Recommend August 2011 - (Page 8)

agent speak editor’s travel insurance for singles Ernest M Kraus, president of Me and delCano Travel Consultants, responded to the “Travel Insurance Conundrum” Agent Speak letter (june 2011). Original letter: I do a group cruise every January. This year it was with NCL. I sell a group policy instead of buying insurance through the cruise line. This year, my husband was unable to go because of emergency gall bladder surgery. I assumed that since we had insurance that he would be compensated. NCL says that there was NO penalty since I used the cabin and therefore the insurance company will NOT pay any reimbursement. Mary Jo Lavenhagen 5 Star Travel Montrose, CO Kraus’ response: I do provide insurance coverage to singles going on group trips. It is individual coverage, not group. If the person could not go for a covered reason, there is no reason for the claim to be denied. Why does NCL tell Ms. Lavenhagen there is no penalty if she did not purchase the cruise line’s insurance. That would be the decision of the insurance company and that is the party to discuss it with. Ernest M Kraus Me and delCano Travel Consultants Woodbury NJ NCL’s response to Ms. Lavenhagen: We responded to Ms. Lavenhagen as she had sent us a letter about her claim, so we were informing her of our policy since she didn’t purchase insurance through us. If she would have purchased our policy through BerkleyCare she could have ﬁled a claim based on her travel companion not being able to go. Ms. Lavenhagen should try to resubmit the claim in her name stating that she had to pay more due to her travel companion not being able to cruise. T notes This is truly our traveling issue, which is always a good idea for a travel industry magazine, of course, but this “On Location” issue is really, really a travel industry travel magazine. Sarah Muñoz, for example, in our cover feature (page 14), went off to South Africa for a look at some of the old and even some new travel options for you to offer your clients. And in keeping with her own personal code of going above and beyond her duties as a travel chronicler, she lost her pants in a fast-moving South African river while reporting on a river rafting program. Way to go, Sarah, that’s really giving it your all or your pants, anyway, for a story. Next, she was off to Puerto Rico for a report on San Juan’s Condado neighborhood (page 24), its delightful cuisine and where to go to eat, drink and be merry. But she didn’t stop there. When she returned home, she put on another pair of traveling pants (traveling pants—hmmm, that sounds like a great book or movie title) and headed to downtown L.A. right into the “Thick of Things” (page 44) for still more travel adventures. Stacey Zable also checked in with another Puerto Rico report on her stay at the San Juan Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino (page 26), while Sergio Ortiz kept his pants on when he journeyed to Koh Samui in Thailand (page 20), where he learned how to “…unwind after a day of jungle trekking, visiting a ﬁsherman’s village or hiking to nearby waterfalls…” at the W Retreat Koh Samui. Obviously, he, too, went that extra mile, forcing him to “unwind” at the sumptuous “W” beach resort. Nobody can say our staff doesn’t go that extra mile…to the beach, to that waterfall, to the resort spa. (See Sergio’s Thailand pictorial on our new recommend.com, as well as his Japan travel blog—he followed up Thailand with a trip to Japan—on our new recommend.travel site.) Ciara LaVelle, trooper that she is, toughed it out scaling the luxurious heights of Jade Mountain (page 22), that high-end resort within a high-end resort at Saint Lucia’s Anse Chastanet Resort, then came crashing back to earth at charming budget accommodations in Mexico’s Playa del Carmen (page 28). Adria Valdes put on the feed bag in “Scrumptious Savannah” (page 46), endangering her waist line with good old boy dining and ﬁghting off sugar shock from the delectable desserts, while Vivian Holley took to the high seas aboard the oh-so-elegant Queen Elizabeth, Cunard’s pristine showcase of a not-so-bygone era (page 48). And then there’s yours truly who braved his way and contributed his share on page 42, by bellying up to the Belgian bars in a dedicated and certainly enthusiastic quest, “In Search of the Holy Ale,” with the Flanders Tourism team. To be honest, we’re not sure we actually found it, but we’re pretty sure we remembered to keep our pants on for pretty much most of the trip, a commendable, if not a memorable part of the adventure. You can ﬁnd the Flanders travel blog, by the way, on recommend.travel as well. Also, not to miss is our special feature on Central America, in which Carla Hunt took a few detours within this region to report on “Roads Less Traveled.” next month informative information Thanks so much for your wonderful publication. The information I garner from your magazine helps keep me on top of cruise ship updates, hotel information and what’s happening in clients’ favorite travel destinations. Chris Kelley International Travel Store Dublin, OH Responses, opinions and comments are welcome at agentspeak@recommend.com. Recommend reserves the right to edit letters submitted to Agent Speak. 8 august 2011 recommend.com We’re going to give you even more special destination information next month, with an 8-page Cruise Stockholm Travel Planner, and a 16-page Flanders Travel Planner, offering a host of information on where to go, what to see, where to dine and what to drink in these fascinating destinations. We’re also going to keep it in the family next time around with the annual September Family Travel issue, with features on family cruising, escorted family tours to China, new family product in Hawaii, family adventures in Africa and onsite Florida family fun with our managing editor Paloma Villaverde de Rico and her family in Jupiter Beach and the Florida Keys. In the meantime, have a great read.—Rick Shively —Rick http://www.recommend.com http://recommend.travel http://www.recommend.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recommend August 2011

Editor"s Notes/Agent Speak
Hotel Desk: Regent Hotels & Resorts
Tour Talk: The Wayfarers
Africa Travel Options Mix the Classic with the New
Thailand's Koh Samui
Jade Mountain, Saint Lucia
Escaping to San Juan's Condado
San Juan Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Central America: Roads Less Traveled
In Search of Flanders' Holy Ale
Downtown L.A. in the Thick of Things
Scrumptious Savannah
Cunard's Queen Elizabeth

Recommend August 2011