Amazon.co.uk Review
The Travel Detective is the guide-to-end-all-guides on how to get to your destination and have a good time, explaining how to beat the airlines, hotels, cruise lines and car rental agencies at their own games.
Peter Greenberg is hands-down the right man for the job. Here is a guy who checked in a double porcelain sink as a carry-on, just for laughs, crisscrossed the country on six different airlines over two days to see if the flights would be on time, and tested credit card company claims for global assistance in an emergency by getting stuck in a ghost town in Death Valley. Not only that, he's travelled to 120 countries around.
A tourist, says Greenberg, is a victim waiting to happen. The travel world is full of ridiculous and draconian rules, but there are no shortages of ways to finesse them. You just have to know what to avoid and how to ask the right questions. Greenberg explains how to get the cheapest fares and beat the Saturday night stay requirement. He tells you the truth about frequent-flyer programs, where the secret flights and even secret seats are, and how to avoid being a PAWOB (passenger without bags). He's got tips for travelling with kids and pets, and the truth about the safety of infants flying on laps (as well as that infamous first-class flying pig). Once you've made it to your destination, he'll fill you in on the best time to call to get the lowest hotel rates, the right question to ask to get a room with good water pressure and how to avoid hotel and rental car rip-offs. He's even got advice for finding a cruise that lives up to its seductive description. This is a useful, fun and readable guide. --Lesley Reed, Amazon.com
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.