Notes from Peter's talk:
Because of the attach on Ukraine by Russia going on on this date, 60% of the air space is off limits in reference to travel.
There has been a 20% increase in air fares in the last 10 days;
get your tickets for future flights now and use points (which are being
devalued by airlines)
He stressed, "Have a conversation" with hotels, airlines,
etc.because using only the Internet limits your possibilities. If
the Internet says there are only 2 rooms left, that is a lie, it is
only 2 rooms that have been allotted to Internet inventory.
Never buy travel insurance from a cruise line or airline; buy it from a Travel Agent
There are 196 countries and only 5 you should not go to now.
"Have a conversation" with your car rental company. In Hawaii they are renting cars for $1,200 a day.
Because of the recent ship fire and sinking of a load of
Lamborghini's, Porsche's, high end VWs, etc. Ask the car rental
company, "Has this car been in a flood." And because the car
agencies sold cars in COVID and listed them as stolen, ask, "Am I
driving a stolen car?". When you rent a car take time-coded
photos on your phone of all dents and scratches inside and out and go
back and have agent verify them before taking your rental car out.
Peter loves AMTRAK. He mentioned the $500 USA fare ($250 for kids).
He says there are two kinds of luggage, "Carry on and Lost."
If resort fees are on your bill, and they were not disclosed at
the start, that is unlawful because of the "Failure to Disclose" law.
Stay on the 6th floor or below since fire fighters cannot reach
above the 6th floor (he is a volunteer fire fighter in New York City).
Make hotel reservations with the MOD, Manager on Duty, the only
person who knows the inventory and who can make deals. Give an
e-mail thank you if you get an upgrade or something like it.
His e-mail: peter@petergreenberg.com
He does a Facebook live on Thursdays
He has a PBS show, "Travel Detective"
He has a "The Royal Tour" show and April 21 it is on the lady monarch of Tanzania
He is on the Today Show and is the CBS News Travel Editor
His webpage: https://petergreenberg.com/ with articles
His Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=peter%20greenberg%20travel
Pauline Frommer (Left- While speaking; Right at Q and A after her presentation.)
Even though her presentation was at 3 to 4 pm, she drew a capacity crowd.
My favorite presenter over the
years is Pauline Frommer, daughter of Arthur Frommer who authored
"Europe on $5 a Day". She runs Frommers.com: https://www.frommers.com/
Notes from Pauline Frommer's presentation:
She always tells the audience to take out their cell phones and take
photos of her presentation screens rather than taking down notes:
Her favorite award.
Lock in air, cruise and excursion reservations immediately for future trips before the fuel surcharges take place.
Use a different browser or computer to make a reservation online
because they track your searching on the first browser and raise prices
before your reserve because they know you are interested.
American, Southwest, and Spirit allowed their pilots to retire early during the pandemic and now are short of pilots.
BOYCOTT AMERICAN because they won't get you on another airlines when their own flights are canceled.
Air BNBs may be more expensive than hotels nowadays because they have
begun adding fees which might make the advertised rate twice as much at
paying time.
Join hotel loyalty programs for free - may get you free Internet at the hotel.
Resort Fees are tacked on because they are a tax dodge.
Why you may not be able to sleep well the first night on a trip -
because the rooms smells different. Bathroom trips - don't drink
anything 3 hours before bedtime.
Rental car alternatives: Turo, ZipCar, Lyft Rentals, Uhaul.
Get travel insurance, it covers pandemics now. Recommends: CFAR Cancel For Any Reason
When looking for travel insurance, the middle of the price range for insurance is best - it covers the most.
Budah saying, "I traveled, I saw, I grew."
