Articles

Zac Thompson

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

2022's Top Travel Stories, According to Frommer's Readers

In 2022, Covid-19 finally loosened its grip on the world. Our site stats reflect that (beyond) welcome development: Of the year's 10 most viewed pages here at Frommers.com, just one…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Apple Is Making It Easier for Some iPhone Users to Get Help When Lost

Nowadays we tend to rely on our cell phones to get us out of any jam—getting lost, needing a ride, needing a distraction from the creeping existential dread that otherwise accompanies…

Article / Arts and Culture

Where to Find Art Hiding in Plain Sight in Paris

A new book reveals dozens of easy-to-miss, free-to-visit visual wonders in parks, restaurants, Métro stations, and other surprising spots throughout Paris. 

Article / Money and Fees

What to Do to Avoid Getting Scammed if an Airbnb Host Asks You to Cancel a Booking

If an Airbnb host tells you that your confirmed reservation is no longer available, who should cancel the booking?

Article / Beach & Water Sports

If Men Can Go Topless on Beaches, Why Can’t Everybody? Nantucket’s Bid for “Top Freedom”

Residents of a small, scenic Massachusetts island have voted to allow everybody to go topless on public beaches. Should this be the norm across the U.S.?

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

It's Official: Everyone Can Go Topless on Nantucket's Beaches

Anyone of any gender expression may now go topless on the beaches of Nantucket, Massachusetts. (We'd wait for summer if we were you—New England winters are no joke.) As Frommer's…

Article / Passportable

French Baguettes and Cuban Light Rum Get UNESCO Heritage Status

Anyone who has ever bit into a fresh baguette in France already knows that crunchy-chewy creation counts among the exceptional achievements of humanity. But now UNESCO has made it…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Auf Wiedersehen, Airplane Mode! Europe Allows Smartphone Use on Flights

Passengers on flights within the European Union will soon be able to use their cell phones with no restrictions, thanks to a decision by the European Commission, the 27-nation bloc's…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

In Spain, Cheap High-Speed Rail Is Now the Norm

Spain's golden age of affordable high-speed rail has arrived. Last week a new company called Iryo launched fast train service between Madrid and Barcelona, with routes to Valencia,…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Bar Harbor, Maine, Votes to Limit Cruise Passengers, Setting Stage for a Fight

Amid all the U.S. election news earlier this month, you might have missed a development that could have a significant impact on travelers. Voters in the picturesque town of Bar…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

The Year's Best and Worst U.S. Airports Named in New Ranking

Northern California has the best airports in the United States and the New York City area has the worst, according to a new ranking from the Wall Street Journal. San Francisco…

Article / Slideshows

PHOTOS: The Most Beautiful Churches in Paris

Badly damaged by fire in 2019, Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris will reopen in time for the city's turn hosting the Summer Olympics in 2024, French government officials insist . But even…

Article / Passportable

New BattleBots Live Show to Bring Metal Mayhem to Las Vegas

Among the performers you can see in Las Vegas next year: Keith Urban, Katy Perry, Maroon 5, and a murderous fleet of robots fighting to the death. Discovery's BattleBots TV show is…

Article / Passportable

Airbnb Is Making It Easier to See Hated Cleaning Fees Earlier in Search

Airbnb is at last bringing more—though not complete—transparency to how rental prices are displayed. In December, the company will begin rolling out a feature that lets users of the…

Article / Passportable

“No TikTok”: Nepal Bans Video Platform at Top Tourist Spots

TikTok creators in Nepal have made such pests of themselves at certain scenic and sacred places that officials have banned use of the platform at tourist attractions throughout the…

Article / Passportable

The Lavish Italian Hotel Where the Second Season of “The White Lotus” Was Filmed

The White Lotus, writer-director Mike White's Emmy-winning social satire about privileged, problematic Americans on disenchanting luxury vacations, returns for a second installment…

Article / Passportable

Mexico City’s Island of the Dolls Is the Creepiest Place on Earth

We've covered our share of scary places over the years: haunted hotels, overgrown cemeteries, the house that inspired The Conjuring, Nevada's Clown Motel, literally any airplane…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Airplane Etiquette: Survey Names the Most Annoying Behavior in the Skies

What type of air traveler annoys you the most? Having recently taken a flight from Frankfurt to Boston during which I tried to watch The 40-Year-Old Virgin on a seat-back screen…

Article / Passportable

Forget Dracula’s Castle. You Can Stay at King Charles’s Transylvania Retreat

Turns out Britain's King Charles III is a distant descendant of the guy often cited as an inspiration for Bram Stoker's Count Dracula. According to the people who keep track of these…

Article / Passportable

The Filming Locations for “Ticket to Paradise” with George Clooney and Julia Roberts

Academy Award winners George Clooney and Julia Roberts return to movie screens this week in Ticket to Paradise. In the romantic comedy, Clooney and Roberts play a divorced couple who…

Article / Slideshows

PHOTOS: Go Inside the Grandest Homes in London

Royal palaces aside, the historic homes of London are usually overshadowed by their stately country cousins (your Blenheims , your Chatsworths , your Downton Abbey –inspiring…

Article / Slideshows

Beyond the Beach: Fun Things to Do in Miami Without Showing Off Your Abs

In 1961, Frommer’s Miami and the Caribbean on 10 Dollars a Day (the mind boggles) describes the South Florida city as a pastel-hued land of “unheard-of luxury.” Next to “giant seaside…

Article / Passportable

Already a Fave with Expats, Portugal Is Launching a Digital Nomad Visa

One of Europe's most popular destinations for expats is making it easier for digital nomads to stick around for up to a year. Starting October 30, citizens of the United States and…

Article / Passportable

Howdy, Dolly Parton Fans! Now You Can Book a Stay on Her Retired Tour Bus

A recently introduced hotel package gives guests the chance to stay in Dolly Parton's tricked-out tour bus—and this "Tennessee Mountain Home" away from home is no "Lil' Ole Bitty…

Article / Passportable

The World’s Best Airlines Ranking Is Out—and the U.S. Didn’t Do So Hot

This year, air travelers have endured a parade of woes. But even as an understaffed commercial aviation industry struggles to keep up with heightened demand following the easing of…