OneTravel brings quick airline ticket purchases to your iPhone with “Wanderlust”

by Scott Carmichael on

Online travel agency OneTravel just released their very own iPhone app – Wonderlust.

The application brings easy air ticket reservations to your phone, allowing you to find fares from almost any airline in the world. Searching is simple – and if you regularly use the application, you can securely store your travel profile inside the program, making booking a ticket quick and easy.

During my review, I did run into a minor glitch – when entering an airport code, the app first matches the letters to countries. This means that AUS turns into a list of all the Australian airports. To actually find Austin, I had to scroll all the way to the bottom of the list.

Other than that, the program functioned perfectly – I had a list of all available fares in 10 seconds, and could book a ticket right away. The booking screen allows you to select the number (and type) of passengers, and even lets you pick a premium cabin. Some other apps require you to pay for their premium version to get access to first and business class travel.

Once you have booked a ticket, the app also acts as your booking manager, providing quick access to your itineraries.

Wanderlust is free of charge, and is available in the App store (iTunes link).

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Stonehenge, Machu Picchu top ‘most threatened’ wonders list

by Kraig Becker on

U.K. travel magazine Wanderlust has released their second annual list of the world’s most threatened wonders, with eight very popular attractions earning this dubious distinction for 2010.

Perhaps the two most eye catching destinations on the list are Stone Henge in the U.K. and Machu Picchu in Peru. The magazine actually describes Stonehenge as a “national disgrace” and rips the stone monument for being so detached from the rest of the ancient ruins in the area that loses some of the historical context. In the case of Machu Picchu, it seems the lost city of the Inca is a victim of its own popularity, with large crowds and over zealous tourists blamed for the sad state of affairs there.

The other destinations to make this year’s list include Wadi Rum, Jordan; Yangshuo, China; Tulum, Mexico; Jaisalmer, India; Timbuktu, Mali and the Bay of Fires, Tasmania. Each has their own unique issues to deal with ranging from too much tourist traffic, a lack of security and governmental struggles over access to the places.

Fortunately, Wanderlust doesn’t just point fingers, but also suggests some ways to solve the issues facing these popular attractions. For example, in the case of Stone Henge, they endorse a plan that has been put fourth to build an underground tunnel that wold link the stone monoliths to other nearby sites that are part of the same ancient compound. And as for Machu Picchu, they put the onus on the tour operators to ensure that their groups tread lightly and leave little trace of their passing on the fragile mountain environment and the centuries old citadel itself.

This list does a good job of drawing attention to the fact that many of these locations are suffering from being too popular. Perhaps good discussions about these issues will help make us all more aware of the problems and help preserve these sites for future travelers to enjoy as well.%Gallery-64352%

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Launch party, noir night, and wanderlust mixers at Idlewild Books in NYC

by Brenda Yun on

I love being an island girl and everything, but I’ve longed to live in the Big Apple. Now there’s another great reason travel junkies who live in NYC to cheer: Idlewild Books, the hippest travel books and international literature store in the city, is offering up some cool events and mixers to wash the “stuck in the city” blues away.

Idlewild Books, New York City’s newest travel- and world-literature bookstore located on the second floor of 12 West 19th Street, caters to literary travelers seeking worldly inspiration. Books are organized by country, with guidebooks, nonfiction, and fiction mixed together.

This (Thursday, February 19th) evening at 7 p.m., Idlewild will host the READRUSSIA.COM LAUNCH PARTY, celebrating the launch of Russia! magazine’s new daily lit blog. The party is sponsored by Jewel of Russia. Russian vodka punch will be served, Russian music will be played, and Russian snacks will be available. This new website will provide broad coverage of all Russia-related topics.

Shortly following this launch party, Idlewild will host INTERNATIONAL NOIR NIGHT on Tuesday, February 24th at 7 p.m. The editors of PARIS NOIR and ROME NOIR will be on hand to engage in readings and disucssions of the latest volumes of Akashic’s terrific city noir series, which are set in Paris and Rome (obviously!).

If those two events are enough, Idlewild will be hosting WANDERLUST MIXERS in March! Where else can frequent fliers and globally-minded singles find love? In an international bookstore, of course! Tickets to these mixers can be purchased at Idlewild Books or on the store’s website, www.idlewildbooks.com. Wine and snacks and a $15 Idlewild gift card is included with each $35 ticket. The MIXER FOR STRAIGHT SINGLES AGED 25-44 is on Wednesday, March 4 at 7:30-9:30 p.m., and the MIXER FOR LGBT SINGLES AGED 25-44 will be on Wednesday, March 25, at 7:30-9:30 p.m..

I’m so excited about these Wanderlust Mixers! What a cool idea — and great way to meet some cool travel-inspired, and literary people.

Idlewild Books owner, David Del Vecchio, a much-travelled former United Nations press officer opened this independent bookstore in the Spring of 2008. If you can’t make it to one of the events listed above, there are certainly more cool soireés to come. Check the frequently updated website for the upcoming readings and activities.

Wanderlust and Lipstick: The Essential Guide for Women Traveling Solo

by Willy Volk on

Beth Whitman is woman who enjoys exploring the world on her own. Having logged hundreds of thousands of solo miles around the globe, Whitman decided she needed to encourage other women to shed their inhibitions and experience the travel-joys she has. To do that, she’s developed a website, For Women Traveling Solo, which provides inspiration and tips, um, for women traveling solo. She also maintains a blog, which says she’s in India, enjoying the culture, and, like Justin, admiring the local plumbing situation. If you’re as crazy about Beth as she is about travel, you can check out her other blog, running on the Seattle PI’s website.

Somehow, in between traveling and blogging, Whitman still found the time to dash off a book, Wanderlust and Lipstick: The Essential Guide for Women Traveling Solo. Offering inspiration, encouragement, information and anecdotes, Wanderlust aims to help women travel safely, comfortably — and fun-ly! Including ideas for creating your own dream journey, and providing resources and advice from other solo women travelers, Wanderlust offers suggestions for how women can travel alone without feeling lonely.