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Arthur Frommer Online

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Posts from the Australian Outback: Day 2 in the Northern Territory Means Camels in the Bush

One of my goals in visiting the Uluru area was to explore this eye-poppingly beautiful area in as many ways as possible. But I couldn't, in my wildest imagination, have guessed…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Posts from the Outback: Day 1 of My Northern Territory Adventure in Uluru National Park

You don't know until you go.That could be (and should be) my mantra. Because even destinations I've seen hundreds of times in photos and videos always surprise in…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

A Two-Step Procedure, Ending With a Direct Phone Call to the Hotel, Is Probably Your Best Way to Obtain the Lowest-Priced Accommodations for Your Next Trip

The evidence seems stronger every day that the best way to get a well-priced, low-cost hotel room is to place a direct phone call to the hotel itself.  But you should do…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Some Major Lawsuits Brought Against Them May Very Well Spell Doom for a Number of Phony Travel Clubs

In recent weeks, a slew of phony travel clubs may have met their doom.  And I'm writing about those many deceptive, despicable and contemptible clubs that are out to…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

From Fights About Reclining Seats on Passenger Airlines, to Deceptive Advertising of Airline Fares, There's No Dearth of Recent Travel Developments

On three different occasions in the last several weeks, planes flying in the U.S. have made emergency landings because of arguments between passengers over whether one of them…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Would You Believe $60 a Night for a 9-Night Trip on a Princess Ship? Plus Bargains Over the Holidays

We periodically ask our friends at AllThingsCruise.com to tell us about the best bargains in cruises at the moment. Here's what they suggested, where to book them, and what, in…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Royal Caribbean's Newest Twist: RFID Bracelets Tracking Every Guest and Making Arrangements Quicker

RFID bracelets are officially the mark of a mass-market vacation. Walt Disney World was the biggest player to introduce its MagicBands earlier this year. MagicBands help guests…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

By Springing Extra and Wholly Unexpected Fees on Their Guests, The Hotel Industry has Crossed a Line of Civility and Morality

In a state of weary resignation, most of us have become used to the extra charges that airlines now routinely add to their airfares.  We think nothing ill of the fee…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

A Number of Seemingly-Inconsequential Travel Developments May Have a Bearing on Your Next Vacation or Trip

Pardon the hyperbole, but to me, the biggest recent news in travel was the fight that broke out between a female air passenger who wanted to recline her seat, and a male…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

There Seems No End to Constantly Increasing Airfares, And Your Recourse is to Lower Your Costs of Accommodations and Meals at the Destination

About a year ago, it became apparent that Southwest Airlines was no longer a source of consistently cheap airfares (though often the cheapest).  On numerous routes on…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

A Small Town, An Old-Fashioned Home, An Abundance of Nature, and Good Weather, Are Among the Ingredients for a Good Vacation

I have just returned to my home in New York from an unusually satisfying vacation of one week's duration.  The holiday was relaxing, restorative and gratifying…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Turning Japanese in New York City: The Cuisine (and Culture) That’s Sweeping the City

Bagels. Cheesesteak. Massive aged steaks, served by guys with thick Brooklyn accents and possible mafia ties.If you haven’t been to New York City lately, you might think that…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

At the Close of a Recent Vacation on the Coast of Maine, I Remember the Many Highlights of that State

Click here for the first part of Arthur Frommer's report from his vacation in Maine.If asked to name the two most important attractions of the state of Maine,? most visitors…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

I am Writing this from the Midpoint of a Unique Vacation In a Seaside Stretch of 19th Century America

Winter Harbor, MEBack in the days when discount shopping outlets were new and rare (I’ll explain the significance later on), my wife and I decided to make an auto…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

The Airlines' Efforts to Make You Spend More, Continue Until the Very Moment You Board the Plane—That, and Several Other Observations

In today’s America, the airport check-in counter  confronts you with all sorts of unexpected money offers. (There are commercial appeals all around, like in the billboards…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

This Winter's Air-and-Land Packages to Chilly Locations are So Low in Price as to Seem Almost Unbelievable

Now's the time to start thinking about a travel "bargain".  At the start of autumn in just a few weeks, airlines and tour operators roll out extraordinary discounts for…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

London's Tourist-Unfriendly Policies Are Flummoxing Visitors on Public Transit—Be Prepared!

Getting out of the London rain? Better not be using cash.London's transit system is in flux, and tourists are getting the worst of it. All spring, the Underground was…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Against All the Warnings of Radioactive Dangers, Americans Are Traveling to Japan in Unprecedented Numbers

American tourism to Japan is again booming.  In the month of June just past, nearly 90,000 Americans visited the great cities of Japan (especially Tokyo and Kyoto), more than ever…

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A Student Program Called WhereThereBeDragons.com is So Different From the Usual, Comfortable, Study Abroad Variety as to be Startling

The "study abroad" programs that most of us know are pleasant interludes that don't really change or alter our ways of thinking.  Students opt to spend a year in London,…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

What to Expect from Hilton's New Room Selection App and How It Will Change Hotels

Okay, travel nerds, here's what I predict will happen soon.Bustling new websites will be devoted to which specific hotel rooms are the best ones to book. Travelers will…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Home Restaurants, Chip-and-PIN Cards, Colombia, Travel Scams, Punta Cana and Findhorn: New Services and Destinations for Your Next Vacation

Almost without letup, new travel services, new twists to old destinations, are constantly emerging to possibly affect your next vacation or vacation choice.For example,…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

A Young Man Who Recently Walked Across the Entire U.S., Has Recently Written a Travel Blog With Amazing Insights About our Varied Country

Three years ago, a young man named Andrew Forsthoefel graduated from college and decided to spend a year traveling around the world, meeting foreign people, exploring other…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

A Young Man Who Recently Walked—Yes, Walked!—Across the Entire United States, From One End to the Other, Has Written a Fascinating Blog About This Experience of America

Three years ago, a young man named Andrew Forsthoefel graduated from college and decided to spend a year traveling around the world, meeting foreign people, exploring other…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Southwest Airlines Boots Family Over a Complaint Tweet About Gate Agent: Businesses Strike Back Over Online Reviews

Last Sunday, a man was kicked off a Southwest Airlines flight because, he claims, he left a bad review of a gate agent on Twitter.The man, Duff Watson, was upset because he…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Evil Twins: The Two Worst New Developments in Travel

I’m mad as hell and I don’t want to vacation anymore!Scratch that.  I still want to vacation.But relaxing is going to be more difficult, thanks to a pair of ugly…