Articles

Health, Insurance, Security

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

A Website Called Fairbnb Has Flung an "Ethical" Challenge to Airbnb

Although it has successfully helped millions of travelers to find overnight accommodations in an apartment or home, Airbnb is still mired in controversy and fending off attacks. It…

Article / Passportable

Our Travel Podcasts: Summer, Star Wars, Safety, Scams

Each week, Frommer's brings you two fresh podcasts stuffed with travel tips, news, and inspiration. Recordings are made from our weekly call-in show on WABC-770AM in New York and our…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Arthur Frommer: Add Austria to the Nations Where Neo-Nazi Extremists Are Gaining Power

Turns out I was too limited in recently listing the western European nations partially or wholly controlled by neo-Nazis. You can now add Austria (for reasons set forth below) to…

Article / Hotels

The New Hostel Etiquette Rules That Your Parents Never Had To Worry About

Technology has undoubtedly made travel easier, but it’s made hostel stays more complicated. Obey these new rules—or you'll find it hard to make friends.

Article / Passportable

Airline Ticketing Will Include Nonbinary Gender Option

The major U.S. airlines are changing their online ticketing sites so that passengers can identify gender with options other than male and female. According to the Associated Press,…

Article / Air Travel

How to Check TSA Wait Times Online

Several apps promise to tell you airport security times—but are they reliable? Results vary.

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

When Is a Home Rental Legal in New York City? Ask Arthur Frommer, a Former Lawyer

There is perhaps nowhere in America that more needs the services of Airbnb than New York City.  Its hotels are frequently sold out, and even when available are sky-high in price. So…

Article / Passportable

What to Do About TSA Delays Caused by Government Shutdown

The U.S. government's partial shutdown, now in its fourth smash week, has started to have a negative impact on airport security lines. Transportation Security Administration (TSA)…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

U.S. Tourism to Canada Again Embroiled in Controversy

Through all the decades of travel from the U.S. to Canada, our northern neighbor has occasionally presented us with touristic issues and arguments. Some 60 years ago, Canadian travel…

Article / Passportable

The Leaning Tower of Pisa Is Leaning Less

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is standing a little straighter these days. Engineers say that the tilt of the Italian icon has reduced by about 4cm (1.6 in.), according to news reports.More…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Arthur Frommer: The Safest Destinations Are Named. Guess Who's Not a Leader?

A well-respected international consumer organization has picked the safest countries in which to travel, and the United States is nowhere among the leaders. Which are the world’s…

Article / Passportable

Smoke on a Carnival Cruise and You Could Get Kicked Off the Ship

Carnival Cruise Line is getting stricter with passengers who light up at sea. The company has updated its tobacco and marijuana smoking policy to include the possibility of removal…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Arthur Frommer: Long Live the FAA, Protector of Our Lives in the Air!

Although a great many business interests are constantly opposed to being regulated by the federal government, almost no one objects to a similar supervision of the airline industry. We…

Article / Passportable

New Rules in Rome Target Rowdy, Boozy Tourists

Italy has just about had it with your nonsense.Straining under the burden of accommodating endless hordes of tourists and their accompanying noise, litter, rowdiness, and traffic…

Article / Slideshows

The Frommer's Travel Gift Guide

You'll notice that a lot of "travel gifts" out there aren’t really travel gifts at all. Tiny bottles of shampoo? You end up using them at home. Relaxation mist? Please. No, we think…

Article / Passportable

American Airlines Will Allow Early Boarding for Flyers with Nut Allergies

As if determined to undo their decades of peanut pushing, U.S. airlines continue to make concessions to passengers with nut allergies. Hardly any carriers serve those snacks on flights…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Arthur Frommer: Canada Legalized Marijuana, But Visitors Should Know the Rules

The recent decision by all of Canada to legalize the sale or use of marijuana was hailed by U.S. users and advocates of that drug. On careful study of Canada’s action, those…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Arthur Frommer: Prosecution of Fake TripAdvisor Reviewer Raises Questions

The defendant, in a recent criminal prosecution brought in Italy, was a man who operated a company manufacturing fake hotel reviews. Presumably hiring excellent writers, he apparently…

Article / Health, Insurance, Security

Do I Need Car Insurance When I Rent a Vehicle? Maybe Not

Should you buy CDW coverage when you rent a car? You may be surprised to learn that you can save the money—because you're already covered.  

Article / Passportable

Turkey Is Insanely Cheap for Travelers Right Now

Turkey's ongoing currency crisis, during which the Turkish lira has lost more than 40% of its value, is making a vacation in that country extremely affordable at the moment for…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Arthur Frommer: Climate Change Is Jeopardizing the Travel Experience

Is climate change for real? And is it having an impact on the recreational travels we undertake? If you would put that question to relatives of mine living in England, they would…

Article / Passportable

U.S. Airports with the Most and Least Secure Wi-Fi

You already know that airport Wi-Fi can be maddeningly slow. Did you know it also could be leaving you vulnerable to hackers?That's the conclusion reached by a new study (which you can…

Article / Passportable

Nuts! Southwest Airlines Stops Serving Them on Flights

If you were on Family Feud and Steve Harvey asked you to name a snack served on an airplane, it's a cinch that peanuts would be on the board, probably as the number-one answer. Which…

Article / Passportable

A Deadly End for the Yellowstone Daredevils

Two years ago, in the spring of 2016, a few young Canadians created an international scandal by treading into forbidden, protected areas of Yellowstone National Park and recording it…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Arthur Frommer: Quintana Roo, Mexico, is Gaining as a Tourist Destination

While numerous destinations in Mexico are suffering from what some describe as an overly sensitive spate of tourist warnings from our U.S. State Department, one area is obviously…