imagine if you could have your friends and family fund your travel. where would you go? the sky is the limit!
i thought it would be fun to write a travel technology post each tuesday, complete with innovative websites, apps, etc. then monday night turned into tuesday night and tuesday night turned into wednesday night,and now i bring you travel technology tuesday thursday!
on this inaugural travel tech thursday, i thought i would highlight a few sites that have helped me travel (and one that i can’t wait to start using).
just googling some info on northern california during a recent train ride from los angeles to seattle (stay tuned for post!)
1. triptease.com – my friend, katie, turned me on to this website, which provides clean, exciting layouts for personal travel recommendations. anyone can join for free and start creating travel reviews – for hotels, restaurants, cities, you name it – with professional-looking layouts that scream sophistication. check out jaunt’s recommendations here. i have found this extremely helpful when planning a trip, too. type in a city name, and you can instantly learn the hot spots in town from style setters’ recommendations.
a recent post i wrote on a restaurant in dallas on triptease.com
2. trevolta.com – my friend, katie (and not the katie of triptease.com but another katie of auditing fame), sent me this site last week. and – holy travel! – does this sound amazing! basically, it’s like kickstarter for travel. you create a page with your dream destination, when you would visit, what you would do, and – most importantly – how much money you need to make it happen. and then you send to people to contribute! say you’ve always wanted to go to brazil and would just love to go during the world cup next summer. well, you could write up a post, estimate your cost, and send out to friends and relatives just in time for the holidays so they can fund your trip instead of paying for another bed, bath, and beyond giftcard (not that another bb&b gift card wouldn’t be amazing, as well). the homepage also mentions “generous donors,” implying that strangers can be inspired by your trip and donate, as well. the site is still in its planning phase, but it’s rolling out soon. sign up on their website and invite friends to get yourself to the top of the list.
my husband eating corn from the san luis obispo thursday night farmers’ market, noted on eatwellguide.org for sustainable food!
3. eatwellguide.org – my inner hippie from los angeles is coming out on this one. let’s say you’re taking a road trip from los angeles to dallas (ok, selfish thought as this was the road trip my husband and i made at least once – sometimes twice! – each year) and you’re sick of eating fast food while on the go. there’s only so many chicken mcnuggets and $5 footlongs you can eat while being completely sedentary and still feel good about your life. enter: eatwellguide.org, your quick guide to healthy and sustainable options while driving across the country (or visiting a new city!). i haphazardly entered albuquerque, new mexico as a search term since this was often where we would spend the night. the site returned two bakers, one bed and breakfast, two community gardens, six farmers’ markets, and ten restaurants that all promote sustainable food. so much better than junk food! and if you’re planning on staying awhile, they also recommend, co-ops, farmers, etc.
i just bought an iphone (after rocking the blackberry for 4+ years), and can’t wait to try some new travel apps during my trip to italy next month! in the meantime, tell me which travel sites you love!