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Arthur Frommer Online

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Emirates Airlines Will Fly the Longest Route on the Planet: Tips on Surviving 17.5 Hours in a Plane

17.5 hours. That’s the length of the new longest flight on the planet, which will soon be offered by Emirates Airlines between Dubai and Panama City. Convenient? Certainly.…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

It's Hard to Explain Why River Cruises are Currently as Popular as They are, And Yet Their Appeal is an Undoubted Phenomenon

The recent, startling popularity of river cruises is, to me, one of the great mysteries of travel. Just a few years ago, one could easily explain their attraction for elderly…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Stowe in Summer (and Fall) Is a Revelation: A Dedicated Winter Visitor Tries Another Season

White all around, visibility nil, my cheeks flapping wildly from the wind and air—this was the Vermont I knew well, after 20-plus years of heading here to tackle the ski slopes of…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Such Widely Contrasting Destinations as Japan and Puerto Rico are Today Offering Attractive Vacation Opportunities to Adventuresome Tourists

With its currency currently selling at a breathtaking 125 to the U.S. dollar, Japan has become a moderately priced nation for American travelers. Instead of paying $450 for a…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Two New Travel Products—As Unusual As They Come—Are Exciting Interest from Americans About to Make An International Trip. Are You One of Them?

In travel, as in all else, wonders will never cease.  The single most widely-discussed topic in travel is currently a clothing product called the “Swiss Army Jacket”.…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Active Vacations Without the Sticker Shock: How To Save on Ski Trips, Bike Vacations, Weight Loss Spa Getaways and More

Sunlight, the breeze at your back and, perhaps, a bit of sweat on your brow? Those can be pricey commodities in the world of vacations. As anyone who’s ever tried to charter a boat,…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

To Go or Not to Go—That is The Question (Confronting Americans Curious About Vacation Trips to Iran)

Tehran, IranAs recently as three weeks ago, only a small number of Americans were planning to make a trip to controversial Iran. Today, the phones of tour operators…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Airbnb Now Recruiting Professional Vacation Home Companies—Is it Moving Away from the "Sharing Economy"?

Airbnb search results in Florida displaying two properties not by homeowners but by established companiesThis summer, Airbnb began slipping a new type of homes into its…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

A New and Revamped Version of Condé Nast Traveler is Obviously Written for the Top One-Tenth of One Percent

In the waiting room of my favorite barber shop, a stack of magazines always includes the latest edition of Condé Nast Traveler. It is thus that I am able to read a periodical that…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

A La Carte Cruise Pricing To Become Even More A La Carte, At Least on Norwegian Cruise Lines

Start boning up on your math. You're going to need those calculating skills to determine which cruise vacation will now have the overall highest costs.I reported last week that…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

War is Brewing Over the Queen Mary: Petition Alleging Mismanagement is Launched

The condition of the Third Class Dining Room, now used as chair storage, courtesy of RMS Queen Mary Facebook CommunityThe RMS Queen Mary is a rare artifact from the golden era…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

The New York Times Recommends a Honeymoon Hotel Without Once Mentioning It Charges $1,600 a Night Per Room

The travel sections of several leading American newspapers seem to engage in an alternating pattern of reality/non-reality. For months on end, they devote their pages to…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Carnival Cruises Announces It Will Be the First Major Cruise Line to Head from the United States to Cuba

Though I'm not sure how pleased I am that Cubans first up-close view of contemporary American culture will be the sight of a gaudy Carnival Cruise Ship floating into their harbor,…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Are Cruises Becoming All-Inclusive? Kinda. Sorta. Maybe.

While those who head to sea are no longer afflicted by rickets (too many citrus fruits on the buffet for that), they do sometimes have to handle noroviruses, seasickness, and that…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

The Alamo in San Antonio Wins UNESCO Status, And It Couldn't Come at a More Embarrassing Time

The Alamo in San Antonio, Texas, has just been inscribed with one of the most prestigious designations in international tourism: It and the four other San Antonio Missions now…

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We Can All Aid the Suffering People of Greece by Including a Trip There On Our Next European Vacation

Whatever is the eventual, long-term outcome of the long dispute between the nation of Greece and the European bankers who hold its debt, one thing is clear:  the Greek people are in…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

The Time Has Come to Consider Re-Regulation of the Airline Industry

In a modern democracy, "regulation" is no longer a dirty word. Unregulated medications can hurt or kill you, unregulated monopolists can destroy competition, and unregulated…

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5 Capitol Reasons to Head to Washington, DC in the Next 6 Months

The United States Congress may be in a constant gridlock, but nothing stays the same for long in the United States’ Capitol. Here’s what visitors to this always-fascinating city can…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

A Cautionary Tale on the Importance of Cultural Sensitivity for Travelers

On June 12, two Canadian families, one Dutch family and a British family, exhaled. Several weeks earlier their 20-something aged children had gone to Malaysia, climbed Mount…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Recent Events in Egypt and Turkey Have Created Two Totally Different Conditions for Visiting These Countries

The safety of international travel is a continuing concern, and some travelers are avid readers of the vacation warnings from our State Department and the foreign offices…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

The Airline Industry's Call for Smaller Carry-Ons Will Hit You in the Wallet

The International Air Transport Association, an industry group comprised of commercial airlines, has decided it's time to come up with a global standard for what size a carry-on…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

The Attacks on Airbnb Have Now Gone Well Beyond Decent Bounds, Spreading Exaggerations About Airbnb's Alleged Creation of a Housing Shortage

It's open season on Airbnb.com.  Scarcely a week goes by that you do not read attacks in the travel press claiming that the popular apartment-sharing service is causing…

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Beware the Hotel Room Pizza Delivery Scam! They Could Steal Your Credit Card Info

You just arrived in town after a hellish 10-hour battle with the U.S. airlines. You're worn out, you're hungry, and all you want is an easy bite to eat before bed. Good fortune!…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Safety First: What Parents Need To Know Before They Send Their Kids Off to Summer Camp

Earlier this year, my 12-year-old daughter was studying the concept of utopia in her history class and having trouble grasping what the word meant. I told her to think of her summer…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

To Me, the Harry Potter Exhibits at Universal Studios in Orlando are a Massive Disappointment, a Serving of Boredom Concocted by Show Business Executives Whose Only Talent is Building Roller Coasters

It comes as no surprise that Orlando, Florida, is currently visited by more tourists than New York City--62 million in 2014 as opposed to 56 million at the Big Apple.  But…