Articles

Jason Cochran

Article / Arts and Culture

We Attended a Sitcom Taping in Hollywood: Here's What to Expect and How to Get Tickets

We attended a TV sitcom taping—and we actually had fun! Here's what the experience is like, and here's how to get tickets for your next vacation.

Article / Passportable

India Ashram that Inspired the Beatles to Re-Open, 50 Years Later

If you were alive in 1968, you remember it: The Beatles dropped out of Western society, fled Beatlemania, and tuned in at an Indian ashram the well-known guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.…

Article / Passportable

Rental Car Rates Could Zoom Sky-High Thanks to Lobbyists

Today, the American Car Rental Association (ACRA), a lobbying group for the car rental industry, is wrapping up its annual Washington, D.C. "Legislative Conference," during which it…

Article / Passportable

Motel 6 Accused of Sending Guest Lists to ICE

Phoenix New Times, an Arizona newspaper, reports that at least two local Motel 6 properties stand accused of violating customer privacy by sending guest lists to the United States'…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

United Airlines Called Out for Hurricane Irma Price Gouging

Hurricane Irma is the most severe hurricane ever measured in the Atlantic Ocean, and millions of people are being told to get out of its way.Amid the pre-storm scramble on Wednesday,…

Article / Passportable

Bringing Plastic Bags to Kenya Could Land You in Prison

While some world cities have been dabbling in the reduction of plastic bags by charging customers if they want one or switching to paper, Kenya has just instituted the harshest plastic…

Article / Passportable

Four New Cities Get $99 Flights to Iceland

WOW Air, which has been earning its name with an aggressive expansion plan and tickets as low as $99 with advance purchase, is adding nonstop flights to Iceland from four Midwestern…

Article / Passportable

Now Rolling: San Fran-to-LA Luxury Overnight Buses

Now rolling (again): the bus that takes you overnight between Los Angeles and San Francisco in your own sleeping pod.If it sounds familiar, it's because we tried this already. In April…

Article / Miscellaneous

War on Smartphones: Two Tourist Cities Where Using Your Phone Could Cost Dearly

In one popular vacation town, you'll be fined for using your phone in a crosswalk. In another, tourists face a plague of smartphone snatchings.

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

The New Cruise Ship with a Go-Kart Track on Top

In case there was any doubt left that the cruise industry is turning away from retirees and toward Millennials, make way for the Norwegian Bliss.This cruise ship continues the long…

Article / Slideshows

All About Guam: Where It Is, What to Do, and the Strange Way They Eat Mangoes

Guam is the part of the U.S.A. you may never have heard of. That's because this little 30-mile-long speck of an island in Micronesia is marooned in a wide swath of the Pacific…

Article / Passportable

Tourist Jailed for Wearing Sandals in Asian Temple

Taiwan's The China Post reports that a Russian tourist has been imprisoned in Myanmar for the crime of wearing sandals in the world-famous tourist site of Bagan.Wearing shoes in…

Article / Passportable

Another Big Hotel Chain Makes Cancelling Costly

In June, Marriott changed its rules about cancelling hotel reservations. Before then, customers usually could cancel a room all the way until the day of check-in, sometimes the day…

Article / Passportable

A New Airline "Aimed at Millennials" to Take Flight

Air France-KLM Group is launching a new airline, Joon, which will be "aimed at Millennials."In a press release that read like satire, or at best a cry for help—it was headlined…

Article / Slideshows

Time Capsules: Perfectly Preserved Sites from American History

Sometimes we're lucky enough to recognize greatness while it's still among us. And when we do, if we're really fortunate, we're also wise enough to preserve history while it's still…

Article / Passportable

USA to Barcelona for $150 on a New Budget Airline

Last week, without much fanfare, a new airline began shuttling passengers between Barcelona, Spain, and the West Coast of the United States.It's called Level, a joint…

Article / Miscellaneous

"Will the Real Arthur Frommer Please Stand Up?"

Can you identify the real Arthur Frommer? In 1963, CBS put America to the test when the travel authority appeared on the classic game show To Tell the Truth.

Article / Slideshows

Travel Joys and Miseries Millennials Will Never Know

Travel has changed radically in the decades since Frommer's started publishing. Sure, millennials can still take vacation photos with an old-fashioned film camera (like this tourist is…

Article / Passportable

False Alarm: EU Drops Threat to Require Visa of Americans

Europe is backing down. The European Commission has decided not to require Americans to obtain visas to travel to Europe—for now.The proposal to force Americans to secure…

Article / Local Experiences

Huell Howser is the Ultimate Armchair Tour Guide to California

Whether you're looking for things to do on a California vacation or just need a smile, Huell Howser's online archive opens a new state of mind to explore.

Article / Packing & Luggage

Online Streaming Services Have a Big Travel Problem

If you thought you could watch your favorite Hulu and Netflix shows while you're on vacation, you thought wrong. Geo-blocking remains a major glitch in the "cut the cord" movement.

Article / Air Travel

How to Protect Your Computer from Airlines and Hotels That Snoop on You

It's called dynamic pricing, and it's how companies can offer you different rates based on who you are and what you're in the market for. Here's how to set your computer to get around…

Article / Passportable

New Airport Puts More Caribbean Islands in Play

St. Vincent and the Grenadines are some of the prettiest islands in the Caribbean. They're lightly developed, bucolic-feeling, famous for countless empty beaches and chill village…

Article / Slideshows

Awesome New Travel Gadgets We're Watching

Every week, the inboxes at Frommer's are jammed with appeals from manufacturers who swear they have come up with the next greatest thing for travelers. Most of it doesn't excite us—we…

Article / Passportable

Bowling Green Strikes Back

Today we received a topical press release from the people who promote Bowling Green, Kentucky.It seems they've read the same headlines that we have about terrible things…