New website helps travelers find their next adventure

by Kraig Becker on

A new website promises to help adventure travelers find their next getaway, as well as discover new destinations they weren’t even aware of. The goal is to connect consumers with tour operators and guide services from around the globe, in an effort to make booking an adventurous holiday all the easier.

The recently launched Kumutu is the brainchild of CEO Ryan Off, who came up with the idea of an adventure travel aggregator after growing frustrated with other online options. The site already has more than 900 adventure travel companies already signed up, and they’re targeting to build that number to 20,000 by the year’s end. That means that consumers will have a wealth of options at their fingertips when it comes to booking their next trip, and online ratings and reviews will help us to decide if the option we are interested in is right for us.

As you would expect with similar websites, Kumutu offers you the option to search by activity, such as cycling, kayaking, mountaineering or by country, with nearly 60 destinations, including Antarctica, currently available. The approach is very straight forward, and easy to understand, with your options being presented in a quick, clean manner.

Perhaps the best way to search is by using the Kumutu map however. When this option is selected, you’re presented with a Google powered view of the world, with specific operators represented with a push-pin on the map. Clicking on a pin in the location of interest gives you a pop-up with a very brief description of the tours on offer. Clicking on the tour operators name will take you to a page that is specific to that company, with far more information about what they do and exactly what kinds of adventures they offer.

Kumutu is a nicely laid out and very easy to use travel aggregator, but we have seen a number of these types of sites pop up over the past year or two, and it is becoming increasingly difficult for them to stand out in the crowd. If they hit their goal of 20,000 tour operators by the end of the year however, Kumutu could become your one-stop shop for booking all of your future adventures.

New website, PublicEarth, shares hidden gems from around the globe

by Kraig Becker on

The new website PublicEarth may still be in beta, but it’s already showing plenty of promise for travelers looking to find hidden travel gems and inside information for their next trip. The idea behind the site is that it is set up in a wiki format allowing contributors to share their experiences and favorite locations with others in a unique and interesting format.

PublicEarth is the brainchild of Duncan McCall, an avid adventure traveler who has explored the far corners of the globe. While on those travels, he would often meet up with other adventurers, and swap stories over a few beers, sharing tips and secret destinations. Those conversations proved invaluable in getting the most out of those journeys, and upon returning home to the U.S., McCall wanted to come up with a way to create that same experience for travelers everywhere. PublicEarth was born from that idea.

The website’s concept is simple. The plan is to combine “location searching and place discovery” with well designed and easy to use tools that make it simple for travelers to not only sift through the content, but also share their own experiences as well. With nearly five million places already in the system, it is clear that the concept is already resonating with travelers, who are contributing as much as they are reading.Visitors to the site are able to find places in a number of categories, such as “food & drink”, “history & culture”, “outdoors & nature”, and more. The entries are then dropped on to a map, showing locations and general proximity to one another, making it a perfect tool to plan your next escape.

PublicEarth looks like it has the potential to be a very powerful and useful tool, and it is already growing quite quickly. It just might earn a spot in your list of favorite travel sites as well.

Gadlinks for Wednesday 10.14.09

by Brenda Yun on

It’s that time again! Here are the latest travel reads for my Gadlinks faithful.

‘Til tomorrow, have a great evening!

More Gadlinks HERE.

10 travel sites (besides Gadling) to keep an eye on

by Anna Brones on

Hopefully you’re an avid Gadling reader. With popular features like The Cockpit Chronicles and Galley Gossip and helpful tips on new travel gadgets and which destinations to avoid, how could you not be?

Ok, enough with the shameless self-promotion; we’re obviously not the only travel website out there. The Times Online just published an article on the 10 travel websites to watch for October. The list is a good combination of sites that give you everything from dirty pilot rumors to tips on staying slim while on the road. Keep in mind that since it’s from the Times Online, the list has an English twist – many of the sites are Britain related.

Check them out yourself:

  1. Professional Pilots’ Rumour Network – check out the topic “nicest celebs” for the inside scoop
  2. Seatplans.com – aircraft seating plans and flight reviews
  3. Thetrainline.com – find cheap tickets in the UK and on Eurostar
  4. Hotels.com Visualiser – custom select your ideal hotel and the site finds on that matches
  5. Mr. & Mrs. Smith route planner – plan your itinerary with the site’s tips on local pubs, etc.
  6. Virgin Holidays + Hip Hotels – uber stylish hotels for the glitterati
  7. Slimtree – fitness workouts you can download and use on the road
  8. Trivago a new travel search engine
  9. RogerandRandy.com – business travel experts give their two cents
  10. Great Hotels of the World -the name says it all