Articles

Health, Insurance, Security

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 / Arthur Frommer Online

Arthur: For Gay Americans, Some International Travel Is Exceedingly Dangerous

Like many standard Americans, my business relations include dealings with gay men, and I know a pair that recently had a same-sex wedding. They have asked me to recommend a…

Article / Passportable

Chinese Glass Bridges Closed Out of Safety Fears

For a few years now, China has seemed determined to install spine-tingling transparent bridges, walkways, and slides at every cliffside, mountain gorge, and canyon in the country. At…

Article / Air Travel

Do Rental Cars Come with Car Seats for Kids? Are They Any Good?

Should you leave your car seat at home when you go on vacation and just use the rental car company's? Consider these four factors before deciding.

Article / Passportable

Spit Take! Study Says Don't Drink the Water on Planes

You should probably stick to bottled water in the skies. That's the conclusion of a new study measuring airline water safety, conducted by Hunter College's New York City Food Policy…

Article / Health, Insurance, Security

How to Tell If You Need Travel Insurance, Based on the Type of Vacation

Traveling soon and not sure if you need coverage? You just might. No company paid to be a part of this article—this is just our honest opinion about what might work best for each…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

A Major Newspaper Asks If It's Ethical to Fly. Arthur Frommer Wants Your Thoughts

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…

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

What Do Reindeer Do in the Summer? Attend Yoga Classes, Apparently.

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…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Arthur Frommer: It's Smart to Make Sure Your Airbnb Host is at Home

A massive battle is being waged in courtrooms all over the world between supporters of short-term apartment rentals and cities wanting to put an end to those uses. The cities claim…

Article / Passportable

London Airport Soon to Let You Keep Liquids and Laptops in Carry-Ons

If all goes as planned, travelers at London's Heathrow Airport will soon get to keep liquids and laptops in carry-on bags while passing through security checkpoints. The airport…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

The Aviation Industry is Asked to Do Something About Emissions, Writes Arthur Frommer

If humankind is to survive into the next century, something will have to be done about the drastic climate change currently experienced on earth. Though narrow-minded politicians…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

A Website Called Fairbnb Has Flung an "Ethical" Challenge to Airbnb

Although it has successfully helped millions of travelers to find overnight accommodations in an apartment or home, Airbnb is still mired in controversy and fending off attacks. It…

Article / Passportable

Our Travel Podcasts: Summer, Star Wars, Safety, Scams

Each week, Frommer's brings you two fresh podcasts stuffed with travel tips, news, and inspiration. Recordings are made from our weekly call-in show on WABC-770AM in New York and our…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Arthur Frommer: Add Austria to the Nations Where Neo-Nazi Extremists Are Gaining Power

Turns out I was too limited in recently listing the western European nations partially or wholly controlled by neo-Nazis. You can now add Austria (for reasons set forth below) to…

Article / Hotels

The New Hostel Etiquette Rules That Your Parents Never Had To Worry About

Technology has undoubtedly made travel easier, but it’s made hostel stays more complicated. Obey these new rules—or you'll find it hard to make friends.

Article / Passportable

Airline Ticketing Will Include Nonbinary Gender Option

The major U.S. airlines are changing their online ticketing sites so that passengers can identify gender with options other than male and female. According to the Associated Press,…

Article / Air Travel

How to Check TSA Wait Times Online

Several apps promise to tell you airport security times—but are they reliable? Results vary.

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

When Is a Home Rental Legal in New York City? Ask Arthur Frommer, a Former Lawyer

There is perhaps nowhere in America that more needs the services of Airbnb than New York City.  Its hotels are frequently sold out, and even when available are sky-high in price. So…

Article / Passportable

What to Do About TSA Delays Caused by Government Shutdown

The U.S. government's partial shutdown, now in its fourth smash week, has started to have a negative impact on airport security lines. Transportation Security Administration (TSA)…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

U.S. Tourism to Canada Again Embroiled in Controversy

Through all the decades of travel from the U.S. to Canada, our northern neighbor has occasionally presented us with touristic issues and arguments. Some 60 years ago, Canadian travel…

Article / Passportable

The Leaning Tower of Pisa Is Leaning Less

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is standing a little straighter these days. Engineers say that the tilt of the Italian icon has reduced by about 4cm (1.6 in.), according to news reports.More…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Arthur Frommer: The Safest Destinations Are Named. Guess Who's Not a Leader?

A well-respected international consumer organization has picked the safest countries in which to travel, and the United States is nowhere among the leaders. Which are the world’s…

Article / Passportable

Smoke on a Carnival Cruise and You Could Get Kicked Off the Ship

Carnival Cruise Line is getting stricter with passengers who light up at sea. The company has updated its tobacco and marijuana smoking policy to include the possibility of removal…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Arthur Frommer: Long Live the FAA, Protector of Our Lives in the Air!

Although a great many business interests are constantly opposed to being regulated by the federal government, almost no one objects to a similar supervision of the airline industry. We…