Author - The Durango Herald

Gadgets to put you at ease on road trips

Somewhere on one of my social media accounts, there’s an image of me being pulled over for speeding in Pooler, Georgia. My crime? Doing 67 mph on a stretch of Interstate 95 where ...

DATE: Sep 12, 2015 | CATEGORY: The Travel Troubleshooter

Hotel upgrades can foil your lodging plans

As hotel renovations go, the one Robert Reich experienced was pretty extreme. The property he’d booked in Baltimore, the Mount Vernon Hotel, was being remodeled and reopening as ...

DATE: Sep 5, 2015 | CATEGORY: The Travel Troubleshooter

Will airline fees force fliers to stay home?

What’s your breaking point? When do you say “That’s it – I’m never flying again!” It’s no academic question for America’s airlines, who continue to provoke passengers with new fee...

DATE: Aug 29, 2015 | CATEGORY: The Travel Troubleshooter

Even in illness, plane-ticket refunds tough

Everything is negotiable, even a nonrefundable airline ticket. Consider what happened when Ryan Duffy developed complications from brain surgery, which forced him to cancel his A...

DATE: Aug 15, 2015 | CATEGORY: The Travel Troubleshooter

When you book, they gain – and when you cancel

Just before Gerald and Byrone LoCasale set sail on an 18-day Princess cruise from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Los Angeles, disaster struck. Byrone LoCasale sustained an injury t...

DATE: Aug 8, 2015 | CATEGORY: The Travel Troubleshooter

Fees attached to your hotel bill may shock you

The Fourth of July fireworks came a little early this year for participants in the Advisory Committee for Aviation Consumer Protection meeting at the Department of Transportation headquarter...

DATE: Jul 18, 2015 | CATEGORY: The Travel Troubleshooter

Gear to thwart thieves while you’re traveling

Little things sometimes make a big difference when it comes to travel safety. Like a strategically placed zipper. Consider what happened to Aaron McHugh, who was recently explorin...

DATE: Jul 11, 2015 | CATEGORY: The Travel Troubleshooter

When airlines collaborate, you win and lose

All Bonnie Elliott needed were seat assignments in advance. And all Ernie Kuhnke wanted were his frequent-flier miles. But neither of these air travelers can get them. Why? Even t...

DATE: Jul 4, 2015 | CATEGORY: The Travel Troubleshooter

Hotel or house? That endless summer choice

Hotel or house? It depends. That’s the best answer anyone can give to the summer’s hottest question: Should I book a hotel or a vacation rental? It depends on your circumstances, ...

DATE: Jun 20, 2015 | CATEGORY: The Travel Troubleshooter

You don’t have to take ‘no’ for an answer

If you’re Thinking of taking “no” for an answer from a travel company? Let Alan Schroeder talk you out of it. When a late spring storm forced the cancellation of his r...

DATE: Jun 13, 2015 | CATEGORY: The Travel Troubleshooter

Reservations about your hotel reservations

When it comes to booking a hotel online, what you see isn’t always what you get. Christina Daves knows. On several occasions, she’s shopped for a hotel room online and then clicke...

DATE: Jun 6, 2015 | CATEGORY: The Travel Troubleshooter

Dumped by your travel company: What to do?

Barry Shiller’s vacation rental owner got a better offer just before he checked in. And suddenly, his family had no place to stay for their theme park vacation this spring. He’d b...

DATE: May 30, 2015 | CATEGORY: The Travel Troubleshooter