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Paid Reservations Now Required to Visit California's Muir Woods

From Dubrovnik to Machu Picchu, popular tourist destinations around the world are devising new sign-up strategies to combat overcrowding caused by hordes of temporary visitors.The…

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Two Brand New Museums Dedicated to Mississippi History

Side-by-side history museums in Mississippi's capital city, Jackson, will open to the public on December 9—one day before the state's bicentennial.The brand-new institutions share an…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Why It's Good Most Big Ski Resorts in North America are on Multi-Resort Passes

Skiing has always been a pricey vacation activity. But today, it’s difficult to know whether one’s investment will pay off. You reserve a room months in advance, buy your lift tickets,…

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Brazil Just Got a Whole Lot Easier to Visit

Hallelujah! Brazil's arms are finally opening wide to tourists.For years, if you wanted to visit the riches of this South American country, you soon found out how difficult it was.…

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Spectacular Holiday Show Added to Universal's Hogwarts Castle

Harry Potter is getting into the holiday spirit at Universal theme parks in Orlando and Southern California for the first time this year. In Central Florida, seasonal features at…

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The U.S. Frequent Flyer Program with the Highest Customer Satisfaction Is...

Measuring loyalty programs separately from overall airline satisfaction for the first time, the market research company J.D. Power devised a 1,000-point scale rating the six largest…

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Blaming Trump, Another Airline Calls It Quits in Cuba

Alaska Airlines will discontinue its service to Cuba on January 22, 2018, the carrier has announced. The reason: the Trump Administration's new rules that make it too difficult for…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

The Trump Slump Claims Another Victim: Students Coming to Study at U.S. Colleges

In earlier blogs, I discussed the recent sharp decline in foreign tourism coming to vacation in the United States—far more than a few million fewer visitors compared to previous…

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Hotel for Liberals Coming to Washington, D.C.

Well-to-do liberal travelers with lodging preferences that are more detailed than "anywhere but a Trump hotel" now have a brand aimed squarely at securing their business. In 2018,…

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You Can Finally Have Breakfast at Tiffany's—Lunch, Too

As Audrey Hepburn demonstrated with maximum glamour in 1961, you could technically always have breakfast at Tiffany & Co. on Fifth Avenue in New York City, provided you brought…

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Two New Countries Get Dedicated Eurail Passes

As of January 1, 2018, two more nations will have one-country Eurail passes available for sale to tourists. Starting then, if you're visiting Turkey or Serbia you can purchase a pass…

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U.S. Government Makes It Harder for Americans to Visit Cuba

Travel to Cuba gets tougher for Americans this week.New rules released by the Trump Administration ban most independent travel to the island, requiring visitors from the U.S. to rely…

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Kids Won't Be Allowed on Virgin's Cruise Line

When Virgin Voyages launches its first cruise in 2020, you can be sure of one thing: There won't be any kids on board. At a keel-laying ceremony last week, company CEO Tom McAlpin…

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Free National Park Entry on Nov. 11 & 12, But for Which Parks?

This weekend, Nov. 11 and 12, entry to many (but not all) national parks will be free in honor of Veterans Day.The National Park Service has posted a state-by-state list of the free…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

The Changing Situation of Married vs. Unmarried Folk Is Affecting Tours

In a surprising announcement, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has found that fully 50 percent of America’s adult population now consists of unmarried single people. And because another…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Passenger Jets Now Fueled by Food Scraps and Vegetable Oil

At the end of 1985's Back to the Future, Doc Brown opens his Delorean and dumps table scraps and beer into a "Mr. Fusion" tank to generate the power to whisk Marty McFly into the year…

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Airfare is About to Rise. Here's Why

American and Southwest airlines have both sent signals that their airfares are about to go up.Why? Simple: They're making more money, so they don't need to put flights on sale as…

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One More Airline Adopts Basic Economy Pricing

Monkey see, monkey do. The biggest airlines have now instituted new, bare-bones "basic economy" fares that strip passengers of the automatic right to checked bags or seat assignments…

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National Park Fees May Triple, Become Unaffordable

Entrance fees at many of the country's most popular national parks could soon go way up.To address a backlog of maintenance needs and infrastructure improvements, the National Park…

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More Complex Screening Begins for U.S. Passengers

You might remember that last spring, several international airlines, mostly from predominantly Muslim countries, were banned from allowing laptops in passenger cabins. That, and the…

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Study: Booze Boosts Foreign Language Skills

Alcohol improves your ability to speak a foreign language, according to a new study in the Journal of Psychopharmacology. Researchers from the University of Liverpool, Maastricht…

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Visit the World of the Hunger Games at a Dubai Theme Park

We're guessing the world of The Hunger Games wasn't intended to be the sort of place people would like to visit. After all, Suzanne Collins's hugely popular young adult novels—and…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

The Cruise Industry Goes All Out to Claim Caribbean Ports Have Recovered

When did you last see an ad for land-based resorts in Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands? You probably haven’t. The damage to beaches and roads leading to some of those…

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Statues in Dublin Can Call Your Mobile Phone

In the famously word-drunk city of Dublin, even the statues now have the gift of gab. As part of a new tourism project called Talking Statues Dublin, 10 of the Irish capital's most…

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Dogs Now Welcome at Four Disney World Hotels

Pluto and Goofy are no longer the only dogs welcome at Walt Disney World (Goofy is supposed to be a dog, right?).The family entertainment mecca in Central Florida is now allowing…