Articles

Jason Cochran

Article / Passportable

30-Acre Re-Creation of The Flintstones' Bedrock Can Be Yours

It’s a real estate opportunity that comes along once in a Stone Age: You can be the proud owner of a full-scale, real-life version of Bedrock from the classic animated sitcom “The…

Article / Passportable

App Lets Anyone Sneak into Airport Lounges

Ever gazed longingly at the door of an airline business class lounge when you were only carrying a pathetic economy-class ticket? Polish computer security expert Przemek Jaroszewski…

Article / Passportable

Perilous Glass Cliff Walk Opens in China

Terror has a new name: Zhangjiajie.This destination in China’s Hunan province was previously known for its stunning mountains. But now, with this week’s opening of the…

Article / Theme Park

What Skyslide is Like at Los Angeles' Skyspace Observation Deck: VIDEO

When Los Angeles welcomed a new skyscraper observation deck, it did it with a twist: A 45-foot glass slide that whisks tourists 70 stories over the streets of downtown. In the name of…

Article / Passportable

London's Olympic Tower Adds...a Slide?

ArcelorMittal OrbitThe ArcelorMittal Orbit, a twisting metal tower rising 376 ft/114.5 m from Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in East London, was built for the 2012 Summer Games.…

Article / Passportable

Welcome to LA's New Observation Deck

Skyspace's Skyslide was lifted into place in mid-March (Photo Credit: OUE Skyspace)We're amidst heady days for Los Angeles tourism. Last week, the city's Metro system scored a…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Reports: The TSA Speeds Up Lines By Allowing Shoes, Fully Packed Bags

For weeks, the news has been clogged with reports that airports were often seeing lines of as long as two hours for security clearance.According to independent reports on Twitter…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Why Are So Many People Acting Like Jerks in National Parks? A Radical Proposal to End the Selfishness

Did you hear about the "Tourist Bros" who reportedly have a warrant out for their arrest for trampling on fragile areas of Yellowstone?A vanity project called "High on Life…

Article / Passportable

Cambodia Regains its Train Lines

Photo credit: TrainCambodia.comOne of the many consequences of Pol Pot's genocidal 1970s regime in Cambodia was the loss of its railway system. The dictator wanted to bring his…

Article / Passportable

San Francisco-LA Sleeper "Bus" Debuts

This week, there's been a lot of press about the "Hyperloop" companies that are racing to create magnet-powered trains that will shuttle passengers at the speed of sound inside…

Article / Passportable

Airline to RFID-Track All Checked Bags

Nice to see a little of that crazy airline profit money poured back into something that benefits passengers: Delta has announced that by the end of the year, its new RFID luggage…

Article / Passportable

No More Stretching Out on Empty Flights?

This month, some newspapers and magazines published stories that proclaimed things like, "Lie-Flat Seats are Coming to Economy Class."It sounds like a dream come true, right?…

Article / Passportable

Delta Drops Phone Booking Fee

Delta Air Lines has dropped one of its most onerous fees: the $25 it collects to allow you to make a booking by telephone. Now, people who do not book using the Web—because they…

Article / Passportable

New App is Uber for Last-Minute Homestays

A new app has been launched that helps travelers find a last-minute place to crash.It's called Overnight, and to use it, you use it to post that you're in town and what…

Article / Air Travel

A Passenger's Warning About Ryanair—And Three Things Every Ryanair Customer Must Know

An American traveler learns the hard way about why European airline Ryanair has such cheap fares—let her experience be your lesson.

Article / Passportable

River Cruising Comes to Southern Africa

River cruising is huge in Europe and growing in Asia, but there's one place it hasn't made deep inroads: Southern Africa.That may be about to change. CroisiEurope, the largest…

Article / Passportable

Congress Votes On Airline Seat Sizes

Descheboard/FlickrSorry, America: No space for you!The United States Senate has voted down an amendment that would have told the airlines that they are no longer permitted…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

U.S. Airports Suffer Security Delays—Are You to Blame for Rejecting TSA PreCheck?

The TSA PreCheck program was supposed to make airport security inspections faster for many people. By paying $85 for five years and going through a background screening process…

Article / Passportable

New App Turns Any Window Seat Into a Tour

Ever look out an airplane window and wonder what you're seeing way down there on the ground? What are those weird shapes in the fields? What's the name of that tiny island? Which…

Article / Passportable

Study Proves It: Museums Change Lives

Hard to believe that no one had looked into this before, but now someone has: Exposing your kids to museums will enrich them forever.A few high-powered museums, including…

Article / Passportable

Free US National Parks for a Week in April

It's the 100th birthday of the establishment of the U.S. National Park system—but this month, it's the public who'll receive the gift.National Parks in the United States are…

Article / Passportable

After Brussels: Changing Your Flight

Because of damage and tensions resulting from the bombings in Brussels, some airlines are loosening their change fee rules for travelers heading to Europe in the coming week.Even…

Article / Passportable

Amtrak Now Grants 15% Student Discount

America's under-funded national rail network is doing a little something for Millennials: It has announced a 15% discount for students aged 17 to 25, valid anytime around the…

Article / Passportable

Expiring Passports Should Be Renewed Early

On the Frommer's Travel Show, our weekly radio broadcast, we recently interviewed Brenda Sprague, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Passport Services for the U.S. State Department,…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Last Call for Shamu: SeaWorld to Phase out Orca Whale Performances—Meet the Man Who Made that Call

Soon to be history: The Shamu show at SeaWorld Orlando. (Photo: Jason Cochran)SeaWorld has announced that it will no longer breed orcas in captivity at its theme parks. At a…