Luxury spring break options for the budget traveler

by Jessica Festa on

Do you wish you could afford to relax on a beach in the Caribbean with private butler service, or watch the sunset from the veranda of a luxury villa this spring? Thanks to Jetsetter Home‘s spring break sale, now you can.

Jetsetter Homes boasts properties all over the world, and during select dates this spring, some of their most affluent properties will be on sale. The private villas are each hand-selected, visited, and approved by Jetsetter travel correspondents, so you know the recommendations you’re getting are coming from a travel professional.

There is no fee to signup – simply go to the website and register for free.

To get some affordable, last minute vacation ideas for spring break, check out the gallery below.

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Nature Valley Trail View is ‘street view’ for national parks

by Kraig Becker on

Earlier this week, Nature Valley launched a fun new website that delivers a Google Street View-like experience for hiking trails in some of America’s most popular and iconic national parks. Dubbed Nature Valley Trail View, the new site allows hikers to explore over 300 miles of trail directly from their browser.

Much like its counter-part from Google, Trail View actually puts us on the ground and gives us a 360-degree view of the surroundings as we take a virtual hike through the wilderness. It also offers information about the trail that is currently being displayed, including: its length, level of difficulty and important points of interest along the way. This makes it a great tool for scouting potential hikes in the national parks before we go while also providing insights into what to expect when we’re actually out on the hike.

At the moment, Trail View features three of the more popular and famous national parks – Grand Canyon, Great Smokey Mountains, and Yellowstone. The video below gives us a glimpse at the technology that has gone into creating the new website, which is just the latest initiative from Nature Valley, a company that has a long history of supporting the national parks in a variety of important ways.

Enjoy the video then go take a virtual hike.


Travel Smarter 2012: Travel apps help you explore like a local

by Libby Zay on

Whether you are preparing for a trip or are on the ground in uncharted territory, smartphones are making it easy to avoid looking like a lost tourist. Download the following apps before setting off on your next trip and you’ll navigate new cities and cultural divides with ease.

Navigate
Need to navigate a new place? Don’t just wander around aimlessly. Whether you are looking to tour a city center or want to go for a walk in the woods, EveryTrail (free) can show you the way. The app goes above and beyond traditional guidebook maps by using GPS technology to show you exactly where you are and what is nearby. It also offers facts and figures on landmarks and historical attractions allowing travelers to decipher exactly what they’re looking at (and maybe impress their traveling cohorts with some inside information). As for public transportation, many individual cities have apps such as the Chicago L Rapid Transit app ($0.99), but AllSubway ($0.99) can help you understand the underground systems in over 100 cities throughout the world with just one download.

Eat
Skip the national chains and search for independently owned restaurants with Local Eats ($0.99). The app allows you to filter eateries by neighborhood, category, or rank. All restaurant listings are unique to that particular city and include a description of the quality of food and service. If you’re still having trouble deciding, tantalize your taste buds with Foodspotting (free), an app that uses location technology to show you user-submitted pictures of nearby food. On the other hand, if you’ve already chosen where to dine but want to make sure you order the right thing on the menu, Foodict Food Dictionary ($1.99) has a comprehensive database of international food expressions and definitions. No matter what obscure foods you encounter, the app allows you to order with confidence.Entertainment
When it comes to finding attractions, Goby (free) uses GPS data to give personalized recommendations for things to do, such as local live music and art openings. On the other hand, Where (free) allows you to search for static locations, such as nearby historical sites, art galleries, museums, hiking trails, or even miniature golf courses. Although both apps also come with events listings, Eventful (free) has a more comprehensive database of performers. You never know, your favorite act might be on the road at the same time as you.

Speak
Whether you are looking to learn a whole new language or just figure out the local vernacular, iPhone apps can help. Triplingo ($9.99) schools users in the local vernacular through a nifty “slang slider,” which offers words based on whether you are looking to speak formally, casually, or in slang. Before you go, download Hello Hello (free), a free language course that allows you to connect with native speakers to practice various languages. On the ground in a new place, Google Translate (free) is an invaluable tool that lets you speak or type phrases and hear the corresponding translations. Word Lens ($9.99), on the other hand, is a nifty app that allows you to take a picture of text and gives you the translation.

Understand
Travelers hoping to learn cultural facts and traditions should take some time to browse through World Customs (free), an app that lists need-to-know information such as proper greetings and gestures. Howcast (free) uses video tutorials to show you everything from how to hail a cab in New York City to how to properly use chopsticks. On the other hand, those looking to learn more about particular topics can try HearPlanet ($3.99), an app for landmarks and attractions that speaks to you like an audio tour. Just don’t forget your headphones, or you’ll definitely stick out as someone from out of town.

Decode
There are also plenty of apps out there that can be useful tools when traveling. Currency Converter (free) by OANDA Corporation is a currency calculator that stays meticulously up to date. ConvertMe (free) converts temperatures and measurements meaning you’ll never have to go outside dressed inappropriately or take guesses on whether or not your luggage will be overweight at the airport. Finally, Clothing Size Conversion (free) is a useful tool for shoppers who need to figure out what size shoes (and other clothing) to buy.

More Insider Tips
Depending on your destination, there are plenty of other apps that can help you blend in and get insider information. Do a search in the app store for your locale and you might be surprised what comes up. For example, writers living in 39 cities in Europe contribute tips to Spotted by Locals (free), which allows users to scroll through tips handpicked by locals. Tourist commissions and bureaus often manage their own apps that are full of great tips, such as the Explore Canada Like a Local (free) app that includes tons of advice from Canadian locals on where to sleep, play, eat, drink, and more.

[flickr image via JD Hancock]

Travel like Bourdain: the ‘No Reservations’ host gets his own travel app

by McLean Robbins on

Fans of Anthony Bourdain‘s no-holds-barred style of travel can rejoice because the next best thing to taking a trip with the famed Travel Channel host is finally here. Today, the Travel Channel launched a “Layover Guide with Anthony Bourdain,” which offers tools to help travelers create their own Bourdain-inspired experiences.


Geared towards armchair travelers, or those with more of a “get up and go” mentality, the app ($1.99) repurposes content from “The Layover” and “No Reservations” to allow travelers to customize trips in ten featured cities, including: Amsterdam, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, Miami, Montreal, New York, Rome, San Francisco and Singapore.

The app allows travelers to plan an afternoon excursion or a weeklong journey, all focused on Bourdain’s signature love of food.

What do we like about the app? It offers curated content from a certified travel professional – if you like watching Bourdain’s show, chances are you’ll love his suggestions in app form, adding the ability to “mix and match” as well as customize a trip to fit within a dedicated time frame.

The integrated “timeline” feature allows users to plan their own itinerary using Bourdain’s POIs, automatically estimating the amount of time needed to do each activity to build a custom itinerary. The app uses Google Maps to estimate the time between distances, to make sure that you won’t cross from one side of town to the other and back.

We also like the app’s customized video intros and notes about each city from Bourdain himself as well as the personal list of travel “Do’s and Don’ts” anchored by the host.

Of course, half the fun of travel is getting excited about the trip. The app offers “inspiration lists” created by Bourdain to help set the mood. His recommendations vary from watching the Steve McQueen classic, “Bullitt,” before heading to San Francisco to studying the “Au Pied de Cochon” cookbook by Martin Picard while planning a trip to Montreal.

As would be expected, there’s social integration as well, including checking-in at locations, earning badges and sharing to Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare.

Have you downloaded the app? What do you think?

New Expedia study finds that travelers are still venturing out, despite economy

by McLean Robbins on

Expedia‘s American Traveler Survey reveals that the economic downturn has not affected leisure travel as much as one might expect. Data collected in late February suggests that leisure travel has remained “business as usual,” particularly for those between 35 and 44 years of age (46%). A percentage of young men (13%) and women (14%) aged 18 -34 are taking more trips these days, perhaps because a down economy prompts travel destinations to sweeten deals.

“We believe that Americans are proving to be resilient in a down economy, by driving instead of flying and taking more frequent, shorter trips,” said Joe Megibow, vice president and general manager, Expedia.com.

An old fashioned road trip
It’s interesting to note that a full 41% of Americans – and nearly one in two men (49%) – have driven across the United States at some point. Just under one in four Americans (23%) and one in three students (31%) are “at least somewhat likely” to travel internationally in the next year.

Eighty-one percent of Americans have visited at least one of twelve major U.S. landmarks in their travels. Approximately one third of people have visited the National Mall in Washington D.C., the Statue of Liberty, the Golden Gate Bridge and the Grand Canyon, while approximately one in four have visited the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Route 66, the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall and the Alamo.

Social media keeps travelers connected
Travelers are also social in nature – 75% use social media, while more than half stay connected while on a trip, although not surprisingly, this usage is higher amongst 18-44 year olds than those 45 and older.

Social media may, but is not likely to, decrease travel to visit family members, however, with only 12% saying that they are less likely to visit their family in person thanks to social media. In fact, 25% say they are more likely to visit family in person.

What about you? Planning a road trip anytime soon?

[Flickr via -snugg-]