Articles

Money and Fees

Article / Passportable

Let This Japanese Inn Livestream Your Stay and You’ll Only Pay $1 a Night

Exhibitionists on a budget have a new lodging option in Japan. The Asahi Ryokan, located in Fukuoka on the subtropical island of Kyushu, is offering one room on the property at a rate…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Arthur Frommer: If Thomas Cook Can Go Belly-Up, Consumers Must Protect Themselves

The recent shutdown of service by the venerable Thomas Cook company in Great Britain, stranding tens of thousands of tour passengers, is a wake-up call for all of us. It means that…

Article / Passportable

Rome's Colosseum Moves to a Timed Ticket System: We Tested It

Seeing the Colosseum in Rome just got easier. And more complicated. In spring of 2019, CoopCulture, the entity that manages visitor access to the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, the…

Article / Passportable

Get Ready to Pay a Tourist Tax to Visit Cabo San Lucas

Starting on Saturday, November 9, a visit to the Mexican state of Baja California Sur will cost you extra. The home state of popular Pacific Coast resort cities including Cabo San…

Article / Passportable

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…

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

Free Parking in Las Vegas Returns As a Resort Breaks Ranks

For many years, the ability to park for free at most Las Vegas casino-resorts was a beloved perk, and it was one that made visiting the spread-out desert city much more affordable,…

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

Museums Across the USA Will Be Free on Sept. 21—Here's How to Get Your Tickets

A big reason why Washington, D.C., is one of the world's best cities for museum-going is that the Smithsonian Institution's attractions—including the National Air and Space Museum, the…

Article / Food and Drink

Yelp Listings Are Replacing Restaurants' Real Phone Numbers with Fee-Charging Numbers

Businesses' real phone numbers are being swapped with ones run by the app's partners, so be careful if you use Yelp to research dining options and call for reservations.

Article / Passportable

You Can Now Rent Hertz Cars in Europe with a Debit Card—but Should You?

Rental car company Hertz and the two brands under its corporate umbrella—Dollar and Thrifty—have begun accepting debit cards as a payment option for car rentals in Europe. Previously,…

Article / Slideshows

New York City Sightseeing Passes: A Buyer's Guide for Every Type of Traveler

What makes choosing a New York City sightseeing pass difficult is the same thing that makes it hard to pick a Manhattan restaurant or find an eligible New Yorker on a dating app: too…

Article / Hotel Deals

Find the Name of That Secret Priceline Hotel with This Canny Tool

Priceline hides the identities of its best hotel deals, but there's a browser extension that pinpoints the property you're bidding on before you buy.

Article / Air Travel

High Boarding Group Number? Don't Panic—The Airlines Are Messing with You

Are you in Group 7 again? No need to fret. The airlines are trying to stress you out so you'll pay more.

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

An App That (Almost) Guarantees the Lowest Hotel Rates

It’s said there are no guarantees in life. But does that apply to travel? For hotels, a relatively new app may offer the closest thing to a guaranteed low price that I’ve seen. It’s…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Arthur Frommer: Seaweed is Invading the Mexican Caribbean, But There's a Bright Side

Among the current important news of travel is a sudden and mysterious drop in tourist traffic to the so-called “Mexican Caribbean” (Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Isla Mujeres, Tulum, the…

Article / Hotels

Stay for Free Around the World, Just for Playing with Animals: The Petsitting Sites

These websites can help hook you up with a free place to stay in exchange for taking care of pets. But which one is the best one for you?

Article / Passportable

L.A.'s Museum of Contemporary Art Getting Rid of Admission Fees

Pretty soon, it won't cost you a penny to visit the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Los Angeles. The institution announced it is reducing its $15 general admission fee to $0, a…

Article / Air Travel

How Families Can Sit Together on Airplanes

Paid seat reservations have turned airline cabins into competitive arenas. If you want to make sure you sit next to your children, you need a survival guide for the battle.

Article / Passportable

Thanks a Lot, Instagram. Horseshoe Bend Now Has an Entry Fee

Many of the world's most beautiful places have become victims of their own Instagrammability, with hordes of selfie snappers causing congestion, safety concerns, and strains on…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Arthur Frommer: The British Outlawed Deception by Hotels. Why Won't America?

A British organization that regulates hotels—it’s called the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)—has just taken steps to prevent U.K. hotels from using deceptive sales tactics.…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

This Spring, It Will Never Be Cheaper to Fly to Hawaii, Says Arthur Frommer

The biggest news in travel is the recent start-up by price-cutting Southwest Airlines of a massive number of flights from the U.S. west coast to the islands of Hawaii. Travel to those…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Arthur Frommer: Decent People Will Avoid All Contact with Brunei

It is highly unlikely that many of our readers will travel as tourists to the nation of Brunei on the island of Borneo in the South China Sea. The economy and currency of that nation…

Article / Money and Fees

Tipping in Costa Rica: A Gratuities Guide for Hotels, Restaurants, and Tours

Some tips on tipping to follow while checking out Costa Rica's cities, beaches, and jungles

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

When Should You Book Airfare and Hotels? A Huge Study Reveals the Current Answers

The Airlines Reporting Corporation’s annual Travel Pricing Outlook study (conducted in partnership with Expedia) arrived with very little fanfare this year. Which is odd—and not so…