Rosebuds Blog

Say “TSA” to a traveler and there is a story at the ready — and not a good one in most cases. The Transportation Security Administration, like so many federal agencies, have a bad reputation with the people it was created to serve. Fortunately, the TSA is well aware of its shortcomings and has made changes designed to improve its services for the traveling public. Specifically, it has torn a page out of the playbooks of U.S. airlines and other businesses by turning to social media channels Twitter (@AskTSA) and Facebook Messenger to communicate with its constituents who need questions answered and problems solved, according to an extensive article recently published in the Wall Street Journal. What’s more, the TSA says tweets often gave them early word of checkpoint problems around the country. The feedback from travelers thus far has been positive. On Facebook, the most common question posed is … (click the headline to continue reading)

One of the most powerful tools of the social media movement is the podcast. They have become hugely popular because they allow us to be informed or entertained while doing any number of other things in our lives, such as commuting, exercising or eating. What’s more, there are podcasts for just about any subject you can imagine, including traveling. There are dozens of podcasts for the traveler. Indeed, travelers will find podcasts especially useful during their travels, particularly on long flights and airport layovers. Fred Perrotta, co-founder of Tortuga Backpacks and a travel enthusiast and writer, notes that most international flights still don’t have wi-fi, so his prescription for passing time includes listening to podcasts, which can be downloaded onto a smartphone free of charge, then listened to without an internet connection. We turned to Perrotta, Gecko Adventures and the Zero to Travel Podcasts Directory to find some of the podcasts that might interest you. Here is a synopsis … (click on the headline to continue reading)

Infrastructure has been a major topic of discussion among business and political leaders for the past several years — particularly in the United States, where the degradation of infrastructure is trillions of dollars behind maintenance schedule. The American Society of Civil Engineers have given U.S. infrastructure a grade of D+ and estimated the country must spend $3.6 trillion by 2020 to get up to snuff. Travelers are privy to the problem because many U.S. airports are badly outdated (despite handling more passengers than any country in the world). Indeed, not a single U.S. airport is ranked in the top 25 in the world, and the country’s largest airports (including Chicago, Los Angeles and New York) are considered bottom-of-the-barrel when rated for traveler satisfaction. Why does the problem persist? That is a question that has been tackled by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. It studied the problem and come to some sobering conclusions … (click on the headline to continue)

A recent report from JLL Hotels & Hospitality — a financial and professional services firm — titled Redefining luxury for 21st century hotels, went far back in time to make an essential point. The report begins: “It’s 1930 and you’re checking into one of the finest luxury hotels in the atmospheric Italian city of Venice. You enter through the lobby, a sprawling foyer lit by a pair of crystal chandeliers, and check in at the marble-covered front desk. After receiving your key, you’re greeted by a well-dressed elevator attendant who helps you load your luggage into the lift. A bellman opens the door to a guestroom that’s straight out of a magazine, setting your suitcase near a bed festooned with decorative throw pillows.” Fifty years ago, these features and amenities gave a hotel “luxury” status, the report says. Later, travelers began to associate luxury with upgraded amenities, such as high-definition TVs and lush spas. But these amenities have become standard and elite travelers are looking for something more. That “something more,” JLL refers to is less about the furnishings offered by quality hotels and more about … (click on the headline to continue reading)

Happy New Year everybody. It is that time when we make resolutions for the year ahead, take stock in how our lives are progressing and, of course, what the New Year will be for one and all. For those who fancy themselves futurists or people of vision, it is the time when they make predictions about what will come to pass during the next 12 months. The travel site Booking.com has joined the forecast with eight travel predictions, based on traveler endorsements, reviews, preferences and insights, as well as industry leading understanding and innovation in e-commerce travel technology. They are… (click on the headline to continue reading)