At the Château de Candes in the Loire Valley, a cave spa, 40 resident artists and a former fire-juggler manager add up to an anti-cliché wellness resort.

An agent said his ticket listing was handled. It was not, the tickets sold twice, and he was billed $864. Why a verbal all-clear won't protect you.

A paid-in-full booking didn’t stop the cruise line from canceling and demanding $1,530 more. What does “paid in full” really mean on a cruise?

StubHub's seating map showed front-stage seats. It was flipped, and he paid $506 to sit behind the stage. Can a screenshot get his money back?

Mishandled bags hit a record low, but trackers and airline scanners still don't sync. Tracker-stacking, high-low, and the phone habits that find a lost bag.

For some hotel guests, these annoying extras are still on the folio. Here's what changed — and what didn't

At Feldberg Nature Reserve, park officials are dealing with some of climate change’s toughest questions this fall. What happens to tourism now?

A policy should name an underwriter you can look up in minutes. Here’s how to verify it, and the warning signs of products that could be impostors.

You can't negotiate a hotel tax. Shouldn't you at least be able to know what it pays for?

The hotel room type you pick and pay for is often just a request. Why the guarantee became an elite perk, and how to protect a room that matters most.

A $1,866 Lenovo Yoga died on short drives and ran hot after five repairs. What a warranty owes after repeated failed fixes, and how she got her refund.

Swiss downgraded a couple from premium economy, then claimed it had paid them with a cash card they never got. What EC 261 actually owes for a downgrade.

The credit bureau insisted his credit freeze was lifted. His account said otherwise. What the Fair Credit Reporting Act requires — and how to break a bureau standoff.

New Zealand, the UK, the US and more now charge to enter. What every travel entry fee costs, which ones fund conservation, and how to dodge fake visa sites.

Here's what each one costs you — and what to write instead

A wave of resort security amnesia is sweeping through hotels, turning savvy travelers into easy marks. Here’s how to stay safe on your next trip.

Airlines say showing the full airfare would confuse you and raise prices. Airbnb switched to total-price display and kept growing. The case for honest fares.

Freiamt, a village in Germany’s Black Forest, built its energy system for reasons that had nothing to do with saving the planet. Now travelers book tours to see it.

Queenstown wants to be the green adventure capital. Inside the push to electrify jet boats and bungee jumping, and the weight problem holding it back.

A GE washer that banged the walls passed every technician's test on empty loads. What the warranty law actually requires after repeated failed repairs.

A price-lock plan should mean no surprise charges. This traveler prepaid a year early, then got billed $670 more. What the fine print and federal rules say.

A canceled concert should mean an automatic StubHub refund. It took six calls, a chargeback tangle, and an advocate. What the FanProtect fine print hides.

Travelers are buying more trip guarantees than ever, even in a record-quiet storm season. Which ones pay out, and where the fine print hides the catch.

Gateside by TSA PreCheck lets visitors without tickets past the checkpoint at 13 airports. Is that a good idea?

The city has spent 40 years getting sustainability right. Almost none of it is visible, and that’s by design. Here’s what you’ll find.

Almost no one uses the “free look” period when they buy a trip insurance policy. Here’s how it works, what ends it early, and what to read before the clock runs out.

From setting airfares to deflecting consumer complaints, computer algorithms are already making travel unbearable. A few simple rules might fix it.

Coverage often excludes civil unrest, covering only official terrorism. Why the gap exists, and how to actually protect a trip to a volatile place.

A Rover sitter left a healthy dog alone for hours, the owner says, and it turned critically ill. Why Rover denied his $5,272 vet claim, and what he recovered.

Princess added nearly $4,000 to a booking marked paid in full, then said pay, downgrade, or lose the cruise. What paid in full should mean, and your options.

Frontier charged $99 for a bag that fit its own sizer, and the passenger had the photo. Why airlines override the evidence, and how he got it back.

Why travelers are trading digital efficiency for a slower, more memorable trip now.

New delay categories begin October 19. Is this the first step toward shifting the cost of maintenance failures to you?

A federal air-travel watchdog meets for the first time in over three years, with one consumer voice and an agenda of just posters. What it leaves out.

Two eco-lodges near Glenorchy chase the same regenerative goal: the world's first Living Building lodge, and a solar retrofit of an 1868 pioneer tavern.

Amazon promised a $179 refund in writing, then reversed it over a closed return window. Whether a written promise binds a company, and how to fight back.

Dollar billed a couple $1,858 for a Jeep they had returned weeks earlier, then threatened repossession.

Budget charged a $450 smoking fee five days after a clean receipt, with photos of no car in particular.

Fake AI travel reviews have doubled since 2022 and skew heavily five-star. How to spot the bots behind the glowing praise, and why the tells are fading.

We're rebooting our podcast today with a look at our failures (and there are many)

Bags fly free and open seating are gone. Lounges and first class are coming.

Premiums keep climbing and the checkout keeps pushing add-ons. The coverage you already carry may be paying for itself twice.

She overpaid her cable bill by thousands, got it back on a prepaid card, then watched the balance quietly vanish.

The company repossessed an Uber driver's rental and banned him two years after his bank froze the account over its own erratic billing.

A gate agent said she'd paid for her flight with a stolen voucher. Here's how the scam works, how to get unbanned — and how to get your money back.

Shouting English louder. Panicking at a gate change. Dressing like a walking target.The signs of a low travel IQ are easy to spot, starting with your own.

Flock Safety rewrote its privacy rules after a public revolt, but airport face scanning keeps expanding

The Federal Trade Commission says sellers should admit when your personal data determines the price you pay. It doesn't go far enough.

Travelers claim to care about the planet, then book on price. How one New Zealand tour operator is trying to turn 3 million visitors into advocates.

ADA concert seating vanished at checkout, then returned through resellers at a markup. What the law requires, and the exchange right most fans never hear about.