Look, every time I see one of those “hot deal” cruise ads, I just roll my eyes—does anyone actually talk about all the sneaky little things that nuke your bill? Last cruise, I watched people fork over full price for drink packages while I wandered off, found the loyalty lounge, and scored free espresso and […]

So, look, I’ve been herding people onto cruise ships for over a decade, and you’d think I’d have seen it all. Nope. Port fees still sneak up on me like that one roommate who “forgets” their share of rent. And don’t even get me started on how a cruise you thought you budgeted for suddenly […]

So, you know those emails that cruise lines love to send? “Special upgrade opportunity!”—blah blah, all noise, never actually the thing you want. What’s hilarious is, the “category upgrades” get plastered everywhere, but the real upgrade—the one where you magically end up in a balcony or suite for peanuts—never gets a mention. It’s like a […]

I keep thinking there’s gotta be a way to dodge the Instagram mobs and still end up somewhere worth the airfare, but every “secret” getaway is just another parade of identical cocktails and lobster-red tourists. Is there an actual hidden spot left? I mean, I’ve scrolled through so many “expert” roundups my thumbs are sore, […]

So I’m sitting there on embarkation day thinking, “Alright, I’ve got this—Wi-Fi? Paid. Drinks? Paid. What else could possibly pop up?” And right then, some crew member hands me a slip and, oh, cool, the cruise line just jacked up the automatic gratuity. Didn’t warn me. Sometimes they do it between sailings, like it’s a […]

So, here’s me, staring at my last rental car bill, wondering who invented the $22 “convenience” fee and why nobody at the counter even tries to warn you. I’m convinced the entire industry is a running joke my neighbor’s brother (travel agent, 19 years, apparently a rental car oracle) is in on. He just snorts […]

Let’s just get this out of the way: booking direct with the cruise line doesn’t guarantee you a bargain. Learned that the hard way. Thought I was being clever, skipping the “middleman,” clicking “Book Now” on the cruise line’s website. Then my friend, who uses some travel agent who still faxes things (who even owns […]

Is it just me, or does nobody in my family actually pay attention to exchange rates until someone’s already over budget and grumpy in the group chat? I mean, everyone’s busy arguing about which hotel points to hoard, but meanwhile, the USD is stomping all over the Yen in Japan. Suddenly, I’m daydreaming about endless […]

Staring at those crime maps again—yeah, I know, I’m that person. “Danger zones” everywhere, Willowbrook supposedly sketchier than 74% of cities, at least if you believe the stats: 34.16 crimes per 1,000 residents. But honestly? Every actual local I’ve bugged about it just kind of shrugs and says, “It’s not bad, especially if you know […]

Okay, is it just me, or did everyone else miss the memo that you can board early without buying a fancy seat or paying extra? I swear, these airline loyalty programs have all these sneaky perks—like, yeah, you get to pick your seat before the masses, and suddenly it’s like you’re in some secret club. […]

So, my cousin—dead serious—once tried to get through security in San Juan with a library card. “It’s a U.S. territory, right? How strict can they be?” Spoiler: very. TSA agents don’t care if you’re on vacation or not, and they will absolutely roast you for expired student IDs. But yeah, Puerto Rico and the U.S. […]

You know what nobody tells you? That a single, invisible typo on your plane ticket will nuke your entire trip, and you’ll only find out at the exact worst moment—like, sweaty, juggling a toddler, backpack, and a line of people behind you who definitely hate you now. The tiniest name screw-up—middle initial that just shows […]

I swear, I can’t even try to book a flight without getting some cryptic “policy update” email that’s just a bunch of legalese buried somewhere between the seat selection and the spam folder. Suddenly, airlines jack up flight change penalties and… did anyone get an alert? Nope. Last week, I was moving a London trip, […]

You ever stand in a hotel lobby, watching someone else glide off with a suite key and a free minibar code while you’re just hoping for clean towels? Happens to me all the time. The trick, apparently, is to ask—quietly, not like you’re storming the Bastille—for complimentary perks right at check-in. I swear, the staff […]

Okay, so, boarding groups. Why do they always make people so weirdly tense? You ever notice how the minute they start calling zones, everyone’s suddenly on red alert, clutching their backpacks like it’s the last chopper out of Saigon? There’s this running joke that flight attendants have some secret vendetta against one zone. I don’t […]

So, I’m staring at my hotel confirmation and—seriously—where’s the warning? Nobody ever says, “Oh hey, if you skip our prepaid breakfast, you’ll get fleeced at check-in.” But, yeah, I found out the hard way. Skip the breakfast add-on upfront and, boom, you’re paying double or triple for the same sad eggs in the lobby. It’s […]

So, I’m outside the Colosseum—line’s crawling, it’s 9 a.m., I’m already regretting my life choices. There’s this guy in a plastic Roman helmet whispering about “skip-the-line” passes for, what, three times the posted price? Tourists buy them like they’re Black Friday deals. Honestly, half the time, nobody warns you about these traps—like, you sit down […]

Honestly, I don’t know why Americans keep stampeding into Paris or the Amalfi Coast like Instagram is handing out free gelato. It’s wild—some of the best Europe travel deals are just sitting there, totally ignored, not even making it onto the Kayak “hot deals” page. The dollar’s up again (shout out to David Landsel at […]

Paid 22 euros for a “short scenic shortcut” tunnel last month—nobody warned me until I was already awkwardly hunched at the ticket kiosk, holding up a line and butchering the local language. Found the warning later, taped to a lamp post, scrawled in angry marker by some local who probably got fleeced even worse. Locals […]

So, you’re stumbling through some airport, groggy, and there’s always that smug traveler in the lounge corner talking about their “secret” upgrade trick. I mean, yeah, everyone pretends these loyalty perks—free upgrades, lounge passes, even those weird pre-booked airport lounges (did 69% of Americans really say they’d pay for that? seriously?)—are some kind of Illuminati […]

It’s 3 a.m. in Madrid, and I’m watching my friend stare at a $45 “foreign transaction” fee on his shiny new platinum travel card. Supposedly “no fees abroad,” right? Sure. The difference between “real” international-fee killers and the usual travel cards is laughably tiny, and banks just sneak in these 1-2% charges on every swipe. […]

Last month, I’m in the terminal, stuck behind some poor soul who suddenly gets yanked aside—crew swarms in, clipboard ready, muttering about “updated medical screening protocols.” Like, what does that even mean? It’s all hush-hush, but you can feel the tension. Cruise lines are getting way more intense about medical checks at boarding—random health screenings, […]

Okay, so, Wi-Fi on cruises. Used to be you’d just grumble about the signal, now it’s the price that makes you want to throw your phone overboard. Carnival’s “Premium Plan” is, what, nearly $28 a day now? Princess’s single-device Wi-Fi—$24.99, up 67%. I’m not even sure I remember my Netflix password, but I guess it […]

Booked a five-star resort last week—felt like a genius for snagging a deal—then, right in the middle of checkout, poof, the cancellation tab just disappeared. Not subtle. Luxury travel sites are quietly yanking back hotel refunds, even for those supposedly “worry-free” top-rated stays. And, look, the American Hotel & Lodging Association says 63% of travelers […]

So, I’m staring at my Qantas account. No idea what just happened—my flight credit lost its expiry date? Qantas yanked the December 31, 2023 expiry from older credits, so now I can supposedly request a refund whenever… unless it’s one of those zombie credits that can’t be used for anything anyway? Alaska Airlines, meanwhile, handed […]