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Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Another Foolish Effort by Trump to Ban Travel to Cuba, Says Arthur Frommer

As if their previous efforts had not been sufficiently foolish, the Trump administration has just announced a further effort to reduce travel to Cuba. Effective in just a few…

Article / Passportable

Chinese Glass Bridges Closed Out of Safety Fears

For a few years now, China has seemed determined to install spine-tingling transparent bridges, walkways, and slides at every cliffside, mountain gorge, and canyon in the country. At…

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High-Speed Trains to Connect Miami's Cruise Port and Orlando

The possibility of a car-free Florida vacation just rolled a little closer to reality.Brightline, which currently operates high-speed rail service connecting Miami, Fort Lauderdale,…

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China Expands Its Free Six-Day Visa to More Tourist Cities

Usually, filling out the paperwork to obtain a visa for China is as elaborate as taking the bar exam, but less fun. Tourists have to answer a long list of sometimes invasive questions…

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Nickelodeon's New Indoor Theme Park Is the Biggest in the U.S.

The biggest indoor theme park in the United States opens in New Jersey this week. Nickelodeon Universe spreads across 8.5 acres and 35 rides and attractions, all related to the popular…

Article / Passportable

Royal Caribbean's Next Private Island Will Be in the South Pacific

Royal Caribbean announced plans this week for a new private island to be used exclusively by passengers of the company's cruise ships. Though such destinations are increasingly common…

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Hanoi Removing Cafes from Narrow “Train Street” Due to Safety Concerns

What magical tourist attraction is Instagram ruining this week? The photogenic "train street" in Hanoi, where a single-track railway squeezes between makeshift cafes and other…

Article / Passportable

Howard Johnson Hotels Are Getting a Mid-Century Modern Makeover

Once-ubiquitous hotel chain Howard Johnson is getting its first major design makeover in 25 years. The refreshed look recalls HoJo's heyday in the 1950s and '60s, when the company was…

Article / Passportable

No Men Allowed at This New Majorca Hotel

A hotel exclusively for women has opened on the Spanish island of Majorca. Located near Porto Cristo on the island's eastern coast, Som Dona Hotel has 39 rooms, a pool, a wellness spa,…

Article / Passportable

What to Expect at L.A.'s New, First-of-Its-Kind Cannabis Cafe

The USA's first restaurant where guests can openly consume cannabis debuts in Los Angeles this week. Operating under a new type of license issued by West Hollywood, Lowell Cafe lets…

Article / Passportable

"Outsiders" Movie House Museum Opens in Tulsa

Fans of the 1983 movie adaption of The Outsiders can now visit the house in Tulsa that played the home where the Curtis Brothers lived. It’s the result of a project by film…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

New Bill in U.S. Congress Would Squash Hidden Resort Fees. Here's How to Help

A new bill introduced in Congress today will spell the end of hotel resort fees. Maybe. The Hotel Advertising Transparency Act of 2019 would classify the nondisclosure of resort fees…

Article / Passportable

New Museums Explore Weimar Germany's Pivotal Role in 20th Century

Last month marked the 100th anniversary of when a national assembly was convened in Weimar in central Germany to write a new constitution for that country after its defeat in World War…

Article / Passportable

Budget XL Airways to Stop Operating Flights

XL Airways, a low-cost carrier based in France, has announced that it is ceasing operations. "Due to . . . financial difficulties," reads a message posted last week on the airline's…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Thomas Cook Shuts Down: What to Do and How to Protect Yourself Now

In 1841, Thomas Cook founded the travel business that has carried his name to charter a train for travel to a temperance rally. Since then, the company has arranged the travel of…

Article / Passportable

Spit Take! Study Says Don't Drink the Water on Planes

You should probably stick to bottled water in the skies. That's the conclusion of a new study measuring airline water safety, conducted by Hunter College's New York City Food Policy…

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California Improving Coastal Access with New Beach Wheelchairs

Eighteen coastal sites in California—from Clam Beach, where Highway 101 meets the Pacific in northern Arcata, to lively Ocean Beach in San Diego—are getting new wheelchairs and other…

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Japan Finishes Building a Grand, 600-Mile Trail of its Coastal Treasures

Fewer than 2% of international visitors to Japan venture farther north to the vast, remote, and undeveloped region of Tohoku. That may change soon as word gets out: The final section…

Article / Passportable

U.S. Army Museum Opening June 2020

The United States Army has set an opening date for its new museum honoring the oldest branch of the U.S. military.The National Museum of the United States Army will begin welcoming…

Article / Passportable

Key West Hotels Introduce "Underwater Library" with Waterproof Books

Reading while lounging next to bodies of water is so popular it spawned a whole literary genre. But here's the thing about beach reads: There's a very real chance you'll ruin the book…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

A Battle Royal is Raging Between Airlines Flying to Hawaii, Writes Arthur Frommer

The fight is on. The battle rages. In March and April just past, Southwest Airlines began flying from San Jose and Oakland, California, to Honolulu and Maui. It will soon add daily…

Article / Passportable

Closed for Three Years, D.C.'s Washington Monument Finally Has a Reopening Date

The Washington Monument in America's capital will reopen to the public on Thursday, September 19, the National Park Service has announced. The 555-foot-tall marble-and-granite obelisk…

Article / Passportable

New Paris Museum Chronicles Liberation from Nazis in WW2

Sunday, August 25, marks the 75th anniversary of the Liberation of Paris from its Nazi occupiers during World War II.On the same day, a new museum will open permanently to chronicle…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Arthur Frommer: Preventing Travel to Cuba Is Harming Ordinary Cubans the Most

When the Trump Administration recently announced its reversal of the Obama effort to permit American travel to Cuba, it justified this new limitation by the effect it would have on the…

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Liquor and Spirits: San Diego to Get a Cemetery Speakeasy

San Diego's El Campo Santo cemetery was established in the city's historic Old Town in 1849, and according to ghost hunters, the spirits residing there have been riled up almost ever…