Author ∣ Advocate ∣ Journalist
Bob Tupper’s summer vacation in Bologna, Italy, was his best trip of the year. It included a visit to the famous markets in the Quadrilatero district, touring the oldest university in the western world and sampling beer at the Baladin brewpub near the city.
Lots of beer.
Read more “Your best and worst trips of 2018”
If you feel a little jittery in the moments before you leave for the airport, you might be suffering from pre-trip anxiety. It’s an increasingly common malaise in a world of uncertainty and inconsistent customer service.
Read more “Don’t panic! Here’s how to handle your pre-trip anxiety”
Talk about a squeaker! I’m looking at the votes for our 2018 Readers’ Choice Awards so far, and it’s a close one.
But did you know that you have a horse in this race? Several, probably.
For example, you know the name of the world’s best airline. And the world’s best hotel, wireless carrier and auto manufacturer.
And now it’s time for you to let the world know.
We survey our readers every year on their favorite companies and then broadcast the results so that everyone else knows, too. This is a once-a-year chance to recognize the best of the best.
How tight is the race?
✓ In the “best service through social media” category, only one vote separates the number-one company, Delta Air Lines, from Alaska Airlines. Talk about close.
✓ There’s no winner in the cruise line category. Why? Because Royal Caribbean and Disney are tied for first place. If you vote for one of them now, you will cast the tie-breaker!
✓ In the international airlines category, only a few votes separate Virgin Atlantic, the number-one carrier, from Emirates. This one could go either way … or the award could go to another airline entirely.
Isn’t this exciting?
Polling for the awards ends Nov. 29, so please hurry and cast your vote now. As a bonus, our friends at Boingo are offering annual accounts to select participants. We’ll be having a drawing for those accounts a little later this month.
This year’s awards are sponsored by Allianz Travel Insurance, Boingo, Enterprise, Generali Global Assistance (formerly CSA Travel Protection), Insuremyrentalcar.com and Southwest Airlines.
Here are this week’s stories:
Rudeness runs rampant for travelers. Is it your fault? (USA Today)
While flying, keep a handle on your suitcase with a luggage tag (Washington Post)
Buying A PC? Here’s What You Need To Know Now (Huffington Post)
On a hike through Utah’s ‘Mighty Five,’ the rocks are surreal but the anvils are imaginary (Away is Home)
Can Palladium Travel Club keep my money? (Travel Troubleshooter via Boston Globe)
Have a great Thanksgiving holiday. I’ll see you next week.
It’s time.
We’ve packed up all of our belongings, planted a “For Sale” sign in front of the house, found a new home for our beloved kitties, and we’re about to set sail. Well, I don’t know if you can sail a Honda Pilot, and I’m not sure if I want to find out. But you get the idea.
Read more “Here we go!”
Call it the ultimate road trip.
This spring, I’m embarking on a six-month odyssey along the perimeter of the North American continent — from Orlando west to San Diego, then north to Seattle and via the Alaska Canada Highway to Fairbanks. Finally, I’ll cross through Canada to Montreal and return to Florida. It’s more than 11,000 miles.
And I’m taking the kids.
Why? I’m a travel columnist for the Washington Post, USA Today and am nationally syndicated through King Features Syndicate. I’m the 2016 Journalist of the Year for the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) and publish an award-winning blog about consumer advocacy. If I didn’t travel, I wouldn’t be doing my job.
I’m also the home-school learning coach for my kids Aren (14), Iden (12) and Erysse (10). Like other American families, we have an almost DNA-level desire to explore. We want to see what’s out there, to experience it, and to learn from it. Travel is a great teacher.
But, most of all, I want to meet you.
I’ve spent far too long working in an office and covering consumer issues in the abstract. It’s time to get out there and visit with real people and talk to them about their experiences. I want you to tell me about the ups and downs of being a consumer in 2017 so that I can better help you. ASTA has also asked me to check in with its travel agents, share some of my insights with them, and to report back at its annual convention in San Diego later this year.
I’ll be continuing my day jobs as a writer, consumer advocate and teacher. The kids should wrap up their spring semester before we cast off, but I still I expect lots of long nights of editing photos and writing posts. Plus, you never know what kind of news might break while I’m on the road.
I can’t wait to meet up with old friends along the way and to make new ones. But I also plan to visit some of the publications that run my nationally-syndicated column and to thank them for allowing me to work for them. I look forward to listening to the concerns and comments their readers have. I believe it will make me a better journalist.
Journeys like this can lead to profound discoveries, growth, education and enlightenment. I expect we will return home this fall a little wiser and with a thousand discoveries to share with the rest of our extended family.
Please join me for this once-in-a-lifetime adventure.
Here are this week’s stories:
See you next week!
