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Article / Arthur Frommer Online

United Is the First U.S. Airline to Offer Covid-19 Tests to Passengers

United Airlines will be the first airline in the United States to extend Covid-19 testing to passengers. The program will start small, rolling out only on flights from San Francisco to…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

When Cruising Resumes, You Won't Be Allowed to Roam Ports Alone

Large cruises that depart the United States have been paused since mid-March, but we now know one thing about their return. Guests will no longer be able to wander ports of call on…

Article / Passportable

You Can Now Stay at "The Conjuring" House—If You Dare

UPDATE, September 28, 2021: The owners of the house that inspired The Conjuring have now put the property up for sale. The malevolent spirits in The Conjuring films don't seem…

Article / Passportable

Nominate Your Favorite Teacher to Receive a Free Vacation Next Year

If you doubted that teaching was a difficult profession before 2020, spend a few hours supervising a squirmy 8-year-old during our nationwide experiment with virtual learning. That…

Article / Passportable

Southwest's Sweet Deal for a Free Companion Ticket Ends Thursday, Sept. 24

This is a blink-and-you'll-miss-it sale. Purchase tickets on Southwest Airlines by the end of the day on Thursday, September 24, for a flight between now and November 15, and you will…

Article / Passportable

Rare Pink Dolphins Return to the Waters Around Hong Kong

Style mavens have declared "sorbet pink" one of the fashionable colors for fall 2020. We're happy to report that the waters around Hong Kong are very much on-trend. Rare pink…

Article / Passportable

Another Job Posting for Beer-Loving Hikers: Visit National Parks for $50k

Looks like Michelob Ultra has decided to outmatch a job posting we saw a while back. In June, the artisanal Devils Backbone Brewing Company offered what sounded like a sweet deal. The…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Headlines Shout of Covid-19 Exposure on Flights, but Look Deeper—It's Worse

You might have seen a few headlines this week casting doubt on whether flying is safe. Here's one from the New York Post, dated September 21: "Woman spread coronavirus to 15 people on…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Hotels Suspended Amenities But Are Keeping Resort Fee Cash. The Scam Must End

At this point, everyone knows that the travel industry has been forced to curtail its usual offerings. To satisfy social distancing and tight sanitary protocols, hotels have suspended…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Colleges and Universities Are Canceling Spring Break in 2021

No need to practice your keg stand or to save up for a bikini smaller than the dollar bills you'll use to buy it. Some six months in advance, universities are announcing that because…

Article / Passportable

The World's Most Scenic Airports: A Ranking to Send Your Wanderlust Soaring

At this point, we'd probably feel awe gazing upon strip malls and empty parking lots as long as we got to see them from an airplane window again. So we might just burst looking at the…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Hawaii Is Reopening! Starting Oct. 15, State Will Admit Tourists with Recent Virus Tests

Perhaps no American state's economy has been devastated by Covid-19 worse than Hawaii's. The state's isolation determines so much about its health. Nearly all tourists arrive to the…

Article / Passportable

Got a Great Shot of the Empire State Building? You Could Win This Contest

Post your perfect shot of the Empire State Building on Instagram and you'll gain some likes. But enter that same pic in the iconic New York City skyscraper's annual photo contest and…

Article / Passportable

This Las Vegas Casino Is Going Entirely Smoke-Free

The Las Vegas Strip is getting its first entirely smoke-free casino resort. MGM Resorts announced this week that the complex housing the Park MGM and NoMad Las Vegas hotels will…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Morocco Reopens to Tourists—But Maybe That's Not Such a Good Idea

On September 6, Morocco's national air carrier, Royal Air Maroc, tweeted that "nationals of visa-exempt countries with an invitation from a Moroccan company or a confirmed hotel…

Article / Slideshows

See the "Air Liners" of the 1930s on These Rare Vintage Trading Cards

In the 1920s and '30s, all eyes turned skyward. Aviators were the heroes of the day, courageously testing the elements and wobbly technology alike as they pushed newfangled aircraft to…

Article / Passportable

Most Ikon Pass Skiers Won't Need Advance Reservations This Winter

Most skiers who buy the Ikon Pass for the 2020–21 season won't need advance reservations to hit the slopes, according to Alterra Mountain Company, which operates the pass. It's a…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

The Feds Want to Raise the Global Entry Fee, So You'd Better Apply Soon

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has signaled an intention to raise rates for its Global Entry program. In a "notice of proposed rulemaking," which will be open for comment until…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Is Now the Right Time to Buy Holiday Airfare? The Answer is a Qualified Yes

If this were a normal year, I’d be penning a post right now about getting ready to scoop up holiday airfares at the end of September or early October. Traditionally, that's the sweet…

Article / Passportable

New Website Helps You Plan Wildlife Spotting on African Safaris

Safari-goers who have their hearts set on glimpsing certain animals in Africa have a helpful new online resource. Tour operator Expert Africa has launched a data-rich website showing…

Article / Slideshows

The Disney Monorail: The Amazing True Story of the "Highway in the Sky"

Walt Disney is renowned as a cartoonist, filmmaker, showman, and entertainment icon. But he was also a farsighted futurist, a transportation buff with practical roots in the past—and a…

Article / Slideshows

Expert Advice on Visiting Museums During the Pandemic

Just going to a museum now feels exotic…and potentially dangerous. To help culture fans navigate the new reality, I talked with the directors of major museums in Albuquerque , Seattle…

Article / Passportable

Farewell to New York City's Iconic Century 21 Department Store Chain

According to a study by the U.S. Travel Association, shopping was a top reason why people took 1.9 billion trips in the United States in 2019—second only to visiting relatives. As the…

Article / Passportable

Now You Can Dine on a Sandbar in the Florida Keys During Sunset

For anybody in search of a dining venue with guaranteed social distancing, a sandbar in the Gulf of Mexico seems like a safe bet. A luxury resort in the Florida Keys has set up a…

Article / Passportable

Game of Thrones Studio Tour Gets the Go-Ahead in Northern Ireland

Magical realms are good for tourism here in the real world, from the scenic New Zealand spots that stood in for Middle-earth in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings movies to the…