All posts by: Terence Baker

Don't let your passport expire: Renew with ease

By Terence Baker on August 13, 2012 in

More than 33 percent of Americans possess a valid passport, an unheard-of level of ownership when compared with the past 10 years. But what happens when your trusty document nears its expiration date. Make sure you renew your passport with enough time to have your new one delivered before next sojourn out of the country. Read more

Travel insurance: Why you need it and where to get it

By Terence Baker on August 7, 2012 in

Travel Insurance

Some travelers think that having basic health insurance is all they need to keep safe while away, but travel insurance will not just keep you secure, it can also protect your trip. Think of this: the cost of cancelled and missed flights, the inconvenience and expense caused by delay and the huge financial outlay of a whole package if a travel company goes bust. There also is the chance that you personally will have to cancel your trip, perhaps due to a death in the family or some other unforeseen event. You should cover yourself for that. After all, you never know, and that is exactly why insurance was invented.

It covers you for both errors on your part and errors on the part of others. Not everything is covered (those famous "Acts of God," for example), so check the small print. But now the real question, who should you get it from? Read more

Alone at baggage claim: What to do when your luggage is lost

By Terence Baker on June 17, 2012 in

Stranded at baggage claim

Flying nowadays is stressful enough without your airline losing your luggage, but it happens quite frequently leaving travelers stranded and frustrated at baggage claim. According to Gary Stoller of USA Today, the last statistics given out by the U.S. Department of Transportation in 2011 stated that throughout the world 12.07 pieces of luggage are lost or mislaid on airlines for every 1,000 passengers. Believe it or not, it is against the law for a passenger's bags to get lost in the ether. The Warsaw Convention and Montreal Convention have provisions for United Nations-sanctioned regulations outlining the responsibilities of airlines. Put simply: your airline falls under this jurisdiction and your luggage should be safe

That's the law, but what is the reality? Imagine: you're stuck in Minneapolis in January, but somehow your sweaters ended up in Miami. So what do you do when this happens to you?

Read more

15 lesser-known National Parks and why you should visit

By Terence Baker on May 21, 2012 in

Voyageurs

Yosemite, Great Smoky Mountains, Grand Canyon, Zion, Acadia, Yellowstone... everyone knows of these National Parks; they are genuine American treasures. But, what about of some of the other lesser-known National Parks?

In fact, The National Park Service lists 63 parks across the contiguous USA, Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands and American Samoa. And while the 2010 attendance at the service's jewel, Yosemite, climbed above the four-million mark, according to Fresno, Calif.-based KSEE24 News, Voice of America reports that overall, attendance to National Parks has declined severely. Officials are perplexed, considering that usually in tough economic times, attendance rises at National Parks.

To help reverse the decline and to take advantage of great National Park system scattered across the nation, we give you 15 of the lesser-known National Parks, all priceless gems in their own right. We have also included a unique fact about each Park to further entice your interest. Read more

Beware: The hidden cost of renting cars

Automotive
By Terence Baker on May 2, 2012 in

Chicken car rental

The base price of a car rental tells only a part of the story to your wallet. Renters have to add to that initial base cost, extras such as insurance (if your credit cards do not cover you) and sales tax, which differs by state and sometimes within different cities in those states, too. There are also those extra taxes that renters are unaware of until they sign on the dotted line. These taxes have become more and more popular in the last decade and even more disconcerting: in some cases they can more than double the cost of your rental car.

Find out which cities are the worst culprits below and why. Read more

Beauty is in the eye of the wallet-holder: The 20 most expensive U.S. museums

By Terence Baker on April 23, 2012 in

Cheap museum admission prices

The American novelist Theodore Dreiser once remarked, "Art is the stored honey of the human soul, gathered on wings of misery and travail." Well, today, art had certainly better taste as sweet as honey, considering how much money some U.S. museums are charging visitors to enjoy it. At the top of our list of the 20 most expensive museums in the U.S. is a nearly $30 entry ticket into California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, California. Most of the other pricey admissions on our list are located in the nation's largest cities and each of them is at least $15 per adult ticket. Read more

What to do if you lose your passport

By Terence Baker on April 12, 2012 in

Passport and ticket

More and more Americans have passports. While once the very low percentage of U.S. ownership of this prized document was dismal (only seven percent in 1989),  since 9/11 and the resulting decision that Americans need it to travel to Canada and the Caribbean, the number of U.S. passports has risen dramatically. In 2012, according to Forbes Magazine's Andrew Bender, U.S. passport ownership has risen to a very respectable 33 percent. What this means is that while advanced biometrics make stealing a passport -- and let's face it, a U.S. passport is a very fine thing to have -- less appealing to thieves, if it is your bag, and your bag gets stolen, well...more and more U.S. passports are going to disappear into thin air. And this might not come about due to deception. According to the United Kingdom's Home Office, more than 10,000 Brits a year accidentally throw theirs away including one left in a coat that was generously given to a homeless person. Read more

U.S. theme parks deliver new thrills for 2012

By Terence Baker on March 30, 2012 in

digital roller coaster

What's new this year? That's the question many visitors to theme parks ask every summer. Theme park bosses know that innovation done annually is the key to getting return visitors, who make up the bulk of attendance. So believes the Alexandria, Va.-based International Association of Amusement Parks & Attractions, who state that more than 300 million people visit U.S. theme parks every year. Last year we covered three of the top new roller coasters, but for 2012 we have 15 new highlights. Now buckle up and hold on tight. Read more

You don't have to jump too many hurdles to see London's Olympics

By Terence Baker on March 22, 2012 in

London 2012 Stadium

Want last-minute tickets to see Usain Bolt in the 100m final? With four months to go before the games begin, you'll need very deep pockets for this event and other popular sports. But, if you plan to be in London for the games, there are still options available. Many Olympic events, even if they don't have that blue ribbon appeal, can still provide the thrill of Olympic contest. Below, check out some tips on how to secure your admission ticket. Read more

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