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Nov. 19 (UPI) — Publisher and writer Arthur Frommer died on Monday at his home and while surrounded by loved ones, his daughter Pauline Frommer confirmed.
“Throughout his remarkable life, Arthur Frommer democratized travel, showing average Americans how anyone can afford to travel widely and better understand the world,” Pauline Frommer said in a statement posted on Frommer’s.com.
Frommer was born in Virginia in 1929, attended Yale Law School and served in the U.S.Army during the Korean war, where he struck upon the idea of writing and self-publishing a guidebook for other soldiers.
His initial effort proved to be popular and inspired Frommer to write his first guidebook for a general audience.
That book was entitled “Europe on $5 a Day” and became the first of many books that he would write and publish. The book continues to be published.
On the 50th anniversary of that book’s publishing, Frommer said he got the idea for the book while stationed in Germany in the U.S. Army in the early 1950s.
His book helped to show Europe was a destination virtually anyone could afford and not just wealthy Americans and others.
He founded Frommer’s in 1957 as a publishing company focused on the guidebook niche and expanded over time to include newsletters, online content, podcasts and other content.
Frommer continued writing, traveling, publishing and speaking at conferences until recently.
He also was a TV and radio host, a featured speaker and in 1997 founded Frommers.com, which was one of the world’s first websites that provides travel information.
Although Arthur is gone, Pauline said she will continue his work and manage Frommer’s team of global travel journalists.