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Article / Passportable

Icelandair Makes Viral Video to Remind You About Free Stopovers

Budget travelers have long known about Icelandair's competitive deals on airfare to Europe, but the general public could use the good news. If you're willing to make a pit stop in…

Article / Passportable

Not Using Your Vacation Costs America Dearly

Ten points for the always excellent CBS News Sunday Morning for recently airing this pithy commentary by its contributor Faith Salie.Salie calculates how much the American…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Frommer Authors and Frommer Broadcasting Have Received Two Coveted, First Prize, Gold Awards from the Society of American Travel Writers

You'll have to forgive us for "tooting our own horn", as that ancient  saying goes, but we wouldn't be quite human if we failed to pay notice to two remarkable awards and…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

A Sensational Recent Drop in the Value of its Currency Makes Argentina an Especially Attractive Place for American Vacationers This Winter

I recently drew attention to the decline in value of three major currencies--the Australian and Canadian dollars and the Japanese yen--making travel to Australia,…

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 / Passportable

Spirit Airlines Gouges for Checked Bags This December

You call this Christmas spirit, Spirit? The much-reviled airline will renew its nasty regulation this December when it charges passengers even more to check a bag—just because it's…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Two More Airlines Start Charging for the First Checked Bag: Will Free Bags Go Extinct?

Sorry, Canada. Your Westjet just decided to start charging standard passengers for the first checked bag. One would think that would give rival Air Canada in an advantageous position…

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

The Practice of Causing Giant Orca Whales to Entertain the Public at Theme Parks Across America, May Soon be the Subject of a Courtroom Trial

The changing attitudes towards the use of captive animals in travel-related theme parks is, to me, a fascinating subject, and one for which I have a deep sense of shame.…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

The Growing Strength of the U.S. Dollar Has Lowered the Cost of Trips to a Number of Popular Foreign Destinations--Here's a Rundown

Although political conditions may have reduced travel by us American tourists to a number of foreign countries (like in the Middle East and North Africa), the picture…

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 / Arthur Frommer Online

A Two-Step Procedure, Ending With a Direct Phone Call to the Hotel, Is Probably Your Best Way to Obtain the Lowest-Priced Accommodations for Your Next Trip

The evidence seems stronger every day that the best way to get a well-priced, low-cost hotel room is to place a direct phone call to the hotel itself.  But you should do…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Some Major Lawsuits Brought Against Them May Very Well Spell Doom for a Number of Phony Travel Clubs

In recent weeks, a slew of phony travel clubs may have met their doom.  And I'm writing about those many deceptive, despicable and contemptible clubs that are out to…

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…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

From Fights About Reclining Seats on Passenger Airlines, to Deceptive Advertising of Airline Fares, There's No Dearth of Recent Travel Developments

On three different occasions in the last several weeks, planes flying in the U.S. have made emergency landings because of arguments between passengers over whether one of them…

Article / Passportable

Taiwan Impressions, Day 2: Java, Burial Rights, Vice

(This is part 2 of a series of, well, snippets. They're random, but I hope interesting, impressions of what I experienced recently in…

Article / Passportable

Taiwan Impressions, Day 1: Odd Signs, Odder Fish and Bathrooms That Hum

I recently returned from a trip to Taiwan, my third in a year and a half. And, as before, I had a number of experiences that surprised and delighted me. I wasn't there to write an…

Article / Passportable

Bucket List: Tourism Board Gets Iced

Visit Syracuse has tagged Visit Rochester and the I LOVE NY team in the Convention and Visitors Board version of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.  Taunting Rochester and…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Would You Believe $60 a Night for a 9-Night Trip on a Princess Ship? Plus Bargains Over the Holidays

We periodically ask our friends at AllThingsCruise.com to tell us about the best bargains in cruises at the moment. Here's what they suggested, where to book them, and what, in…

Article / Passportable

Where was ABC's series 'The Quest' filmed?

ABC's groundbreaking reality competition series The Quest has not been a summer ratings bonanza. In fact, for its final few weeks, the network plans to air episodes back-to-back…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Royal Caribbean's Newest Twist: RFID Bracelets Tracking Every Guest and Making Arrangements Quicker

RFID bracelets are officially the mark of a mass-market vacation. Walt Disney World was the biggest player to introduce its MagicBands earlier this year. MagicBands help guests…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

By Springing Extra and Wholly Unexpected Fees on Their Guests, The Hotel Industry has Crossed a Line of Civility and Morality

In a state of weary resignation, most of us have become used to the extra charges that airlines now routinely add to their airfares.  We think nothing ill of the fee…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

A Number of Seemingly-Inconsequential Travel Developments May Have a Bearing on Your Next Vacation or Trip

Pardon the hyperbole, but to me, the biggest recent news in travel was the fight that broke out between a female air passenger who wanted to recline her seat, and a male…