The Informed Traveler

Send us Fan Mail On our podcast this week we're going to talk about long stays, our resident travel expert Onanta Forbes is doing just that and has been staying in Mexico for the past few weeks and plans to stay for a couple of more months so we'll get some insight and tips from her on what to do when planning for a long stay somewhere. Plus, we'll chat with travel creator Max Zahar...

Send us Fan Mail On our podcast this week we talk about International Driving Permits or IDP's. Travel expert Onanta Forbes will join me to discuss why you need one. Then the folks from Booking.com will join me to share their list of the friendliest or most welcoming destinations and we'll reveal where the friendliest destination in Canada is. And, Ken Stewart from Crowfoot Travel Soluti...

Send us Fan Mail The folks at Contiki recently came out with their list of the Top Travel Trends for 2024 so on this week's podcast travel expert Onanta Forbes will join me to discuss what those trends are. Plus, the new international airport in Tulum opened a few months ago so we're going to talk with Travis Bembenek, CEO of the Mexico News Daily who took a tour of the airport back in D...

Send us Fan Mail One of the big stories literally, from the travel industry this past week was the arrival of Royal Caribbean's new mega cruise ship the Icon of the Seas. Carrying 10,000 passengers and crew it is now the largest cruise ship in the world. So on this week's podcast, travel expert Onanta Forbes will join me to discuss the question; are cruise ships getting too big? Plus, if...

Send us Fan Mail One of the issues that will always affect your travel plans is weather. It can delay flights and bring traffic to a halt. So on this week's podcast travel expert Onanta Forbes will join us with a few tips to help you prepare for any weather issues that may arise. Plus travel writer Debra Smith will join us this week, she was recently in Montreal so we'll get some insight...

Send us Fan Mail The start of the New Year also marks the start of Wave Season, meaning anyone looking at going on a cruise, now is the time to do that. So, on this week's podcast Travel expert Onanta Forbes will join me to discuss some tips for first time cruisers. Also, as the new year begins we'll look ahead to 2024 with the folks from CheapOair to see what travelers should be aware o...

Send us Fan Mail On our last podcast for 2023 we'll check in again with Travel Expert Onanta Forbes who is sailing onboard the Viking Sea over the holidays so we'll get an update on where she is and what she's seen. Speaking of cruising, we'll get a review of cruising around Japan from David Yeskel, the Cruise Guru. He was onboard Windstar Cruises' Star Breeze recently. He...

Send us Fan Mail Our resident travel expert Onanta Forbes is traveling over the holidays, sailing onboard the Viking Sea so on this week's podcast we'll check in with her to get an update on where she is and what she's doing. Plus we've got a bonus segment for you, we'll be getting some packing tips from Annie Hennessey, PR Director for Samsonite. And once you've got...

Send us Fan Mail Tis the season for holiday travel so in this week's podcast travel expert Onanta Forbes will join us to offer up a few holiday travel reminders to help smooth out the process. We'll also chat with Tracie Barnthouse from Travel Nevada, she's going to share some planning tips to explore Reno, Nevada and the Lake Tahoe Loop. And, Ken Stewart from Crowfoot Travel Soluti...

Send us Fan Mail Air Canada announced last week that they will be offering a new feature for its mobile app that enables customers to track the progress of their baggage so on this week's podcast travel expert Onanta Forbes will join us to discuss that and some of the other gadgets that are available to keep track of your luggage. Plus, if traveling to Machu Picchu is on your list of destinat...

Send us Fan Mail As the saying goes, there's only 2 things certain in life; death and taxes and that includes tourism taxes so in this week's podcast travel expert Onanta Forbes will join us to discuss some of the tax increases on airfares and the increase on other tourism taxes and fees. And any new taxes that you may need to pay. Plus, the folks from the Florida Keys will join us to gi...

Send us Fan Mail The airlines are back in the news again so on this week's podcast Travel Expert Onanta Forbes will join me to discuss the good and not so good news that transpired last week. Then we'll look ahead to 2024 and chat with the folks from Booking.com who recently released their travel predictions for 2024. And, Ken Stewart from Crowfoot Travel Solutions will be along to give...

Send us Fan Mail A new report from Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection recently revealed what they say are the safest countries and the safest cities to travel to so in this week's podcast travel expert Onanta Forbes and I will review which countries and cities topped the list. Plus, the Marriott hotel group is looking to expand their portfolio in the Caribbean and Latin America so we'l...

Send us Fan Mail On this week's podcast Travel Expert Onanta Forbes and I will discuss our Mexico experience. And the Travvy Awards were announced this past week. They are like the Academy Awards for the travel industry, so we'll run through some of the winners. Plus in honor of Remembrance Day this weekend I'll play a conversation I had a few weeks ago with Rory Cory, the Senior Cu...

Send us Fan Mail We were in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico for this week's podcast taking in all the sights and sounds of Day of the Dead.  Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Our resident travel expert Onanta Forbes is in Los Cabos, Mexico staying at the Dreams Los Cabos so on this week's podcast we'll check in with her to see how she's enjoying her stay. Plus, with Halloween coming up we'll explore some spooky stories about haunted hotels. And, Ken Stewart from Crowfoot Travel Solutions will be along to give us a few destination id...

Send us Fan Mail Do you have a favorite travel app or a few travel tech gadgets that you can't leave without? On this week's podcast, Travel Expert Onanta Forbes and I discuss a few helpful gadgets and apps to use while traveling. Plus, the Cruise Guru, David Yeskel will join us again, he recently returned from a cruise of the Mediterranean. He also spent a few days in Rome after his cru...

Send us Fan Mail If you were thinking the price of a hotel room will be going down anytime soon, think again. According to a new report from American Express Global Business Travel, hotel guests should expect to pay increasingly higher room rates in 2024. So travel expert Onanta Forbes will join me to discuss it further. Plus, there's always something happening in Los Angeles and so many attr...

Send us Fan Mail If you're going to be flying anytime soon the one thing you can't avoid is spending time at an airport. But according to a survey from JD Power not all airports are created equal. Some are better than others so in this week's podcast Travel Expert Onanta Forbes and I discuss some of the best and worst airports in North America and around the world. Then we'll h...

Send us Fan Mail Travel expert and weekly guest, Onanta Forbes is back from her travel adventures in the UK so we'll see how the last leg of her cruise was like onboard the Regal Princess. Plus, known as the Halloween Vacation Capital, Orlando Florida is offering all kinds of haunting adventures both in and beyond the theme parks. And, Ken Stewart from Crowfoot Travel Solutions is in Mexico f...

Send us Fan Mail On this week's podcast, travel expert and weekly guest, Onanta Forbes is on her third week of her travel adventure in the UK sailing on the Regal Princess so we'll catch up with her once again and get an update to see where she's been and what she's been doing. Plus, if taking a rail trip is in your future plans you'll want to hear our conversation with Cr...

Send us Fan Mail Travel expert and weekly guest, Onanta Forbes is continuing her adventure traveling through the UK this week so we'll catch up with her again like we did last week and get an update. Plus, we'll chat with the President of the Curator Hotel and Resort Collection, a collection of independent hotels and resorts in the US, connecting travelers with one-of-a-kind destinations...

Send us Fan Mail Travel expert Onanta Forbes is traveling through the UK this week. So, in this week's podcast we'll catch up with her and get an update from the UK. Plus, we'll get some tips on traveling to Bali and  details on a tour that involves learning about the cuisine and dining experiences in Bali called the Taste of Bali. And, Ken Stewart from Crowfoot Travel Solutions wil...

Send us Fan Mail With wildfires, floods, hurricanes, airline disruptions and inflation interrupting travel plans these days, planning your next vacation may not be as simple as it sounds. So in this week's podcast travel expert Onanta Forbes will join us with some tips on how to plan that next vacation. During the planning process maybe you’d like to add a boat tour for a day or even charter...

Send us Fan Mail On this week’s podcast; dressing for success while traveling. How well do you blend in with the locals? Or to put it another way, how much do you stick out and can be easily spotted as a tourist? It can cause you a bit of trouble in some cases so Travel Expert Onanta Forbes will join us to discuss how to Dress For Success. Then we’ll talk about travel insurance, we mention it almo...