Travel & Leisure
Ratings & Advice
The latest ratings and advice for Chicago area travel & leisure.
Advice
- 60 Travel Booking Tips
- 65 Things You (Probably) Shouldn't Pay For
- About Checkbook: Why We're Unique
- Airlines that Allow Free Stopovers Let You Design a Vacation with Variety
- Airport Parking Hack
- Buy Now, Pay Later Often a Debt Trap
- Cell Phone Services
- Checkbook’s Top Shopping Tips
- Complaining: How to Get Results
- Credit Cards Provide Strong Protections for Consumers
- Cruises: How to Get the Best Deal
- DNA Ancestry Services
- eRead for Free
- Facebook Privacy Settings Checkup
- Fitness Industry Changed by COVID
- Free Perks You Didn't Know You Have
- Hotel Intel: How to Find the Best Rates for Rooms
- Hotels Gouge Guests With Absurd Resort Fees
- Hotels’ ‘Refundable’ and ‘Flexible’ Rates Often Not What They Seem
- How to Make a New Fitness Plan
- Kids' Activity-Kit Services
- Parking: Finding the Best Rates
- Rental Car Insurance: Should You Buy It?
- Restaurants Pay Steep Commissions and Fees to Order-and-Delivery Services
- Smartphone Photos Apps and Tools
- Social Media Headshots: Do's and Don'ts
- Tickets: Saving on Seats for Shows and Sports
- Timeshare Exit Companies Deserve a Time Out
- Travel Insurance
- Travel Websites Mislead by Falsely Declaring Few Hotel Rooms Remain
- Travel: Health and Safety Info for International Trips
- Travel: Help Finding Cheap Flights
- Vacation Home Rentals
Current Issue
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Insuring Your Home
Are you covered? Are you paying too much? Many homeowners will save $1,000 or more each year by switching companies.
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Primary Care Physicians
Ratings to help you find essential help for your health.
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Hotel Intel
We searched 25 travel sites looking for the lowest rates for 75 stays.
- Hotels Continue to Gouge Guests with Absurd Resort Fees
- Hotel’s ‘Refundable’ and ‘Flexible’ Rates Often Aren’t What They Seem
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Window Shopping
Want to improve your outlook? We have ratings of local installers for quality and price.
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Appliance Repair Guide
Fridge on the fritz? Oven burnt out? Our ratings will help you find a repair rescue.
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Buying Appliances
Getting what you want for the lowest price.
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Work Out Without Getting Worked Over
How to find the right fitness center.
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How to Make a New Fitness Plan
Strategies to help you make a commitment and stick with it.
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How to Get Better Sleep
40 tips for 40 winks.
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Bicycle Peddlers
How to choose the right bike and shop to get you rolling.
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Resale Revolution
Buying secondhand stuff saves money and helps the environment. Here’s how to do it.
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Buy Nothing, Get What You Need Anyway
The good, the bad, and the weird of the gift economy.
- Dealing with Unexpected Medical Bills
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