20 QuestionsTravel Resources

Question One

• “This hotel is really reasonable -- should I stay here?”

• www.tripadvisor.com• “Get advice from real travelers — more

than 15,000,000 travelers from 190 countries planned trips here this week”

Question Two

• “I’m staying overnight in a really small town -- is there a gem of a local restaurant here?”

• Urban Spoon--www.urbanspoon.com• Yelp-www.yelp.com• Google Local• Healthy: www.healthydiningfinder.com/ • Foodie: http://www.seriouseats.com/

Question Three• “My dad is in a wheel chair and uses an

oxygen tank. This doesn’t make travel easy, but he still likes to go! Are there some resources to help travelers with disabilities?”

• Access Travel Center• http://accesstravelcenter.com/• Gimp on the Go (edited by a person with a

disability)• http://gimponthego.com/

Question Four

• “I really love Facebook and other social networking tools. They are great, but they don’t have many travel specific utilities. Is there a social networking site out there with a focus on travel?”

• TripIt—www.tripit.com

• Social apps for travel: • Airport Chatter• FourSquare

Question Five

• “I travel abroad a lot for business. I know travel warnings go out from time to time, but I hardly have time to keep up with them via the news. Where can I find a comprehensive listing?”

• U.S. Department of State Travel Warnings • http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/

tw_1764.html

Question Six • “I’m traveling to Rwanda for the summer.

What types of vaccinations will I need?”

• Centers for Disease Control-Travelers’ Health

• http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/default.aspx• http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/

list.aspx

Question Seven

• “I’m on my laptop a lot at the airport. When flights are late, I’m wondering, is there a site where I can track them and see what’s taking so long? The airlines never tell you anything!”

• FlightAware• http://flightaware.com/live/• FAA- Flight Delay Information - Air Traffic

Control System Command Center • http://www.fly.faa.gov/flyfaa/usmap.jsp

Question Eight

• “I’m exhausted and my flight just got here. I desperately need to get from the Atlanta airport to 1438 W. Peachtree St. NW. I don’t want to rent a car. What do I do!?”

• Google Transit—Plan a trip using public transportation

• http://www.google.com/intl/en/landing/transit/#mdy

Question Nine

• “There are so many travel search sites out there. Which ones are best?”

• Kayak• http://www.kayak.com/• Mobissimo• http://www.mobissimo.com/search_airfare.php

(sort of a metasearch of travel sites)

Question 10

• “I’m trying to decide. The fare for my trip to Albuquerque isn’t bad now, but is it going to go up or down in the next week or so?”

• Farecast• (Now owned by MS and integrated into

Bing Travel) • http://www.bing.com/travel

Question 11

• “Times are tough this year. I don’t know if our family can afford the vacation to Los Angeles we had planned. Is there any planning tool out there that will help me cut corners and save so that maybe, just maybe, we could go?”

• Travel Muse• http://www.travelmuse.com/yaycations/

Question 12

• “The family is so sick of the same humdrum Holiday Inn. Is there a resource to help us find more interesting places to stay on our family travels to Idaho this year?”

• Unusual & Unique Hotels of the World• http://

www.unusualhotelsoftheworld.com/

Question 13

• “Sometimes, my wife and I are feeling spontaneous and want to just pick up and go! Is there a good resource for last minute travel deals? This is getting expensive!”

• lastminute.com

Question 14

• “There’s so much to do online. I miss the days with a good old fashioned travel agent. Is there anything that combines technology with personal service?”

• Zicasso• http://www.zicasso.com/

Question 15

• “I have never traveled abroad. There’s so much I want to learn! Where can I find the best guides to other countries so I can explore more and decide where I want to go first?”

• Fodor’s• http://www.fodors.com/

• Library of Congress-Country Studies• http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/

• CIA World Fact Book• https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/

Question 16

• “Now that I’m ready to travel abroad, where can I learn a little about the language(s)?”

• TravLang• http://www.travlang.com/languages/• Google Translate• translate.google.com (and app)

Question 17

• “ ‘Four women, one bathroom. You’d be <hostel>, too.’ Yes, it’s a bit different, but I’m very interested in traveling on the cheap and staying in hostels. Where can I get some guidance?”

• Hostelling International• http://www.hihostels.com/• Hostelling International USA • http://www.hiusa.org/

Question 18

• “I’ve invested a lot of money in my travel plans, but I have concerns—flu, conflict, weather—what if my plans fall through?”

• http://www.insuremytrip.com/

Question 19

• “I need a passport! What do I do?”

• U.S. Department of State, Passport Home Page

• http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738_2.html

Question 20

• “I’m really into rugged activities-hiking, mountain biking, etc. Is there a good travel resource out there for me?”

• GORP• http://gorp.away.com/index.html• “Focus on hiking, camping, and national

park vacations”

• Questions? Comments?

• Homework.

Thank You for Attending!

Questions?Questions?Russell Palmer1.800.999.8558russell.palmer@lyrasis.org