Actress opts for luxury on trips
If Yolanda Ross had her way, all her trips would be on trains. “I really enjoy luxury train travel to eat good food, be in your own space and enjoy the scenery that you might not get to see otherwise,” says the actress, who stars on the Showtime series “The Chi.”
“My dream trip would be to travel with friends on a weeklong luxury train trip like the Belmond or Orient Express. (We’d go) through Italy, France, Spain, Scotland, Ireland or Germany. I would like to go to places where we can get off and see the sights and just enjoy the great views, relax and meet new people. I enjoy the journey.” Ross splits her time between New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.
An edited version of our conversation follows.
Q. Did you have an itch to move away from home when you were younger?
A. I come from a smallto medium-sized city — Omaha, Nebraska. That sentiment was certainly there when growing up, as you seek new adventures. I did leave as soon as I got out of school and headed to New York City.
Q. What was the first trip you took as a child?
A. The first trip I remember was going to California. We went to Disneyland and (also) to San Francisco. I remember drinking Fresca and waiting on a lot of lines. I liked the monorail.
Q. If you could only pick one place to eat, would you choose a casual meal at a street cart or a nice restaurant?
A. I would choose fine dining. I like to try what is considered the best of a place and see what the customs are or how service is treated in different places.
Q. Where are your favorite weekend getaways?
A. Palm Springs when I’m on the West Coast. I like going up to the Berkshires on the East Coast.
Q. Where is the most romantic destination?
A. Jamaica.
Q. Where have you traveled to that most reminded you of home?
A. Vancouver.
Q. Where would you like to go that you have never been to before?
A. Copenhagen, Iceland, Hawaii.
Q. What kind of research do you do before you go away on a trip?
A. I like to find out about the culture — what’s expected of people there, how women are treated there, for safety reasons. I want to know how people
Qof color are treated and where to shop, find art, if it’s busy or quiet, best restaurants, what’s the vibe of different neighborhoods to see where I want to stay.
Q. What is your best and/or worst vacation memory?
A. The best and worst were all in the same trip. My bestie, Jacqueline, and I went to London together in February. It was freezing and snowing, just bone-chilling cold. Jacqueline had never been to London before, so she was super excited and wanted to immediately go everywhere just after we landed. I was worn out and cranky, but went along. Needless to say, we both hit a wall and got very snappy and irritable. That night, we started planning our departure. We were going to call the airline in the morning and see if we could change our tickets and cut our trip short. The next day, we woke up in the late afternoon, completely different people. We totally laughed about the whole thing because we were so jet-lagged and needed rest. It turned out to be the best trip ever!
A: I’m sorry to hear about your health condition. When a guest falls ill before a vacation, travel companies often offer a refund or credit as a goodwill gesture. But they are not always required to do so.
You know what I’m going to say next, right? Travel insurance. That’s right. A good travel insurance policy, purchased when you made your reservation, would have probably covered you after you had a heart attack and had to cancel. I say “probably” because some policies don’t cover preexisting medical conditions, so if you had a heart problem before you bought the policy, you might have been out of luck. (A more expensive “cancel for any reason” policy would have been the best option.)
On HomeAway, refund policies can vary from “no refunds” to “relaxed” (bookings canceled at least seven days before the start of stay will receive a 50% refund). Unfortunately, you had a “firm” refund policy (a 100% refund if canceled at least 60 days before arrival date). You were past the refund window, so it was up to your host to decide whether to let you off the hook. Your host decided to offer you a credit, which is much better than keeping all of your money.
Here’s what concerned me about your case: You say the host hadn’t been responsive, and you were unsure if you still had a reservation. HomeAway hosts should always respond to their guests promptly. This host had already done you a favor by offering you credit, so it’s a surprise she didn’t reply to your inquiries.
If you don’t get a response, you can always contact a customer service executive at HomeAway. I list the names, numbers and email addresses of HomeAway’s managers on my consumer advocacy site.
I contacted HomeAway on your behalf, and it confirmed your reservation. I hope you get better soon.
Christopher Elliott is the ombudsman for National Geographic Traveler magazine and the author of “How to Be the World’s Smartest Traveler.” You can read more travel tips on his blog, elliott.org, or email him at chris@elliott.org.