Feb 9th, 2011 at 2:30PM:
One of our readers took advantage of our "Ask Gadling" feature to ask for tips on picking the best point and shoot digital camera. Her requirements are pretty simple - under $250, good HD video and a decent zoom reach.
Cameras are always a tough area to find the perfect option, but there are a couple of shooters out there that have everything in this shortlist.
From all the available ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
Want to know how to navigate a foreign country even if you don't know the language? Curious about how to get a ticking clock through security? Wondering how to keep your romance alive on the road? We can answer all these questions and more!
Ask Gadling: Best point and shoot camera with HD video for under $250?
Feb 9th, 2011 at 2:30PM:
One of our readers took advantage of our "Ask Gadling" feature to ask for tips on picking the best point and shoot digital camera. Her requirements are pretty simple - under $250, good HD video and a decent zoom reach.
Cameras are always a tough area to find the perfect option, but there are a couple of shooters out there that have everything in this shortlist.
From all the available ...Ask Gadling: You develop a serious illness while traveling
Dec 9th, 2010 at 10:30AM: The very thought of acquiring a serious illness or injury while traveling strikes fear into the hearts of even the most stalwart adventurers. Speaking from personal experience, it's terrifying to find yourself alone (or not) in dodgy accomodations, in a remote area of a developing country, with a raging fever and/or an uncontrollable case of the runs or other unsavory symptoms. Which isn't to say ...Ask Gadling: You missed your flight
Nov 10th, 2010 at 10:00AM:
Even in this day and age of flight delays and cancellations, it's always not the airline's fault that you miss your flight. It happens: you oversleep, get stuck in traffic, or just run late on the way to the airport and miss your flight. A few months ago, my husband and I were heading out of Istanbul for the weekend and because of unusually long security lines and non-functional check-in kiosks, ...Ask Gadling: You have to go home half-way through a prepaid tour or cruise
Nov 5th, 2010 at 3:00PM: For this edition of Ask Gadling, we've turned to Lauren Volcheff, the vice president of marketing for Last Minute Travel. Should a guest need to depart half-way through a pre-paid tour or cruise, they should visit the Purser's Desk or Guest Services desk and ask for help obtaining a "cruise interruption request." Volcheff says:
A guest can request to debark the ship at a specific port of call at ...Ask Gadling: You don't have the right plug and there is nowhere to buy one
Nov 3rd, 2010 at 3:00PM: This is a simple one - just ask! Your hotel, hostel or tour operator likely has a converter you can borrow. Most have a large supply at the front desk that can be loaned out for the duration of your trip. Better yet, save yourself the hassle and buy a plug with multiple conversion bases. And be aware that Standard European converters don't work in Italy and Switzerland ... this writer learned the ...Ask Gadling: What to do when you have to fly coach
Oct 21st, 2010 at 10:00AM: It could be worse. Whether it's lack of funds or lack of availability in your usual class, almost everyone flies in Economy Class (charmingly called "Fiesta Class" by Philippine Airlines) now and then. Heck, some of us fly coach all the time.
Flying is an enormous privilege many of us have come to take for granted. Consider the miraculous nature of it: you get on a big metal tube with wings, ...Ask Gadling: How not to act like a tourist in a foreign country
Oct 13th, 2010 at 10:00AM: Merriam-Webster defines a tourist as, "one who makes a tour for pleasure or culture." I would stretch that definition to include business travelers, assuming they have a bit of leisure time.
Here at Gadling, our goal is to encourage travel and exploration, even if it's in your hometown. For the purposes of this article, however, I'm referring to non-domestic travel. And no matter how hard you ...Ask Gadling: Your name/nationality/religion/race makes the locals hostile
Oct 11th, 2010 at 3:00PM:
In a perfect world, every place would be friendly and welcoming to foreigners, no matter their background or lifestyle. However, history, politics, religion, and just plain ignorance means some countries can be hostile to certain travelers based on race, faith, nationality, sexual orientation, or gender. While careful consideration should be given before traveling to potentially hostile ...Ask Gadling: What to do when you can't fit everything into your luggage
Oct 8th, 2010 at 3:00PM:
In this day and age, when we have to pack so carefully -- in smaller suitcases -- to avoid checking our luggage, it's just not fair when we get to the end of a trip and the dang suitcase won't close. Are we supposed to bring a huge suitcase packed halfway and pay for checking baggage twice? Robbery.
There are a couple of options you have when you find yourself in this quandary. You can ship ...Ask Gadling: What do I do if my flight gets canceled?
Oct 6th, 2010 at 3:00PM: We've all been there. Fourteen seconds after getting to the airport in a mindless blur you look up at the departure boards and see that dreaded word next to your flight: CANCELED. Your weekend appointment, your deeply important business meeting, your tickets to the Knicks game – everything is suddenly on the line thanks to the fault of one airline that was supposed to get you to your ...Ask Gadling: What to do in a Muslim country during Ramadan
Oct 5th, 2010 at 11:00AM: Ramadan is a month-long religious festival during which Muslims don't eat, drink, smoke, or have sex from sunup to sundown. This reminds them what it's like to be without the things they take for granted, and encourages them to be thankful for what they have. Certain people are excused from fasting, such as children, the sick, the pregnant, menstruating women, and travelers. The rest of the ...Ask Gadling: How do I standby for an earlier flight?
Oct 4th, 2010 at 3:00PM: It wasn't too long ago that it was easy enough to walk up to the counter of an earlier departing flight to a destination of your choice and hitch a ride. The notion, at least back then, was that the empty space you saved on your next flight was insurance for the airline in case something went wrong – you were one less passenger that they had to deal with.
These days of a la carte pricing ...Ask Gadling: What do you do when you can't stand your travel companions?
Sep 29th, 2010 at 3:00PM:
Whether it's old friends, fellow travelers on the same tour or a bunch of folks you just met in the hostel, some people are bound to get on your nerves when you travel together. This happens to everyone. Some of my personal peeves include:
Stick-in-the-muds.
Tantrum-throwers/whiners.
Bad drinkers.
People who ask complicated questions just to make themselves sound smart.
Ugly people. ...Ask Gadling: What do you do when your guidebook is wrong?
Sep 27th, 2010 at 3:00PM: Ever bought a guidebook and discovered when you arrived it was useless? Full of outdated maps and ho-hum restaurant picks, your guidebook is better suited for Grandma's group tour than a grand night on the town.
Rest easy, mindful traveler. Rather than being something to worry about, discovering your guidebook is awful should actually be cause to celebrate. In fact, you might as well chuck that ...Ask Gadling: You're out of money in a foreign country
Sep 14th, 2010 at 10:30AM: Even the most intrepid adventure traveler dreads the thought of running out of money while in a foreign country. The fact that this situation usually occurs under dire circumstances only compounds the anxiety and frustration that result from a depleted bank account.
The only time I've ever run completely out of funds was on 9/11. I'd been working at a friend's London restaurant for a month, and ...Ask Gadling: You left something on the airplane
Aug 23rd, 2010 at 10:30AM: It's not a good feeling, walking toward baggage claim or a connecting flight, and realizing you forgot an item on the plane. Especially if it's something valuable, like a brand-new digital camera (not that that happened to me). Okay, it did. I flew Varig into Sao Paulo, and deplaned to catch a connection to Rio. I was halfway to the gate when I realized the camera was missing. I'd removed it from ...Ask Gadling: International power and how to use appliances and gadgets abroad
Aug 19th, 2010 at 8:30AM:
Just fifteen years ago, the worries of international power outlets would really only concern you if you needed to charge your shaver, or plug in a curling iron. Nowadays, power is what keeps our phones, laptops, MP3 players and portable gaming consoles working. When you travel within North America, things are simple - all the outlets are the same, and no matter where you are, you'll get the ...Ask Gadling: What do you do when you get food poisoning while traveling?
Aug 18th, 2010 at 10:00AM:
No one wants to get sick while traveling. Unfortunately, sick happens - and it's usually in the form of bad food caused by bad bacteria from things you just don't want to know about. Food poisoning is no laughing matter, especially when you're traveling, and while it usually when you least expect it the good news is you can prevent it (and usually cure it) with a few simple steps.
Most of ...Ask Gadling: What to do when the airline loses your luggage?
Aug 17th, 2010 at 9:00AM:
Just like death and taxes, another fact of life is that when you travel with checked bags, the airline will lose them sooner or later. Now, before you panic and picture yourself stranded in the middle of nowhere without your bags, you'll be happy to know that the airlines manage to return almost all lost bags - but it does pay to know what to do when disaster strikes.
So, you are at the ...Ask Gadling: Does it really cost $25,000 to repack an airplane evacuation slide?
Aug 16th, 2010 at 9:30AM: This question is obviously triggered after the JetBlue incident last week - when Steven Slater deployed the emergency slide, the media claimed the damage was around $25,000 just to repack the slide.
So, I did a bit of research, and contacted a friend who actually manages a large international airline. The answer was quite surprising - $25,000 is on the very, very cheap side.
To get the ...
