Travel Advice and Information

If you were one of the millions of travelers who spent some of the billions of $$$ on travel last year, read on for tips on how to spend your travel budget most wisely in the future. ~IN 2012 U.S. CONSUMERS CROSSED THE $100 BILLION TRAVEL SPENDING THRESHOLD~ It is no surprise that the majority of spending was through on-line travel agencies (OTA’s), particularly mega agencies such as Expedia, Orbitz and Priceline.   These large OTA’s do a good job of presenting information, and a user-friendly method of making reservations.   However, when a company presents virtually every hotel, airline, cruise line, etc in the world, how knowledgeable and helpful is the service staff when you call for assistance?   Do they have the best price?   Do you get the exact same room or cabin type upon check-in if you book through an OTA or through a smaller agency? ~IN AN ON-LINE SEARCH, THE SAME ROOM AT THE RITZ-CARLTON CHICAGO FOR THE SAME DATES WAS PRICED FROM $545 TO $629, WITH DIFFERE