Author - The Durango Herald

Is hard-sided luggage an essential tool or a signal of incivility?

If you’re looking for new luggage, I have good news and bad news. The latest travel bags, available just in time for the holidays, are the most exciting ones I’ve seen in years. T...

DATE: Dec 4, 2016 | CATEGORY: The Travel Troubleshooter

Travelers fight unfair treatment by reversing credit-card charges

For better or worse, travelers are turning to a last-ditch tactic to resolve their disagreements with airlines, car-rental companies or hotels: instigating credit-card disputes. C...

DATE: Nov 27, 2016 | CATEGORY: The Travel Troubleshooter

How to plan your holiday vacations

Confidential to procrastinators: Thanksgiving is only a couple weeks away. Do you really want to wait until the last minute to plan your holiday travel? Not this year. You don’t n...

DATE: Nov 19, 2016 | CATEGORY: The Travel Troubleshooter

Airlines’ service issues with unaccompanied minors unnerve parents

It’s a story that Carrie Calzaretta’s 14-year-old son, Tyler, will probably tell his kids someday. This summer, the Calzarettas paid American Airlines an extra $300 for their son ...

DATE: Nov 12, 2016 | CATEGORY: The Travel Troubleshooter

Task force busts airlines for failing to follow rules

Is your airline telling you everything? After a government operation that netted four airlines, the unsurprising answer is: No. Last year, the U.S. Department of Transportation di...

DATE: Oct 29, 2016 | CATEGORY: The Travel Troubleshooter

Ethics policies can help you in times of trouble

Maybe you missed the announcement that the American Society of Travel Agents is introducing a “ground-breaking” new course focused on ethics in the travel industry. If you’re like...

DATE: Oct 22, 2016 | CATEGORY: The Travel Troubleshooter

Confusing fees can take a toll on car renters

Car-rental companies are collecting millions in toll fees – from their customers. When he crossed the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge in Northern California, James Kaiser expected Avis t...

DATE: Oct 15, 2016 | CATEGORY: The Travel Troubleshooter

Bill would give online reviewers more freedom

The recent passage of the Consumer Review Fairness Act of 2016 in the Senate raises a new question about the reliability of online reviews for travelers. User-generated reviews on...

DATE: Oct 1, 2016 | CATEGORY: The Travel Troubleshooter

Travel brochures’ small print can make a big difference

The National Trust Tours brochure for its upcoming Odyssey of Ancient Civilizations – a seven-night cruise through Italy, Croatia, Montenegro, Albania and Greece – advertises an “all-inclusi...

DATE: Sep 24, 2016 | CATEGORY: The Travel Troubleshooter

After a cruise, the rising tide of junk mail annoys passenger

When Diana Lee Craig cast off on the Oceania Riviera’s 10-day Eastern Caribbean cruise, there were no surprises. The ship left Miami as scheduled, stopping in San Juan, St. John, Punta Cana ...

DATE: Sep 17, 2016 | CATEGORY: The Travel Troubleshooter

Hotels listen to guest requests – but only up to a point

When Jim Reid checks into a Westin hotel, he inevitably catches a whiff of a “woody cedar and vanilla” scent called White Tea. It’s a pleasant smell to most guests, but not to him. ...

DATE: Sep 10, 2016 | CATEGORY: The Travel Troubleshooter

Answers to your summer travel questions

High prices. Long airport lines. Terrorism. Zika. You’ve got enough to worry about, between making sure your hotel reservations match your arrival dates and ensuring th...

DATE: Aug 27, 2016 | CATEGORY: The Travel Troubleshooter