Articles

Zac Thompson

Article / Passportable

San Diego Water Park Reborn as the West Coast’s First Sesame Street Theme Park

To the venerable query "Can you tell me how to get to Sesame Street?", a new theme park in Southern California has an answer: by inner tube. SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment is…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Slip Slidin’ Away: Venice’s Too-Slick Glass Bridge Getting a Stone Makeover

We're not structural engineers or anything, but putting an arched footbridge made out of a notoriously slippery substance in the middle of a famously soggy city seems like a surefire…

Article / Passportable

Explore the Logs of Every Sailing of the Revered QE2 Ocean Liner on This Interactive Website

During its 40 years in service starting in 1968, Cunard's Queen Elizabeth 2 ocean liner sailed a total of nearly 6 million miles, stopping at 312 ports around the world and crossing…

Article / Passportable

PHOTOS: Robots of the Future Look Cool at This Sci-Fi Ice Hotel in Finland

In frozen Finland, a seasonal hotel that's made entirely out of ice and snow is celebrating its 20th winter in operation by looking toward the future. Located in a resort area inside…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Year in Review: 2021’s Top Travel Stories, According to Frommer’s Readers

In 2021, as in 2020, the seemingly never-ending Covid-19 pandemic dominated every aspect of public life, from the economy to the arts. Here at Frommer’s, we covered all the…

Article / Air Travel

Is Airplane Water Safe? What You Should (and Should Not) Drink Aboard a Flight

When the beverage cart comes rolling your way during a flight, here are the safest, tastiest drinks to order—and the ones to avoid. 

Article / Passportable

Spock’s Ears and Other Major Changes Coming to the Smithsonian’s Air & Space Museum

Two of the most iconic appendages in sci-fi are going on permanent display at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The institution…

Article / Passportable

You Can Take This Epic Himalayan Trek for the First Time in Decades

For centuries, just about the only way to cross the mountainous kingdom of Bhutan in the Eastern Himalayas was by a 403km (250-mile) east-west trail connecting ancient fortresses and…

Article / Passportable

Low-Cost Icelandic Airline Debuts in U.S. with $109 Fares to Europe

A fledgling low-cost airline called Play, which has been flying between Iceland and other parts of Europe since 2019, is expanding into the United States with introductory…

Article / Passportable

Hikers Follow Glow-in-the-Dark Guideposts on This Stargazing Trail

A scenery-focused hike in the dark sounds counterintuitive, but not when the nighttime amble is at Exmoor National Park, a coastal stretch of unspoiled moors between Devon and Somerset…

Article / Passportable

Props and Costumes from TV’s “Dickinson” Join Collection at Emily Dickinson Museum

More than 400 props, costumes, and set pieces from the acclaimed Apple TV+ series Dickinson have joined the collection of the Emily Dickinson Museum in Amherst, Massachusetts. The…

Article / Passportable

Offices at Helsinki’s Grand Railway Station Have Been Turned Into a Hotel

Helsinki's central train station frequently appears on lists of the world's most beautiful railway terminals for its art-nouveau design by Eliel Saarinen (not to be confused with his…

Article / Passportable

Film Great Federico Fellini Gets His Own Museum in Italy

The hometown of acclaimed Italian film director Federico Fellini has opened a lavish new museum dedicated to the auteur responsible for making La Dolce Vita (1960), 8 1/2 (1963), and…

Article / Passportable

Giant Star Added to the Top of Barcelona’s Still-Unfinished Sagrada Família

Barcelona's La Sagrada Família received a (literally) dazzling new addition this week: a giant, illuminated star on the top of the still-unfinished basilica's second-tallest…

Article / Slideshows

This Year's Most Dazzling Photos of the Northern Lights

When it comes to otherworldly beauty, Mother Nature really outdid herself with the northern lights. Filling wintertime skies with eerie swirls of green, purple, yellow, and pink, the…

Article / Passportable

In London, Big Ben’s Tower Finally Emerging from Scaffolding—with New (Old) Look

The world-famous clock tower at the Houses of Parliament in London has been under scaffolding for three and a half years now. The photogenic landmark, commonly referred to as Big Ben…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

U.S. Extends Mask Mandate on Planes and Shortens Testing Window for Border Arrivals

Passengers will need to continue masking up on U.S. planes, trains, and buses through at least March 18, 2022, the White House announced today. The country's mask mandate for public…

Article / Passportable

Rally the Realm: Official "Game of Thrones" Studio Tour Enshrines Westeros Sets and Costumes

Next year is shaping up to be a big one for Game of Thrones fans. Prequel series House of the Dragon is set to begin airing on HBO at some point in 2022 (nothing more specific has…

Article / Passportable

Visiting This New Art Museum in Korea’s DMZ Requires a Military Escort

And you thought mask-wearing was a strict entry rule. To visit a new Korean art museum, gallery-goers require a military escort. That's because the museum, dubbed Unimaru after the…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

"In Danger of Capsizing": Rough Seas Continue for Historic Queen Mary Ship

Things continue to look bad for the Queen Mary, the historic British ocean liner turned Southern California tourist attraction turned floating hotel turned rotting hulk. The ship,…

Article / Passportable

Figure Out Where to Use Your Credit Card Rewards Points for Flights with This Free Online Tool

If you've racked up a bunch of air travel miles from a credit card or airline rewards program and you'd like to redeem them for an international flight, a free, new online tool from…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

For Better or Worse, Booze Will Soon Flow Again on All Major U.S. Airlines

United Airlines has resumed selling hard liquor in the economy cabin on flights of at least 301 miles. Like many other carriers, United went dry during the early weeks of the pandemic…

Article / Passportable

Famous Thai Beach from Leonardo DiCaprio Movie Reopening After Three Years

Thailand's Maya Bay, the speck of paradise that played the title role in the Leonardo DiCaprio movie The Beach (2000), is reopening to tourists after a three-year-long…

Article / Passportable

Float Over Dubai in the World’s Highest Infinity Pool with Wraparound Views

You can now take a soak while soaking in limitless views of Dubai's over-the-top skyline at a new infinity pool suspended more than 650 feet above the United Arab Emirates…

Article / Air Travel

How Soon Can You Fly with a Baby on an Airplane?

Airline rules and early health concerns to consider before getting on a plane with your newborn