Here's an extra expense for out-of-town travelers that takes shelter under many names: hotel tax, bed tax, room tax and, my favorite, transient occupancy tax. (It makes me feel so cheap.)
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Nonrefundable and mandatory -- does it still qualify as a tip?
August 8, 2004
Once upon a cruise, passengers practiced a genteel if arcane art: tipping the crew. On their last night at sea, they would slip cash into hand-lettered envelopes addressed to their cabin attendant, server, maitre d' and a flotilla of others.
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Rulers of the skies, airlines would love to rule the waves too
August 1, 2004
Coffee, tea — or cruise?
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Wealthy Americans are making this the 'year of the splurge'
July 25, 2004
From Madrid to Mauritius, well-to-do Americans this year are spreading their wealth around the world in rising numbers, rubbing elbows at the Ritz and jetting to Japan. Note to CEOs: Make your Swiss resort reservation soon.
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It's tough to be true to a hotel chain, even if there's a reward
July 18, 2004
It's a simple concept that no one should lose sleep over: Stay at a hotel. Earn frequent guest points. Exchange them for more stays.
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Lodging industry gets high marks, with some reservations
June 20, 2004
Call it the ultimate guest comment card. If Americans collectively wrote one on the lodging industry, it would read like this:
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Don't discount the major carriers when it comes to low fares
June 13, 2004
JetBlue. Frontier. Southwest.
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Speedy new transit coming to Vegas soon? Don't bet on it
June 6, 2004
LAS VEGAS visitors can see and hear a gleaming monorail gliding overhead, plying its four-mile route between the MGM Grand and the Sahara near the Strip. They just can't ride it. It's still undergoing tests more than four months after it was scheduled to begin service.
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Plan to hop a plane this summer? You're not alone
May 30, 2004
If your vacation includes air travel this summer, prepare for crowded planes and airport delays. Finding a super-cheap fare could be tough.
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We interrupt this vacation to bring you a work stoppage
May 23, 2004
It could have happened to any of us, even the most seasoned travelers.
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Timeshare market is booming, but they're not for everyone
May 16, 2004
My partner and I recently spent two hours touring the Newport Coast Villas, hundreds of two-bedroom timeshare units in Spanish-style structures that cascade down hillsides toward the sea near Newport Beach.
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Fabulous scenery, stellar ruins in charming ... Libya?
March 21, 2004
When the U.S. government last month lifted its 22-year-old ban on Americans traveling to Libya, several tour operators rushed in with itineraries.
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Fliers can take a few pointers from the East Coast blackout
August 31, 2003
Just when you thought it was safe to fly again, the East Coast power outage of Aug. 14 cast thousands of stranded fliers into a game of "Survivor." Who would get the last available plane seat, rental car or hotel room?
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For Americans, the climate on travel to Cuba is getting chilly
August 17, 2003
The rumba party isn't over yet for U.S. travelers to Cuba, but the lights have dimmed, the music is fading and guests are starting to leave. It may be time to grab that last dance — or is it?