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For the handicapped, taking a trip by air can be a truly harrowing experience. This is why many of our physically impaired citizens just don’t do it. It is often too difficult for them. And this is a shame, a sad state of affairs, because it arbitrarily and unnecessarily, narrows their world. However, just as we mentioned in our article about those who are handicapped when it comes to walking, there are also services available, and things the visually and hearing impaired can do to ease the burden of traveling. This is true, even if they have to travel alone. And they have definite rights under the law in this regard. Airlines must obey them.
 Handicapped Seating, O’Hare International Airport Author, Piotrus, Courtesy Wikimedia Commons The Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) of 2009 stipulates definite rules for those with disabilities and their right to access to airports and flights on airlines. The ACAA delineates exactly what information the airlines are required to give you. Continue reading Traveling Handicapped – Things The Visually And Hearing Impaired Should Know
If It’s Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium—now there is a blast from the past, as far as movies go. The year, 1969, to be exact, and it starred Suzanne Pleshette, and Ian McShane, among others. More importantly, was the premise of the show. It was a comedy about Americans taking a whirlwind tour of Europe. Depending on what day it was, told the increasingly confused tourists what country and/or city they were supposed to in at any given moment. Apparently, so fast was the tour, so quick were the changes for the tourists, they just couldn’t keep it all straight in their minds.
 One Stop On A Tour, Tours Cathedral, Author Erin Silversmith Courtesy Wikimedia Commons Why do I bring this up now? Well, that movie was based on the real-life problems many tourists had and still have, in some cases, in going on packaged tours to Europe, Asia, and elsewhere. Tours, and the groups that composed them, came to have very bad connotations for many travelers. And well-seasoned travelers began to avoid them like the very plague. In fact, a distinct and certain snobbery has set in these days. Where it is still okay to take cruises en masse to places (because of the luxury aspects of such type of travel), tours tend to be looked down upon as unworthy of any real traveler, Tours are often considered to be fraught with too many problems, such as traveling too fast, too far, too organized, no spontaneity, and fellow travelers that can drive you crazy and from whom you just can never seem to get away. Continue reading Group Traveling And Tours – Are They A Bad idea?
We’ve all been hearing about it lately. The buzz is almost nonstop. Health insurance—should it be a requirement, or not? One estimate says that roughly some forty million Americans do not have health insurance and that’s a major problem, no doubt. So, of course, various groups are pushing to have such insurance supplied, and require us all to have it. Good or bad idea? I leave it to you to decide. But did you know that when you travel abroad, this can be just as much of a problem? Health insurance is fast becoming a big issue for international travelers these days. (‘ ’)
 Emergency Room For instance, are you aware that some countries require visitors to have proof of health insurance just to gain entry into their country? Some cruise lines also demand this, as do other types of tourist companies and organizations. Students studying in foreign countries often are required to have insurance. The same applies to many business people working in other nations. More and more, it seems, we travelers must have required travel insurance. Continue reading Travel Insurance is “Required” – Do You Have A Choice In The Matter?
Stuck on a crowded airplane for a long trip? Kids around you screaming, an obese person next to you enveloping you and your seat, and with no way for you to get up to reach your “stuff” in the overhead compartment, let alone to make a trip to the restroom? Feeling trapped and claustrophobic because you are in a window or middle seat on a packed plane?
 A Not Too Crowded Flight, Author, Charlie Brewer Courtesy, Wikimedia Commons Let’s face it; this and many other things have happened to a lot of us. Lately, due to airline cutbacks, canceling flights, and cost-control measures, more flights are flying that are completely booked. This means we’re often traveling in what amounts to an almost cattle-car-like situation. And to be honest, sometimes, we do get seats next to overweight passengers who overflow their own, taking up some of ours. I mention this specifically, because of the recent news media flap over Director Kevin Smith being refused a right to fly for being overweight. I have no real opinion on that incident, but I do understand that both sides have some valid points regarding this matter. But sometimes, sitting next to such a person can be worse than just uncomfortable. It can be downright painful. Continue reading Flying Issues—How To Deal With Them
Like most travelers who have traveled widely, I’ve developed a strong liking for certain places. Don’t get me wrong, I love practically everywhere I go, but sometimes one discovers certain destinations with which they just fall in love, For me, one of the best of these is the United Kingdom. And since so many people recently have asked me what they should see and do while there, I thought I’d devote this article to my favorite places in England, Scotland, and Wales. Northern Ireland I’ll save for another time, when I do the Republic of Ireland (Eire), as well.
So, whether you are traveling to Britain for the first time, or have been there before, you may find this article of some interest. And some of these pointers can be used for practically anywhere you go, so even if the United Kingdom isn’t your “cup of tea,” they should still work in principle for your travel destinations.
 Tower Of London, Courtesy of Rob Shelsky Continue reading Traveling In The United Kingdom – A Personal Perspective
When Americans travel, we often take many things for granted, including ease of going places without a bunch of bothersome restrictions. We come by this attitude naturally. Being able to move freely through all fifty states of the United States, we get used to the idea that this is our “right.” And yes, we know that when we travel abroad we need a passport. But this is something we’re a little less used to having to do all the time, because, until very recently, some countries, such as Canada and Mexico, did not require us to have a passport. Now they do.
 Visa Passport, Public Domain, Courtesy Wikimedia Commons But things have changed even more radically over the last ten years than that. Where once we didn’t need passports to travel to some places, now we have to have them for everywhere. This isn’t just so we can get into those countries. It is also so we can get back into our own! Try to reenter the United States without a passport, and good luck! But again, most of us know that passports are now “a must” whenever we travel anywhere outside of America. Continue reading Visas, Do You Need One?
NOTE: PLEASE BOOKMARK THIS PAGE AS WELL AS PRINT OUT THIS ARTICLE TO BE USED FOR YOUR FLIGHT TRIP PLANNING TO PROTECT YOUR FLIGHT RIGHTS.
I’ve said it before; flying can be a difficult business these days. Therefore, it is often with a sigh of satisfaction and relief that we board our flights, sit in our assigned seats, knowing we finally “made it,” and are on our way.
Or are we? What about those canceled flights that happen every so often, sometimes to us? It does occur, and quite a bit, especially lately, because airlines are trying to save money. If a flight isn’t sufficiently booked, they just cancel them more often than not. Coming home to America from Europe, I had one canceled. I had to take another flight the following day. No warning, no communication to me to this effect—the flight was just canceled. If I hadn’t called to confirm my return flight, I wouldn’t have even known about it. And did the airline pay for my extra overnight stay, and rearrange my (out of necessity) new connecting flight for me? Not hardly! So you see, this sort of thing can and does happen. Somehow, it’s always us consumers-as-passengers who take it on the chin, who somehow pay for it in the end.
 Canceled Flights Continue reading If Your Air Flight Is Canceled — Rule 240 And/Or Do You Get Your Money Back?
Let’s face it; it’s the age of hidden fees. Airlines, hotels, banks, credit card companies — all have discovered the fine art of charging hidden fees. It has become a major trend. Everybody seems to be in on the act. They quote one price, but when you finally get that bill, there are all those “extra” charges on it, as well. Some of those charges are quite creative and one almost has to admire the imagination that went into coming up with them. But imaginative or not, one thing is certain and that is that they will all cost you more money! For the unprepared, these hidden fees are not only an unpleasant surprise, but definitely an unpleasant added expense, as well. And those expenses add up!
 Travel Suitcase - Author, Producer, Courtesy Wikimedia Commons Continue reading The Age of Hidden Fees – How To Save More Money When Traveling
Times are tough. We all know this. It’s all we hear about in the news. Unemployment is high. People are losing their homes. Businesses and banks are failing. This sort of negative environment makes traveling difficult for many of us, because right now, we either can’t afford the expense, or maybe we feel we shouldn’t, “just in case.” This is usually because we feel that we don’t know what might be coming next, so better to hang on to our money. And this is especially true of people with families to consider. The costs of traveling in such uncertain times can seem prohibitively high. But there are some ways around this problem, some possible solutions. One doesn’t have to give up and just stop traveling abroad.
 2007-2009 map of world showing countries in recession (red) or with economic slowdowns (pink). Author, Felipe Menegaz, Courtesy, Wikimedia Commons Continue reading Traveling In Hard Times, Some Ideas
Fees — we’ve discussed them in detail before now. We’ve shown costs for wiring or obtaining foreign currency through various financial services, what they charge, both stated, and in hidden fees. We’ve gone over the various costs for obtaining cash in the local currency of another country either via a bank, an ATM, or a credit card, and listed a good number of them as examples.
However, here in this concluding article in our series on the subject, we are going to attempt to show the total of all those costs. We want travelers to have a good idea just what the sum of all these fees can come to, and what to look out for in some instances.
 Exchange Rates, Work by User: Mattes, Wikimedia Commons Continue reading What You Really Need To Know! The Total Cost of Fees For Obtaining Foreign Currency
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