Disney Is About to Gut Magic Kingdom, Fans Are Furious, and You Don't Have Much Time
Posted on 08/12/2024, 5:15 PM
We've had plenty of warning signs that the current management of the Disney brand doesn't understand or appreciate their roles as stewards of priceless Americana. For the last few years, the current decision makers at Disney have been carrying on as if they're running a shopping mall and not a national treasure. Obsessed with floating other divisions of the Walt Disney Company instead of tending...
U.S. Forbids Airlines from Charging Families to Sit Together
Posted on 08/01/2024, 2:15 PM
There's been another big win for consumers at the U.S. airports. On Thursday, the Department of Transportation (DOT) announced that it has proposed a rule that forbids commercial airlines from charging families extra to be seated together. As American families know all too well, the biggest airlines have shamelessly converted the protection of your children into a profit center, slapping parents...
These Are the Safest Caribbean Countries Right Now, According to the U.S. Government
Posted on 07/30/2024, 4:00 PM
This post, originally published Feb. 2, 2024, has been updated with new information. Earlier this year, the U.S. State Department issued alarming travel warnings for Jamaica and the Bahamas, citing rising crime levels in both countries as reasons for tourists to beware. On the State Department's 4-level travel advisory scale, Jamaica was bumped up to level 3, which stands for "Reconsider Trave...
Southwest Airlines to End Open Seating, So Why Fly It At All? There's Still One Reason
Posted on 07/25/2024, 6:00 PM
Social media is so infected with liars and bad actors that we can't trust it even to tell us the sky is blue anymore. But the minute Southwest Airlines announced that, after some 50 years, the carrier will do away with its open seating system, the online reaction seemed to repeat a certain point that rings true. You might hear it said that open seating was the best thing about flying Southwest. ...
DOT Secretary Forcefully Reminds U.S. Airline Passengers of Their New Refund Rights
Posted on 07/23/2024, 7:30 PM
Some airlines are still struggling to reboot their service in the wake of last weekend's cataclysmic CloudStrike software shutdown. On Monday, Delta Air Lines was still limping its way back to the runways. The airline announced it had to cancel another 800 departures on the first workday of the week, bringing the total of scrapped flights to more than 5,000 since Friday. It what must be the first...
Rome Jubilee in 2025 Means Tons of Construction in 2024: What Travelers Need to Know
Posted on 07/22/2024, 7:45 AM
Sorry, travelers, but getting that perfect shot of the Pantheon may require a return trip to Rome. (The photo above was taken earlier this month.) As we all know, Rome wasn’t built in a day. But as any recent visitor can attest, it sure looks like the city is being rebuilt—all day, every day. There are a staggering 3,200 public construction projects currently underway across the Eternal City, inc...
Airlines Are Shrinking Carry-On Sizes, Forcing Travelers to Pay Checked Bag Fees
Posted on 07/19/2024, 11:30 AM
Your carry-on hand baggage may not be small enough anymore. A new furor is unfolding in the skies as airlines are caught drastically reducing the maximum permitted size of carry-on bags on commercial flights. Unnoticed by many casual travelers, the volume of an allowed carry-on bag on some popular airlines has been cut as much as 55% since 2018, the BBC reports. The worst offender so far, accor...
The Cost of Visiting Universal Epic Universe Will Gut Your Bank Account—and Disney's
Posted on 07/08/2024, 5:00 PM
There's a famous event from the history of architecture that serves as a warning to companies that assume competitors could never catch up. In the late 1920s, the Empire State Building, 40 Wall Street, and the Chrysler Building were all being constructed in Manhattan. Architects for each of the three buildings were desperate to claim the title of the world's tallest skyscraper. The Chrysler and 40...
Dengue Fever Surges in the USA! Learn How to Prevent Mosquito Bites When You Travel
Posted on 07/02/2024, 8:00 PM
Just days after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a warning about the increased risk of dengue virus infections in the United States, Florida health officials released an alert this week about two confirmed cases of locally acquired dengue fever in the Florida Keys. The warning means the people affected by the virus didn't acquire it while traveling elsewhere. The CDC and Flori...
Frommer’s Maine Coast: Our Latest Guide to Acadia, Portland, and Other Seaside Stunners
Posted on 06/26/2024, 10:00 AM
“Maine is a beautiful place that I paradoxically want to hoard to myself and share with everyone I meet," humorist John Hodgman writes in his 2017 book Vacationland. On a recent episode of the Frommer's podcast, guidebook author Brian Kevin said he can relate to Hodgman's remark—though Kevin keeps precious little of the good stuff to himself in his brand-new edition of Frommer's Maine Coast, spil...