Amazon.com Review
- Organized by travel topic
- More than 500 entries
- Each entry is a short, digestible take–no longer than a page.
- 250 b&w photos
- Arthur’s style is personable and engaged–his personality shines through
Amazon Exclusive: Q&A with Author Arthur Frommer
Q: How has technology changed the travel landscape in the last 50 years?
A: It has given us the tools to be our own travel agents. By devoting a small effort to ferret out the best airfare and hotel search engines, we can snare bargains and discounts in travel that used to go unused. We can lower the cost of travel—and thus travel more frequently.
Q: What is your favorite travel destination and how many times have you been there?
A: Paris leads the list; I can’t get enough of it (have vacationed there dozens of times). I find it occupies the frontiers of art and culture, history and cuisine, political discourse and literary events. The Parisians have become excellent, courteous hosts (contrary to a popular misconception), and the city itself is, to me, a place of enchantment that never grows stale. A runner-up: the island of Bali.
Q: You seem to be unhappy with many aspects of the American travel industry. What bothers you most, and why?
A: The shortness of the vacation time enjoyed by average Americans; we urgently need legislation mandating a minimum of three weeks per year of paid leave; the failure of our newspapers, magazines and television outlets to provide Americans with useful facts about affordable travel, in place of their fascination with deluxe facilities that only the wealthy can enjoy; the mindless quality of so many vacation resorts and tours that treat their guests as ignoramuses. I’ve devoted much of my travel career to disclosing the reverse of what most of the commercial travel industry recommends.
Q: What are the top destinations for travel within the United States? Where do you recommend that we go for our vacations?
A: First and foremost, the U.S. National Parks, especially Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon and Great Smokey Mountains. Second, I recommend the non-tourist neighborhoods of New York, especially its world of provocative, mind-enlarging, off-Broadway theaters. Third, Boston, New Orleans and San Francisco, the Oregon coast, the southwest coast of Florida (especially Sanibel Island and its “Ding” Darling Nature Preserve). There are many more.
Q: How has the current economic climate changed the way we travel?
A: It has forced us to consider the use of “alternative” lodgings in place of standard (and far more expensive) hotels: guesthouses and B&Bs, hostels, student residences, convents and monasteries, vacation homes and apartments in resort areas, vacation “exchanges” (you live in their apartment or home while they live in yours), the extra rooms and beds offered by “hospitality clubs”. By using such facilities, you not only save money but enjoy a far more authentic travel experience among actual residents. And I am proud that the Frommer guides have always devoted more attention to these excellent alternative accommodations than any other travel book series.
Product Description
“Arthur Frommer is still dispensing practical advice to travelers.” -USA Today
“Written in Frommer’s trademark light and conversational tone , [Ask Arthur Frommer] covers more than 800 topics, from packing quandaries to the best airport-food options, all arranged alphabetically for easy reference. Each entry is brief, informative, and entertaining. -American Way magazine
“Packed with practical advice for budget travel…Frommer’s strong opinions and conversational writing style make the book a fun, easy read.” –About.com
“Reading [Ask Arthur Frommer] is like having dinner — and a glass of wine and then coffee and dessert — with the world’s best travel advisor.” -Jeanne Leblanc, Courant.com
“Arthur has a unique perspective on the changes that have take place over the past 50 years. This book is packed with everything from airfares and lodging to vacations for nudist and vegans.” -Tripso.com
Organized by travel topic
More than 500 entries
Each entry is a short, digestible take–no longer than a page.
250 b&w photos
Arthur’s style is personable and engaged–his personality shines through.
–This text refers to the
Kindle Edition
edition.
See all Editorial Reviews
Posted December 9, 2009 
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