Obituary of Arthur Frommer - the Rick Steves of the previous generation

Thank you. We carried his book on our first trip in 1971, but $5 was a splurge for the backpacking crowd. RIP

Our first trip to Europe was on a tour but we still bought his book for ideas for free time and I still have books on Costa Rica and National Parks for Families and Virginia that carry his name. It was his Europe and we were just traveling in it.

And to think in 1957 the base pay for an E-1 in the armed forces with less than 2 years service was about $83 a month.

I first went overseas in 1981 and Frommer still had a great guide. I don't remember what the amount per day was.

Fielding had a great guide as well.

Inflation has seriously eroded the value of the US dollar. In the early sixties a soda was 10 cents and you could go to the theater to see a double feature for 50 cents. Mom could buy a weeks groceries for our family for $15.

Frommer's "Europe on 5 dollars a day" guidebook (1962-63 Edition)
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/europe-on-5-a-day-5-dollars-arthur-frommer-1962-1963-edition--585256914069281347/

He fueled my passion in 1972 when a friend and I spent 7 weeks in Europe with Studentrail passes. We made on $5 a day, thanks to a few nights with relatives in Sweden and 3 or 4 nights dozing on trains to save money,