Articles

Pauline Frommer

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Head to South Africa This Spring! Full Tours, Including Airfare from the US and Within Country, a Safari and More For Just $1499

Let me start by saying that we have no affiliation whatsoever with smarTours, the tour operator behind this deal. But when we get a press release that makes our jaws hit the…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

A New Monopoly on European Airport ATMs Means Lousy Exchange Rates for Travelers

I just had the pleasure of co-hosting our radio show with Samantha Brown, Travel Channel star par extraordinaire. (You can hear the podcast here). Whenever I chat with Samantha, I…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Hooray for Hyatt! Its End-of-the-Year Announcement is "Free Wi-Fi for All"

It's nice to end the year on some good news!Hyatt Hotels, that massive chain that now consists of 573 properties in 43 countries, will be offering free Wi–Fi to ALL guests…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Bye-Bye, Economy! Delta Airlines Introduces Five New Classes of Seating

In 2013, Delta Airlines collected $1.67 billion dollars in so-called ancillary fees last year (mostly change fees and baggage fees), whupping its nearest competitor by almost $300…

Article / Passportable

Volunteer Your Time and Get a Free Hostel Stay For Yourself and 9 Friends

Hostelling International USA announced this week that it will be doing a good deed for those who, well, do good deeds. For the months of January and February, it will be giving away…

Article / Passportable

A 12-Day Tour of India, Including Airfare, For Just $1499? Yes!

The one-time China specialist China Spree changed its name last year, but not its raison d'etre. And that seems to be to put out travel deals that make even the most cynical…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Point/Counterpoint: Pauline Frommer Gives Her Impressions of Colonial Williamsburg

I won’t lie: I was dragged, kicking and wailing, to Colonial Williamsburg. I thought the idea of spending Thanksgiving at the famed “living history museum” was a goofy one, and…

Article / Passportable

India Eases Its Visa Rules, While Russia May Be Closing Its Doors to Many Visitors

As per usual the news out of Russia is puzzling. Instead of easing restrictions on travelers and thus helping their sanction-damaged economy, the Russian government may be making…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Black Friday, Cyber Monday and All Those Travel Deals: Which Are Worthwhile (and Which Can Be Skipped)? We Have a Little List

According to the shopping experts who gab away on morning TV, TODAY will be the best day to shop if you're in the market for the usual gifts (sweaters, gadgets, toys, jewelry,…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Is Last Minute, Spontaneous Travel Now a Thing of the Past? Yes....And No

It’s been a good several years since the airlines offered regular last-minute deals. According to a study of 180 million ticket sales by the Airline Reporting Corporation (the…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Et Tu JetBlue? Carrier Will Be Adding Bag Fees and Extra Seats to Cabins

Today, JetBlue released a bombshell-filled securities filing, one that will make investors happy but is going to take the swing out of the step of many travelers (this one included).…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Hilton and Marriott Announce Strict New Fees for Last–Minute Cancellations

Just as Cinderella had to high tail it home before the stroke of midnight, from January 1st on, travelers heading to a Hilton or a Marriott property will have to remember to…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

American Airlines Goes Its Own Way on Frequent Flyer Miles….For Now. And Travelers Should Be Grateful

Loyalty doesn’t always go both ways. That’s the sad truth that members of the frequent flyer programs for most of the major North American carriers found out this fall when two of…

Article / Cruise

Mix and Match Cruise Vacations: That Include Both Land or River Cruise Add-Ons

One week hopping ports in the Caribbean? That's old hat. To lure more customers, the major cruise lines are offering a slew of new land and river cruise options to their itineraries.

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Food, Travel and Marriage: Two Excellent New Memoirs Explore Journeys on the Silk Road and France

As a woman who was wooed and won by a man who laboured for three days preparing a lasagna — he made the pasta from scratch — I know, in a visceral way, that the connection…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Rustling Up a Good Time Playing Cowboy In Fort Worth: Why You May Want to Choose This Texan City for Your Next Long Weekend Away

The Texas most tourists see isn’t the rootin’, tootin’ West. Dallas and Houston are sedate-feeling cities of gleaming, Shanghai-like skyscrapers; Austin’s beat is more alt music…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Sundays Replace Tuesday As the Day to Book Airfares, and More Savvy Advice From An Expert Source

You may have never heard of the Airline Reporting Corporation but you've likely purchased a ticket it has had its "virtual fringerprints" on it. That's because the ARC serves as…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Munching Your Way Through Melbourne History: The Queen Victoria Market

Sydney, The Reef and the Rock: those are the three “constellations” that shine most brightly in Australia’s tourism firmament. But there’s a good argument to be made that…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Doing the Famed Sydney Bridge Climb The Speedy Way

Some 16 years ago, a clever entrepreneur named Paul Cave came up with the idea of allowing tourists to scale the arch of Sydney’s iconic Harbour Bridge (largest single span steel…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Days 4 & 5 In The Australian Outback: Adventures in Alice Springs

(Wallabies gather in a parking lot in Alice Springs; yes, that is a baby wallaby peeking out of the pouch!)Had I visited the Northern…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Day 3 In the Australian Outback: Experiencing the Traditional Aboriginal Way of Life

Uluru and Kata Tjuta, the massive (and quite beautiful) rock formations that are at the heart of the famed National Park with their names, have been sacred sites for Australia's…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Posts from the Australian Outback: Day 2 in the Northern Territory Means Camels in the Bush

One of my goals in visiting the Uluru area was to explore this eye-poppingly beautiful area in as many ways as possible. But I couldn't, in my wildest imagination, have guessed…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Posts from the Outback: Day 1 of My Northern Territory Adventure in Uluru National Park

You don't know until you go.That could be (and should be) my mantra. Because even destinations I've seen hundreds of times in photos and videos always surprise in…

Article / Passportable

Taiwan Impressions, Final Day: Innovation, Malls and Glove Puppets

Last full day in Taiwan 1) Went to the Taiwan Excellence Pavilion, the museum where the government showcases the most innovative Taiwanese inventions of the last year. Saw an air…

Article / Passportable

Taiwan Impressions, Day 3: Head Hunters, Selfie Sticks, Women on Top, Flying Lanterns

Aboriginal headdresses (photo by Pauline Frommer)Today in Taiwan.... 1) I discovered that selfies…