Take Your Next Beach Vacation in the Bahamas: It's the Right Thing to Do
Posted on 09/10/2019, 8:15 PM
The pictures are devastating: mile after mile of rubble, overturned cars, and marooned boats where once homes, streets, and marinas stood. Hurricane Dorian, the slow-moving, hugely powerful storm that hit part of the Bahamas, was arguably the most destructive hurricane in modern history. Many are now asking how to help. The clear, if unexpected answer is: Go to the Bahamas on your next vacation....
Japan Finishes Building a Grand, 600-Mile Trail of its Coastal Treasures
Posted on 09/05/2019, 6:45 PM
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 of Japan’s longest hiking trail was completed in June. Stretching more than 600 miles along the Pacific coast, the Michinoku Coastal Trail was conceived after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami as a way to breathe new...
Will Fall Foliage Be Worth Seeing This Year in New England? Here's An Expert's Forecast
Posted on 09/03/2019, 8:15 PM
New England’s fall foliage show is right around the corner. Leaf peepers are polishing their binoculars, planning their routes, and booking their B&Bs. In preparation for this popular season, I spoke with Mel Allen, the Editor of Yankee Magazine, to get his take on what road trippers can expect in the coming months. Pauline Frommer: I need to start this interview by saying that the website of ...
A Major Newspaper Asks If It's Ethical to Fly. Arthur Frommer Wants Your Thoughts
Posted on 08/26/2019, 12:00 AM
Depending on your politics, you either do or you don’t regard The New York Times as the nation’s leading newspaper. But after that paper’s recent examination of the relation between travel and climate change, you must surely regard it as the nation’s boldest newspaper. The Times’ startling discussion (which you can read here) results from the belief held by almost all prestigious ...
New Zealand Unveiling Epic New Hiking Trail
Posted on 07/29/2019, 4:30 PM
New Zealand's officially designated, government-maintained Great Walks give hikers access to the country's premier scenery—and that's saying something in New Zealand, whose North and South Islands serve up enough ruggedly beautiful landscapes to put even watercolor virtuoso Bob Ross to shame. On December 1, the 10th Great Walk—and the first to receive that designation in more than 25 years—will ...
Visiting This Australian Museum Will Require Flippers and an Oxygen Tank
Posted on 07/24/2019, 12:00 AM
Deep-sea divers with an interest in sculpture should mark their calendars for December, when the first installation of visionary artist Jason deCaires Taylor’s Museum of Underwater Art is set to be unveiled at the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. (Image by Jason deCaires Taylor) The MOUA, which will eventually comprise works at several spots around Queensland, will debut with a coastal-bas...
After a Millennium, Bears and Wolves Return to British Woodland—and You Can Watch
Posted on 07/18/2019, 8:00 AM
Bears and wolves haven't shared space in British woodlands for more than 1,000 years. Due to deforestation and overhunting, the European brown bear disappeared from England in the 11th century; gray wolves followed in the 17th. But soon, those animals will once again live in the same forest—and visitors will be able to observe all the ursine and lupine goings-on. Opening to the public on July...
What Do Reindeer Do in the Summer? Attend Yoga Classes, Apparently.
Posted on 06/27/2019, 4:15 PM
Goat yoga classes, which combine breathing, posing, and snuggling with special guest ruminants, may be all the rage among limber animal lovers. But Alaska just upped the antlered ante. At a summer yoga class in Fairbanks, attendees complete a 60-minute hatha or vinyasa flow session in the presence of reindeer. Classes take place Monday and Friday evenings at 6pm at Running Reindeer Ranch, whi...
Redwoods, Beer, and Bigfoot: Exploring California’s Santa Cruz Mountains
For a serene outdoor experience near the San Francisco Bay Area, head into the Santa Cruz Mountains to discover redwood cathedrals, laid-back beach towns, and maybe even Sasquatch.
This Harbor Is a Refuge for Burning Man Artwork—Without Burning Man Crowds
Posted on 06/06/2019, 6:00 PM
The nine-day Burning Man festival, held in the depths of summer in a remote area of Nevada’s Black Rock Desert, earns mixed reviews. Founders describe it as “a temporary metropolis dedicated to community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance.” But others, such as former attendee and writer Soren Bowie, remember it differently. “I went seeking a Utopian enclave … Instead I found misguid...
Arthur Frommer: Seaweed is Invading the Mexican Caribbean, But There's a Bright Side
Posted on 05/30/2019, 7:00 AM
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 Mayan Riviera), an area which usually accounts for half of all tourism to Mexico. After several speculative guesses as to what is happening, scientists and Mexican officials have agreed that the cause is “sa...
