Issue 15Nothing here is sponsored
Useful detail on decisions that are hard to reverse.
09 dispatches in this drawer
The costs that catch first-time international travelers are not the large ones, and every one of them is settled by a decision made before departure.
Sylvia Achterberg867 wd
Overseas medical care is usually payable on the spot, and whether that becomes a direct payment or a reimbursement claim is settled early and rarely revisited.
Sylvia Achterberg1,058 wd
People traveling for months on a fixed total describe a consistent set of rules about where to economize, and almost none of them involve finding a bargain.
Sylvia Achterberg786 wd
Local lodging taxes, resort fees, vehicle surcharges and parking are set by the destination rather than by the supplier, and comparison sites rarely show them.
Sylvia Achterberg1,086 wd
Four channels sell the same seat at almost the same price, and they differ entirely on who holds the contract and who can change it at a counter.
Rosalind Ntuli1,059 wd
The people who pay travel claims are not the people who sell travel, and the questions they answer most often all point back to decisions made at booking.
Sylvia Achterberg1,380 wd
Two thirds of a trip is committed before departure and cannot be adjusted afterward, which is why the daily number has to be decided first.
Rosalind Ntuli869 wd
A car rental total is built from taxes nobody can avoid, surcharges attached to the pickup location, and a handful of charges that are entirely the renter decision.
Rosalind Ntuli870 wd
The airline, the card issuer and the travel policy each owe a traveler something different, on different deadlines. Going to the wrong one first can cost the strongest claim.
Desmond Falk1,144 wd