Author ∣ Advocate ∣ Journalist
The Navigator is a weekly column that focuses on being a smarter and more informed traveler, with a special emphasis on transportation policy. It appears every Sunday in the Washington Post. If you’re interested in publishing this feature, please contact Elliott directly at chris@elliott.org or (202) 370-7934.
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 notice them until you’re at the front desk or the final checkout screen.
You probably aren’t aware of these recent changes. But you should be.
Read more “When new travel fees fly under the radar”
If you’re stuck in an uncomfortable airline seat or have to pay an exorbitant resort fee for a hotel stay this summer, you don’t have to look too far for the reason. Just find a mirror: Bad service is your fault.
At least that’s what travelers like Gene SirLouis, a manufacturer’s representative from the District, believe. “We want everything cheaper and cheaper and cheaper,” he says. “That’s why the size of an average airline seat is smaller than the size of an average human. We have to take some of the blame.”
Read more “Travelers, do you deserve bad service?”
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 industry pushes in front of you. You’ll be glad you did.
It’s no exaggeration to say that many, if not most, travel problems start with a failure to read the terms and conditions. After years of advocating travel cases, I think I know the reason for the fine-print illiteracy. No one even knows where to find the fine print, let alone how to make sense of it.
It’s so frustrating that travelers, and at least one travel insurance company, are doing something about it.
Read more “Read the fine print before you travel”
How long will it take to get from your curb to the gate? If you’re Lonny MacLeod, the answer is: a lot less time than you think.
Flying from Orlando to Halifax, Nova Scotia , on one of the busiest air-travel days of the year, he took no chances. MacLeod paid an extra $200 for Blacklane PASS, an airport concierge service that helps you check your luggage, finds the fastest check-in option, gives you access to a faster security line, then escorts you to your gate.
Read more “How long will it take to the gate?”
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 stay home,” he says.
Instead, he’s taking a staycation, a getaway popularized after the Great Recession that’s seeing a resurgence this year. MMGY Global, a travel and hospitality marketing and research company, predicts a slowdown in leisure travel this year, which could translate into more staycations.
Read more “How to take a real staycation this summer”
