My husband and I attended [Peter’s] presentation at a travel show in Boston and he answered my question about what to do if the hotel conditions are not what was advertised or booked.

One hotel on a recent trip to Norway had such bad conditions due to ongoing construction that I had to check out within a few hours and move to another hotel. Using Peter’s guidelines, I was able to get a complete refund.

It probably also helped that the hotel was booked through AAA and TravelBound and they went to bat for me.

If I had not heard Peter speak, I would not have had the confidence to walk away …

On our last stop in the U.S., we’re heading to the city that’s truly got its finger on the pulse…Austin, Texas, where music, beer, good eats, artists, and hipsters converge.

Few others have as much pride as Texans do (heck, they put a picture of their state on T-shirts), but you’ll also find hordes of transplants making their home in the capital city.

We’ve checked out everything from quirky nightlife to hidden natural spots to see what’s off the brochure in Austin.

One way to make your cruise cheaper is to bring things like drinks aboard. But on some ships, this is now forbidden.

Here’s what you need to know about bringing drinks on cruises.

It’s a common misperception that most cruises are all-inclusive and offer lots of free beverages.

On most major cruise lines today, that’s not the case.

In fact, the average cruiser spends about as much on board as they do for their cabin.

But recently, Carnival Cruise lines joined Royal Caribbean in banning all drinks from being brought on board.

After an outcry from cruisers, Carnival reversed the policy and now allows small quantities of non-alcoholic beverages.

Royal Caribbean, officially, still does not.

Still, some cruisers have reported being able to take small quantities of drinks …

Ever wondered how toothpaste gets in the tube?

Or how enormous Winnebagos roll off the assembly line?

Then check out Watch it Made in the U.S.A., a book that goes behind the scenes of America’s factories, giving us the inside scoop on how our favorite products are made.

Since 1992, husband-and-wife team Karen Axelrod and Bruce Brumberg have been traveling thousands of miles throughout the countries to visit hundreds of factories.

Peter Greenberg Worldwide (PGW) sat down with Karen to find out more about the family’s travel experiences:

As occupancy rates for hotels rise, most are getting tougher about having you leave and arrive on time. But at some hotels, check-out is when you say it is.

Most hotels are getting stricter about checkout times, with more and more charging big fees if you’d like to checkout late.

But a few offer checkout times set to your schedule, not housekeeping’s.

The Raffles L’Ermitage in Beverly Hills has been offering round-the-clock check-in since it opened.

This means you can stay for 24 hours without any extra fees, regardless of when you check in.

The Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers guarantees arrival times as early as 9 AM for a fee of $25, if you notify the hotel at least 48 hours in advance.

The Halekulani …

If you don’t think you can keep up with the rest of your group when you’re traveling to a new city, help is available to keep you from falling behind.

Scooter and motorized chair rentals are available in more and more cities—and they’re not just for the physically handicapped.

For example, in Las Vegas, Active Mobility now estimates that at least 5% of its rentals are from people with no physical disabilities.

The company Scoot Around.com can offers mobility assistance at various cruise ship ports, as well as major cities. You can have a scooter or wheelchair delivered to you at a port, hotel, convention center, or even home.

The Scoot-A-rama company focuses on the Orlando area and …