I still haven’t
gone through my big bag of brochures from the Adventure Travel Expo, but I wanted
to quickly mention the short seminar I attended given by the legendary budget travel guide guru, Arthur Frommer. For
about an hour, Frommer shared tips for both budget and luxury travelers, focusing on his traditional best budget deals,
as well as suggestions on how to have an upscale experience without paying astronomical prices. He’s delightful and
enjoyable to listen to, always offering up detailed trip ideas and unique personal perspective on the travel
experience. He started off with a critique of the NYT’s Beginner’s
Guide to St. Bart’s that appeared in Sunday’s paper. Frommer laughed off the ridiculous $800/per night rooms on St.
Bart’s, claiming that many other Caribbean islands (like the Dominican Republic or St. John’s) offer accommodation,
amenities and views that are just as fantastic, but at a quarter of the price. He plugged several great tour companies
for places like China and Hanoi, and went on about his love for Northern Thailand and Stockholm, sharing stories from
the trips he often takes with his wife. After the seminar my friend and I spoke with Frommer briefly — he mentioned
the new travel series that his daughter Pauline has been working on, which are due out later this year. Keep an eye out
for Pauline Frommer’s Italy, Hawaii and New York City. She’ll be at the Los Angeles Times Travel Show next Saturday, January
28.