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Arthur Frommer Online

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Do Travelers Lose Their Moral Compasses on the Road? A Surprising Study

My friend Deborah "borrowed" her favorite wool blanket from a hotel when she went on a business trip. Shannon, another pal, put her able-bodied daughter in an airport wheelchair to…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Arthur Frommer: Add Austria to the Nations Where Neo-Nazi Extremists Are Gaining Power

Turns out I was too limited in recently listing the western European nations partially or wholly controlled by neo-Nazis. You can now add Austria (for reasons set forth below) to…

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Arthur Frommer: Is a Travel Boycott Ever Justified? Do They Even Work?

Is a travel boycott ever justified?  A controversy over that claim is currently raging in the travel trade press. I had an aunt, now deceased, who was one of the world’s gentlest…

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Arthur Frommer: Travel in Europe is Getting Harder, Yet Still We Must

Let’s be frank: Traveling to Europe this summer will be more difficult than in recent years.  Which is all the more reason to consider, and then overcome, a number of obstacles. What…

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Talking with Frances Mayes About Her Latest Book, 'See You in the Piazza'

Frances Mayes, author of the memoir Under the Tuscan Sun, is to Tuscan travel what ketchup is to Russian dressing.  For tens of thousands of vacationers, her tale—both the book that…

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Muslim History Tour Tells Untold Chapter of New York City's Past—and Present

The gym where I work out (when I’m feeling up to it and can’t find anything good on Netflix) is housed in a building that stands where there used to be a mosque founded by Yemeni…

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Arthur Frommer: Are We Hypocrites to Visit the Statue of Liberty?

On an island in the waters off New York, is a giant statue inscribed with the immortal words of Emma Lazarus: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe…

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This Website Gets You Free Room and Board in Many Countries, Says Arthur Frommer

When I first learned that a granddaughter of mine was planning to spend three months in Japan earning her room and board through work performed as a volunteer, I was concerned and…

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Unknown to Most Americans, Florida Now Has a Speedy Railway, Writes Arthur Frommer

When the current governor of California recently announced that he was discontinuing work on a high-speed rail line between Los Angeles and San Francisco, multitudes of train…

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Arthur Frommer: The British Outlawed Deception by Hotels. Why Won't America?

A British organization that regulates hotels—it’s called the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)—has just taken steps to prevent U.K. hotels from using deceptive sales tactics.…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

This Spring, It Will Never Be Cheaper to Fly to Hawaii, Says Arthur Frommer

The biggest news in travel is the recent start-up by price-cutting Southwest Airlines of a massive number of flights from the U.S. west coast to the islands of Hawaii. Travel to those…

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Arthur Frommer: Decent People Will Avoid All Contact with Brunei

It is highly unlikely that many of our readers will travel as tourists to the nation of Brunei on the island of Borneo in the South China Sea. The economy and currency of that nation…

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When Should You Book Airfare and Hotels? A Huge Study Reveals the Current Answers

The Airlines Reporting Corporation’s annual Travel Pricing Outlook study (conducted in partnership with Expedia) arrived with very little fanfare this year. Which is odd—and not so…

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Hey, Airlines! Maybe We Don't Want to Watch TV on Our Phones

The airlines have stripped coach passengers of nearly every vestige of dignity—our legroom, our food, our free checked bags. But they're not done yet. Now they are taking away seatback…

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Don’t Overlook The Literary Life of Dublin, Writes Arthur Frommer

In forecasts of the most popular travel destinations for 2019, Ireland almost always appears. Americans are apparently eager to roam the roadways of rural Ireland and its quaint…

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Arthur Frommer: River Cruises Are Rushing to Attract Younger Passengers

When I went on my first river cruise (a sailing of Europe’s Rhine), I was almost the youngest person aboard. And if you’ve seen a recent photograph of me, you will know what the…

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When Is a Home Rental Legal in New York City? Ask Arthur Frommer, a Former Lawyer

There is perhaps nowhere in America that more needs the services of Airbnb than New York City.  Its hotels are frequently sold out, and even when available are sky-high in price. So…

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Venice Has Adopted the Ultimate Means for Reducing Crowds: Admission Fees

Just about everyone will agree that the worst current problem in travel is overtourism—the crowded conditions in the world’s most popular cities and destinations. In places like…

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Can the Taj Mahal Be Saved? New Measures To Preserve India's Wonder

The Taj Mahal remains the most convincing argument that Agra, the northern Indian city where the marble mausoleum stands, was once something like a paradise.Gazing at Shah Jahan's…

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After a Long Period Without New Attractions, New York City Gets a Giant One

Ask the average American to compile a list of the major attractions in New York City and they will probably respond, a bit wearily, with the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building,…

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Explorers at Heart Ought to Consider a Hurtigruten cruise, Says Arthur Frommer

Let’s say you’ve cruised the Caribbean on several forgettable occasions. You’ve also cruised the Mediterranean and made one memorable sailing in Asia. You’re eager now for a…

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Arthur Frommer: Carnival Cruises Adds a Whiff of Vulgarity to the Ocean

In a triumphant press release, Carnival Cruise Line has announced that it will be adding an above-deck roller coaster to its new cruise ship, the Mardi Gras, largest ever built, when…

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Arthur Frommer: Should Americans Boycott Nations Intent on One-Party Rule?

The governments of Hungary and Poland continue to destroy the democratic nature of their institutions. So do Myanmar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (where an American…

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The Caribbean's Newest Resorts are Now North of Cancun, Reports Arthur Frommer

We Americans tend to have widely divergent views about Mexico. Some regard that nation as a place of constant poverty and problems. Other more perceptive types are aware of Mexico’s…

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Pauline Frommer: Come Travel with Me in Vietnam this February

Every other year, I host a trip for listeners of the Frommer's radio shows and the readers of our guides. And these tours are, I must say, very special experiences. There's nothing…