Jaunted - Tag: Travel Websites

IRL R00lz: Why Virtual Travel Will Never Be as Good as Real Life

Dan Gould — 2008-09-04T11:30:21-05:00

Dan Gould wouldn't be caught dead in front of a virtual Louvre. Here, he explains why.

I know you're here because, in some way, you love travel, either as a globe trotter yourself or as a voyeur, enjoying others' adventures.

So I feel it's my duty to warn you about Journeys. The "virtual world" is supposed to be a travel guide that duplicates the real world, providing travel advice within the fake world for the real world. Confused yet? Using the internet as a tool to guide your travels makes sense. But wasting time in a virtual copy? Why bother?

All the posts on Jaunted every day make it pretty clear to me that IRL is pretty damn interesting. Forget anyone who says there is nothing left to explore, and that virtual worlds are the next frontier. The world is dynamic and changing, and new secrets and wonders always abound.

So if you're going to spend time in virtual worlds, fly to places that are completely different than the real world. Go pwn n00bs in World of Warcraft, or turn yourself into a cartoon in Second Life, but when it comes time to actually, you know, go somewhere, do me a favor and try meatspace for a change.

Related Stories:
· Journeys [Official Site]
· A Virtual World Mashup with Real-World [Trendbird]
· IRL Paris Travel coverage [Jaunted]

Baltimore: Checking Out the Charm City Scene

kjb — 2008-09-04T10:30:22-05:00

There's a new site on the scene in Baltimore. 600block.com offers up a combination of features that lets you know what's going on, where it's happening and where the cool kids are. It's a little like Yelp and a little like Citysearch, but since it's focused specifically on the Charm City it can take things a lot further to keep you plugged in.

Although still technically running as a beta, the site has plenty of opinions on the best restaurants, bars, stores and more. Unique features that set it apart from other sites include the "My Scene" area of the site. Here, users can select their own personal favorites and experiences to show others how they enjoy spending their time and where they run the show.

The site also lists the best deals in town daily, whether that's a steal at a business lunch spot or a restaurant featuring half priced bottles of wine at dinner. You can quickly see who's picking what as a favorite and what new hot spots are being "Scene'd." No word on whether they'll take this idea elsewhere, but for now 600block.com is full of potential.

Related Stories:
· 600block.com [Official Site]
· Travel Websites coverage [Jaunted]

Crowdsourced Travel: Conde Nast Traveler to Relaunch Website

pbb — 2008-08-26T11:15:16-05:00

If The New York Times, Budget Travel and National Geographic Traveler can do it, then so can Conde Nast Traveler! The glossy travel mag that's farmed out its web operations for so long has decided to build a new website of its own--and the magazine needs your help to do it.

Consumer News Editor Wendy Perrin, who is web savvy enough to have a Twitter account, announced the news on her blog:

Conde Nast Traveler's Web site, CNTraveler.com, will be spinning off from the Concierge.com mother ship next year and voyaging into cyberspace on its own. We're building our brand-new site from scratch--which has us all very excited--and I've been in a lot of discussions lately about what the new CNTraveler.com should be and what features it should have. Of course, we'd love to hear from YOU as well.

Crowdsourcing: Hotter today than it was in 2006!

Related Stories:
· We Want Your Opinion! [Perrin Post]
· Three Is a Trend: Travel Media Pro-Am [Jaunted]

Disclosure: Jaunted was acquired by CondeNet in April, but no one working there asked us to write this post!

Not Available Via In-Flight WiFi: The American Airlines Blog

pbb — 2008-08-21T12:15:14-05:00

We declared the American Airlines blog "officially dead" back in June, but at least earlier this summer the archives were still available. Now a UK blogger who follows online media and public relations reports that "AA Conversation" has been completely yanked from Blogger:

I've previously mentioned how I was unsure if the American Airlines [site] was either an awful blog or a parody. ... Was this stopped by the person blogging, perhaps beacuse it was realised [he was] doing a bad job of it?

We'd say yes! But it's not for a lack of trying on the part of AA's Billy Sanez, who wrote the blog posts. We pin the embarrassment on management, which was too busy cooking up frequent flier program cuts and merger schemes to fund a blog that would generate tons of free goodwill for a carrier that desperately needs it.

Related Stories:
· The American Airlines Blog... [Press 2.0]
· Our IM Interview with an Airborne AA Passenger [Jaunted]
· American Airlines Blog on Life Support [Jaunted]
· Blogs coverage [Jaunted]

Travel Maps That You Aren't Ashamed to Carry

BS — 2008-08-15T10:00:11-05:00

Sure you could grab the oversize, all-encompassing city map for your next trip, but then you're doomed to look like the biggest tourist ever as you struggle with folding and unfolding it in the middle of the street. Alternatively, you can get one of those pocket-sized, laminated "downtown" maps--but they always end just where the city starts getting interesting.

With the new website Mapufacture, you can define the borders of your own map, plot your points of interest and then print out an easily foldable pocket-sized map.

You can also browse through the city, country and world maps others have already created, from green roofs around the world, to California State Parks and Prisons--great combo!--or even Beijing air quality during the Olympics. Of course the coolest map is the one you make for yourself.

Related Stories:
· Mapufacture [Official Site]
· Maps coverage [Jaunted]

Haterade Travel: No Love for United CEO Glenn Tilton

pbb — 2008-08-12T14:30:09-05:00

We knew there were some people who didn't like United CEO Glenn Tilton, but a new website from the airline's pilots' union is verging into anti-Mesa territory. Glenn Tilton Must Go enumerates the boss' operational, strategic, financial and employee relations failures and hopes to force his resignation.

In particular, the pilots' group notes that United is next-to-last in on-time arrivals among major airlines, losing plenty of bags along the way. On the business side, stock in United's parent company has lost 73 percent of its value since UAL exited bankruptcy in 2006.

Still, union chairman Captain Steve Wallach says it ain't personal:

This is not a personal attack on Glenn Tilton. These dismal numbers speak for themselves. They are a reflection of his inability to lead, his incompetence as a manager and his failure in virtually every category that can be measured.

Have your own horror story that you attribute to Tilton? Vent here.

Related Stories:
· Glenn Tilton Must Go [Official Site, via]
· United coverage [Jaunted]

Toronto: Toronto Travel: Mapping Where the Cool Kids Are

kjb — 2008-08-05T12:00:05-05:00

Online mapping programs have made traveling foolproof--for the most part. But there's always a time or two when you wish you could just type in a particular neighborhood instead of a specific venue. If you're planning a trip to Toronto anytime soon, you're all set.

BlogTO has gone the extra mile and offers maps and tips that offer directions as well as the vibe of the city's many neighborhoods. Available at hotels and other local establishments, the maps can also be ordered online and be shipped direct to you as long as you chip in for a small shipping cost.