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Arthur Frommer's first guidebook was Europe On $5 A Day, published in 1957. Today, Frommer's guides include 18 travel series and more than 350 titles.
Now daughter Pauline, who began travelling with her parents at the age of four months, is launching her own title. The first three books in the Pauline Frommer's Spend Less, See More series (Wiley Publishing) cover New York Cty, Hawaii and Italy and are due to be released next month (July).
"They're geared toward budget travellers, not backpackers, but adults who want to save money," says Frommer.
Doesn't that mean she's in direct competition with dad?
"Not at all. The Frommer guides are general interest and cover all price ranges," she says, adding that her father has been very involved in her latest venture. "He took the red pen to my book on New York and helped me shape it."
A travel expert who frequently dispenses advice in magazine articles and on MSNBC and CNN, Frommer has no shortage of moneysaving tips. For example, if travelling to Hawaii or Italy, consider a package that includes air and hotel.
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"The companies that bundle these two services can get discounts an individual could never match," she says.
Affordable accommodation in New York City? Frommer seeks out alternative digs, such as a little B&B attached to a Soho art gallery for a nightly rate of $110 (all prices in US dollars); a non-denominational religious retreat house on the Upper East Side owned by the granddaughter of J.P. Morgan for $97. Home and condo rentals, or rooms without a private bathroom can also result in significant savings.
The books also highlight unconventional encounters that allow visitors to meet local people or experience everyday life. You'll learn where to find kava bars in Hawaii and sample the mild sedative used in rituals; sit in on a courtroom trial in New York and see real law and order; or learn how to be a gondolier for a day in Venice.
Look for more of the same in the books that will follow. Frommer is hoping to have 30 more titles including London, Paris, Washington (DC), Las Vegas, Orlando, Alaska, and Costa Rica.
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FAMILY TRAVEL TIPS
Pauline Frommer has two children, aged 3 and 7 and travels with them as often as possible. Here's what she's learned:
- Consider staying in an apartment or vacation home. You'll have a lot more space, plus a kitchen where you can prepare meals, amenities like a garage, and a room with a door you can close for privacy with your spouse.
- Don't wait until the kids are older to travel. Babies are ideal to take on trips. They fly for free and you don't have to do things that will interest them. Take that costly trip now.
- Travel light. You can buy toys and diapers along the way.
- Not all outings have to be child-centered. Intersperse kids' activities with museums and historic sites.
- Bring a current photo of your child. If they get lost, the picture will help other people look for your child.
- At amusement parks, consider getting a timed entry to popular rides. It can be a great time-saver. Never take a child under 2 to an amusement park. They're too young to fully enjoy it.
- If travelling with teens, give each member a chance to plan a day of the vacation. It makes them part of the team and they'll look forward to their day.
- On road trips, plan to stop at least every two hours so the kids can run around and scream.
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MORE MONEYSAVERS
- Volunteer to drive a car that someone wants moved from one city to another through companies such as Toronto Drive-Away.
- House swap through sites like thehomeexchange.com or intervac.com.
- Take a free tour through a greeters program in New York, Chicago, Melbourne and Adelaide in Australia, the Bahamas, Jamaica and throughout Korea and Japan.
- Volunteer to speak English to Spaniards in exchange for a room in a campus dorm. Check vaughanvillage.com.
- Work on a farm in exchange for lodging. Check wwoof.org.