Ask Wendy

what are the cheapest days of the week to travel to the carribean in november.

Hello Wendy, I ALWAYS read your articles for conde nast traveler and greatly wish I had your job. Would love your advice: looking for a budget friendly trip in mid-november. Pretty much anywhere. Would prefer somewhere there is milder weather but IF the atmosphere is right, OK. Asia, Europe, Caribbean, South America. All inclusive or if it's better to rent a villa, etc. I have about 10-12 days. Thank you for the advice! Eleni

Having trouble finding the right travel agent for a family trip to Barcelona in fall 2010, and I'm hoping you can point me in the right direction. We are four adults - A mother and father in their 70s and a brother and sister in their late-40s/early 50s - looking to spend around 6 nights in Barcelona. This is a bit harder to book than your typical trip because three of us are leaving from Minneapolis and one from NYC; we want to also hit Amsterdam for 2 nights, either on the way to or from Barcelona; and we ideally are looking for an apartment (although two hotel rooms would do). What we don't want are any kind of tours (we like doing our own thing) or ultra-expensive, lap-of-luxury accommodations. It seems we fall into that great middle between a trip that we can book by ourselves and those complex, tour-filled trips I see being pushed on so many travel agent websites. I've e-mailed a couple of travel agents and gotten either an unsatisfactory or no response, and I'm wondering where to turn. Hoping you can help.

Do you have any recommendations of travel specialists for special needs (wheelchair) travel?

We are looking at a South America Cruise in November or over the Christmas/New Year holiday. Both Silver Sea and Holland have Santiago to Buenos Aires or Rio options that look enticing (although Holland is more in our budget). . . Who do I call for help making a decision and booking?!?

We're going to NYC 12/15 thru 12/21. Any tips on where to stay less expensively than the usual hotels?

Thanks much.

Wendy,

Can you think of any ideas for a 40th bday celebration? We are a group of friends who live 30 minutes outside of Manhattan. Two of our friends are turning 40 in January 2010. I was thinking Vegas! But everyone has small children and are strapped for cash after the holidays. So, any ideas for one night getaway for 6 or 8 couples?
Thanks!
Laura

Hello Wendy,
thanks for your great advice. I am sure you can help us with our decision. We need to fly from Philadelphia, Pa to London's Heathrow airport next September as part of a 31 day tour of Europe. We would like to travel business class, with full reclining seats, for at least the travel to London, but both if cost is reasonable. We have enough miles on USAir to purchase a 1-way upgrade but not roundtrip. What are our best choices to assure that we get the business class seats at the best cost? Risk the upgrade or just purchase for the full cost?
Thank you for any advice you can provide.
Patti

Hello Wendy,

My husband and I are looking into a trip to Italy in 2010 in October. We would like to stay in the Tuscany area most of the time. Cosmos Travel had a great itinerary, but they are not doing it in 2010. So we may be on our own. We would like to stay in the Tuscany area most of the time & visit Lucca, Montecatini, San Gimiguano, Assisi, Siena, Florence & Rome.
I was also thining of starting our trip in Berlin (my husband was stationed there in 1968), then take a train or fly to Florence & visit the other cities and fly out of Rome.
If we did go to Berlin, would it be best to fly or take a train to Italy?
Should we look into a tour group while in Italy?
I have been doing research about taking a train or rental car in Italy - I'm not sure which is best.
thank you for any info.
Janice

Wendy.
I am requesting tour information.

We have scheduled a Scandinavian cruise August 11 - 23, 2010 from London touring Copenhagen, Stockholm, Helsinki, St. Petersburg (2 nights), Tallinn, and Gothenburg.

We will be departing Dallas / Ft. Worth airport to London. What is your recommendation when we should make air reservations? When would prices be better?

Where would the better hotels be located for seeing the important sights of London? Would public transportation be readily available from the hotel? We would like to spend 2 - 3 nights in London prior to the cruise.

On the cruise what are the must see sights?

Hello Wendy

I look forward to your articles in CNTraveler every month.
6 of us are taking a cruise to South America next March on Princess. The cruise starts in Santiago and ends in Rio de Janeiro.
We are planning on spending 2 nights in Rio, going to Iguazo Falls for 2 nights and ending up with 3 nights in Buenos Aires. We are looking for help with the trip to Iguazo plus suggestions for hotels in Rio and Buenos Aires.
Do you have any suggestions?

Hi Wendy,
Can you recommend a travel agent to help us with renting a house in England next September? We have information from Suzanne Cohen but would like some more choices.
Thanks

Wendy - I'm a loyal follower and especially love your coverage of exotic and adventure destinations.

My husband and I are considering a trip to Borneo in the spring. We're looking for a combination of nature/wildlife experience but high end enough so that the accommodations and food will be at the international level. Is this possible or is Borneo just not there yet? We're also looking to add a luxury beach resort stay at the end of the trip. Since we've been to Thailand many times, what are your thoughts on Malaysian resorts? Any other suggestions?

Thanks,
Robin

Using Credit Cards Outside the United States. Can you tell me which credit cards offer the fewest additional fees when being used outside the United States? I was talking to a representative today from VISA who said that they would charge me an additional 3% on purchases and I had never heard that before.

Thanks.

Susan Gilpin

I am trying to get to Bali from Newark, New Jersey in late January and cannot find a flight under $4,000. I would like to use frequent flyer miles - can you help

Hi Wendy,

Do you know what the rule is with United Airlines about how many days prior to an international flight that they will release business class seats for booking with mileage plus miles? We have a cruise planned which requires us to fly roundtrip to Buenos Aires from San Francisco and United cannot tell me when they will release the seats for the international leg. They gave us mileage plus seats from San Francisco to Washington Dulles last April, but were unable to provide seats for Dulles to Buenos Aires and return. I check with them frequently, but to no avail. Final payment for the cruise is due mid-November and I will need to cancel the cruise if I cannot get the mileage plus seats we need.

I have made inquiries to their President's office and Customer Relations, but their answers were of no help. Their responses indicated they didn't even look up our reservation and Customer Relations stated they only deal with problems on flights aready taken and not future travel.

Thanks for you help.

Jan Goodenough
gmgoody@pacbell.net
707-538-9074

Hi Wendy
You always have such great information so I am hoping you can help me now. I need to visit my mom in Sydney and also my sister in Provence in summer of 2010. I work in Education so have from June 8th thru August 25 off to travel. I Realize it is winter in Australia, but it is her birthday so have to make the trip. We depart out of Cleveland, Ohio and would like to go to Sydney first then back to France before returning home to the USA. Is there any way we can get a deal thru one airline, so as to collect airmiles as well as save money???? Would it be a good idea to look for a "round the world" ticket? Any suggestions for our family of 4 would be appreciated. Kids are ages 11 and 14 so probably will have to pay adult fees?
Thanks
Rhondda

Hi Wendy, my husband and I cannot decide where to go either. We live in Atlanta and would like to go somehwere in November or December (around 10 days) but be home for the holidays. Don't want to spend a fortune either, maybe somewhere in the US?
Thanks, Linda (a distant cousin)

I recently signed up for the Perrin Post and think this is an outstanding tool for travel tips. I have been reading about South America and it sounds like somewhere my husband and I should visit. This past spring we traveled to France to Nice and Au Provence. South America seems very similar, and much more economical.

My husband and I are 56 years old, very active and live in Cleveland, Ohio. We would like to plan a 10 to 12 day trip this winter, but not sure what the best places to see would be. We love wine, shopping, good cuisine and nice hotels. We do not speak Spanish.

We would love to use your expertise in hopes of making the best of our trip!

Thank you in advance for your help!!!

Hi Wendy,

Great, helpful columns!

My question: how do I go about getting a visa for New Zealand & Australia?

About 13 years I went to those wonderful countries and had help from a travel agent. I vaguely remember her going on-line to get a visa.

Now, I'm about to go back to those countries, and am using your advice and google to make my arrangements. But I don't know where to go to get the visa (if it's still needed).

Thanks for any help you can give...and keep up the good work.

Warren

Do you know any travel agencies with expertise in destination weddings? Thanks!

Do you know any travel agencies with expertise in destination weddings? Thanks!

Hi Wendy,

Have you any info on the status of Scrub Island Resort, BVI? It sounds fabulous and have a great deal as an opening special; However, I have read that they have been plagued with financial and contractor difficulties. As I am planning to go there in late February I am concerned.

Thank you for your help.

Hi Wendy,

My name Marv and I am in Petaluma, California. You and I attended the same Tweetup at Aqus Cafe this past year. I am considering a trip to Europe with my 17 year old daughter as kind of a last hurrah father-daughter trip before she starts her post high school life. I've traveled parts of Europe before for business but it's been nearly 20 years since I've been.

I'm thinking budget travel. Small hotels. Europass. A couple days here and a couple days there.

For a cultural background, my ancestry is Bavarian, Irish, English, Dutch and my daughter has Italian and Sweedwish in addition to the above.

Any advice for a 10 day trip?

-Marv

Hi Wendy-

My fiance and I are trying to plan our honeymoon for August 6-15, 2010. August is a really hard time to travel somewhere because of the weather (i.e. no Carribbean). We considered going to Bali or other islands in S.E. Asia, but we just don't know if it's a good idea to fly that far for just a 6 night stay (once you add in flight time) because of jet lag. We just want somewhere beachy and very private that is not somewhere we will go again. No sightseeing necessary, we just want to lounge. We'd be leaving from the Washington, DC area.

Would be very grateful for any ideas you have!

Anne

Hi Wendy,

We're flying into Salt Lake City on Sat. Jan 16 through the 23rd. Any advice for the most affordable way to get to Park city and back? So far, we're looking at $64 ea. one way! Also, we want to ski two or three days. We'll be staying at the Geo Holiday Club. It appears they don't offer discounts on tickets or a shuttle. Thank you for any advice you can give us.

Shelley and Don
ps. we're not picky about where we ski.

We have accumulated hundreds of thousands of frequent flyer miles on United but whenever we call or check online to see if we can redeem them for a trip, we are always told "no seats available," especially for business class travel. Do you have any suggestions as to how we might be able successfully to use these miles? Thanks.

Wendy,

You certainly seem the person to go to for such a request!

I might be asking for something thats too difficult to find or too pricey but Im hoping to give it a shot!

For my 40th birthday next April I would love to find a house, villa, etc to rent for 2 weeks to a month?? somewhere in Europe. Now here's the hard part...

It needs to sleep my wife and I, our 3 year old son, my two parents, and my wifes mom. But we would really like :

1) to be in a big enough NICE city that we are able to just walk out our front door and go shopping, eating, to a park, etc..without having to drive.

2) be in a big enough city that has an easy train setup so we can take 2-3 day trips to other big cities AND/OR other countries.

3) We would be getting a car so driving is an option too.

4) Ideally it would have a swimming pool for our 3 year old but I realize this might be impossible.

My initial thoughts are somewhere like Paris, Milan, Florence, somewhere in southern/Western Germany??, France would be nice, switzerland....Strasbourgh seems like a centrally located spot...As you can see Im trying to find a centrally located cool city that we can enjoy but also use as an easy home base for many other little trips.

I GREATLY appreciate any help you can give!!!!!

Thank you!!

Matt

Dear Wendy,

I am a big fan of your column and I am writing to you for your expert advice. I am starting to look around for a place to go with my girlfriend to spend our honeymoon. Of course, we still have a lot of time because we haven’t even decided to get married but I believe I should be prepared when the time comes and early reservations are in order.

I have been looking around trying to find something that fits this description:
- An isolated small beach (preferably you have to take small boats to get there)
- A really small boutique hotel (no more than 15 rooms, less is better)
- Beautiful turquoise warm water (Caribbean or Pacific)
- Amazing service especially with great food and drinks (a world renowned chef with talents ranging from Basque French cuisine, japanese peasant food and great barbecues; and ever present cold beers, french wines and champagne - no all inclusive deals with huge buffets!!)
- And, most importantly, a bungalow over the sea with comfortable accommodations (huge bed, open big shower and big bathroom with balcony and a staircase to jump to the sea).

What we would like to do is spend a week (8 to 6 days) just swimming near our private bungalow, with no one around us, and having amazing food and drinks for breakfast, lunch and dinner with some special options like breakfast or dinner in our bungalow, in a small deserted beach and things like that.

I know this is not the most accurate of descriptions but I hope you get an idea of what I am looking for. We live in Colombia (Bogotá) so there’s an extra factor than needs to be taken into account since we would have to travel via the US in most cases and this will increase the price of our tickets. I have seen some very cool things in the internet, most of them in the Pacific (Polynesia) and a few in the Caribbean but they look too big for our taste (20 or 30 rooms), they do not seem to have great cuisine and frankly they do not look that awesome (most of them are Sofitel and Four Seasons kind of hotels that are not what I have in mind). There’s one that we have seen that pretty much fits our description and is nearby, it’s called Cayo Espanto in Belize (http://www.aprivateisland.com/ ) and I am pretty much decided for this one but would like to have your expert advice on this and other options you may know like this.

Of course, this kind of trip is something you don’t want to go cheap but any savings will come in handy. I am thinking of saving a bit with the plane tickets and finding something in the Caribbean instead of the Pacific cutting ticket prices almost in half or even more. I would rather spend this money in a great hotel with great rooms, food and drinks.

Thank you for your help and advice. Kind regards,

Juan Pablo Franco

Wendy, I'll bet my problem is one many seasoned long time travelers face. I'll call it second time around. We want to go BACK to countries we have visited, but with different itineraries. For example, we want to visit Chile and Argentina again but have spent enough time in Santiago and Buenos Aires. Beyond custom tours or going on our own, are there any tour companies that specialize in "second time" travel?

Thanks
Linda

we are trying to plan a 20yr anniversary trip to Mexico or Hawaii with golfing and horse riding/shopping next spring. we have timeshares in HI already reservey at Waikola Hilton grand vacation. however, it seems planefare is over $1k plus baggage fees. that is ridiculous, any other suggestions besides HI or how to get there cheaper?

I stayed in suite 351 of the Jai Mahal Palace Hotel in Jaipur India ( A Taj Hotel) $450 plus taxes a night and got sick from the water in bathroom coming through rusty pipes. I have received a nasty letter from the Taj COO who admits they have known about the problem but is threatening me with a lawsuit if I bring it up in a blog etc. The Taj group has cosmetically dolled up a lot of these old palaces in India and are charging top dollar but these places have rotten, century old, plumbing and a crumbling infrastructure underneath the facade, that will make you sick. I know Conde Nast ranked the Rambagh Palace in Jaipur the world's best hotel but after dealing with the Taj management, I can assure you they are pulling the same scam there too. The plumbing is a century old. Buyer beware.Please pass this on. Taj palaces are a scam.

Hi Wendy,
My wife and I enjoy reading everything you
write about but we now have a difficult question for you or your staff.We are seniors enjoy crusing,and have never had a bad cruise in over the 20 we have taken.we have been to Hawaii 3 times and would like now to cruise the Islands.
Having said that however we find the type of cruise we would like is one where we fly to Hawaii,take our cruise and fly back.
Now the difficult question.For the past three years we have been looking at the reviews and 99% of them give the two ships of the Noregean Cruise Lines that sail there very poor reviews.
Would you know if these poor reviews are justified
and should look at a different cruise line to satisfy our desire to cruise the islands?
Thanking you in advance for your help.

Rhoda and Sheldon Wagner

hi wendy,

we're hoping to take a romantic trip to spain the week before easter (3/27/10) -- perhaps driving a loop from madrid through andalucia and back. is this a bad idea for holy week? will everything be closed?

this is the only week we have to travel without our child -- is every catholic european country mostly closed too? other romantic city destinations?

many thanks,
nicole

Hi Wendy,
My wife and 15 year old are looking for a Carribean vacation where the son can learn to surf while we relax in a luxurious setting. Do you have any recommendations?
We all would appreciate any suggestions.
Thank you.

We are going to St. Lucia coconut bay resort January 1st. Any tips on our week there?

Hi Wendy,

My mother is 70+ and still wants to see the world. Any advice or thoughts on senior tour groups that cater to the much older crowd? My mother is still ambulatory but long walks up or down steep narrow Italian village streets are out of the question. I'd like to start her out with some domestic trips with the group and then move on to European trips if she likes the tour group.

Ideally I'd like to find a group that won't just drop her at the "sights" but will help educate her about the different cultures she'll encounter. Also it should be fairly laid back with not an impossible schedule, not too structured with time for breaks.

And my checkbook would appreciate it if they don't have an outrageous single room fee.

Thanks so much!

We are hoping to visit Ireland in the Fall 2010 or Spring 2011. Wanted to ask if you have any suggestions on best way to become familiar with the local currency (Euro & British Pounds) in a reasonable short period of thime that one would feel comfortable paying cash for small purchases.

Thanks,
Jeff

We plan on spending a few days in Rome, then rent a car out of Civitavecchia, near the ship terminal, then go on to Florence and Northern Italy to attend a wedding. We'll return the car back to Civitavecchia and then embark on a 7 day cruise. Question is, there will be 4 of us with a lot of baggage. Most rental cars won't carry more than 2-3 bags. Do you know if there is a place we can store our bags until we return to the port of Civitavecchia? If so, will the lockers hold a large piece of luggage, and what would the charge be? I appreciate your help and enjoy reading Conte Naste and your tips.

Have you ever been to Bhutan? We have wide range of itineraries for all kinds of travelers.......

Hi Wendy:
I found your website this morning when I was reading my traveler magazine. I am going on a Cruise on the 30th and I'm going to the Western Caribbean. We are visiting Panama, Costa Rica and Belize. I was wondering if you can recommend anyone to arrange for tours on all these cities. The Cruise has pre-arranged tours but I find them to be pricy. I hate paying high prices if there are other alternatives.
Please let me know

Dear Wendy,

I know Pam of Nerd's Eye View (another travel blog) through BlogHer and she recommended I send my situation to you. I instinctively trust Pam, and she certainly appears to have sent me to a great resource. Thank you, first of all, for even blogging and having this space and forum. It is a gift in itself.

Here are my details re: what I want to ask about:

Where you think you want to go and why:

In December 2011, my husband and I will be celebrating our 20th wedding anniv. I am in charge of our celebration plans and so we're looking to fulfill our childhood fantasies spurred by too many hours watching Jacques Cousteau (we're both in our later 40s): I want us to go to the Galapagos.

Which airport you're leaving from: We'd be going from Cleveland probably to S. Florida to drop off three kids with their grandparents for the duration (I'm thinking 14 days will be about the maximum we could do, but there could be some flexibility with that). So...we would probably go to Ecuador from S. Florida somewhere.

When you're planning to travel: December 2011

Who is going with you: That guy I've been married to for 20 years (by that point - see how optimistic I am that we'll make it to 20!).

OTHER DETAILS:

In the past he's liked big-time boats with bells and whistles, but we've already had The Talk in terms of me wanting adventure and NOT big glitzy stuff, in exchange for making sure we can have very good accommodations, very good food and drink and very good scuba for him. We are on the same page.

I've already started to look a bit and have read some good stuff about the Linblad/National Geographic Society expeditions but would love to hear more about that and about other options.

"Other options" might include other land excursions on S. America/C. America like Macchu Picchu or something, but that's very tangential at this point in planning.

We're facing three kids heading to college in the next few years so the sky is NOT the limit, but we do want to stretch a bit.

And that's a lot for starters!

Thank you again for offering this chance to ask such a professional questions and you have a great new year.

Dear Wendy,
Four people will be cruising out of Barcelona in February. Could you please give me the contacts for port excursions in Rome, Athens, and Izmir, Turkey.

Thank you
Louise Nunnink

Wendy
I am trying to determine in advance if certain sites in a port of call that I may want to visit on my own are within walking distance of the dock where the ship will be staying. How do I find out the actual locations of where the ship will be docked in the ports of call on my cruise trip?

Hi Wendy,

I am planning a trip to the Galapagos in late April or May. There are 4 adults traveling (2 cabins). I am looking for a nice, budget friendly cruise for 8ish days. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 40 passengers. There are too many options and the ones I have heard of seem pretty expensive. Would appreciate any help you might have!

I desparately need some advice on suggestions for a celebratory trip for my parents (accompanied by me and my husband, my two sisters and my 11 and 13 -year old children) to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on February 8. We could travel from DCA, IAD, or BWI. I was thinking cruise but totally not sure. My parents are in tehir early 70s, but my mom uses a walker and has some toruble getting around (can't walk long distances). We are thinking warm -- given how cold it has been here. It has to be fabulous, giventeh occassion. My mom used to be a travel agent, so they are well-travelled. I want to make this special and could use your help!

Thanks,
Kelley (daughter at risk given the clock is ticking)

We are booked on a 5 day cruise out of Tampa in Janaury 2010. My husband selected Royal Carribean's dine anytime instead of choosing early or late seatinge. It is my husband, myseld and our 11 year old son travelling. What is your opinion of the dine anytime versus regular seating? I am concerned that they service won't be as good because we might be seated at all different tables.

Leaving Jan. 23 for a cruise with my two adult daughters. Looking to hop a cab to beaches in Tortola and Samana, DR where we can rent a beach chair (important), swim/sun. Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Pam

any news regarding haiti? i can't find anything about cities other than PaP. i'm trying to find out how petit goave is. they are right on the faultline according to one map. thanks for any info.

I am taking my daughters (16 and 18 yo) on RCCL "Splendour of the Seas" cruise April 1-10, 2010. We begin in Barcelona and end in Venice. I need specific advice for a hotel Saturday, April 10 in Venice that will accommodate 3 in one room, and located (?) near the train station.

We need to take a train to Milan-Malpensa Airport on April 11, spend the night and catch our flight home on Monday, April 12. Are the trains all the same? Should we stay near the airport?

Do you recommend shipping luggage home from Venice to make things easier?

I have never traveled outside the US and appreciate any advice you have. I read your Jan. blog about Med Cruises and found it very informative. Thanks!

Where would you recommend a mother and 17 year old daughter go in europe the first weeek in March. we will be traveling from Washington. We have emliminated Egypt and are now focusing on Europe or maybe Russia

What would you recommend to do on Feb. 7 at
Puerto Limon, Costa Rica other than a ship cruise

hi Wendy --

I desparate. I'm trying to move to Hawaii with a tiny 13-year-old dog. Our vet does not recommend flying her in the hold.

While I've traveled to Europe for multi-month work assignments with her in cabin, not a single commercial airline that I can find will fly her to Hawaii in cabin. (We've done all the quarentine paperwork for her under Hawaii's direct release program.)

I am working with two jet brokers, trying to find a single seat on a private charter. (A full private jet charter is not an option financially). I can't find anything on a boat. I'm willing to consider anything.

I can leave any day from Feb 15 - March 31. I can fly to any city to connect with a charter. But still I can't find anything.

Do you have any ideas? Know of anything else I can try? Know of anyone I can contact? Please Wendy, I'm desparate.

Thanks, Kelly

Wendy,
May I suggest that you consider a PERRIN REPORT on home exchange?
I did my first in 1992, taking my two young children to Washington DC for a week of sightseeing. I knew that spending all day at the museums and monuments and then coming back to a cramped hotel room was going to be miserable for all of us. We did a home exchange, everyone had their own room with TV, the house had a pool, a pool table and of course a kitchen so we could snack when we wanted without an expensive and inconvenient trip down to a hotel coffee shop.
I was so sold, I started my own club, and now HomeExchange.com is the largest in the world, with over 32,000 listings worldwide, and hundreds being added every week. But even if I wasn’t the President, I would be doing home exchanges every year, like I still do now. In the last two years we’ve done exchanges with members in France, Tuscany, Calgary, Puerto Vallarta, Washington DC, Berkeley and Chicago, with more opportunities than we have time for. Journalists have described it as being the way to “vacation like there’s no recession”, and for good reason. Except for getting there, a home exchange vacation anywhere in the world doesn’t have to cost any more than staying at home.
Check out the site and see the opportunities available www.HomeExchange.com.
Our members range from young couples to retired, but with homes suitable for families with children making up about 50%.
Try an exchange incognito, or let me know and I can give you some tips or help you get organized (without setting you up with a ringer), or introduce you to some of our members for interviews. Try it, you’ll like it. I think your readers will too.
Hope to hear from you,
Ed Kushins
President, HomeExchange.com
Ed@HomeExchange.com
310.345.3562

Hello Wendy,

I am interested in renting an apartment-hotel/flat in Brussels for 7 to 10 days the first part of June 2010. I am having some trouble locating nicer flat / apartment-hotel. I am a single father who will be traveling with my 17 year old daughter (who will want to take in the history) and my 14 year old son a9who will want internet access and a TV to take in the World Cup).

Do you have any suggestions? Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Ian