Articles

Trends & Hacks

Article / Passportable

NYC Tourism Creeping Back: Reopening Date Set for Empire State Building

While the coronavirus continues to rampage across most of the United States, New York City has recorded its first 24-hour period with no Covid-19 deaths since the start of the…

Article / Passportable

Airline Now Requires Full Face Shields Plus Masks During Flights

As part of an effort to ramp up safety precautions amid the global health crisis, Qatar Airways is now requiring passengers to wear full face shields as well as masks throughout…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Turkish Leader Re-Converts Hagia Sophia Into Mosque: Can Tourists Still Visit?

A court has cleared the way for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to convert one of the world's most precious architectural and historic jewels, the Hagia Sophia, back into a…

Article / Health, Insurance, Security

Coronavirus Brings Touchless Security Screening, But Watch for Privacy Worries

Covid-19 has pushed high-traffic tourist attractions to adopt fast, no-contact security inspections and temperature checks. Could facial recognition become part of the package?

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Three Countries Where Americans Can Escape And Legally Work Digitally for Up to a Year

What’s one of the biggest lessons to come out of this pandemic? For many, it was a revelation that they didn't need an office and they could, in fact, work from anywhere. That good…

Article / Passportable

WATCH: Hilarious Video on How to Ride a Japanese Roller Coaster Without Screaming

Back in May, when amusement parks began reopening in Japan following coronavirus closures, owners imposed a widely reported ban on screaming while riding roller coasters. Letting out…

Article / Slideshows

What We Don’t Miss About Pre-Pandemic Travel

As we might have mentioned a few dozen times lately, the pandemic has changed travel dramatically. And in many ways, that’s sad (remember when Americans were allowed to enter Europe ?…

Article / Passportable

EU Releases Safety Guidelines for Resuming Cruises in Europe

On the same day the European Union announced that Americans would be barred from entering member states due to the U.S. coronavirus surge, the EU also released guidelines for the…

Article / Passportable

Airbnb Limits Home Rentals to People Under 25 to Combat House Parties

I wrote yesterday about the fact that Airbnb may be shrinking because of the current crisis. It looks like the hospitality giant is also intentionally shrinking its client pool in…

Article / Passportable

WATCH: Italy's Great Attractions Reopen with Social Distancing and New Gadgets

If you were wondering how the treasures of Europe are doing during the reopening of tourism, CBS sent a reporter to check out the scene in Italy as visitors are gradually welcomed…

Article / Passportable

Can Airlines Legally Force You to Wear a Mask?

Their airline, their rules. If you don't like the rules, get your own plane. That's what it boils down to. Catharine Hamm of the Los Angeles Times looked into the legality of airlines…

Article / Passportable

Will Love Find a Way? An EU Movement to Lift Bans for Unmarried Couples

In the era of Covid-19, Romeo still lives in Verona. But Juliet? She's a native New Yorker, and the course of their true love ain't running too smooth. When the world shut down in…

Article / Passportable

Two Top Cruise Companies Join Forces to Develop Safety Plan

Two top competitors in cruising, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian, have decided to put rivalry aside and work together to create a comprehensive safety plan that will enable the entire…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

What a Shrinking Airbnb Could Mean for the Future of Travel

Like every other travel company, Airbnb was hit hard by the pandemic. In May, CEO Brian Chesky admitted that the company’s future was in doubt this spring. Airbnb reacted by cutting…

Article / Passportable

Airline Accidentally Gives Multimillion-Dollar Refund for Canceled Flight

Given the high volume of cancellations and refunds that airlines are processing amid the pandemic, it should come as no surprise that mistakes are popping up. An eyebrow-raising one…

Article / Passportable

Atlantic City Reopens—With No Indoor Dining and Other Big Changes

As of July 2, Atlantic City casinos are back in business after New Jersey shut them down in March due to coronavirus concerns. Of the city's nine casinos, five—Golden Nugget, Hard…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Miss Broadway? You Can Still Perform Safety Theater at the Airport

On Sunday, a family emergency required me to fly from Nantucket, Massachusetts, to New York City. As I was heading out of the secure passenger area toward baggage claim at JFK…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Alarmed by U.S. Infection Rate, Caribbean Islands Tighten Entry Restrictions

A month ago, when the Caribbean islands began laying plans for their reopening, welcoming travelers from the United States was the key concern because of the region's economic reliance…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Pauline Frommer: It's Tragic That Europe Bans Americans, But I Agree

It’s official: Americans are not welcome in Europe, at least not in the near future. That’s the decision that the European Union formally announced today with its list of nations that…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

American Queen River Cruises to Resume This Summer—But Are They Safe?

While most of the cruise industry has suspended sailings through the summer, American Queen Steamboat Company has announced that the paddle wheels on its river cruises will be turning…

Article / Passportable

German Airports Open Covid Testing Labs That Could Serve as Models

We'd rather have a Cinnabon, but in a move that could serve as a model for air travel around the world, airports in Frankfurt and Munich have opened onsite Covid-19 testing labs. The…

Article / Passportable

TV Investigation Claims to Find Unchanged Sheets at NYC Hotels

An investigative report that aired on the syndicated TV program Inside Edition this week found that hotel rooms—including the sheets—hadn't been thoroughly cleaned at three properties…

Article / Passportable

Global Entry Enrollment Centers Soon to Reopen

Update, July 1: Shortly after announcing that enrollment centers would open on July 6, U.S. Customs and Border Protection backtracked and postponed their return until at least August…

Article / Passportable

Belize Announces Date for Tourism Reopening

Belize has set a date for welcoming back foreign tourists to that Central American nation of jungles, Mayan ruins, and Caribbean beaches (such as at Caye Caulker, pictured…

Article / Outdoor & Adventure

5 Tips for Hiking in Extreme Summer Heat

Some advice for staying safe, hydrated, and relatively comfortable when you go hiking in blistering summer heat