Author – The Durango Herald

More travelers feel betrayed by loyalty programs

If you’re unhappy with your loyalty program, you might relate to John Franklin’s story. Actually, you might relate to it even if you aren’t unhappy with your loyalty program. Fran...

DATE: Sep 13, 2019 | CATEGORY: The Travel Troubleshooter

Manufacturers bring a little more intelligence to ‘smart’ luggage

When it comes to new carry-on luggage, travelers are looking for the right balance between form and function. At least that’s what frequent travelers such as Evan Saltzman will tell you. ...

DATE: Sep 8, 2019 | CATEGORY: The Travel Troubleshooter

It’s getting harder to beat airport car-rental fees

Car-rental customers report having to pay concession fees to U.S. airports even if they didn’t use an airport rental location. The charges have been quietly imposed by municipalities in an a...

DATE: Aug 30, 2019 | CATEGORY: The Travel Troubleshooter

Gadgets to protect your privacy, safety on the road

Before John Meyer travels anywhere, he slips a small security device that looks like a two-way radio into his luggage. Recent reports of vacation rental owners spying on guests persuaded him...

DATE: Aug 24, 2019 | CATEGORY: The Travel Troubleshooter

Are you getting the best deal when you book through an online travel agency?

When you’re shopping on an online travel site, does everything look the same? It does to Ron Woods, a retired insurance salesman from Walnut Creek, California. Over the years, he ...

DATE: Aug 17, 2019 | CATEGORY: The Travel Troubleshooter

Pedicures and pajamas: Airline passengers do the strangest things

What’s the strangest thing you’ve seen a passenger do on a plane? If you said, “Change into pajamas midflight,” then maybe you were on my red-eye from Orlando to Frankfurt, Germa...

DATE: Aug 9, 2019 | CATEGORY: The Travel Troubleshooter

A primer on the perils: Warning! Travel insurance doesn’t cover this

If you think your travel insurance policy will protect your upcoming summer vacation, you might want to take another look. Travel insurance doesn’t cover everything. Truth be told, it might ...

DATE: Jul 27, 2019 | CATEGORY: The Travel Troubleshooter

When new travel fees fly under the radar

In the travel industry, new fees and restrictions tend to have one thing in common: They are introduced without fanfare and easily overlooked. Travel companies apparently hope that you won’t...

DATE: Jul 20, 2019 | CATEGORY: The Travel Troubleshooter

Read the fine print before you travel

Before you embark on your summer vacation, take a few minutes to read the fine print on your airline ticket, car rental contract, vacation rental contract – or any other contract the travel ...

DATE: Jul 12, 2019 | CATEGORY: The Travel Troubleshooter

To enjoy a staycation, have a clear purpose

Between running a start-up company and wrapping up his graduate degree, Pierre Huguet is too busy to take a vacation this summer. “I don’t have much time to travel around, so I’ve decided to...

DATE: Jun 30, 2019 | CATEGORY: The Travel Troubleshooter

How to fly with kids: It takes more than a wing and a prayer

If you’re flying somewhere with young kids this summer, you deserve a medal. Few things seem to irk fellow passengers like babies, toddlers and their parents. According to survey...

DATE: Jun 23, 2019 | CATEGORY: Travel

On your next trip, expect the unexpected

Travel can be unpredictable. At least that’s what Socrates Anastasiadis will tell you when you ask him about his recent Vantage River cruise from Basel to Amsterdam. When he arriv...

DATE: Jun 23, 2019 | CATEGORY: The Travel Troubleshooter