A responsible traveler receives an inoculation before traveling abroad.

Recently the Center for Disease Control has become increasingly concerned about the large number of international travelers who don’t take health precautions very seriously and thus post the risk of spreading dangerous, infectious diseases to other travelers.

In the past two or three years, the CDC has logged over 650 reported cases of tuberculosis among travelers, carried principally by air when arriving or returning to the U.S. With the speed and abundance of air travel, a serious disease such as this has the potential to spread farther and faster than more notorious infections such as the famous case of Typhoid Mary.

Chicken pox and shingles also rank high among diseases that have the CDC concerned, especially because no one can say with certainty how many such cases go unreported each year. These are spread on cruise ships as well as airliners.

In such cases, to borrow a phrase from conservative football fans, “the best offense is a good defense.” Whenever one travels outside the U.S., it’s wise to contact the CDC or your local city or county health office to see what inoculations or preventatives are required or recommended for the destinations you plan to visit.

It’s estimated that a shocking two-thirds of travelers to Asia and Latin America who should arrange for them, do not get travel inoculations before leaving home. More than half of those traveling in areas subject to malaria have failed to take the necessary preventive measures. With numbers that large, the odds that you’ll be sitting next to one of them on a long flight are pretty high.

The solution is to see a travel doctor (often employed by the city or county of your residence) four to six weeks before your travel date to start the required course of recommended inoculations or preventative medications. Why a travel specialist instead of your family doctor? Because exotic viral diseases move and change, making it impossible for your personal physician to keep up to date with the current geo-spread of, say, dengue fever.

Also, your personal recommendation may change based on your own age or health status. Children, pregnant women, or those on certain medications need the benefit of a travel specialist when choosing travel vaccinations and precautions.

The more exotic the destination, the more necessary such measures become. (Remember that if you’re flying to and from Johannesburg for business, there’s a good chance you’ll be seated next to someone who’s been on safari.)

Those who are among the four-in-ten who act responsibly can travel with peace of mind, knowing they have protected themselves as well as members of the public in their close proximity.

It goes without saying that in addition to travel inoculations, care when consuming water is enormously important to your travel health.

For more about travel vaccinations, visit the CDC’s information page.

It takes more than blue water to make a five-star resort.

It used to be that a hotel without a restaurant (or elevator, or bellman) had no hope of achieving a five-star rating. But today, on most travel websites, no such standards exist. A restaurant in Rome might be evaluated by travelers on the basis of its menu prices, or whether it serves hamburgers to those who miss bad food back home. However, travelers with higher expectations, such as finding an establishment with a good pastry chef, a robust wine list, or an excellent culinary specialty, are often out of luck for reliable online advice. (Present blog excepted.)

Today, inexperienced travelers invent their own amateur ratings and post them willy-nilly, all over the Internet. Thus, a hotel near a train station, which a professional would warn against using, earns a five-star rating on a big travel website from a visitor who loves the price — under $50 per night.

I recently read one such amateur rating, fueled principally by the traveler’s personal budgetary relief rather than any particular experience at identifying a good hotel. And another five-star review was given to a “city hotel” — we would have put it in the motel category — because his room was next to the vending machine, making it easy for the visitor to feed his family without going to a restaurant.

Five stars for this? Really? Equal to the Paris Ritz? The Hong Kong Peninsula? The St. Regis New York?

The sad part of these online reviews is what comes next. Subsequent travelers choose these same hotels based on the good reviews left by their identity-cloaked predecessors, then deeply regret the experience. One poor soul found herself caught in the combo-platter-from-hell: A rude staff, a dirty room, broken bathroom plumbing, a bed that had been occupied without a change of sheets, street noise all night long, and an unforgettable stench. Sadly, this is how she will remember Rome, thanks to the guy who gave this hotel a five-star rating.

“Never again in a million years,” she vowed.

The point is, avoid such problems by first identifying the type of traveler you are, and then seek QUALIFIED advice for that travel style before you make your plans.

If you’re a budget traveler, please go to Amazon.com and spend $20 online for a guidebook that specializes in low-dollar travel and that can advise you about the cheaper hostels and neighborhood food sources. Choose one that also steers you away from the nasty spots which can populate that price range. These books are written by people who have visited most of the inexpensive inns and diners and use an established scale to rate them. Try to avoid one-star properties if you can. Once in awhile treat yourself to a three-star property (upper reaches of the budget range) if possible.

For travel at the mainstream level — above budget class — it’s definitely worth your time to consult both a mainstream guidebook and a qualified brand-name travel agency where someone on staff has experience in the country and the price level that matches your plans. Even if you love traveling independently, a bit of qualified advice for the most expensive cities on your route can save you from costly or time-consuming disappointments. You may have a three-star hotel budget if you like to spend your travel dollars on events and restaurants, but with careful planning you can find three-plus accommodations, and possibly even four-star in less dense areas, within your price range. Also, rely on seasonal special offers from large hotel chains.

And if you have a taste for deluxe or luxury travel, such as four- and five-star hotels or private accommodations, then please realize the typical mainstream guide book is not written for you, and the average travel agency is likely to view you as a payday rather than as a person. In such cases you’d be mad not to rely on a resource such as our Passport Newsletter, as well as the advice of an acknowledged specialist in upscale travel who will listen carefully to your interests and have the resources to fulfill your requests. (And who, in many cases, also reads Passport Newsletter.)

Next time you’re doing research online, remember this: The chance that a stranger has the same taste as you do is probably less than one percent, so take those anonymous online reviews with a pound or two of salt.

If you want high-quality experiences during your trip, rely on experts who specialize in your style of travel. Otherwise, the advice you receive could be the opposite of what you seek, and one thing is sure: You can never get back any lost days spent in the wrong place … or in the case of the woman we mentioned earlier, the opportunity to love your first night in Rome.

On Thursday, the Wall Street Journal will open its own travel agency, WSJ Travel. Reportedly, the new venture will offer trips to about 50 destinations per year, coinciding with the topics of travel articles that will appear in the paper. Itʼs an effort to bring additional revenue into the newspaper.

There are questions yet to be answered, of course.

1. Is it possible for any newspaper to write objectively about something itʼs trying to persuade readers to buy?
2. Does a newspaper really have the behind-the-scenes expertise to be successful in a totally different retail business?
3. If it makes sense to sell travel today, then why not diamonds, power tools, or laptops tomorrow? What business is the company really in?

Glamorous as it is, the retail travel business is struggling in this economy every bit as much as the advertising-based publishing industry. Itʼs unexpected to see a company enter the travel industry right now. The new venture might seem more logical on its surface if travel were a principal thrust of the Wall Street Journal; but itʼs actually the lighter fare offered to offset weightier topics in deeper areas of expertise.

Well, desperate times call for desperate measures. We certainly want the Wall Street Journal to succeed as a business enterprise; but we think it will take more than competing against travel agents to do so. Travel planning for the affluent is a high-touch customer service business with a complex back end; and even for those who have decades of experience in the field, it is still a high-wire act.

With luck, they’re subcontracting the business to those who know a lot about it. That would make sense for the travel part of the business, but what direction will be given to the editorial part of the business? How will readers be able to tell what is reporting, and what is sales?

We’ll all know more after the big unveiling on Thursday, and after a year of early adopters give it a try. If those travelers are happy, then weʼre pretty sure youʼll read about it in the Wall Street Journal. And if they are not, well then, there is still time for the newspaper to gear up its sales engines for home improvement products, fishing gear, and cell phones.

Peg Prideaux, CTC
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P.S. Letʼs not forget those in need. Please visit our Haiti Relief blog to learn how you can give immediate help.

With good timing, your beach can be this uncrowded.

Low prices can be a double-edged sword, though; the opposite side of the blade being that very low prices can attract customers from a different economic echelon (those who are not the usual customers of your favorite resort). That has the power to change the character of the place.

For instance, if your ideal Caribbean retreat has a low-key, piano-at-sunset atmosphere with a quiet beach catering to those over 50, this year you may find it filled with younger families, louder music, more horseplay, less refined dress for dinner, etc. Nothing wrong with any of this, of course … unless it makes you feel like a third wheel on someone else’s vacation.

Here are three ways to improve your 2010 travel:

First, Separate Yourself from the Mass of Summer Vacationers

To avoid traveling with masses of ultra-bargain hunters, be selective about your approach. Our chief advice: buy early and choose places not likely to attract what was once known as the hoi polloi…. Choose the Ritz-Carlton instead of the Marriott for resorts (although the former is owned by the latter); choose Seabourn instead of Carnival for cruising (although again, the former is owned by the latter); choose Travcoa instead of Trafalgar for tours, etc. You get the idea.

If you can, travel in May or October, avoiding school vacation periods which always mean more crowds.

Although travel savings are likely to be promoted throughout the year, the most desirable resort accommodations, tour dates or cruise staterooms will probably sell out sooner rather than later. If you prefer suites or junior suites, verandas, private cottages, ocean-front rooms, Paris apartments or Tuscan villas in the best locations, or if you are tied to specific summer travel dates, start making inquiries now.

Second, Find an Insider

Instead of making reservations yourself, use a travel agent with some clout; that is, one who has a reputation for bringing commerce to the place youʼve selected. This way if something should happen later ‒ and in this economy, one can never be sure what that might be ‒ youʼll have an advocate with the power to negotiate on your behalf.

There are a several ways to locate a travel agent who specializes in a particular destination:

1. Google for ‟Bora Bora travel specialist” and take a look through the results to find a travel planner you like.

2. Look through the specialist listings provided annually in Condé Nast Traveler’s Top Travel Agent issue or on the websites of influential travel agent networks such as Virtuoso, Signature Travel Network or Ensemble Travel. It’s normal for a travel agent with years of experience to claim deep knowledge about multiple places, but avoid agents who list everything imaginable.

3. If youʼve decided on a specific tour operator, resort or cruise line, contact that company before you make a reservation and ask to be referred to the top two or three travel agents who sell their line, or to the best handful of deluxe travel agents they know. You may be referred to a travel consultant who is not in your local area, but if youʼre comfortable being counseled by phone, youʼll benefit from their expertise as well as their ability to reach the executive suite if itʼs necessary to lodge a complaint.

Third, Protect Your Purchase

The only thing one can guarantee about 2010 is … that nothing about 2010 can be guaranteed. So, protect your travel investment with at least a modest travel insurance policy (contact your travel agent or auto club). If you need to change your plans for covered reasons, you won’t lose the principal part of your investment. (Note, cruise lines offer waivers that mitigate against loss, although they are not the same as insurance; American Express offers coverage at low fees for travel that is charged to the card.)

Lower your cash risk by using mileage points for air travel; if you’re short on points, remember that in many cases you can transfer your qualifying American Express credit card miles to your airline mileage plan.

Use these ideas to plan your 2010 travel now and enjoy the anticipation of your trip without the anxiety that will be visited upon those who wait too long.

Peg Prideaux, CTC
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