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Article / Arthur Frommer Online

The Legality of Short-Term Apartment Rentals Remains Hotly Contested, But Numerous Additional Companies Have Now Begun Acting as Agents for Such Rentals

Source: FreeImages.com/miro_penevIn all of travel, there is no topic more puzzling and contradictory, more challenging and debatable, than the short-term rental of…

Article / Passportable

An End in Sight for Hidden Resort Fees?

You know when you see a hotel rate online and then later during the booking process you find out you're going to have to pay a mandatory "resort fee" not included in the advertised…

Article / Passportable

Disney Comes to Shanghai, the Watergate Reopens, and More: Your Travel Briefing

Merchandise at Shanghai Disneyland (Mooshuu/Flickr)Your Daily Travel Briefing is our new daily roundup of travel-related news and information gathered from all over. Check this…

Article / Passportable

Travel Briefing: Airport Lines, An Imploded Casino, and More

The Riviera in Las Vegas (photo by Ashwin Kumar/Flickr)Welcome to the middle of the week! And welcome to our brand-new daily roundup of travel-related news and information…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

A Survey Performed by a Noted Analyst Shows a Sudden Increase in the Sales of Printed Travel Guides

Photo credit: Manfred Heyde via Wikimedia CommonsAs the co-publisher (with my daughter) of a series of printed guidebooks, it would not be appropriate for me to use this…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

There are Tentative Indications That a Slight Decrease in Tourism May be Currently in Progress, Opening Opportunities to Travelers Who Have Not Yet Made Their Plans

Photo credit: Carnival Cruise LinesIs the current travel season an especially slow one? Are there plenty of empty seats on both domestic and international flights? A…

Article / Passportable

The RV Revival Kicks Into High Gear—Should You Climb on Board?

(Photo by faungg's photos / Flickr)Welcome to the RV renaissance. After some dark days during the 2008 recession—when many belt-tightening Americans found it difficult to…

Article / Passportable

A Shrine to Wine Opens in France (Where Else?)

La Cité du Vin, Bordeaux (patrick janicek / Flickr)Dubbed the "Guggenheim of wine," France's brand-new La Cité du Vin, which opened last week in Bordeaux, is clearly intended…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

The Galapagos Islands, Which for Years Have Been Stigmatized as an Expensive Cruise Destination, Are Actually Visited Cheaply by Tourists Living in Budget-Priced Hotels and Visiting the Unique Wildlife by Short Ferry Rides

Photo credit: C. Dorobek/FlickrEver since the widespread popularity of cruising, the Galapagos Islands have been regarded as primarily a cruise destination to be visited…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Disney Is Opening a New "Magic Kingdom" in Shanghai, China, And from All Reports it's a Stunning Advance in Theme Park Design

Disney ParksChina itself is such a fascinating touristic destination that it really doesn't need another attraction. And yet that's exactly what it got this month, in the…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Las Vegas Just Got Pricier. MGM Resorts Eliminates Free Parking At Its Sin City Properties

Gamblers know: in Las Vegas, the house always wins. Drivers now need to adopt the same mindset, because on June 1, one of Sin City’s most beloved traditions was trashed. Don’t…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

A Free Trip to Paris? Fantastique! Including a Stay in a Purpose-Built Apartment in the Actual Eiffel Tower? Mind-Blowing

They said it wouldn't last.The Eiffel Tower was built for the 1889 World's Fair and was only supposed to stand for 20 years after that event. Truth is, many in Paris wanted it…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

The Hardships Encountered by Passengers at the Nation's Overcrowded Airports Are Because of Congress' Refusal to Properly Fund Amtrak

Photo credit: Jake McGuireWe are now in the full throes of the summer travel season, and the airports are jammed. I use the word "throes" advisedly. The dictionary defines…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

The Immense Increase in Chinese Tourism Creates Career Opportunities for Young Americans Willing to Learn Chinese

Photo credit: joebrandt/istockphoto.comAt a time when tourism is dramatically down to places like Turkey, Egypt, Belgium, Tunisia, and North Carolina, a favorable…

Article / Passportable

London's Olympic Tower Adds...a Slide?

ArcelorMittal OrbitThe ArcelorMittal Orbit, a twisting metal tower rising 376 ft/114.5 m from Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in East London, was built for the 2012 Summer Games.…

Article / Passportable

Welcome to LA's New Observation Deck

Skyspace's Skyslide was lifted into place in mid-March (Photo Credit: OUE Skyspace)We're amidst heady days for Los Angeles tourism. Last week, the city's Metro system scored a…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Reports: The TSA Speeds Up Lines By Allowing Shoes, Fully Packed Bags

For weeks, the news has been clogged with reports that airports were often seeing lines of as long as two hours for security clearance.According to independent reports on Twitter…

Article / Passportable

Why Las Vegas is Now Gearhead Heaven

Everyone knows Las Vegas as a place to gamble, hear a concert, writhe at a nightclub or get hitched in a quickie ceremony officiated by “Elvis”. But in the last decade or so, it’s…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

A Decision by the President's Daughteer to Experience a "Gap Year" Before Entering Harvard Has Brought Immense Publicity to this Travel Option

When the President's older daughter, Malia, announced that she would experience a "gap year" before entering the freshman class of Harvard University, her decision…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

And Still They Come: Ever-Larger Cruise Ships to Displace the Smaller Vessels, Causing Grave Harm to the Once-Delightful Activity of Cruising

Photo Credit: Royal CaribbeanRecently, the travel trade press has been filled with headlines about the largest cruise ship ever built. It is the 5,500-passenger Harmony of…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Why Are So Many People Acting Like Jerks in National Parks? A Radical Proposal to End the Selfishness

Did you hear about the "Tourist Bros" who reportedly have a warrant out for their arrest for trampling on fragile areas of Yellowstone?A vanity project called "High on Life…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

The Possibility of Public Disorder is Perhaps Another Problem of the Upcoming Summer Olympics in Rio

Zona Sul, Rio de Janeiro. Photo credit: ru_boff/InstagramOn my own several trips to Rio de Janeiro (as a one-time tour operator, I offered charter flights there), I…

Article / Passportable

Cambodia Regains its Train Lines

Photo credit: TrainCambodia.comOne of the many consequences of Pol Pot's genocidal 1970s regime in Cambodia was the loss of its railway system. The dictator wanted to bring his…

Article / Passportable

San Francisco-LA Sleeper "Bus" Debuts

This week, there's been a lot of press about the "Hyperloop" companies that are racing to create magnet-powered trains that will shuttle passengers at the speed of sound inside…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Travel to Cuba is Now in Full Swing, Available on Group Tours or Cruises at Outrageous Prices, But Affordably to Totally Independent Tourists

Photo credit: Ana/WikimediaSeveral months ago, when Carnival Cruises announced it would soon begin offering cruises to Cuba, it did so in the strangest way.  Instead…