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Article / Passportable

Strange Japanese Ferris Wheel Reopening After Nearly a Decade

It sure doesn't look like it, but the structure pictured above is actually a Ferris wheel. The oblong oddity adorns the Don Quijote discount shopping center along the Dotonbori River…

Article / Passportable

NYC's Met to Charge Mandatory Admission to Out-of-Towners

For the first time since its founding in the 1870s, New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art is instituting a mandatory admission fee. Starting March 1, visitors who do not live in…

Article / Passportable

When Southern California Museums Open for Free This Month

The 13th annual Free-for-All day at Southern California museums will be Sunday, January 28. Nineteen institutions in the area will waive their admission fees on that day, offering…

Article / Passportable

Days When You Can Visit U.S. National Parks for Free in 2018

Each year, the National Park system throws open its gates for a few days and spreads the good word by admitting everyone without charging entry fees. It's a great way for low-income…

Article / Passportable

To Visit This Island Paradise You Have to Pledge to Protect the Environment

In order to enter the island nation of Palau in the western Pacific Ocean, visitors must now sign a "passport pledge" to protect the environment.The mandatory vow was enacted to…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Want a Cannabis Vacation? Now There's a Whole Town for That

One day after California, America's most populous state, made recreational cannabis consumption legal, the Los Angeles Times reported on an entire town where getting stoned is the…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

A Cherished National Monument Was Just Reduced by 85%—Is a National Park Next?

On a recent trip to Utah, on which he was accompanied by Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, President Donald Trump reduced the acreage of the Bears Ears National Monument by 85% and reduced the…

Article / Passportable

Huge Nature-Themed Light Show Illuminates Winter Nights in Japan

Each winter at Japan's Nagashima Resort in the city of Kuwana, millions of LED lights are used to create ravishing nighttime nature scenes. Held in the gardens of the complex (which…

Article / Passportable

Royal Caribbean Increases the Daily Fee Used to Tip Staff

For the third time in three years, Royal Caribbean Cruises is hiking up its "automatic gratuity"—the term for the service fee that lines recommend each passenger pays per day during a…

Article / Passportable

Turkey Fully Resumes Issuing Visas to Americans

For nearly three months, Turkish authorities and the U.S. government have been in a diplomatic spat, resulting in the suspension of visas for American tourists. The quick and painless…

Article / Passportable

Robert De Niro’s Hotel Brand Goes On a Building Spree in 2018

Nobu Hotels, co-owned by actor Robert De Niro, star chef Nobu Matsuhisa, and movie producer Meir Teper, will have a busy 2018. The upscale chain is adding new properties in Chicago;…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Arthur Frommer's Travel Resolutions for the New Year

Because they often seek to regulate all of human activity, I find most New Year’s Resolutions to be rather unsatisfying. Here’s an attempt to limit these rules to the world of travel,…

Article / Passportable

New App Helps Visually Impaired Travelers Navigate Airport

American Printing House for the Blind's "Nearby Explorer" app—a GPS-enabled mobile wayfinding service developed specifically for visually impaired users—has a brand-new feature to help…

Article / Passportable

Hyatt's Cancellation Rules Worsen for Consumers

Hyatt Hotels has made it more expensive for you to cancel a reservation. At most of the company's 700-odd properties, customers must now cancel at least 48 hours ahead of their planned…

Article / Passportable

Lady Gaga Residency in Vegas Set for Late 2018

By the end of next year, it will be easier than ever for Las Vegas gamblers to watch Lady Gaga perform "Poker Face" on the same day they perfect their own.The singer is settling in at…

Article / Slideshows

Do These Things Before Going to China—Your Trip Will Go Better

China can feel like a world unto itself—different ATM systems, different methods of paying, even different styles of bathrooms. If you're planning a vacation in China, there are a few…

Article / Slideshows

Great Traditions Worth Experiencing at World Hotels

Hotels can be destinations, too, and sometimes checking into a historic property is reason enough to travel. From afternoon tea at the Ritz in London to the obsessive polishing of the…

Article / Passportable

In January, Learn to Ski—for Less—in Michigan

It might surprise you to learn that Michigan has one of the highest concentrations of ski areas in the United States. There are around 40 places to hit the slopes in the…

Article / Passportable

It's Here: Donald Trump Robot Unveiled at Disney's Hall of Presidents

About six months behind its usual post-election refurbishment schedule, Walt Disney World has unveiled its Audio-Animatronic version of the current president of the United States,…

Article / Passportable

Why Hotel Bills in Hawaii Are About to Go Up

On January 1, the tax on lodgings in Hawaii will increase by 1% statewide.But that's not all. The fee charged to tourists who rent rooms in hotels, condos, B&Bs, and "transient…

Article / Outdoor & Adventure

Why European River Cruise Biking Vacations Are on the Rise

For active tourists, the ability to see multiple places easily on a bike has become a major reason to book a European river cruise—which is why more cruise lines are adding cycle…

Article / Passportable

Hotel Earns Guinness Record for Whisky: 1,031 Varieties

Fans of the tipple might want to toddle off to Scotland for their next holiday. The Guinness Book of World Records has officially recognized one hotel there for having the most…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Our Top Tips for Surviving Holiday Air Travel this Year

The airlines are expecting 51 million passengers to fly in United States in the final two weeks of December, a figure that’s up 3% from last year’s record number. Break it down and…

Article / Passportable

Neapolitan Pizza, Panama Hats Among Traditions Given UNESCO Heritage Status

As anybody who travels with open eyes and an open mind soon discovers, a place isn't made unique just by its buildings and scenery. The dishes, dances, crafts, languages, and other…

Article / Passportable

Marriott's New Shower Doors Record What You Doodle on Them

This winter, Marriott introduces what it calls "Splash of Brilliance," which are special shower doors that record whatever guests trace onto them and emails an image of it. You…