Articles

Arthur Frommer

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Safety is Currently the Major Issue Affecting Travel to Numerous Overseas Destinations. Here's How We Come Out on That Issue, for Several Countries

Is it safe?  That's the most frequent question put to travel advisers as they are asked to plan an international trip.  Is it safe to travel to Israel or Jordan, to Turkey…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Though None of it Made the Headlines, There was News Last Week of Some Importance to Travel

Last week was a fairly busy time in travel, though none of the developments was well covered in the press.  Here's our attempt to bring you up-to-date.First, one of the…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

At an Almost Unbelievable Rate of 64 Rupees to the U.S. Dollar, India Has Become the Bargain Destination of the Decade

India--to begin with--was always an inexpensive place in which to travel, even when a U.S. Dollar bought you only 40 Rupees.  When that currency then weakened to a level of…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Whether to Buy a "Chip-and-Pin" Credit Card for Your Next European Trip, Is an Increasingly-Hard Decision to Make

A European credit card employing modern "chip and pin" technology, is clearly superior to the old-fashioned "magnetic stripe" credit cards issued to Americans.  But is it…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Here's a Fast Stab at Choosing the Five Best Bargain Vacations for the Immediate Months Ahead. Have We Missed Any?

Although their prices may vary from month to month, five packaged holidays remain so uniformly cheap in all months as to provide the basis for an impulse vacation--a sudden…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Americans traveling within Russia must now be aware of new laws that criminalize "pro-gay propaganda"--and threaten them with imprisonment or worse

Although it has received only spotty mention in the press, the recent enactment by Russia of legislation limiting free speech, seems important to me--and of  especial relevance…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

A British Businessman Dreams Up a Fantastical Fake Restaurant, Submits it to a "User-Generated Website", and Watches His Invention Climb up a List of Popular Eateries

Angered by what he regarded as a fake criticism of his friend's hotel, a British businessman has devised the practical joke of the year.  It is described in the July 30 edition…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Would You Believe a 10-Day Tour to Vietnam That Includes Round-Trip Air between San Francisco and Hanoi, and Yet Costs Only $1,699?

He startled the travel world a few months ago by selling a week in Beijing for only $888, including round-trip airfare between San Francisco and China.  And now he's "doubling…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

The Search for Bargain Airfares is the Most Complex Task in Travel Today--So Here's Our Attempt to Clear Things Up

Learning that a person in the next seat had paid $200 less than you for the flight that you are both taking--is a painful experience that many of us have had.  "How did you…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Starting This Coming October, We're Going to be Igniting a Second Revolution in the Publishing of Travel Guides

As you may have read in a widely-published news item that broke on Monday, we've regained ownership of the Frommer travel guides--the leading series of guidebooks sold in…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

The Short-Term Rental of Homes and Apartments is the Fastest-Growing Trend in All of Travel. Are Hotels a Dying Breed?

*You are two couples residing in the same neighborhood, close friends, and each couple has two teenage children.  You have decided to vacation together in Orlando, Florida.  At…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Ten Questions Recently Posed by Readers, And Our Ten Answers to Them, May Illuminate Larger Issues in Travel. Did We Answer Them Right?

Here are recent travel questions actually posed by readers, and our attempt to answer them.  Have we responded correctly?  Or are different answers possible?Q.  Is it safe…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Wanna Hear Recordings (Podcasts) of the Weekly Travel Show Presented by Arthur and Pauline Frommer? They're on the Main Menu Page of This Website!

Click on the words "Deals and News".  A list of items will emerge, of which the fifth is "Podcast".  Click on "Podcast"--and up will appear a further list of recordings of both…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Wanna Save That $25 Baggage Charge? Avoid the 3% Foreign Transaction Fee? Get Admission to a Comfy Lounge? Enjoy Priority Boarding? We Know How!

At the risk of being accused of touting a particular credit card (in which I have no interest whatever), it's important to alert all cost-conscious travelers about the new (and…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

On a Return Flight to the U.S. from an Overseas Trip, It Has Now Become Important to Leave Yourself At Least Four Hours for Making An Onward Connection

The big news in travel this past week has been the virtual collapse of the customs and immigration function at several of the nation's international airports, including those in…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Some Rather Spectacular Bargains Have Opened Up in Month-of-July Sailings of the Mediterranean

In an earlier blog, I predicted that all the big cruiselines sailing in the Mediterranean would slash their prices for departures in July, once we got closer in to the month of…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

When an Overseas Merchant Offers to Convert Your Credit Card Bill Into U.S. Dollars, Say No

It's known as "Dynamic Currency Conversion", but it should be called "Dynamic Currency Cheating".  You encounter the shady offer in a Paris restaurant, a London hotel, a Tokyo…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Wilson Wu Has Done it Again: $999 for a Combination of Beijing and Shanghai, Including Round-Trip Trans-Pacific Airfare

In a recent discussion, we expressed our surprise at the latest move by Wilson Wu, the wonder-boy of travel to China.  About a week ago, he completely re-did his website…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

The Re-Appearance of China Spree's $888 One-Weeker to Beijing (Including Round-Trip Airfare!) May Indicate that China Air and China Irself Have Plenty of Unsold Capacity for Autumn and Winter. China, Anyone?

To my utter amazement, China Spree has today replaced its former China specials with an entirely new list of spectacular fall/winter bargains (such as $888 for a week in…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Would You Believe That Bangkok Has Edged Out London as the World's Most Popular City?

Here's an assertion that will cause most observers (including myself) to rub their eyes in wonder.  According to the prestigious Global Insights Index, Thailand's Bangkok now…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

It Now Seems More Probable Than Ever That Some of Those "User-Generated" Reviews Were Written by Hotel Executives, Lauding their Own Properties and Condemning Their Competitors

A news item richocheting around the Internet tells of a top p.r. executive of Accor Hotels (world's largest hotel chain) who has admitted to writing 100 fake reviews for…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Viking River Cruises Are Moving Into Ocean Cruising--And With a Different Approach That May Cause the Other Lines to Mend Their Ways

In an interview which we conducted yesterday on the Travel Show (wor710.com)  with the marketing vice-president of Viking River Cruises, we learned about plans they have to…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

In Sharp Contrast to Other European Travel Products, Mediterranean Cruises Are Slow to Sell This Summer, Opening Up All Sorts of Opportunities for You

"Carnival Cruises is pulling out of the Mediterranean".  That was the surprising headline of several days ago, indicating that the world's largest cruise line is facing tough…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

How, When, and Why, I Learned Not to Rely on "User-Generated Content" in Publishing My Travel Guides

The letter seemed to be legitimate.  It was hand-written with great sincerity by a reader of "Europe on $5 a Day" who was eager to pass on a secret of smart travel to his fellow…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

It's Only by a Yen or Two, But the Trend Seems Clear: Japan's Currency and Costs are Getting Cheaper by the Day

No sooner did the Yen decline to a rate of 100 to the U.S. dollar, than within a short while it fell to 101.  And yesterday it dropped to 102 plus a fraction.  With a rate…