Arthur Frommer

Was a well known American travel writer, but he was also a consumer advocate, lawyer and publisher. Frommer was drafted as a U.S. Army soldier in post-WWII Germany and used his weekend leave to explore European cities on a budget. In 1955, he self-published The GI’s Guide to Travelling in Europe. Two years later whilst working as an attorney in NYC, he published Europe on 5 Dollars a Day. The book pushed independent travel and recommended small scale local accommodation operators and food vendors rather than upmarket hotels. Frommer also had a penchant for seeking out ‘off piste’ tourist sites. Today Frommer is considered to be the founder of the concept of sustainable travel. The following quotes from Arthur Frommer might also give you some insight into the principles of Gonzo travel.

‘Travel is best not when it is an escape from stress, but when it’s about problem-solving; when the travellers have to make decisions and sacrifices that bring them into contact with unexpected people and risks they wouldn’t try at home. Travel could only broaden the mind in economy-class’.

‘I have always felt that the less you spend, the more you enjoy.
The moment you put yourself in a first-class hotel, you become walled off from life, in a world devoted to creature comforts. When you go to sleep, you no longer know whether you’re in a one-star or a five-star hotel. Big rooms and amenities are all sheer nonsense’.

‘Travel is the best of learning activities. You should travel in a state of humility, asking more questions than making points.
You were told by the entire travel industry that the only way to go to Europe was first-class [and] that it literally wasn’t safe to stay anywhere other than first-class hotels’.

GONZO RESOURCES