Tagged: vacation

What to Expect When You're Expecting...And Expecting to Travel

The bachelor party and the “hen do” are thought of as the ultimate “last hurrahs” before the realities of adult life kick in. But I would argue that the newly popular “babymoon,”…

U.S. Workers Hand Their Bosses $52.4 Billion a Year in Unused Vacation Time

Most employers have a "use it or lose it" policy for vacation days, and a new study using information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics has calculated just how much money…

Doing the Famed Sydney Bridge Climb The Speedy Way

Some 16 years ago, a clever entrepreneur named Paul Cave came up with the idea of allowing tourists to scale the arch of Sydney’s iconic Harbour Bridge (largest single span steel…

Not Using Your Vacation Costs America Dearly

Ten points for the always excellent CBS News Sunday Morning for recently airing this pithy commentary by its contributor Faith Salie.Salie calculates how much the American…

Days 4 & 5 In The Australian Outback: Adventures in Alice Springs

(Wallabies gather in a parking lot in Alice Springs; yes, that is a baby wallaby peeking out of the pouch!)Had I visited the Northern…

Taiwan Impressions, Day 3: Head Hunters, Selfie Sticks, Women on Top, Flying Lanterns

Aboriginal headdresses (photo by Pauline Frommer)Today in Taiwan.... 1) I discovered that selfies…

Taiwan Impressions, Day 1: Odd Signs, Odder Fish and Bathrooms That Hum

I recently returned from a trip to Taiwan, my third in a year and a half. And, as before, I had a number of experiences that surprised and delighted me. I wasn't there to write an…

Turning Japanese in New York City: The Cuisine (and Culture) That’s Sweeping the City

Bagels. Cheesesteak. Massive aged steaks, served by guys with thick Brooklyn accents and possible mafia ties.If you haven’t been to New York City lately, you might think that…

Taking the Road That's Most "Emotionally Pleasing"

If it’s the journey that matters and not the destination, then Yahoo Lab’s latest initiative should improve travelers’ lives. According to a recently published paper, the…

Evil Twins: The Two Worst New Developments in Travel

I’m mad as hell and I don’t want to vacation anymore!Scratch that.  I still want to vacation.But relaxing is going to be more difficult, thanks to a pair of ugly…

A Trip Report: The Riviera Nayarit

Kim Kardashian goes to the Riviera Nayarit yearly. Christina Aguilera got engaged there. And on the visit I finished last week, I shared the sands with the Presidents of Chile,…

And Now, For a Change of Pace, Let's Look at All the Good Things That Are Happening in the World of Travel.

The holidays are here, and for many, that means counting blessings. So instead of devoting a column to the problems of travel—and there certainly are many—I’d like to celebrate…

We've Told You Where to Go in 2014, But Which Destinations Were Most Searched in 2013? The Answers May Surprise You

Let me start this blog by stating that there's no evidence that the number of searches for a destination will translate into more visits for said destination. But it is a fascinating…

Decoding Three Common Travel Tips on Dining, Timing and Packing

When it comes to tips on how to travel better and more affordably, there are some old-chestnuts that always apply. But though they sound obvious, many actually require insider…

A Nightmarish Incident on a Recent Cruise May Cause Vacationers to Rethink Buying Insurance Directly from the Cruise Line

By now, you likely have heard the story of elderly couple who were put off an Azamara Cruise ship in a small town in Turkey, when the 89-year-old husband fell and broke his hip.…

3 Sneaky Ways To Save Money on Lodgings When You Hit the Road

Sometimes you have to get creative, and perhaps even bend the rules, when looking to save money on travel. That’s particularly the case for lodgings, as hotel rates have increased a…

Gambling for Freebies: What You Need to Know If Your Vacation Will Include Time at a Casino

Gamblers are a superstitious lot. They know that only a rube counts his money at the table, walks in the main door of a casino or whistles as he cranks the one-armed bandit. But even…

The Wonders of Alaska (In One Relatively Compact Area): Meet the Kenai Peninsula

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…

Pauline Frommer To Host a Tour of Taiwan This October

I usually travel alone or just with my family. But once a year, on behalf of the radio network my father and I work with, I host  a tour somewhere in the world. Last year it was…

My Knee-Jerk (Ouch!) Reaction to American Airlines' Plans to Add Even More Seats to Its Planes

My knees are aching just writing this. And my laptop's cover is quivering in fear. But here goes:In a regulatory filing yesterday, AMR Corp disclosed its plans to add more seats…

Thinking About a Dude Ranch Vacation This Summer? Tips from an Expert

The horse may just replace the racecar, space ship and James Bond-helmed motorboat as the whiz-bang mode of transportation this summer. I make that prediction after watching the…

Israel Unveils a Sweeping 18% Tourist Tax. Will the Additional Costs Deter Visitors?

Israel is already the 8th most expensive country on the planet to visit, according to the World Economic Forum. But a new 18% tax on car rentals, hotel rooms, private guide services…

Four Vacation Packages and Cruises Lead the Travel Industry's Offerings for Departures in July of 2013

There was once a time when a bargain-hunter could point with excitement to packaged vacations costing less than a thousand dollars at the height of the summer season, like…

Don't Get Taken for a Ride in Las Vegas

15 to 20 minutes.That's about how long it should take a passenger to get from the Las Vegas Airport to their Strip hotel in Las Vegas, most times of the day. Heck, you can see the…

What's SUP? Perhaps the Hottest Vacation Activity on Water

Is stand-up paddle boarding, also known by the surfer-dude friendly acronym SUP (as in “wassup”), the fastest growing watersport in the world? Search engines lists everything…