Articles

Blogs

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Some Airlines Let You Bring Your Belongings But Not Take Them Back Home: Carry-On Rules are Erratically Enforced

I have just returned from an international trip. As you can probably imagine of a travel journalist, I have my packing down to a science. I take my standard amount every time. On my…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

The How-To's Of Getting Better Rest on the Road

Is it a vacation if you can’t sleep? That’s the question many travelers confront when they head off for much needed rest and relaxation, only to find themselves becoming more…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Royal Caribbean Now Offers 110 Percent Price Guarantee if You Find Cheaper Airfare Elsewhere

Buying your airline tickets to meet the start of a cruise has always been a bit of a losing proposition. Booking through the cruise line is often the only way to ensure that if your…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

While We're Discussing Fee-Free Cards, Here's One That Charges No ATM Fees

Arthur Frommer recently let you know about the United Plus Explorer card, which waives the foreign transaction fee the way the famous Capital One suite of cards does. That card (in…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Confused About Navigating the Airport? One of Them Will Take $80 to Guide You Through It

More and more, airlines stand to make a lot more money when airports do their jobs inefficiently. Last month, I told you about how one airline at JFK was raking in fees for instant…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

The RIGHT Way to Do Denali National Park (Get OFF The Darn Bus!)

In 1917, when Denali National Park in Alaska was created, just 7 hardy souls managed to make the grueling, long, roadless trek to see the wonders of the new park.Today, thanks to…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Miles and Money Now Needed to Reach "Elite" Status on United Airlines

Delta did it first, back in January, when it sent a note to its loyalty program members stating that now it would not just award "Silver" status based on the amount of miles flown,…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Keep That Kindle On! The FAA Likely Will Relax Rules for On-Board Electronics

It's not a done deal. But both the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times are reporting that a group working for the FAA on a study of airline safety issues is currently drafting…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Wanna Save That $25 Baggage Charge? Avoid the 3% Foreign Transaction Fee? Get Admission to a Comfy Lounge? Enjoy Priority Boarding? We Know How!

At the risk of being accused of touting a particular credit card (in which I have no interest whatever), it's important to alert all cost-conscious travelers about the new (and…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

The Elimination of Room Service, Top Sheets, and More: Worrisome Changes Coming to a Hotel Near You

Those over the age of 45 will remember when flying was a glamorous, or at least an amenity-laden activity. Attractive flight attendants would flit up and down the aisles, delivering…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Getting Crafty in North Carolina: Meet the John C. Campbell Folk School

The day began with Whisky for Breakfast. Which made sense, since we were in North Carolina. But this wasn’t a meeting of the “Moonshine Society.” Instead, a fiddler and a banjo…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Drop That Knock-Off Purse! People Who Buy Counterfeit Goods in New York City May Now Face Stiff Fines

Just yesterday I was walking through New York's Chinatown, on my way to review a dim sum joint for my new guidebook, when a short woman slung with several purses sidles up to me.…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

On a Return Flight to the U.S. from an Overseas Trip, It Has Now Become Important to Leave Yourself At Least Four Hours for Making An Onward Connection

The big news in travel this past week has been the virtual collapse of the customs and immigration function at several of the nation's international airports, including those in…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

My Knee-Jerk (Ouch!) Reaction to American Airlines' Plans to Add Even More Seats to Its Planes

My knees are aching just writing this. And my laptop's cover is quivering in fear. But here goes:In a regulatory filing yesterday, AMR Corp disclosed its plans to add more seats…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Another Opening, Another Summer Stock Show: The Best Theater This Coming Season in North America

Sure there’s sun and sand. But one of the unsung delights of summer---or should I say one of the most loudly crooned pleasures of the season---is summer stock. There’s something…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Thinking About a Dude Ranch Vacation This Summer? Tips from an Expert

The horse may just replace the racecar, space ship and James Bond-helmed motorboat as the whiz-bang mode of transportation this summer. I make that prediction after watching the…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

While You Were Out, Your Hotel Covered Your Bathroom Mirror with an Advertisement: Okay or Not?

Tonight, Instagram user @ZachHonig tweeted this image of his hotel room at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites in downtown Los Angeles. It seems that while he was out, the…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Some Rather Spectacular Bargains Have Opened Up in Month-of-July Sailings of the Mediterranean

In an earlier blog, I predicted that all the big cruiselines sailing in the Mediterranean would slash their prices for departures in July, once we got closer in to the month of…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

When an Overseas Merchant Offers to Convert Your Credit Card Bill Into U.S. Dollars, Say No

It's known as "Dynamic Currency Conversion", but it should be called "Dynamic Currency Cheating".  You encounter the shady offer in a Paris restaurant, a London hotel, a Tokyo…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Wilson Wu Has Done it Again: $999 for a Combination of Beijing and Shanghai, Including Round-Trip Trans-Pacific Airfare

In a recent discussion, we expressed our surprise at the latest move by Wilson Wu, the wonder-boy of travel to China.  About a week ago, he completely re-did his website…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Orlando Goes Over the Top: SeaWorld and Busch Gardens Also Break the $90 Barrier with Ticket Prices

We just got a dispatch from Florida, where SeaWorld Orlando confirms it has joined Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando in hiking ticket prices past the $90 mark.SeaWorld…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Italian State-Run Museums Now Free to Everyone Under the Age of 18

My thanks to Frommer's author Donald Strachan (who's currently hard at work on a new Frommer's guidebook) for spotting this one.Until now, non-European Union teens and children…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

The Re-Appearance of China Spree's $888 One-Weeker to Beijing (Including Round-Trip Airfare!) May Indicate that China Air and China Irself Have Plenty of Unsold Capacity for Autumn and Winter. China, Anyone?

To my utter amazement, China Spree has today replaced its former China specials with an entirely new list of spectacular fall/winter bargains (such as $888 for a week in…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Plan Ahead or Do It On the Spot: The Conundrum of Modern Vacations

United Airlines caused a stir two days ago when it announced that travelers could now “subscribe” to its fees. Pay one lump sum in advance—$349, so that’s one big lump sum…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

A Preview of Kennedy Space Center's Awesome $100 Million Home for Space Shuttle Atlantis, Opening June 29

On June 29, the most lavish of America's four final homes for the former space shuttle orbiters will open. The Atlantis will admit visitors on the very grounds where it launched 33…