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Free E-Book - Hotel Reviews: Finding and Understanding

In the spirit of this economic recession, I have made the decision to give away my e-book Hotel Reviews: Finding and Understanding. I previously charged $12.95 for it alone and it is now yours FREE as a gift.

As a matter of chance, there has been a 'dust-up' recently over reviews posted on TripAdvisor, a source I mention often in my book. It appears Chris Elliott of MSNBC fame has taken TripAdvisor to task over a recent revelation that some reviews are 'manipulated' by hotels. I laughed when I read the whole sordid affair as it was the same thing I mentioned over one year ago in my book! If you would like to see the sequence of comments and the article itself from Chris's blog, look here. (I actually commented on it myself - look for comment from DCR)

If you truly care about hotel reviews and whether or how effective they are, you may also want to read his interview with the CEO of Trip Advisor. I found that interview very worthwhile, perhaps because much of what I wrote is what the CEO says also - not only showing I know my nuggets but that understanding reviews is problematic.

So what have you got to lose (my book is FREE) except a few auto-emails from me till time everlasting (actually a couple months only). Sign up in the column at the right top and download your MP3 or digital e-book immediately!

How to Avoid Sleeping at the Airport

Your flight was canceled or you missed your connection. The airline staff is too busy to help find you a room near the airport, so you are on your own. Most passengers head downstairs to the hotel "board' to call various airport hotels or they head to the Travelers Aid desk. What do you do when they or all the hotels tell you there is a convention in town and there are no room to be had AT ANY PRICE?

Here are a couple of tips straight out of my book that MAY locate you a room and maybe at a decent price!

Bypass the hordes heading to the airport's hotel board. Those are the FIRST places sold out. If you have access to the internet, find your airport on Expedia or Hotels.com and look for the high rates. (Most will say no rooms available if truly sold out) Expedia punishes hotels that say they are sold out but have no problem when you raise the rate to the sky. Recently, this situation happened and a local hotel that ALWAYS has a rate of $99 on Expedia suddenly was up to $583.00. Do NOT book this room! You should locate a phone number through local information for this hotel and CALL them. They may be holding rooms just for Expedia but they do not really expect anyone would pay $583.00. But they may have a room for $150 - just don't mention that you saw the $583 rate on the internet or they will steer you to book it through Expedia.

Another tip is to find hotels and motels within 15 miles of the airport and call them on a cell phone. Since they will not have a shuttle to the airport (most likely), they will be overlooked by the masses trying to book near the airport. For only $20 or so, ($40 round trip) you can get a cab there and back and may score a room for under $100.

If these prices seem unreasonable to you, weigh the cost of sleeping in an airport plastic chair until your flight the next day. If it is worth saving $140, find a comfy spot and camp out. But if you are with your spouse and/or kids, sleeping at the gate may not be a valid option.

RV Camping in Mexico

I have written about the need for extra protection when traveling/driving in Mexico and the importance of having all you ducks in a row when crossing the border in your car. Or when renting a car in Mexico, since they will NOT accept US insurance policies there as states do here in the continental U.S.

But I had never thought about renting or driving an RV into Mexico and lo and behold here is a great article from Suite 101 about RVing in Mexico. The article, titled appropriately "How to Plan an RV Camping Trip in Mexico" has great information about insurance, documents needed and what to expect from military checkpoints among other topics.

For anyone who isn't familiar with the aspects of driving in Mexico, it is a must read.

Hotel Star Ratings System

Here is a question that seems to vex many people (from my vantage point BEHIND the desk): what is a 2 star hotel?

I found an answer that hits the nail right on the head and I offer it here, titled: Navigating the Hotel Star System. Many people are and have long been confused by 'Diamond' Star ratings, AAA ratings, Expedia and other Third Party ratings and often the confusion is over ratings of reviews and not hotel star ratings. As the article points out, hotel star ratings are not all that complicated (except for the differences found in different countries) but I suspect many people thought that the "3.5" rating they saw on Hotels.com or Travelocity was the hotel rating and not the rating (average) of the reviews.

In simple terms (as the article says) amenities is what makes for higher ratings. You can have a first class boutique hotel/motel but you cannot get more than 2 stars if your property does not have a restaurant on site. Having one means you can go up to 3 stars but just because you get 3 stars does not mean you are a cut above certain 2 star rated hotels - especially when there are plenty of restaurants within 2 blocks of the 2 star rated property.

So check out the star ratings article if you are or ever have been confused by star ratings.

RyanAir: Leader of the Unexpected

Anyone who has followed me for any length of time over the last year and a half knows I made a decision to pick on Europe's low cost carrier RyanAir some time ago. With their chairman's outrageous comments and policies, they have always been an easy target for a pseudo comic like me. Like when the chairman said you could book a ticket WITHOUT a seat! Talk about standing room only!

Well, the inevitable finally happened. They are now charging to use the lavatory (loo, in British terms). I can only imagine if they have a lock on the door with a coin pay feature. It would be like that scene from Blazing Saddles where the rustlers had to pay a dime to get by the LePetomaine Thruway barrier out in the middle of cactus and scrub brush. I can see people prancing and 2-stepping in the aisles as they await their 'turn'.

Or maybe you have to assume you will need it and pay in advance? I wonder if it will limit the time also - like a parking meter: a dollar for 3 minutes, $5 for 15, etc.

At any rate, read the article here and see if you don't want to laugh as I did.

Summer Travel

In 2009, I published/offered a newsletter regarding the landscape for travel in the upcoming year. As I wrote one for this year however, I realized that 1) not many people read the first one and 2) information that is 6 months old does little good.

So I never published the 2010 Outlook but I did decide to write more frequent updates on the environment for travel in the upcoming year. Here is another post along those lines, only I 'lifted' it off the internet (not that I am offering it as my own writing) because it pretty much validated what I wrote last December anyway.

From U.S. News and World Report, this article 8 Travel Tips for the Summer gives clear and concise advice on what to expect this summer when booking travel. Like them, I have known that airfares were rising and hotel rates were still low (excepting in some areas) so it is good to know that I pegged the outlook correctly, even if no one read it!

I think the attached article/post will benefit anyone wondering about how travel will look this summer and especially whether they should book now or later.

Volcanos and Travel Insurance

During the recent travel disaster caused by the Iceland volcano, a plethora of insurance articles popped up with one main question at the forefront: Were people whose travel plans impacted negatively by the disaster covered by travel insurance? Or was this an "act of God" that no one could foresee (or price for) and thus not a covered event?

The answer to that question is worthy of yet another post (by me) regarding travel insurance. Naturally the answer is a 'sort of yes, sort of no' type answer but seeing why is half the fun!

First off, I am not a huge fan of travel insurance overall. I have stated on more than one occasion that most trips do not entail such risks that the added expense of insurance is a worth while expense. There are exceptions of course - traveling in summer where snow storms would not occur (which tend to disrupt air travel the most) would lead one to pass on insurance for the most part. Unless you had an expanded and somewhat complicated month long trip with numerous connections in foreign lands, in which case peace of mind protecting you from health disasters as well as travel disruptions might warrant a policy or two.

Such was the case in April. In our hotel, we have at least 4-5 sets of guests that not only ended having to stay an extra 4-8 nights in a hotel, they had to pay to rebook at higher rates in order to move 'up' on the list of departees ASAP(as soon as possible). Hotels in Australia were reported to have doubled or tripled the normal rate within hours of the disaster occurring so not only did some people have to delay their departures, they had to pay some $300 per night for the joy of not being able to get home. Airport hotels in Europe were reported doing the same.

Would they have been covered? According to the New York Times blog post I found, the answer is yes - if they bought the comprehensive insurance. Comprehensive insurance is expensive - up to 8% of your trip values, which means 2 overseas tickets and 2 weeks worth of hotel protection might cost some $800 extra! When so many people spend so much time looking for the cheapest airfares available for trips, the idea of spending another near thousand bucks for 'insurance' is usually not even an option.

But for those who were stranded and were paying upwards of $100-150 per night for food and lodging (much less $300 per night), they would have paid MORE than the insurance cost within 5 days even if they could still use their tickets without an increase in fare.

The post on the blog is well worth reading. It may change your mind about insurance in the future - at least for those trips where some (any) disaster (from terrorism to Mother Nature to missing your flight) causes you added and unexpected and often times prohibitive expense.

Travel to Europe During Protests

Normally I do not post about travel and vacation spots where political protests are currently ensuing because 1) I assume everyone impacted already read the news and knows what to do or 2) they are spontaneous protests and not likely to last too long. So for those traveling to a certain country several months out won't have to necessarily change plans yet.

In the case of the protests in Greece recently, I am posting this article because more than one country seems to be impacted by this global unrest. Also, the site I found this post on also offers several other articles related to Greece and travel in Europe, so I knew anyone visiting this link may well benefit from the other posts as well. Lastly, Peter Greenberg is well known in the travel arena, so I know this information is top notch.

What I found was a post on his Worldwide blog that has a link to the U.S. Embassy's citizens service page so travelers can monitor day to day happenings. The post; Athens, Greece: Protests, Strikes Continue Amid Travel Warnings notes that there has been no travel alert posted about travel to Athens but that tourists should most certainly avoid the violent areas. Dodging a strike may be more difficult so their extra links provide great help for tourists already there or those planning to leave soon.

No one of course knows how long these 'strikes' and protests may last so if this post seems out of date, it is because (in my opinion) there may be more to come. 

Summer Travel Outlook

Most economic analysts were projecting an economic recovery in 2010 (albeit late 2010) and into 2011. Most travel experts knew the airlines would increase what they considered pathetically low airfares as soon as they saw ANY recovery begin. In the yearly outlook report that I started back in November 2009 (but never published), I also predicted increased airfares in summer of 2010, if not by Spring.

According to the Wall St. Journal, that is exactly what has happened. In an article titled "Travel Watch", they warned that airfares had risen 22% over 2009 levels and 4% higher than 2008, when fares and capacity had not been reduced as yet. Not so surprisingly, airfares to Europe have risen almost 30%. (Well, at least I'M not surprised. I predicted a pent up demand for travel - both to Hawaii and overseas coming in 2010). And the end is not nearly in sight. Next year forecasts to being a blockbuster year in travel - only held in check by a balky economy. But that very economy is strengthening daily so I see fares rising another 25% next year to boot!

Which means it is actually a BARGAIN to travel this year. (At least compared to what is coming over the next few years). You may well have seen the lowest fares you may see in your lifetimes over the last few years and now it will be time to pay the piper. The airlines will make sure of that!

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How to Handle Overseas Exchange Rates

My personal view about exchange rates applies mostly to infrequent overseas visitors. Along with everything else that costs a lot of money about flying to Europe or Asia (airline fares, hotels, meals) it does NOT seem to me that worrying about exchange rates tops the list of things to worry about.

However, if you travel 3-4 times per year (like people i see in the hotel quite often), the exchange rate game MIGHT be something worth understanding.

Because I am no expert on this matter, I am deferring to a podcast I located recently that is titled Talking Travel: Watching those Exchange Rates. It is about a half hour in length but you can download the MP3 and listen to it at your leisure. If you have ever been flummoxed by returning from overseas and seeing outrageous exchange rate 'fees' from using your credit cards or ATM, this might be just for you.

After the Travel Disaster: What To Do

I often comment about how to avoid travel disasters and offer extensive advice along that vein both in my books and posts. Here, I came across an article that tells one what to do IF the worst happens. Well, maybe not the WORST, but any event that takes away from your highly coveted enjoyment while on holiday may seem like the worst thing that could happen.

Found on ABC News, the article gives pointed instructions on how to handle losing documents (something I have written about maybe a dozen times), lost  or damaged luggage, TSA banned items in your carry-ons and more. It is titled "6 Travel Mini-Disasters and How To Fix Them" and I believe you may want to heed some of the offered advice.

Time to Plan Your Summer Travel but Avoid Travel Fraud

That means the scammers will also be out in full force. Every year, I write several posts about how to recognize, avoid or inquire about refunds when you think you may have been scammed.

To that end, a Chicago TV station posted  a great alert on how to avoid travel fraud and the five short but to the point pointers sounded good enough that I forward them to you. You can also click on my 'scams' category to re-visit old posts I have written if the thought of being defrauded is a real and present danger in your mind.

More Flights Doesn't Always Mean Cheaper Fares

In a recent post, I noted that there were soon to be increased flights to Hawaii, especially from the West Coast. Usually, LOTS of increase in capacity involves lower fares (at least initially) but I guess when the destination is Hawaii, that doesn't apply.

In an ensuing article I found, it appears fares to Hawaii are NOT going down this summer - at least as anticipated. Of course, they ARE still cheaper than 2-3 years ago but that is small consolation to the parents of 2 kids who thought a vacation to Maui after school let out might be just the ticket to saving some money on a vacation this year. Prices shown in the article indicate that flying from certain cities (San Jose) are cheaper than from the big dog (S.F.) but are still in the $600 range while Oakland and SFO come in over $700.

This particular article indicates bookings should be done PRIOR to when you read this but do not be alarmed - you can find seats anyway and I suspect that since the 'discounts' are fairly dismal, you will find flights you can afford anyway.

Keep in mind the fine print - some 'sale' fares require check in at the Hawaii airport you are leaving from at near midnight with arrival in Oakland at 5am. This is the trade off for 'large' discounts so if you are like me and don't want to leave San Jose at 7 am (requiring a 3 am wake up and drive to airport in the dark) or arrive home exhausted after an all night flight just in time to watch the sun rise, paying more means getting more. And more means better flight times.

Current Trends in Travel to Europe

Given that Arthur Frommer is about the most premier voice in travel today, I could not help but pass along his thoughts about travel to Europe this summer.

Not only does he comment on fares and currency fluctuations but he offers some great advice about the usage of debit or credit cards.

You can find this recent entry here. If you are heading over the Pond this summer, his advice is very welcome indeed.

Haunted Castles of Ireland

When I saw this story I was intrigued not by the supernatural aspect but because I had written about renting castles in Europe in my honeymoon book. Naturally, I did not include haunted castles, since it is less than likely a new bride (or groom for that matter) would want to set out on their honeymoon with a ghost sighting. So I mentioned some castles in England and Ireland and Scotland that one could rent for a lovely adventure and was done with that topic.

But now, the category of 'haunted' castles can be explored and I offer this article only for those who have that sense of adventure about them and have already been to plenty of places and done plenty of things. While staying in a castle is not cheap, neither is staying in downtown Paris, so all things being semi-equal, it might not cost as much as you think to spend the night in a haunted castle. And at the least, you can tour them as well and not stay overnight.

You can find the article here. What you won't find here is the wherewithall to go through with it. Just like the dollars you will have to spend to go there, you'll have to summon up your own courage as well.

Fun and Games: Travel Quizzes To Boost Your Travel Knowledge

Here's a topic I have never written about - travel quizzes. If you are like me, travel quizzes used to be guessing the capitals of states or keeping a tally of out of state license plates. (Obviously we did not have in-car movies, iPods or cellphones when I was a kid. Even more obvious: we were easily amused.)

Well, lets say you were about to embark upon a once in a lifetime trip to the Middle East or Orient. One quick way to bone up on local trivia is to take a travel IQ quiz. If you can ignore the final score and not be interested in how 'smart' you are, you can simply examine the answers and gain valuable local knowledge.

I came across a listing of travel quizzes you can take either before or during a trip. I caution you will have to cut and paste the URL's as this source did not imbed them in the blog post, titled "Online Games and Quizzes to Test Your Travel IQ". I have not checked them all out so I cannot give you any insider pointers of which quiz is better than another quiz but I suspect you can figure it out yourself without much trouble.

Ever Wonder Which Airline Flights Are the Most Canceled?

You probably should.

Veteran travelers know that flying out early in the morning is less likely to be affected by planes not showing up from other points, since they generally are on the ground overnight. Vice-verse, taking a Southwest 8pm flight is MUCH more likely to be delayed or canceled since your particular plane could have flown 4-5 short routes that day and could have gotten stuck in any number of cities before it arrives at your particular airport.

Well, here some advice on how to determine which flights are MORE LIKELY to be late or have historically been canceled. I found it in this great blog post titled "Travel Maze: Playing Airline Russian Roulette". If you click on the link it provides, you can access data from the Dept./Bureau of Transportation concerning any specific flight or airport. In the article itself, you will discover a certain flight out of La Guardia to Boston's Logan was canceled over 1/6th of the time. And that Delta cancels flights out of La Guardia almost one percent more often than all other airlines.

This kind of information can make the difference to you choosing an individual airline, certain flight or even an airport stopover point. What's the old axiom - Knowledge is Power?

Tips For Travel in Mexico

It is unfortunate that once again Mexico is in the travel news for the wrong reasons. But it is a fact of life and with Spring Break about to break upon us, a word of caution about traveling to Mexico might be in order.

AAA of Arizona posted an article with great tips about traveling in Mexico. For those who don't know, in Mexico you are presumed guilty until PROVEN innocent of any crime or accident. You can and will be held without bond until restitution is made and with the laws on their side, fairness and equality may not be part of the language.

Add to this the latest shootings (mainly in border cities, though Acapulco got hit once again in March 2010) and it can make for a scary vacation if you don't stay on top of things. I especially liked the advice about carrying photocopied documents and such. Though mostly common sense, it is not something most Westerners are thinking about when leaving for a trip. I wrote this previously, that I knew a person who 'forgot' he had his shotgun in his truck when he rambled on into Baja one year, was arrested and held for months with no bond or attorney to represent him. So it does happen and it is NOT pleasant, therefore, bone up on the particulars of where you are going and try to stay safe.

Thinking About Europe This Year?

It seems that most travel writers make the case that currency strength dictates traveler's choices on where to go - at least when Europe is involved. When the dollar is weak and doesn't go too far in Europe, you hear horror stories of how expensive Paris and Rome are to begin with and much of the to-do centers on how much you lose in the currency conversion.

Yet another article has appeared with much the same opinion and I post it here for you for two reasons: one, it is an informative article and two, I haven't written about Europe lately. OK, just kidding on number 2. I think the article makes valid points and for those who have avoided Europe in the last few years due to either it being the most expensive place to visit or because of the worldwide recession, now may be a time to re-think going over the Pond.

Where I tend to truly differ is in assuming people choose to avoid a place like Europe solely based on how expensive it is. When I co-authored my honeymoon travel book, I gave numerous examples of how you could go to Latin America, Mexico, Hawaii, Europe, or the Caribbean and either spend LOTS of dollars or go to the same places and spend lots less. If you want (and can afford) to stay in) $400 a night hotels, you will spend three times what another will spend in the same relative city or country, but they will choose lesser accommodations and eat more frugally. I do not think one should avoid Europe based on a strong or weak dollar UNLESS you are planning a trip within 3-4 years and can afford to take advantage of a better exchange rate. THEN, you might want to investigate the probabilities of currency fluctuations and go in 2012 rather than 2010.

See for yourself whether this article makes sense to you and remember, the vast majority of the cost of visiting Europe is getting to the major cities. Knowledgeable locals know that flying into Amsterdam instead of London is far cheaper. Going into Germany is cheaper than Paris. Staying in downtown Paris or London is more expensive than staying 4 miles away from downtown. All in all, if you are spending $7,000 on a 2 week European trip, does it really matter that you could spend $300 more because the exchange rate for Euros has changed?

How to Bargain for a Hotel Room

My flagship book was written to advise travelers how to get the best rate for a hotel room. I understand that many people don't want to bother with having to read a book however even if it saves them money for the rest of their traveling years. And while I continue to debate even selling my books online, I do not veer away from my desire to give people the best ammunition I can so they can get a great rate for the hotel of their choice.

Therefore, even though the article I am suggesting here says about 99% of what I wrote in my book, I am passing it along (Bargain Your Way to Better Hotel Rates) for those who simply won't download a book (now about 66% off the original price) but will read a blog.

I found the article extremely on target and worth while to read, as well as bookmark in order to refer to again and again. Of course, you could save all that and simply buy my book and get tons more of valuable information but the choice as always should and does remain with the consumer!