Articles

Trends & Hacks

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Privacy vs. Security: How Hotel Guests Can Get Around the Rise in "Room Checks"

I do a strange thing in hotel rooms sometimes: I host a live radio show. When I'm on the road, thanks to the magic of Skype, my room becomes my studio. And it used to be a quiet, easy…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

The Ever-Expanding Footprint of Airbnb and What It Means

With speed more head-spinning than Linda Blair's in The Exorcist, Airbnb has been growing and changing and growing once again. In just the past 18 months or so, it has added online…

Article / Passportable

Most Visited U.S. National Parks and Monuments in 2017

The National Park Service (NPS) has released its visitor numbers for 2017. A total of 330,882,751 people spent time at American national parks, monuments, and other sites deemed worthy…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Why Don't More People Think of Renting an RV from a Private RV Owner?

Probably the most misunderstood, most underused travel facility is the recreational vehicle capable of both housing and driving a family. All over America, persons own such RVs, but…

Article / Passportable

American Airlines Adding Basic Economy Fares to Transatlantic Flights

Starting in April, American Airlines is selling bare-bones "basic economy" tickets on some flights to Europe. The move seems an obvious effort to compete with low-cost transatlantic…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

The World’s Most Rewarding Source of Free Homestays Is, and Remains, Servas

Organizations come and go that arrange for you to stay free-of-charge in someone else’s home or apartment in the course of your travels. The latest leaders in this effort are…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Introducing Evaneos, a New Tool Connecting You with Local Planning Help

Planning for vacation is generally done in two ways today. There’s the O.C.D. version, in which the traveler spends weeks poring over the internet, reading guidebooks, putting down…

Article / Slideshows

The Notorious B 'n' B: Infamous Historic Buildings That Are Now Hotels

You can’t blame a building for whatever shady, salacious, or downright gruesome dealings go down there. So why let a little mayhem scratch places off travel itineraries? The opposite…

Article / Passportable

Carnival Announces New Cruises to Cuba

Carnival Cruise Line is significantly increasing its sailings to Cuba. In 2019, the company will schedule 17 new cruises to the island aboard the recently renovated Carnival…

Article / Passportable

Huge New Atlantis Resort Opens in China

The world now has three Atlantis resorts to overwhelm visitors with an ocean's worth of watery amenities and maximalist architecture. Joining sister properties in the Bahamas and Dubai…

Article / Passportable

New Looks for Two of London's Most Important Art Museums

Fans of art and architecture already have a lot to keep them busy during stays in London—and with free admission at most of the top cultural institutions, the city's treasures are easy…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

This New Budget-Priced Transatlantic Airline Is Probably News to You

Most everyone by now has heard of Norwegian Air Shuttle, which flies the Atlantic at rock-bottom prices. Although Norwegian suffered a loss in 2017, it has struck fear into the hearts…

Article / Hotels

Resort Fees Repel Foreign Visitors and Cheat People: They're Destructive for Us All

Americans despise resort fees. But in a shockingly short span of time, we became blasé about them. Appallingly, the people once renowned for feisty individualism and a testy spirit of…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

How Not to Do Yosemite in Winter

I sometimes think my real job as a travel writer is to be an idiot. It's my job to make mistakes and then report on them so that my readers can have fun, safe, and error-free…

Article / Passportable

Paris' Grand Palais Getting a Grand Makeover

The Grand Palais in Paris is getting its largest refurbishment since opening for the Exposition Universelle in 1900, when the mammoth hall on the Champs-Élysées was used to show off…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Japan's Ultra-Cheap “Bed-in-a-Box” Hotels Have Resurfaced—in London

Many years ago, when Japan was the world’s leading economy and Japanese businessmen were hard-striving cheapskates anxious to squeeze out any savings, several properties in Tokyo…

Article / Passportable

After 50 Years, Jesus' Baptism Site May Fully Reopen to Tourists

The section of the Jordan River traditionally designated as Jesus Christ's baptism site, where the Man from Galilee kicked off his mission to bring peace to the world, is currently…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Arthur Frommer: Make Sure To Check Your Passport Dates Before Travel

You are about to leave on an international trip, and you have carefully checked the contents of your suitcase, wallet or purse to make sure that everything—especially your passport—is…

Article / Passportable

Famous Thai Beach Closing to Tourists This Summer

Thailand's Maya Bay is so pretty it played the paradise sought by Leonardo DiCaprio's character in the 2000 movie The Beach. But tourists will have to stream that film—fair warning:…

Article / Passportable

High-Speed Trains Soon to Zip Between London and Amsterdam

Starting April 4, travelers will have a new, fast, and affordable way to get from the United Kingdom to the Netherlands. High-speed Eurostar trains will begin whisking passengers from…

Article / Passportable

The South of France Is Getting a New Picasso Museum

A former convent in the southern French city of Aix-en-Provence is being transformed into a museum to house a trove of works by Pablo Picasso. The driving force behind the project is…

Article / Slideshows

Look at How Different Shanghai Disneyland Is from Other Disney Parks

Shanghai Disneyland may be the sixth Disney resort to be built worldwide, but it's the first of its kind. For one, this resort, which opened in the summer of 2016, is in a size…

Article / Passportable

How Bermuda's Same-Sex Marriage Repeal Affects Cruise Weddings Worldwide

This week, the governor of Bermuda, John Rankin, signed a legislature-approved bill that reinstates the British island territory's ban on same-sex marriage, reversing a decision to…

Article / Slideshows

Quebec Winter Activities That Make It Hard to Hate the Cold

Like blue cheese and Björk, winter is an acquired taste. That’s especially true for those of us who grew up in climates where jackets are rarely buttoned and light snow flurries cause…

Article / Passportable

Get Yours Now! Passport Fees are Going Up

The U.S. State Department has announced that prices for passports will inch up come April. For adults, the cost for a passport book will be $145. The fee for children 16 and younger…