Tagged: vacation

Priceline Ditches Its "Name Your Own Price" Program for Airfares. What's the Real Meaning of This Move for Consumers?

When Priceline launched its “Name Your Own Price” feature for airfare some 15 years ago, the effect was electric. A major company had pulled back the curtain, letting the public in…

Luxury Travel Service Offers Chance to Meet Pope Francis—for $25,000

Pope Francis (photo: Aleteia Image Department/Flickr)There are vacation packages that come with free WiFi and water-park tickets. And then there are apparently vacation…

Why Florida Is the Weirdest State in the Country

In the big dysfunctional family that is the United States of America, Florida is the strange uncle who drives on a suspended license, is a little too comfortable with his own nudity,…

Haul My Stuff, Underwrite Your Vacation: A New App May Save Brawny Travelers Money

There are many ways would-be vacationers try to make their trips more affordable. Some start special bank accounts for holiday savings, others scour the internet for hotel discounts,…

Pokémon Go Goes Where It Shouldn't

Digital creatures from the popular smartphone game Pokémon Go, which overlays images onto the real world when you look at them through your mobile device, have been found at somber…

Short-Term Rentals Banned in Anaheim

The city council of Anaheim, California—home of Disneyland—has voted to ban the operation of all short-term rentals, which will have to shut down within the next 18 months. Given…

Uber to Downplay Surge Pricing

If you use Uber to get around when you're on vacation (or when you're home), you'll soon see a change in the ride-sharing service's most hated feature. That would be surge pricing,…

Disney Opens Frozen Ride at Epcot

Do you want to build a snowman? You might want to hug one after standing in the hot Florida sun to get into Walt Disney World's new Frozen ride, which opened this week in Epcot and…

Zika's Effect on Caribbean Travel

In January, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned pregnant women to avoid traveling to certain Latin American and Caribbean countries affected by an outbreak of the…

Universal Releases Water Park Details

Universal Orlando has released some details about its new water park, Volcano Bay, which the company promises will be up and running by June 1, 2017. The park will feature 18…

Airbnb Vows to Root Out Racism, but Blocks Ability to Sue

Airbnb has responded to complaints from some users that they've had trouble booking rooms on the popular online vacation-rental site because of their race. The evidence isn't just…

Walking in Memphis: That'll Be $10, Please

It'll cost you $10 to enter Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee, on Saturday nights for the time being. Following a spate of violence along the beloved thoroughfare lined with blues…

An End in Sight for Hidden Resort Fees?

You know when you see a hotel rate online and then later during the booking process you find out you're going to have to pay a mandatory "resort fee" not included in the advertised…

The RV Revival Kicks Into High Gear—Should You Climb on Board?

(Photo by faungg's photos / Flickr)Welcome to the RV renaissance. After some dark days during the 2008 recession—when many belt-tightening Americans found it difficult to…

A Shrine to Wine Opens in France (Where Else?)

La Cité du Vin, Bordeaux (patrick janicek / Flickr)Dubbed the "Guggenheim of wine," France's brand-new La Cité du Vin, which opened last week in Bordeaux, is clearly intended…

New Issues (And Fixes) for iPhone Data Usage

It's not your imagination. Your iPhone is using more data lately.That's because in a recent update Apple quietly added a little feature that will use cellular signals rather than…

Starting Now, Solo Travel to Cuba Will Be Explicitly Legal for Americans

The news out of Cuba is coming fast and furious. Not only are a number of airlines close to being able to offer direct service from various U.S. gateways to the Caribbean island, but…

Still Hoping to Get Away for Spring Break? There Are Some Deals Out There

Good things probably came....to those who booked early this year for spring break. Alas, airfares are only down 4% from last, despite much lower fuel costs for the airlines. And…

Rising Fees Ahoy! New Gotchas From the Cruise Industry

It’s been a rough winter for the cruise industry. One of its most celebrated newer vessels was tossed around like a cork in a Jacuzzi by a major storm, and then had to return early…

Santorini to Limit Cruise Visitors

As any parent knows, kids hold grudges. And my kids still bring up the day I made them hike for 45 minutes up a steep cliff path, in 95 degree heat, from where the cruise ship…

A Primer for European River Cruising

If you watched Downton Abbey, you likely were tempted to try river cruising. The scintillating ads for Viking River Cruises, which ran before each show, effectively put this type of…

Yet Another Reason to Go to Canada: Free National Park Entries for All of 2017

That Justin Trudeau!Not only did he have the good sense to give women half of all the job in his cabinet (filling all the positions with genuine experts in the subjects they'll be…

How to Get a Reservation At the Most Popular Restaurants

Everybody and their grandmother tells you that you have to dine at trendy "Restaurant X" when you go to "Destination Y" on your next vacation. But when you call for a reservation, or…

A Travel Memoir for Today: Gloria Steinem’s "My Life On the Road"

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…

Pauline Frommer's Top (Travel) Resolutions for the Coming Year

It’s that time of year and let’s be real, those three inches padding my waistline aren’t coming off anytime soon. Instead of doing the usual “lose 10 pounds” resolution, my top 7…