Author ∣ Advocate ∣ Journalist
On Travel is a weekly column about being a smarter traveler. It covers practical travel advice for the readers of USA Today and the USA Today Network. If you’re interested in publishing this feature, please contact Elliott directly at [email protected] or (202) 370-7934.
Is it safe to travel yet? People like Stephanie Wolkin want to know.
Safe for her means she can see her 97-year-old mother in New Jersey without infecting her with the deadly COVID-19 virus. Safe means she can find a way to make her annual trip to France this year, to make up for the one canceled last summer.
Read more “How do you know if it’s really safe to travel yet? It’s complicated.”
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated a permanent merger of work and vacation into a “workcation.” But how do you find long-term accommodations for all those workcationers?
That’s what John Tarantino wondered after he left his 9-to-5 job in Manhattan. Tarantino, who founded a boutique watchmaking business in New York, had spent time in Buenos Aires, Argentina; Mexico City, New York and Miami. But by the end of last year, he’d grown weary of making new reservations at a different vacation rental every month.
He figured there had to be a better way.
Read more “Wanted: Long-term accommodations for workcation travelers”
Stephen Wilkes asks his travel agent for a BritRail pass refund. But six months later, there’s no sign of the money.
Read more “This BritRail pass refund request has gone off the rails”
Travelers who refuse to wear a mask aren’t a new problem. But at a time when we’re so close to getting the pandemic under control, they’re an increasingly urgent problem.
“We’ve always had people who feel that the rules don’t apply to them,” says Adeodata Czink, an etiquette consultant who runs a company called Business of Manners. “So many months after the pandemic started, even people who normally behave have had enough of more and more restrictions. And they’ve just plain quit following any rules.”
Read more “What to do about travelers who refuse to wear a mask”
When Alitalia rejects Ahmed Seloma’s ticket to Italy, he asks for a refund. But his Alitalia ticket is not refundable. Why not?
Read more “My Alitalia ticket is not refundable. Why not?”
