It’s that time of year - the holidays! And with the holidays, comes the inevitable countdowns! Countdown to Christmas, countdown to the big New Year’s Eve celebration, and of course, countdown to 2008! In addition to these countdowns, there’s also the off-shoot to the countdown- the run downs of the year’s best (and worst)!
As an admitted travel addict, one of the run downs that I am most excited about is the best of the travel websites. When I can’t be gallivanting around the world, at least I can be reading up, being wowed by pictures, sharing stories and most importantly, planning my next trip!
Earlier this week, London’s Times Online announced the 50 best travel websites of 2007. Although they admit it is not a comprehensive list, it is a great resource that, in my opinion, promises hours on online delight. Here are some insights and highlights from the list:
STA Travel Tools has a smorgasbord of good stuff that every traveler will love! It stands out as an exceptional website because it really connects with the traveler mindset by helping people get excited about their trips, even when they aren’t on them! One of my personal favorite tools they offer on the site, which ironically complements this post, is a Trip Countdown! (Yet another countdown… but this is my favorite kind, a countdown to my next trip!) You can download the countdown to your Mac or PC, post it on the web, and even download a widget designed for your Facebook profile (you better believe I’ve got my next trip on my Facebook page!) You can also make To-Do lists, download a weather comparison widget and find deals. Good work STA Travel!
TripAdvisor is another good website; it offers a fun world map where you can mark each city around the world that you’ve visited with a virtual pin. There’s tons of information including a traveler network and user forum. It also features user generated hotel pictures, one of which I saw actually scared me!!! Call me cynical, but sometimes I do wonder if the pictures really are from those hotels and uploaded by actual visitors (as opposed to a competitor, or mismatched hotels, etc.) Either way, the website is a good tool and keeps launching new, beneficial features so add it to your bookmarks and get ready to waste hours checking off every city you’ve been to.
About.com’s travel section is a great pre-trip resource, and like with Trip Advisor’s map, I have lost way too much time on this site reading up on planning, the best things to do while there, and more! For example, if you are planning a trip to Europe, here’s a great link with tips on what to do 6, 3, 2 and 1 month(s) before you leave. Happy planning.
Although it is unlikely I’ll be using it (as I opt for public transport while in Europe) I had to mention this site for its hilarious name, Vroomvroomvroom. If you’re planning on renting a car in Europe, this site allows you to compare prices, and with the strength of the Euro, any amount you save will help! (It will also help to start praying for the US dollar to crank it up! Who’s with me?)
Two of my favorite sites that didn’t make the list are Kayak and Farecast. The list noted Kayak.co.uk, but when traveling in the US, I use Kayak. Kayak is a newer travel search engine. It helps you find the perfect option for your exact travel needs. You don’t book directly from the site, rather you use to site to search through many choices; it’s advanced sorting features help speed up your search and find what you are looking for. I usually start my search at Kayak and then use the sorting features to get my best options and go from there. Look for more growth from Kayak.
Farecast, like Kayak, offers opt-in email updates to keep you posted on the latest pricing for your selected options. Taking a different twist, Farecast showcases a prediction feature that they call “Know When to Buyâ€. It predicts whether fares are rising or dropping and recommends whether to buy now or wait. Their “Know When to Stay†feature compares the price you are being offered to historical hotel rates data and indicates if you are getting a deal on the hotel price or not. I haven’t had any experience with the hotel price comparison, so if anyone has, please let me know how you liked it.
That’s about all the travel talk I can take without spontaneously grabbing my passport and running immediately to the airport to jump an international flight. More countdowns and run downs to come!
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