Articles

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

A Week on an Unusual Coastal Island of Florida is Not to be Compared with Paris or Bali, But Still Has Its Merits

Slightly more than a year ago, I published a blog in which I listed my own ten favorite vacation destinations.I named them in no particular order, and took pains to…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Southern (and Central) California Here We Come! The Frommers to Speak in Sacramento (January 16) and Los Angeles (January 18)

Yes, our  jaunt around the United States continues on thanks to Allianz Travel Insurance, our sponsor on this books tour!This week both Frommers will be hitting the road, to get…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Evidence is Accumulating that It is Not Presently Safe to Travel Independently—On Your Own or with a Single Companion—in Egypt

On a number of occasions this past year, I have been asked my opinion on whether it was now safe to visit Egypt.  And each time, I have answered:  no, based on numerous…

Article / Passportable

Landing at LAX this Month? Look for the 407-Foot-Wide Vinyl Record

Now that you may finally use your smartphone camera on flights, let the marketing stunts begin!All through January, the Forum, a 45-year-old, circular concert venue about four…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Polar Vortex Grounds 18,000 Flights! Here's Why That's a Good Thing

It's very cold in America right now. The average temperature in the Lower 48 is lower than 48—it's just north of 23 degrees.As weather reports of the Polar Vortex came out,…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

A Quick Round of Tips for Travelers Stranded by the Polar Vortex (Or In Any Weather-Related Delay)

Its ugly at the airports of America this week with tens of thousands of travelers stranded. If you're one of them, or are scheduled to travel later today or tomorrow,  here are…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Pay $56 a Night to Cruise from L.A. to Japan via Hawaii! Plus 5 More Cruise Deals That Won't Last Long

Princess Cruises' Sapphire PrincessOnce again, we asked the folks at AllThingsCruise.com to fill us in on the best bargains in cruises at the moment. Here's what they…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Just Two Days Ago, We Learned What It Is Like to Live in a Country Without a Decent Rail Network

Birmingham train depot: First world infrastructure?As I write this, we have gone two days beyond the realization of what it means to have no decent system of rail…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

A Book-Length Treatment of Touristic Excess is Required Reading for Anyone Interested in the Future of Travel

It isn’t likely that your local bookstore will be selling a copy of Elizabeth Becker’s “Overbooked”, a devastating critique of the impact that travel has on certain major…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Blowing Into the Windy City: Pauline Frommer to Speak in the Chicagoland Area on January 9 and 11

I'm excited--make that thrilled--to announce that the second leg of our book tour, celebrating the launch of the NEW Frommer guidebooks, will kick off in the Chicago area  on January…

Article / Passportable

TSA PreCheck Not So Easy if You Enroll Yourself

Recruitment ad from the TSA websiteIn the first phase of the TSA's PreCheck program, the airlines invited their elite members to enroll. That process worked well, since the…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Some Changes, Large and Small, That Will Confront Travelers in 2014

As the recession continues to fade (and that’s a “finger’s crossed” statement), travel companies of all stripes are coming out with new offerings. And more folks are hitting the…

Article / Passportable

Cooking with a Hotel Room Hair Dryer

Slow news week! Here's a little offbeat hotel room cooking tip that has been making the rounds. Both NPR and ABC have aired discussions about how to cook simple foods with a hair…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

In this Holiday Season, Shouldn't We at Least Begin to Think of Measures that Will Ensure Proper Vacations for Low-Income Americans?

Although there isn't the slightest chance that the current Congress will pass such legislation, I continue to yearn for the day when we as a nation will assist the poor to…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Some Reflections on the Lessons That a Life in Travel Has Taught

The end of the year is a time for reflection, and I've beenthinking of the travel lessons that countless journeys have taught me.Here are a few of the tactics that I…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Pauline Frommer: Lessons I Learned From My 2013 Travels

The more I travel the more I learn. And sometimes the lessons that hit home are about the travel process itself. So without further ado, here are my top head-smacking realizations of…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

And Now, For a Change of Pace, Let's Look at All the Good Things That Are Happening in the World of Travel.

The holidays are here, and for many, that means counting blessings. So instead of devoting a column to the problems of travel—and there certainly are many—I’d like to celebrate…

Article / Passportable

Delta, JetBlue, and Southwest Will Not Allow In-Flight Phone Calls

The people are speaking—and the people don't want the people to speak.Both Delta and JetBlue have stepped forward to tell customers they despite loosened federal restrictions,…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

The US to Europe Each Way From $178, Including Taxes and Fees?!? Looks Like Christmas Came Early This Year

You may have never heard of Norwegian Airlines but this well-established, budget airline (its akin to Ryanair and previously only flew within Europe) is determined to enter the US…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Advocacy Group Files Lawsuit on Behalf of Customers Penalized for Writing Negative Review

A few days ago, Arthur Frommer wrote about an incident in which a Utah couple complained their credit was ruined in an act of revenge by a business over a negative online review…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Outside Magazine Publishes Some Solid Advice for Money-Saving Ski Vacations

Arapahoe Basin, Colorado / Photo: Alex KerneyIt's not often a mainstream glossy magazine publishes travel tips that don't push readers toward prohibitively expensive, jet-set,…

Article / Passportable

Best Western is Discounting until February 2, and That Includes the Holidays

Best Western has announced a sale that lasts until February 2, 2014, and surprisingly it includes rooms over the busy holiday period.A 20 percent sale in the middle of Christmas…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Study Finds Remarkable Benefits For Educational Travel by Teens and Tweens

In 2000, Reid Bramblett, a writer and long-time scout leader in Pennsylvania, took 9 members of his Boy Scout troop to Europe for nearly a month (along with two other adults). One of…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Have You Seen Our "Store" Yet? It Provides a Quick and Easy Way to Order Our New "Easy Guides"

The word "Store" appears on the black-and-white band that runs across the top of our main menu page.  Click on the word "Store" and you'll immediately see all twenty of the Easy…

Article / Passportable

Every Passenger To Get Fast, Free Wi-Fi on JetBlue

Although JetBlue put its free Wi-Fi in place a few weeks ago, giving it time to work out the kinks, today it launched it officially in a big way by loading a group of persnickety…