The Minnesota Department of Commerce has announced that over 80,000 travelers will receive refunds for travel insurance policies they were automatically enrolled in when purchasing airfare on Travelocity.com. ‘Opt-out’ travel insurance is a bad practice As we have written before, buying travel insurance through your booking site is not the best idea. However, the practice […]
Industry-wide Changes in Cruise Ship Safety Drills
As you might have expected, the cruise industry has re-examined cruise ship safety drills, also called muster drills, after the Costa Concordia tragedy which resulted in 17 known deaths. In response to the disaster, a Cruise Industry Operational Safety Review was launched to assess the effectiveness of safety procedures on cruise ships. The key components […]
American Couple Trapped in Costa Rica after a Tragic ATV Accident
Celebrating a birthday and their wedding anniversary, Ron and Elissa Merritt flew from Minneapolis last week to Costa Rica for a winter getaway. The couple took an ATV trip into the scenic mountains when Elissa lost control of her vehicle and plunged down a steep cliff burying her in an avalanche of dirt and rocks. […]
A Passenger is Left on the Dock for Failing to Attend Cruise Ship Muster Drill
After Costa Concordia passengers claimed that the ship set sail without a muster drill and the tragic sinking disaster occurred before a muster drill had been implemented, are cruise lines laying down a hard line for muster drill attendance? Cruise captains have begun booting passengers off the cruise ships when they fail to comply during […]
As the second wave of traveler’s rights goes into effect, will the travel experience get better?
The second part of the Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations have gone into effect and we’re wondering if this will make at least the air travel portion of the travel experience any more tolerable? After six months to allow the online travel agencies (those companies like Expedia, Orbitz, Kayak, Travelocity and others) to upgrade their […]
Finally some relief from the Restrictions on Liquids going through Security?
Travelers may finally get some relief from the current ban on liquid amounts over 3.4 oz/100 ml. A new British scanner called the INSIGHT 100 screens bottles of plastic and glass and detects explosives. The system is currently in trial in several European airports. The liquid restrictions were introduced following a failed attempt by terrorists […]
SCUBA Diving Accident Strands one Australian in a Foreign Hospital
Troy Tiburcy was on holiday in Thailand after Christmas when he apparently had a SCUBA diving accident and suffered decompression sickness. Since the accident, he has been in a Bangkok hospital and is being treated for severe neurological issues, but he is not well enough to fly home. Unfortunately, Troy did not have travel insurance, […]
Breaking traveler news: Dozens missing after a cruise ship runs around off Italy’s coast
Emergency teams have been called into action to rescue passengers missing after their cruise ship, the Costa Concordia, ran aground off the coast of Italy, near the island of Giglio. The ship carried approximately 4,000 people, three of whom are now confirmed dead and many (nearly 70) are currently missing. Some of those who are […]