Thanks, Brent. In this, as with every organization in 2026, I have grown deeply cynical about the words "Our _____ are our top priority." The word in the blank space should be "profits".
haha ain't it the truth? Honestly, I think the bigger a business gets, the more true that is, because there's less PERSONAL accountability. It's different when it's a local business surrounded by local patrons.
Absolutely. Mind you, this slimy language has been adopted by the spectacularly bloated PR departments of universities and school districts, because they're all corporate.
Good stuff, Brent. I used ResortPass once before a very favorable experience in Fort Lauderdale between a cruise and a flight home.
So I was comfortable, trying it again with the same strategy in San Juan less than a week ago.
To our great dismay, the hotel where I have booked at closed and moved across the street and exactly the same thing you described no longer participate in ResortPass for over a year.
Long story short, we ended up at the airport four hours before check-in. So he couldn’t get to the lounge but had to sit in a coffee shop after waiting for an hour to find a seat. I don’t know if you know, but the San Juan airport is a nightmare.
I immediately complained to ResortPass who offered me a 15% discount on my next stay at immediately refunded me the original amount. I said that wasn’t satisfactory and they offered me a $25 coupon.
OMG I can't believe you've had good experiences with Fox! That name is burned into my brain as our worst rental car experience ever.
We had reservations for a car in Seattle, and the line was ridiculously long and didn't seem to be moving. Gradually we gathered that they were massively overbooked, were trying to get cars for people who had reservations for THE DAY BEFORE, and were letting us all just stand in this endless line without being up-front about the situation. Luckily we had not prepaid for our reservation, so we abandoned the line and were able to get a car at another rental place. We had never heard of or used Fox before, but had tried to use them because they did offer the lowest price. But that experience turned us off forever; we've never even tried them again.
Great advice about the health insurance! And I agree with the priorities: personal experience first, then gut, then reviews. All the same, it often remains frustrating to get anything done. I spent over an hour in the New Zealand post office to send a registered letter to the Netherlands.
Another source I "believe" in moderation is YouTube. The videos often "fib by omission". For example, when we arrived in Chefchowan (sic), Morocco we expected to be dazzled by this fameous "blue city" Well, it turned out to be not as blue as the video! 😆 Camera angle is everything.
Social media is a whole other beast! I thought about talking about this in the article, but then I decided, "No, it's already too long..."
I discount most of what I see on social media, frankly, because there are so many kickbacks and freebies. But I hadn't considered what you say about YouTube. It's definitely in their interest to portray everything as FABULOUS, because that's what draws the clicks. B ut yeah, it's definitely a lie.
Thanks, Brent. In this, as with every organization in 2026, I have grown deeply cynical about the words "Our _____ are our top priority." The word in the blank space should be "profits".
haha ain't it the truth? Honestly, I think the bigger a business gets, the more true that is, because there's less PERSONAL accountability. It's different when it's a local business surrounded by local patrons.
Absolutely. Mind you, this slimy language has been adopted by the spectacularly bloated PR departments of universities and school districts, because they're all corporate.
Just terrible...
Good stuff, Brent. I used ResortPass once before a very favorable experience in Fort Lauderdale between a cruise and a flight home.
So I was comfortable, trying it again with the same strategy in San Juan less than a week ago.
To our great dismay, the hotel where I have booked at closed and moved across the street and exactly the same thing you described no longer participate in ResortPass for over a year.
Long story short, we ended up at the airport four hours before check-in. So he couldn’t get to the lounge but had to sit in a coffee shop after waiting for an hour to find a seat. I don’t know if you know, but the San Juan airport is a nightmare.
I immediately complained to ResortPass who offered me a 15% discount on my next stay at immediately refunded me the original amount. I said that wasn’t satisfactory and they offered me a $25 coupon.
Needless to say, I won’t be using them again.
Oh that is VERY interesting! I'm sorry it happened but it's an interesting confirmation that this is a real thing that's happening.
15%?? Wow that's cheap on their part!
OMG I can't believe you've had good experiences with Fox! That name is burned into my brain as our worst rental car experience ever.
We had reservations for a car in Seattle, and the line was ridiculously long and didn't seem to be moving. Gradually we gathered that they were massively overbooked, were trying to get cars for people who had reservations for THE DAY BEFORE, and were letting us all just stand in this endless line without being up-front about the situation. Luckily we had not prepaid for our reservation, so we abandoned the line and were able to get a car at another rental place. We had never heard of or used Fox before, but had tried to use them because they did offer the lowest price. But that experience turned us off forever; we've never even tried them again.
Oh that's VERY interesting! Yes, I see that kind of thing over and over again in the reviews. Good to know!
Thanks for another honest, nuanced perspective on one of the many facets of nomad life!
Thanks Matt!
Great advice about the health insurance! And I agree with the priorities: personal experience first, then gut, then reviews. All the same, it often remains frustrating to get anything done. I spent over an hour in the New Zealand post office to send a registered letter to the Netherlands.
Absolutely maddening!
Oooooofff! Exhausting tales!! (And great warnings and lessons for the rest of us.)
Thank you! And yes, exhausting indeed...
Another source I "believe" in moderation is YouTube. The videos often "fib by omission". For example, when we arrived in Chefchowan (sic), Morocco we expected to be dazzled by this fameous "blue city" Well, it turned out to be not as blue as the video! 😆 Camera angle is everything.
Social media is a whole other beast! I thought about talking about this in the article, but then I decided, "No, it's already too long..."
I discount most of what I see on social media, frankly, because there are so many kickbacks and freebies. But I hadn't considered what you say about YouTube. It's definitely in their interest to portray everything as FABULOUS, because that's what draws the clicks. B ut yeah, it's definitely a lie.
So true. So true. So true. And thank goodness you received your health insurance reimbursement. 🙏🏼
Thank you. And yes!