Jane Engle

Travel Insider

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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.

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.
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.
History with special effects: Is it museum or haunted mansion?

March 19, 2006

WHAT'S shaking at museums these days?
Neither Motel 6 nor the Ritz, these hotels meet you halfway

March 12, 2006

CHRIS WILLIAMS appreciates plush surroundings.
An overhaul due for oversized bags in overstuffed bins?

February 26, 2006

IT'S a scene any flier will recognize:
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?
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."
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
Punctuality: Some cultures are wound tighter than others

December 11, 2005

IN Switzerland, the land of watches, trains really do run like clockwork.
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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
Who's in control here -- the guests or the gizmos?

May 8, 2005

Is your hotel room smarter than you? Mine often is.
Lost? Confused? Help just might be standing nearby

May 1, 2005

They wear white cowboy hats, rescue the innocent and round up the strays.
Europe is easier to afford if you paddle across the Pond

April 24, 2005

Cruising the Continent? You'll have company.
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.
Just like Eloise, you too can become a fixture at the Plaza

April 10, 2005

Owning your hotel room sounds like the ultimate luxury.
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.
A deal to take your breath away, fine print to put it back

March 20, 2005

"LAX to JFK from $99!" "London from $215!"
When is a suite really a suite? The lingo of lodging

March 13, 2005

How suite it is. Or isn't.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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."
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.)
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.
Rulers of the skies, airlines would love to rule the waves too

August 1, 2004

Coffee, tea — or cruise?
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.
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.
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:
Don't discount the major carriers when it comes to low fares

June 13, 2004

JetBlue. Frontier. Southwest.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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?