Articles

Money and Fees

Article / Passportable

The USA's Most Expensive (and Cheapest) Cities for Rental Cars

Every now and then, the rental car booking site CheapCarRental.net aggregates the price quotes it's been seeing and comes up with a list of the best and worst American cities for…

Article / Passportable

Schmoozing United Airlines Gate Agents for Upgrades Is a Complete Waste of Time Now

Remember when travel articles weren't all about airborne pathogens and instead were full of advice like "dress nicely if you want to be upgraded to first class" or "bring a small gift…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Buyer Beware: Theme Parks Are Cutting Experiences but Not Prices

Despite headlines declaring that major theme parks have "reopened," that doesn't mean everything inside them has. We get it—some people would rather eat glass slippers than step foot…

Article / Entry Requirements & Customs

Prisoners in Their Own Country: Three Ways America's Government Is Betraying the Freedom to Travel

We hold these truths to be self-evident: By neglecting to ensure we retain access to our right to travel, we have lost it.

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Pauline Frommer: If Casinos Go Touchless, More People May Suffer

Like many people who work in the travel industry, I start my day looking at the daily stories sent out by Travel Weekly, a top source for news. Today's edition featured an in-depth…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

New Yorkers Can Have Global Entry Again (Because Homeland Security Lied About It)

After six months, residents of New York State are again allowed to apply for Trusted Traveler Programs, including Global Entry. Why? Because the Department of Homeland Security made…

Article / Passportable

JetBlue Offers BOGO Airfare for Autumn and Winter Travel

JetBlue, like all airlines right now, needs to boost both business and passenger confidence. So the carrier has announced a flash buy-one-get-one sale for 3-night air-and-hotel…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

What a Shrinking Airbnb Could Mean for the Future of Travel

Like every other travel company, Airbnb was hit hard by the pandemic. In May, CEO Brian Chesky admitted that the company’s future was in doubt this spring. Airbnb reacted by cutting…

Article / Passportable

Airline Accidentally Gives Multimillion-Dollar Refund for Canceled Flight

Given the high volume of cancellations and refunds that airlines are processing amid the pandemic, it should come as no surprise that mistakes are popping up. An eyebrow-raising one…

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 / 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

The Famous Unclaimed Baggage Store Sells Lost Stuff Online, Too

Most regular travelers have heard about the Unclaimed Baggage store. If they have, the words probably fill them with dread. Unclaimed Baggage is one destination you hope never plays a…

Article / Passportable

Welcome to Cambodia! That'll Be $3,000, Please

We have a new winner for the title of World's Harshest Covid-19 Entry Requirement. Cambodia has announced that all visitors to that Southeast Asian country (famous for the Angkor Wat…

Article / Passportable

Which U.S. Airline Is the Worst About Giving Pandemic Refunds?

Government complaints filed in March by consumers against airlines jumped by 347% compared to the previous year, according to newly released data from the Department of Transportation…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Cancún Is the Latest Place to Defray Vacation Costs...We Think

Updated June 10This is becoming a strange trend. The Italian island of Sicily announced its intention to help pay for vacations once we're traveling again. So did Japan—but only sort…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Vegas Weakens on Resort Fees: Can We Deliver the Knockout Punch?

Las Vegas casino hotels are back in business—but that doesn't mean business is good. Returning casinos have been dealt a potentially losing hand: Health measures have taken away…

Article / Air Travel

Air-Hotel Packages Are Poised to Make a Comeback for Cheap International Vacations

Air-hotel packages have been around for years—but in an economic downtown, these affordable vacation discount deals will be more valuable than ever.

Article / Passportable

MGM Resorts Bringing Back a Favorite Vegas Perk

When the Las Vegas Strip reopens after the coronavirus lockdown, free parking will be making a Sin City comeback as well. Once a standard feature at casino hotels along the Strip, the…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Las Vegas Casinos Planning to Reopen—But They Won't Be the Same

There is still no reopening date for the Las Vegas Strip. The casinos along that normally overbusy thoroughfare are waiting for the go-ahead from Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak and the…

Article / Passportable

After Backlash, Frontier Airlines Drops Social Distancing Fee

Frontier Airlines has abandoned plans to charge passengers extra to fly next to empty middle seats on flights, according to news reports. The move was made following widespread (and…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Better Buy a Watch: Your Travel Future Will Be Timed

Travel is still shut down, but the coronavirus has already changed it. New social distancing measures have forced attractions around the world to look at entrance procedures anew.…

Article / Passportable

Frontier Airlines Will Let You Socially Distance—for a Price

One thing you can always count on from the airlines: They will never run out of excuses to charge extra fees. Now an airline is charging passengers more if they want to observe CDC…

Article / Arts and Culture

Hawaii Is Using the Shutdown to Transform Its Tourist Experience

Tourism has been a boon and a bane to the Aloha State for years. Many Hawaiians are trying to use the travel pause to shift the paradigm.

Article / Local Experiences

How Tourists Can Buy Marijuana in California

If you're old enough to buy a beer in California, you're old enough to buy recreational cannabis products. But that doesn't mean it's a free-for-all. Here are the rules for buying pot…

Article / Air Travel

How to File an FAA or Consumer Complaint Against an Airline: A Guide to Directing Your Government Grievances

When is it time to report an airline to the Federal Aviation Administration or other Department of Transportation agency? And more importantly, how do you do it?