Far Horizons

There are times when travelers arrive at a hotel or other accommodation to find that they wish to change from the room they have been assigned, even though it is of the room type and category they requested and reserved. In this edition of “Under the Microscope,” I will examine some typical situations encountered and some of the options available.

Check-in strategies and procedures

First, at the point of check-in, make no assumptions and confirm that the room...

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Most seasoned travelers at one time or another have arrived at a hotel with a reservation in hand only to be informed that the type of room they thought they had reserved was not available. In this edition of “Under the Microscope,” I will examine strategies for finding acceptable solutions for such situations and also measures for trying to prevent such occurrences in future travels.

Questions

In the situation described above, several things must be determined....

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Previously I have written on the subject of one of the rarest categories of all touring offerings in the U.S. outbound travel marketplace: the long-haul, single-destination group tour (LHSDGT), in this article to be referred to as LT. The LT was defined at that time as a group tour of three weeks or longer that focused on a single overseas destination.

Over the many months since the original article appeared (Sept. ’04, pg. 106), I have received a surprising amount of reader...

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Two hours’ drive south of Santiago lies one of Chile’s most renowned wine-producing regions, Valle de Colchagua. On my last visit to Chile, in February ’05, I had the opportunity to visit, albeit too briefly, this impressive valley of abundance on the Ruta del Vino.

A lengthy list of awards and medals have to date been earned by the valley’s wineries in prestigious international competitions and publications. This was highlighted in 2003 when the Colchagua...

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(Part 1 of 2 on Chile)

On a visit to Chile in February 2005 I had the opportunity to stay at a friend’s apartment in Santiago and enjoy many of the lifestyle attractions experienced by locals.

The apartment is located in an upmarket district of the city known as Providencia, an area of primarily highrise apartment and condominium buildings only a few blocks away from the busy primary thoroughfare of Avenida Apoquindo. The peaceful, tree-lined streets were seemingly...

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Periodically, in future I plan to do “Under the Microscope” columns which will examine in detail various terms and aspects of tours and touring.

This first column will take a close look at advertised tour departure dates listed by tour and other travel operators. When the departure dates are attached to group tour products as compared to individual tours, examination is recommended for the careful, prudent traveler.

When a travel company advertises a departure date...

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Taking a tour? Cover all the bases, then enjoy yourself
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