Frequent Miler on the Air A quick chat with Pauline Frommer of Frommer's Travel Guides and Frommer's Travel Show | Coffee Break Ep73 | 10-14-25
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Oct 14, 2025 Pauline Frommer, travel journalist and author of Frommer's guides, shares her insights into the world of travel. She discusses the unique integrity of her family's guidebooks, emphasizing their refusal to accept paid placements. Pauline reveals how AI is reshaping travel publishing and the challenges of updating the NYC guide amid rising Airbnb regulations. She also highlights hidden gems with free attractions, critiques sightseeing passes, and shares savvy tips for securing better vacation rental deals and last-minute hotel discounts.
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Frommer's Origin Story
- Arthur Frommer wrote a self-published GI's Guide to Europe which sold out the week it launched.
- He then expanded it into Europe on $5 a Day and created a bestselling travel guide business.
Editorial Independence As A Differentiator
- Frommer's guides refuse paid placements so their only client is the reader.
- Pauline says this journalistic independence distinguishes books from many online travel sites.
AI Shrinks Publisher Traffic
- AI is disrupting publisher traffic by answering queries directly and enabling quick low-quality guidebooks.
- Pauline lobbied Congress for fair compensation as publishers lose ad revenue to AI snippets.
