New Kiosks Cut Border Control Waits By a Third, But Your Airport Must Ask for Them
In June, Chicago's O'Hare installed 32 kiosks that scan documents for incoming passengers. Right away, despite the fact summer travel was at its peak, wait times were chopped by 33%. The technology is called Automated Passport Control, or APC, and it's the latest effort of U.S. Customs and Border Protection to use technology to cut paperwork and frustration. O'Hare is the first American airpo...
Brooklyn's New, Ultra-Gourmet Dining Scene: Pauline Frommer Reviews Three Hot Spots
Posted on 08/27/2013, 8:45 AM
The dish felt like a dare. "Fried pigs blood with [unpronounceable Scandinavian] berry," the waiter said placing a small slab of wood with a fried ball in front of me. And then he gave me a second look and a grin, as if to say, "So, are you really going to eat that?" Welcome to the extreme foodie Brooklyn restaurant scene, one that many diners think is currently eclipsing Manhattan's. In just...
Though None of it Made the Headlines, There was News Last Week of Some Importance to Travel
Last week was a fairly busy time in travel, though none of the developments was well covered in the press. Here's our attempt to bring you up-to-date. First, one of the largest of the airfare search engines, Expedia, acquired--for all intents and purposes--that other large search engine called Travelocity. Though Travelocity will technically remain a separate entity, it will permi...
What's the Best Vacation For Your "Stage of Life"? How Age Can—and Should—Affect Your Travel Plans
"Man is by nature a social animal", wrote Aristotle. And though he wasn't commenting on vacations, his observation certainly applies: who one travels with can be as important to the success of a trip as where one goes. Certain types of travel, as well as certain destinations, attract wildly different demographics, after all. Head to spring break-central, Panama City, Florida in March or Apri...
At an Almost Unbelievable Rate of 64 Rupees to the U.S. Dollar, India Has Become the Bargain Destination of the Decade
India--to begin with--was always an inexpensive place in which to travel, even when a U.S. Dollar bought you only 40 Rupees. When that currency then weakened to a level of 55 Rupees to the dollar about a year ago, its hotels, restaurants and tours became so cheap as to cause me to write a frenzied blog about the phenomenon, an excitable outpouring of words about the ultra-low cost of ...
3 Sneaky Ways To Save Money on Lodgings When You Hit the Road
Sometimes you have to get creative, and perhaps even bend the rules, when looking to save money on travel. That's particularly the case for lodgings, as hotel rates have increased a good 5% this year over last (and they were creeping upwards already in 2012). Here are some devious strategies you might try. Look for a Newbie: It takes a while for a new hotel to get the word out that it's open ...
Another Cruise Line Extinguishes Smoking on Stateroom Balconies, and Good Riddance
USA Today reports that Disney is the latest cruise line to ban smoking on its stateroom balconies, joining Celebrity, Princess, Oceania, and Crystal. I'm all for the ban. Not because it's not very "Disney" (Walt himself was rarely seen without an unfiltered Lucky Strike in his hand) but because it's dangerous and rude. Every cruise ship's lifeboat drill contains a captain's warning not to tos...
The Truth is Out: Airline Mergers Do Indeed Result in Higher Prices
If you weren't sure where to come down on the airline merger debate, a position is becoming clearer. Yesterday the Department of Justice put its own foot down on the union of American Airlines and U.S. Airways. The DOJ hasn't blocked an airline merger since 2001, but something broke. It has had enough. This may be why: The AP's Scott Mayerowitz reports that airfares have gone up, even when ad...
Spots Have Just Opened Up on Pauline Frommer's October Tour to Taiwan
I haven't written much about the tour I'm leading to Taiwan here at Frommers.com because we wanted to travel with a small group (a maximum of 15) and the tour filled up quite quickly, several months ago. But you know what they say about the best laid plans.... I just learned 15 minutes ago that a member of the tour has fallen ill. So he, and the three family members he was supposed to travel ...
The Meanest Roads in America: More Public Highways Bleeding Tourists with Cashless Tolls
They're the meanest roads in America.If you haven't taken a road trip vacation in the last few years, you're in for a rude shock. More states are implementing what's called "cashless tolls," which require vehicles to carry transponders that roadside sensors debit with the price of tolls. While cashless tolls have sped up traffic on many commuter routes, some states have unwisely and uncharitably ad...