Travel Web Buzz

March 15, 2009

WEB BUZZ

Fair trade at your fingertips with TenThousandVillages.com

Forgot to buy your friend a gift from your last trip to Africa? Or maybe you'd like to fill your house with cool handmade gifts from India. TenThousandVillages.com has your back. The well-established nonprofit program works with artisans around the globe to sell their handicrafts and, in turn, give those who would otherwise be unemployed or underemployed a fair wage.

February 15, 2009

WEB BUZZ

Eye-Fi uploads images in a flash

The Eye-Fi Card, available at www.eye.fi, makes your travel photo-sharing and printing duties easier. The Wi-Fi enhanced memory card means you can upload your photos from a digital camera to your computer, to photo-sharing sites such as Flickr, Picasa, Snapfish or Shutterfly, or to the Web.

January 4, 2009

WEB BUZZ

Before your trip, be quick on the Uptake

Not everybody has well-traveled friends who can give them the scoop on what to do or where to stay on their next holiday. Uptake.com gathers branded online travel reviews and packages them in one handy website. The result is a travel-specific, word-of-mouth playground that will save you time searching the net for trusted opinions.

December 21, 2008

WEB BUZZ

Round up hotel rates on Dealbase.com

Is it possible to travel during a recession? Absolutely. Finding a deal just becomes a greater necessity. Dealbase.com puts a fresh spin on hotel bargains. Not only do you discover hotel rates with added value and discounts but you also save the time you would have spent digging them up yourself.

July 13, 2008

WEB BUZZ

TravelMuse.com provides vacation inspiration

TravelMuse.com, launched in the spring, promises to make the "entire planning process easy for you." That's a tall order, but the site has some fun features that are worth checking out.

June 22, 2008

WEB BUZZ

Riding the rails in Britain, the Continent with Seat61.com

These days, gasoline prices and airline fuel surcharges get you coming and going, so make the Man in Seat Sixty-One, www.seat61.com, your buddy if you'd prefer to ride the rails and seas.

June 15, 2008

WEB BUZZ

Search with SeatGuru.com before making an airline seat selection

I was on an Air France flight to India last year, and I got stuck in an economy-class seat where half the leg room was taken up by an immovable metal box. I wished I had checked out www.seatguru.com before I made my seat selection.

June 8, 2008

WEB BUZZ

Airportdiscountparking.com gives tips on airport parking

I hate to pay big bucks to park my car at LAX, so I thought a site called www.airportdiscountparking.com would be just the ticket to save some cash.

May 11, 2008

WEB BUZZ

Trip tips shared at TripWiser.com

Let's share. Your trip tips, I mean. So head to Trip Wiser.com, a site where you can post your finds, itineraries and share with the world or just your close friends.

May 4, 2008

WEB BUZZ

Share cool spots you discover on Wayfaring.com

You just found a cool spot on your travels and want to share it with the world; www.wayfaring.com is one tool.

April 20, 2008

WEB BUZZ

ForestCamping.com has the facts on camping

Camping season is upon us. ForestCamping.com may help you find your spot among the trees, birds and bees.

April 13, 2008

WEB BUZZ

Dodging delays by the numbers with AvoidDelays.com

AvoidDelays.com makes it easy to plan flights based on statistics. The info comes from the National Air Traffic Controllers Assn.

April 6, 2008

WEB BUZZ

GymTicket.com helps you find gyms on the go

Traveling can take a toll on your workout routine, and not all hotel gyms are created equal. So how can you find a place to burn some calories if you're on the road? GymTicket.com.

March 30, 2008

WEB BUZZ

AirlineQuality.com rates carriers, airports

Flying is such an ordeal these days that it's better to be armed with information before you take your coach class seat. At AirlineQuality.com, the website of Skytrax, an air-transport industry research company based in Britain, you can find out how the airlines stack up.

February 24, 2008

WEB BUZZ

Travelpost.com reviews hotels

Travelpost.com, acquired by Sidestep.com in 2006, is another entrant into the hotel review world.

February 10, 2008

WEB BUZZ

Mizpee.com for finding public toilets

Mizpee.com is a useful website that tells you where to go when you have to go.

January 27, 2008

WEB BUZZ

Extravigator.com, good dish with discriminating tastes

As I write this, I am waiting to see whether Extravigator.com has accepted me as a member. The site reserves itself for "world travelers, with discriminating taste" (meaning with deep pockets) and screens would-be members by asking them for the name and location of their favorite hotel.

January 20, 2008

WEB BUZZ

KeepYouSafe.com stores your vital info

Before a long trip to Asia last month, I jotted in a notebook my credit card numbers, passport number and other info I couldn't afford to lose, then secreted it in my luggage. Not the safest way to go, but then I didn't know about KeepYouSafe.com.

January 13, 2008

WEB BUZZ

FabSearch.com like your own research team

Think of FabSearch.com as a clipping service for travel recommendations. The site's three-member team combed through 24 months of blogs (such as Daily Candy) and high-end glossies to cull recommendations on where to stay and eat.

January 6, 2008

WEB BUZZ

HoneymoonersReviewGuide.com offers tips for newlyweds

Heads up, all you people who got engaged over the holidays. Forget about planning the wedding. Let's concentrate on the fun stuff: the honeymoon. HoneymoonersReviewGuide.com can help.

December 30, 2007

WEB BUZZ

World-Calendar.com and TimeAndDate.com

I once was stuck in Poland on Nov. 1, All Saints Day, unaware that the Polish take the holiday so seriously: The country shuts down. I wish I had known about World-Calendar.com and TimeAndDate.com.

December 23, 2007

WEB BUZZ

Finding a fast-food site on the run

The holidays are a-comin', and we're all out a-runnin'. Too many gifts to buy, too many errands to run, too many parties to stop by. There's no time to sit down for a leisurely meal. If you need to eat on the run but can't find your favorite fast-foot joint, FastFoodMaps.com will focus in on one for you in more than 50 cities.

December 16, 2007

WEB BUZZ

Sleepinginairports.com rates best airports for sleeping

As millions of travelers start moving around the world in the next two weeks, many will be stuck in airports. Blame flight delays, bad weather, whatever. The important question: How are you going to get comfortable in those hard plastic airport seats? Well, check out www.sleepinginairports.com and get prepared.

December 2, 2007

WEB BUZZ

Unusual Hotels of the World finds wacky places to lay your head

A colleague turned me on to Unusual Hotels of the World, www.uhotw.com, where lodgings are a trip.

November 18, 2007

WEB BUZZ

Farecast.com and Priceline.com can help with your holiday airfare shopping

Looking for a great deal on airfare for the holidays? Fuhgedaboudit. But you still may be able to score a decent fare. Farecast.com and Priceline.com can help.

November 11, 2007

WEB BUZZ

BestTimeToGo.com helps you figure when to go

So you want to go to Botswana but don't know when to plan your trip? I found out by going to BestTimeToGo.com, a website that helps travelers figure out when to go where.

November 4, 2007

WEB BUZZ

The call of the e-mail -- by cell through with Teleflip.com

I was away during the fires two weeks ago, but the website called Teleflip.com helped me stay in touch with friends through e-mail, even though I don't have a BlackBerry or a Treo and I was away from my laptop.

October 28, 2007

WEB BUZZ

Follow the links to spooky Halloween sites

We're in the Halloween spirit, so we took a look at some websites, such as www.haunted-places.com and www.headlesshorseman.co.uk, that help travelers tune in to ghostly -- or ghastly -- fun.

October 21, 2007

WEB BUZZ

Via Viamigo.com, book a guide before you go

Viamigo.com, a site launched in September, has the potential to make a lot of happy connections by pairing travelers with tour guides and tours.

October 14, 2007

WEB BUZZ

Lower fares on cFares.com? Well, sometimes

Searching for a cheap ticket to the East, I came across cFares.com, a site that promises "below-market fares."

October 7, 2007

WEB BUZZ

DogFriendly.com sniffs out where is Fido welcome

It's a pet peeve common with travelers: Where is Fido welcome? DogFriendly.com, the Internet face of Dog-Friendly city guides, has some answers.

September 30, 2007

WEB BUZZ

Globe-trotting on the cheap with Whichbudget.com

Say you want a cheap flight from Manchester, England, to Greece, but you don't know which budget airlines or charters fly there. Turn to www.whichbudget.com, which offers a directory of such carriers around the world.

September 23, 2007

WEB BUZZ

The best local hot spots? Gridskipper.com knows

Do you care about which Michelin-starred restaurants to try in Paris? Want to know about the hot, new bakery in Berlin? Where the good newsstands are in San Francisco? Then urbane, urban blog Gridskipper.com is strictly for discerning city slickers like you.

September 16, 2007

WEB BUZZ

Orbitz gives airport news a fresh spin online

Early this month, Orbitz launched a beta version of Traveler Update, updates.orbitz.com, a networking site for the nation's fliers. It could help travelers navigate 45 of the nation's airports.

September 9, 2007

WEB BUZZ

Get around like a local with HopStop

Lose the car next time you fly into some cities, and cut down on your carbon footprint -- at least while on the ground. HopStop.com will show you how to get around using public transit.

August 26, 2007

WEB BUZZ

Book late in Britain and still save

With a dollar worth only about 50 British pennies this summer, travelers need every edge they can get. Laterooms.com can help you get more bang for your quid.

August 19, 2007

WEB BUZZ

Tour European hotels online

Now there's a site where you can check out hotel rooms before you book. TVTrip.com will show you videos of hotels in 13 European cities.

July 15, 2007

WEB BUZZ

Give yourself a pop quiz on geography site

For the inner nerd in all of us, I discovered www.iliketolearn.com, a fun interactive site from a teacher that can help improve your geographical knowledge.

July 8, 2007

WEB BUZZ

FlightStats.com a central source for flight statistics

When United, US Airways and Northwest flight schedules melted down last month, Joe Brancatelli of JoeSentMe.com (a subscription-only site for business fliers) pointed customers to FlightStats.com, which helps track flights.

July 1, 2007

WEB BUZZ | STUDENT TRAVEL

Great info for student travelers

School's out, and if you want a travel break, check out the website of the nonprofit International Student Travel Confederation, www.istc.org.

June 24, 2007

WEB BUZZ

Find airfares when they hit rock-bottom

I've been testing Yapta.com, a new site that does more than track airfares between cities. It actually tracks fares for specific flights.

June 17, 2007

WEB BUZZ

Wikitravel get-around guide

Wikitravel.com is a do-it-yourself travel guide to the world.

June 10, 2007

WEB BUZZ | MAPS

On Google Maps, a virtual view from the street

Google Maps, www.maps.google.com, just got cooler with the Web behemoth's new street-level views of U.S. cities.

June 3, 2007

WEB BUZZ

Check gas prices online before hitting the road

Feeling homebound because gas prices are higher than Mt. Whitney? Wherever you roam you can score low prices through Gasbuddy.com and FreeMobileFuelFinder.com.

May 27, 2007

WEB BUZZ | MAPS

Maps to keep your European trek on track

MultiMap.com, www.multimap.com, is a mapping site I've been using that's aces if you are planning to drive Britain and the Continent.

May 20, 2007

WEB BUZZ

Been there, done that: What's on your life list?

Are you the type who makes a list and checks it twice? That's where www.meosphere.com comes in.

May 8, 2007

WEB BUZZ | NIGHTLIFE

Pubwalk.com guides pub crawlers to cool bars

It's almost summer, when thoughts turn to barbecues and beer. That's where Pubwalk.com comes in.

May 6, 2007

WEB BUZZ

AirfareWatchdog tracks low airfares, hidden sales

A new fave website among Travel section staffers is AirfareWatchdog.com, which keeps track of low airfares to hundreds of cities worldwide. People are behind the research — not just computers — the company says, so you'll get the scoop on hidden sales.

April 29, 2007

WEB BUZZ

Web buzz: Hotel Chatter reviews great hotels

If you like TripAdvisor, check into HotelChatter.com, a terrific resource for travelers who think the place where they rest their heads is as important as the destination.