We've all seen it: someone leaving the restroom we're in without washing his or her hands. In restaurants by law in most places, management is required to post a notice that employees must wash their hands before leaving the room. Nobody ever says anything about the customers. In bathrooms in office buildings and other ... Read More »

Preparing to fly out of Guadalajara, Mexico, on Mexicana Airlines last month, I was looking forward to clearing security and buying a bottle of water to quench my thirst and to carry onto the plane for my trip to Los Angeles. I was surprised to find that security consisted of two steps, the first being a look-see of my ... Read More »

Alright, all you Charlie Buckets out there, it's that time of year again: When I act as your chocolate ambassador and kindly ask the organizers and some of the best participants of the New York Chocolate Show ( www.chocolateshow.com ) -- coming up this weekend, October 30 through November 1 -- if they'll throw a few flashy ... Read More »

Around this time every year, Frommer's guidebook editors and Frommers.com staff start gathering in meeting rooms and dialing up colleagues abroad to determine what places we think you should know about during the coming year. We aim for a list packed with value picks, emerging cities, and smart alternatives to over-hyped ... Read More »

Conde Nast Traveler' s Readers' Choice Awards issue is out, and its best hotels list includes properties in Chiang Rai, Rajestan, Capri... and Louisville? It may not be a jetsetters' hotspot just yet, but 21C Museum Hotel ( www.21chotel.com ) in Louisville came in at #6 in a list of readers' 97 favorite hotels, resorts, and ... Read More »

Last week on the Amazing Race...the racers completed tasks in Ho Chi Minh City, and finished the leg at Reunification Palace, where Flight Time and Big Easy (Harlem Globetrotters!) arrived at the mat just ahead of Meghan and Cheyne (impossibly young California couple), and Marcy & Bob (Team Elderhostel) were eliminated. ... Read More »

It's bad enough the inept management of Boeing has caused huge delays in the production of their new, plastic 787 "Dreamliner." Now the dull-minded executives there have allowed production of the new 747-8 to fall behind, because of what the Seattle Times calls "severe talent shortage, and loss of tribal knowledge." As with ... Read More »

Leaf-peeping season has arrived, so I headed up to Vermont to stay in a few hotels amongst the birches, poplars, and maples. Here's what I discovered: The Inn at West View Farm, Dorset The Inn at West View Farm ( www.innatwestviewfarm.com ) came recommended by John Irving, who knows a thing or two about New England. The ... Read More »

As the annual ABTA convention for the UK travel industry draws to a close in Barcelona, Spain, Frommer’s London-based editor Anna Goldrein reflects on the latest travel trends. 1) Package holiday prices rise Due to weakening demand, the price of package holidays is set to rise in 2010, according to a UK travel trends ... Read More »

In the past few years, I have walked along airport corridors past tables where eager young people waved at me, asking me to join an outfit called "Clear." On venturing closer, they told me that I could pay to join their group, and, after filling out some forms and getting approved by the U.S. government's Transportation ... Read More »