Boston Herald - Boston Herald

Amtrak to resume Boston to NY service

Bill Burke / The Travel Guy — Tue, 21 May 2013 13:15:00 -0400

Here's the release:

Monday, May 20, 2013
7:30 p.m. ET

Amtrak will resume regularly scheduled service between Boston and New York on Wednesday, May 22.

Amtrak applauds the efforts of Metro-North Railroad to quickly repair the tracks and other critical infrastructure.

Amtrak delays to affect Boston/Northeast Corridor

Bill Burke / The Travel Guy — Mon, 20 May 2013 07:15:00 -0400

Amtrak passengers can expect delays and reduced service throughout this week following a train collision near Bridgeport, Conn., on Friday, and as of now there is no estimate on when things could get better.

Amtrak released a statement about the expected delays between NYC and New Haven, which will also affect Boston:

Budget time for Shanghai’s free sites

Joe McDonald, Associated Press, Travel — Sun, 19 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400

SHANGHAI — China’s biggest city and financial hub is known for designer boutiques and fine dining. Yet wallet-draining Shanghai also offers activities that cost nothing, from walking on the riverfront Bund to sculpture parks and historic sites. Here are five of them.

The Bund

A walk along the Bund is an introduction to the essence of big, bold, fashionable, commercial Shanghai.

Summer sports, music and crafts programs attract grown-ups

Travel Guy, Bill Burke — Thu, 16 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Memories of summer camp may conjure up images of canoeing, crafts and pulling dining hall duty.

Just because we may be too old for sleepaway camp, however, doesn’t mean those days are gone. There are summer camps with surprisingly varied activities geared toward adults located throughout New England — all of them just a road trip away. Consider these grown-up versions of the annual summer getaway.

Cheating the system at Walt Disney World

Bill Burke / The Travel Guy — Tue, 14 May 2013 14:45:00 -0400

What would you do to avoid standing in line at a theme park?

A story in today's New York Post says that wealthy Manhattan moms are hiring handicapped tour guides so their kids can skip the lines at Walt Disney World. It says that visitors in wheelchairs and motorized scooters can essentially cut everyone, and this is their ticket to the front of the line. It's a very simplified and not entirely accurate description.

Murder, crime warnings in Nassau

Bill Burke / The Travel Guy — Tue, 14 May 2013 09:15:00 -0400

A Chicago man was fatally shot in Nassau, Bahamas over the weekend, prompting a Miami maritime lawyer to warn travelers about the Bahamian location.

Hoist the Maine sail!

Travel Guy, Bill Burke — Thu, 09 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400

The days of privateering along the Maine coast may be long gone, but would-be brigands looking to relive the days of adventure off the rocky shoreline need only head a little more than an hour north.

Take a vicarious vacation

Bill Burke / The Travel Guy — Tue, 07 May 2013 11:15:00 -0400

If your work schedule keeps you from traveling this week, maybe a little vicarious trip is in order.

Casino bosses transform Sin City into Club City

Associated Press — Mon, 06 May 2013 10:25:31 -0400

LAS VEGAS — To step into club XS at the Wynn Las Vegas is to enter the dreamscape of a modern artist with fetishes for gold and bronze and bodies in motion.

A golden-plated frieze made from casts of nude women sits atop a shimmering staircase. Waves of electronic dance music grow louder with each downward step toward a pulsating, football field-sized club where lasers cut the air above thousands of dancers.

Sox fans - head south for a deal

Bill Burke — Fri, 03 May 2013 12:30:00 -0400

When Boston takes on the Tampa Bay Rays June 10-12 and again Sept. 10-12, this part of Florida wants to see plenty of wicked loyal Sox fans.

Take the stress out of traveling with diabetes

Travel Guy, Bill Burke — Thu, 02 May 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Getting through airport security checkpoints can sometimes be a lengthy, stressful affair — an experience that can be compounded when carrying medical equipment or medication that falls outside the TSA’s 3.4 ounce limits.

Welcome to the world of traveling with diabetes.

Nearly 29 million Americans have diabetes, according to the National Diabetes Education Program, a partner of the National Institute of Health. And chances are, a good number of those 29 million people are going to pack up and go on a trip at some point in the near future.

Two new travel scams identified

Bill Burke / The Travel Guy — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 11:30:00 -0400

Scambook, an online complaint resoultion platform, is warning travelers about two specific scams involving free airfare vouchers and vacation package deals.

The first, according to Scambook, promotes a non-existent airline called US Airlines, which offers free airline tickets that can be redeemed by calling a number and providing personal information.

Disney's oldest cruise ship Magic gets a makeover

Associated Press — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 11:25:45 -0400

NEW YORK — Disney Cruise Line's oldest ship, the Magic, is getting a makeover, including the addition of a children's area themed on Marvel Comics superheroes and a three-story water slide, the company announced Friday.

The Magic launched in 1998. Other updates when the ship goes into drydock in Spain for a month this fall include updating audio technology and lighting, and retheming decor, motifs and layout in cabins, dining rooms, play spaces, and adult areas like bars and clubs.

Thanks, mom: Make her day memorable with  weekend adventure, pampering

Travel Guy, Bill Burke — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0400

It’s time to think outside the make-your-own-omelet station.

Mother’s Day is coming (May 12), and everyone takes their mom to brunch. Maybe it’s hard-wired into our DNA at birth, but there are options to chafing dish-based love. After all, she is your mom — she deserves a quick getaway, maybe some pampering or a quick road trip.

Here are five options that’ll get her out of the house and away from all those pancakes.

Post-sequester flight delays - how are we doing?

Bill Burke / The Travel Guy — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 10:15:00 -0400

Flightstats.com is keeping an eye on how things are progressing since the sequester/air traffic controller furloughs have begun.

While Logan isn't the worst, it is on the list.

Here is a recap of the cancellations and delays for flights at US airports post sequester.