Frommer’s own Pauline Frommer is a veteran of the travel industry, as well as a pioneer in travel journalism.

Frommer’s was founded in 1957 when Pauline Frommer’s father, Arthur Frommer, published “Europe on $5 a Day”. Since then, Frommers has been a notable and trusted name for travel journalism and has expanded from travel books to magazines, podcasts and more. 

“I’m very lucky in that I am part of a family business that has been at the forefront of travel advice since 1957,” Pauline Frommer said.

Frommer’s originated when Arthur Frommer was drafted into the army. Instead of being sent to fight in the Korean War like the rest of his unit, his Russian and German skills allowed him to be sent to Europe instead. While in Europe, he began traveling and learned to do so on a low budget. So he decided to write “The GI’s Guide to Europe” for his fellow peers to be able to travel with little money as well. When the book took off, he decided to write one for civilians and thus Frommer’s was born.

Frommer said she originally was going to be an actor, but when her father sent her editing jobs in between acting gigs, she realized she preferred editing to acting. So when Frommer’s launched their website, she became the first editor for Frommers.com

Being able to work alongside her father has been a huge blessing, Frommer said.

“My father is probably the most brilliant person I’ve ever met,” she said, “and to have him as not just a father but also as my mentor has been incredible.”

While Frommer has enjoyed her work, being a pioneer of travel journalism for the web offered new challenges and opportunities. For instance, with the travel books, there would often be a couple months lag in between the time it would be written to when it was actually published. However, with the website, it has allowed them to cover breaking travel news and short term deals.

Despite the opportunity for faster paced news, Frommer encourages readers to still get books along with checking web news.

“The problem with web travel information is a lot of it is disguised marketing,” she said. “It’s not journalistically created.”

She warns that often when you read something that makes it seem like one hotel is the best thing ever, it is because they are being paid by that hotel or restaurant.

For Frommer, her favorite aspect of the job was writing a New York City travel book. She said she once saw a quote that said, “the definition of happiness is creating an area of expertise and sharing it with others.”

“I’ve been writing about New York for 20 years, and it’s changed a lot in that time,” she said. “I love going out and seeing those changes and then trying to make them understandable for my readers.”

Despite the effects of Covid-19 shutting down many businesses in the area, she continues to explore the city as new businesses have emerged.

In addition to spending time writing her New York book, Frommer also hosts The Frommer’s Travel Show podcast. Focused on talking with folks around the industry about ways readers and listeners can make vacations better or understand local culture, Frommer said she wants the podcast to be both entertaining and highly practical.

And in her experience, she said of the cities in Texas, that she has enjoyed Dallas the most, especially its museum scene.

“Whenever I’m in Dallas, I eat so well, and there’s things to see and do,”she said. She also cited Fort Worth stockyards as it really immerses you in Texas with the parade of cattle. She said for a New Yorker it is a hell of a lot of fun.

Frommer will be at the 2023 Travel and Adventure show in Dallas from March 23-24. Secure a ticket to meet the travel legend herself and start a new adventure!

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Cover Photo courtesy Pauline Frommer

Rachel Chiang is an intern for Texas Lifestyle Magazine. Outside of writing, she loves movies, books and crocheting, and often finds herself doing multiple of those things at once. While she enjoys a nice cozy night at home, she is always up for new adventures and opportunities. You can follow up with her adventures @rachie_chiang on all socials.