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Arthur Frommer Online

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

U.S. Tourism to Canada Again Embroiled in Controversy

Through all the decades of travel from the U.S. to Canada, our northern neighbor has occasionally presented us with touristic issues and arguments. Some 60 years ago, Canadian travel…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Arthur Frommer: Rejecting an Army Made Life in Costa Rica Better

Of all the documentary films recently shown in America, one has a special relevance to the world of travel. It is called A Bold Peace, and it deals with the Central American nation of…

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Arthur Frommer: On an African Safari, Budget is Better

To a great many travelers, including myself, the African safari is one of the top travel experiences. There is something mystical, indeed mind-changing, about seeing the world…

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Arthur Frommer: 12 Famous Destinations That Are Almost Too Crowded to Visit

It doesn’t often happen that one travel writer advises his or her readers to study the works of another travel writer.  But exceptions should occasionally be made, and that’s the case…

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Arthur Frommer: The Safest Destinations Are Named. Guess Who's Not a Leader?

A well-respected international consumer organization has picked the safest countries in which to travel, and the United States is nowhere among the leaders. Which are the world’s…

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Arthur Frommer: Long Live the FAA, Protector of Our Lives in the Air!

Although a great many business interests are constantly opposed to being regulated by the federal government, almost no one objects to a similar supervision of the airline industry. We…

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Thinking of Taking an African Safari? Some Tips from an Expert

African safaris: They are, for many, at the tippy top of the bucket list. But the how-tos for finding the right one have shifted in the last few years, so old conventional wisdom may…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Summer River Cruises in Europe May Now Present Problems, Says Arthur Frommer

Should you book a European river cruise that takes place in summer? Maybe not.  Next summer’s cruise passengers are expected to encounter problems because of an unusually hot season in…

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Arthur Frommer: Charging $300 Round-Trip to Europe, Level is the World’s Budget Champion

If you were to ask even a well-informed travel professional to name the cheapest airline flying the Atlantic, they would undoubtedly answer: Norwegian Air.And they’d be dead wrong. The…

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Arthur Frommer: Canada Legalized Marijuana, But Visitors Should Know the Rules

The recent decision by all of Canada to legalize the sale or use of marijuana was hailed by U.S. users and advocates of that drug. On careful study of Canada’s action, those…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

How Much of What You Spend Stays in Your Destination? G Adventures Knows

Recently, I had the pleasure of interviewing Bruce Poon Tip (pictured) for our radio show. Bruce is the founder of G Adventures, one of the most important small-group adventure…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

I’m Now One of Those People: A Traveler with an Airbnb Horror Story

It didn’t happen because I’m a careless idiot, or a very picky, persnickity traveler. It happened because I’m a (bit) lazy. I was heading to Chicago for work and an unrelated…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Boost Your Overseas Vacation with a Free Stopover in Switzerland or Belgium

If you've ever longed to take a vacation from your vacation, maybe you should opt for an airline stopover.That's when a plane makes a days-long pit stop on the way to its final…

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Looking for a Classic Caribbean Vacation? Arthur Frommer Suggests Belize

Although nearly a million American cruise passengers enjoy momentary contact with Belize each year, the number of its actual tourists is only 250,000 persons, and the country is…

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Arthur Frommer: Prosecution of Fake TripAdvisor Reviewer Raises Questions

The defendant, in a recent criminal prosecution brought in Italy, was a man who operated a company manufacturing fake hotel reviews. Presumably hiring excellent writers, he apparently…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

A New Women's Travel Magazine Hits the Newsstands (and the Internet)

A new travel magazine debuted this month, called Unearth Women. I spoke with Nikki Vargas, its Editor-In-Chief and co-founder, about what the first issue holds, and what this new…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Two New Non-Travel Books May Change The Way You See the USA

You drive into a new town. It is not a famous place and it certainly isn’t a tourist magnet. But it has a certain vibe, a personality. You start to explore, stopping by a local store,…

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Holiday Flights: Tips for Saving Money—and Actually Getting to Your Destination

There are few bigger problems, budget-wise, than having to buy a ticket to fly over the Thanksgiving or the Christmas/New Year's holidays. Prices are always at their peak, and…

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Arthur Frommer: The Biggest News is the Dominance of Tourism by the Chinese

Suddenly, the press that deals with travel is full of articles about the sudden rise of Chinese tourism. All over the world, Chinese citizens have become the largest source of…

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Exult in the Pleasures of Solo Travel with This Distinguished Book

It isn’t often that a newspaper reporter publishes a truly distinguished book about the sensations of solitary travel, the rewarding emotions you feel when abroad by yourself in a…

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JetBlue Increases Baggage Fee, Leading Way for Copycats

It's like a cautionary fairy tale. There once was a fun-loving, egalitarian airline that wanted to revolutionize the industry. All seats were given personal TVs, there was only one…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Royal Caribbean's Private Beaches Make Second-Class Citizens of the Rest of Us

Most passengers on a Caribbean cruise are by now aware of the “private beaches” and “private islands” that cruise lines operate for the purpose of keeping you from contact with local…

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$999 for a Week in Vietnam, Including Air! Outstanding, Writes Arthur Frommer

To enjoy a travel miracle—a memorable tour to an exotic nation, for less than the cost of airfare alone—is to lend excitement to life. Several months ago, we described an awesome…

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“Crazy Rich Asians” May Feel a Lot Like Going to Singapore, Says Arthur Frommer

Let me be entirely frank. I greatly disliked the movie Crazy Rich Asians, which I recently saw.  I was so horrified by its fawning depiction of irresponsible wealth that I almost…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Another New Fee, Courtesy of United Airlines

About five years ago, Saturday Night Live scored some laughs with a skit that parodied "priority boarding" announcements at the airport gate. A uniformed Tina Fey and Taran Killam…