Arthur Frommer: Recent Tax Cuts Will Force Reductions in Travel Services
Posted on 03/23/2018, 5:15 PM
Some commentators have rejoiced over the recent reduction in federal taxes enjoyed by American corporations and the wealthy. Fewer of those pundits have pointed out that those reductions have been achieved in part by reducing our government’s expenditures for programs that improve our quality of life. The U.S. travel world—and especially our trains and passenger aviation—has suffered in parti...
Why Don't More People Think of Renting an RV from a Private RV Owner?
Posted on 03/02/2018, 9:00 PM
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 a good percentage of them make only a sporadic use of the vehicles they own. For much of the year, their RV remains parked in their garage or outside their home. This is such an underuse of valuable fa...
Introducing Evaneos, a New Tool Connecting You with Local Planning Help
Posted on 03/01/2018, 3:30 PM
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 deposits, and prepping. And there’s the laissez-faire way, in which the vacationer picks a tour company—and then leaves the rest for others to plan. With the first option, the traveler gets a customized vacation, but ...
High-Speed Trains Soon to Zip Between London and Amsterdam
Posted on 02/13/2018, 8:45 PM
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 London to Amsterdam in three hours using the underwater Channel Tunnel that already speeds passengers to Paris in a little over two hours. The twice-daily service will depart London's St. Pancras station at 8:31a...
Arthur Frommer: My Choices for the 10 Most Memorable Destinations
Posted on 02/05/2018, 3:30 PM
As a professional travel writer, I was required to travel to far more destinations than the average American does. In my youthful years, I literally lived on an airplane, in constant motion, often traveling to several countries each week. And I loved every bit of that life—especially these 10 particular destinations. Here, based on that experience, are my choices of the world’s 10 most mem...
Paid Reservations Now Required to Visit California's Muir Woods
Posted on 11/30/2017, 12:00 AM
From Dubrovnik to Machu Picchu, popular tourist destinations around the world are devising new sign-up strategies to combat overcrowding caused by hordes of temporary visitors. The latest spot to add to the list, as Frommer's reported would happen back in 2015: Muir Woods National Monument in Mill Valley, California, north of San Francisco. Starting on January 16, 2018, each visitor who arrives...
Two New Countries Get Dedicated Eurail Passes
Posted on 11/08/2017, 12:00 AM
As of January 1, 2018, two more nations will have one-country Eurail passes available for sale to tourists. Starting then, if you're visiting Turkey or Serbia you can purchase a pass that covers all rail travel in those countries during your vacation. Prices have not been announced. The new passes will not yet be available as part of multicountry passes—so far, they're strictly for unlimited...
Passenger Jets Now Fueled by Food Scraps and Vegetable Oil
Posted on 11/01/2017, 7:00 AM
At the end of 1985's Back to the Future, Doc Brown opens his Delorean and dumps table scraps and beer into a "Mr. Fusion" tank to generate the power to whisk Marty McFly into the year 2015. Now it's 2017, and although personal fusion-powered travel is still in the distant future, the ability to fly passenger planes using food waste is here. In September, JetBlue announced a plan to purchase more ...
Starting Oct. 13, Drive California's Highway 1 from Carmel to Big Sur Again
Posted on 10/09/2017, 2:45 AM
With the completion of the new Pfeiffer Creek Bridge in Big Sur, California, a key portion of the state's spectacularly scenic Highway 1 is set to reopen on October 13. The original bridge had to be demolished in March after damage caused by heavy rains. That cut Big Sur in two and made it impossible for drivers to complete the rugged central coast route that starts in Carmel—one of the country'...
$5/Day One-Way Car Rentals to Florida Right Now
Posted on 09/20/2017, 11:00 PM
It's time for the Great Florida Drive-In. Each autumn, the major rental car brands need to shift inventory to their parking lots in Florida to meet winter tourist demand. Normally, it'll cost a hefty extra fee to drop off a rental car in a different location than where you picked it up. Not right now. For the next few weeks, renters in the northeastern United States will find deals that hover aro...
Rental Car Rates Could Zoom Sky-High Thanks to Lobbyists
Posted on 09/13/2017, 3:15 AM
Today, the American Car Rental Association (ACRA), a lobbying group for the car rental industry, is wrapping up its annual Washington, D.C. "Legislative Conference," during which it plots its political agenda and schmoozes lawmakers to help make it happen. But some of its battles against consumer protections have already been won on the state level. AutoSlash, the discount car rental aggregator, r...
Up-to-the-Minute Online Tool Finds Wisconsin's Best Fall Foliage
Posted on 09/11/2017, 10:45 PM
New England states get all the attention when it comes to fall foliage, but there are other leafy places worth peeping during Pumpkin Spice Latte season. One of the best in the Midwest is Wisconsin, where vivid displays in spots like the Kettle Moraine State Forest (pictured above) provide beautiful backdrops for scenic drives, waterfall hikes, and stops at orchards in small farm towns. Travel ...
Boston's Logan Airport Might Charge You to Drop Off and Pick Up Passengers
Posted on 08/31/2017, 9:45 PM
A new fee could soon be put in place at Boston Logan International Airport—and drivers are not going to like it. The airport has launched a study to look into charging people for bringing their private cars to the terminals in order to drop off or pick up passengers. These are ordinary drivers we're talking about, mind you—not those offering Uber or taxi services. The potential measure is onl...
L.A.'s Angels Flight Railway, Featured in "La La Land," Reopening After Four Years
Posted on 08/30/2017, 7:45 PM
Except for a single day during the shooting of La La Land, the Angels Flight funicular railway in downtown Los Angeles hasn't operated since 2013. That's when a derailment during the long-running tourist attraction's steep sojourn on Bunker Hill prompted officials to close the ride down, pending repairs. La La Land director Damien Chazelle secured special permission to capture a kiss between th...
Women-Only Taxi Service Debuts in Paris
Posted on 08/29/2017, 10:00 PM
Women have a new option for getting around Paris. A taxi service called Women Drive has debuted in the French capital. The business is staffed with female drivers and geared toward female passengers. The hope is that customers won't have to worry about "prying eyes or indelicate questions," as the Women Drive website puts it. The company also wants to provide job opportunities for women cabbies ...
Rental Car with Upholstery for Kids to Color On During Road Trips
Posted on 08/22/2017, 12:00 AM
On long car trips, many parents end up becoming the highway equivalent of cruise directors, arranging an endless program of games and activities designed to keep their restless passengers from staging a mutiny. Hertz UK is helping out those beleaguered drivers with a brand-new offering: a rental car with special upholstery for kids to color on. Dubbed the Colouring-In Car (complete with superfluo...
Now Rolling: San Fran-to-LA Luxury Overnight Buses
Posted on 08/21/2017, 2:00 PM
Now rolling (again): the bus that takes you overnight between Los Angeles and San Francisco in your own sleeping pod. If it sounds familiar, it's because we tried this already. In April of 2016, SleepBus launched for $45 each way, but demand was so strong that its backers were overwhelmed and realized they were onto something. They pulled the product for a complete revamp. This July, it returned t...
