Airlines Must Include Taxes and Fees in Ads
February 21, 2012 by Scott Applebee · Leave a Comment
Anyone who’s booked air travel recently knows the prices are all over the map. And if you’ve ever been lured to an airline’s website by a slick promotion touting insanely low fares, only to find that the fare actually isn’t that low after you’ve already envisioned yourself on that faraway beach while the snow falls outside your window…
You aren’t alone.
Right now, most airlines require that potential customers go at least halfway into the booking process to see the full cost of their flight. Most advertised fares are shown with a tiny asterisk near the fare that connects to a paragraph of fine print with all the taxes and fees the airlines neglected to mention early on.
Image via Wikipedia
Well, comparison shoppers of the world, rejoice! That asterisk is going down.
The government has passed new legislation that requires airlines to add all mandatory taxes and fees to their advertised fares, starting in January 2012.
A New York Times story from late December highlights Spirit Airlines’ recent $9 fare campaign It turns out Spirit was actually fined for that campaign, but not before many would-be travelers were disappointed to find out they’d been pulled in by a too-good-to-be-true ploy to drive traffic to their site and book flights that were actually no cheaper than any others once all the government fees, baggage, and seat-selection costs had been tacked on.
All this boils down to one thing: Airlines now have to be more transparent about the real cost of a plane ticket. All mandatory extra costs will need to be included in any advertising, which will make it easier on consumers to compare prices.
A few airlines have filed appeals, saying the law violates commercial free speech, but until then, this legislation is going to save savvy fare shoppers a lot of time, and perhaps some money, too.
Related articles
- Bill would upend new airfare advertising rule (cnn.com)
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National Geographic and Holiday Group / Travelpro Sign Licensing Agreement to Develop New Lines of Luggage [PRESS RELEASE]
February 17, 2012 by Scott Applebee · Leave a Comment
WASHINGTON—National Geographic, one of the world’s largest scientific and educational organizations, has selected Montreal-based Holiday Group Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiary Travelpro International Inc. in the United States as its primary luggage and travel accessories licensee under its National Geographic and National Geographic Explorer brands for North America.
Under this multiyear agreement, National Geographic and Holiday/Travelpro will team to launch a comprehensive line of travel gear in U.S. and Canadian retail stores in fall 2012.
“For more than a century, NG explorers and photographers have traveled the world to capture stunning images and collect compelling stories,” said Krista Newberry, National Geographic’s senior vice president of licensing, North America. “As a leading pioneer and innovator in the travel category, Holiday Group has the particular experience and ability to create products inspired by National Geographic’s adventurous spirit.”
“The Holiday Group is thrilled to partner with the National Geographic Society,” said Raymond Durocher, president of the Holiday Group. “Drawing upon our expertise in luggage design and production, we are proud to offer exceptional travel gear that reflects the Society’s rich heritage of exploration as well as its standard for superior functionality and design.”
National Geographic’s net proceeds from the sale of these products support vital exploration, conservation, research and education programs.
About National Geographic
The National Geographic Society is one of the world’s largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations. Founded in 1888 to “increase and diffuse geographic knowledge,” the Society’s mission is to inspire people to care about the planet. It reaches more than 400 million people worldwide each month through its official journal, National Geographic, and other magazines; National Geographic Channel; television documentaries; music; radio; films; books; DVDs; maps; exhibitions; live events; trips; interactive media; and merchandise.
National Geographic has funded more than 10,000 scientific research, conservation and exploration projects and supports an education program promoting geographic literacy. For more information, visit nationalgeographic.com.
About Holiday Group Inc. (Canada)
Ever since it began in 1951, the company has been driven by innovation. Its mission is simple and authentic: to simplify people’s lives by offering products that organize and protect their personal belongings and, in turn, their interests and passions. Holiday Group and Travelpro are committed to making life easier, whether it be for a business trip, a family vacation, or simply to get to school or the gym.
A true industry pioneer, Holiday Group celebrated 60 years of operation in 2011. Holiday Group (Canada) is the proud distributor of an important brand portfolio that includes Travelpro, Atlantic, Swiss Gear, Roots, Ecko, Foxy Jeans, David Jones, Nextech, Nygard, Wenger, Austin House, H Due O and Knirps. Travelpro International (United States of America) distributes the Travelpro, Atlantic, Austin House and Ecko brands. For more information, visit holiday.ca and travelpro.com.
About Travelpro International Inc. (U.S.A.)
For twenty-five years, Travelpro International has prided itself on design innovation and durability in crafting the highest quality luggage for travelers worldwide. Since transforming the ease of modern day travel with The Original Rollaboard® wheeled luggage, Travelpro® has been the brand of choice for flight crews and frequent travelers worldwide. Travelpro is dedicated to building a lifelong relationship with its customers by consistently understanding and exceeding their needs. The company offers a variety of innovative, high-quality luggage collections and computer briefs; each aimed at a specific user lifestyle and rigorously tested.
Travelpro was the winner of the 2009 and 2010 Leading Edge Award from Executive Travel Magazine for “The Best Carryon Case.” Travelpro is celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the invention of the Rollaboard® throughout 2012.
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Pack Patience for Air Travel Amateurs
February 16, 2012 by Karen Amin · Leave a Comment
We’ve talked in the past about how seasoned travelers can best navigate their airport during their journey to avoid newbie travelers, large families, and other slower paced folks who can make a day in the terminal feel like a life sentence. But today, we’ve got a reminder for the seasoned travelers:
Pack a little patience next time you head to the airport.
Traveling may seem second nature to you at this point, but every day, there are thousands of people who are traveling by plane for the first time in their lives. Whether they were born in a small town with limited access to an airport, or have been financially limited in some way, or there’s a family flying with a newborn baby for the first time, the anticipation of flying alone can be a lot to deal.
Image by Getty Images via @daylife
(And that’s without worrying about all the stresses of bag-check fees, the TSA checkpoint or feeling like they’re in the way of other travelers.)
Still other travelers may be getting a bit older and moving naturally slower as they head toward their destination. That’s not their choice; it’s the natural progression of things. Cut the elderly a little slack.
In fact, we’ll go one better and suggest that instead of simply being polite and casting a smile these people’s way when you pass them cordially on the left, you actually make an effort to help them.
If you see a single mother struggling with her Baby Bjorn or stroller as she’s taking her shoes off or loading her laptop into a bin, offer to hold her baby or place the laptop for her. If you see an elderly woman struggling to lift her carry-on into an overhead storage area, help her out and let her relax into her seat.
There are some travel frustrations that are inevitable, but families, the elderly and other slow-moving passengers don’t have to be among them. Remember that you’re all trying to get somewhere and use the expertise you’ve developed from your travels to help everyone get there a little less painfully.
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Five Reasons to Have Trip Insurance
February 14, 2012 by Scott Applebee · Leave a Comment
A blog post by HCC Medical Insurance Services brought up some interesting points on why companies should invest in corporate travel insurance. But even if you’re just on your own — maybe especially if you’re on your own — getting travel insurance for yourself might not be such a bad idea.
Here are five reasons to consider travel insurance:
Medical Emergency
If you fall ill or have another kind of medical emergency shortly before your trip — whether your anniversary dinner gave you food poisoning or your kid broke a leg at soccer practice — the last thing you’re going to want to do is get on a plane, if that’s even possible.
If you get sick on the way to your destination or while you’re there, some travel insurance even provides medical coverage when you’re away. Be sure to look into this if it’s something you’re interested in!
Personal Tragedy
Definitely pick up some travel insurance if you have a family member who’s ill, or even a pet that’s not doing so good… But tragedy is never really timed well, so it’s a good idea more often than not to have insurance in place. This way, if you have to cancel a trip for any reason, your trip is covered, and won’t be a total loss.
Weather
Satellite view of a hurricane. Image via Wikipedia
Remember that bizarre cloud of volcanic ash that settled over Europe back in 2010? Or the freak snowstorm that pummeled the Pacific Northwest earlier this year? Climate change is wreaking all kinds of havoc on our meteorological systems, and having good travel insurance is one way of making sure you won’t be left in the cold because of any crazy weather.
Political Unrest
Travelers who had business of some sort in the Middle East last year may have had their travel plans upset by a little thing called the Arab Spring. Even something as simple as a mass-transit strike in Paris can derail (pardon the pun) the activities of an entire city and really mess up your travel plans. Travel insurance provides security for travelers headed to politically volatile locations, too.
Work-Related Changes
Suppose your project falls through, or gets cut short — or is extended. (Or, heaven forbid, you lose your job before your trip!) Travel insurance provides much-needed flexibility for business travelers with unpredictable situations.
Bottom line: If you can afford to splurge a few extra dollars for that bit of security on your plane ticket and other accommodations, it’s worth it. All it takes is one situation where you need it but don’t have it to realize how valuable it can be.
Adventure Travel Packing List
February 9, 2012 by Scott Applebee · Leave a Comment
Our friend and travel writer, Mark Eveleigh, has started a great blog about his adventure travels around the world. He
recently published an interesting blog post of his definitive list of important things to take on a trip.
You probably know you can’t just throw a few items into a suitcase and head out on the road; these trips call for a lot of advance preparation. Though it’s nowhere near comprehensive, here’s a look at some of the things you might want to bring along:
Mark Eveleigh sporting his TPro Rolling Duffel.
First, you’ll need a backpack, day bag, duffel bag or roll-top bags — depending on the type of travel you’re planning, and things to keep the contents of those bags safe and dry. The T-Pro® Bold luggage collection from Travelpro has a variety duffel bags, backpacks and uprights that are ideal for adventure traveler.
You’ll also want to bring along a knife (like a Swiss Army or Leatherman tool) and some waterproof sun block. You’ll also need a sleeping bag, and a mosquito net if you’ll be traveling somewhere with big bugs. Bring a flashlight and headlamp with standard-size batteries — in fact, bring a couple for spares. Of course, if you’re flying, you’ll need to put the knife in a checked bag.
Don’t forget your must-have toiletries, insect repellent and a towel.
Where clothes are concerned, pack with common sense. You’ll need good boots or cross-country shoes, a pair of comfier shoes to bum around in after a day of walking, mosquito-safe clothes like long-sleeved, button-down shirts and socks you can tuck your pants into. You’ll want a good hat and maybe some bandanas, and swim trunks if you’ll be near water.
Pack a hidden pouch or wallet, or somewhere you can put an emergency stash of cash.
Now, for some tech tools. (Yes, even if you’re roughing it.) First, the essentials: a cell phone with international data plan or SIM card, travel power adapter and a GPS unit. Pack your camera, plus extra memory cards and spare batteries.
Some optional tools include Spot Messenger (www.findmespot.com), a device that can record your position and post it online or to your e-mail contacts, and a portable hard drive to transfer your photos to when you download them.
Silica gel — the kind you find in nearly every shoe box — can also be a good idea to keep moisture away from your precious electronics. Save the packs you get when you make purchases, and keep them handy for these trips.
And don’t forget about your dining essentials: a bowl, plate, utensils and cup, plus a reusable water-bottle for your travel days (and water purification tablets if you’ll be somewhere with an unreliable water supply).
You might also consider packing vitamin supplements to keep you feeling balanced, and a small kit of hot sauce and some herbs and spices to keep your meals a little more interesting.
And in any of your adventure travels, never leave home without a first-aid kit! You may be able to start a fire in a cave or parachute off a mountain, but you’re nothing without some ointment and an Ace bandage in case of emergency.
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11 Websites for Travel Savings in 2012
February 7, 2012 by Karen Amin · Leave a Comment
There are new sites cropping up everywhere for wired travelers looking for the best deals on getting to their destination, living comfortably while they’re there and enjoying everything their vacation spot has to offer.
The New York Times recently published 19 of the top travel sites. We’ve actually used several of these sites ourselves, and have some of our own favorites. Here are our top picks for the best sites for travel savings in 2012:
Flights
AirfareWatchdog.com: From e-mail promo codes to airlines that many web crawlers can’t display, this is the place for true comparison shoppers to find deals on travel.
Kayak.com: Give Kayak a price, and it’ll spit out a map dotted with travel destinations you can afford. There are plenty of customizations available, too, from climate and activities to flight length and travel region.
Bing Travel: Bing’s “price predictor” can tell you whether the fare to your destination is likely to go up or down in the next seven days, so you can save money on a trip you’re already planning.
Vayama.com: A site the promises cheap international flights, it scours the different airlines for best possible prices, letting you choose between different seat arrangements and favorite airlines.
Places to stay
Priceline.com: One word…Shatner. They may have killed off his character (they did it at the end of January), but his legacy lives on. Name your price and get a great deal…if you’re willing to risk not knowing the name and exact location of your hotel before you book.
Hotels.com: For the less daring, this is a great site to choose from more than 140,000 hotels, resorts and bed-and-breakfasts. If you travel often, you can join Hotels.com’s loyalty program to earn free hotel nights.
B & B Finder: Bed & breakfasts are nice little out of the way places found throughout the world. A great site to use if you’re looking for a quiet weekend out of the city, or want to skip the typical cookie cutter hotels.
LuxuryLink.com: High-end travelers who can still appreciate the thrill of a great deal will be right at home with Luxury Link, where you can bid on luxury travel packages.
Trip Advisor: Trip Advisor is a review site where travelers can rate their favorite hotels, restaurants, and even tourist destinations. Find the hidden gems in a new city and avoid the stinkers with Trip Advisor. They even have a smartphone app.
Other sites
Auto Slash: This car-rental helper scours the web for lower costs and better discounts, and updates the cost of your rental up until the day you travel.
Home Exchange: Have you seen “The Holiday”? For the truly courageous, swap homes with another traveler. Spoiler alert: It probably won’t be Cameron Diaz or Kate Winslet.
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Get Out of Town Painlessly for Spring Break
February 2, 2012 by Scott Applebee · Leave a Comment
Peter Shankman had a great blog post this past December about “how to get out of town painlessly” over the holidays. We 
were so inspired by it, we borrowed a few of our favorite ideas, and added a few of our own, on how you can get out of town painlessly over Spring Break. Remember, it’s the destination, not the journey, so you want to make this as easy as you can.
Take the first flight out. Early-morning flights have their ups and downs, of course. The benefits: Lines are shorter, you’ll have to wait less almost everywhere — except the coffee kiosk! — and if your flight is delayed for some reason, there’s a better chance you’ll get rebooked painlessly. The obvious downside: Getting up at the crack of dawn.
Don’t check a bag. It’s always a pain to check baggage, but during these times of heavy travel loads, when there are a lot of novice travelers checking a lot of baggage, now is the time to opt out completely. Consider the cost to check a big bag, possibly even an overweight one. Chances are, that’s far more than the cost of packing everything ahead of time then shipping it to your destination — all the way to your destination. If you FedEx your bag the week before you arrive, it’ll be waiting for you at the hotel after you waltz out of the airport, trying to suppress a smug giggle.
Prepare for TSA. We’ve talked about this before, because it’s one of the hardest parts of any trip: 1) Wear slip-on shoes. 2) Put everything from your pockets into your briefcase. 3) Get travel size toiletries and put them all in a 1 quart bag. 4) Use a checkpoint-friendly briefcase. 5) Pick the shortest looking line.
Consider driving instead. Bet you weren’t expecting that. Many frequent business travelers we know will drive if a trip is less than five hours away. Think of it: you have to drive to the airport, which is 30 – 40 minutes away. You have to get there at least 90 minutes early. Then a 60 minute flight, and another 30 minutes to deplane and get to your transportation. You just spent 3.5 hours getting to your destination, and that doesn’t include any delays. For an extra 90 minutes, you can be in your new destination with your own car, which also saves on car rental and cab fares. You missed the Spring Break crowds, and are riding in your own familiar surroundings.
Meeting New People When Living Abroad
January 31, 2012 by Scott Applebee · Leave a Comment
When you’re well established and have been living somewhere for a while, it’s easy to take your social life for granted. 
People develop habits: happy hours, dinner groups, bowling leagues.
But when you’re taken out of that established life and plunked down somewhere new, you realize just how much time and effort it took to build that social life, and how much you need it.
Luckily, meeting new people and making friends isn’t rocket science, even if it seems like it at first. There are plenty of ways to get to know people in a new place, even in a new country and culture.
If you’re working in an office abroad, never underestimate the power of coworkers — especially if they’re also from the United States. Navigating a new area together can be a great team building exercise, and there’s always strength in numbers. You may have a better chance of linking up with a group of locals if you’re out having fun together, and it’ll be easier to break the ice that way.
If some of your coworkers have been there longer than you, ask them to show you around. Chances are they’ve already done a bit of exploring since they arrived, and they’ve already found some favorite places. Something as simple as hitting a local watering hole after work or grabbing a bite over lunch at a local restaurant can be enough to build the foundation for a great friendship.
If you find yourself in more of a solo situation, here are a few other ideas:
Congregate around sports events. Even if you’re not a big soccer, rugby or cricket fan, these and other team sports can be a huge draw for fun-loving locals abroad. Grab a pint and enjoy the game and the camaraderie.
Use the web. Meetup.com offers a lot of international meetup groups for people with all sorts of interests. Visit international.meetup.com and do a search for the area you’ll be living in, or your activity of choice. Other sites, including Yelp, are beginning to build communities abroad, too. There are plenty of ways to meet like-minded locals online.
Hang out with other expatriates. Expats are other foreigners living abroad, either temporarily or permanently, either from your own country or other parts of the world. But be careful not to isolate yourself too much — though it’s easy to surround yourself with people and new friends who have this shared experience of being from another country, expats can be a pretty insular group. Don’t forget to expand your horizons and meet the locals.
Jump into some good, old-fashioned small talk. If you’re feeling lonely, don’t be afraid to strike up a little conversation with someone nearby, whether it’s a hotel staff member, a concierge clerk, people at a nearby table at a restaurant or even someone on your bus or train to work. You might be surprised how friendly people can be when you reach out to them first.
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Tech Tools For Staying In Touch When Traveling Abroad
January 26, 2012 by Karen Amin · Leave a Comment
It’s hard to be apart from loved ones when you’re away for any length of time, but when you’re traveling for business, it’s 
also essential to keep in touch with your colleagues and clients — being in a foreign country isn’t an excuse for not staying in touch anymore.
Even in recent years, your only options were either buying international phone cards and relying on land lines and pay phones to check in every so often. But the more technology advances, the easier it is to stay in touch.
If your cell phone has a SIM card, you can purchase an international calling plan and swap out your domestic SIM card for an international one, which will enable you to make calls normally from your cell phone. If your cell service provider offers good international plans, this can be a great option. The same goes for texting and data plans.
Better still: Many devices, including iPads and smart phones like iPhones and Androids, have certain apps that operate best over a wifi connection. If you can get yourself to an area that has a good wireless signal and connect to that, you’ll be able to use many of the services you’re used to — including e-mail — with almost no changes and at minimal cost.
That note on wifi brings up a great option for international calling and meeting: Skype.
Skype operates on smart phones, tablets and computers, so you have a lot of access options. What’s more, you can make both voice calls and do video chats through Skype, so you can even go face-to-face with family, friends and colleagues if need be, without ever incurring international calling rates.
One last option if you’re traveling light: Internet cafes. These are everywhere throughout Europe and all over the world. For a small fee, you can connect to the Internet briefly — while enjoying a cup of coffee or a snack — and check up on your e-mail, Facebook, Twitter accounts without worrying about whether your own technology is compatible with what’s available abroad. For the cost of a SIM card and your phone calls, you may even be able to cover your communications with nothing but Internet cafes.
How to Have Safe Travels Overseas
January 24, 2012 by Karen Amin · Leave a Comment
We asked a few people around the Travelpro office about their top tips for safety while traveling overseas. Many of our people travel frequently for business, and our own Scott Applebee used to take extended business trips to Italy when he was in another position, so we have many voices of experience to give us some tips.
When you’re traveling to any foreign country, safety is serious business — even if you’re one of those business travelers who’s at the airport twice a week and bounces around the country on a regular basis. As soon as you hop the pond, as Dorothy said, you’re not in Kansas anymore. So here are our top five tips for staying safe while you’re abroad:
Image via Wikipedia
- Be smart about your money. If you use an ATM and are dealing with unfamiliar currency, head to the bathroom when you leave the kiosk and sort out your bills privately.
- Don’t take rides with strangers. When you leave the airport, don’t just hop into any car with a guy who says he can take you downtown. (This may sound obvious, but being in a new place can be disorienting!) Take a taxi from an airport-sanctioned taxi stand, an official hotel shuttle or some other legitimate form of transportation. And arrive during the day, if possible, just for extra safety.
- Keep your wits about you. It’s easy to get lost when you’re in another country, especially in old, grid less cities like Paris (again, speaking from staff experience). But resist the temptation to pull out a huge map and gawk at street signs. Looking like a tourist is just asking for trouble.
- Inform someone back home. Make sure at least one person knows where you plan to be, for the most part. They should have all your flight information, where your hotel is, the names of anyone you’re traveling with and any side trips or big stops you’re planning. They should also have copies of all your important documents, including your passport, and access to your credit card providers’ phone numbers and your account numbers (so you can call them if your cards are ever stolen).
- Be multilingual. If you’ve traveling to a country whose population primarily speaks a different language, make an effort to learn at least a few important phrases that you can use if you need help — or just want to seem in the know. Having some understanding of the local language and culture will automatically boost your chances of safety and success on your trip.
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