For all the advances that have made photography more affordable, user-friendly, and accessible, no selfie stick in the world is going to give you that perfectly posed vacation photo that will inspire jealousy and “likes” from the followers and friends you don’t really know on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. That’s why hiring a “vacation photographer” is something that real people actually do. [More]
vacations
How To Not Suck At Booking A Vacation Rental
By 5.23.14
For many, summer means renting a vacation home. Perhaps you dream of a week at the beach or some quiet time at a secluded lakeside cottage deep in the woods. Whatever your vacation fantasy, don’t let your excitement for some time away lure you into making a major vacation mistake. [More]
6 Things Your All-Inclusive Vacation Might Not Include
By 4.22.14 — Updated: 5.2.17
All-inclusive trips to resorts or on cruise ships can be a convenient and relaxing, since your major expenses are already taken care of. They can suddenly become a lot more stressful when you learn that the things that make a vacation fun––excursions, fancy beverages, memorable meals––aren’t part of the package that you signed on for. [More]
Jersey Shore Landlord Caught Renting Out Uninhabitable Properties And Homes He Doesn’t Own
By 6.6.13
The New Jersey coastline can be a goldmine for owners of rental properties, as vacationers flock to the Atlantic Ocean every summer looking to rent for anything from a few days to the entire season. But one landlord is accused of bilking dozens of renters by taking their money for homes not fit for human habitation, some of which he doesn’t even own anymore. [More]
Sleeping In This Guy’s Car For $1,800/Night Might Be A Better Deal Than Other Super Bowl Rentals
By 1.18.13
Though this year’s Super Bowl is irrelevant because of its lack of Eagles, there are apparently still enough people out there who want to attend the festivities that the illegal short-term lease market is booming in New Orleans. [More]
United/Continental Systems Merger Makes Flight Reservations Magically Disappear
By 4.11.12
To be honest, I have to start this post by blaming Ryan and his wife. I don’t know what they were thinking. They assumed that just because they booked their round-trip tickets to and from Cancun two months ahead of their vacation and had an itinerary and confirmation numbers, they had an actual reservation. Maybe they did at one point. But between February and April, Continental and United combined their computer systems as part of their Air Voltron merger. Reservations mysteriously disappeared from the system, including theirs. And that’s how Ryan and the pregnant Mrs. Ryan ended flying coach from Cancun and stuck in Houston instead of flying first-class all the way home to Detroit. [More]
Swerve Around The Costs Of Expensive Ski Vacations
By 3.8.12
Paying for a ski trip can seem like a blind run down a rough slope, with formidable costs hard to avoid as you careen down the mountain. Veterans of the slopes know how to cut down on costs so they can focus on enjoying their time in the snow. [More]
Before You Leave Town, Take Care Of Items On This Checklist
By 3.2.12
When it’s vacation time, it’s easy to lose track of necessities in the mad rush to get out the door. You’ll thank yourself later if you take some time to plan out your needs and take care of them before you leave. [More]
Do Your Homework Before Comparing Flight Prices
By 1.30.12
New regulations require airlines to post the full price of airfare, taxes included. The changes are meant to give consumers a more accurate idea of what the full costs of their flights will be, but they don’t always tell the whole story. [More]
3 Ways To Recoup Money Wasted On Trips Gone Bad
By 12.12.11
When you’re on vacation, high expectations crushed by mishaps can transform you into a steaming ball of rage. It’s easy to lash out at those you feel who have done you wrong, but it’s smarter to take a step back and use tact and strategy to get problems fixed. [More]
Carnival Cruise Becomes Vacation Nightmare
By 8.18.11
Jennifer and her husband went on a cruise for their vacation last month, but it wasn’t all that relaxing. They ended up less healthy and more stressed at the end of the vacation than at the beginning. It began with an asthma attack-inducing smoke-filled stateroom, and somehow actually got worse from there. Worse how? There was the food poisoning, accidentally being double charged for everything, and a ship employee who was almost comically insensitive to the fact that Jennifer uses a wheelchair. [More]
Travel The Globe For Less Than $418, Sorta
By 12.13.10
Travel isn’t as much about resources as it is persistence, planning and problem-solving ability. A particularly skillful globe-hopper named Steve reveals how, starting next month, he plans to hit four continents and 15 cities while spending just $418. [More]
How To Survive While Traveling In Packs
By 11.29.10
It can seem like a great idea to gather a group of friends and family members for a mass migration during the holidays, but unforeseen complications tend to crop up when you bunch together various groups of people with different routines, financial resources and quirks. [More]
Travel When Others Don't To Save Big
By 10.31.10
It pays to be original when dreaming up your vacation plans, because if everyone else has the same idea as you, you’re sure to be paying the highest rates possible for travel, accommodations and attractions. [More]
For Your Next Vacation, Try Norwegian's Exciting All-Upsell Cruise
By 10.13.10
Jarrod tells Consumerist that his father-in-law recently traveled to Alaska with Norwegian Cruise Line. His biggest gripe was that everything a passenger could do on board, including purchases in the gift shop, carried an automatic 18% gratuity. This would be acceptable if the service were good enough to justify a tip at all. But Jarrod notes, “[Room stewards] knew they were getting an automatic 18%, so why work for it?” [More]
Woman Says Donald Duck Groped Her
By 8.16.10
Did Disney’s eternally overreacting duck mascot put the moves on a woman visiting Epcot Center a couple of years ago? That’s what the woman claims happened; in her lawsuit, she says a park employee dressed as Donald Duck grabbed her breast and molested her, “then made gestures making a joke indicating he had done something wrong.” She’s asking for $50,000. [More]
Rotten Economy Might Mean Big Savings On Airfare This Fall, If You Can Afford To Travel
By 8.2.10
Travel guru Christopher Elliott thinks that airfare prices could drop significantly this fall, thanks to a double-dip recession and general economic misery. So far prices for car rentals and cruise packages are going up, but Elliott says he’s hearing from travelers and travel companies about “dramatic, unexpected bargains” and “rates … on par with last year’s record-low prices” when it comes to flights. [More]
College Student Goes To Cancun For A Week, Comes Back To $11,667 Sprint Bill
By 7.26.10
Stacey says while she was on vacation with her family in Cancun for a week recently, she checked her Facebook page from her Evo phone “maybe 5 minutes a day,” but never uploaded or sent any photos, “only a handful of texts.” Sprint says she managed to burn through either 600 MB or 4.7 GB of data during that period, and now owes them $11,667.73. (Note: Stacey doesn’ t specify whether the 4,918,228 kb of data is in kilobits or kilobytes, so I don’t know which number is accurate.) [More]
