Passportable | Frommer's

Overwater Bungalows Come to the Caribbean

Posted on 10/25/2016, 12:00 AM

(photo: Instagram/@kelly_klassen_tpi) Overwater bungalows—which are almost de rigueur at luxurious South Pacific resorts—have finally made their way to the Caribbean. El Dorado Maroma resort on Mexico's Riviera Maya has unveiled 30 new "palafitos" dubbed the "first and only over-ocean bungalows in Latin America." Each 600-square-foot thatched-roof hut features an open-concept interio...

Study: Oxygen Could Be Key to Curing Jet Lag

By Zac Thompson

Posted on 10/25/2016, 12:00 AM

A cure for jet lag is of course the holy grail of travel-related science research. Could the answer be oxygen deprivation? That's what a new study published in the journal Cell Metabolism seems to suggest. Working with mice, researchers found that when the rodents breathed air with about a quarter to a third less oxygen than usual, they adapted to a six-hour time change (about what you'd ...

Airbnb Offering Chance to Spend Halloween at Dracula's Castle

By Zac Thompson

Posted on 10/24/2016, 12:00 AM

Whatever your Halloween plans are—trick-or-treating, attending a house party dressed as Ken Bone, what have you—we're guessing your evening won't be as memorable as the one that two contest winners will spend as part of a promotion from Airbnb. That pair will get to sleep at Dracula's castle in Romania—making them the building's first overnight guests since 1948. To apply, all you have ...

American Airlines Off to a Slow Start in Cuba

By Zac Thompson

Posted on 10/24/2016, 12:00 AM

U.S. airlines are set to begin commercial service to Havana next month. American Airlines, for example, will be flying to the Cuban capital four times a day from Miami starting November 28, and once per day from Charlotte starting November 30. But in the carrier's third-quarter earnings call with reporters last week, executives revealed that sales to Cuba are off to a slow start. In Septemb...

Are Conditions on Flights Leaving Passengers Vulnerable to Sexual Assault?

By Zac Thompson

Posted on 10/24/2016, 12:00 AM

The accusations from 11 women who say that Donald Trump kissed or touched them sexually without their consent have brought renewed national attention to the issue of sexual assault. And that includes incidents on airplanes; one of the accusers, Jessica Leeds, alleges that Trump groped her during a flight in 1979 (for the record, he says she's lying). In an article in the New York Times, seve...

Pint-Size Princess Confronts Gaston at Disneyland

By Zac Thompson

Posted on 10/21/2016, 12:00 AM

Now let's discuss the big debate of the week. We're talking, of course, about Gaston vs. Snow White. Dressed as that particular Disney princess, a 6-year-old girl named Lucy encountered the Beauty and the Beast bully at Disneyland in California this week. Lucy's mom, Katie Pettit, was filming the interaction, but she didn't coax the youngster to give Gaston a piece of her mind. Lucy did tha...

Delta Unveils New Crew Uniforms

By Zac Thompson

Posted on 10/21/2016, 12:00 AM

(photo: Instagram/@icontips) Delta Air Lines supplied a sneak peek at its new crew uniforms this week during a runway show in the company's hometown of Atlanta. Created by celebrity fashion designer Zac Posen, the snappy new duds will be worn by more than 60,000 front-line workers, including flight attendants and customer-service agents at airports. It's Delta's biggest uniform overhaul...

No More Free Drinks at Vegas Casinos?

By Zac Thompson

Posted on 10/21/2016, 12:00 AM

For those of you who dread new technologies, we've got another point to add to your argument. Thanks to new gizmos at a few of the biggest casinos in Las Vegas, many gamblers may no longer get free drinks. The longstanding practice of keeping casino denizens well lubricated with free booze (which might persuade them to linger and therefore spend more money at the gaming tables) is under th...