Web Resources for the Traveler
www.BoardingArea.com
The Boarding Area site brings together some of the best travel blogs on the net. Some of these bloggers I have been reading for years and some are new additions to my essential reading list. The site was launched in February 2008 by Randy Petersen and the people at WebFlyer (FlyerTalk originator and publisher of frequent flyer magazine InsideFlyer).
Loyalty Traveler blog is hosted on BoardingArea.com.
www.BoardingArea.com/blogs/LoyaltyTraveler
When you want to tap into the collective knowledge of 200,000+ dedicated travelers, you go to FlyerTalk. Highly reliable source for learning details of everything to do with travel loyalty programs, travel issues, and places. The drawback has become its sheer size and difficulty of searching topics. 99.9% of the time your topic has been discussed on FlyerTalk, but can you find the relevant thread?
Great site for posting your travel journal and photos. I like the layout of the personal webpage each member gets to build and write in. The website is growing.
I joined in 2007 and see I’m member 47,000-something. I have not posted as much here as I would like to share. I’ve been too busy working in my own business sites. It makes me jealous to see all the people making round-the-world journeys who keep a running blog. My travel pattern that has developed over the past decade has changed to be more one-week trips to keep the stress on our pets down.
There seems to be great potential for this site. It seems to have a unique position as an interface between hotel industry personnel and travelers. A good source for hotel information with a little bit of Hollywood thrown in for distraction.
This is a site that is fun to look through for viewing interesting hotel properties around the world. The Hotel Search function has several cool options like, “I Know the Hotels Name”, “I Know My Destination”, “I Just Want to Get Away”.
First, you select the region and location type. You can choose from a variety of locations including jungle, coastal, unusual.
Next, you select your agenda: hip, pampering, escape and a dozen more choices.
Then, select your atmosphere: secluded, quiet, lively, happening.
Finally, choose a style: Traditional elegance, cutting edge.
My search returned 6 hotels in Europe categorized as hip, quiet, and cutting edge with locations in Switzerland, Portugal, Spain, and France.
Tripadvisor.com is a good source for general info about hotels all over the world. There is no comparable database on the web for consumer generated hotel reviews. I read the reviews with a fair degree of skepticism. Many complaints are from people who had a bad experience and want to vent. It helps when there are many reviewers and recent reviews are most helpful as conditions quickly change at hotels.
One of the primary issues I have with TripAdvisor is the review seldom tells what room category a person stayed in or the room rate paid. Most upscale hotels in urban areas have 5 or more room categories and some hotels have 20 or more room types.
FlyerTalk tends to be more informative for loyalty travelers staying in major hotels with frequent guest benefits.
www.SmarterTravel.com - general travel news with good, functional tips for saving money. This newsletter has secured a niche in online travel journalism and news. www.LuxuryLink.com - auction site with some good savings on resort hotels. Be sure to check the hotel's actual site for lodging specials since many times there are even better deals bookable directly with the hotel. www.SkyAuction.com - site tends to have best deals for lodging with lots of last-minute time-shares, even in Hawaii, going for as low as $35/night. Airfare tends to be bid up too high for good savings. You really need to be familiar with the going rates of airfares to get a good deal. Cruises are also auctioned here. The site is good about letting you cancel if availability is not there for your desired dates of travel. www.PointMaven.com - site for hotel frequent guest bonus offers for a range of hotel brands.
www.FrequentFlyerBonuses.com - Canadian site that is a good site to check in addition to MileMaven and PointMaven. I find it easier to check bonuses than using PointMaven. www.SkyTrax.com – British-based company offering member forums for international viewpoint of flight travel with airline, airport, seat, and lounge reviews.
www.ExpertFlyer.com – as the name implies this site is designed for expert flyers seeking particular booking code inventory. And if you do not know what that means, then you need a frequent flyer tutorial before you need be concerned with this site’s functionality for planning flights.
www.SeatGuru.com - all about selecting the best seat for your trip. Check it out, particularly if you are flying long-distance international.
www.BiddingForTravel.com This site is essential to visit before making Priceline bids to get some idea of the going rates for successful Priceline bids.
www.EliteTraveler.com great digital images of hotels and destinations can be found between the glossy luxury item ads.
www.bookpassage.com San Francisco Bay Area bookstore with travel writing classes and conferences and a great online section for travel books.
Hotel reservations at good discounts in Australia and New Zealand. Available Properties are posted for the next two weeks at discount rates. I saved over 50% on lowest available rate at all the hotels I booked on my 8-night New Zealand vacation and saved close to $1000 USD.
www.EliteHelper.com –
This is a business that grew out of the FlyerTalk community to help people understand how to construct frequent flyer mileage runs. FlyerTalker, Viajero Joven, turned his knowledge into a start-up, spin-off business. Check FlyerTalk Mileage Run forum for info on places and dates of Viajero Joven mileage run workshops. http://www.rickseaney.com/
The man behind http://www.farecompare.com. This is another blog with great information regarding getting low airfares and finding frequent flyer program changes. FareCompare allows you to receive updates on fare changes for flights from your local airport.
www.eurocheapo.com - I love what they are doing with this website. Recommended viewing if you have an inclination for budget travel.