Travel, Technology, Recommendations, Tips, Websites, Apps, New York Times, NY Times, Danielle Mattoon, Michelle Higgins, Seth Kugel, The Frugal Traveller, The Practical Traveller, Travel and Technology: When It Helps and When It Doesn't, Seminar, New York Times Travel Show, 2012, Insider Tips, How To Travel
Book Rental Car
Discounted Rental Car Rates & Coupons | AutoSlash
You book with AutoSlash and they continue to search for online coupons to lower your rental rate.
Photo Credits: Mr Phil Price [flickr] | MaartMeester [flickr] | CoriRedford [flickr] | RandomDuck [flickr]
Find Accommodations
While renting apartments from online sites works well a lot of the time, Seth Kugel noted that there are some cautionary tales regarding fake apartment rentals, including his own experience in London. Make sure you do some due diligence by obtaining references and asking questions of the owner.
Apartments & Rooms| AirBNB
Instead of staying in a hotel, this site links you to people who rent out their home, apartment, a room or just a bed.
Vacation Rentals
Home Away
Vacation rentals around the world.
Wimdu
People around the world renting out their homes.
Stay With People | Couching Surfing
A traveling community offering free places to stay.
Hotel Booking | Priceline
For standard mainstream corporate hotels at a better price. Can get prices slashed to half. Seth Kugel says “It’s astonishing!”
Bidding Advice
Better Bidding
Help, suggestions and advice for bidding on Priceline and Hotwire.
Bidding Traveler
Walks you through the gaming steps to get the best deal on Priceline.
* Find. Eat. Drink. Recommendation
Hotel Booking | Tablet Hotel
Curated selection of luxury and boutique hotels around the world.
This past weekend, the New York Times hosted their annual travel show in New York City. New York Times travel editor Danielle Mattoon moderated the seminar “Travel and Technology: When It Helps and When It Doesn't.” The panel included Times journalists Michelle Higgins (the Practical Traveler columnist) and Seth Kugel (the Frugal Traveler).
Here are some of the travel websites and apps they shared. Plus, we throw in a few of our own favorites.
Travel & Technology
March 5, 2012
Tips & Recommendations From Industry Pros
Photo Credit: Johan Larsson [flickr]
Research Travel & Book Flights
Where To Go | Kayak.com/Explore
Unsure of where to travel? You can plug in your budget and prices pop up on a world map.
Airfare Research | ITA Software
It was bought by Google. For airfare search, it tells you the best dates to fly, based on price.
www.itasoftware.com | matrix1.itasoftware.com
Track Pricing | Airfare Watchdog
For tracking the pricing of specific airline routes.
Post Purchase Deals | Yapta
Enter in your flight number and they will search to get a better deal after you buy your tickets.
Offline | Travel Agents
“Sometimes it’s great to talk to a human being.” For international travel, working with a travel agent can yield cheaper flights and eliminate the hassle involved in cross site searching and evaluating. If available, find travel agents focused on the area of the world you are traveling to. For example, Brighton Beach in Brooklyn, NY has a high population of Russian speaking immigrants. If you are traveling to Russia, leverage the local knowledge and experience from a travel agent located in Brighton Beach.
*Find. Eat. Drink. Recommendation
Travel Planning & Booking | Wanderfly
Plan your travel by entering a budget and your interests.
Photo Credits: Find. Eat. Drink. | The Wandering Angel [flickr]
Getting Around The Airport
Airport Navigation | Gate Guru
Mobile app to navigate airports around the world.
www.gateguruapp.com | Get the app: iPhone / Android
Airport Navigation & Monitoring| goHow
Real-time flight status monitoring, gate changes, baggage claim information and local weather conditions.
www.gohowairport.com | Get the app: iPhone / Android / Blackberry
* Find. Eat. Drink. Recommendation
Airport & Mall Maps | Point Inside
Maps airports and shopping malls around the world.
www.pointinside.com | Get the app: iPhone / Android
Travel Advice | Social Media & Crowd Sourcing
As with any crowd-sourcing, consider the source of the advice and recommendations. Be careful where the information is coming from.
AFAR Magazine
A travel magazine with a social community -- connect with people who have already been there.
Flyer Talk
An online travel community forum.
Gogobot
Connect with friends to plan trips, get travel tips and share photos.
Lonely Planet’s Thorn Tree
A forum where travelers exchange advice and tips.
When You Are There
Go Local | Ultra Local Specific Apps
Find specific, ultra local apps for the location you are visiting -- for example, get the app that tells you all the local food carts.
Translate | Google Translate App
While the technology is moving fast, instantaneous translation is not quite there yet, but this app can still be very handy.
* Find. Eat. Drink. Recommendations
Art & Architecture | Approach Guides
Cultural travel ebooks and app that focuses on art, architecture, food and wine. Picked by Travel + Leisure as one of the top travel websites.
Where to eat, Drink, Shop | Find. Eat. Drink. City Guides
Downloadable curated City Guides. Well-known culinary stars (chefs, bartenders and sommeliers) share their favorite restaurants, bars, food markets and shops around the world. Picked by Travel + Leisure as one of the top travel websites.
Photo Credit: Find. Eat. Drink. | Cameron Russell [flickr] | MaartMeester [flickr]