Cruises

My email inbox has gone crazy since the collapse of tour operator, Goldtrail. Again, like XL, and the glut of other collapses, there are many questions left unanswered. A number of consumers have asked why less than 24 hours before Goldtrail collapsed, were they still accepting bookings.

CAA predictions not much help to consumers

Read the travel industry press, and like me, you will be outraged to read that and some agencies stopped taking Goldtrail bookings months ago. According to Travel Weekly, only this month, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) predicted “the collapse of a tour operator to the Eastern Med later this year”.

So, has the CAA learnt anything from previous travel collapses? It would seem not.

Poor consumer experience

I do not know how the travel industry works, but what I do know is that a number of travel agencies made the decision to stop selling Goldtrail holidays, yet, no one have appeared to step in and investigate why. You only have to read the reviews and posts on forums about consumer’s experiences with Goldtrail to see that they were problems.

All talk no action

Is this going to be another travel collapse that is swept under the carpet, or, is something going to happen so that consumers can continue to trust their travel agent when booking a holiday? This trust will diminish, if agents are selling holidays, knowing, that the tour operator or provider is struggling financially.

Travel agents attitude towards non package holidays

I also do not like this attitude from some travel agents towards consumers who have booked a non package holiday, that those consumers deserve everything they get. You should be financially protected no matter how you have booked your holiday, or how much it cost.

Lessons learnt from the collapse

Surely, any doubt whatsoever that a tour operator is struggling financially should be investigated.

It was refreshing to read an article by Travel Weekly that told it as it is and I would like to read more of this. I am interested to read comments from people, who work within the industry, do not be shy, what lessons need to be learnt from the collapse of Goldtrail.

This post was syndicated from the Travel Rants Consumer Blog.

A consumer’s view of the collapse of Goldtrail

One of my favorite parts of our New Zealand Trip was visiting Rainbow Springs Kiwi Wildlife Park in Rotorua, New Zealand.

Kiwi Bird Sanctuary

Rainbow Springs houses a Kiwi Sanctuary where they hatch North Island Kiwi bird eggs as part of an effort to save the species. Land mammals aren’t native to New Zealand and when Europeans first arrived they brought with them mammals like ferrets, dogs, cats and weasels. These land mammals eat the flightless Kiwi birds and their eggs. Now, only 5% of kiwi birds hatched in the wild survive to be adults. So, in 1995 Rainbow Springs started hatching Kiwi bird eggs in a protected environment. When the eggs have hatched and the chicks are mature enough to survive on their own they are released back into the wild.

The Kiwi Bird Encounter allows visitors to watch the egg hatching process. A fascinating fact about the Kiwi bird is that it has the largest egg-to-body ratio of any animal in the world. (Go November to March to see the little chicks being born.) But, even if you go during none peak months you can see three Kiwi Birds that are permanently part of the Rainbow Springs family. (These three birds that can’t survive on their own in the wild.) Since Kiwis are nocturnal, the park set up a special artificial “moonlight” to allow visitors to see the birds during our day but at “night” when the birds are the most active.

We weren’t allowed to take pictures of the real Kiwi birds (to avoid disturbing them), but here are some pictures from the exhibit:

Rainbow Springs Birds and Animals

Besides the Kiwi Bird Sanctuary, Rainbow Springs also houses many other New Zealand birds and animals. Here are a few we saw:

Kea Bird

Wallaby

New Zealand Pigeon

If you are ever in Rotorua, New Zealand I would definitely recommend a trip to Rainbow Springs. The animals are amazing and the tour was informative.

Disclaimer: Our airfare to New Zealand was paid for by Air New Zealand and Tourism New Zealand gave us media passes. Rainbow Springs and the Kiwi Encounter gave us free entry to the park in conjunction with our media passes.

originally posted at Go Green Travel Green

Rainbow Springs and the Kiwi Bird in New Zealand

Where were you on April 20, 2010?

Don’t remember? Me either. But perhaps we should have remembered where we were on April 20 when the BP oil rig exploded. The spill will impact our lives in the way many other infamous events have.

It would be easy to ignore the spill – treat it as something that doesn’t affect you or me. But, I believe that as travelers we have a greater awareness of the interconnectedness of our world.

Instead of being paralyzed by an inability to make a big impact, think about the smaller ways you can make a difference. This post has a great list of things you can do to help with the Gulf Oil Spill (from volunteering, to donating, to buying fewer products made with petroleum.)  You can stay updated with these NY Times interactive maps and media.

But, if you do nothing else, watch this video by the Environmental Defense Fund:

originally posted at Go Green Travel Green

The Gulf Oil Spill (Video)

I have just heard that Turkish specialist tour operator, Goldtrail have gone into administration. This is not good news, at what will be the busiest time of the year for the company. Goldtrail also traded as Goldtrail Holidays, Goldtrail Travel and Sunmar, held ATOL licence 4684.

So those holidaymakers who are stranded abroad will receive assistance. There are no more outbound Goldtrail flights, so if you were due to travel with them you need to check with the travel agent because your tickets will no longer be valid. More information can be found on the ATOL website.

I will post information here as soon as possible, but if you have been affected by this news please leave your questions in the comments section below.

This post was syndicated from the Travel Rants Consumer Blog.

Turkey specialist Goldtrail goes into administration

As an avid sneaker wearer for well over 10 years, I’ve experimented with a multitude of shoes. The ones that look good inevitably have no arch support. Sneakers that are comfortable tend to be so unattractive I couldn’t realistically see myself wearing them.

That’s why Kuru’s Women’s Halcyon shoes are so great. Not only are they cute, but they’re comfortable and excellent for travel. The folks at Kuru Footwear were kind enough to send me a pair of Halcyons to try out.

Shoes for the City or the Trail

Halcyons are great for trekking a city or hiking a trail. Designed with outdoors-y types in mind, these shoes are great for travelers, especially those who enjoy spending time outside.

Whether you’re looking for durable trail shoes or cute sneakers for the city, these could be the shoes for you. And if you’re not planning on doing hardcore hiking, I would even recommend Halcyons as your primary travel shoe.

The Halycon, and Kuru shoes in general, are very practical. They’re comfortable, have decent arch support, and great grip on the soles. I especially appreciate the padding around the achilles tendon.

In terms of price, they’re very reasonable — .97 on Kuru’s website — if you expect to wear them frequently.

A note on choosing a size: I read reviews that said they run 1/2 size small, but I think they fit true to size. 

Kuru as the Perfect Travel Shoe

They’re lightweight, comfortable, durable, and compact. If you’re looking for an excellent travel shoe, check out Kuru. The upper of the Halcyon shoe is even collapsible so you can stuff the shoes in your bag without worrying about misshaping them.

My only complaint about my Kuru shoes is that compared to other sneakers they look a little chunky. They look great with pants, but with a skirt or shorts they look more like tennis shoes and less like compact sneakers.

Kuru and Sustainability

Another benefit to buying Kuru shoes is that Kuru donates a portion of its profits to nonprofits through a concept called Consumer Empowered Sustainability. Although the shoes themselves aren’t necessarily as eco-friendly as some other brands, this concept is worth reading about.

I like this idea from Kuru’s website: "Sustainability is a lifestyle, a change of attitude, it’s about improving the World around us, it’s about creating opportunities, it’s about leaving a legacy of a significantly improved World." You can’t argue with that.

originally posted at Go Green Travel Green

Kuru Shoes: Women’s Halcyon Travel Shoe Review

If you’ve ever slept on an eggcrate foam mattress or a polyurethane-based foam pillow, you know that squishy, polyurethane memory foam can be hot and is not breathable. Plus, polyurethane foams are not good for the environment and older ones may contain PBDEs, which can be toxic to your health.

Fortunately, there are more eco-friendly alternatives to traditional memory foam.

Relax the Back EcoMemoryFoam Pillow

EcoMemoryFoam is made of plant-based materials and produces zero emissions. I was sent a PureMemDown Dual Pillow by Relax the Back to try out. It’s comfortable and high-quality, and I imagine it would be great for people with chronic back pain.

I like that this pillow is made in the USA, which means it didn’t have to travel thousands of miles and waste fuel to get to me. Plus, it comes with a removable bamboo cover.

Magniflex GeoEthic Pillow

Like the Relax the Back pillow, the Magniflex GeoEthic pillow is comfortable and made to last.

The Magniflex pillow contains no materials that are toxic or non-biodegradable, but it’s made in Italy so there is an environmental impact from that aspect. According to Magniflex’s website, the company “strongly believe[s] that environmental safety, both for our employees and customers, and safeguarding the earth’s natural resources must play an integral part in our manufacturing process.”

If you love traditional memory foam but don’t like the negative impact it has on the environment, I would highly recommend checking out these two pillows. As with all pillows, I think perfection lies in the preference of the sleeper. I think these pillows are both great and I would recommend testing them out before choosing the one that’s best for you.

One word of caution: Do your homework and beware of greenwashing. Some memory foam brands claim to be eco-friendly, when in reality their products are made with 10% eco-friendly materials and 90% polyurethane.

originally posted at Go Green Travel Green

Eco-Friendly Memory Foam Pillow Review

Check out this photo we captured of the hot pools in Hells Gate on our recent trip to New Zealand:

(Don’t worry, we’ll tell you more about Hells Gate in an upcoming post.)

originally posted at Go Green Travel Green

Hot Springs Photo at Hells Gate, Rotorua, New Zealand

If you write or publish photos anywhere online, I highly recommend you read this short post.

While doing a bit of Googling this evening I came across several sets of Go Green Travel Green photos attributed to both my name (1 set) and Kimberly’s name (2 sets) on a TripAdvisor site called TripWow.

It’s a bit odd because the page seems to say that I created this slideshow. But I didn’t. Nor did anyone that I can think of.

It’s troubling because 1) these are copyrighted photos that are published on another site without our permission and 2) are not linked to Go Green Travel Green in any way.

(And frankly, this 4 min + long show isn’t all that good. They aren’t necessarily photos that I would choose to release elsewhere.)

It seems to me that there are two possible explanations for this:

1) Someone else fraudulently created an account in my name and submitted these photos. Or

2) TripAdvisor is taking these photos from Go Green Travel Green automatically without our permission.

Without accusing TripAdvisor of stealing our content, it does seem that there is some automated system going on here that I’m not completely comfortable with.

I Googled “TripWow” with several other travel bloggers names and found their photos posted as well. Though I’m not positive, I’m guessing they didn’t give TripAdvisor permission to post their photos without a link or any form of compensation. (I’m emailing them about it directly to let them know.)

I also emailed TripAdvisor’s PR department to find out what is going on. (I will update this post when I hear back.)

However, if you write or post photos online I would highly recommend you Google your name with tripwow to see if you have any of these slideshows. If you do, you may also want to contact TripAdvisor if you’re concerned about the prospect that they might be using your content without better attribution/compensation.

(Note that I’ve always been a big fan of TripAdvisor. But, it’s disconcerting to know that a big company might be using travel bloggers photos like this. Sort of like when Virgin Mobile was using people’s flickr photos without consent.)

originally posted at Go Green Travel Green

Blogger Warning: Are Your Photos Being Stolen?

Over the years I have written (ranted) about most types of holidays, other than cruises. I do like the idea of sailing to different destinations, and some of the cruise ships are pretty impressive, but, the fact that I travel solo a lot means cruise holidays are out of my budget.

Lack of cruise rants

It is single person supplements that make a cruise holiday impossible for me. I receive a lot of complaints from consumers, but I can’t remember the last time one that was cruise related. I was wondering what issues consumers have with cruises.

If you’ve been on a cruise, what did you not enjoy about it? Feel free to add your negative experiences in the comments section below.

This post was syndicated from the Travel Rants Consumer Blog.

Your cruise holiday rants and complaints

A few weeks back, Andy Jarosz wrote a post about a restaurant that does not provide customers with tap water, and I suspect that is because too many people were asking for water, and not paying for drinks. Then today, I watched a video rant to hotels about them charging for a bottle of water.

Water for profit

Travel to any popular tourist hotspot and you will find that the modest bottle of water doubles in price. At the end of the day we live in a world where people in many countries have to travel for miles for water, we do take it for granted.

So should it be used as a way for hotels, restaurants and tourist attractions to make huge profit?

Stop purchasing from hotel mini bars

I refuse to purchase anything from hotel mini-bars because it is a complete rip off. They put it there because many people would rather pay the inflated price, than walk out of the hotel to the nearest supermarket. We should all stop using hotel mini-bars until they sell at retail price.

As usual, I would be interested to read your experiences and thoughts.

This post was syndicated from the Travel Rants Consumer Blog.

Rip off hotel mini bars