The Frommer's Travel Show

Frommer's Author David McElhinney joined Pauline Frommer to discuss the culinary specialties of different Japanese regions, walking vacation opportunities that mirror the Camino de Santiago experience, ways to experience Japan's sizzling pop culture, and some strategies for saving money on a Japanese vacation.

Takeaways:

• Transportation in country is one of the highest costs travelers face, but buying a Japan Rail Pass may save you money. A look at its pros and cons.
• Accommodations can also take a bite out of the budget, so we discussed what capsule hotels are like, plus the more conventional but still affordable options most travelers prefer.
• Japan's culinary offerings are diverse and budget-friendly. We took a look at convenience store meals, Tokyo's Ramen scene, and the foods eaten in a region of Japan that has the most centenarians.
• Visiting off-the-beaten path Japan will get you out into some stunning nature areas, and into communities that really need the tourist business.

The Frommer's Travel Podcast was named one of the 13 best for travel by the New York Times. It is hosted by Pauline Frommer, the Publisher of the Frommer's guidebooks and Frommers.com, with new episodes issued weekly.

Seth Kugel, the Tripped Up columnist for the New York Times, shared a shocking tale of an Airbnb stay that went wrong. He also gave advice on how to keep yourself safe in a vacation rental. Then Jason Lucking of pAIback.app, discussed this new flight savings tool.

The Frommer's Travel Podcast was named one of the 13 best for travel by the New York Times. It is hosted by Pauline Frommer, the Publisher of the Frommer's guidebooks and Frommers.com, with new episodes issued weekly.

Traveling to Cuba today requires a knowledge of the law, and some strategies for getting the most out of your trip. Podcaster Chris Christensen of the Amateur Traveler podcast just recently returned from this storied island nation, and discussed some of the elements of a trip there, including:

• Why United States citizens have to find non-hotel accommodations
• How issues with the power grid will impact travel
• Why farm visits are so intriguing in Cuba (especially for cigar fans)
• How the beach scene differs in Cuba from other destinations
• Some of the top sights and experiences in Havana and Trinidad

The Frommer's Travel Podcast was named one of the 13 best for travel by the New York Times. It is hosted by Pauline Frommer, the Publisher of the Frommer's guidebooks and Frommers.com, with new episodes issued weekly.

Jeff Greenwald, author of the brilliant travel memoir "The Size of the World: Once Around Without Ever Leaving the Ground" was today's guest.

In the course of the conversation, he discussed:

-What the ideal travel companions are

-What it's like to travel by freighter

-The mysteries of the Dogon people of Mali

-A moving encounter with novelist Paul Bowles in Morocco

-The many meanings of pilgrimage

-The Lhasa Valley in Tibet

And much more.

The Frommer's Travel Show was named one of the 13 best for travel by the New York Times. It is a weekly podcast, hosted by Pauline Frommer, daughter of Frommer's guidebooks founder Arthur Frommer, and President of Frommer Media LLC.

Barbara Balfour, author of "Frommer's Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick" was our first guest, talking about how to plan the best trip to the Canadian Maritimes. Among the topics she hit:

• The tragic Acadian history of the region, and how to experience Acadian culture today
• Why lesser-known New Brunswick many now be the best state in the Maritimes for a nature vacation
• How to plan a road trip along the Cabot Trail
• How you can enjoy Prince Edward Island even if you don't give a damn about "Anne of Green Gables"

Then, Dawn Padmore, Vice President of Awards at the James Beard Association came in to give us a backstage look at this important culinary contest. She discussed:

• Who James Beard was, and how the awards began
• How restaurants get nominated for the honor
• What winning an award can mean for a restaurant
• The Foundation's special dinners, in New York City and across the country, which introduce the public to award winning chefs.

The Frommer's Travel Show was named one of the 13 best for travel by the New York Times. It's hosted by Pauline Frommer, daughter of founder Arthur Frommer and the publisher of the Frommer's guidebooks and Frommer's.com.

The Frommer's Travel Show was named one of the 13 Best Podcasts for Travel by the New York Times. It's hosted by Pauline Frommer, Editorial Director for the Frommer's guidebooks, and President of FrommerMedia LLC, which publishes Frommers.com (12 million page views per month) and the Frommer's guides.

This week's episode features James Hammond, host of the "Winging It Travel Podcast," discussing his adventures in the Middle Eastern nation of Jordan.

In the he covered:

• Why Jordan is such an exciting and
• What the fallout is, miles-wise from the recent JetBlue/United partnership
• Which hotel chain gives the most valuable points
• And ways for people to get started on the "game" that is reward travel.

If you enjoy the podcast, we hope you'll give us a good review and rating wherever you listen to it. Doing so helps us keep creating impartial, journalistic (ie no "pay for play") travel information, both here, on Frommers.com, and in our books. Too much travel information is simply disguised marketing, and we're trying to stem the tide.

The Frommer's Travel Show was named one of the 13 Best Podcasts for Travel by the New York Times. It's hosted by Pauline Frommer, Editorial Director for the Frommer's guidebooks, and President of FrommerMedia LLC, which publishes Frommers.com (12 million page views per month) and the Frommer's guides.

This week's episode features Greg Davis-Keane, the President of Frequent Miler, a blog and podcast that teaches how to make the most of loyalty points. He came on to talk points and miles, but did it in a way that beginners will understand (we promise).

In the course of conversation, he covered:

• Why "buying portals" are excellent tools for amassing points
• What the fallout is, miles-wise, from the recent JetBlue/United partnership
• Which hotel chain gives the most valuable points
• And ways for people to get started on the "game" that is reward travel.

If you enjoy the podcast, we hope you'll give us a good review and rating wherever you listen to it. Doing so helps us keep creating impartial, journalistic (ie no "pay for play") travel information, here, on Frommers.com and in our guidebooks. Too much travel information is simply disguised marketing, and we're trying to stem the tide.

Emily Thompson, Executive Director of The Coalition to Protect America's National Parks was our first guest, followed by Claire Fahy, a reporter for the New York Times, who gave tips on how to protect yourself when ordering and using Lyft, Uber or another ride share app.

Jason Cochran, author of Frommer's London, discussed the newly opened parts of the Houses of Parliament that visitors can see, London's brand new Vagina Museum, a blockbuster show at the Victoria and Albert, tours of abandoned Underground stations and more. Then the New York Times Seth Kugel unpacked a major fail by Delta Airlines, with some useful lessons on what travelers need to know when things go wrong.

Rolando Pujol, author of the just released book "The Great American Retro Roadtrip: A Celebration of Roadside Americana" was our guest, and he discussed the history of the motel (turning 100 in 2025), roadside "Giants" you must see, Googie architecture, and more.