Traveling Somewhere Else Part 3

I am sorry for my lack of imagination writing on the blog, once again, so you are stuck with the final part of unique travel websites.

TripAdvisor www.tripadvisor.com

This is a great travel portal with access to hotels, airfare, vacation packages, and restaurants. The best part of the site is the more than 30 million ratings ranging from excellent to terrible, with written reviews from travelers. Many will upload photos of their hotel rooms or the view from the window,typically not the ones found in the hotel advertising. The hotel meta-search check for the lowest prices on seven popular travel Web sites. Users may sign up for a newsletter to receive updates and special deals for a specific city.

Tripology www.tripology.com

This is a service for those who prefer to let a professional travel agent do the work for you. It asks basic questions about your vacation plans and then refers the information to three travel agents who specialize in your vacation destination. There is also a directory of travel agents.

Yelp www.yelp.com

Yelp is a social-networking site to share information about one's city, whether it is restaurants, shopping, festivals, spas, or other places or events. It's designed around the city, so the Salt Lake City page, for example, will list the food, entertainment, and services in that area. Reviews offer a one-to five-star rating; map; list of features (hours, price, kid-friendliness, alcohol or not, etc.) and comments from subscribers.

From Booklist April 1, 2010
Susan

Traveling Somewhere Else Part 2

Roadfood.com

Here are a few more unique travel websites you might want to look at while you sit in your cozy warm house and the weather outside is 6 degrees. I don't know about you, but I don't even want to leave the house - it's too cold!

Roadfood.com http://www.roadfood.com/

The Roadfood mission is to connect travelers to the most memorable eateries found on back roads, highways, and small towns in America. The site provides a search of eateries by location, and each eatery features reviews, photos, a list of "must eats", maps, and directions. (The photos on the site are mouth watering).

Roadside America http://www.roadsideamerica.com/

Statues of ravens, living ghost town, Albert the Bull, the world's largest (fill in the blank) - a site that guides you to the oddities found on America's roads.

Schamp http://newyork.schmap.com/

Schmap offers city guides dynamically integrated with maps, photos, events, and reviews. The site is available in multiple languages and offers downloadable search widgets.

SeatGuru http://www.seatguru.com/

SeatGuru provides maps of more than 700 aircraft seats. Maps highlight exit rows, seats with drawbacks, seats close to the galley or lavatory, and more. The site is arranged by airline, then aircraft type.

Thanks again to Booklist, April 1, 2010 for their travel site tips.

Susan

Traveling somewhere else: Part 1

We're tired of winter already - its sooooooo cold and blah and dreary; wouldn't it be nice to go someplace else? If you are thinking of going on a trip or just dreaming about being somewhere else, here are a few websites that have a unique travel niche. Beware, however, most travel sites are packed with advertisements.

Eurotrip http://www.eurotrip.com/

Eurotrip offers an online travel planner for European travel destinations. Users with an account can plan their trip and search rail and air travel between cities. Lodging and activities are recommended as well. Podcasts, itineraries, travel tips, and discussion forums are available. Recommended for those who plan to backpack.

Go Green Travel Green http://gogreentravelgreen.com/

The Go Green Travel Green blog offers an assortment of articles and posts on ways to be green while traveling, such as tips for greening your hotel stay. There is also a section on green travel gear.

Luxury Link http://www.luxurylink.com/

Luxury Link serves the folks who want the finer things in life. Vacation packages, hotels, and cruises are available for auction or purchase and include only properties that meet strict criteria for quality, service, and price. Auctions are arranged geographically and by interest - beach, family, golf, ski, and so forth.

MomsMinivan http://www.momsminivan.com/

MomsMinivan offers "101" ideas to keep kids and toddlers entertained on those long car rides. The site is arranged by age group and offers printable and downloadable games, road-trip tips, and more.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Traveler's Health http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/default.aspx

The CDC provides alerts, news, and general information about domestic and international travel. The site offers sections on recommended vaccinations; traveling with children, pets, or individuals with special needs; diseases related to travel; illness and injury abroad; finding health clinics; a podcast series on keys to safe travel; and more.

New York Times Travel http://www.travel.nytimes.com/

The New York Times Travel section offers informative articles, professional photographs, videos, and destination guide for cities all around the world. Searches retrieve current and past articles from the newspaper. Destinations can also be browsed by categories like food and wine, canoeing, etc.

Thanks to the article "Know Before you Go", Reference on the Web by Sue Polanka from the April 1, 2010 Booklist magazine.