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Miscellaneous

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 / Passportable

WATCH: Alaska’s Bear Cams Are Back—Just in Time for Salmon Season

The bear cams at Alaska's Katmai National Park have been switched on again and are streaming live images of the reserve's furry denizens as they fish for salmon in the Brooks…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

American Airlines Will Now Book Flights to Full Capacity

On Friday, June 26, the United States registered a new single-day record in coronavirus infections—more than 40,000, many of them in young people who exhibit no symptoms. Hours before,…

Article / Passportable

Denied Boarding Because of High Temperature? You Can Get a Refund

If a U.S. airline denies you boarding because you failed its temperature check, you can get a full refund for the cost of the flight. If something like that happens to you, the refund…

Article / Passportable

The Lodges at Four Hugely Popular US National Parks Are On Sale

Several weeks ago we wrote that we expected to see discounts on stays at the great lodges of our national parks thanks to the lack of international tourists in the United States this…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Tourist Industry Crash: Visitors Are Avoiding the USA for Their Own Safety

The rest of the world now sees America as a mortal danger. "At all costs, you do not want to go into a U.S. hospital without insurance," one Canadian told the Palm Springs Desert Sun.…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Hawaii Moves from Quarantine Toward Tests. But Will the Feds Approve?

The numbers tell a compelling story when it comes to Hawaii. On the winning side, the state has had just a bit over 800 coronavirus infections so far. That's the third lowest rate in…

Article / National Parks

U.S. National Parks Offering Reduced Services: A List of What's Open

America's national parks are reopening in phases, and each park has its own exclusions and limitations. We're tracking changes to available services here. 

Article / Passportable

HomeAway to Go Away—What That Means for Your Rental

Expedia Group is dropping its HomeAway platform for vacation rentals. Instead, the online travel company is focusing its rental business on the similar Vrbo brand. Starting next…

Article / Passportable

Deal Alert! Amtrak Slashes Fares Deeply for Summer Travel

Though it looks like Amtrak will cut service drastically in October, for now the trains are running as usual—but mostly empty. To better fill them, the railway is throwing a sale, and…

Article / Passportable

Saudi Arabia Blocks International Pilgrims from Mecca

For the first time in modern history, Muslims from around the world will not be allowed to make the pilgrimage to Mecca this year. Saudi Arabia announced yesterday that international…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Airport Leadership Begs the US Government to Regulate Mask Usage

Much of the attention given to the issue of air travel safety in the time of Covid-19 has focused on the in-flight experience. But airports, too, are gathering places for crowds, and…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

A Winning Strategy to Get Vegas Gamblers to Wear Face Masks

The reopening of casinos in Las Vegas earlier this month was a gamble amid the pandemic. Sadly, it now looks like that might have been a bad bet. In the nearly three weeks since Sin…

Article / Passportable

Las Vegas' New Tool for Checking Workers' Health: One Ring to Monitor Them All

Feeling lucky? Coronavirus cases are spiking in Las Vegas. The titans behind the lucrative casino-hotels there desperately want to avoid re-closing them, so the owners are trying…

Article / Passportable

Meet Nakoda, Banff's Ultra-Rare White Grizzly

A virtually unheard-of white grizzly bear has been spotted several times in the Canadian Rockies in recent weeks. The ultra-rare animal made its social media debut in late April, when…

Article / Passportable

WATCH: “Into the Wild” Bus Airlifted from Alaska Backcountry

An abandoned bus in middle-of-nowhere, Alaska, became a grim tourism draw following the 1996 publication of Into the Wild, later made into a film directed by Sean Penn. Jon Krakauer's…

Article / Passportable

Cruise Industry Suspends U.S. Sailings Through Sept. 15

USA Today reports that Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), the most important trade group for the cruising industry, has voted to voluntarily extend the pause on U.S. cruise…