The repeat visitor’s guide to Bangkok. It's easy for travelers to get sucked into that evil vortex of guidebook "must-see" experiences. Bangkok is no exception. Hit the Grand Palace, eat some mediocre Thai food on a Chao Phraya river cruise and go for a sweaty afternoon spin through the Jatujak Weekend Market. Been there, done that, yada yada yada. Now you want new experiences.
Innovative restaurants, funky bars and cool local shops that aren't hawking the usual mass-produced Thai souvenirs. Here's a quick guide to some of Bangkok's top new venues, some old favorites that continue to impress and a sneak-peek of some upcoming openings we're looking forward to. Shopping in Bangkok Thai fashion Dress from Curated by Ek Thongprasert's Spring/Summer 2012 collection.
But beyond the city's many Louis Vuitton, Hermès and other big brand boutiques are some talented local designers earning global praise as well. Earlier this month, Thai designer Wisharawish Akarasantisook won the top prize at the Mango Fashion Awards in Barcelona, Spain. Travel the world - news, guides, advice for travel in Asia and beyond. The Impact Of Social Media On Travel And Tourism [INFOGRAPHIC] Throwing voice search into the mix to get flight, hotel and rail results. Voice search, to some extent, is still in its relative infancy in the travel industry despite the buzz around Apple‘s Siri and the voice recognition capabilities of Google Android.
While a full blown service at a major travel brand has yet to materialise, companies such as Evature (or Eva, Expert Virtual Assistant) are trying their best to push the technology into the mainstream. Eva was one of the APIs thrown in to the pot for THack London this week, with founder Tal Weiss also having a go at creating his own hack for the event. Similar to the winning effort from SITA Lab from the first THack London in February 2011, Weiss’s effort uses Google Android voice recognition system to allow users to search for particular products. For flight search the hack uses the API from Vayant; hotels come via Expedia Affiliate Network; and rail from Travelport.
Here is Weiss demoing his hack, including useful feedback towards the end of the clip for developers. Sponsors of THack London: How to Bring Your European Trip Back Home. Every time I go to Europe, I swoon over how well organized the cities are, how good looking the people are, and yes, the heated floors. Then I come back to America and sit on my couch, cursing urban sprawl while eating peanut butter out of the jar. This time when I return to The States, however, I have decided that there’s no need to romanticize the European lifestyle, because many amazing parts of it can be recreated at home!
I once asked a Greek woman what the difference was between Americans and Europeans. “Europeans,” she said, “like life.” Maybe this was an insult, but I have interpreted it to mean that Europeans are more willing to find joy in everything- have you ever driven 140 kilometers per hour on the Autobahn? I’m not endorsing speeding, but the fun, free mindset Americans often adopt on vacation gets thrown in the wash with our dirty laundry as soon as we get home, when suddenly the freeway looks less like a race track and more like a torturous commute. Enjoy outdoor space. Be a frugal traveller, not a cheapskate - Adventure Travel.
Have you and a platonic friend ever tried to convince a hostel owner to let you share a single bed? Have you ever walked more than 20 minutes out of your way to save a few pennies on bottled water? Have you ever stubbornly hitchhiked for hours instead of paying US$2.50 in bus fare, or bragged about spending a month in Italy without shelling out for a single restaurant meal? If so, you may have Tightwaditis. At one time or another nearly everyone has committed, or at least seriously considered, a ridiculous act to save a few travel bucks. Perspectives change when you’re on the road. Budget travel doesn’t, and shouldn’t, mean living on bread and jam, sleeping at the bus station and playing bongos on the promenade for spare change. Overnight buses, periodic self-catered meals and Couchsurfing are common knowledge tips at this stage. Can you drink the water? Splurge on lunch, not dinner.
Stay outside of expensive cities. Book as you go. Travel in pairs. Avoid service charges. World's Most Scenic Cruise Itineraries Slideshow at Frommer. Top 20 Travel Blogs You Should Read | Travel Blog - eDreams. Ina Posted June 14, 2012 Do you love travel? They do also. And boy, do they have some stories for you. Take a look at our list of 20 top notch travel bloggers from all over the world who travel around the globe to find new personal challenges, new cultures and learn new things about themselves. 1. Family on Bikes (@familyonbikes) eDreams: What’s the thing you love most about travel? Nancy: The unexpected. Why do you blog? Originally our blog was the documentation for our sons’ world record. Can you recommend 2 other travel blogs you like? Only two?? Family on Bikes | Hecktic Travels | Bitten by the Travel Bug | A Dangerous Business | Stop Having a Boring Life | Bacon is Magic | The Aussie Nomad | Oneika the Traveller | Nomadic Samuel | Legal Nomads | A Little Adrift | Go See Write | 1 Kid 1 Adventure | Caroline in the City | Cheese Web | The Longest Way Home | GQ Trippin | Wandering Earl | FoxoNomad | Mo Travels.
DogVacay Adds Airbnb Investor Andreessen Horowitz To Its Pack Of Backers, Aims To Become The Place For All Pet Services. DogVacay launched in March this year as an Airbnb for dogs — offering owners an alternative to soul-less kennels and expensive dog sitting services for when they need to leave town and leave their pooches behind. Since then, the service has picked up some traction with users tripling every month since launch, and to continue its growth, it’s adding another VC to its list of backers. Andreessen Horowitz, which also backs Airbnb, has signed on to DogVacay’s seed round at an undisclosed amount, joining existing investors First Round Capital, Science, Baroda, and Quest, which had put $1 million into the company.
Although the service first started as a basic dog-boarding alternative, with much of its use developing by word-of-mouth, over the last couple of months, Aaron Hirschhorn, co-founder and CEO of DogVacay, says that it’s also been offering an ad-hoc concierge service covering a lot of other functions, including dog walking and daycare for people who work all day. CEO Of London’s Tech City Project Departs, As Global Tech Race Heats Up. Eric van der Kleij is to depart his post as CEO of the UK’s Tech City Investment Organisation (TCIO) after his two year contract comes to an end this Summer. The TCIO was set up by the UK government to promote East London’s pre-existing cluster of technology startups and is just one of hundreds of similar initiatives around the world where a city is promoted as a ‘tech city’. It’s a natural course to take, given that tech is one of the few economic areas growing during a downturn in developed economies. Even tech-obsessed San Francisco itself is thinking that way.
A TCIO spokesperson told us it plans to advertise the positions “in the next couple of weeks”. Mr. van der Kleij will go part-time from the end of July and steps down formally in September. TCIO now plans to split his role into two, a CEO and a Deputy CEO. A TCIO spokesperson told us: “Eric’s always been clear that he would run TCIO for a maximum of two years. But has the East London focus had it’s day?
Top 10 Most Astonishing Hotels - SweetyDesign. Home design, hotel design, celebrity homes. Here are the list of the most unusual hotels. Some of them might not offer 5-star comfort but they truly are the world’s most amazing and most unusual hotels! 10. Hotel Silken Puerta America Madrid — SpainA futuristic hotel in the Spanish capital which has been designed by world-renowned architects and artists. Don’t worry, this is one of those amazing hotels which offers 5-star comfort and style for no extra rates. At the Silken Puerta America, no room is the same!
9. 8. 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1. The Most Amazing Places On Earth To Travel. 10 of the most beautiful places to visit in Turkey. Posted on: May 20th in Beautiful Places, Travel by Becky Padmore. Like this Post? There is far more to Turkey than the packed holiday resorts. Explore the sights away from the crowds to find ancient architecture and some extraordinary landscapes.
From snow-like natural wonders to hippy beach retreats here is my choice for 10 of the most beautiful places to visit in Turkey: 1. Istanbul One of the most ancient cities in the world, Istanbul at times overshadowed even ancient Rome, serving as capital first to Byzantine and then to the Ottoman Empire. 2. Antalya is best known as being the Turkish Riviera and is the most stunning part of Turkey’s Mediterranean coastline. 3. Patara was once the major naval and trading port of Lycia, located at the mouth of the Xanthos river. 4. Ruggedly and rustically beautiful, Ankara is the capital of Turkey. 5. 6. Alanya is a paradise of sun, sea and sand. 7. 8. 9. This once thriving ancient Greek city has seen it all and lived to tell the tale. 10. Global Grasshopper | Travel Tips and Inspiration. Feeling the Hospitality while Kayaking Croatia. Stepping foot on Croatian soil was a breath of fresh air.
We had been in Italy for a month and while we loved the romance of the country, we were tired of their non-caring attitude; Especially in Venice. We felt as if they thought, “if you don’t like our service or establishment, who cares? Someone will be here to take your place tomorrow.” Croatia was an entirely different story. We were visiting Croatia to kayak our way around some of the islands of the north.
We arrived in Rijeka and were instantly drawn to its warm and welcoming atmosphere. Using Google maps on our iPhone, we searched for nearby hotels and then hopped on to Expedia.com to book a room at one of the hotels on the water. View from our Hotel Window in Rijeka, Croatia We only had one night in Rijeka before heading over to the beautiful island of Rab so it was a quick stay but we enjoyed the warm breeze of the Mediterranean. Our Kayaks await us as we step off the ferry Our Guide Bafo, Doing what he loves - Kayaking.
10 favourite TBEX 12 moments. Rocky Mountains in Colorado, location for TBEX 12 In my ongoing quest to be a better travel blogger, I attended the annual travel bloggers conference, TBEX, that took place over the weekend of June 14-16 at Keystone Resort in Colorado, about an hour outside of Denver — and about 10,000 feet above sea level! My altitude adjustment problem and introverted personality type made it a challenging and tiring conference — but also educational, exciting and rewarding. These are some of my favourite moments. 10. The Rockies. It was my first time in the American Rockies, and though I’m not sure they are quite as rugged as those found in Canada, they were nevertheless a spectacular setting for a get-together. (Unfortunately, though, I had a lot of trouble with the high altitude and felt short of breath, dizzy and tired the whole weekend.)
Tammy Burns, Spud Hilton, me at Expedia party, TBEX 12 9. 8. Build something that you lovemake it unique andmake it memorable 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. Deliver happiness! 2. Are small tourism businesses really ready for the mobile revolution? For years we’ve been told that “this year will be the year of mobile”. Unfortunately, for many of us, this tiresome line became mundane and predictable years ago. You can only go to so many conference that tell you that mobile is just over the horizon before you realize that, at the time, no one was ready for mobile. Luckily, however, Apple and Google stepped up their game and it is now fairly safe to say that mobile has arrived.
But are businesses, specifically of the small tourism variety, any more ready now than they were ten years ago, when WAP and cHTML were the name of the game? You’ve undoubtedly heard me previously mention the PhoCusWright report When they get there and why they go. I’m going to mention it again because, in 2011 when the report came out, one of the most interesting snippets of data showed that 63% of consumers intended to use their mobile devices for booking in-destination tours and activities and that 39% had already done so.
Marketplace dominance Why? What to do. Tripku allows adventure travellers to plan, get social, hook up and go. Running with a traditional commission model Chile-based Tripku is an application marrying trip planning for adventure travellers with social networking, itinerary sharing and finding buddies to go with. The concept, first open beta just released, comes from Beatriz Cardona and Alice Neves as well as part-timers Jesus Salgado and Shaheen Samavati and a partnership with Path11.com – a team of developers and user-experience specialists. Funding has so far been via family and two government grants and tripku also recently became a member of Start Up Chile, a government programme to encourage entrepreneurs to develop businesses in the country. Tripku’s target market is the US$82 billion spent by soft adventurers with this market growing more than 20% annually but it also believes it’s well placed to tap into the trend towards more challenging travel experiences.
Q&A with co-founder Alice Neves Why should people or companies use your startup? Tnooz view: Snap poll: [poll id="10"] Second time Visiting Turkey. Moving to a different culture in Istanbul The landing announcement echoes through the plane triggering the memories of 12 years ago. In 2000 I was arriving from a 17 hour flight with a virgin passport. It was the first time I had left the US – and I was more scared than excited landing in Istanbul. This time I am arriving from a 3 hour flight with a passport full of 50+ stamps from different countries. The strange thing is that I’m still a little bit more scared than excited as we begin our descent into Istanbul. It was this initial trip that kicked off a life of travel for me now.
Maybe I’m afraid of what my present day travels in Turkey will do to me! As I walk around Istanbul the scenes in front of me flicker in my view as if someone cut the film and it’s flopping around on the reel of an old movie projector. A boy in the Beyoglu neighborhood I wish that I could reference all of those old thoughts and reactions from 12 years ago – but back then I didn’t write nor did I take photos. On Orbitz, Mac Users Steered to Pricier Hotels.
Business News & Financial News - The Wall Street Journal - Wsj.com. HOW TRAVEL AGENTS CAN MAXIMIZE LAST MINUTE BOOKINGS WITH IAVRA.COM. B2B, holiday rental company helps Villa Agents fill up their summer calendars with a special offer for new Travel Agents (TRAVPR.COM) UK - June 26th, 2012 - In an effort to fill up the remaining few weeks in the summer property calendars, B2B holiday property rental site www.IAVRA.com is offering new Travel Agents a special promotion. Following a 30 day no obligation Free Trial, agents will be able to subscribe to the platform on a reduced €35 monthly fee for the first year. With the growing trend of last minute bookers, IAVRA’s special promotion offers smart agents an easy way to try offering holiday rentals, without making a financial commitment, and yet making a guaranteed minimum 10% commission. According to the The New York Times , “An improving economy and the corporate travel that goes with it seem to be converging with a population for whom booking travel online has become increasingly onerous and time-consuming.”
IAVRA. MOMONDO NAMED OFFICIAL PARTNER OF SENSATION TRAVEL. Cost of Living. Worldwide ! - Eardex. Cost of Living. What Makes a Good Travel Blog? European Train Travel. How design students think the travel guide of the future might look. More Travelers Take Their Tech With Them [STUDY]
News Headlines. Room Key - Search. Book. Relax. Hotel Blogs - When Hotel Marketing gets Social: When hotel groups rewrite a story: RoomKey. IPK World Travel Monitor: Results of 2011 and some forecasts for 2012 | ETFI Tourism Research Blog | Academic research and trend analysis of developments influencing the future of tourism and leisure. A beginner’s guide to Serbia. Kayak acknowledges privacy breach, says problem resolved. Cheap flights search engine. Which travel sites are most visible in organic search? Techie Traveler. Google Rumored To Launch ITA-Powered Travel Search Product Soon.
Travelers wifi, travelers and internet, tablets and travel, Technology Digital. Momondo Expands in the Nordic Countries. Central Reservation System | Online Hotel Marketing Services, Hong Kong and Philippines Hotel, Spa and Restaurant Software. Social media really does matter to travel brands. The EuroZone Crisis and its Impact on Tourism. What Else? TripCraft, TouristEye, Venere-HotelsCombined, Dolphin Dynamics-STA, Revoo. Wanderlust's top 7 travel essentials | Inspire Me. It’s peak travel season for investors. Italy’s best-kept secrets. Three questions travel bloggers must address right now.
Five Ways to Screw up Your Vacation. Paris: Pack the perfect picnic with these meats from the butcher | Budget Travel Tips – EuroCheapo. Five Foods To Avoid in Italy. $10 billion lost per year in travel scams. How Do You Know When a Place is Safe? Last-minute travel app HotelTonight books $23M in funding. 10 of the best cheap eats in Penang | Travel. Latest news, sport and comment from the Guardian. TripAdvisor Gets More Social by Opening Reviews to Friends of Friends - Tricia Duryee - Commerce. Is TripAdvisor Now A Social Network? | Water Cooler. Twigmore shows how to use friends on Facebook to find locals in a destination.
Gidsy.com: book and offer tours, activities, workshops, local events and more exciting things to do. Best Airlines | Unbiased, Data-Driven Comparisons. Super-creepy! Privacy in the age of Big Data and personalization in travel. 50 things to do for free in Asia from Hostelworld. Traveler's Road to Decision 2011. Travel writers' favourite tiny and unusual airports | Travel. Gezifesto : People online in tourism m... Mmmule. Five Tips for Traveling in Europe. Travel Industry Statistics and Popular Destination Information - KAYAK. İstanbul Şehir Fırsatları. Planning Travel on the Web. Crowdsourcing at TripAdvisor.
Crime Comparison Between Istanbul, Turkey And Barcelona, Spain. Food Prices in Barcelona, Spain.