Passportable | Frommer's

Watching the Sunrise at Maui's Haleakala Volcano Will Soon Require a Reservation

Posted on 12/01/2016, 12:00 AM

One of the most unforgettable—and most popular—sights in Maui is about to get a little more difficult to experience. Starting February 1, you'll need a reservation to hike to the top of the Hawaiian island's Haleakala volcano to watch the sunrise. Citing large crowds and safety concerns, Haleakala National Park officials say that those who want to reach the top of the 10,000-foot peak betw...

You Can Now Download Netflix to Watch Later

By Jason Cochran

Posted on 11/30/2016, 1:00 PM

Hooray! Tedious airplane trips just got a lot sweeter. Netflix is finally—finally!—rolling out the ability to download shows to your device to watch later, which means that soon, you will not require a high-speed internet connection if you want to be entertained. For many people, this could spell doom for the lousy or overpriced entertainment options on flights, and for many other peop...

Bite-Sized Volunteer Vacations

By Pauline Frommer

Posted on 11/30/2016, 12:15 PM

How to Do Good on Vacations That Aren't Only Devoted to "Voluntourism"...

Japan Plans Spa-Themed Amusement Park with Hot-Tub Roller Coaster

By Zac Thompson

Posted on 11/30/2016, 12:00 AM

If you've ever taken a relaxing soak in a hot spring and said, "Gosh, this is nice, but I wish there were some way to throw in the heart-racing thrills of a roller coaster ride," we'd think you were being completely ridiculous. There's a time for everything, we'd tell you, and the time for speeding along a track with sharp turns and sudden drops is not while you're sitting in a pool of steaming...

Trump Still Threatening to Reverse Obama's Cuba Policy

By Zac Thompson

Posted on 11/30/2016, 12:00 AM

President-elect Donald Trump continues to threaten that he'll undo President Barack Obama's 2014 deal to normalize relations between the United States and Cuba. Following the November 25 death of Fidel Castro, Trump tweeted on Monday, "If Cuba is unwilling to make a better deal for the Cuban people, the Cuban-American people and the U.S. as a whole, I will terminate deal." Trump used simila...

Carnival Nixes Social-Impact Cruises in the Caribbean

By Zac Thompson

Posted on 11/29/2016, 12:00 AM

Carnival Corporation has announced that the company is pulling the plug on Fathom cruises, a one-ship line introduced just last year. The point of the brand was to offer "social-impact cruises," incorporating sightseeing as well as volunteer projects and cultural exchange, with stops in the Dominican Republic and Cuba. Carnival was hoping to capitalize on the possibly overhyped voluntourism...

You Can Now Use Airbnb to Book Experiences

By Zac Thompson

Posted on 11/23/2016, 12:00 AM

Airbnb has launched a new service called Trips, allowing users to book experiences in addition to the company's core short-term vacation rentals. The new feature is a section of the site where you can browse listings for stuff like cooking classes, guided tours, and pub crawls, all offered by locals in whatever destination you're visiting. Additionally, Airbnb users can now recommend specif...

Melania Trump's Native Country, Slovenia, Anticipates New Interest After Election

By Zac Thompson

Posted on 11/22/2016, 12:00 AM

The small Central European nation of Slovenia could be an unexpected beneficiary of the 2016 presidential election. It's the native country of Melania Trump, who will be the first foreign-born first lady in 191 years (the last was John Quincy Adams's British wife, Louisa). Slovenia's tourism officials clearly think that the Melania link might bring some new interest and new visitors to the...