Articles

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Drop That Knock-Off Purse! People Who Buy Counterfeit Goods in New York City May Now Face Stiff Fines

Just yesterday I was walking through New York's Chinatown, on my way to review a dim sum joint for my new guidebook, when a short woman slung with several purses sidles up to me.…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

On a Return Flight to the U.S. from an Overseas Trip, It Has Now Become Important to Leave Yourself At Least Four Hours for Making An Onward Connection

The big news in travel this past week has been the virtual collapse of the customs and immigration function at several of the nation's international airports, including those in…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

My Knee-Jerk (Ouch!) Reaction to American Airlines' Plans to Add Even More Seats to Its Planes

My knees are aching just writing this. And my laptop's cover is quivering in fear. But here goes:In a regulatory filing yesterday, AMR Corp disclosed its plans to add more seats…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Another Opening, Another Summer Stock Show: The Best Theater This Coming Season in North America

Sure there’s sun and sand. But one of the unsung delights of summer---or should I say one of the most loudly crooned pleasures of the season---is summer stock. There’s something…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Thinking About a Dude Ranch Vacation This Summer? Tips from an Expert

The horse may just replace the racecar, space ship and James Bond-helmed motorboat as the whiz-bang mode of transportation this summer. I make that prediction after watching the…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

While You Were Out, Your Hotel Covered Your Bathroom Mirror with an Advertisement: Okay or Not?

Tonight, Instagram user @ZachHonig tweeted this image of his hotel room at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites in downtown Los Angeles. It seems that while he was out, the…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Some Rather Spectacular Bargains Have Opened Up in Month-of-July Sailings of the Mediterranean

In an earlier blog, I predicted that all the big cruiselines sailing in the Mediterranean would slash their prices for departures in July, once we got closer in to the month of…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

When an Overseas Merchant Offers to Convert Your Credit Card Bill Into U.S. Dollars, Say No

It's known as "Dynamic Currency Conversion", but it should be called "Dynamic Currency Cheating".  You encounter the shady offer in a Paris restaurant, a London hotel, a Tokyo…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Wilson Wu Has Done it Again: $999 for a Combination of Beijing and Shanghai, Including Round-Trip Trans-Pacific Airfare

In a recent discussion, we expressed our surprise at the latest move by Wilson Wu, the wonder-boy of travel to China.  About a week ago, he completely re-did his website…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Orlando Goes Over the Top: SeaWorld and Busch Gardens Also Break the $90 Barrier with Ticket Prices

We just got a dispatch from Florida, where SeaWorld Orlando confirms it has joined Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando in hiking ticket prices past the $90 mark.SeaWorld…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Plan Ahead or Do It On the Spot: The Conundrum of Modern Vacations

United Airlines caused a stir two days ago when it announced that travelers could now “subscribe” to its fees. Pay one lump sum in advance—$349, so that’s one big lump sum…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

The Re-Appearance of China Spree's $888 One-Weeker to Beijing (Including Round-Trip Airfare!) May Indicate that China Air and China Irself Have Plenty of Unsold Capacity for Autumn and Winter. China, Anyone?

To my utter amazement, China Spree has today replaced its former China specials with an entirely new list of spectacular fall/winter bargains (such as $888 for a week in…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Italian State-Run Museums Now Free to Everyone Under the Age of 18

My thanks to Frommer's author Donald Strachan (who's currently hard at work on a new Frommer's guidebook) for spotting this one.Until now, non-European Union teens and children…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

A Preview of Kennedy Space Center's Awesome $100 Million Home for Space Shuttle Atlantis, Opening June 29

On June 29, the most lavish of America's four final homes for the former space shuttle orbiters will open. The Atlantis will admit visitors on the very grounds where it launched 33…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Would You Believe That Bangkok Has Edged Out London as the World's Most Popular City?

Here's an assertion that will cause most observers (including myself) to rub their eyes in wonder.  According to the prestigious Global Insights Index, Thailand's Bangkok now…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Disney Raises Prices Past the $90 Mark, So Your Summer Vacation to the Mouse Will Cost More Cheddar

The Mouse has roared again. Each year it raises prices on us, and it did it again. A one-day, one-park ticket to its Magic Kingdom park now costs $6 more, or $95, and kids (which in…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

In the Battle of the Golf Booking Sites EZLinks and GolfNow, Golfers Score As the Winners

In April, the golf booking website EZLinks.com, founded in 1995, got a new CEO. He came over from Redbox, the DVD rental jukebox that took over seemingly every grocery store lobby in…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

From Frommer's Forums: A Website That Compares the Value of Pre-Paid SIM Card Plans Worldwide

Frommer's community member Drobert360 posted about a little-known tool for international travelers that could potentially save them hundreds on phone charges. The website is…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Add this Website to Your Vacation Planning Bookmarks: Hotel Coupons.com Can Halve the Going Rates

Think about the times you have been on a road trip and you pulled over for a quick meal at a chain restaurant. You know those piles of free booklets piled by the door of seemingly…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

It Now Seems More Probable Than Ever That Some of Those "User-Generated" Reviews Were Written by Hotel Executives, Lauding their Own Properties and Condemning Their Competitors

A news item richocheting around the Internet tells of a top p.r. executive of Accor Hotels (world's largest hotel chain) who has admitted to writing 100 fake reviews for…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

For Summer Road Trips, a Smartphone App That Avoids Traffic and Finds the Cheapest Gas

Last week, at the Webby Awards, which is like the Oscars for online ventures, an interesting travel app took home the "Best Connected" prize.Here's what it can do: If you leave it…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Viking River Cruises Are Moving Into Ocean Cruising--And With a Different Approach That May Cause the Other Lines to Mend Their Ways

In an interview which we conducted yesterday on the Travel Show (wor710.com)  with the marketing vice-president of Viking River Cruises, we learned about plans they have to…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

In Sharp Contrast to Other European Travel Products, Mediterranean Cruises Are Slow to Sell This Summer, Opening Up All Sorts of Opportunities for You

"Carnival Cruises is pulling out of the Mediterranean".  That was the surprising headline of several days ago, indicating that the world's largest cruise line is facing tough…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

San Francisco's Bay Lights Are a New Tourist Attraction and Hotels Take Notice

Since March, San Francisco's Bay Bridge has been bursting with light nightly from dusk to 2am. At 1.8 miles long and in places 500 feet tall, the Bay Lights is now the largest LED…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

SeaWorld Unveils 'Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin,' Its Big Summer 2013 Attraction

On Friday, SeaWorld opens its new attraction, the multimillion-dollar Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin, which Frommers.com named one of the most hotly anticpated amusement park…