Patrick Smith’s column, Ask the Pilot  is almost always an acerbic look at the airline industry with its many foibles and Alice in Wonderland rules and regulations.

But the regular contributor to Salon, the award-winning online news site, also provides helpful insights into basic questions such as: Are Pilots Ever Afraid of Crashing or what do all those bells mean during a flight. Human stuff that’s reassuring and informative.

Recently he took the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) 

By Roy Heale

You know that you have arrived at a gay-friendly Hotel when the local gay guide is displayed prominently in the hotel lobby along with other tourist information brochures. Such was the case when I arrived at The Plaza del Sol Hotel in the heart of downtown Rosario and the De Ambiente gay guide was readily available in the foyer. The welcoming staff were also extremely helpful and spoke English, which is not always the case in Argentina.

Located on San Juan Street near attractions such

It is an honor to watch someone as skilled Tek Roka, the pastry chef at trendy Radisson Blu Resort & Spa in Dubrovnik, Croatia. Chef Roka create chocolate delights at the five-star resort on the Adriatic shore that opened in July 2009. Roka is originally from Nepal but worked for ten years in Dubai where he won first place in the sugar pastry decoration category.  His roses creations are truly amazing.

Chef Roka has created the Radisson’s signature dessert – Chocolate Fingers. The smooth creamy

Some animals considered the smartest and most intelligent others are just stupid: Here is a list of top 15 smartest animals on our planet

Palma de Mallorca is the capital one of holidaymakers’ favorite islands, Majorca. Despite its small in size, it gives you a city feeling, with awesome shopping and world-class restaurants.

Sun and city on the same trip: about Palma

Palma has 360 000 inhabitants, lively atmosphere with friendly and relaxed people. It couldn’t be easier to combine city break and a beach holiday. Stay either in the center of Palma and walk to the beach, or accommodate yourself in a lovely beach holiday home, relax by

Who suspected that Rockland, way up in Mid-Coast Maine, is also known as Pie Town USA? Perhaps you’ve heard of Rockland for its extensive Wyeth collection at the Farnsworth Art Museum, its distinctive rocky Penobscot Bayshoreline or succulent lobster boils and majestic Windjammer excursions during summer.

Rockland’s pie claim-to-fame is thanks to Food Network’s Bobby Flay when he paid a visit here for a pie throwdown. Held each year on the second to the last day of January in conjunction with Nat

Technology Fails Locking Guests Out of Hotel Rooms

Guests at the Denver Marriott Tech Center would have loved a set of hard keys to their rooms on New Year’s Eve because, as if by magic, a computer malfunction locked every guest out of their hotel room. And locked the elevators shut.

Bad enough, but this was just before the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve.

TNooz,  the tech-talking travel web site, reported that moods of the guests quickly went from happy and celebratory, to downright mean

Tourism Tidbits for January is now on line.  Please contact me if interested in receiving it: ptarlow@tourismandmore.com.  Here is a portion on this month's theme: Luxury Travel.

Despite the worldwide recession, there is one area of the tourism market that is rapidly expanding, that is the upscale or luxury market.  Asian airlines, for example, have not only increased their first class capacity, but continue to offer a wide variety of this new luxury travel products.  In fact, the luxury travel m

Any trip to Maine has to include spotting a moose.  Wild Moose, of course, but how about a 1700-pound chocolate moose?

When in Maine be sure to stop in Scarborough, near Portland, Maine, where there is a very special moose. At Len Libby Handmade Candies meet the world’s sweetest moose, Lenny, made from 1700 pounds of chocolate.  Lenny was sculpted on site in four weeks and unveiled in 1997.  He proudly stands in a “pool” of tinted white chocolate complete with lily pads and frogs.  All chocolate

Located right in the heel of Italy's boot, Puglia's 6 provinces showcase more than 500 miles of lapis-lazuli coastline on both the Adriatic and Ionian Seas. Puglia is also Italy's top olive oil producer, celebrated for its red Salice Salentino wine, orecchiette(ear-shaped pasta), and abundantly fresh seafood dishes like pignata di polpo, a delightfully fresh squid stew.

It's only fitting to explore this off-the-well-trodden tourist track region by forgetting self-made itineraries and going with a

THEATER DISTRICT HOTEL ON MANHATTAN'S WEST SIDE

Motel 6 does not leave the light on for you in the city that never sleeps. Not only are there no Motel 6-ish rates in Manhattan, but the average hotel room costs $300, pricey enough to make some people think twice about staying in town. So in June 2011, Yotel opened on Tenth Avenue and 42nd Street with a new deal for New York City.

Yotel does not pretend to be a “cheap” hotel: Rates usually start at about $190, and some weeks they're considerably

Dust off “dem golden slippers” and strut off to Philadelphia for a splendiferous New Year celebration. Philly’s Winter Mummerland is a multi-day family event that culminates in the Mummer’s Parade, America’s oldest folk parade, on New Year’s Day, where the weather may be cold, but the hospitality is red-hot. The costumes and fun evoke Mardi Gras, the floats compare with those in the Tournament of Roses Parade, but best of all it is fun for the whole family.

The Mummers Parade grew out of Europea

If any holiday is made for Las Vegas it's New Year's Eve, and it falls on a Saturday night this year.

Las Vegas is expecting a record 320,000+ out-of-town guests for New Year's Eve parties. Las Vegas will fill its 150,189 hotel rooms on New Year's Eve, Sam's Town RV Park also has a full house.

We will be heading to the Strip for the New Years festivities. At 6pm Las Vegas Blvd is closed to vehicle traffic and becomes party central. Four and a half miles, from the Stratosphere to the Mandalay Bay a

SKIING AND SNOWBOARDING NEWS FOR PARK CITY RESORTS

You can click here to see why Park City -- which includes Deer Valley, The Canyons, and Park City Mountain Resort -- might be America's best ski destination even without this season's additions and improvements. Then scroll down to see what's new. 

Deer Valley Resort

The groomed trails (and groomed people, like ageless 1952 Olympics star Stein Eriksen, right) at Deer Valley are so flawless that my Colorado friend wonders if someone there ble

Starbucks. It seems every civilized place on the planet has at least one.

On any continent they are all exactly alike. The only difference is the décor on the mugs. I consider them collectibles. I have no more room on the shelves in my kitchen for them, but I still buy one wherever I go. In fact, I am a bit annoyed if the city I am in (Nairobi, Kathmandu) does not have a Starbucks.

Before I travel, I Google the location of the Starbucks in the destination city. Not only do I want to add to my coll

With an endeavor to revive Hinduism, the great Hindu reformer Adi Shankaracharya founded the Chardham Yatra during the 8th century AD. The name “Char Dham” rightfully refers to four abodes of the Almighty, namely Gangotri, representing Ganga-the godess of power, Kedarnath depicting the dwelling of Lord Shiva, Badrinath symbolizing the home of Lord Vishnu and Yamnotri signifying the godess of strength Yamuna. Housed at the Himalayan base of Garhwal (Uttaranchal), all the aforesaid locations find

Travel:

Verb, -eled, -el·ing or (especially British) -elled, -el·ling

Noun, adjective verb (used without object)

1. To go from one place to another, as by car, train, plane, or ship; take a trip, journey--to travel for pleasure.
2. To move or go from one place or point to another
3. To proceed or advance in any way
4. To go from place to place as a representative of a business firm
5. To associate or consort: He travels in a wealthy crowd

Lately, I have been thinking a lot about traveling. Not sure why, but suspect it

Cape Town has developed into a glitzy city since Apartheid and the fall in flight prices, thanks to the World Cup, makes this the biggest holiday destination in southern Africa. When your plane comes in over the city, it is impossible not to be captivated by Table Mountain that forms the area’s perpetual backdrop. The Mother City (so called because it is the first colonised city in Africa) is built in the valley of an impressive mountain range that holds the city’s 3.5 million inhabitants in a b