Get your courtesy wake-up call via the web

by Neil Woodburn on

If you’re like me, you simply don’t trust the morons down at the front desk to really come through with that wake-up call when you need it most. And God only knows if that bedside clock on your nightstand is going to do any better.

Well, now there is a web-based service to help you out.

Simply visit Wakerupper.com and plug in the time and date you’d like a wake-up call and the site automatically calls the telephone number of your choice at the appropriate time. Or, since the site allows users to type in a brief text message that will be converted to voice when you pick up your call, you can use it as daytime alarm to be reminded of certain deadlines.

Now, if only they could get it to work internationally….

Would you want to stay connected at 35,000 feet?

by Abha Malpani on

I remember how thrilled I was when wireless became so common place at airports, and although talked about for a few years now, it always surprised me how it hadn’t got onto flights yet. Little did I know that the Internet-on-flights saga has had its twists and turns.

Although never introduced on any American airlines, Internet has been on certain carriers since 2004. The broadband service was initially provided by a Boeing company called Connexion that shut down last year because it didn’t work out to be economically viable — not enough people were making use of broadband Internet in the air.

I suppose things have changed over the last three years and having wireless on aircrafts seems to have come back onto the agenda. From next week, JetBlue Airlines will start offering free email and instant messaging on the aircraft; American Airlines, Virgin America and Alaska Airlines plan to offer wider usage in the following months; and beginning 2008, all Lufthansa long-haul flights will have broadband.

Emirates seems to be leading the pack as it has maintained email and SMS services on its flights since 2004! You don’t even need a laptop, you can do it on a screen behind the seat in front of you. They even have in-seat phones that allow you to call anyone from the sky for US$5 a minute — on average 6,000 calls are made per month, basis which Emirates recently announced that it will be the first airline to allow mobile phone use on board.

Although some awesome material could be gathered from live in-the-sky-blogging, and even though there will be restrictions on connectivity, I don’t see how they would be able to stop people from disturbing others by speaking loudly on the phone or having cybersex through the web-cam. I’m not so sure anymore if I would want this in-flight option, would you?

Cellphones to replace boarding passes?

by Catherine Bodry on

In a three-month pilot program at Houston Intercontinental Airport, passengers will be able to board flights using only a cellphone or a personal digital assistant instead of a boarding pass.

Passengers boarding Continental flights will show a code on their screen that has been sent to their phone or PDA. A bar code stores the passenger’s name and flight information, and a TSA screener will confirm the bar code’s authenticity by scanning it with a special handheld device. Passengers will still need to show photo ID.

Air Canada has also been offering this service since September, and reports that “passengers love the new service.”

What do you think?

Solo traveler resources

by Neil Woodburn on

I’ve spent much of my travel career traveling solo. Sometimes it’s by design, other times it’s because I can’t find anyone interested in taking two weeks off and traveling with me to somewhere like Albania, for example. And yes, sometimes traveling solo sucks, and sometimes it’s much, much better.

One Is No Longer the Loneliest Number is a great little article in the New York Times explaining how more and more outfitters are recognizing the needs of solo travelers and responding with options that really didn’t exist even a few years ago.

Take, for example, Absolute Travel. This New York based luxury travel agency has begun offering a service to its solo clients that matches them up with “compatible travelers” so that they are not alone.

Keep in mind, however, that “solo” and “single” are two entirely different adjectives here. “Solo” is okay with traveling alone but is open to seeking a travel buddy to help with the logistics and, perhaps even loneliness. “Single,” however, are those solo travelers actively seeking other singles with hopes of bringing home more than just a souvenir from their next vacation.

So, if you’re in the “solo” frame of mind and looking to travel, spend a moment reading through Michelle Higgins superb article and its fine list of resources.

New travel podcast series on the Independent

by Neil Woodburn on

The travel section of the UK’s Independent newspaper has just launched a cool, new feature: audio broadcasts.

Something to Declare is a half-hour radio show dedicated entirely to travel that can easily be downloaded from the newspaper’s website. Hosted by editor Ben Ross, the program features “a wide range of travel industry professionals,” as well as a weekly segment hosted by regular travel columnist Simon Calder.

For example, the first (and currently only) show ready for download discusses an art deco tour of South Beach, a report on the 12-week OzBus journey, and Simon Calder’s account of climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro.

And the best thing? Everyone speaks in an oh-so-professional British accent that magically transforms even the most mundane of sentences into polished works of linguistical art.