Arthur Frommer discovered Europe for middle-class America

Arthur Frommer, the pioneering travel guidebook writer who revolutionized budget travel with his book "Europe on 5 Dollars a Day," died at the age of 95 from complications of pneumonia. His death was confirmed by his stepdaughter, Tracie Holder, and announced by his daughter, Pauline Frommer.

Frommer’s death was reported by CNN, CBS, ABC News, The Independent, FOX, The Guardian and The New York Daily News, among numerous other outlets.

Frommer's philosophy was simple yet revolutionary: stay in budget accommodations, use public transportation, and dine where locals eat, emphasizing authentic cultural experiences over luxury. He challenged the notion that Europe could not be enjoyed on a budget and safely. "You were told by the entire travel industry that the only way to go to Europe was first class, that this was a war-torn continent coming out of World War II, that it literally wasn’t safe to stay anywhere other than first-class hotels," he said, countering fears about post-war Europe with accessible and detailed itineraries.

His book persuaded many middle-class Americans that the art, architecture, and cuisine of London, Paris, and Rome weren't just for aristocrats. The Frommer's brand expanded to include about 350 titles, contributing to a global travel empire that includes online content, newsletters, podcasts, and a radio show. Despite shifts in the travel industry, his message remained relevant. "Travel is the best of learning activities," he said. "You should travel in a state of humility, asking more questions than making points."

Frommer was passionate about making travel accessible to average people, not just the wealthy. "We were pioneers in suggesting that travel wasn’t just for the wealthy," he once said. "He believed deeply that travel could be an enlightening activity and one that did not require a big budget," his daughter Pauline Frommer said. "My father opened up the world to so many people."

Born Arthur Bernard Frommer on July 17, 1929, in Lynchburg, Virginia, to Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe—his father from Poland and his mother from Austria—Frommer grew up during the Great Depression in Jefferson City, Missouri. He recalled that some of his classmates could not afford shoes, and going to a restaurant with his family was considered a rare treat. The family eventually relocated to New York when he was a teenager, a transition that was not happy for him.

Frommer graduated from New York University in 1950 and earned a law degree from Yale University in 1953, where he edited the law journal and graduated with honors. He was drafted upon graduating from Yale Law School and served with the U.S. Army's intelligence branch in Germany due to his language skills; he spoke French and Russian, languages he learned from his parents.

While stationed in Europe during the 1950s, Frommer began writing about travel, laying the foundation for his later work. Observing that most other soldiers thought they couldn't afford to leave base, he conceived the idea for a travel guide for soldiers eager to see other European countries. Whenever he had a weekend leave or a "bridge" (a long weekend), he would hop a train to Paris or hitch a ride to England on an Air Force flight.

In 1955, Frommer self-published "The GI's Guide to Traveling in Europe," which featured bargain finds for soldiers and became the prototype for every English-language guidebook series that followed. Priced at 50 cents apiece, the copies were distributed by the Army newspaper, Stars & Stripes. The book quickly sold out, and Frommer received a telegram from Europe saying, "The book was sold out, could I arrange a reprint?"

After returning to New York to practice law at the firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, Frommer spent his month's vacation from the law firm in 1956 traveling through Europe to research a civilian version of his guide. He personally visited every hotel and restaurant mentioned in his book, getting up at 4 a.m. and running up and down the streets to find good cheap hotels and restaurants. The resulting book, "Europe on 5 Dollars a Day," was self-published in 1957 and became so popular that the first 5,000 copies sold out almost overnight, marking the start of his groundbreaking career and changing the world of tourism forever.

Even after selling the rights to his business, Frommer remained a vocal figure in the travel industry. He didn't hesitate to criticize businesses he thought were harming customers. He railed against mega-cruise ships, arguing that they lacked authenticity, and was a vocal critic of travel industry practices he saw as detrimental to travelers.

In 2013, at the age of 84, Frommer bought back the rights to his travel guides after decades of serving as a consultant to various owners, including Google, which held the trademark for less than a year before selling it to him for an undisclosed price. He and Pauline relaunched the print series with dozens of new guidebook titles under a new company name, FrommerMedia, which continues to operate. "I never dreamed at my age I’d be working this hard," he told the Associated Press at the time.

Frommer remained opinionated to the end of his career, speaking out on his blog and radio show. He coined the phrase "Trump Slump" in a widely quoted column that predicted a slump in tourism to the U.S. after Donald Trump was elected president.

Arthur Frommer is survived by his daughter, Pauline Frommer, his wife, Roberta Brodfeld, two granddaughters, and his stepdaughters, Tracie and Jill Holder, who continued to work in the family business. "It is an honor for me to continue his work of sharing the world with you, which I do proudly with his team of extraordinary and dedicated travel journalists around the globe. We will all miss him very much," Pauline stated.

Arthur Frommer's legacy endures in the countless travelers he inspired to explore the world on a budget. His guidebooks, which have sold over 75 million copies worldwide, reshaped the modern travel landscape, making the world more accessible to people from all walks of life. "Travel has taught me that, despite all the exotic differences in dress and language, political and religious beliefs, all the inhabitants of the world are essentially the same," he wrote. "We all have the same impulses and concerns, we all yearn for the same goals."

This article was written in collaboration with generative AI company Alchemiq