more about traveling without worrying about security and safety

NOTE:     This blog has no ads and I'm not beholden tocruise line, tour companies or airlines, and that's why I can offer to my readers the truth about travel destinations & the many ways to enjoy traveling.

The question of security and safety is paramount in everyone's mind.  

Those who have read my December 16, 2015 post about "safe travel destinations versus bargain destinations - travel predictions for 2016" know that I accurately predicted the problems Europe now faces.  And sadly the spate of bombings and terror threats in Europe is not what I would have wanted to happen, but it did.

I also did suggest a number  of destinations that would give travelers the security and safety they want to create their best travel memories—and just recently, I came upon the American owned and based American Queen Steamboat Company that advertises "Uniquely American River Cruises.  

These river cruises do offer a safe and secure vacation in an area of the country that is too sparsely populated to interest those who want to terrorize and create fear.  However, of particular interest to me is the question of cruise line registry.  This USA river cruise company is American owned and subject to the laws of the United States because this company cruises rivers located in the United States, which means that a ship's cruising contract fully safeguards the traveler insofar as liability for accidents or worse, which is not so for travel outside the US even if the vessel is American owned—see my 2014 posts about the treaty signed by all cruise lines that limits liability and does not allow class action suits (not recognized by Congress) but neither did Congress legislate against it.  

Additionally, I refer my readers to The New York Times article published Jan. 18, 2012 by John Schwartz which reported on the Costa Concordia's tragic accident that took place in Italy and cost many American their lives and gave then injuries that still plague them:  

"Anyone trying to sue Costa Concodia’s corporate parent, Carnival Cruise Lines, though, will find that the company is stoutly protected by international law and by a carefully worded contract that passengers accept when they buy their tickets..." 

and John Schwartz also noted:

"Costa’s contract states that the line will pay no more in cases of death, personal injury and property loss than about $71,000 per passenger. It allows no recovery for mental anguish or psychological damages. It bars class-action suits."

The New YorkTimes writer referred to an Admiralty lawyer based in Pensacola, FL  who said:

“If you read this cruise line ticket, and it doesn’t make your stomach turn, it should,” Mr. McGill said.

Currently, this American owned American river cruise line advertises up to $800 savings per stateroom on select 2016 voyages—these river cruises are in a unique area of the United States, the Pacific Northwest, which offers river cruising on the Columbia and Snake Rivers.  The cruise is 9 days and it is possible to extend the stay with post cruise packages and also "hop on - hop off" premium excursions offered by the cruise company.  For those who prefer to make their own reservations for a post cruise stop or return to stay at a picturesque mountain lodge, this may or may not be a less cost.  And I suggest comparing the cruise company's offerings to making an individual post cruise extended stay.

Another interest to me as a single traveler is the reasonably priced single outside stateroom with veranda balcony that looks more than roomy for a single traveler who would normally have to pay a single supplement which would greatly increase the cruise price.

Although there are Steamboat cruises in the south, those cruises are in areas of "soft targets" that could interest a terrorist.

Sadly, today, travel everywhere in the global world is no longer possible without a terror hazard.

My politically incorrect analysis about considerations for travelers to ponder in 2016 is this:  

for travelers who still want the lure of international travel, there should be the consideration of changing planes and leaving the secure areas of the airport: Australia and New Zealand have strictly controlled immigration & the limited cultural differences in these countries avoids what seems to separate and alienate a generation that has no connection to the country they were born in and where their parents came to find a better life; Singapore has a tight grasp on the population and offers an interesting place to vacation without worry about safety/security once you get there.

safe travel destinations for 2016 versus bargain destinations

NOTE:     This blog has no ads and I'm not beholden to tour companies or airlines, and that's why I can offer to my readers the truth about the bargain travel destinations of 2016.


     The best of 2016 travel bargains are in the very same international destinations where there are people living in tents along the roads and hovering at borders with fences filled with anger and total despair that their route to the countries that invited them is suddenly closed.
     Yet the trains and other means of transportation remain open to those with the right passports.
     If personal safety and the ability to ignore the masses of humanity who must trample the fields and meadows of picturesque roads to reach the destination where they believe they can have a better life, then by all means take advantage of the 20% and more discounts that major tour companies are offering for the tours that are no longer desirable for all of the above reasons, expect lower airfares too.
     Sadly, 2016 travel in the United States as well is not safe from the so called "home grown terrorist" that will increasingly pick soft targets that could be anywhere, any place.
     Travel to China is a health hazard due to the prevailing pollution that mandates wearing a mask to avoid developing COPD and worse,while travel to South America opens up the possibility of unrest in certain countries, and great economic differences indicate avoiding the areas of poverty where crime is a problem, ditto the countries in Africa where there are insurrections & dictators that keep their people in poverty.
     The Caribbean is always a bargain safe destination,  Bermuda is a bit more  pricey but just as safe and both do offer a guaranteed tan plus refuge from a  global world in turmoil.
     So where does a 2016 traveler go to enjoy a pleasant vacation that isn't necessarily a discounted bargain?
     The international destinations that have been reserved for more exotic travel are now the prime places to find safety from the problems of living where terror exists, for instance, travel to Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, Australia, New Zealand can promise a vacation of exploring without worry about bombs and dodging a huddled humanity impelled by the yearning for a better life so desperate to flee war and poverty.
     As usual cruising to the Carribbean, Hawaii, Bermuda, Alaska are winners, and are a bargain hunters paradise for those who book later rather than sooner.
    
     For those who to make 2016 plans in advance, prices to the exotic destinations will remain competitive, but come travel season the nature of supply and demand will affect tour companies as well as airlines, the increased demand for destinations that are  safe and free from terror will mean raised prices to travel to book the exotic destinations that for most mean longer flights and more travel time than the seven day vacation.
     Those international bargain destinations affected by recent terrorist attacks are the same countries that cannot reign in migration from war torn lands or where poverty inspires hopes and aspirations for a better life by finding asylum in countries with the highest standard of living—as panic grows in the tourism industry of those countries overwhelmed by migrants and while advance bookings plummet, tour companies will lower prices & discount  like mad so don't book too early if you are determined to travel among the humanity camping on the roads and lying on street corners waiting to get to the countries where the welfare benefits and services are most generous.
     I suggest not booking your cruise too early in 2016, if you can wait then the bargain will fall into your lap—3-4 months in advance of the cruise date is about right to get a good deal.

     The comfort travel ideal that this blog represents is:  vacation with comfort, enjoy memorable moments, escape from a 21st century global world in total chaos, and to come back into reality thoroughly rested, ready to cope with living life on life's terms—enjoy the end of 2015, and let's all hope for gentler & more peaceful 2016. 

please send me your  comments & your questions & any particular topics that you want covered in 2016      
     

My predictions for Americans who travel overseas in 2015

American travelers who want comfort at a bargain price will find problems getting what they want for less $$$ in Europe.  Here's why:  Europe is on the Euro and supposedly because the European Central Bank has started to print more money the $ will be on par with the € but be assured when the Euro is on par with the dollar the hotels will raise their rates as will the restaurants and all apartments for rent will rent for more.

Another problem:  terrorists are looking for Americans who travel to Europe, and they are especially targeting France and the UK.  When traveling to France and the UK, I would suggest that Americans stay in the  main tourist areas wherever they go, and ask the hotel concierge or desk clerk at the hotel where you chose to stay about the safety of the neighborhoods you intend to visit.  I'd suggest staying away from apartments or other kinds of rentals unless you know the neighborhood where the rental is located is somewhere in the main tourist section of the major city where the major airlines from global destinations land.   

I've determined there is one favorite European destination which hasn't had any terror problems: it's Italy.  Instead the Italians have boat people who are fleeing war torn countries mostly in the Middle East and are landing in the port where the body of water is closest.  This doesn't affect Americans who are traveling to Italy as an American who doesn't speak fluent Italian and want to visit the cities where historic sites are located.  I've also determined that nothing has changed in the major Italian cities insofar as pickpocket Gypsies who usually are carrying a baby and have hands that reach out from underneath the swaddling clothes to pick your pocket on the bus—their favorite transportation conveyance as the busses in the major tourist areas provide the best proximity to American tourists who have yet to learn to keep their wallets out of purses and pockets that are located in their outer garments.  The smaller inland cities and  towns in Italy are very safe insofar as pickpockets + these are areas of Italy where Americans who want comfort travel for less $$ will find reasonably priced accommodations and food choices at restaurants that all feature native Italian cooking with regional specialties.

Other destinations in Europe that so far have had no terror problems for any tourists are the formerly Communist countries like Poland and the Czech Republic.   

There are terrorism free destinations located in the Far East where Americans can find comfort travel for less dollars, like China, Singapore, and Hong Kong which are necessarily terrorist free due to strong government control. As well, these are not destinations that have country separations that may bring problematic confrontations which could affect the safety of that country's citizens and therefore travelers who visit.

As for myself, I intend to travel to an area of Sicily called Puglia sometime in late October 2015 when the weather  is not too cold.  For my next blog I'll give you a preview of what I have  found to be the best comfort for less $$ method at the best time of year for comfort travel at less $$ out of my bank account. 

To be continued...

Be a knowledgeable travel consumer

As I promised in my last post, when I settled my dispute with Cunard then I would come back to my readers with the result of my diligent use of what is available in my state to address consumer issues—I started with Better Business Bureau, and I found using this method is not going to help resolve an issue with a travel agent, or any other business, this is a business site, and they favor the business you are complaining about.  I sent through 3 rounds of answers and after the last round the Better Business Bureau mediator asked me if I was satisfied with the travel agents reply.  I wrote back to say that Direct Line Cruises has not offered a settlement, and I was not satisfied since that the agency claimed they aren't responsible for what happened when I was on board the Queen Mary 2.    

I waited a few days before I went online and put in the name of the travel agency site in my search engine, and then I saw the Better Business Bureau listing below had given Direct Line Cruises an award for customer satisfaction—they listed 3 complaints as satisfactorily settled—I used the link and saw that my complaint was listed as settled...my advice:  DON'T COMPLAIN TO THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU.

The next source I used was my state Consumer Fraud Bureau—I filed an online complaint, and within a week I received an email from the clerk who was handling my file, and the clerk suggested that the Attorney General would be the best source of help for me.  I called the Consumer Fraud Bureau and gave them the file #, and I was connected to the clerk who wrote me the e-mail.  I asked if she could forward my file to the Attorney General's office, and she said she would.  I waited 2 weeks and then I called the Attorney General's Consumer help line, and I advised the lawyer who answered what the Consumer Fraud Bureau clerk had told me—that's when I learned that the Consumer Fraud Bureau had not sent my file, and I was told that this is the usual result of filing a complaint with the Consumer Fraud Bureau. 

I was advised to write the Attorney General's office in my area and send all the particulars with copies of whatever will prove my claim—I must have been lucky at that point—the lawyer told me that the travel agency's compliance would be voluntary and that they hadn't had too much success in settling claims.  He told me to try the US Federal Maritime Agency, and gave me a telephone number that was at no charge to me.  He also noted that I should make a complaint to the Maritime Consumer Line, since the Maritime Agency established a special department to resolve lost cargo and baggage shipped by sea.  And he suggested that it wouldn't hurt to send them a complaint as well.

A number of lucky coincidences aided me to get a settlement from Cunard that was more acceptable that the $100 check they sent me, which I sent back.  With the US Federal Maritime Agency's help, my complaint re the contract with Cunard to store my luggage for which I paid, was diligently handled by the lawyer in charge of the Consumer department, her assistant contacted Carnival's law department.  The Carnival lawyer resubmitted my claim to the Cunard dba Princess Cruise claim department, and I received another interpretation of baggage loss which made no sense insofar as the explanation—Cunard dba Princess Cruises Claims Manager listed the Athens 1979 Convention's baggage loss compiled in Euros and then converted to dollars, which was considerably more than the original $100 sent to me so disdainfully.

My loss was not completely covered but the settlement offered was almost the price of the one-way transatlantic cruise—I was sent a legal document to sign that absolved Cunard from any legal action on my part, and absolved them from any wrong doing.

All in all, my pursuit for justice took 7 months, I still haven't received the check, but Carnival must be holding their money for accounting purposes, and it may take a few months before I receive it. 

And, the Attorney General in my state forwarded my complaint to one of their offices in the same county as Direct Line Cruises, I still haven't heard, perhaps something else will develop re a settlement for my considerable loss, this time maybe the travel agency will step up to their responsibility.

Watch for my next post...

The motto of a knowledgeable consumer should be, ask questions before you book a cruise, keep in mind what happened to me, and ask questions before you book a tour—it's a good idea to check out what the airline you book will pay for lost baggage, and what they are willing to do in the event your flight is cancelled and you are left stranded at a stopover.

comforttravel@less$: the travel agency fidicuary duty...

comforttravel@less$: the travel agency fidicuary duty...: PLEASE NOTE:  BUYER BEWARE!  by using a "Cruise Line Official Travel Agency" to book your cruise be aware that CLIA (Cruise Line A...

the travel agency fidicuary duty...

PLEASE NOTE:  BUYER BEWARE!  by using a "Cruise Line Official Travel Agency" to book your cruise be aware that CLIA (Cruise Line Association) affiliated travel agencies, are NOT required to have the travel agency fiduciary duty to their customers—clearly stated this means that if you book through such a travel agency you HAVE agreed to the agency "disclosure" that I will paraphrase: "It should be understood this agency is just a facilitator for transfer of customer funds to the cruise lines."    This means that when customers of cruise line agencies are booking a cruise with a CLIA affiliated travel agency, if any problems arise while on board the ship they are sailing the ocean in a canoe without a paddle.

When you use a travel agency that sells travel products in addition to cruises they may also be CLIA affiliated agencies, it is ALSO buyer beware! WHEN BOOKING A CRUISE—though, if you use the same travel agency to arrange other travel products, such as airline tickets, hotels, and tour products, they are travel industry association members of ASTA and IATA—these associations require their agency members to demonstrate a fiduciary duty when booking travel products—if something goes wrong the travel agency is responsible for offering whatever maybe necessary to correct the wrong.  When a resolution is NOT forthcoming from the travel agency then  IATA and ASTA are the ones to contact with notice that one of their appointed travel agencies has been negligent of the fiduciary duty.  ASK FOR AN INVESTIGATION AS TO WHETHER THE AGENCY LICENSE SHOULD BE REVOKED.

It is my experience that Cunard Lines has a disdain for Americans who rely on the terms of a Cunard Line storage contract:   a promise of "insurance cover" for storage of luggage at the Cunard Southampton UK storage facility for the sum of  $65 for a period of not more than 30 days, which the ship's Purser offers transatlantic passengers needing storage while traveling elsewhere before return to the ship.  

The Cunard storage contract with me was entered into while en route to Southampton UK., but as an American, I have sadly discovered that Cunard is no longer a venerable and respected ship line.  And I cannot resolve the issue directly with Cunard due to the fact that Princess Cruises dba Cunard is located in Santa Clarita CA.and Princess Cruises Claims Department dba Cunard is also dba Carnival Cruise Lines.

In my case, "Princess Cruise Lines" dba for Cunard dba Carnival Cruises Line Claims Department refuses to acknowledge the Cunard Line storage contract.  The Princess Cruises dba Cunard dba Carnival Cruise Line Claims Department cites the "Passage Contract" (I have warned about this document in my previous blogs which every major cruise line passenger must approve when they pay for their cruise but in the Cunard dba Carnival Cruises Lines "Passage Contract" there is no "I accept" or "I decline")—the Cunard Line "Passage Contract" refers to 1979 Athens Convention (which the US Congress never signed) in #14:  "You agree that Carrier's liability for loss or damage to baggage or personal property is limited to U.S. $250 per guest..."  

The Princess Cruises DBA Cunard dba Carnival Cruise Line Claims Department in Santa Clarita, CA.  refuses to recognize the Cunard Line storage contract.  BUT, if I was a citizen of the UK, Cunard Line would be responsible for my loss.  And it is clear that Cunard dba Carnival Cruise Line Passage Contract which cites "1979 Athens Convention" definition for loss of luggage IS NOT the Cunard Line "storage contract" wherein a sum of money was paid for "storage with insurance cover." 

It's BUYER BEWARE!!  for Americans booking any Cunard cruise.  This ship line maintains its main office in Southampton UK and Americans must use Princess Cruises dba Cunard dba Carnival Cruise lines Claims Department in Santa Clarita CA if any problems arise, WHICH includes death, injury and any other issue that may threaten a passenger while on board.

To date my problem remains unresolved:  the "Official Cruise Line Agency" Direct Line Cruises (located at Hauppauge, L.I. in New York state) who booked my back to back transatlantic cruises SAY they aren't responsible for the contract made with Cunard and THEY cite the "Disclosure Notice" (see above paragraph one).   The Cunard Line refuses to accept liability for my luggage lost at Cunard Storage Southampton UK because I am not a citizen of the UK.  The Princess Cruises dba Cunard dba Carnival Cruise Line Claim Dept. didn't bother to reply to my October 31st, 2013 $6900 itemized claim for loss of my luggage; on Jan. 2nd they sent me a check for $100 (which I returned) with no letter or explanation, and it took until Feburary 2014 (6 months) for me to find out that my luggage was deemed lost within 10 days after it was first reported on Oct. 8, 2013. 

In my next blog I will tell you what resolution steps I have taken that involves the State of New York, and what I have done to inform the Better Business Bureau of a "buyer beware" re Direct Line Cruises; if you look for Direct Line Cruises on the Internet, you will see the travel agency website, and the BBB notice of 3 complaints, 2 (which includes mine) which are service oriented and remain unresolved.   FYI:  "service" when referring to a travel agency is synonymous with fiduciary duty.

*N0TE: For those of you who have faithfully come to read this blog I apologize for what is a necessarily a blog that has no particular posting schedule—my aim with my now 5 blogs total is to collect what I've written to publish as a Print and E-book—you can read all of my blogs on the Internet free here and on other blog sites (see below for the urls of my blogs). I also plan to share my blogs on Wattpad, which I will do at some point when I've completed the first of my series of hub city travel guides No More Hotels In Paris: Hub City Travel Guide

And when my 2014 CynthiaLynnBookWorks publishing projects with the fiction writer J. R. Camelback are completed, and I am sharing here the covers of these books:

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here are my other blog urls:
http://www/theparismystic.blogspot.com
http://www.clarissaauthorsguild.blogspot.com
http://www.wordsplusmeanings.blogspot.com
http://www.thinkingoutloudan.blogspot.com