Tagged With "IRS can get passports cancelled"
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Re: Boston in the fall - suggestions please!
Regarding hotels, Mac, I think I'd spend a few days in Boston to begin with, presuming that's where you are flying into. This will let you get over your jet lag and also give you a chance to see the state of the colors and plot out where you want to go. I would NOT go without having at least a night's reservation booked ahead because you'll waste too much time looking for a place to stay and will end up paying rack rate. Things will be busy and pretty filled up in the small towns of New...
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Re: Now an airline charge for NOT flying!
If you do call the airline to cancel your return ticket you get no refund. They will probably sell your seat for more than your two-way ticket cost. If you try to reschedule your return for another day they will charge full price with no discount for being polite and doing the right thing. So you just walk away and find another airline. The Philosophy of W.C. Fields. "Never give a sucker an even break"
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Re: Surprising Speke Hall, Liverpool
Great piece! I can't say enough good things about John Lennon Airport that's next door. Not only is does it have a wide array of budget flights for Europe, the passport control is actually friendly there.
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Re: Renting an apartment in Europe
AirBnb, and the other major rental agencies, have cancellation policies upfront that give you some choice. AirBnb has several levels ...one allows you to cancel almost up to the last minute, others have shorter deadlines. An advantage of using an agency that works this way...pretty much like a hotel booking site...is that the intermediary is holding your deposit and that can save hassles. Obviously, rules about dissatisfaction vary also, but usually if it can't be ironed out, you'll get at...
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Re: Doctor List for Traveling
As with many things travel, insurance is a matter of choice. Travel Health Insurance seems to be a lot more expensive in the US than elsewhere. Policies in the US usually include trip cancellation and medical coverage and often run 5-6% the cost of a trip. Given the amount you travel, Mac, the investment of a few hundred dollars a year seems prudent to me. But when I was 30 the thought of insurance never crossed my mind. Not once. A few years ago I did start buying trip cancellation (and...
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Re: Is trip cancellation insurance really worth it?
My elderly mother bought it when she went on a cruise. For her, it made sense because her health is not so good. She might have had to cancel and did not want to lose her deposit. The policy that she bought was specifically for trip cancellation but did not cover health issues or other unexpected issues during the trip. That policy would have covered a deposit refund but not all of them do. There are lots of different types of trip insurance so one has to ask lots of questions. As it turns...
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Re: Kyoto Tells Tourists What Not To Do
Wow. Most of the list IS common sense. But tourists don’t always practice common sense, maybe at times myself included. Thing is, I have observed several Japanese tourists doing exactly what they advise not to do on their list during my travels to Europe. :-/ Most recently, almost felt that the rules didn’t apply to them as I was scolded for taking a picture without flash at Sacre-Coeur (didn’t see the sign). That was my mistake. However, while I was getting scolded for my offense, several...
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Re: Passport Woes
Almost disaster. We once purchased a new Volvo back in 1991 and a trip to the factory in Goteborg Sweden to pick up the car was included. We picked up our new car and crossed via ferry into Denmark without a hitch. But at the German customs and passport control station, I was denied entry including our vehicle. I had shaved off my beard a few months prior, but my passport photo still showed the beard. The German officials kept saying that it wasn't my passport and to produce my real...
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Re: Passport Woes
My son was denied entry to the US shortly after 9-11. "Because the US isn't accepting men traveling alone" He replied "That's not a valid reason" So they stamped "Deported" on his passport. "Is that good enough for you ? "
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Re: Memphis, Tennessee 2) The King's chariots
Thanks, Garry. Yes, there is definitely an interest in Elvis from the younger generation. I'd say that today most of those visiting Graceland were not alive when Elvis died. And what's most amazing to me is how they come from all over the planet. Some of his greatest supporters, as you know, are from the UK (and also Japan for that matter). Elvis always regretted not performing in England, but his manager (he of the 50% cut fame) was an illegal alien without a passport, so he only kept Elvis...
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Re: Iran: Friendliness, Culture, Modernity - So Far Away From The Clichés!
Hello Dr. Fumblefinger, Thank you for your Feedback! To answer your questions: 1) The infrastructure is good to very good, and it is extremely easy to travel within Iran: there are lots of buses and excellent trains, there is a wide range of hotels, from simple guesthouses to world-class 5 stars hotels, restaurants going from street food stalls to fine dining, ... I have read that with the very fast development of tourism, the high-end category of hotels is the one that might get overbooked...
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Re: Airports, Airlines battle over passenger fees
What I dislike are when fees are not used for what they're charged for. If airport improvement fees really are used to fix up and improve airports, I think most consumers are fine with that. But when they just get put into the general revenues of a city's cash pool, that bugs most of us. What a find far more unreasonable than this are the fees to change or cancel a flight. Often they approach or exceed the value of a ticket. That's really gouging the consumer.
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Re: Spain, Portugal gain tourists in Greek crisis
I think people are exchanging visiting GREECE now for a lot of other European countries too besides Spain and Portugal. Avoiding uncertainty in travel is very hard to do though when you travel no matter where you go as i've found out with a lost passport and ferry strikes
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Re: Lost a US Passport Overseas? What I learned this trip.
I'm glad to hear the process worked so well. But I am surprised, for some reason, that they charged you for it. I wish you'd reported that it was as straightforward as you said and also that it's a service that comes with having paid for your passport already. Oh, well.
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Re: Lost a US Passport Overseas? What I learned this trip.
I also wish they didn't charge extra for it since I already paid for a Passport. I expected that part though. I was just glad to get my Passport the first business day.
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Re: Lost a US Passport Overseas? What I learned this trip.
I appreciate reading this because I have always wanted to know what to do if I lose my passport. I always carry with me extra passport photos and a photocopies of my passport. Glad to know they could come in handy.
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Re: Lost a US Passport Overseas? What I learned this trip.
I like HistoryDigger's idea of carrying extra passport-sized photos...even if you don't lose your passport, you may find them useful if you need them for a transit pass (as in Paris, for the Navigo). We also carry color copies of the ID page of our passports; in case of loss or theft it may help identify you at the consulate.
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Re: Lost a US Passport Overseas? What I learned this trip.
i believe that we should make a copy of our passport and bring some photos (passport size) before departure. It will be really useful in the case we lost our passport. This is my travel experience whilst working as travel consultant in Vietnam.
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Re: Venice gets OK to tax day-trippers
I think this is an altogether fair action & hope it balances the stress on services & infrastructure. Though I doubt it will discourage individual trippers, some cruise ships, I've read, will cancel stops this coming season claiming they'd have to absorb fees for already reserved passengers. Fewer cruise ships will be a very good thing.
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Re: TSA: More lines, delayed flights
European airlines have taken a big hit this year with Europeans staying home more. It was because of terrorism before airport security and also in public places in Brussels and Paris. Isn't that more of a risk now? We have accepted that minor risk on other forms of transportation and still go about our lives. I'd vote to cut back on scanning 100% of the people in airports to occasionally, like we did a few years ago. We can still walk through metal detectors. I guess the added carry-on bags...
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Re: Has anyone used their Enhanced Drivers License to travel to Canada or Mexico?
Most of the people I know who have this license are those who don't want to travel internationally and who live near the Canada-US border. There are a number of town literally split by the border and people migrate across daily to visit friends or work. I think these licenses are intended for them. Same for the Mexico USA border. If you travel internationally and have a passport, no point paying extra for the license for most folks. Passports have become more sophisticated and if you read...
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Re: Has anyone used their Enhanced Drivers License to travel to Canada or Mexico?
Thanks Dr Fumblefinger. I have used passport covers before and that's a good reminder for me. Even with the passport covers though, my passports have looked pretty rough after several years. And now in the US, you can't add pages . I thought the EDL's were relatively cheap and if it saves me some wear and tear on the passport and passport pages, I'm willing get one.
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Re: How do you buy your travel?
Interesting topic and rather timely as I am in the midst of finalizing my plans for my upcoming trip. Hotels: This upcoming trip the first I've used Booking.com. I have used a variety of sources in the past (i.e. Travelocity, Expedia, etc.) and have also found that booking directly through the hotel is sometimes cheaper...sometimes. But, I love the option to be able to change or cancel my reservation, if needed. Flights: I prefer to book directly through the airline. Have never used a...
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Re: How do you buy your travel?
I use booking.com the most for hotels and apartments because I can cancel. Sometimes I can't decide what part of town I want to be in, so I book more than one and keep researching until I have found the right spot. (I don't hold extra reservations long...just sayin'.) I love that booking.com now shows apartments and houses via villa.com because I always refer having a kitchen when I travel. I, too, use OTAs to see prices and schedules, and then I go to the airline's web page for booking.
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Re: IRS gains power to get passports cancelled
That is too much authority to give this agency, which already has fear-invoking rights of property seizure. I don't see what a revenue collection agency has to do with a citizen's right to have a passport. Maybe the person owing taxes needs to conduct business overseas to pay the Treasury what it says it is owed? How could they do this if they can't travel?
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Re: IRS gains power to get passports cancelled
I don't like it either. The IRS has made mistakes before and I'm sure taxes and penalties add up quick if the person doesn't pay in time Plus people from certain states might need their passports to act as ID because they won't be able to get into federal facilities with their state drivers license only and might not be able to fly soon . http://www.latimes.com/nation/...-20160103-story.html
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Re: IRS gains power to get passports cancelled
There are so many business men into Tax Avoidance schemes that the Government cant watch them all. So I suppose a warning off Uncle Sam saying - " Hey - I'm serious - behave or I'll ground you" could stop their lavish life styles. If everyone paid their Tax due notice then we wouldn't have all the cutbacks on services.
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Re: Flood of new agents to speed up Customs at JFK and Newark
The hold up in NY is that passengers - mostly just changing flights - have to enter the US. Then leave the US before getting an onward flight to other parts of the world. In non-US countries you can enter the International Lounge to wait for your next flight with no customs or visas. Just onward boarding card and passport. Quick and easy.
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Re: Flood of new agents to speed up Customs at JFK and Newark
You're both right of course. No one has the moral high ground on delays. When you transit an airport with several terminals you do need to enter the country first. But hub airports like Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Bahrain have all been so polite and helpful it makes you realise that there is a better way. I use Philadelphia airport now to enter the US. It rates alongside Orlando as a pleasant experience. Last year I went through passport control in Philly. When asked, I told the officer that...
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Lufthansa flights cancelled by pilot strike
Lufthansa has cancelled about 1350 flights, due to a pilot strike. The strike is hitting medium and short haul flights today (Monday, 12/1) and long-haul flights on Tuesday. About 150,000 passengers are affected. The main strike issue is...
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Charleston's Grand Mansions: Drayton Hall
On a recent visit to Charleston, South Carolina, I bought a 2-day pass, called the Charleston Heritage Passport , at the North Charleston Visitor Center near the airport, and planned to include as many of the sites it offered of...
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Charleston's Grand Mansions: Joseph Manigault House
On a recent visit to Charleston, South Carolina, I bought a 2-day pass, called the Charleston Heritage Passport , at the North Charleston Visitor Center near the airport, and planned to include as many of the sites it offered of...
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Charleston's Grand Mansions: Middleton Place
On a recent visit to Charleston, South Carolina, I bought a 2-day pass, called the Charleston Heritage Passport , at the North Charleston Visitor Center near the airport, and planned to include as many of the sites it offered of...
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Charleston's Grand Mansions: Aiken-Rhett House
On a recent visit to Charleston, South Carolina, I bought a 2-day pass, called the Charleston Heritage Passport , at the North Charleston Visitor Center near the airport, and planned to include as many of the sites it offered of...
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Making Connections For Connecting Flights
The other day we bought tickets on Delta from "da Burgh" -JFK-Paris-Vienna. We have a 1 hour 35 minute layover at CDG to make the connection with Air France to Vienna. After extensive travel in Europe this is the first time to make a connection onto...
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Coolest Passport Award: Clearly Canada
Canada's new model passport, like everyone else's these days, is full of security tricks and techniques, but so far no one else has the incredible light-up colors that show under UV light, turning, say, a picture of a government building from sepia...
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Frontier's raising bag fees; will the other "low-costs" follow?
Frontier Airlines, which last year joined Spirit and Allegiant in the ULCC (ultra-low-cost-carrier) class that seems to mean ULC (ultra lots of charges) for most folks, is raising its fees for checked bags. The only checked bags that will not go up by...
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Beware of inflight pickpockets
Many people on a flight relax and pay less attention to their private belongs than they would when physically walking somewhere. That's especially true for long flights, where people get engaged in the inflight entertainment, or take a nap....
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Cruise lines drop Puerta Vallarta over violence
Recent street fights between armed drug gangs and Mexican police and troops in Puerta Vallarta have cancelled several cruise's port calls, and curtailed others. Royal Caribbean's Jewel of the Seas, Disney's Wonder and Celebrity's Infinity have...
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Flight cancellations continue: Not just winter, now it's ash!
Alaska Airlines has been forced to cancel a number of flights within Alaska due to poor visibility caused by an ash cloud from Russian volcanoes erupting on the Kamchatka Peninsula. From USA Today, MORE That's added to the chaos...
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Norway To Come Out With Cool New Passport
Norway's National Police Directorate announced the design for the country's new passport from Neue Design Studio. It features on it's passport pages a reductive depiction of a Norwegian landscape .Under UV light, the Northern Lights glow. Read...
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Visiting Cuba.
After 50 years of strained relations between Cuba and the US it looks likely that travel will soon be possible again. I've been visiting Cuba - for over 15 years - from the UK. - I'm British. I spend some time living in the US...
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Strasbourg: Self-service tour of Alsatian food
PHeymont tries something new: A self-service gourmet food tour, organized by the Strasbourg Office de Tourisme.
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And Speaking of Airlines...Ryanair
Is canceling 2000 of it's flights a logical path to acquiring another airline? Ryanair appears to think so.
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Say 'Cheese' and board your flight? Maybe
JetBlue concludes a successful test of facial recognition for boarding, and Delta tries it out at baggage drop.
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London to cancel Uber's license
Uber's license to operate as a transit service in London is being revoked by the city over a number of concerns, but the company denies them.
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Svartisdal, Norway, Part 2
Bob Cranwell continues his tale of visits to the Svartisdal region in Norway, and some of the potential perils of hiking around this beautiful piece of geography.
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Delta tests facial recognition to speed bag drop
Delta's next baggage-handling experiment will match your face with your passport photo to automate bag drop at the airport.