Over the holidays, there was a security breach on a flight heading from Europe to the US. This incident created tension within the US security system and added more time and rules to an already slow process. How do we travelers stay on top of the ever changing rules and regulations at the airport, on flights and at our destinations? How do we stay on top of the latest airport news, trends in travel and travel deals coming out every day? I find it it tough to navigate through all of the news and information I want and need for my travels! Well, I have been searching high and low for the best tools to keep us informed and enable us to be as prepared for our trips as possible...here are a few of the best websites I have found.
Cheapoair.com - I am not sure why I have never been to this site before, but I found them on Twitter and I think it will be my go-to site for any and all of my travel needs moving forward. I first went to the site to look at travel deals, but what I found was a wealth of information on the latest travel news coming out of the industry. There were news articles on new sleeping quarters at select airports throughout the country, how the travel industry is helping Haiti, tips on how to get through security fast, and upcoming festivals in New York City. In addition to the fares the site offers, the blog offers probably the best up-to-date travel news anywhere. The site also offers contests for travel and information for family travel. This is my new favorite bookmark.
Yapta - Wow, this site is too good to be true. You may or may not know that occasionally airlines reduce fares after you have bought them. And some of them have policies that allow you to get the difference back into your pocket. Yapta is a site that helps you do exactly that. They track changes in prices for a variety of airlines, and if you become a member of Yapta, they will alert you to those prices changes if and when they happen. When they do, you can spend the time filling out the airline's paperwork to get your money back or you can pay Yapta to do it for you. And Yapta is now joining forces with Tripit - the company I previously posted about that keeps track of all of your itineraries. Tripit and Yapta work in partnership to manage your travel and notify you if the price changes on your flight. Sign-up now!
Trifter - I have always felt that the best travel happens when you have a local guide to take you around and show you the best places to see. You feel like a real local, and you do get to see the real gems of a location. Trifter feels like that local showing you around and telling you exactly what and where to visit. Trifter is a travel news site that gives you the low down and what is really going on in the travel industry, where the places are that you want to visit if you are a foodie in Detroit for example and where the best prices are across the globe. The information comes from writers that live all across the globe, so the information comes from a local sources. Bookmark this site now if you want to be in the know.
I hope these sites make your travel smoother, safer and a whole lot more fun!
Monica Rohleder
Click here for more of Monica's posts.
Great article.. I have one to add that I really like, Insider Perks. It's not really a booking site but it has a huge collection of professional quality travel videos from destinations all over the world. It claims to be unbiased like TripAdvisor and I have used it to plan multiple trips.
http://www.insiderperks.com
Posted by: Kandi | February 06, 2010 at 02:25 PM