By LESLEY CARLIN, TripAdvisor.com
Dear TripAdvisor: Avoid looking like 'Ugly American'
Q: How can one avoid looking like an "Ugly American" in Europe?
A: Here are my top five tips:
1. Don't assume everyone speaks English. In major cities, you'll find that many people do, but you always need to ask -- in the local language --instead of addressing someone in English.
Dear TripAdvisor: Making a close connection ... Pumping milk on plane
Q: I was flying recently and had a close connection, so I asked the flight attendant if she could make sure I got off the plane first. She made an announcement asking people without connections to stay seated, but no one complied. I missed my flight. What else could I have done?
Dear TripAdvisor: Southwest bungled the Kevin Smith situation
Q: What do you think of Southwest Airlines kicking director Kevin Smith off a flight for being too fat?
A: I think Southwest screwed up.
Dear TripAdvisor: Hogging an airport outlet in a snowstorm
Q: I was in an airport recently that shut down completely due to a snowstorm. It wasn't the newest airport, and there weren't a lot of outlets where people could recharge their cell phones or computers. A family camped out in front of the one outlet near my gate and plugged in a portable DVD player to entertain their kids.
Dear TripAdvisor: Snoring neighbors ... Cell-phone abusers
Q: What do you do if someone in the hotel room next to you is snoring so loudly you can hear it in your room?
Dear TripAdvisor: Sidewalk etiquette ... Apartment sitting ... More
Q: I'm a New Yorker, and I'm constantly stuck behind tourists who stop in their tracks to point at something or consult a map. Can you give some sidewalk etiquette tips?
Dear TripAdvisor: Doggie bags at buffet ... Baby-proofing hotel room
Q: Can I ask for a doggie bag at an all-you-can-eat buffet?
A: First, could we all agree that "doggie bag" is a horrible term? It's a euphemism gone wrong -- it's basically equating restaurant food with Alpo. If you want to take food home, you should ask for a box.
Dear TripAdvisor: Vacation rental ... Terrible Parent of the Year
Q: How much do I need to clean a vacation rental when my stay is over? There's a professional cleaning service included in the rate, but do I still need to vacuum, clean the toilets, etc.?
Dear TripAdvisor: Ladybug in the salad ... Get high in Amsterdam?
Q: If your waiter in a restaurant is great, but you find, say, a ladybug in your salad (I am speaking from personal experience), how should you adjust his tip?
Dear TripAdvisor: Those who bail out of trip still should pay
Q: My wife and I are supposed to go to London soon with her parents. Given recent events, though, my in-laws are afraid to fly internationally, so they don't want to go. My wife and I are still game -- but all four of us have rented an apartment. If my in-laws don't go, can we ask them to pay their share of the rent?
