There’s hardly a soul in the U.S. that hasn’t heard of Ellis Island. It places prominently in all our school history books. Countless movies, books, and television series connect a character’s story to their family coming through there. Ellis is one of the most easily understood and visceral landmarks in the nation’s history. Today, the … Read more
Updated May 22, 2026 This is your guide to Virgin Voyages deals. Virgin Voyages is shaking up the cruise industry with its bold new approach. Setting itself apart from traditional cruise lines, Virgin has a strict No-Kids policy, leads the way in environment-friendly cruising, and includes more in the base fare than any similar cruise … Read more
If you’ve ever taken a cruise, perhaps to someplace tropical, and found yourself quietly lounging near the pool, only to be disturbed by a high pitched squeal emanating from a child throwing a tantrum, you’ve likely found yourself wishing for the cruise to be kid free. That’s exactly why there’s small, but growing, selection of … Read more
Recently, I’ve seen a few scattered conversations online about the best travel kettles. These conversations are usually framed around how the original poster (OP) hates that hotel room coffee makers are “so disgusting,” and how they are looking for a portable kettle that they could pack with them to heat their water. These are probably … Read more
It’s time for a bit of a news roundup for our readers and we start with Europe. The most recent acronym to enter the traveler’s lexicon is EES, short for Entry/Exit Sytstem. What is the EES? The newly activated Entry/Exit System collects biometric data, in this case that means fingerprint scans and facial recognition photos. … Read more
Yes. Oh… You’re still here. You want an explanation, you say? Well then, I guess I’ll explain. Can cruise ships really just change your itinerary? Once again, yes, cruise ships can just change your itinerary with, basically, no notice. The cruise lines reserve the right to amend, alter, and cancel any part of the cruise, … Read more
With Alaska’s peak tourism season a little more than a month away, it seems the right time to discuss what, exactly, you can do on a cruise to The Last Frontier. Determining what are the best Alaskan cruise excursions is hard because Alaska possibly has the widest variety of activities that you can sign up … Read more
It’s always a challenge to pack for a place that you’re not familiar with. I once visited San Diego in May and I, incorrectly, believed that southern California in late Spring/early Summer would be warm and pleasant. It was not. I was there for a conference, so packing warm weather clothes when it was rainy … Read more
Late last week, an executive order was signed that commanded TSA agents to be paid. This should not be confused with Congress passing a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security, far from it. Disfunction still remains within the halls of Capitol Hill and no bill to fund DHS has been passed by both … Read more
As summer for the northern hemisphere approaches, so does the peak travel season for most tourist hot spots, and there’s more trouble on the horizon for air travelers. Some of it can be planned around, to a degree, and some of it can’t. Cancelled Cruises and Tours There’s already been quite a bit written about … Read more
