Seeing "pet-friendly" beside a hotel can reasonably make travelers think their dog or cat is welcome. It does not necessarily mean bringing that animal costs nothing. Hotels may impose pet fees while still describing themselves as pet-friendly, but how and when those charges are disclosed matters. The important distinction is between permission to bring a pet and the price attached to doing so.

If the tour listing clearly said hotel pickup was included, that promise matters. Tour marketplaces regularly distinguish between hotel pickup and meeting at a central departure point, which shows that transportation can be a specific feature of the product rather than a meaningless detail. The first question is therefore whether pickup was actually included in your confirmed booking.

You might think an airline ticket has a price. It doesn't. It has a whole pile of possible prices, and behind the scenes, computers are constantly trying to figure out which fares should still be available. And strangely enough, much of that started before most Americans had even seen a computer.

There are places you grow up assuming you simply have to see. Then you finally arrive and discover a crowd, a souvenir shop, a long line, and something that looked considerably more impressive on television. Some of North America's biggest attractions have earned surprisingly brutal reviews from travelers who found them overpriced, overcrowded, or simply underwhelming. That doesn't mean you should never go, but plenty of visitors leave thinking, “Well, I never need to do that again.”

Americans visiting Canadian cottage country discover strange traditions, stunning lakes and a completely different way to spend a summer weekend.