Rating: 
Summary: Looking for the "beef" (info)
Review: I found this book to have about a three page hand-out of useful tips and several hundred pages of travel "war" stories. If you have NEVER flown on an airline, it will scare you to death. If you have, there is nothing new.
Rating: 
Summary: Best weapon in the war against airliners and their prices
Review: Incredibly informative and useful book. Man, getting a great fare on an airplane seems to be just as much as a science as winning the jackpot in Las Vegas. However, Peter Greenberg cleverly navigates the reader through the complex pricing schemes that airliners engage in on an hourly basis and breaks it down to its simplistic terms for us, novice travelers, can understand. The ..(price)..price tag that I paid for the book will one day save me hundreds and even thousands of dollars in airfare costs down the road.
Rating:
Summary: A Must Have for the Intelligent Traveller
Review: While returning from Florida a week ago, via a major airline, I was almost driven to air rage when the passenger ahead of me fully reclined his chair. My legs were practically around my neck and my tray table lodged in my abdomen. I decided that I would NEVER again fly this airline and that I would SEARCH for a book that had the insider information that I needed to get a better seat on a plane. This book is that and soooooo much more. DETAILED seat information on specific planes was just the beginning. I advise reading with a hightlighter as there is a lot of information to digest. He also includes a great reference section at the end with web sites, phone numbers, etc. For those who like to take an active part in travel plans, this book is a must read..........otherwise, call your travel agent and hope for the best!
Rating:
Summary: An excellent guide to savvy traveling.
Review: This is a great book... easy to follow, funny, and above all -- EFFECTIVE. It's about time that someone wrote a travel guide for REAL traveler-addicts like me! If you demand good service, and want great travel experiences, this book gives step-by-step advice and guidance on how to make it happen every time you leave your home.
Rating:
Summary: If you are a frequent traveller, you NEED this book!
Review: Are you a frequent traveller? Have you ever lost your luggage, your children, your pets en route? How about your self-respect in a heated moment of frustration, or better still, how about temporarily losing your sanity? Many a traveller has taken all the precautions to plan the most well-organized vacation, only to find their "holiday paradise retreat" has turned out to be a "living nightmare in the tar pits and a challenge in survival". A hot shower can mean little more than a leaky faucet with water desperately looking for a place to run. Double occupancy does not guarantee the other occupant is human, and "ammenities included" may mean you do not have to walk a mile to the nearest bathroom facilities, although you may have to share the facility with twenty other hot, frustrated, angry, discontented travellers. If this sounds like it could be you, you need this book. It is humourous, and so true to life. This author has certainly done his homework and anyone who has spent so much time and energy learning the tips and tricks of successful travelling has written a book worth reading. From air travel to accommodations this book is filled with smart advice. I positively loved this book; the author knows how to take a lot of crinkles and frustration out of global travelling.
Rating:
Summary: Great Basic Advice !!
Review: What a great book of secrets, tricks and advice!! Now more than ever it is important to be mentally prepared before taking that next trip to Grandma's, the board meeting or dream trip to Fiji. In conversational laymen's terms, Peter Greenberg spells out the ins and outs of traveling less stressfully and how to speak to those we deal with in the travel industry! Bravo Mr. Greenberg!
Rating: 
Summary: It Paid for Itself
Review: I'm almost reluctant to promote this book, because I won't be able to feel like a savvy, in-the-know traveller if everyone can buy the secrets. Greenberg's book may be somewhat incomplete, and offer some less-than-useful information, but I saved [money] the first time I booked a ticket using his advice, so that's good enough for me. I'm inclined to wonder if, in the days of loyal-customer clubs, Greenberg's tips for getting upgrades and other preferential treatment really benefit the occasional traveller. Still, just reading the book evokes globetrotting dreams, so it's worth reading even if it's not often used.
Rating:
Summary: Lots of $$$ saving tips mixed in with sardonic anecdotes
Review: I'm mostly impressed with Peter Greenberg's "The Travel Detective", but first I'll get my gripe out of the way: The back cover provides a bulleted list of insider secrets you'll learn from reading this book. While these "secrets" are all covered in the book, a couple are given such an incomplete treatment that you might not find what you're looking for:
· Which coach seats on which planes are better than first class: Some airplane types on about half a dozen airlines are covered. However, I'm an Alaska Airlines frequent flier and could not find my airline nor the planes I fly on.
· Which cruise-ship brochures lie: This is not even close to an all-inclusive list.
Also, Greenberg does not cover train or bus travel.
There IS a lot of useful information, but it's intermixed with anecdotes, many of them Greenberg's humorous tales of grievances with airlines, hotels (like the one who charged him for receiving a FedEx package), and rental car companies. Some reviewers complain about Greenberg's sardonic writing style, but I find Greenberg's tales of his predicaments both outrageously funny and informative. While every reader will have a different level of travel knowledge and savvy, there's so much information in the book that I think the vast majority of readers would learn something useful and money saving. In addition to the topics on the back cover, Greenberg covers the hazards of putting dogs and cats in a plane's cargo section, airport scams, things to look for when choosing a hotel room, the most economical way to make phone calls from a hotel, rental car rip-offs, helpful travel and weather related websites, and much more. I found the back-to-back ticket concept especially ingenious, but Greenberg cautions the reader that this strategy can result in being bumped from your flight if the airline finds out about it. Some complain that the information in the book is dated since September 11, 2001. At a September 2002, Seattle-area book lecture, Greenberg said everything in the book still applies. Well, almost everything applies, even in the air travel section, although Greenberg's comments on the safest place to sit on the plane in the event of a hijacking sound awfully flip, and of course the packing tips for carry-on bags need updating. Also, some airlines will no longer allow you board a plane for for no extra charge later in the day if you miss your flight. If you don't mind a smart-allecky writing style, there's a lot of useful travel information in "The Travel Detective".
Rating:
Summary: Save your money
Review: I am a frequent traveler, often traveling for business or pleasure once a month. I looked forwarde to Peter Greenberg's travel book as a source for new ideas and tips. I was disappointed that there was not a lot new there for me. I was also reminded of how the world has changed since September 11,2001--much of the information written in this book in 2000 is now outdated. But to give this book its due, and its three stars, there were some real gems I found among the rough. I finally had explained to my satisfaction, the rules of bumping and compensation for volunteering to give up your seat. I checked out on my next flight that yes, the offers did increase as it got closer to flight time. I also got a really great tip on how to redeem frequent flier miles when it appears there are no seats when you want to travel--I wont spoil it for you but see page 100. I got the answer to some questions that dont come up often but of which I wasnt sure--like medical evacuation insurance for trips and optional insurance and other charges for rental cars. What I didn't like were the jokes section-often pages at a time--which is not what I wanted in this book. He also tells stories for too long without just coming to the point. So forewarned is forearmed--get the book for the background info and be ready to skim. Or better yet, wait for a revised version or get one of his newer, post-2001 books. Happy traveling.
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