Articles

Arthur Frommer Online

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Eureka! You Can Enjoy a Round-Trip Price of $566 between New York and Paris from November 4 until December 15 on That Reluctant Airline, "XL"

When you call to make a booking (to 877/496-9889), you often speak to a telephone reservationist whose command of French is better than her grasp of English.  And because of…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

At Westin, If You Decline Housekeeping, They'll Give You $5 to Spend

If you're cheap, you will now benefit from being a slob, too.Westin, an upscale-ish branch of the giant Starwood group of hotels, has a new idea. If you do something "great for…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Three Hot New Travel Inventions Coming to You Soon Through Crowdfunding

The entire Internet is now an episode of Shark Tank. Inventors with a good idea no longer have to go the traditional route and sell out to VCs and banks—they can take the product…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Three Hot New Travel Inventions Coming to You Soon Through Crowdfunding

The entire Internet is now an episode of Shark Tank. Inventors with a good idea no longer have to go the traditional route and sell out to VCs and banks—they can take the product…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

A Few Lucrative National Parks Are Reopened, But Most American Treasures Remain Forbidden

To help curb some of the damage cause to income and tourism by the Congressional-led government shutdown, state governments are now permitted to open National Park units they deem…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Is the TSA Pulling Aside Travelers at Airport Security to Make Sales Pitches for TSA Pre Check?

Word comes to me today from a traveler who had a strange experience at the airport in Las Vegas today.The traveler, who did not wish to be named, told me that he and several other…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Forget the Phone. Now Twitter is the Place to Get the Fastest Customer Service

"Man invented language to satisfy his deep need to complain." —Lily TomlinAnd man invented Twitter to make sure everyone had to listen.It's pretty obvious that Twitter is a…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

A Lawsuit By the Attorney General of New York is Threatening to Put an End to the Short-Term Rental of Apartments to Cost-Conscious Tourists

In its impact on the ability of Americans to travel, no legislation could be more misguided or harmful than the ban against the short-term rental of apartments enacted into law…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

If You Dance or Sing, Trade Your Talent for Travel Across Canada or the Atlantic Ocean

Canada's Globe and Mail broke the story open, and now everyone with a guitar may be begging to sign up: Via Rail, Canada's national railway, grants free train tickets and meals to…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Would You Believe a Roller Skating Rink at Sea? Bumper Cars, A Circus School, A Basketball Court? Controlled Sky-Diving? Read On and Weep

If I hadn't actually seen the press release, I wouldn't have believed it.  On a new ship of Royal Caribbean Cruises debuting a year from now (the "Quantum of the Seas"), that…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Our Most Recent Radio Travel Show (Sundays at Noon, Eastern Time) Received a Number of Challenging Questions from Listeners, of Which Ten are Representative

If you didn't listen to our most recent, Sunday Travel Show on radio (it is streamed live every Sunday, starting at noon Eastern Time on www.WOR710.com—the podcast can be downloaded…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Whether or Not to Book an African Safari Starting in Kenya is an Increasingly Difficult Decision to Make

Kenya, in East Africa, is regarded by many travellers, including myself, as Africa's best location for safari adventures at an affordable price.  Botswana's lodges may be more…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

The Dalmatian Daytona: Croatia's Popularity with Young Travelers Surges

According to the national tourism board of Croatia, some 300,000 United Kingdom residents flocked to the sunny Mediterranean country between January and August, a 24% rise from the…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

That Rumor About the Easy Availability of Free-of-Charge Travel Insurance, is Only Partially (And Very Partially) True

How it began, heaven knows.  But a great many rumor-mongers are telling their neighbors that they can obtain free-of-charge travel insurance for their next trip by simply…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Government Shutdown: What Travelers Can Still Do, and What's Closed

There are lots of long, explaining articles about what's causing the shutdown, but they don't make it easy to figure out what's closed for travelers and what's open. We'll make this…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Looking to fly over the holidays? To get the best airfares book your flight soon—very, very soon

If history is any guide, that is.The website Quartz recently did a study of data from booking engine Kayak.com and determined that the cheapest holiday airfares, last year, were…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

JetBlue Upgrades Its Standard Seats: Power Outlets, Bigger TVs, Triple the Channels

At a media event on the roof of its New York City headquarters today, set-price airline JetBlue, which since it inception has been a one-class airline, unveiled an overhaul of its…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

A Guest Blog from David Paul Appell On What's New and Noteworthy in Miami This Fall and Winter

We're proud to present a guest post today by David Paul Appell of Tripatini.com. David is also the author of the upcoming Frommer's EasyGuide to Miami & Key West, which will be…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Hilton Is Killing Room Service at Some Large Hotels, And Look at The Replacement

Last spring, Hilton cemented a new trend among major hotel brands when it killed all room service at its 2,000-room New York Hilton Midtown, Manhattan's largest hotel, joining its…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Friday Finds: A Flotilla of Cruise Bargains, From River Cruise Savings to Two-For-One Deals on Deluxe Ocean-Going Vessels

I'm not sure what they're, er, put in the water, but we're seeing a number of unusually good cruise deals this week. Here's a sampling:*Danube Sailings: Virgin Vacations is always…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Cutting Travel Costs by Using "Shared" Accommodations, Car Rentals, and Meals, Has Suddenly Become a Major Goal of Many

"Sharing" has become the latest big trend in travel. In the destination cities, residents "share" an asset they already own, with travelers passing through, and thus augment their…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

TodayTix: A Promising New Source for Scoring Deep Discounts on Broadway Show Tickets

Broadway is huge business, and a major tourism industry. Last season, which ended in May, raked in a staggering $1.14 billion in grosses for New York City's theatres.In the same…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Guess What New Tropical Location is Being Touted for Tourism? El Salvador? Yes, El Salvador.

When I recently heard that travel writer David Paul Appell was planning a journalistic trip to El Salvador (he's co-editor of the well-regarded Tripatini.com), I was startled,…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Schussing Savings: No It’s NOT too Early To Book Your Winter Ski Trip

No white stuff: less green stuff—that’s the crude equation that rules the ski industry. It was a point driven home in the winter of 2011-2012, when snowfalls that were 50% lower than…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Why Just Take a Vacation When You Can Work Your Way Around the World....And Travel Indefinitely

Travel doesn’t have to be pricey. Thanks to the internet, an entire class of working travelers has emerged, men and women who trade “sweat equity” for free room and board on the…