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

By Pauline Frommer

Posted on 07/07/2015, 9:15 AM

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, the fact that licenses are FINALLY being given for the operation of cruises from the mainland of the United States to Cuba is, without a doubt, a huge victory. It comes on the heels of JetBlue starting its first regul...

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

By Pauline Frommer

Posted on 07/06/2015, 8:30 PM

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 most invidious of miseries: the feeling of being “nickled and dimed” to death. But that may be about to change, thanks to a new program being instituted by Celebrity Cruises. Is this good news for travelers? You ju...

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

By Jason Cochran

Posted on 07/05/2015, 4:45 PM

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 comprise a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It's only the 23rd such site in the United States and the first for Texas. The Alamo, if you don't remember your grammar school history, was the place where American settlers ...

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

By Arthur Frommer

Posted on 07/03/2015, 12:45 PM

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 for a hard time. Their per capita incomes, their pensions and retirement savings, their standards of living, are all bound to be cut. And this is happening to a noble people who achieved victories against the pro-...

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

By Arthur Frommer

Posted on 06/25/2015, 7:30 PM

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 home construction can lead to disastrous fires. Although a small number of extreme libertarians will disagree with regulation of the above activities or products, the majority of Americans fervently approve them. N...

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

By Pauline Frommer

Posted on 06/19/2015, 1:45 PM

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 look forward to if they make the trip in the next six months. 1) Most important development is a new form of National Mall transportation that will allow visitors to traverse this massive expanse of monuments and...

A Cautionary Tale on the Importance of Cultural Sensitivity for Travelers

By Pauline Frommer

Posted on 06/17/2015, 5:15 PM

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 Kinabalu and in, celebration of getting to the top, took nude selfies which they then posted on social media. What could have been merely a self-indulgent act became a criminal one when an earthquake hit the mountain, kil...

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

By Arthur Frommer

Posted on 06/13/2015, 10:45 PM

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 of Great Britain and Australia. But the headlines in our newspapers may provide advice that is just as valid. In fact, recent publicized events in the Middle East and Turkey provide guidance that is, per...

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

By Jason Cochran

Posted on 06/11/2015, 10:45 AM

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 item should be. And that size isn't large: 7.5 inches deep by 21.5 inches long by 13.5 inches wide. Those measurements, which would be voluntary for airlines to adopt, are smaller than what many U.S. airlines allow...

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

By Arthur Frommer

Posted on 06/03/2015, 8:45 PM

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 shortages of housing for permanent residents of cities. You read of various scoundrels operating illegal hotels of 50 and more units that they rent through Airbnb.com. You react to emotional portrayals of drunken touris...

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