Travel Websites

Know Before You Go

May 18th

I just spent a wonderful evening with members from the Incredible India organization and the Indian sector of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square. Global Traveler has written a plethora on India, offering great insight on what to do while on business or leisure. The tourist board is a tremendous wealth of information as well.

I learned more about India’s varied topography. From the beaches of Goa to the snow-capped mountains of the Himalayas, I was reminded once again that India really offers something for everyone. Seeing their presentation reminded me of how valuable the tourist board is for the individual traveler. In my opinion, tourist boards are under-utilized by travelers.

Before traveling for business or leisure, I, of course, recommend checking out what GT has written about the destination. However, I also recommend checking out the website or visiting the local tourism office of the country which you are visiting. The tourist board is there to be at your service and help with any questions you may have about the country and city you are about to visit. Whatever the questions may be about — local customs, business procedures or simply the weather — the tourist board can point you in the right direction. Why not start with India? I hope you learn something new!

– Alex Young, vice president and associate publisher

Spring Break for Everyone

Mar 11th

Posted by Kim in Articles

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According to The New York Times travel section, Spring Break is not just for college students anymore. Student travel agencies, such as STA Travel, StudentUniverse and StudentCity, may not openly target older travelers, but they do not discriminate when it comes to age. This has been a long-kept secret for years, but now certain agencies, such as STA Travel, have started actively promoting their “flights for everyone” campaign, featuring round-trip flights from New York to Sydney for as low as $798. In addition to low airfare, some of the best deals can be found in the form of package or group tours.

This is something only the budget traveler should keep in mind, as booking a package trip might place you right in the heart of the college Spring Break action. For cheaper airfare, however, it might be worth checking out.

– Courtney Centeno, account executive

Misguided Hawaii

Jan 4th

Posted by Kim in Advertising

3 comments

Last year I vowed not to stay home for the New Year’s holiday this year, but guess what I did? Stayed home. I did some quick Internet searches, several times, on Orbitz, Travelocity and Kayak, but I found nothing that jumped out at me. I wanted to reach out to some of my client friends in the industry, but I was so bogged down with business and year-end work, I just never got around to reaching out.

So I was here the day after New Year’s, watching the news, when I saw that Hawaii is continuing a two-year downward slide. I happen to be a big fan of Hawaii and think it is a great destination. Many people think it is too sterile and too expensive, but when you go to Hawaii, everything works and the people cannot be more friendly. As far as the expense, I have a friend who refers to it as “Hawaii money,” and when I traveled there with my family, no matter where we ate dinner, it was always the same price. Expensive, but orderly, friendly and tasty; so definitely worth it.

But have you see a lot of promotions for Hawaii? Have you seen any spectacular marketing or advertising about the Islands? I haven’t. Additionally, Hawaii and its hotels cannot get their sights off the West Coast market. This is where they spend nearly all their marketing dollars. In case they haven’t heard, California is in the dumps, so perhaps they should open their minds and reach out to the less-recession-hit East Coast?

Several years ago, Hawaii won Best Domestic Tourism Destination from the readers of Global Traveler. When I reached out to the CVB, I received a less than “aloha” response. I was a little shocked. Not only did they seem not to care, but they were not interested in coming to the awards ceremony or responding to me as if they were honored.

Now they think President Obama’s trip to Hawaii is their best marketing tool. This is the same guy who told travelers not to go to extravagant meetings and not to travel (the AIG effect), which resulted in the loss of 100 meetings in Hawaii. Companies canceled their meetings in fear of what these meetings would look like in the AIG effect-hungry press. In my opinion, Hawaii could not have picked a worse spokesperson.

Hawaii is obviously misguided and has no idea how to get people back to the islands. It was an easy out to blame the economy. Perhaps the CVB needs to talk to some of the people who check guests in at hotels, who serve the meals and who attend to your needs while in Hawaii. They are the people that make Hawaii great. The guys at the Royal Hawaiian‘s Tiki Bar have better insight on the true Aloha spirit than anyone at the CVB.

To all our blog readers, subscribers and friends of Global Traveler, a Happy New Year!

– Fran Gallagher, publisher and CEO

A Girl’s Gotta Go

Sep 18th

Posted by Kim in Charity

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A great organization, A Girl’s Gotta Go, was recently brought to my attention. The company specializes in vacation packages for women and by women. The website features a ton of great vacation packages for girlfriend getaways or other trips for women. There is also a tool to request a customized vacation package from the organization.

But, what truly impressed me about A Girl’s Gotta Go is the charitable nature of the organization. A portion of each vacation package purchased through the company is donated to breast cancer research, education, screening and treatment. A Girl’s Gotta Go is truly dedicated not only to women, but to women’s issues. The approach of October is the perfect time to get involved, as October marks Breast Cancer Awareness month.

A perfect way to get involved is to join the A Girl’s Gotta Go Team for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. The company is involved in the Boston, Mass., race taking place Saturday, Sept. 26, at the Seaport World Trade Center.

Another great offering from the company is the Girlfriend Cruise4Cause. The package provides a supportive, stress-free vacation getaway for females battling any kind of cancer. Every reservation equals a $25 donation to the American Cancer Society. The goal is to raise $2,500 for the organization. The cruise is a four-night getaway to Fort Lauderdale, Key West and Cozumel aboard Royal Caribbean Enchantment of the Seas, from Oct. 22-26. For more information, visit www.agirlsgottago.com/charitable-giving.

Help support a great cause and enjoy a great getaway with A Girl’s Gotta Go. Female travelers may also be interested in participating in Global Traveler‘s Female Global Traveler of the Year contest. Enter the contest here.

–Kimberly Krol, eFlyer editor, circulation and public relations executive