Ok, there’s no money for a real ‘go away’ vacation. No way to fly to the Caribbean. It’s too hot there, anyway. No motor home adventure to the Rockies. Gas prices are rising slowly but surely. Canada is close but the dollar isn’t as wonderful there as it was a few months ago and you need to get the family passports renewed to go there. What a bummer!    READ MORE

What is a traveler to do? The move for the consolidation of airlines has increasing negative consequences for the traveler. Less competition means higher ticket prices. The hikes in gas prices have exacerbated the process and added costs to the travel budget through fees for luggage, cancellations, and an increasingly punitive call for fees for a number of other services and benefits we had taken for granted. Even the possibility of fees for use of ‘basic hygiene amenities’, have been touted.    READ MORE