The Wonders of Alaska (In One Relatively Compact Area): Meet the Kenai Peninsula
Posted on 07/30/2013, 9:45 AM
Alaska is massive. Intimidatingly so. Transpose its outline on a map of the lower 48 United States and its north-south boundaries would stretch from Mexico to Canada, poking up around Winnipeg and dropping down to Tijuana. For many visitors, trying to forge their own path in this vast, and often road-less, land is simply too scary. And so a good 60% of the state’s tourists opt for a cruise. I...
The How To's of Choosing the Right Broadway Show to See
Posted on 07/25/2013, 10:30 AM
During the 2012-2013 theatrical season, some 11.6 million people attended Broadway shows in New York City, more than the attendance at the games of all of the city’s major league teams combined. That statistic comes via the Broadway League, which also notes that Broadway shows netted $1.14 billion in grosses. Which leads to an admittedly rude question on my part. It’s no secret that going to ...
Would You Believe a 10-Day Tour to Vietnam That Includes Round-Trip Air between San Francisco and Hanoi, and Yet Costs Only $1,699?
Posted on 07/23/2013, 11:45 AM
He startled the travel world a few months ago by selling a week in Beijing for only $888, including round-trip airfare between San Francisco and China. And now he's "doubling down" by operating air-and-land packages to Vietnam for only $1,699 per person, including round-trip air between San Francisco and Hanoi. "He" is Wilson Wu, the enfant terrible of international tour operators,...
The Search for Bargain Airfares is the Most Complex Task in Travel Today--So Here's Our Attempt to Clear Things Up
Posted on 07/18/2013, 2:15 PM
Learning that a person in the next seat had paid $200 less than you for the flight that you are both taking--is a painful experience that many of us have had. "How did you do that?" you ask your seat mate. "Easy," he responds with just a slight touch of condescension, "I booked my seat through SuperSensationalBargains.Com" (I'm making up that name). Is it true that some airfar...
JFK to LAX for $83? It's Happening This Week as JetBlue Sells Unsold Seats for Dirt Cheap
Posted on 07/18/2013, 6:00 AM
Clever JetBlue! It's using this week's oppressive heat dome to move some of its unsold inventory — and we love it! The airline says that as long as the heat wave lasts and temperatutes spike above 90 degrees Fahrenheit, it will offer strictly limited, last-minute "HotSeats" deals for up to 90% off. For the past few days, the heavlily discounte fares have been appearing on the airline's websit...
JFK to LAX for $83? It's Happening This Week as JetBlue Sells Unsold Seats for Dirt Cheap
Posted on 07/18/2013, 6:00 AM
Clever JetBlue! It's using this week's oppressive heat dome to move some of its unsold inventory — and we love it! The airline says that as long as the heat wave lasts and temperatutes spike above 90 degrees Fahrenheit, it will offer strictly limited, last-minute "HotSeats" deals for up to 90% off. For the past few days, the heavlily discounte fares have been appearing on the airline's websit...
What is a Transatlantic Crossing on the Queen Mary 2 Like? Our Readers' Questions Answered
Posted on 07/17/2013, 7:00 AM
Last week, I took what many consider the voyage of a lifetime: a transatlantic crossing on an ocean liner. There's only one ship left on the seas that was specifically designed to slice through ocean waves the way a French waiter slices through foie gras, and that's Cunard's Queen Mary 2. She's no longer the largest ship in the world (it's currently eighth), but she's plenty big, and she's th...
What is a Transatlantic Crossing on the Queen Mary 2 Like? Our Readers' Questions Answered
Posted on 07/17/2013, 7:00 AM
Last week, I took what many consider the voyage of a lifetime: a transatlantic crossing on an ocean liner. There's only one ship left on the seas that was specifically designed to slice through ocean waves the way a French waiter slices through foie gras, and that's Cunard's Queen Mary 2. She's no longer the largest ship in the world (it's currently eighth), but she's plenty big, and she's th...
Starting This Coming October, We're Going to be Igniting a Second Revolution in the Publishing of Travel Guides
Posted on 07/16/2013, 5:45 PM
As you may have read in a widely-published news item that broke on Monday, we've regained ownership of the Frommer travel guides--the leading series of guidebooks sold in America. And we're going to celebrate that event by creating a new price point for the sale of high-quality travel books. Each of our new "EasyGuides" will sell for only $10.95 a copy, and will be--please take our word...
Scrimp vs. Splurge: When Does Spending More Actually Improve a Vacation?
Posted on 07/15/2013, 10:15 AM
Several years ago, an author I’d hired to do a chapter in a guidebook returned it to me with a major tourist sight missing from the text. He explained that he’d left this particular historic site out because he’d been angered by the entrance fee. I got another author for the next edition of the book (and input the material based on my own research). I did this despite the fact that the guid...
