Posted by David Porter on May 10, 2016 · 4 Comments
If you don’t want to wind up looking like this guy, be forewarned: the travel industry, airlines, airports, and federal officials are all warning passengers about the great likelihood of “epic” lines backing up at TSA security stations this summer in our nation’s airports.
Why? Fewer screeners, tighter budgets, newer procedures at checkpoints, and an expected record number of travelers this summer.
In fact, a recent NY Times article warns: Catching a Flight? Budget Hours, Not Minutes, for Security.
Just take a peek at a recent #hatethewait tweet I found on Twitter:
Even some television stations are recommending that their viewers take the TSA to task for the long airport security lines.
Bottom Line?
A week before you head out to the airport, do a little homework on social media to determine what you might be facing in the way of lines at the TSA security stations. How horrible would it be to miss your dream vacation because you unexpectedly spent hours in line at the airport. Horrible. Right?
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Posted by David Porter on May 10, 2016 · 2 Comments
One of the most frequent questions we get from our clients and readers is how to prepare themselves for international travel.
With international travel, there are a lot of things to consider: currency exchange rates, credit card use, ATM card use, passport questions, powering your electrical devices, local tipping customs; and perhaps the most vexing of all, how to use your cell phone overseas.
In an attempt to answer the most common questions, have a peek at the articles we’ve written for you on these various topics:
Important Travel Tips for International Travelers
- Passports – certainly, one of the first things international travelers must consider is having a valid and current passport. Without that, you won’t even get out of the country. Here are some articles to consider regarding your U.S. Passport:
- Applying for, or renewing your passport, CLICK HERE.
- For entrance into many countries around the world, you must have at least six months validity on your passport. To learn more, CLICK HERE.
- Some countries require a TRAVEL VISA in addition to your valid passport. To learn which countries require this, CLICK HERE.
- To learn how to protect your passports from pickpockets when traveling, CLICK HERE.
- What to do if your passport is stolen overseas, CLICK HERE.
- What to do if you can’t find your passport at home, prior to travel, CLICK HERE.
- Safety – Enroll in the U.S. Department of State’s Smart Traveler program. CLICK HERE.
- Airports – now that you have a valid passport, here’s a few tips on getting through the international airports with the least amount of hassle:
- To learn how to avoid long U.S. Customs lines at International airports, CLICK HERE.
- How to always get in the TSA PreCheck Lane, CLICK HERE.
- Currency Exchange – another important consideration for international travelers is how to convert dollars into the local currency.
- For our 7 currency exchange tips for international travelers, CLICK HERE.
- For currency conversion apps for your smart phone, CLICK HERE.
- Electrical Devices – another critically important consideration is how to power and charge your electrical devices overseas. You see, every country around the world has its own standard plug and voltage standards. Make a bad choice here, and you’ll be stuck not able to power your devices, or worse yet, blow ’em up!
- To read our ultimate electricity guide for world travelers, CLICK HERE.
- To read our article about the best electrical adapters for international travelers, CLICK HERE.
- Smartphones – chances are pretty good that you will want to use your cell phone while traveling internationally. Check out our articles on this subject:
- Because cellular calling options will vary greatly depending on which wireless carrier you have, we recommend that you call your wireless carrier right away to understand your options. We also recommend double checking with your wireless carrier. We didn’t a few years ago and found ourselves in Italy with no phone service. To read about it CLICK HERE.
- FREE Wi-Fi calls from overseas. To learn about this, CLICK HERE.
- Tipping Etiquette – tipping customs can vary widely around the world. We recommend that you do a simple Google search on this topic in the country you plan to visit. However, CLICK HERE to see an info-graphic we posted on this subject a few years back.
- Travel Insurance – we highly recommend that you consider purchasing travel insurance before traveling overseas. Not only will it protect your investment should you not be able to travel, but it will also provide an important medical coverage while traveling overseas.
- To learn if you should buy travel insurance, CLICK HERE.
Well, that was a LOT to learn, wasn’t it? I hope you found our article helpful.
If you have questions or comments, feel free to leave ’em in the comments section below.
Did you know that we won a national travel award this year? Yep. The TravelAge West Trendsetter Award. You can read about it here. And, if you enjoyed this article, please sign up for our travel newsletter to keep abreast of our best travel tips, on-location reviews, exclusive travel offers, group travel events, and much more.
Posted by David Porter on May 6, 2016 · Leave a Comment
InterContinental Bordeaux-Le-Grand-Hotel
Last-Minute Luxury Travel Packages
At the beginning of each month, we bring our readers and clients a fabulous list of last-minute travel offers available through our affiliation with Virtuoso®, the world’s leading international luxury travel agency network.
While there’s a long list to study, this offer from the InterContinental Bordeaux – Le Grand Hotel looks rather tasty:
Summer in Bordeaux is divine, and the dining is spectacular when you receive a EUR 40 food and beverage credit (excluding Le Pressoir d’Argent Gordon Ramsay) at the lovely InterContinental Bordeaux – Le Grand Hotel, a special gift just for Virtuoso guests. In addition, you’ll save 15% off the best available room rates this summer, so connect with us today. Virtuoso rates FROM EUR 315 (approx. $357) per room, per night. Available July 1 – August 31, 2016.
If you’re considering a river cruise in the Bordeaux region of France this summer, this would make a perfect pre/post stay.
For booking information, call us at (480) 550-1235, or use our convenient online information request (click here) and we’ll reach out to you.
To see our list of 45 other last-minute offers, click the image below…
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Posted by David Porter on May 6, 2016 · Leave a Comment
Exclusive: Enjoy Complimentary Specialty Dining Aboard Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines
As we shared with you in this article, you will enjoy your best cruise offers when you book your cruises through a full service travel agency (that’s us).
Here, we’re bringing you an exclusive offer through our Virtuoso Travel Network connections (when you book through us) where you can enjoy the following VIP perks at the same rates as booking it yourself online.
Virtuoso Exclusive:
- Book a balcony on any 7+ night sailing open for sale and receive complimentary Specialty Dining for two.
- Book a Junior Suite or above on any 7+ night sailing open for sale and receive Specialty Dining for two PLUS one complimentary Spa Treatment.
For booking information, call us at (480) 550-1235, or use our convenient online information request (click here) and we’ll reach out to you.
To explore the various offers in detail, click the image below…
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Posted by David Porter on May 6, 2016 · 2 Comments
The 5 Best and 5 Worst of the U.S. Airlines
You know, the airplane has revolutionized the world.
In her youth, my grandmother never dreamed of hopping on an airplane and exploring the world. Yet, here I stand two generations later knowing that I can literally explore the far corners of the world by booking an airline ticket.
While our postmodern culture tends to take this for granted, it really is a remarkable thing if you take a few minutes to mull it around in your mind.
However, in spite of this seemingly miraculous blessing to mankind, when our clients and readers are unhappy with their travel, it usually has to do with a dissatisfactory experience with an airline.
The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) is a national economic indicator of customer evaluations of the quality of products and services available to household consumers in the United States.
The ACSI uses data from interviews with roughly 70,000 customers annually as inputs to an econometric model for analyzing customer satisfaction with more than 300 companies in 43 industries and 10 economic sectors, including various services of federal and local government agencies.
In the recent ACSI Travel Report 2016, airlines were put to the test. While the scores are generally improving across the spectrum, we find it interesting to look at the results.
The 5 Best U.S. Airlines
- JetBlue and Southwest tied for 1st place.
- Alaska Airlines comes in the #3 spot
- The report lumps the rest of the airlines together in the chart.
The 5 Worst U.S. Airlines
- Spirit
- Allegiant
- United
- Delta
- American
While Spirit Airlines comes in as the nation’s worst airline, it has greatly improved its ratings from a year ago. And, isn’t it interesting that our nation’s large legacy carriers all find themselves in the “5 worst” list. In my humble opinion, it’s a function of the organizational culture in each of these airlines.
Consider, for example, that the stock symbol for Southwest Airlines is LUV, and a big red heart is everywhere present in their branding. They are communicating from the top down that love for their passengers and employees drives everything that they do. Carol and I have yet to fly JetBlue or Alaska, but we’ve heard marvelous things about both of them. Perhaps the CEOs of the bottom five need to read the book Good to Great.
If you’d like to read the full 2016 ACSI Travel Report, click here.
Have thoughts or would like to share your opinions about this article? Let’s dialog in the comments section below!
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The Roaming Boomers
