Twitter Giveaway: On the Ground with JetBlue in Manhattan

I was at the right place at the right time. JetBlue occupied the corner of E. 11th Street and University in Manhattan‘s East Village, giving away free tickets to anyone clad in blue and bearing something plane-related. The crowd rounded the corner, and loud cheers erupted as each victor claimed a voucher for travel. “Any city to any city does have a nice ring to it.” The crowd dispersed a little after 2 PM, and plenty of would-be travelers left happy. Among them were fellow writers David Farley (@davidfarley) and Charu Suri (@Butterflydiary) — great to meet you guys!

If you’ve ever needed a reason to follow JetBlue on Twitter, this is it.

Use social media to plan your trip – International travel tip

Social media provides the easiest channel to prepare for a trip and gather information from friends — or from individuals you don’t even know. Let’s face it, people are willing to share their personal information.

On Facebook, update your status and ask friends for advice on places to see, food to eat, and more. Return the favor, and let everyone know how about your experience by posting updates via comments. Don’t forget to share pictures, too.

Another popular site, Twitter, can be used to perform keyword searches from the homepage. You won’t even need to build a network to find the most current information on any destination.

Hint: Be sure to follow Gadling for travel tips on Facebook and on Twitter.

Bill Gates traveling in Antarctica

Where does one of the richest men in the world go to get away from it all? Apparently, in the case of Bill Gates, it’s Antarctica. The Chairman of Microsoft used his twitter account to post his thoughts on the frozen continent a few days back, saying “the beauty is amazing”, while lamenting the fact that his satellite Internet connection prevented him from uploading photos.

Gates is reportedly on vacation at the bottom of the world, taking some time away from his duties with the software giant that he helped found and his Gates Foundation which works with a number of different programs on a global level to improve the lives of people around the world in a variety of ways.

How Gates is traveling in the Antarctic isn’t clear, but it’s likely that he is on an adventure cruise through the icy waters that surround the continent. While travel into the interior is done for the season, cruises will continue for several weeks yet.

In one of his tweets, Gates says “I’m guessing not much tweeting has been done from Antarctica”, but he might be surprised to hear that a number of explorers that traveled to the South Pole on skis over the past couple of years have used twitter to send updates back on their status and progress. Clearly technology has pervaded every segment of our life and communication is now possible from all corners of the planet.

Gates promises to tell us more about his journey on his Gates Notes website in the near future. Can’t wait to hear more about his trip.

Kim Kardashian creates storm over Federal Air Marshal mention on Twitter

Let me open by admitting that I have no idea who Kim Kardashian is — I’m guessing she does something in show business, because she has over 3 million people following her on Twitter.

Apparently enough people listen to what she has to say, because when she used Twitter to announce that she was sitting next to a Federal Air Marshal, she got a ton of criticism from people claiming she endangered people on her flight.

According to Ms. Kardashian, she used her “sleuthing skills” to discover his secret identity. So, let’s get a couple of things set straight here:

  • Federal Air Marshals are not hard to spot, and you certainly don’t need the so called “private eye skills” of Kim Kardashian to spot them. I’ll spare you the details on how to spot them, out of respect for what they do.
  • Telling Twitter that there is a Marshal on your flight is not going to endanger anyone. It is a well known fact that you have a pretty decent chance of flying with a “FAM” on your plane. In fact, the only “dangerous” tweet would be telling the world that there is NO Marshal on board.
  • Any Marshal stupid enough to let Kim Kardashian uncover him was probably not a Federal Air Marshal — I’m guessing it was just someone who saw her and decided that “Air Marshal” was more believable than “secret agent.”

What do you think? Is outing a Marshal a stupid move or just a waste of time?

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(Image credit: ICE/X17Online.com)

Loews Hotels launches ‘romantic’ Twitter contest

If you’re not on Twitter and haven’t reaped the benefits of Twitter-only travel deals that hotels and airlines are continually promoting, you’re missing out on some great offers. This latest one comes courtesy of Loews Hotels and it’s for romantics-only (not really, but play along for the prize).

The Loews Hotels Twitter-only contest offers hopeless romantics the opportunity to win a variety of romance-themed prizes, just in time for Valentine’s Day. Starting Monday, Feb. 8 through Friday, Feb. 12, one romantic movie trivia question will be posted on @Loews_Hotels Twitter page at 11am EST. The first follower to answer the trivia question correctly will win a DVD and a $50 food and beverage credit good for use at participating Loews Hotels. Of the five daily winners, Loews will choose one Grand Prize winner at random to receive Loews Hotels’ new “Drive-In Movie” package, which includes: 2-night weekend stay at a Loews city property of his/her choice; complimentary parking; daily in-room movies and popcorn from the lobby “concession stand.”

Daily winners and the Grand Prize winner will be announced on the @Loews_Hotels page. More information and official contest rules can be found here.