Articles

Jason Cochran

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

The First Orlando Theme Parks Have Gone Cashless

The cashless revolution has reached Orlando. Five popular theme parks in Central Florida stopped accepting cash this week. Although the banishment of paper currency and coins has been…

Article / Passportable

Airline Introduces Child-Free Zone So Grown-Ups Can Enjoy "Quiet" Flights

A European airline will cordon off the first 12 rows of its A350 aircraft to create an adults-only area where no one under the age of 17 may sit. “This zone in the aircraft is intended…

Article / Passportable

London's Hunterian Museum: Bits of People in Jars That Changed the World

If you lived in 18th-century London and something went wrong with your body, after you died a famous scientist named John Hunter might show up to rummage through your corpse, snip out…

Article / Slideshows

Tempo by Hilton New York Times Square: A New Hotel Above a Levitating Broadway Theatre

New Yorkers—not to mention engineering nerds worldwide—have been buzzing about this mega construction project since it began in 2019. The Palace Theatre, a true icon of American…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

America's Downtown Hotels Are Cheaper Right Now, but How Is the Neighborhood?

Across the United States, downtown business districts are hurting. Many former office workers continue to do a substantial share of their jobs from home, leaving entire blocks without…

Article / Miscellaneous

London's Latest Scams: Pedicabs and "American" Candy Stores

Scams come and go in London. Two of the latest target tourists by wearing a cloak of false legitimacy.

Article / Passportable

Hot Pilot in a Cat Video Demonstrates Best Place to Sit on Airplanes

Fasten your seat belts. Today, we have something rare. Somehow, multiple aspects of our pop culture's all-consuming and relentless social media banality have collided to provide…

Article / Slideshows

Doing Niagara Falls If You're Stuck on the American Side

The legendary Niagara Falls, one of the greatest natural attractions in North America, straddles the border between Ontario, Canada, and New York State. In an ideal tourism situation,…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

No, Cruise Ships Are Not Banned from Amsterdam

Another week, another inaccurate travel headline that seems designed for clicks.In recent days, you might have read that Amsterdam's city council has outlawed cruise ships. BBC News:…

Article / Cruise

Can Passengers Bring Cannabis on Cruise Ships? What to Know About Pot and Cruising

Is marijuana legal on cruises if it's legal where you board? Let's weed out the myths from the facts.

Article / Air Travel

Scam Alert: Passengers Report Fake Airline Phone Numbers Are Listed by Google

Some passengers are saying bogus customer service phone numbers are being displayed on Google, leading unsuspecting customers directly to scammers.

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Disney World Attendance Is Way Down, but Don't Blame Politics

On the Fourth of July at Walt Disney World in Central Florida—a day when crowds are usually shoulder to shoulder—the pathways were shockingly clear. Wait times for most rides were 30…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

1 in 3 Flights Could Be Canceled This Summer, Europeans Warn

Today's Times of London published a headline that will dismay anyone who has a European vacation in the works for this year: Air traffic control strike will hit up to 1 in 3 summer…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

SCOOP: No, Dubrovnik Is Not Fining Tourists €265 for Using Wheeled Luggage

The story isn't true.This happens more often than any of us should accept: Scandalous "news" is published and because it's clicky, it gets spread far and wide—but nobody is actually…

Article / Slideshows

What You Must Reserve in Advance at Walt Disney World—and When Bookings Open

Even when the economy sags and disposable income drops, Disney's theme parks usually find a way to increase revenue. In the company's last financial quarter, despite a sharp collapse…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Malaria Is Back in the United States. Here's What Travelers Should Do About It

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued an advisory after cases of malaria were detected in Texas and Florida—the first locally transmitted cases of the…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Hate Using Disney's Genie+ Ride Reservation System? Hire a Concierge to Do It

When you hear people complain about how unpleasant and cumbersome a trip to a Disney theme park has become, one of the first things they'll complain about is Genie+.The paid ride…

Article / Passportable

Tours of Big Ben in London Reopen to Foreigners: How to Book

Big Ben is one of the most famous bells in the world, hanging in one of the most recognizable towers in the world, high above the Houses of Parliament in central London. But since…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Australia's Fraser Island Sheds a Name Born from Lies—and Restores the Original One

You could call it a much-delayed rebuke of propaganda.Australia's Fraser Island, a popular nature destination just off the coast of Queensland, is reverting to what it was called…

Article / Slideshows

Rocky Mountaineer Canada Train Review: The Good, the Bad, and the Insanely Picturesque

A few high-end scenic rail journeys around the world have achieved icon status, but not all of them are easily attainable by travelers. South Africa's Blue Train can be arduous to…

Article / Passportable

Disney's Galactic Starcruiser, the Luxury Star Wars–Themed Hotel, to Close

Walt Disney World in Florida has announced that its infamous Galactic Starcruiser hotel will close its doors at the end of September, just 18 months after opening. The troubles with…

Article / Passportable

This Summer, Some of Amtrak's Best Scenic Routes Are Finally Back

In good news for travelers, two Amtrak routes that have long been popular with vacationers are finally returning to service after years of closure. • The Adirondack, which connects New…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Disney World to Make Big Changes—But Will They Make Visiting More Pleasant?

Bob Chapek, the unpopular former CEO of the Walt Disney Company, had the misfortune of presiding over the entertainment giant throughout the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic. Under his…

Article / Passportable

2023 Will See the Best Whitewater Rafting in Years in California

Sierra South Mountain Sports, which has operated whitewater rafting tours since 1985 in Kern County, California, used to be able to take visitors out onto the rivers each summer season…

Article / Slideshows

Near Los Angeles, Visit the Ranches of Classic Movie Stars, from McCrea to Stanwyck

Once upon a time, Southern California was a promised land of wide-open spaces where farming, agriculture, and horse riding were essential pursuits. For the first 50 years of the 20th…