Author - The Durango Herald

Here’s why travelers are rethinking rental cars

If you are planning a vacation, then renting a car may be as automatic as making hotel or restaurant reservations. Or not. New ground transportation options are blossoming in the...

DATE: Feb 18, 2018 | CATEGORY: The Travel Troubleshooter

How to avoid losing it over lost luggage

After Delta Air Lines lost Dan Collins’ luggage on a recent flight to Lihue, Hawaii, he didn’t know what to expect. Few people do, actually. Two of his checked bags vanished durin...

DATE: Feb 11, 2018 | CATEGORY: The Travel Troubleshooter

Trying to get a refund can leave you spent

Sometimes, despite your best efforts, you can’t get from here to there. That’s what happened to James Quinn, who planned to vacation on the Caribbean island of St. Maarten in Oct...

DATE: Feb 4, 2018 | CATEGORY: The Travel Troubleshooter

The mystery of the suddenly increasing airfare

John Angarano isn’t just tired of the what he suspects are bait-and-switch airfares online. He’s also skeptical about the excuses airlines and online booking sites give for displaying an ini...

DATE: Jan 28, 2018 | CATEGORY: The Travel Troubleshooter

Are you prepared next airline IT outage? It’s coming

For Gojko Adzic, it’s not a question of if, but when, the next airline IT outage will happen. He should know. As the author of Humans vs Computers, a book about ordinary people ca...

DATE: Jan 21, 2018 | CATEGORY: The Travel Troubleshooter

As airline rules relax under Trump, a survival guide to flying in 2018

If you thought 2017 was a challenging year for airline passengers, just wait until you see what’s ahead. That’s the consensus of airline experts, consumer advocates and frequent t...

DATE: Jan 7, 2018 | CATEGORY: The Travel Troubleshooter

What’s ahead for hotel guests in 2018? Expect surprises

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 ...

DATE: Dec 31, 2017 | CATEGORY: The Travel Troubleshooter

Unpacking travelers’ frequently asked questions about flying with luggage

When you fly, almost nothing about your luggage makes sense. Think about it. Why, for example, does baggage have to be black? Why are overhead bins so small? Why do ramp workers t...

DATE: Dec 24, 2017 | CATEGORY: The Travel Troubleshooter

After a wild year for travel, what lies ahead in 2018?

Travel bans. Shootings. Viral passenger videos. No one will forget the past year in travel. How could they? But what does it all mean for your 2018 trips? “These are in...

DATE: Dec 17, 2017 | CATEGORY: The Travel Troubleshooter

Is a drop in airline fines bad for flyers?

If it seems as if airlines are getting away with more passenger-unfriendly behavior, maybe it’s because they are. The Aviation Consumer Protection Division of the Department of Tr...

DATE: Dec 10, 2017 | CATEGORY: The Travel Troubleshooter

When you leave a tip – whether you want to or not

David Mitroff’s favorite restaurants in New York and San Francisco now quietly add an 18 percent tip to his final bill – before he even has a chance to consider a gratuity. Automa...

DATE: Dec 3, 2017 | CATEGORY: The Travel Troubleshooter

While flying, keep a handle on your suitcase with a luggage tag

Hey, you – you with the nondescript black suitcase! Don’t let your luggage leave your home tagless. It could be making a one-way trip. Luggage tags set your property apart from th...

DATE: Nov 26, 2017 | CATEGORY: The Travel Troubleshooter