Scared? There may be an app for that

Having just returned from my first trip to Los Cabos, it is no wonder it has a reputation as a destination for movie stars and other prominent personalities.

While the tourist corridor where many of the resorts are situated is quiet, the town of Cabo San Lucas is an entertainment central. Its bars and restaurants are well-known and it is known as the party town of the Baja California peninsula.

Beautiful beaches, great golf courses, and activity options which include snorkeling or fishing excursions continue to make it a sought-after destination.

But we are back and the travel questions keep on coming.

QUESTION: When travellers get in trouble on holidays they will often report they wondered into the wrong section of the city without realizing they were in a troubled area.

Surely there is a way to find out this information in advance without insulting city officials. Have you run into this problem before?

ANSWER: Indeed I have had just that happen to me on at least one occasion, where I could easily have ended up a victim.

On my first trip to Kingston, Jamaica, a number of years ago, I decided to walk the few blocks required to pick up the automobile I had rented, rather than wait for it to be delivered.

While the car rental company gave me accurate directions, they did not warn me about the area I would be passing through. As I walked I became more uneasy as the area got seedier, and the looks of the people seemed more menacing.

To this day I believe what saved my life was a knife fight which broke out between two young Jamaicans that started directly across the street at the point I was walking by. As though the fight was a magnet, everyone ran to surround the combatants.

My short legs took the longest steps they could without drawing attention to me. It was a memorable but not enjoyable experience.

Thankfully the remaining two weeks reinforced all the wonderful things I had heard about Jamaica and I have gone back several times since.

Specifically to your question, Microsoft recently had a patent approved for a GPS feature that would use the latest crime statistics to map out routes tourist could walk and avoid trouble districts.

It could be used on both smartphone apps and auto-navigation systems.

It has been described as the 'avoid ghetto' feature and has raised the concern of city fathers in North America who feel the reputation and economies of their cities may be hurt by this perceived slam on their communities.

QUESTION: I travel in the States a lot on business. As you may know American Airlines has gone into bankruptcy prevention under their Chapter 11 legislation.

Have you any idea what the future of that airline may be? In addition to their route connections which have been important to me, I also have a lot of points under their loyalty program I hope not to lose.

ANSWER: I can't give you absolute assurances on the points, but any suitor that picks up the pieces of American is likely to transfer the points to the program that exists under its umbrella.

Insofar as to who that may be the two names that are bandied about most often are Delta and US Airways.

Speculation is that Delta would have a difficult time pushing an agreement through competition regulators. US Airways has chosen not to say much about its actions but it is clear that the industry still believes that big is better.

There is also talk of a private equity firm, TPG Capital, that would look at buying the entity and either rebuilding American or chopping it into saleable pieces that could be afforded by other buyers while returning solid returns to its own investors.

Forward your travel questions to askjourneys@journeystravel.com Ron Pradinuk is president of Journeys Travel & Leisure SuperCentre and can be heard Sundays at noon on CJOB. Previous columns and tips can be found on www.journeystravelgear.com or read Ron's travel blog at www.thattravelguy.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition January 28, 2012 D9