nerd’s eye view

Travel Mailbox

September 18, 2007 – 3:41 pm | by nerd's eye view

I think I must have been added to a new mailing list as the press releases are flooding in thick and fast. Earlier this week I received something that was masquerading as an invitation to the Bahamas, but it hasn’t transformed into the all expenses paid luxury junket it promised - yet. You do want to read about that here, don’t you? Shall I accept it if it comes through? Or will you lose all respect for me and perceive me as nothing but a shill?

Here’s what else was in the mailbox:

• VIAmigo launched their site this week. It’s a registry, sort of, for travel guides, a couchsurfing for sidekicks thing, I think. I like the idea a lot, connecting with locals is always a good plan. The site has a ratings system in place but because it’s brand new, there’s no way to tell the quality of the guides. Also, it looks like you’re not required to enter a full profile when you sign up to be a guide which is why, when you search under Austria, you just get some guy and no real information about him. For example. Conclusion? Worth a second look after it’s been in use.
• Lessno wants you to take their survey on the fairness of airline prices. Lessno (less money, no hassle) is another fare finder search engine. I searched for flights to Ho Chi Mihn City and turned up prices that were three times that I found using Expedia. No kidding. On the survey, I found the questions a bit odd. Airfares fair? I don’t really know what goes in to calculating an airfare, so I’ve no idea if they’re “fair” or not. Seriously, fuel costs a freakin’ fortune, for example, and there’s the cost of the crew, etc. amen. Without that information, I can’t judge fairness in pricing. More meaningful? A survey about service.
• Also launched this week, Trip It a site that proposes to help “organize your travel.” I’m a little confused about what this site does - though it looks like it might be similar to the idea of a custom home page for your trip, with the associated widgets. I like the idea of a home page for the adventure at hand, with a widget for the weather, Google maps, Seat Guru, all that kind of stuff in one place, but until I see a demo, I’m not logging in. Potentially an issue? You have to, duh, be online to use this thing. Fine if you’re in connected places, but consider if you’re going off the grid before you put all your eggs in this basket. Conclusion? Entice me further, please don’t make me register on yet another site before I can see what’s possible.

Hmmm. I don’t feel like a shill. Not yet, anyway. Ask me again after my second signature martini at Eleuthera.

[tags]travel, Trip It, VIAmigo, Lessno[/tags]