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Arthur Frommer Online

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…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Two New Websites Are Poised to Become the Airbnbs of RV Rentals

It was only a matter of time. Just as HomeAway.com and Airbnb.com dramatically changed the home rental industry, now two relatively new sites are transforming the ways people rent…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

With Americans Caught Up in the Presidential Race, Travel May be Somewhat Reduced, Creating Unexpected Opportunities for Persons Determined to Travel

To the U.S. travel industry, now is the “election year curse”—a time when both domestic and international travel slow perceptibly. And this year, that sluggish trend has…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Not as a Hypothetical Prediction, But in Disturbing Reality, the Surviving Big Airlines of America are now Acting like Classic Monopolies

When, through mergers and acquisitions, the big airlines of America were reduced to four (Delta, United, American, and Southwest), such critics like me complained that…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

There Are, Sad to Say, a Number of Caribbean Locations Where Gay Couples Seeking a Pleasant Vacation Will Occasionally be Unsafe

Our nation has been increasingly tolerant of gay rights. Stirred by the words of Pope Francis, or by Supreme Court decisions, one state after another has accepted the…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

The Recent Anti-Gay Action of the Legislatures of Mississippi and North Carolina Has Become a Travel Issue

Once, several years ago, I had occasion to meet the troubled daughter of a friend of my wife. I use the word "troubled" advisedly. She appeared anxious and often distraught, she…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Cheaper Trans-Atlantic Flights, Cheaper Hotel Rooms, Fewer Mexican Destinations

/>Acapulco, MexicoThough little-noticed, three recent news events have brought about important developments in travel.Cheaper Transatlantic…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Beware! A New Airfare Gotcha Penalizes Travelers on Multi-Stop Itineraries

TimDorr/FlickrThe majority of travelers buy non-refundable airfares for a simple reason: They're vastly less expensive than refundable fares. But those who try to book…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

U.S. Airports Suffer Security Delays—Are You to Blame for Rejecting TSA PreCheck?

The TSA PreCheck program was supposed to make airport security inspections faster for many people. By paying $85 for five years and going through a background screening process…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Now More Than Ever, The American Traveler Will Find Additional Reasons for Scheduling a Stay in Belgium on their Next European Trip

Bruges, Belgium (Photo credit: Neilhooting/Flickr) The tragedy of terrorism in Brussels is what comes to mind, unfortunately, when we now think of the Belgian capital.…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Cynical Eastern City Gal Goes To Nashville…and Converts to Country

Go to Nashville, and you’re going to come home a fan of country music. I know—it happened to me. And I’m from New York City, for Pete’s sake. That’s not to say that all…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

You Don’t Have to Leave North America To Have An Exotic Vacation: Meet Eeyou Istchee Baie James

Eeyou Istchee Baie James—that’s not the name of the latest hip-hop star or a phrase in Norwegian. It’s an area right in North America that few have discovered…but those who have,…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Last Call for Shamu: SeaWorld to Phase out Orca Whale Performances—Meet the Man Who Made that Call

Soon to be history: The Shamu show at SeaWorld Orlando. (Photo: Jason Cochran)SeaWorld has announced that it will no longer breed orcas in captivity at its theme parks. At a…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Starting Now, Solo Travel to Cuba Will Be Explicitly Legal for Americans

The news out of Cuba is coming fast and furious. Not only are a number of airlines close to being able to offer direct service from various U.S. gateways to the Caribbean island, but…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Is It Possible that a Remedy Has Been Discovered for Travelers' Diarrhea?

Quinn Dombrowski/FlickrMost of the physical ailments associated with travel (travelers' diarrhea, jet lag, and the like) have no known cure. Over the years, I've tried every…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Still Hoping to Get Away for Spring Break? There Are Some Deals Out There

Good things probably came....to those who booked early this year for spring break. Alas, airfares are only down 4% from last, despite much lower fuel costs for the airlines. And…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Rising Fees Ahoy! New Gotchas From the Cruise Industry

It’s been a rough winter for the cruise industry. One of its most celebrated newer vessels was tossed around like a cork in a Jacuzzi by a major storm, and then had to return early…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Michael Moore's "Where to Invade Next" is Very Much a Travel Film, Introducing Americans of All Political Persuasions to Provocative European Practices and Beliefs

On the eve of massive publicity for his new documentary movie, "Where to Invade Next", film-maker Michael Moore was struck down with a severe case of pneumonia.…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Since Disney's Latest Decision to Raise Ticket Prices Will Obviously Bar Entrance to Children of the Poor, Shouldn't We Use Public Pressure to Create an Exception for Low-Income Families?

Photo credit: Disneyland ResortWhy am I so upset about the recent increase in admission prices at the Disney theme parks in Orlando and Anaheim? As you read on this…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Disney Parks Now Charge Up to 20% More If It's Busy—Tickets Cost Up to $124 a Day!

Early this month, I reported that Universal Studios Hollywood would charge less for quiet days for guests who booked ahead online, and I predicted that it was only a matter of…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

"Wild By Nature"—A Compelling New Travel Memoir—Upends Expectations

As a professional travel writer, I periodically have to deal with one of the hazards of my profession. It has nothing to do with airport security, or brain eating larvae. No, because…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

The Possibility That Those Extra Tall Cruise Ships May Be Top-Heavy Is Given Credence by the Reported 40%-to-45% Listing of the Anthem of the Seas

Several years ago, a modern cruise ship—one of those vessels with ten or more decks soaring high into the sky above sea level—was being steered by a junior officer who…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Unless a Strong Public Protest Stops Him, A First-Term Congressman is About to Abolish a Requirement for Honest Travel Advertising

A very junior, Tea Party congressman, Carlos Curbelo, representing a district in Miami/Dade County, has used his position on a transportation committee to insert an…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Tickets to Be Required To Enter Cinque Terre, Italy's Most Overloved Region

From a distance the sight is idyllic: five cliff-hanging fishing villages, their buildings painted colors usually reserved for blush and lemonade, the dazzling blue Mediterranean…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

The Startling Plunge in the Value of the Mexican Peso Has Created a Vacation Destination Too Favorable to Ignore

San Miguel de AllendeToo little attention has been paid to the enormous recent drop in the value of the Mexican peso--and to the favorable impact this has for American…