Preferred Pride hotel program caters to LGBT travelers

by Jessica Festa on

Nearly 100 preferred hotel group members have joined together to create Preferred Pride, a network of independently owned and operated hotels that cater to the needs of the LGBT community. In addition to being “gay welcoming”, these hotels offer equal opportunity employment and are active in their efforts to support the LGBT community.

Certain requirements exist for hotels to be able to join Preferred Pride. Hotels must be either TAG Approved (Community Marketing’s Travel Alternative Group) or be a member of IGLTA (International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association).

The Preferred Pride program was created in order to bring together a diverse group of hotels from around the world who are committed to the LGBT community, as well as a way to learn more about what this community needs in order to have a more enjoyable travel experience.

Breckenridge celebrates 50 years of skiing

by Kraig Becker on

One of the top ski resorts in all of North America is preparing to kick-off a season-long celebration of a half-century of operation. Colorado’s Breckenridge Ski Resort will turn 50 this year, and the iconic destination has big plans to commemorate the occasion.

The hill will officially open November 11th (11/11/11) and to get skiers and snowboarders excited, they’ve already launched 50 Days of Giveaways on the Breckenridge Facebook page. The prizes they’re giving away are increasing in value each day, culminating with the final giveaway on the 11th. Thus far have handed out gear, food and drinks at the resort, tickets to events, and much more.

The resort will also soon launch its “50 Wishes” campaign, during which visitors to the mountain can submit a wish that they’d like to see fulfilled while they are there. The staff will comb through those requests, and select 50 of them to fulfill at random times throughout the season.

Early season skiers and snowboarders will also have the opportunity to enjoy great savings as well. If you book your stay at the Village at Breckenridge prior to opening day, you’ll receive 50% off the normal rate rate for a condo, which translates to $118 per night, with a minimum of a two nights stay. That’s an incredibly great deal for the chance to stay at one of the top ski resorts in the world. They’ll even throw in 2 free drinks and an appetizer at a local restaurant as well. For more details on this offer, click here.

Last year was a record breaking season for snow in Breckenridge, with the resort receiving an unbelievable 519 inches of accumulation. The long term forecasts for this year indicate that we should expect more of the same, which should make for outstanding skiing and snowboarding once again. With plenty of snow and plenty to celebrate, Breckenridge should be a fantastic destination all season long.

[Photo courtesy Breckenridge Ski Resort]

New smartphone app shows users how to have an authentic Australian experience

by Jessica Festa on

AUSTRALIA: Where To Go is a new smartphone app that gives insider advice on how to navigate through Australia and see the major sites as well as get off the beaten path. The app is opinionated and does not include all there is to see in Australia, but only what is worth seeing. If a destination makes it into the app, then you will get all there is to know on that particular place.

While users will get bullet-pointed guides on what to do and where to dine and stay, they will also get in-depth profiles of specific venues. To give you a better idea of what you should expect before you go to a destination, the app features photo slideshows. Not only that, but entries are filtered by categories such as water, outback, wildlife, family, etc.., so travelers can plan their trip according to their lifestyle and tastes.

And don’t worry if you don’t have Wi-Fi where you travel to, as this app works offline, too.

Available on iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad. $4.99. Click here to download.

Host and experience budget-friendly local tours all over the United States

by Jessica Festa on

HipHost, a new “peer-to-peer marketplace for socially-hosted local tours“, not only gives travelers a way to experience new cities from a local’s point of view, but also gives people an opportunity to make extra cash.

Anyone who wants to share their local knowledge can be a HipHost and design a tour based on anything they find interesting. Some tour topics include art, culture, fitness, architecture, history, hiking, markets, music, and more. It’s free to sign-up and guests pay for tours in advance, so hosts don’t have to worry about losing money to no-shows.

Moreover, anyone interested in learning about a topic can search for affordable tours and see a region from a local perspective without paying big tour company prices. Afraid you won’t enjoy your tour? HipHost guarantees a full refund if customers are not satisfied.

Some of the many tours being featured right now include:

And many, many more. Click here to sign-up for and/or host a tour.

5 best smartphone apps for travelers who can’t get online

by Jessica Festa on

While you can basically download an app for anything you could possibly need to do on your smartphone, there are many times when traveling where you may find yourself unable to get Wi-Fi. When offline, many of these helpful apps become useful. To help you during those times when you find yourself traveling and unable to get online, here are five excellent travel apps for your smartphone that will work no matter what your connection situation is.

Jibbigo

For those times when you want to communicate with locals but can’t speak the language, this voice translator allows you to speak in English into the device and have your words spoken back to you in the language of your choice. Downloads are currently available in English to German, French, Spanish, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, and Tagalong (Filipino).

Available for iPhone, iPad, and Android. $4.99 per download.

GlobeMaster: Offline Travel Guide & Utilities

This app is a global travel guide for over 1,400 cities and more than 260 countries. Users will have access to practical information from WikiTravel content about the food, culture, festivals, holidays, traditions, and transportation of a place. Other features of the app include over 1,400 photos, travel reccommendations, a tip calculator, currency converters, advice on how to stay healthy, and more.

Available for iPhone and iPad. $0.99.

Tourist Eye

Not only does this app include travel information for over 60,000 destinations, but you get personalized recommendations for your trips based on your preferences. The app also allows you to share details of your travels on Facebook and Twitter for friends and family to see.

Available for iPhone and Android. Free.

JiWire

If you really can’t go any longer without Wi-Fi, this free app will show you exactly where the nearest location is to get connected. There are over 145,000 free locations around the globe, and you can even filter by what type of location you prefer (cafe, library, etc…).

Available for iPhone, iPad, and Android. Free.

XE Currency Converter

Calculate prices and convert currency with this free app that contains over 30,000 currencies. If you go offline, the program will simply use the most recent rate update to perform calculations.

Available for iPhone, iPad, Android, Blackberry, and Windows Phone 7. Free.