Articles

Jason Cochran

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

First Airline Confirms: Covid Vaccination Will Be Required to Fly

The first airline has confirmed that it will require all international passengers to show proof of Covid-19 vaccination—once a vaccine becomes available—in order to fly. The airline is…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

As a Trial, Airlines Requiring Covid Testing on Select Routes

It's already against the rules at every major airline to fly while you are knowingly Covid-positive, but up to now, there was no way for carriers to prove passenger status. Germany's…

Article / Passportable

Canada's Famed Rocky Mountaineer Train Expands to the American West

Lovers of great rail journeys will tell you: The Rocky Mountaineer, a privately owned luxury train that threads through the Canadian Rockies in the summer with special bubble-top…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Need a Covid Test to Travel? Vendors Can No Longer Keep Up

In October, Hawaii brought in a new entry system in a desperate effort to salvage its tourism business. Since October 15, arriving tourists have been required to furnish their own…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

For Flyers Who Want Vacant Middle Seats, Only One Airline Will Qualify Now

For Americans who would rather fly with an empty seat beside them, there is only one choice now. One by one, all the other airlines have peeled away from their commitment to leave…

Article / Health, Insurance, Security

What's the Best Type of Covid-19 Test for Travel: PCR, Antibody, or Antigen?

There are several types of tests that detect coronavirus infection, but only one is considered the most acceptable by the majority of national entry requirements.

Article / Passportable

Royal Caribbean Calls for Volunteers for Test Sailings

As Frommer's reported a few weeks ago, the Centers for Disease Control has stipulated some changes for the giant cruise lines. If they want to start regular U.S. sailings again, they…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Celebrity Cruises Goes All-Inclusive: Drinks, Wi-Fi Now Included in Fare

When travel collapsed, one of the first things that happened was the airlines stopped playing some of their petty pricing games with customers. Suddenly, when they realized they…

Article / Passportable

Ski Free If You Fly Alaska Airlines to the Slopes

Airlines and ski resorts have something in common: They're desperate to take customers to high altitudes this winter. Like all the major carriers, Alaska Airlines is doing everything…

Article / Passportable

One of the World's Oldest Travel Bookstores Needs Your Help

There may be no travel bookstore in the English-speaking world that is more venerable than the great Stanfords. The London-based stalwart, packed with books, maps, globes,…

Article / Passportable

New York Changes Entry Rules, Making Holiday Visits Easier

New York State, which used to mandate a vacation-unfriendly quarantine period of 14 days, has changed its entry requirements. The shift brings the state's system in line with what many…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Cruise Lines Need Guinea Pigs to Try Out Virus Safety Protocols on Voyages

The Centers for Disease Control, guided by watching European cruising restart and by reviewing recommendations from the major lines, has finally dropped its ban on cruises and released…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Disney Will Never Be the Same: A Litany of Layoff Devastation

This week, there was an employment cataclysm at Walt Disney World and Disneyland. In one day, the company axed nearly every worker with a speaking role in its U.S. parks. As part of…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Get Ready: Travel Is Becoming More Expensive and More Exclusive

The warning signs are everywhere. You will soon be paying more to travel. The headlines are full of news about the airlines cutting capacity. In Europe, Ryanair will fly only 40% of…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Southwest Airlines to Start Filling Every Seat Again, Despite Covid

Just in time for the holidays, Southwest Airlines announced it will no longer restrict ticket sales for flights, which will result in middle seats being occupied on full…

Article / Slideshows

The Hotels Where Big TV Shows and Sports Quarantined for Their Pandemic Seasons

Producing entertainment during the Covid-19 pandemic has required Herculean ingenuity. But fortunately, at the same moment big hotels experienced downturns and shutdowns, major…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Is This The Strongest Proof Yet Flying Is Safe? See These New Military-Grade Tests

If you ran an airline in 2020, how would you prove to the public that flying in your planes is safe? It's a tricky proposition in an age of document dumps, disinformation, and fake…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Oh, Great. Now That Icelandic Volcano Looks Like It Could Erupt Again

If you're old enough, you might remember that time in 2010 when a volcano shut down Europe. In March of that year, Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano (pictured above) erupted and…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

The QE2 Returns to Service as a Hotel While the Queen Mary's Prospects Sink

In a recent YouTube video about why and how ships get scrapped, maritime historian Chris Frame slipped in a striking fact. Comparing the remnants of Ancient Egypt with the golden age…

Article / Passportable

WATCH: Spectacular Drone Footage of Cruise Ships Being Scrapped in Turkey

Maybe it can be argued that even before 2020, the cruise industry was reaching a saturation point. A long period of explosive growth perhaps forewarned that our cruise ship fleet was…

Article / Local Experiences

London's Iconic Red Boxes Reborn as Shops: Phone Booth Curry for Lunch?

An urgent need for cheap rent in Britain is leading entrepeneurs to the famous red phone booth. The next time you visit London, this tourist icon may be more likely to serve as a…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

JetBlue Can Now Hook Up All Its Passengers with Saliva-Based Virus Tests

United, American, and Hawaiian airlines are gradually introducing Covid-19 tests for passengers who are headed to Hawaii, a state that now demands negative results. But JetBlue is…

Article / Passportable

With Peak Season Over, Yosemite to Remove Reservation Requirement

One of the few delightful byproducts of the novel coronavirus pandemic has been relatively empty national parks. To avoid overcrowding, a few of them implemented advance reservation…

Article / Local Experiences

Spend Hours Walking Around the World's Great Neighborhoods with These Addictive YouTube Channels

Narration-free virtual walking tours are racking up millions of views as they scratch our travel itch in isolation.

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

United Is the First U.S. Airline to Offer Covid-19 Tests to Passengers

United Airlines will be the first airline in the United States to extend Covid-19 testing to passengers. The program will start small, rolling out only on flights from San Francisco to…