Articles

Trends & Hacks

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

$25 to Use the Pool?! Airline-Style à la Carte Fees Land at Hotels

Airlines have perfected the art of nickel-and-diming customers with extra charges for services and amenities that were once free, from checking a bag to getting an onboard snack. The…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

New CDC Warning: Avoid Cruising If You're Pregnant, Older, a Smoker, Overweight, and More

Last Friday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) changed its guidance to reflect growing concern about the advisability of cruising. Previously, the CDC's…

Article / Slideshows

Cool! This New Photo Book Captures the Wonders of the Arctic

Vast and vulnerable, frozen yet full of life, the northernmost region of earth is far from the icy nothingness the word "Arctic" may evoke. As shown in the 190 photos gathered in a new…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Now Some European Countries Won't Accept Vaccination Older Than 270 Days

Depending on when they received their vaccination shots, international travelers may find it harder to enter two European countries this fall. Austria and Croatia have each introduced…

Article / Passportable

Italy's Venice Plans to Charge An Entry Fee and Cap Visitors

Of the world's premier travel destinations, Venice may be the one most transformed by this pandemic. The Italian cabinet banned cruise ships in July, sparking headlines worldwide.…

Article / Money and Fees

Warning: Some Vacation Rentals Don't Include Access to Property Amenities

You might assume that when you book a vacation rental, you automatically have the right to use its amenities, like the pool or the golf course. But that's not the case.

Article / Theme Park

Disney Officially Kills FastPass, Will Charge Extra to Use the New "Lightning Lane"

As part of a huge shake-up of its systems and pricing, Disney launches tech that will monetize access to shorter lines.

Article / Passportable

The USA's Newest Low-Cost Airline, Avelo, Announces East Coast Routes

Avelo Airlines, the newbie carrier with the soul of a soda (its tagline: "Refreshingly Smooth Travel") and nicely fizzy pricing structures, has decided to make New Haven, Connecticut,…

Article / Passportable

National Museum Day Is Back This September: Free Entry for One Glorious Day

What's better than spending a relaxing Saturday afternoon at a museum? Spending a relaxing Saturday afternoon at a museum—and not spending a dime on the experience. Thanks to the…

Article / Passportable

With Covid Still Uncontained, U.S. Extends Airline Mask Mandate

The United States' Transportation Security Administration has decided to extend its mask requirement for all passengers on airplanes, trains, buses, subways, ferries, and within…

Article / Health, Insurance, Security

What Type of Mask Should You Wear When You Fly?

The airlines have differing policies, and not all of them are clear. Here's what we know—and what we recommend.

Article / Passportable

New Orleans to Require Proof of Vaccination for Restaurants, Casinos, More

With infections surging and Louisiana vaccination rates lagging, the mayor of New Orleans decided to move quickly to shore up public health protections, announcing on Friday that all…

Article / Outdoor & Adventure

4 Tips for Staying Safe on a Solo Hike

Planning a solo hike? Here's what you need to do to stay safe on the trail.

Article / Passportable

Stay in the Home of Maker’s Mark Whiskey on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail

The Samuels family of Nelson County, Kentucky, traces its whiskey-making lineage back eight generations to an ancestral distiller who supplied liquid courage to the troops in George…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Ending Daily Hotel Room Cleaning Will "Cost Women of Color Billions," Group Warns

Largely overlooked in the nonstop circus of summer news headlines, a crucial workers' organization warned in June that the hotel industry's trend of scaling back daily housekeeping…

Article / Passportable

New Zealand Finally Has a Plan to Reopen Borders to International Travelers

While the rest of the world grapples with yet another coronavirus wave, this time brought on by the highly contagious Delta variant, life has pretty much returned to normal in New…

Article / Passportable

This New Expedition Cruise Explores the Islands of Lesser-Touristed West Africa

Hurtigruten, the long-running ship operator that cut its teeth on coastal Norwegian service before fanning out to expedition cruising worldwide, has just announced an upcoming cruise…

Article / Arts and Culture

Bloody Brilliant! An English Dictionary for Americans Traveling in Britain

A smashing new book helps American travelers navigate British English without going barmy.

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

The Best Covid-19 Testing Method for International Travel? There Are Problems

If we've learned one thing about Covid-19, it's that not only is the virus constantly mutating, but so are the realities of life during this pandemic era. We've covered the tests…

Article / Money and Fees

If Your Bank Freezes Your Card, Here's How to Get Money from It Anyway

When a bank puts a fraud hold on an account, it can be a nightmare for travelers. But there's a way to withdraw cash despite a frozen card.

Article / Passportable

The Sightseeing Train to the Spectacular Summit of Pikes Peak Is Back on Track

After a nearly four-year-long closure for renovations, the historic sightseeing railway that climbs Pikes Peak in Colorado is once again taking tourists to the same view that inspired…

Article / Passportable

New Analysis Shows Most Popular Cocktails in All 50 U.S. States (and Across the World)

Americans drank a lot at the height of the pandemic. That's no secret. But what kinds of drinks shifted dramatically, with hard liquor sales growing far more than beer or wine sales,…

Article / Passportable

Hikers Can Now Explore California’s Epic, Unfinished Bay Area Ridge Trail

If all goes as planned, California's ambitious Bay Area Ridge Trail will some day give hikers, bicyclists, and horseback riders an unbroken, 550-mile multiuse path along the hills and…

Article / Passportable

The Prices for Disney's New Star Wars Hotel Are Out of This World

Disney’s groundbreaking Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser hotel sounds like the coolest idea in hotels since pillows. Starting next spring, the new luxury hotel, which was recently…

Article / Slideshows

Havana Blues: Photo Book Celebrates Cuba’s Vibrant Capital

Visiting Cuba remains a complicated endeavor for U.S. travelers, owing to the six decades of strained relations between the two countries. But a new coffee-table book from luxury…