An Airport Security Reprieve for Travelers with Drivers Licenses from States That Are Not In Compliance with the Federal Government's Real ID Act
Posted on 01/11/2016, 1:15 PM
And in the end, it all was about politics. As those of you who read this blog regularly know, a few months ago it looked like those citizens of those states that hadn't complied with the federal government's "Real ID" act would no longer be able to use their drivers licenses as ID at security line checkpoints. Those states (and territories) are: Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, Wash...
Asked to Recommend a Batch of "New Destinations" for 2016, I Like to List Locations that Aren't Really "New" but Simply Under-Visited
Posted on 01/07/2016, 6:30 PM
Travel writers are often asked to name a few "new destinations" for vacationers who like to travel differently. And dutifully, they respond by naming places of which you've never heard. I don't like that approach. In my experience, "new destinations" are often that for a reason--they deserve their lack of notoriety. North Korea is a "new destination", but you wouldn't wan...
A Possible Surge of American Tourism to Iran Should Not be Prevented or Opposed, But the Realities of Iran Should Not be Overlooked Either
Posted on 01/07/2016, 6:00 PM
I can never quite enjoy myself in a totalitarian country. Whether it be China or Myanmar, Franco's Spain or Castro's Cuba, I could never, in the past, quite rid myself of the realization that the local people around me were not able to speak their minds without risking arrest and imprisonment. And no matter how much I savored their cuisine or marveled at their views, there was at least a...
Breaking News! The Frommer Travel Show is Now Live on Saturdays at 3 p.m. ET on WABC in New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey & in the Rest of the Country at Noon ET Sundays!
Posted on 12/31/2015, 1:00 PM
We have an important announcement: Starting immediately (namely, this coming Saturday), the Frommer Travel Show will now be carried live every Saturday at 3 p.m. on Radio Station WABC (770 on the AM dial) in the tri-state listening area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. And it will continue to be carried throughout the rest of the nation (a great many stations) on Sundays at noon, East...
Are Cruise Ships Easy Targets for Terrorists?
Posted on 12/29/2015, 11:00 AM
There's no need to be complicated about this answer. Yes. This week, Disney Cruise Line announced that it will no longer stop in Greece, Turkey, or Malta on its upcoming 12-night Mediterranean voyage of the Disney Magic. When asked why, a spokesperson told Frommer's, "We regularly review our itineraries and occasionally make the changes needed to provide the best possible experiences on ...
Are Cruise Ships Easy Targets for Terrorists?
Posted on 12/29/2015, 11:00 AM
There's no need to be complicated about this answer. Yes. This week, Disney Cruise Line announced that it will no longer stop in Greece, Turkey, or Malta on its upcoming 12-night Mediterranean voyage of the Disney Magic. When asked why, a spokesperson told Frommer's, "We regularly review our itineraries and occasionally make the changes needed to provide the best possible experiences on ...
A Travel Memoir for Today: Gloria Steinem’s "My Life On the Road"
Posted on 12/29/2015, 9:30 AM
I never thought I’d use the words "Gloria Steinem" and "travel memoir" in the same sentence. Somehow the idea of one of the most important leaders of the 20th century couching her life story in a genre that too often has to do with, well “quests” to find the perfect quesadilla, or fix up a house in Tuscany, seemed ludicrous. But as she’s been doing her entire career, Ms. Steinem turns expectati...
Though He May Not Have Planned It to Be a Travelogue, Michael Moore's New Documentary Film Contains Powerful Advice On How to Conduct a Tour of Europe
Posted on 12/25/2015, 3:00 PM
The new documentary film by the irrepressible Michael Moore, "Where to Invade Next", now playing at movie houses all over the nation, was obviously meant to convey a political message, and is therefore not a simple travelogue. But it makes a perhaps-unintended point that travel is a device that can expand our political consciousnss. Let me explain: When most of us travel to ...
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...
