Okay you guys. Enough of this opening multiple tabs and windows to search all your travel options. Travel booking sites are finally getting hip to integrating many modes of transportation into one search, and the latest to up the ante is TripAdvisor.com. In addition to providing flight prices and information, they'll now set you up with rail tickets:

TripAdvisor has partnered with one of the leading mobility and logistic companies in the world, Deutsche Bahn, as well as other top European rail providers including Rail Europe Inc., to give travelers access to train choices across continental Europe as they plan the perfect trip. It becomes the first travel website to integrate multiple rail providers in-line with flight options across a global network.

When travelers conduct a flight search on TripAdvisor, the site will now display rail itineraries alongside flight choices for routes where it's relevant, and in some cases priced even cheaper than air travel. The site has partnered with leading European rail providers, including Deutsche Bahn and Rail Europe, for the beta launch to give travelers access to train choices across continental Europe.

[Photo: Tripadvisor]]]> JetSetCD 2011-07-07T14:55:01-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/1/13/84418/0305

We've long been a fan of Tripadvisor and their hardcore guest-written hotel reviews, but our love for them no ratchets up another notch as the site has finally added airline ratings to their features. Now, you can vote star level (from 1-5 stars) on the carrier as a whole as well as details like seat comfort and punctuality, while also explaining how you really feel about American or Sri Lankan Airlines or even Germanwings, for all future possible travelers on that airline to reference.

While that is a dangerous power Tripadvisor holds—becoming a public venue for griping about every little thing—it's a hazard that is understood by those who really allow their trips to be influenced by Tripadvisor ratings. As of now, only two airlines (Avianca & Air Almaty) are chilling with one star thanks to negative reviews, but as soon as more travelers weigh in, it should average out a bit better. ]]> JetSetCD 2011-01-13T09:01:08-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/9/29/162026/700

From the Department of Not Getting The Concept, here's a really strange story out of the UK. Two thirty-somethings were midway through their stay at the Golden Beach hotel in Blackpool when the manager stormed into their room and demanded that they leave. Police were called and told to evict the couple, though everyone acknowledges that no crime was committed. Instead, the hotel manager was ballistic because he believed that the guests had left a negative TripAdvisor review of the hotel.

How could this story get any worse for the establishment? The guest was apparently a cancer patient getting out of the city for the first time since completing an 18-month course of chemotherapy. So perfect is this clusterfark that we're still not convinced that it isn't some kind of prank or social media publicity stunt. ]]> Omri 2010-09-30T11:40:23-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/5/25/16536/8457

It's about time! TripAdvisor, a site which is essentially like the Yelp of travel, has just released their first iPhone Travel App, which can naturally also be used on the iPad.

Thankfully it's a free application, downloadable in the usual way directly from the Apple iTunes store, and gives quick, mobile-optimized access to its huge archive of user reviews of everything from hotels to national parks. Even better yet, it's formatted for use in 20 countries and 13 languages, so you can recommend it to your friends living—or currently traveling—around the world.

We can only wonder if this app will mean increased headaches for hotels with not-so-great Tripadvisor reviews. Will guests take one look down at their smartphones, displaying the Tripadvisor app, and turn right around? We suppose that we'll just have to use it and see.

Related Stories:
· Tripadvisor Unveils New iPhone App [PRNewswire]
· Kayak's Handy iPhone App: Now With Checked Baggage Fees [Jaunted]
· iPhone Travel Apps [Jaunted]

[Photo: Tripadvisor]]]> JetSetCD 2010-05-25T16:30:42-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/6/26/8840/86514

TripAdvisor recently released their members’ picks for the best tours in America. While some were pretty blah, one that really stood out to us was the opportunity to trek through the wilderness in New Mexico with llamas by your side. You don’t actually ride the llamas, but they accompany you and your group, and apparently the critters are more than happy to carry your stuff. This leaves you and your back free to enjoy nature at it’s finest. Just remember to share your water bottle with your llama friend in case he or she gets thirsty.

The tours take you into New Mexico’s Sangre de Cristo Mountains, and all treks are at your own pace. The tour guides, and probably the llamas too, aren’t looking for a stressful journey. After you work up an appetite as you make your way through the Carson National Forest, you’ll be happy to enjoy a fresh meal. All trips serve up “Backcountry Gourmet” meals and the head guide works as a chef in the off-season—so your taste buds will be in good hands.

Tours start at just $99 if you want to experience their Take a Llama To Lunch day hike. If you’re looking to spend a couple nights in the woods, and really get in touch with your new furry buddies, 3 night tours start at $499. Just remember to bring some llama snacks with you; you probably want to get them on your good side as soon as possible.

Related Stories:
·TripAdvisor Tallies America's Top 10 Tours [Official Site]
·Wild Earth Llama Adventures [Official Site]
·Tours coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo of some llamas: Big Grey Mare] ]]> kjb 2009-06-26T13:02:18-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/6/15/9395/44923

Among the tourist attractions that make us go "ew", Ireland's Blarney Stone has always been high on the list—the thought of kissing the same piece of rock that all those strangers have kissed is kind of gross.The great news today is we're not the only OCD travelers around thinking this.

A new TripAdvisor list says that the Blarney Stone is #1 on the "Top 5 Germiest World Attractions" list. Not the kind of list you want to be at the top of, right?

After polling some 4,600 travelers, TripAdvisor also discovered that Seattle's Wall of Gum and Oscar Wilde's tomb in Paris are considered very germy too. At number four, St Mark's Square in Venice is a clear germ choice thanks to the pigeons. Rounding out the top five are the famous hand and footprints in Hollywood. Looks like wherever we travel we totally need our germ-busting nano scanner wand.

Related Stories:
· Germiest Vacation Spots [Boston Globe]
· Ireland's Blarney Stone Stuff-Up [Jaunted]
· Nano Scanner Wand Makes The World A Cleaner Place [Jaunted]

[Photo: bowbrick] ]]> amandak 2009-06-15T11:42:11-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/5/6/162818/7897

We can't make up our minds about Art Frommer. Does he like the internet or not? On one hand, he has his own blog and he owns a Kindle. On the other hand, he's not a big fan of other online travel sites, especially review sites where amateur travelers detail their experiences.

His latest victim is TripAdvisor, a site with "some of the looniest opinions about travel." That's because TripAdvisor released a survey in which travelers said :

London has the worst food, Paris is the most overrated and Brussels is the most boring, according to a survey of what travelers think about European cities.

The report also said Prague was a bargain destination which practically made Frommer throw his typewriter in disgust. But you wanna know what? We agree with Frommer. Not necessarily because we think TripAdvisor is full of "loonies" or anything (their hotel reviews are always helpful) but these opinions of European cities are really off-mark.

Paris--overrated? Never. Prague may have been a bargain destination 10 years ago before people "rediscovered" it, but it's a bit of a tourist trap these days. Not to mention that one of the newest hotels there opened with rates starting at $444 a night. As if!

And London having the worst food also doesn't make sense. What about the gastropub invasion? The city has good mix of Michelin Stars and more affordable but still tasty options too. We're so angry we're about to throw our typewriter in disgust...if we hadn't thrown out our typewriter back in 1996.

Related Stories
· So What Makes a Place Overrated? [Jaunted]
· To find some of the looniest opinions about travel, head to TripAdvisor.com [Jaunted]
· Grazing on the Cheap in London [Jaunted] ]]> juliana 2009-05-07T11:21:38-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/