Did your low airfare disappear? Blame dynamic pricing
You probably know what Melanie Frazier felt like when she recently tried to book a flight from Portland, Maine, to Atlanta.
Commentary
Elliott Advocacy is a nonprofit organization that mediates cases between consumers and businesses. These are commentary articles that detail our efforts and provide educational information for consumers.
Rudeness runs rampant for travelers. Is it your fault?
It was a random thought at the end of a recent column about unfriendly TSA agents. “I wonder if the rude agent is a reflection of an even ruder traveler,” mused David Kazarian, a pharmacist from Tampa.
It started a debate with a real purpose.
What’s ahead for hotel guests in 2018?
When it comes to fees and surcharges, hotel guests are wondering: What’s next?
Mandatory “resort fees” mushroomed last year, even as hotels added new charges for all kinds of things, including cancellations and late checkouts. With pressure to squeeze even more profit from customers, you don’t have to be an industry insider to see where this is going.
Insider secrets for canceling your travel insurance policy
Yes, your travel insurance policy can be canceled.
Maybe no one bothered to tell you. Maybe your travel insurance company and your travel agent want you to think your money’s gone. But maybe, just maybe, it isn’t.
Help! My trip insurance company won’t pay to bring my husband’s body home
After Talor Min’s husband dies during a trip to Malaysia, she files a claim with her travel insurance companies for the repatriation of his remains. One year later, she’s still trying to get her money back.
Road trippers should take an extra-long test drive in 2018
If you’re looking for a new car, here’s a little advice from your fellow travelers: Take your time. I mean, really take your time. Test drive the vehicle a few extra miles, or hundreds of miles, to make sure the designers didn’t take the day off when they signed off.
I’m not being cute. Some of today’s cars are so thoughtlessly designed that they leave travelers cramped and annoyed. If you’re planning to take a lengthy road trip this spring or summer, you don’t want to be stuck in one of these uncomfortable cars.
Alternative forms of insurance you need to know about now
Think you need travel insurance? Think again.
You might require something else — either a specialized insurance product that protects only one aspect of your trip, or something that isn’t insurance at all.
Call it “alt” insurance.
No, we’re not about to get political. Alt insurance is real and it can protect you regardless of ideological leanings. Sometimes, it isn’t insurance at all, but a different form of protection.
How to fight back against the ‘beyond our control’ excuse
It’s not our fault.
You’ve probably heard that line a time or two, especially from your airline, hotel or cruise line. It’s the old “Act of God” excuse — or to put it in less theological terms, an event “beyond our control.”
The only game that really matters
Who’s going to win the big game? No, not that game. I’m talking about the game businesses play with us.
If you’re on the road 365 days a year, heed this travel packing advice
What should you pack for your next trip? Well, I’m not a fashion writer, but I do know what kind of clothes travel well. And you’ll want to heed my travel packing tips.