Articles

Zac Thompson

Article / Health, Insurance, Security

Never Mind! Expansion of TSA's Gateside Program for Nonticketed Visitors Abruptly Suspended

The Transportation Security Administration's new program that lets nonticketed TSA PreCheck members go beyond airport security checkpoints has been abruptly curtailed. The program,…

Article / Trends & Hacks

The Hottest Set-Jetting Destinations of 2027: 'Emily in Paris,' 'The White Lotus,' and More Filming Locations

We've reached the fourth quarter of 2026—the season when travel companies and journalists coin cutesy terms for the trends expected to predominate among vacationers in the coming…

Article / Car, Bus, Rail

One of Japan's Most Scenic Regions Is Giving Away Free Bullet-Train Tickets—Here's How to Get Yours

Travelers looking to experience more of Japan beyond its most popular destinations, such as Tokyo, Kyoto, and Mount Fuji, have an enticing new option. Those three tourism behemoths are…

Article / National Parks

Seeing More of Alaska’s Denali National Park Just Got Easier After Years of Limited Access

Alaska's Denali National Park & Preserve, home to North America's tallest peak, has only one road, and about half of it has been closed for years. An active landslide prompted…

Article / Arts and Culture

Our Review of the Revamped and Expanded Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Ark.

“Let’s start at the very beginning,” suggests The Sound of Music’s Maria von Trapp, arguing that’s a “very good place to start.” But is it? A European art museum, for example, that…

Article / Air Travel

This TSA Change Could Be a Big Hassle for Flyers with Carry-on Bags

New high-tech equipment being used by the Transportation Security Administration is supposed to make life easier for airport security screeners as well as passengers, but some flyers…

Article / Arts and Culture

There's Finally a Sound of Music Museum in Austria. Will It Be One of Your Favorite Things?

“When the legend becomes fact, print the legend,” says a newspaper editor in the 1962 Western The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.Then, as if to prove the point, the quote itself became a…

Article / National Parks

The Most Dog-Friendly National Parks in the United States

It's a scientific fact that dogs are wonderful. Even so, they can cause damage to fragile ecosystems by trampling plants and bugs, can hurt themselves on sharp rocks and steep cliffs,…

Article / Trends & Hacks

This New Capybara Cafe Lets You Hang Out with the Internet's Beloved Kings of Chill

Normally, learning that a cafe has rodents would send us scurrying in the opposite direction. But not when the critters in question are capybaras, the big, gentle, supremely unbothered…

Article / Beach & Water Sports

Adventure Ahoy! Tracking the Real-Life Pirates of the Caribbean

The Caribbean really was a hotbed of piracy at one time—especially during the 17th and 18th centuries, when Europe-bound ships laden with goods from North and South America were easy…

Article / National Parks

There's Finally a Car-Free Way to Access Arches National Park—and It Doesn't Cost Extra

Traffic congestion has been a big problem at Utah's Arches National Park for a while now. The park, known for its hundreds of striking sandstone formations, has only one main paved…

Article / Cruise

Oh, Lord. Now People Are Hiding Tiny Jesus Figurines All Over Cruise Ships

You've probably heard that Jesus could walk on water, but he doesn't need to nowadays. Multitudes of cruise passengers are carrying him aboard in mini plastic form and scattering the…

Article / Air Travel

The U.S. Government Just Gave Airlines a Bunch More Reasons to Deny You Meals and Hotel Rooms for Flight Disruptions

A rule change made by the U.S. Department of Transportation could mean airline passengers would be entitled to even less in the way of meals and hotel accommodations following…

Article / Photography

How Scammers Can Use AI and Your Vacation Photos to Rip You Off

Every time there's an advance in technology, you can bet scammers will find new and exciting ways to rip you off. The latest tool to be wielded by these diligent criminals is of course…

Article / Health, Insurance, Security

If You Have TSA PreCheck, You Can Now Go Past Security Without a Ticket at These 13 Airports

Going all the way to the gate at the airport to see off a departing loved one or greet a new arrival—even if you didn't have a ticket yourself—was once a common occurrence. Nowadays…

Article / Money and Fees

Not Sure What to Tip? Find Gratuity Guidelines for 140 Countries with This Free Online Tool

Seems like Americans should have less tipping anxiety when abroad than at home, given that most other countries have far more relaxed (or nonexistent) expectations around gratuities in…

Article / Outdoor & Adventure

What Is a "Public Nature Library"? The USA's First One Just Opened Outside Denver

A new facility outside Denver is being billed as "the nation's first public nature library." Set on 15 acres adjacent to the scenic Aylor Open Lands in Thornton, Colorado (about 20…

Article / Photography

Stirring Images of the U.S. Civil Rights Trail from Its Official Companion Book

Stretching across 14 states, the U.S. Civil Rights Trail connects more than 100 churches, schools, courthouses, homes, museums, and memorials that have played a role in the struggle of…

Article / Timing Your Trip

2026 Fall Foliage Forecast for New England and Beyond

Believe it or not, the year is fast approaching autumn—the season of apple picking, football tailgating, and the terrifying holiday when horrible ghouls make mischief (I'm referring of…

Article / Outdoor & Adventure

"Fairly Spectacular" New Trail Near San Francisco Gives Free Access to Expansive Bay Views

A strikingly scenic, carefully preserved, yet previously difficult to access natural landscape in the San Francisco Bay Area gets a lot easier to experience this week. Opening Aug. 24,…

Article / Outdoor & Adventure

Trump Moves Forward with Plan to Allow Logging in Untouched National Forests—but There's Still Time for You to Weigh In

The Trump administration is determined to get rid of a 25-year-old regulation that helps protect about 59 million acres of public forest land from road construction, logging, and other…

Article / Money and Fees

Countries Where the U.S. Dollar Is Strong Right Now

Frommer’s got its start in 1957 with a series of guidebooks about seeing the world on $5 a day. As you might have noticed, prices have gone up a little since then.But there are still…

Article / Air Travel

American Airlines Finally Reverses Seatback Screens Removal. When Will They Return?

Nearly a decade after cutting seatback screens on all but large aircraft, American Airlines has at last reversed that decision, announcing this week that all the carrier's passengers…

Article / Money and Fees

Ways to Save Money in Oslo, Europe's Most Expensive City

Norway has some of the world’s most striking natural beauty—especially if you like fjords and tall blond dudes—and some of the world’s highest prices.Take Oslo, for instance. The…

Article / Entry Requirements & Customs

Europe's ETIAS Travel Permit and Entry Fee Postponed Yet Again

Implementation of Europe's always-upcoming travel permit and entry fee for international visitors has been postponed for the umpteenth time. Nothing new there. The European Union has…