Why You Should Never Order Coffee on a Plane (and Other Lessons from a Flight Attendant)
Posted on 01/20/2021, 2:00 PM
TikTok can make you laugh, it can make you dance, and now, thanks to the efforts of a savvy, personable flight attendant, it can also help you travel better (when it's time to travel again). Her name is Kat Kamalani and she's a Salt Lake City-based flight attendant for an unnamed major carrier. On her TikTok channel, she supplies plenty of advice on all aspects of the travel experience. Some of he...
These Last-Minute Rules from the Trump Administration Could Harm Travelers
Posted on 01/19/2021, 9:00 AM
Yes, travel is our focus at Frommer's. But that doesn't mean we can ignore the actions of government that affect how we travel—our safety, our rights as consumers, and the protection of the natural and historic sites we cherish. As the nonprofit investigative journalism organization ProPublica has brought to light, the outgoing Trump administration has enacted a high number of last-minute regulati...
Graceland Launches What May Be The Priciest Virtual Tours in the World
Posted on 01/15/2021, 1:00 PM
At the time of Elvis Presley's death in 1977, there were fewer than 200 Elvis impersonators. In 2015, the count was estimated at more than 250,000, according to Oddee.com. Clearly, the King's reign did not end when the Grim Reaper came for him. The pop idol, both in life and after it, has sold more than $1 billion worth of records; by most estimates, his estate is worth over $300 million today. H...
A New Government Rule Might Have Just Killed Involuntary Airline Bumping for Good
Posted on 01/14/2021, 12:00 PM
Midnight regulations are actions taken during the lame-duck period of a presidential administration. They tend to be controversial moves, especially if one party is taking over the White House from another. That has certainly been the case during the waning days of Pres. Trump's time in office. Since losing his bid for reelection in November, Trump has presided over the removal of LGBTQ nondiscrim...
Tomb of Rome's First Emperor to Reopen to Public After Years of Closure
Posted on 01/13/2021, 12:00 PM
Tourists heading to Rome will soon have one more magnificent ruin to add to their dance cards. In March, after 13 years of excavation, research, and renovation, the tomb of the ancient Empire's first emperor will reopen. The largest circular tomb in the world (pictured above), it has been closed to the public for the better part of the past 80 years. It was built by and for Augustus, which may ne...
What's the Airport Experience Without CNN? We'll Soon Know
Posted on 01/13/2021, 6:00 AM
As if the travel experience hadn't changed enough recently, the background drone of cable pundits pontificating will soon be gone from U.S. airports. On January 12, CNN media reporter Oliver Darcy tweeted the following statement from CNN president Jeff Zucker: "Today we are announcing that the CNN Airport Network will end on March 31. The steep decline in airport traffic because of COVID-19, coup...
Jaw-Dropping Prices on Autumn Airfare to Europe on Sale This Week
Posted on 01/12/2021, 1:00 PM
On January 11, 2021, a total of 708,177 passengers were screened by TSA agents at U.S. airports. A year ago on the same day, the number was 1,992,453. And that 65% drop is spawning some extraordinary airfare discounts. I told you last week about American Airlines' new daily deals page, which on its very first day gave away free flights for kids to the Caribbean. The big news is that American's ne...
Stray Cats and Washing Machines: Memories of Inspired Kindness
Posted on 01/08/2021, 1:00 PM
One of the great blessings of travel is that it allows us to see how people across the globe lead their daily lives. That includes how they handle the problems that rarely make the news. Alas, we're in a no-travel time right now. But we can still scratch that travel itch by learning about contemporary cultures across the globe—and the way the Portuguese are dealing with stray cats offers welcome i...
The Longest Multi-Use Trail in the U.S.A. Opens in New York State
Posted on 01/07/2021, 1:00 PM
In December 2018, I made predictions for the trends that would impact travel in the coming year. Back then, the number of issued permits for walking the Pacific Crest Trail (featured in Cheryl Strayed's seminal travel memoir Wild) had tripled in just three years, and simultaneously, several new, very long-distance trails were being developed around the world. One of them was New York's Empire Stat...
American Airlines Launches New Daily Deals—And The First One Is Fantastic
Posted on 01/04/2021, 10:00 AM
American Airlines is kicking off the new year by launching new daily promotions, and while I don't know what the future deals will be, the first one could truly be called a steal. Those who book a ticket by midnight PST on Monday, January 4, will be able to snag one free child's ticket for every adult ticket purchased. Not all destinations are valid. Tickets are only being discounted to the Cayma...
