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Article / Passportable

Barcelona to Ban All Vacation Rentals by 2028

Although the announcement may seem surprising to outsiders, people familiar with Barcelona will recognize this has been a long time coming—and will likely be a harbinger of future…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Bags Stolen From Baggage Claim: The Airlines' Big Luggage Security Problem

Many travelers won't know or remember this, but there was a time when airline passengers had to to present a claim check in order to pick up their luggage after flights.Until the early…

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

The Real Reason Cruise Ship Cabin TVs Don't Carry the Big Networks

The minute you step aboard a cruise, you're entering a bubble. Your phone calls cease, your e-mails go unchecked, and day-to-day pressures can't reach you. A good cruise is like a…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Online Passport Renewal is Back in the U.S.! Here's How to Get In On It

All right, Americans. Ready? This is online passport renewal, take two. The U.S. State Department today announced that it is once again accepting applications for online passport…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

This Airline Is Mining Your Personal Information to Sell Things to You In Flight. Stop That!

Welcome to the spammy skies. United Airlines has launched a new ad serving platform that will exploit the personal travel information of its customers gathered from bookings, and the…

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…

Article / Passportable

Would You Climb This Scary Ladder "Floating in Thin Air" Above Norwegian Fjords?

As climate change pushes Southern Europe's summer temperatures past the proverbial boiling point, many travelers have begun to look northward to Scandinavia for outdoor vacation…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Find Vacation Rentals—But From Someone You Know: Meet Trustr, A New Rental Site

According to the National Association of Home Builders, there are 7.5 million second homes in the United States, which is 5.11% of the total number of homes. Yet even in this age of…

Article / Passportable

TSA Confirms Real ID Will Be Mandatory to Fly Starting May 7, 2025

This post was originally published in December 2022 and contains updated information.The deadline for all Americans to be using Real I.D., the strengthened identification format that…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

American Airlines Raises Bag Fees, Will Ban Some Booking Sites from Points Eligibility

This news post was updated with new information after its original publication.It's almost as if the corporations dominating our lives are determined to make back whatever they missed…

Article / Passportable

Deal Alert: Hawaii Hotels Are Up to 30% Cheaper Than Normal Right Now

If you've ever wanted a vacation on Maui's famed Ka‘anapali Beach, this is the year to go. Occupancy and prices are down some 20–30% in the popular West Maui resort area, but those…

Article / Passportable

Hurricane Season Forecast: 2024 Could Get Most Storms Ever

This post, originally published April 22, has been updated with new information.The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season is going to be a rough one, according to weather forecasters. For…

Article / Passportable

Bike Tennessee with This Free Online Collection of Scenic Cycling Routes

Tennessee is making it easier to experience some of the state's best scenery and historic sites by bike. A partnership between the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development and the…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

The News Said Two Airlines Just Scrapped Change and Cancel Fees—but the Truth Is Messier

Something notable is happening at American airports. Something that only happens once in a blue moon.Airlines are changing their positions on fees. In recent days, two major U.S.…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Study Finds Gig Drivers Still Earn Less Than Minimum Wage. Is Using Uber and Lyft Ethical?

Corporations are squeezing Americans for more cash everywhere. We're all feeling it, especially at the grocery store and at the gas pump, even as the big companies in those industries…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Opening Dates for Orlando's Big Summer 2024 Attractions—and Should You Care?

This year, it's as if the USA's most popular tourist destination is holding its breath. Most summers, Orlando's theme parks construct a new blockbuster ride or two to attract families…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Biden Creates His First National Park Unit: Amache in Colorado

Update: Amache officially became a Natonal Historic Site on February 15, 2024. Here is its official National Park unit page.Last Friday, U.S. President Joe Biden signed the paperwork…

Article / Passportable

USA's Most Endangered Historic Places Now Include L.A.'s Little Tokyo and Concord, Mass., Revolutionary Sites

The site of the American Revolution's "shot heard round the world," the hometown of author Zora Neale Hurston, a lighthouse in the middle of the Hudson River, a long-standing Japanese…

Article / Passportable

Bryce Canyon Stargazing Resort Lodges Guests in Futuristic Glass Domes

There's already something eerie about the landscape in and around southern Utah's Bryce Canyon National Park, thanks to all the Martian red rocks and stone spires known as hoodoos.So a…

Article / Passportable

A Weak Yen Is Making Japan Vacations Cheaper Than They’ve Been in 30 Years

The U.S. dollar soared this week to its highest rate against Japan's yen since 1990. As of Friday, 1 dollar equates to around 157 yen, according to Reuters—the dollar's strongest…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Sad News for Reckless Idiots: Hawaii’s “Stairway to Heaven” To Be Demolished

Hawaii's visually striking yet very illegal-to-climb Haiku Stairs will finally be taken down, following years of futile efforts by local officials to persuade tourists to leave the…

Article / Passportable

Missed by No One, Brazil’s Visa for U.S. Citizens Is Returning

This post has been updated with new information.Just a few years after visiting Brazil got easier for Americans, traveling to the South American nation will get harder again. On…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Why Cape Cod Summer Rentals Could Be Cheaper This Year

During the Covid-19 pandemic, while you were optimistically purchasing (and not using) resistance bands for your (unused) home gym (i.e., closet), rich people were apparently buying…