No one could accuse travel guru Arthur Frommer of being reticent with his opinions. In his new book, Ask Arthur Frommer, he tackles everything from The New York Times Travel section to cruises to budget travel. [Read my review.]
In this interview, Frommer weighs in on how he equates travel to a First Amendment right, why destinations that are just recovering from a disaster offer the best deals, and how the public has given up on magazines and newspapers for travel information.
TravelMuse: Why this book and why now?
Arthur Frommer: Travel is a serious learning activity. It needs to be treated with respect. This is an ambitious book, trying to cover everything.
TM: What do you want people to take away from your book?
AF: Travel is an extremely important activity. Too many people treat travel as trivia. It’s so important I regard it as a First Amendment right. I am a fierce opponent of the government telling us where we can and can’t go. Travel gives us our only basis to judge the validity of our own government. It is an essential feature of a civilized life.
TM: You are quite critical of travel sections in newspapers and travel magazines for writing almost exclusively about luxury vacations beyond most people’s means.
AF: The level of travel writing is reaching scandal-like proportions. It tracks the state of newspapers. It’s a grave problem. There are maybe a dozen working [staff] newspaper travel editors in this country. Nobody in magazines or print is writing about affordable travel. Material is geared to the luxury market. The public has given up on print publications as a source of information for affordable travel.
TM: What country/city do you think is an underrated vacation destination?
AF: Colombia. Egypt. Bali. Kenya. Mexico now. The American tourist underrates places due to fear. Colombia is safe, but hardly anybody from the U.S. goes. Remote border areas may be dangerous, but tourists don’t go there. Same thing with Egypt and the island of Bali. Isolated incidents of violence shouldn’t deter people. Otherwise no one would visit New York or D.C. Strangely enough, Mexico. There’s no more chance of getting swine flu there than at home. I say in the book a wise course is to visit a country that just had a disaster. There is always a lag in public perception, but there are great deals.
TM: Where is the one place you think everyone should visit at least once in their lifetime?
AF: Egypt is a must-see at some point in your life.
TM: You mention that you buy travel insurance these days. Do you recommend any type or company?
AF: It depends upon the trip. I follow the practice of Europeans. One hundred percent of Europeans use insurance and practically no Americans do—we Americans are the eternal optimists. There are lots of Web sites that compare policies.
TM: What is something you never leave home for a trip without?
AF: I don’t travel without a net book. It’s under $300 and practically fits in my coat pocket. I am a Kindle user, and I have an iPhone. There’s an iPhone app now that lets you use Kindle on the iPhone, so I’m getting that.
TM: Parting shot?
AF: Go to places where people have different views points, religions, ideas. It’s vital for every person. You grow as a human being.
