Geeky Traveller » Travel Lust

Trazzler gives you multiple options for your travel lust

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 10:00:57 +0000

Trazzler is a great multi-method website that can give you different ways to figure out where to travel.

You begin by creating your account which lists the area in which you live. From there, Trazzler will give you some suggestions for weekend trips, answering the basic question “where should I go?” The site will give you dozens of ideas for places to see that are close to home. In the browsing mode, you can narrow down the list by specifying what type of getaway you’re looking for – beach visit, fun festival, etc.

From there you can create two lists – one is a list of places that you’ve been that you enjoyed (if you’re a beach bunny and hated the one trip you took wilderness camping, don’t include it and such getaways won’t be suggested). Then create a wishlist, all the places you would love to go some day.

The more you grow your wishlist and list of places that you’ve seen, the more Trazzler can understand what kind of traveler you are. Then the site will be able to give you personalized recommendations of where you might enjoy going (that part is still under development but will be available soon).

The site will be able to find you any number of vacations, whether you’re seeking a culinary adventure, small town lodging, a city full of exciting architecture, or adventure holidays.

I created an account to try it out. When I entered my Montreal location and narrowed the field down to “beach” (it’s all about the sand and surf for me!), Trazzler gave me a huge selection of beach getaways from Ontario to New Hampshire, to Maine, to Rhode Island. They all sound good to me!

They’re promising more developments in time, so be sure to visit Trazzler often to see what’s next!

(source // photo – sxc.hu)

Post from: Geeky Traveller

Do you travel at the Last Minute?

Sun, 27 Jul 2008 23:33:04 +0000

There are two main categories of travelers (aside from the obvious of pleasure vs. business) and that is Planned Travel and Last Minute Travel. While planning ahead is a great way to ease any stress you might feel about wanting to know your hotel and destination plans as much as possible, it’s a well known fact that snagging last minute deals can give you an excellent price. A friend of mine desperately needed a break from work this past winter and took some accumulated time off at the office. She picked up a phone and snagged a last minute week-long vacation in the Dominican Republic starting a mere two days later. She paid a ridiculously low price for an all-inclusive vacation on a beach paradise and loved it.

If you’re adventurous enough to be flexible with your vacation plans and don’t mind packing on short notice – and of course, you’ll need all necessary passports ready to go – you can also get a great deal. LastMinuteTravel.com is a site that promises to get you a great value on, you know, last minute travel opportunities. They’ll find cheap airline tickets, cruises, hotel rooms, and full travel packages that are ready for you right away.

Do remember that the catch here is that you can’t be picky. If you have your heart set on leaving on the 15th but the best price is on a package that requires you to fly out on the 13th, you’ll have to either be flexible or be willing to give up the low fare. As advised by my aforementioned friend, it also helps if you’re not too concerned with the exact destination. When she needed her vacation all she cared about was that it involved a beach and the ocean. Beyond that she didn’t care if it was Cuba, Florida, or Barbados, and so she was just as happy with her Dominican getaway. Being bold and ready for anything is the best way to take advantage of a site like LastMinuteTravel.com.

Do let me know if you try the site out for your next trip!

(source // photos sxc.hu)

Post from: Geeky Traveller

Just for fun – Visited Countries

Sat, 05 Jan 2008 21:34:31 +0000

This is a great little site just for fun purposes. You can go to Visited Countries and click on all the countries that you have traveled to in your life. Once you’re done it will generate a world map showing how well-traveled you are.

Mine is really flippin’ boring.

Yes, that’s it. I’ve visited a couple of parts of Canada other than where I currently live. I’ve been to a handful of American states. And I’ve been to Mexico. Sheesh. Looking at this makes me desperately want to win the lottery so I can travel more. If I could go everywhere I’ve longed to go all my life, it would look like this:

Well. If I ever do win the lotto, I’d better get moving, I have a lot of places to visit!

How about you? Is your traveled map as extensive as you’d like it to be?

Post from: Geeky Traveller

For those with travel lust

Sat, 22 Dec 2007 03:15:30 +0000

The sad truth is that although many of might like to, not everyone can just travel whenever they want to whichever destination they want. Alas.

If you’re in that same position, the position of having travel lust but no means to get there right now, you can spend $35 instead for a shower curtain that will at least let you dream if you can’t be there in person. These shower curtains are seriously the most beautiful I’ve ever seen, each one showing a stunning black and white world destination. Bathe alongside the great pyramids of Giza, Egypt (that would be my pick) or pretend you’re looking out the window as you gaze at a shot of Paris.

This one of the Brooklyn Bridge kind of freaks me out, like you’re standing there washing your hair in the middle of the bridge, but it’s so cool!

You can pick your favorite over here!

(Source)

Post from: Geeky Traveller

Geobeats lets you get a feel for a location

Wed, 07 Nov 2007 02:44:40 +0000

Anyone can read a travel book or sit at a computer to read reviews of travel destinations, but words aren’t always the best indicator of what a location is like. Photos help, but they’re still just a quick moment in time.

Geobeats is an interesting website that allows to you experience a destination in a different way. You can choose streaming videos from a great number of popular hot spots for toursists all around the world. Browse through the drop-down menu for a place that piques your interest, and then sit back and enjoy. The video gives you a host who will narrate the area for you and allow you to really get a feel for your vacation spot of choice. If you’re not sure on a decision between a few different destinations, a little video footage might help you make your choice.

(Source)

Post from: Geeky Traveller

Extravigator for travel networking

Wed, 17 Oct 2007 23:02:35 +0000

Extravigator is a new site for travelers that refers to itself as “haute travel talk where sophisticated travelers exchange tips, advice and experiences”. Don’t let that scare you off though, it’s not hoity-toity exclusive. In essence, it’s a one stop site where you can find commentary from other travelers on a wide variety of locations.

Travel agents may be trying to help you plan a vacation but this site will let you learn about your dream spot from people who have been there and experienced the area. Some are complaints, which might help you avoid a disappointing meal in Miami, some are compliments that will alert you to a fantastic and affordable hotel in Jamaica.

The site includes interactive maps that display some of the favorite locations, as rated by members. You can also break it down to find the top rated hotels, places to eat, spas, activities, shopping, and overall destinations if you’re not even sure of where you want to go.

Membership is free, so go open up an account and browse away to get ideas for your next vacation!

Post from: Geeky Traveller

Travel inspired by movies

Tue, 18 Sep 2007 03:34:01 +0000

Over on Travel Gear & Gadgets Blog, I noticed an entry that discussed movies that inspire travel. I started thinking about it and actually, yes, there are several movies I’ve seen that make me add the location to my mental list of “places I must see before I die”.

For me, some of these movies include:

Message in a Bottle
Vertical Limit
All Harry Potter movies
Mission to Mars (hee, sorry, couldn’t resist)
Amelie
Chocolat
Beyond Borders (always wanted to do humanitarian work like that)

I’m sure there are many others that I can’t think of off the top of my head. Also, sad but true, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, television version, sparked an insatiable desire to see Prague some day.

What movies (or even TV shows) made you want to travel?

Post from: Geeky Traveller