Articles

Zac Thompson

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

TikTok's Viral 'Temple Run' Trend Imperils Cambodia's Angkor Wat (and Is Stupid)

On TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, and wherever else stupid videos proliferate on the internet, a popular trend that has recently emerged involves clips of tourists running and jumping…

Article / Passportable

What Travelers Should Know About Oropouche Virus, an “Emerging” Global Threat

Public health officials have revealed yet another reason to pack your bug spray when you travel. An "emerging" threat known as Oropouche virus, spread through the bites of mosquitoes…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

What’s Up with These Hourslong Check-in Lines at Las Vegas Hotels?

"Hotel check in wait times are out of control in Las Vegas," social media influencer VegasStarfish argues in a recent posting. The video evidence accompanying the claim certainly makes…

Article / Passportable

When Delta's Free Wi-Fi Will Be Available on All International Flights

Delta Air Lines has begun rolling out free Wi-Fi on international flights, with most routes to Europe expected to have the service by the end of September, the carrier announced this…

Article / Passportable

Cheap Flights on National Cheap Flight Day: Airfare’s Money-Saving Season Is Here

You might not have celebrated National Best Friends Day on June 8, National Piña Colada Day on July 10, or National Nude Day on July 14 (do you hate fun?), but there's at least one…

Article / Air Travel

The Fastest Way to Get from NYC to Boston? A Waterfront-to-Waterfront Seaplane

Traveling from Boston Harbor to Manhattan's East River by amphibious aircraft is fast, fun—and expensive.

Article / Passportable

On This Barefoot Hiking Trail, You Can Forget About Lacing Up Your Boots

An outdoor attraction in Arizona bills itself as the first "grounding park" in the United States.Grounding, in this context, simply means walking barefoot on natural surfaces.…

Article / Passportable

When Is Oktoberfest in Germany in 2024? Dates, Best Cities, and Other Info to Know

This post, originally published June 28, 2024, has been updated with new information.In a typical year, around 6 million people descend on Munich for Oktoberfest, Germany's…

Article / Passportable

New UNESCO World Heritage Sites for 2024 in Italy, Malaysia, South Africa, More

UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) has added 24 cultural and natural wonders to its esteemed World Heritage List of sites the organization…

Article / Passportable

RV Sites Amid Canyons and Adoptable Pets at Utah’s Best Friends Animal Sanctuary

The self-described largest no-kill animal shelter in the United States occupies an enviable location amid the red rock canyons of southern Utah, where 1,600 dogs, cats, birds, bunnies,…

Article / Passportable

The Notorious 'Titanic' Door Is On Display in Real Life. Is There Room for Two?

A new permanent display of movie memorabilia from the 1997 blockbuster Titanic features a projection of a famous line uttered by Kate Winslet's Rose: "I'll never let go." But the…

Article / Passportable

A Cinque Terre Trail Famed for Romance Reopens After More Than a Decade

After a long dry spell, the Path of Love is reopening. We're not trying to be poetic here. The actual walkway known as the Path of Love—or Via dell'Amore in Italian—is finally…

Article / Passportable

All About USA’s Newest National Park: Texas' Blackwell School National Historic Site

A former school that was built in west Texas for Mexican and Mexican American students during the era of "separate but equal" education has become the newest addition to the U.S.…

Article / Passportable

This Carnival Cruise Customer Service Scam Cost a Family Their $900 Vacation

We've warned you before about travel scams involving fraudulent phone numbers for airlines' customer service call centers. Passengers fall prey to that con when they look up an…

Article / Passportable

The Rules for Bringing a Dog Into the US Are Getting Stricter: Here's What's Changing

This post, originally published May 13, 2024, has been updated with new information.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is rolling out new rules for bringing a dog into…

Article / Slideshows

How to Get Scuba Diving Certification: Should You Take the Plunge?

Like seatbelts and slaughterhouse inspections, scuba diving certification arose as a way of regulating an industry that had previously operated with unacknowledged risks. “Back in the…

Article / Passportable

Forecast: No Sargassum Season in Cancún This Year—but Other Beaches Not as Lucky

In recent years, summer has been peak sargassum season, with large, unsightly accumulations of the stinky brown seaweed piling up on beaches in Florida, the Caribbean, and Mexico's…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Dengue Fever Surges in the USA! Learn How to Prevent Mosquito Bites When You Travel

Just days after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a warning about the increased risk of dengue virus infections in the United States, Florida health officials…

Article / Beach & Water Sports

Beach Safety Tips for Avoiding Rip Currents

Amid rising risks from rip currents, follow these essential beach safety tips to avoid one of the ocean's biggest dangers. 

Article / Slideshows

Best Places to Go in the Fall: USA Travel Picks for September, October, and November

There are those who find summer oppressive and winter dreary, but does anybody not like fall? Okay, maybe third graders bummed about being back in school. But for the rest of us in the…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Frommer’s Maine Coast: Our Latest Guide to Acadia, Portland, and Other Seaside Stunners

“Maine is a beautiful place that I paradoxically want to hoard to myself and share with everyone I meet," humorist John Hodgman writes in his 2017 book Vacationland. On a recent…

Article / Air Travel

5 Idiotic Viral Travel Hacks You Shouldn’t Bother Trying When You Fly

Don't believe everything you see on the internet. These viral travel hacks aren't likely to make flying better—and could make things worse. 

Article / Passportable

JetBlue Basic Economy to Allow Carry-Ons—Which Airlines Still Charge for Overhead Bins?

JetBlue passengers with the airline's cheapest class of tickets, known as Blue Basic fares, will be allowed to bring a carry-on bag onto the plane at no additional charge, the carrier…

Article / Passportable

Where The Best Beaches in Europe for Water Quality Are

Weather forecasters say it's gonna be another summer of brutal heat waves in Europe—maybe the hottest season ever, according to some predictions. But at least there's some reassuring…

Article / Passportable

You’re Not Going to Like What Drinking Alcohol on Flights Does to Your Body, Per New Research

For the many travelers out there whose strategy for getting through long-haul flights is a one-two punch of boozing and snoozing, some German scientists have some bad news. A new…