Author - The Durango Herald

That perfect vacation rental may be a scam

Her “villa” in the Dominican Republic looked like a real find. It came with its own concierge and a private pool and was only steps away from a rugged Caribbean beach. Best of all...

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

New sharing economy lacks pricing clarity

If you thought comparison shopping was hard with traditional travel companies, just try the sharing economy. Lightly regulated companies such as Airbnb and Uber can make it as dif...

DATE: Apr 9, 2016 | CATEGORY: The Travel Troubleshooter

For travelers, when to tip can be confusing

Here’s a tip for your next trip: Get ready to tip more. Gratuities, once limited to restaurant servers, bellhops and concierges, are being solicited more than ever, and travelers ...

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

Wave of bills advocate for air travelers

It started with a proposed law to set minimum seat sizes on planes. Then a senator took on hotel resort fees, and another put airline surcharges in his crosshairs. And then the S...

DATE: Mar 26, 2016 | CATEGORY: The Travel Troubleshooter

On airplanes, restrooms are circling drain

At first, David Collins thought it was his imagination. The restroom on the Boeing 737-900 flying from Los Angeles to Atlanta seemed smaller than usual. “I had to take a deep brea...

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

Air passengers bug each other in so many ways

Airline passengers are pushing each other’s buttons more than ever, mostly because there are more buttons than ever to push – literally. Consider the in-flight reading light, whic...

DATE: Mar 11, 2016 | CATEGORY: The Travel Troubleshooter

Don’t be fooled by ‘resort fees’ at next hotel stay

If you’ve ever found a bargain on a hotel only to discover a few clicks later that the property charged a nonnegotiable “resort fee,” you’re not alone. Last year, 744 properties ...

DATE: Mar 5, 2016 | CATEGORY: The Travel Troubleshooter

Congress needs to protect rights of air travelers

Now that the dust has settled after Round 1 of the fight for the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill, air travelers are wondering: What’s in it for us? Not much, ...

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

Airlines keep packing on fees for checked bags

British Airways shouldn’t have charged Jim Arnold and his wife $400 for their checked bags. After all, the couple were flying from London to Newark, New Jersey, in premium econom...

DATE: Feb 20, 2016 | CATEGORY: The Travel Troubleshooter

U.S. Congress has chance to improve flying

Air travelers are about to get their best shot in four years at fixing everything that’s wrong with flying – or they would if they’d been invited to the party. Sometime this week,...

DATE: Feb 13, 2016 | CATEGORY: The Travel Troubleshooter

Uncertainty surrounds rules for air travelers

These are confusing times for airline passengers. In recent weeks, the government has made two surprising policy changes: First, the Transportation Security Administration announc...

DATE: Feb 6, 2016 | CATEGORY: The Travel Troubleshooter

United Airlines’ service begins to improve

Like a 747 loaded to capacity, United Airlines is rising – slowly, steadily and improbably. “I thought I was imagining it,” says Anne Klein, who works for a marketing agency in Du...

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