Articles

Health, Insurance, Security

Article / Passportable

How Bad Will Hurricane Season Be This Year?

Hurricane season officially starts Friday, June 1, but the first named storm of the year has already arrived. Subtropical depression Alberto made landfall in the Florida Panhandle on…

Article / Air Travel

Biased Metrics? Concerns Over Privacy and Race in Airport Face Scans

The Department of Homeland Security plans to scan the face of each passenger leaving the United States, citizens included. Should we be worried—and is the technology fair?

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Arthur Frommer: What Would Happen if Mexico Published Warnings About the U.S.?

The Secretary of Travel for Mexico, one Enrique de la Madrid, was recently interviewed by the editor of Travel Weekly and expressed considerable upset at the various “advisories”…

Article / Passportable

TSA to Make You Remove Snacks from Your Carry-On—Except When It Won't

The next time you go through airport security, you could be asked to remove all food from your carry-on luggage, along with all the other stuff that gets removed—your shoes, your…

Article / Passportable

For Tourists, This Is the Last Straw!

Last call! More and more, you're going to have to go without drinking straws.Single-use plastic straws are distinctly unkind to wildlife. Fresh straws choke animals. Then each straw is…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

How Not to Do Yosemite in Winter

I sometimes think my real job as a travel writer is to be an idiot. It's my job to make mistakes and then report on them so that my readers can have fun, safe, and error-free…

Article / Passportable

After 50 Years, Jesus' Baptism Site May Fully Reopen to Tourists

The section of the Jordan River traditionally designated as Jesus Christ's baptism site, where the Man from Galilee kicked off his mission to bring peace to the world, is currently…

Article / Passportable

A Luxury Island Retreat Where Only Women Are Welcome

We told you women-only travel was going to be a big deal in 2018.To wit: In September, a private island off the coast of Finland will begin welcoming guests—and dudes need not…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Is It Safe to Vacation in Cape Town Once the Water Runs Out?

We have never been here before. A major world city is about to run out of fresh water.  On April 12, the drought-stricken city of Cape Town, on the southwestern tip of Africa, hits Day…

Article / Passportable

San Francisco Airport Can Now Send Emergency Texts to Passengers

San Francisco International Airport has become the first in the nation to receive approval from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to send emergency text messages directly to any…

Article / Health, Insurance, Security

U.S. State Department Travel Advisories: Where to Find Them, How to Read Them

In 2018, the U.S. State Department revamped its travel warnings to make them easier to understand. Here's how to find them and how to use them to plan a safe trip overseas.

Article / Air Travel

New York City's Airport Dentist Looks Back on 30 Years in the "Smile High Club"

Did you know there are dental offices at New York City's LaGuardia and JFK Airports? Dr. Robert Trager has been tending to the smiles of airport personnel and passengers for three…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Arthur Frommer: For No Real Reason, Feds Attack the Legality of Cannabis Tourism

Because the current U.S. Attorney General is a fierce opponent of marijuana, we can expect a massive legal attack against travel to the states—mainly California and Colorado—that…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Want a Cannabis Vacation? Now There's a Whole Town for That

One day after California, America's most populous state, made recreational cannabis consumption legal, the Los Angeles Times reported on an entire town where getting stoned is the…

Article / Slideshows

Frommer's Gift Guide: Great Stuff for Travel

Let us break it to you: They don't want yet another inflatable airline pillow. They never even used the last one. No, if you've got a travel lover in your life, they want one of these…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

If You Crave a Caribbean Vacation, Many Areas Escaped Storm Damage: A List

This coming winter, many thousands of Americans will agonize over whether they can enjoy tropical vacations in the Caribbean of the sort they once knew. Should they even bother to…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

If Morality Won’t Persuade U.S. to End Gun Violence, How About Economic Damage?

Because this blog is about travel, not politics, I am prevented from discussing the issues of gun control raised by the recent shooting in Las Vegas. But I very definitely am entitled…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

A Tragic Backpacker Death Teaches an Important Travel Lesson

What happened to Kit Mallinson was the nightmare every parent has when they send their child away on a trip.Last December, the 18-year-old backpacker from Dorset, England, boarded a…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

A Major Battle is About to Erupt Over Marijuana Tourism

Last year, California, Nevada, Maine, and Massachusetts joined five other states in legalizing the recreational use and sale of marijuana. The action taken by California is…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Not All of the Caribbean was Devastated by Irma: Don't Neglect the Rest

Our hearts go out to those island nations that suffered so badly from recent storms—St. Martin, the Virgin Islands, Barbuda, among them. But by assuming that all such islands were…

Article / Beach & Water Sports

After the Storms: What You Need to Know If You Have Booked Travel to Impacted Regions

Harvey's and Irma's effects will be felt for months to come. What the airlines, cruise lines, hotel companies, and other travel industry entities are—and aren't—doing to…

Article / Passportable

Rental Car Rates Could Zoom Sky-High Thanks to Lobbyists

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…

Article / Food and Drink

A New Warning About Cocktails at Some Mexican All-Inclusive Resorts

Toxic alcohol is a rising problem at some unethical resorts in Mexico. Here's what you should know—and how to tell if you've had sub-par booze.

Article / Miscellaneous

Brain Parasites in Hawaii and United's PR Woes: Today's Travel Briefing

Travel news from all over

Article / Health, Insurance, Security

Travel Troubleshooter: Charged an Extra $400 for a Vacation I Can't Take

An illness forces a traveler to cancel her trip to Costa Rica. Was the retreat center right to charge her a cancellation fee that wasn't disclosed at the time of booking?