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Trends & Hacks

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Arthur Frommer: Universal Orlando Cuts Hotel Rates to Lure Visitors

For at least twenty years, Universal Orlando Resort has been on a hotel building spree. One after another, giant lodging has been squeezed onto its grounds, supplying close-at-hand…

Article / Passportable

New Great Wolf Lodge Water Park Opens in Chicago Burbs

Midwesterners in search of chlorinated fun have a new destination in the Chicago suburbs. Great Wolf Lodge Illinois, the 17th outpost in a chain of Northwoods-themed indoor water park…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

A Life-Changing Conference for Would-Be Travel Writers and Photographers

Over the course of the year, I give about a dozen speeches on travel across North America. Inevitably, when I sign books afterwards, a familiar scenario will play out. I’ll hand back…

Article / Passportable

New Zealand to Start Taxing Tourists

The price of a vacation in New Zealand is about to go up. The country's government has announced plans to charge a new tax on tourists, expected to go into effect in the middle of…

Article / Passportable

Which North American Airport Has the Fastest Free Wi-Fi?

Finding an airport with free Wi-Fi in the United States and Canada isn't as hard as it once was. It's still a challenge, though, to find free airport Wi-Fi that doesn't move at a pace…

Article / Passportable

Historic Luxury Resort Reborn in Arizona

For several decades starting in 1896, a remote Arizona resort located about 50 miles north of Phoenix played host to a steady stream of well-to-do vacationers, including Vanderbilts,…

Article / Passportable

Polish Vodka Museum Opens in Warsaw

There's some dispute about where vodka was born. Both Poland and Russia lay claim to having produced the first batch of the transparent spirit from distilled grains or potatoes more…

Article / Slideshows

For These European Sights, You Should Reserve Tickets Ahead

Because travel has become so affordable, the world's favorite tourist attractions have never been more crowded. Some of them are so overrun that you could spend as many hours outside…

Article / Passportable

After 700 Years, Westminster Abbey Opens Secret Attic to Visitors

It took five years and $30.5 million (£22.9 million) to make it happen, but Westminster Abbey in London has just made a spectacular new addition to one of Europe's top tourist…

Article / Passportable

A Makeover and New Museum at Gateway Arch in St. Louis

A multiyear, multimillion-dollar project to gussy up the grounds of the Gateway Arch in St. Louis culminates this summer in the July 3 opening of an expanded museum that tells the tale…

Article / Slideshows

Touring Eva Perón's Buenos Aires

Eva María Duarte moved to Buenos Aires as a dirt-poor, 15-year-old aspiring actress, and by the time she died 18 years later—killed by cancer at 33—she had transformed not just the…

Article / Hotels

Where the Droids Are: Robots Take Over Duties at Hotels Around the World

Gimmick or cost-cutting measure? It's too early to call it a robot revolution, but at these high-end properties, bellboys are sidelined by waist-high robots programmed for maximum…

Article / Passportable

This Summer's Stupid Food Fad Has Arrived

Following in the tradition not only of gimmicky dishes made with absurdly expensive ingredients (which is how we ended up with monstrosities like the $1,000 omelet and the $25,000…

Article / Passportable

U.S. National Park Fees Leap Higher Overnight

When Americans woke up this morning (June 1), they discovered it would cost them a lot more to enter their national parks.Nearly all the major parks hiked their entry rates by a hefty…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Tips on Getting the Most Out of Your 2018 Summer Vacation

Remember when summer really meant vacation? I’m talking, of course, of the time before you were able to vote, when summer meant freedom from school and adventures at camp, a fun summer…

Article / Passportable

How Bad Will Hurricane Season Be This Year?

Hurricane season officially starts Friday, June 1, but the first named storm of the year has already arrived. Subtropical depression Alberto made landfall in the Florida Panhandle on…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

As the Average Age of Europe River Cruise Guests Declines, Boats Adapt to Youth

In the early days of European river cruises, the average age of passengers caused your grandparents to seem young. Without exaggeration, most cruisers were in their seventies, and…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

"White-Collar Trickery": Arthur Frommer Blasts Las Vegas for Hidden Fees

By now, most Americans are aware of the “resort fees” that numerous greedy hotels add to their bills, even though the hotel in question is by no means a “resort.”  Most of us simply…

Article / Passportable

Singapore Airlines Bringing Back the World's Longest Flight

Singapore Airlines has announced plans to resume nonstop service between the Asian city-state's Changi Airport (pictured above) and Newark Liberty International Airport just outside…

Article / Passportable

Seattle's Space Needle Gets a Glassy Makeover

A $100 million update to Seattle's skyline-defining Space Needle is just about finished. But don't worry, purists: The 605-foot retro-futuristic tower still looks like something…

Article / Air Travel

Avoid Extra Bag Fees with This Fiendishly Clever Packing Hack

You don't have to check a second bag. Here's a smart tip for when you've bought more souvenirs than you can fit in your luggage.

Article / Hotels

Can't Find a Cheap Hotel in Europe? Try the Ramadan Trick

For travelers who are not observant Muslims, it's a time of year that may yield surprising deals in non-Islamic vacation destinations.

Article / Passportable

Hello Kitty Bullet Train to Make Japan Even More Adorable

We're just going to leave this right here.On June 30, 2018, a brand-new bullet shinkansen service will make its debut in Japan: a Hello Kitty train. The Hello Kitty Express, as we're…

Article / Passportable

New Ferry Links Spain with Ireland, Thanks to Brexit

Something brand-new happened this month: A new ferry service between Ireland and Spain was inaugurated.Why? Because as the United Kingdom proceeds with Brexit, its half-baked plan to…

Article / Passportable

Thanks (and No Thanks) for the Memories, Bob Hope

The National World War II Museum in New Orleans—truly one of the best, most thorough, and well-funded historic museums in the United States, and deeply underrated—is adding a special…