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Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Two New Non-Travel Books May Change The Way You See the USA

You drive into a new town. It is not a famous place and it certainly isn’t a tourist magnet. But it has a certain vibe, a personality. You start to explore, stopping by a local store,…

Article / Slideshows

Walt Whitman's Brooklyn: In the Footsteps of the Borough's Bard

Walt Whitman was Brooklyn ’s original bearded bohemian. Though the poet was born on Long Island and spent significant portions of his life in Manhattan, Washington, D.C., and Camden,…

Article / Passportable

Drive to Florida in a Rental Car for Only $7.99 a Day

Winter is coming, and in Florida, so are the tourists. Each year, the major car rental companies shift their inventory to where the business is, and now that summer is ending, Hertz…

Article / Passportable

Eat on Florence's Streets and You Could Be Fined $580

Lots of people choose to visit Italy because they respect the cuisine, but now, eating it with dignity is the law. On September 4, Florence instituted a new penalty for tourists who…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Arthur Frommer: The Biggest News is the Dominance of Tourism by the Chinese

Suddenly, the press that deals with travel is full of articles about the sudden rise of Chinese tourism. All over the world, Chinese citizens have become the largest source of…

Article / Passportable

WW2 Tower Converted to Vacation Rental in Channel Islands

During World War II, the Nazis occupied the Channel Islands, a string of isolated spots floating between England and France. Using forced labor, the Germans built concrete…

Article / Slideshows

Best of The Redwoods: 10 Tip-Top Things to See Around California's Big Trees

No place on Earth will make you crane your neck, feel as small, or even as young as Northern California's Redwood National Park does. With a seemingly endless cluster of 500–700 year…

Article / Slideshows

Road Trip from Nashville on the Natchez Trace Parkway: Americana, History, and a Whole Lot of Music

The Natchez Trace Parkway , a national byway that spans three states, was built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps following the Native American trading route of the same…

Article / Slideshows

Japan's Iwate Prefecture: Wild, White, and Wonderful

Although a record-breaking 28 million international visitors came to Japan in 2017, only one million made their way to the northern Honshu region of Tohoku. While it’s true that not…

Article / Slideshows

12 Theme Park Tips That Will Literally Save Your Life (Not Literally)

Working at a major theme park for years, you learn a few things. Like, if you happen to stumble upon an animal trainer with a chimpanzee, the chimp will consider you an attacker and…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Exult in the Pleasures of Solo Travel with This Distinguished Book

It isn’t often that a newspaper reporter publishes a truly distinguished book about the sensations of solitary travel, the rewarding emotions you feel when abroad by yourself in a…

Article / Passportable

New, Heart-Stopping Bungee Catapult Launches in New Zealand

New Zealanders are like Elphaba in Wicked—they're obsessed with defying gravity. The world's first permanent commercial bungee operation was established by AJ Hackett Bungy (that's how…

Article / Slideshows

3 Swiss Peaks for Every Fitness Level—And How to Do Them

Set in a valley on the edge of Lake Lucerne and surrounded by the Swiss Alps, the city of Lucerne is one of Switzerland's most popular destinations. Best known for covered bridges that…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Royal Caribbean's Private Beaches Make Second-Class Citizens of the Rest of Us

Most passengers on a Caribbean cruise are by now aware of the “private beaches” and “private islands” that cruise lines operate for the purpose of keeping you from contact with local…

Article / Passportable

New Street Murals Animate World Trade Center in New York City

Ever since the events of 9/11, New York City has faced the challenges of rebuilding the area around the Twin Towers as well as finding an appropriate aesthetic for the site—tasks that…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

$999 for a Week in Vietnam, Including Air! Outstanding, Writes Arthur Frommer

To enjoy a travel miracle—a memorable tour to an exotic nation, for less than the cost of airfare alone—is to lend excitement to life. Several months ago, we described an awesome…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

“Crazy Rich Asians” May Feel a Lot Like Going to Singapore, Says Arthur Frommer

Let me be entirely frank. I greatly disliked the movie Crazy Rich Asians, which I recently saw.  I was so horrified by its fawning depiction of irresponsible wealth that I almost…

Article / Slideshows

The Boardwalk Is Back: New and Classic Atlantic City Casinos, Beaches, and Dining

Like the ocean it’s named after, Atlantic City has risen and fallen with the tides over the years. The New Jersey icon was the Gilded Age’s preeminent playground by the sea, the…

Article / Passportable

Real-Life Version of "Simpsons" Convenience Store Comes to Myrtle Beach

Fans of The Simpsons have a new place to satisfy their cravings for Buzz Cola, Squishee frozen drinks, Heat-Lamp Hot Dogs, and Lard Lad Donuts (what, no Duff beer?).A full-size,…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Arthur Frommer: Remove Ryan Zinke as Secretary of the Interior

The Secretary of the Interior of the United States is supposed to preserve and protect our national parks, national monuments, and public lands from commercial exploitation. He is…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Arthur Frommer: Climate Change Is Jeopardizing the Travel Experience

Is climate change for real? And is it having an impact on the recreational travels we undertake? If you would put that question to relatives of mine living in England, they would…

Article / Passportable

In Late Autumn, Fly to Iceland for $99 Each Way

The following is in the nature of a “believe-it-or-not” category of travel. A scrappy budget airline of Iceland (the aptly named WOW Air) has just announced that for scattered…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Arthur Frommer: I Love This Canadian Program of Literary Discussions and Tours

Every year, thousands of English-speaking adults gather at a number of famous universities to engage for a July week or two in discussion of the great books or great issues. Led by a…

Article / Slideshows

Explore Latino L.A.'s Food and Culture, from Olvera Street to Boyle Heights

In a way, Los Angeles is the capital of rural Latin America. According to the Census Bureau , almost half of L.A.’s population is Latino, and many of those residents came from (or…

Article / Passportable

Huge Projections and New Architecture Center Added to Chicago Riverwalk

The Chicago River has had about as strange a career as any waterway in North America, starting with its namesake city's decision in the late 19th century (enacted in the early years of…