Amid the ongoing conflict in Iran and surging fuel costs, your vacation could increase in price even after you’ve paid or be canceled outright. Oil prices have risen more than 40% since Operation Epic Fury got underway on Feb. 28. Fuel routes have also been disrupted, and airlines and cruise ships alike are adapting by increasing prices, … Read more
Cruising to tropical destinations may sound carefree and a bucket-list best, but some of the most popular ports come with safety concerns travelers should not ignore, industry experts say. Passengers need to understand local risks before leaving the ship, especially in destinations with higher crime rates or active government warnings, experts say. A recent podcast, “The Travel … Read more
A woman who travels on cruise ships regularly says one simple booking move can help passengers get a better cabin. Mollie Finlon, 38, originally from Seattle, is able to sail at little or no cost through her husband’s job as a maritime engineer — which covers food, accommodation and other living expenses while onboard, she told news agency Jam … Read more
There’s an art to it. If the only thing getting you through these last few weeks of the year is a dreamy vacation, hopefully in your near future, and you’re looking to book with travel points, according to experts, there’s a certain science to it. While most would assume the “Goldilocks” travel playbook of booking … Read more
It’s a big hassle — with a slim number of solutions. Hopping a plane while plump isn’t easy, according to plus-size travel influencer Kirsty Leanne — citing narrow aisles, tightly-packed rows and cramped accommodations, which make it hard for her to sit back and enjoy the ride. But paying for extra personal space, a quick fix that frequent flyers of … Read more
Tipping culture has seemingly seeped into nearly every aspect of modern life, with everywhere from automated self-checkout kiosks at retail stores to supermarket lines suddenly stuffing a jar — or the dreaded tablet — in customers’ faces. The most recent to hop on the tipping train? Budget travel sites. Screenshots of third-party hotel booking websites … Read more
I once booked accommodation that had warning notes all over the home, telling me that cameras were watching if I took a book home with me. I thought that was the creepiest it could get when traveling, but apparently not! “This is the view from the shower” A traveler recently took to Reddit to share their own ‘creepy’ experience when staying … Read more
Avoiding this common booking practice can make your air travel process less turbulent. It’s routine for airlines to overbook flights based on historical no-show data, which can ultimately result in some passengers being bumped from the flight. Bumping, or denied boarding, happens when there are more passengers than available seats on the plane. If no … Read more
Although prices are way down for airfare this summer — there’s no harm in wanting to save an extra buck where you can. Founder of the Cheap Holiday Expert and podcast host, Chelsea Dickenson, recently shared on an episode of her pod, Passports Please!, that “skiplagging” is a travel hack that allows travelers to fly … Read more
This myth might be losing steam. The long-held belief that airfare is cheaper when booked on certain days may not be true, according to travel experts. While people previously thought that the cheapest days to book flights are on Tuesdays, data from Google Flights shows that the prices don’t vary much from day to day. … Read more
Not going home for the holidays? One travel pro has revealed their tips and tricks for spotting red flags on rental listings. “I’ve stayed in gorgeous farmhouse lofts, high-rise city apartments, and desert hideaways — but I’ve also booked a few duds along the way,” full-time traveler Tammy Barr, who has lodged in over 40 different rental … Read more
Southwest Airlines, already under pressure from a hedge fund for disappointing financial results, said Wednesday that a key revenue ratio will be weaker than expected because of changes in how consumers book travel. The airline said it still expects second-quarter revenue to hit a record. However, Southwest said, revenue for each seat flown one mile — a … Read more
Summer vacation, here we come. Experts expect another busy summer travel season but airfare prices should sit steady this summer thanks to stabilizing supply and demand, according to The Points Guys (TPG). “We expect summer 2024 to be similar to last year in terms of demand and pricing,” Hayley Berg, lead economist at booking app … Read more
It’s a travel by-pass. Flying on a Boeing 737 MAX might seem like playing Russian Roulette at 30,000 feet in light of recent incidents — but enterprising tech-heads have devised a special way for freaked-out fliers to avoid the aircraft model altogether. A booking platform named “Alternative Airlines” allows travelers to look for routes and … Read more
WFAN’s Randy Moss snafu got a rise out of the Hall of Fame wide receiver. Boomer Esiason and Gregg Giannotti figured out live during their morning show Tuesday at Super Bowl 2024 that Randy Moss the NBC horse racing analyst was accidentally booked for the show by producer Al Dukes instead of the legendary receiver. … Read more
Australians have reported losing more than $220,000 in Booking.com scams in just one year amid a huge spike in cases. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s Scamwatch website received 363 reports of scams mentioning Booking.com last year, a whopping 585 percent increase on the year prior. In 2022, a significantly lesser 53 reports were made. The data … Read more
Don’t try to wing it. Credit card points expert Jess Bohorquez, known as @PointsByJ on TikTok, is revealing a plane and simple hack to save money when booking flights. “This is my myth-busting tip of the day,” the Chicago-based content creator says in a TikTok posted Monday that has taken off with more than 8,000 views. “If you want … Read more
A retired Australian couple became the stars of the sea as they spent nearly 500 days cruising around the world after booking 51 back-to-back cruises. Marty and Jess Ansen took off on their first cruise on June 16, 2022, after a long two years of strict COVID-19 lockdowns in Australia. They have yet to stop, … Read more