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In a Momentous Development, Regulations Have Just Been Announced That Will Greatly Expand the Number of Americans Able to Visit Cuba

By Arthur Frommer

Posted on 01/15/2015, 1:00 PM

The floodgates have opened. Starting now, any determined American will be able to travel, without hindrance, to Cuba. That’s the meaning of the regulations just announced by the Treasury Department, which remove the requirement that travelers apply for a specific license to undertake such trips. And though numerous commentators will claim that barriers still exist, it’s obvious t...

Decisions, Decisions: Here Are Some That Will Confront You As You Plan Your Forthcoming Vacation Trip

By Arthur Frommer

Posted on 01/14/2015, 11:45 AM

In travel, there’s always an alternative to consider when you plan your next vacation. Here are some of them: (1) Cruises vs. all-inclusive resort hotels: Strictly from the standpoint of cost, the all-inclusive resort hotel is increasingly felt to be the less expensive of vacation choices. That’s because the all-inclusives don’t charge extra for numerous daily needs for wh...

Last Weekend's Street Demonstrations by a Million Parisians Have Served to Remind Us of Our High Regard for France and the French

By Arthur Frommer

Posted on 01/14/2015, 11:30 AM

Thomas Jefferson is supposed to have said (though some scholars deny he did) that “Every man has two countries--his own and France”. I thought of that famous quotation, and found it expressed my views, when nearly a million Parisians erupted onto their streets, and marched to show their fierce support of free speech. Though France may exasperate us at times, it is always...

Spend Martin Luther King, Jr. Day at a National Park: It's the First Free Entry Day of 2015

By Pauline Frommer

Posted on 01/13/2015, 12:00 PM

Not that the United States' National Parks are all that pricey to begin with. In fact, most don't charge entry fees and the most pricey—places like Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon and Yosemite—cap the fee at $25 per carload of visitors. But this coming Monday, not only will entry to every park in the system be fee-free, many will be offerring special hikes, lectures, nature walks, photograph...

The Growing Strength of the U.S. Dollar May Turn 2015 Into a Halcyon Period for American Tourists

By Arthur Frommer

Posted on 01/07/2015, 9:45 PM

Although the remarkable recent rise in the value of the U.S. Dollar has made headlines, hardly anyone has commented on the impact of that development on international travel by Americans. Hence this blog. In Western Europe and Japan, in Turkey and Russia, in India and Australia, in numerous smaller nations, the local currency has plummeted against the Dollar---by at lea...

Here's an Attempted Explanation for the Surging Popularity of River Cruises

By Arthur Frommer

Posted on 01/07/2015, 5:30 PM

The recemt and extraordinary popularity of river cruises--especially those of European rivers--is one of the great mysteries of travel. River cruises have been around for decades. Yet suddenly, and especially within the last year, river cruises have become the hottest new means of vacationing. On a recent radio program which I conducted with an expert on cruising, we were li...

Head to South Africa This Spring! Full Tours, Including Airfare from the US and Within Country, a Safari and More For Just $1499

By Pauline Frommer

Posted on 01/05/2015, 1:00 PM

Let me start by saying that we have no affiliation whatsoever with smarTours, the tour operator behind this deal. But when we get a press release that makes our jaws hit the floor, well, our fingers just have to start typing. I can only imagine it's the Ebola scare that is responsible for this bargain basement pricing (and to be clear: there are no cases of Ebola in South Africa, but trave...

A New Monopoly on European Airport ATMs Means Lousy Exchange Rates for Travelers

By Pauline Frommer

Posted on 01/04/2015, 5:15 PM

I just had the pleasure of co-hosting our radio show with Samantha Brown, Travel Channel star par extraordinaire. (You can hear the podcast here). Whenever I chat with Samantha, I learn something new. Today what I learned was distressing. Sam noticed that when she recently flew to Germany, the only ATMs available in the airport terminal were those run not by a bank, but by the currency exchan...

In Sharp Contrast to the Thoughtless Acceptance of TripAdvisor in the U.S., the Europeans are Fining It Big Bucks for Allegedly Failing to Police the Posting of Fake Reviews

By Arthur Frommer

Posted on 12/26/2014, 1:00 PM

Five hundred thousand euros (or $610,000). That's the fine recently levied on TripAdvisor.com by a regulatory commission in Italy. The famous website's violation? The alleged failure to police its hotel reviews to prevent totally fabricated critiques from appearing. Throughout Europe and Great Britain, numerous public watchdogs and private groups have brought major accusations aga...

Hooray for Hyatt! Its End-of-the-Year Announcement is "Free Wi-Fi for All"

By Pauline Frommer

Posted on 12/23/2014, 8:30 AM

It's nice to end the year on some good news! Hyatt Hotels, that massive chain that now consists of 573 properties in 43 countries, will be offering free Wi–Fi to ALL guests beginning in February of 2015. There's really not much more to say than that. You don't have to join the loyalty program, don't have to shell out on some hidden fee, won't have to pledge your first born. The giveaway wi...

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