The TSA May Now Deny You the Right to a Pat-Down
Posted on 12/23/2015, 6:00 PM
Until this month, anyone undergoing a TSA search at airports has had the right to bypass the "Advanced Imaging Technology" screening booths—the ones in which passengers hold their hands over their heads for a full-body image. Any passenger unwilling to use the machines could request a thorough hand pat-down from an available agent, requesting a private location if desired. You no longer ha...
Medellin, Colombia, A City Once Infamous for its Frequently-Violent Drug Battles, Has Become a Touristic Magnet Now that the "Narcos" Have Been Ousted From It
Posted on 12/22/2015, 9:00 PM
In a recent column, I wrote about the surprising emergence of the South American nation of Colombia as a hot new tourist destination (and one that also has the fastest-growing economy in all of South America). Reached from Miami for as little as $171 plus luggage fees, round-trip, on a new budget-priced, no-frills airline called VivaColombia, Colombia is currently visited by more than two mill...
Peaceful at Last, The Important (and Easily Reached) South American Nation of Colombia is Finally Attracting the Tourism It Deserves
Posted on 12/22/2015, 7:15 PM
The recent making of a peace treaty (with amnesty provisions) between the government of Colombia and its longtime insurgent guerillas (a movement known as "FARC") has brought about an amazing change in the status of that country. With peace descending on such main cities as Bogota, Medellin and Cartagena--and the virtual disappearance of the drug trade (the "narcos") from its once-turbulent lo...
From A.F.: I, Too, Have Drawn Up a List of a Dozen New Year's Resolutions for Travel in 2016, Hopefully Meant to Maintain and Improve My Vacation Trips
Posted on 12/21/2015, 4:15 PM
Most of us make New Year's Resolutions to correct human failings in our daily activities. I do something of the same, but limited to the times when I leave my home for a trip. Here are my this year's resolutions, meant to maintain and improve my travel life: (1) I will continue traveling. I will not permit fear of terrorism to reduce or limit my vacation trips, as they have for some ...
In the Caribbean Hotel Rates Plummet in the Three Weeks Immediately after New Year's Day
Posted on 12/20/2015, 5:15 AM
That's true of both the pricier islands and the ones with budget accommodations. Some ideas for a last-minute trip....
Pauline Frommer's Top (Travel) Resolutions for the Coming Year
Posted on 12/17/2015, 11:45 AM
It’s that time of year and let’s be real, those three inches padding my waistline aren’t coming off anytime soon. Instead of doing the usual “lose 10 pounds” resolution, my top 7 promises to myself are going to revolve around travel. 1. To travel somewhere at the last minute. As a working parent, too much of my life is scheduled long in advance. This year, I hope to scoop up the kids, boo...
Counting Down the Top 6 Travel Stories of 2015—And Looking Ahead to 2016
Posted on 12/15/2015, 8:30 AM
(Photo by Zach Dischner/Flickr) Unusually dramatic events and trends shaped the way we traveled in 2015 and should continue to impact our wanderings in 2016. Counting them down, these stories included: A dramatic drop in the cost of oil: Just this week the Automobile Club of America announced that North America was seeing the lowest cost in gasoline since 2009. A year ago, a gallon of g...
Numerous Parts of the Travel Industry are Rapidly Being Dominated by Monopolies—and Relief Does Not Seem at Hand
Posted on 12/09/2015, 10:15 PM
It is slightly more than a year since final Justice Department approval of the merger between American Airlines and U.S. Airways, but most of the travel industry is still dazed and dizzy from the shock. In a country that always prided itself on its dislike of monopolies, we have permitted the aviation industry to reduce itself, in effect, to exactly four carriers accounting for more than 80% o...
Some Pre-Christmas Musings About the Current State of Travel
Posted on 12/08/2015, 4:45 PM
The major news in travel continues to be the amazing strength of the U.S. dollar, which makes travel cheaper for the American tourist. And that strength continues despite unusual volatility in the currency markets. Last week, the European Euro sold for as little as $1.05, and then it rallied to a level of $1.09, but as of this past weekend, it had fallen again to a rate of only $1.06....
The Department of Transportation Is Getting Serious About Airlines Compensating Passengers for Damaged Luggage
Posted on 12/02/2015, 4:15 PM
If you think passengers are being treated disrespectfully by the airlines—what with ever shrinking seats and ever growing fees—consider what their luggage is going through. Recently, a series of video have gone viral, showing baggage handlers hurling luggage onto conveyor belts in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and playing a rough game of "who can toss the bag the farthest" on the tarmac in San Jose, Ca...
