Weather and travel issues dominate UK web use during storm

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Brits set records last week, as nasty weather sent traffic to transportation and weather websites sky-high. For the week ending January 9, 2010, according to Hitwise Intelligence, weather websites were responsible for 1.5 percent of all internet traffic in the United Kingdom. That’s three times higher than the level reached the same week a year earlier. It also beat the last snowstorm, in February 2009, by 26.9 percent. BBC Weather was #12 on the list of all websites visited in the UK, and the Met Office was #22. There were plenty of peeks at how the trains were doing, as the National Rail Enquiries website ranked 56th among all British websites.

Snow dominated the search engines, as well. UK web users logged more than 146,000 searches containing the word “snow” during the four-week period ending January 9, 2010. “Snow forecast” was the most popular. Snow-related searches were up 378 percent compared to the same period the year before. Searches for “snow chains” grew by a factor of 23, with “snow boots” up by a factor of six.

When NOT to book travel online

by Kraig Becker on

Over the past 15 years or so, the Internet has managed to pervade every part of our lives. These days we use it to stay in touch with friends and family, pay bills, watch television, and a whole lot more. Of course, travelers were amongst the first to see benefits from the Internet, and now days it has become common practice to track, compare, and purchase airfares online. But the benefits to travelers have gone well beyond that, as it’s now simple to book hotels or even entire vacations, without ever speaking to an actual person.

But is this approach the best way to make your travel plans? According to CNN Travel, not always. In fact, they’ve come up with a list of 7 trips you should never book online, suggesting instead that, at least in these cases, you should consult with a travel agent rather than making the plans yourself. They argue that it is too easy to get duped on the web and hidden fees can end up costing you more in the long run anyway. A cautionary tale of a couple’s disastrous honeymoon, completely booked online, is used to illustrate these points.

And what are these seven trips you should avoid using the Internet to book? The list includes cruises, around-the-world trips, international travel, exotic journeys, like a safari or trekking expedition, or when you’re traveling for a special occasion, such as an anniversary or honeymoon. They also say that you should avoid using the Internet when you lack the time to do the proper planning yourself or if you are uncomfortable with using technology or navigating online in general.

So, what do you think? Are there times when it’s still not prudent to use the Internet to plan your travels? Ever had any horror stories from booking online? Personally, I’ve had very good luck with using the Internet as a tool to not only research destinations, but also make all my plans, connect with fellow travelers, and purchase airfares and hire guide services. At this point, I can’t imagine doing it any other way. That said, I can still see the benefit of using a travel agent under certain circumstances.%Gallery-67351%

Plan an offbeat stop – Road trip tip

by Gadling Staff on

Quirky roadside attractions can often be the part of the trip you remember most!

You might recall the movie Michael, where an angel wreaked havoc upon his fellow travelers until they relented and allowed him to visit The World’s Largest Ball of Twine. Talk about the spirit of the Great American Road Trip!

Research your route well, and plan to visit at least one — or maybe several! — unusual attractions along the way for an unforgettable road trip experience. Roadside America, a definitive guide to offbeat American attractions, lists thousands of offbeat destinations. Plan ahead, and you’ll never miss such wonders as the Museum of Stripping or Mystery Hill.

Bonus: when you reach your destination, you’ll actually have an interesting story to share with the people at that end.

Get tips on visiting Disney with a special needs child at Mouse-Aid

by Katie Hammel on

Disneyland and Disney World are supposed to be the happiest places on Earth. Every child wants to go to this place of wonder and excitement, and special needs children are no exception. But for parents of these children, the thought of organizing a trip may seem like a far too difficult task. That’s where the Mouse-Aid website comes in.

The website is not affiliated with Disney, but it is designed to help parents of children with special needs negotiate the obstacles to taking their kids on a Disney vacation. There are tips for travel, packing, get around the parks, dining and choosing a room, and what issues parents of special needs kids should consider The special needs covered range from physical and mental disabilities to ADHD and terminal illness.

For many parents, the most helpful part of the site might be the forums. Here parents can discuss the issues important for their children, like which rides might scare kids frightened of the dark. They can also find support in parents dealing with similar issues as themselves. As the aunt of a special needs child, I’ve seen how just knowing that there are other parents who understand your situation can be a big help in and of itself. If you are the parent of a child with special needs, and you are planning a trip to a Disney theme park, it might be worth checking out the Mouse-Aid site.

Winter weather doesn’t deter amorous Brits

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Next time you’re stuck in a London hotel, with snow falling and few options for getting out on the town, order a little entertainment to your room. It will make you authentically British … if you take the latest survey by IllicitEncounter.com at face value. The website, which helps married people find a little action on the side, revealed that its traffic increased on Wednesday morning, as a winter storm tore through Hampshire, Berkshire and the West Country. To help people get a little secret sex, IllicitEncounters.com has even had to bring on temp staffers.

According to Sara Hartley, a spokesperson fro the site, “In light of these figures, I’d be interested to see how much work those ‘working from home’ have actually done.” She continues, “Perhaps these wives and husbands have just been waiting for a time when they could join, away from the eyes of their work colleagues and, most importantly, their partners…”

IllicitEncounters.com has more than 350,000 members in Britain, so if you’re lonely in London on a wintry day, maybe you should skip that walk by Buckingham Palace and enjoy a little takeout.

[Photo by Je@n via Flickr]