Top 5 Travel Tweeters on Twitter

The 5 Best Travel Tweeters to Twitter

Twitter is more
than just a website, it is a lifestyle. It seems that everyone has a Twitter
account these days, and although at first it seemed like a passing phase for
social networking enthusiasts, the micro-blogging site has taken off. Speaking
of taking off, if you are a travel enthusiast, here are the top 5 travel
tweeters that you should be following:



@travolution: Travolution discusses the integration of technology and travel and
offers news from the world of travel. There are some pretty interesting travel
gadgets out there, check them out here!



@worldreviewer James Dunford Wood offers news blurbs from the world of travel
and reviews of some pretty interesting destinations.



@nytimestravel: The New York times travel writers provide excellent travel
reviews, advice and recommendations. Following them will enable you to know what
the stories are before release!



@NewYorkOlogy: NewYorkOlog keeps travelers to New York City up to date with the
city's current happenings.



@Seatguru: The SeatGuru has the inside tips you are looking for when it comes to
finding the best seat on the plane and learning how to take advantage of airline
deals.



When you are looking for great travel deals, you must turn to the experts. And
thanks to Twitter, most of the experts are now right at your fingertips. If you
do not already have a Twitter account, you should get one right away. Follow
these top five tweeters today and you will immediately begin learning about new
destinations and how to locate the right deal for your next getaway.

5 Most Popular Travel Bloggers on the Web

Once upon a time, travelers were pretty much on their own in regard to booking travel and learning through personal experience whether their destination or services of choice were worth time and money invested. Trip reviews were either by paid (and sometimes influenced) media professionals or your neighbor's boring photo slide show on their living room wall.

Then came the World Wide Web and travel blogging. Often humorous, sometimes sad, generally informative, and always opinionated, travel blogs have become a major facet of both entertainment and the travel industry, and they offer a personal, firsthand glimpse into what one can expect from travel, before even packing a suitcase.

There are five travel blogs that have been awarded prestigious awards for their excellence and quality by some of the most renowned travel blog awarding organizations:

Tripbase, Lonely Planet, the Blogger's Choice Awards, Chapeau Awards, and the Weblogs.

They are:
Budget Travel Category (Tripbase) - vagablogging.net
Best Consumer Travel (Lonely Planet) -blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/intelligenttravel
Best Travel Blog (Blogger's Choice) - cooltribes.blogspot.com
Travel and Leisure (Chapeau) - travelblog.viator.com
Travel (Weblog Bloggies) - camelsandchocolate.com.
Discount Deals - reservevacations.com/articles/

As one of the most popular and entertaining subject matters for writers and readers alike, travelogues and reviews abound in blog form on the Internet. These glimpses into the experiences of customers have even provided a much needed system of checks and balances for quality control of travel providers. The shear number of travel blogs to read is endless and can be overwhelming. But, consider these five and you will be well on your way to armchair navigating amongst the best virtual travel writers in Cyberspace.

Take a Holiday in Warm Sunny Orlando, Florida

Get away from the cold Winter weather and visit one of the many Orlando hotels for the Holidays. You can stay in a discounted hotel room while spending a day at the beach, visiting one of the many nearby theme parks, or just enjoying the pool near your room. Many of these hotels offer special rates and promotions during the Winter months for the Holiday travellers.

Most of the hotels in Orlando offer competitive deals and low rates all year long, such as the buy 4 nights get 3 free at Disney Resorts. However, some offer extra special deals during the Holiday season, such as 25% off a 4 night stay at the Marriott World Center or 30% off at the Hyatt. Others, such as the Holiday Inn and Suites at Universal or Holiday Inn Hotel International Drive are offering 4 day theme park packages to Universal Orlando, Walt Disney World, or Sea World with a stay at the hotel.

One of the well known and largest Orlando hotels, the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center, offers an annual Winter production, "ICE", where snow and ice is brought into the convention center and sculpted into beautiful ice sculptures to be enjoyed by hotel guests. Packages to this hotel include visits to this wonderous event. Whether you are getting away from the cold, or just enjoying an amazing Winter family adventure, spend some time in one of the affordable Orlando hotels for the Holidays. A good time will be enjoyed by all.

Is Renting a Convertible Worth the Money?

Top Down, Let's Ride!

If you have ever rented a convertible car on vacation, chances are you have experienced the thrill of the wind whistling in your ear, your hair flowing like water waves (whether long or short) and the feel of being free. Or you have the unfortunate opportunity of a "technical difficulty" in trying to re-connect the top unsuccessfully just before the bottom falls out of the sky. Regardless of one's individual experiences, there are still pros AND cons to renting a convertible vehicle.

We all know and enjoy the pros when it comes to renting a convertible, such as the sporty look, the breeze on our face, ect. But, what about the price? The size of a convertible vehicle is usually about the size of a regular mid-size car. So what are you really paying for? Is it just the fact that your top can fold back and mine can't? And unless you just run across a "steal" deal, there aren't any discounts on convertibles. So you are already paying more for a sporty look and most people on vacation are renting from an airport which tacks on additional fees for the airport and the convenience so you will definitely pay more renting from and airport.

Enjoying a lifelong dream to visit Orlando or Myrtle Beach is beyond important. Yeah, I know, it can be so romantic just the two of you in the car with the top back looking like you just won the lottery. If you have the money then it wouldn't matter one way or the other, but if you are a penny pincher like myself, go with a less expensive car such as an economy or midsize class, roll the windows down, and call it a day!

Improvements in In-Flight Entertainment

In-flight entertainment has seen some revolutionary advances in the past few years. According to Aircell, the firm that installs Wi-Fi in airplanes, nearly 1000 domestic carriers will provide their customers with Wi-Fi service in 2009. They project that by 2010, double that number of domestic carriers will provide Wi-Fi services. That leaves only about a fourth of domestic carriers who will not provide Wi-Fi services.Wi-Fi is not free. You pay to use Wi-Fi. Some airlines are planning to give users a lower price like Delta Air Lines which has over 300 planes switched to Aircell's Gogo Wi-Fi.

Ranjan Goswami, director of customer relations at Delta has stated that customers using smart phones or satellite phones can use Wi-Fi for a nominal charge regardless of the length of the flight. Currently, planes that have Wi-Fi installed provide Internet service for their customers which means that they can access their emails. Some airlines are thinking about switching all of their in-flight entertainment to Wi-Fi service because they are cheaper to install and weigh less than their conventional entertainment systems. Aircell costs 100,000 dollars to install in a plan and weighs only 300 pounds.

Jack W. Blumenstein, the owner of Aircell plans to install movies and other entertainment packages that can be arranged before flight by flyers that bring systems that require Wi-Fi connectivity. Southwest Airlines is testing a back of the seat entertainment system that most customers like better than screens in the middle of the airplane. Another airline that has installed Wi-Fi system is Virgin America. Their head executive, David Cush, says that 26 of their A320s and A319s have Wi-Fi systems installed.

The entertainment system using Wi-Fi connections is called seatback because the back of the seat in front of you is now offering more than telephone service but videos and live satellite television. JetBlue started offering live satellite television as a frontrunner in the new airline entertainment business. They are not planning to add seatback video. You might not have enough time on your trip to make use of all the seatback entertainment that will be available. There has never been a more entertaining time to fly.

Portland's Hip Dining Spots

Portland's Hip Dining Spots

At the smooth and cool speak-easy lounge of Hobo's, there is a great lounge menu, and the food is excellent. This restaurant works well for large parties, and the dining room is best for romantic dining. A large-party gratuity is added for parties of five or more. It's a highlight of Portland's gay culture scene.

Pok Pok is a personal favorite of Portland locals, and they feel very strongly about it. Serving authentic Thai food, it’s the top-rated restaurant in the city. Expect more than the standard chicken curry and pad Thai. Go with a friend or two and order the wings.
The festive Red Star Tavern and Roast House is part-fancy dining room and part-busy bar. The mahagony walls are off-set by an open kitchen decorated with 1930’s décor. The food is serious stuff and you better not leave hungry. You can walk to downtown from here, but you might pay a bit more for the location.

The Portland Spirit is a dinner cruise down the Willamette River offering not only excellent river and city views, but meal specialties like crab and lobster, of course. Order a local wine while you watch the stars go by.

Or, take some time to visit the Woodstock District, which is right by East Moreland. This is an out-of-the-way area, but Tani's Sushi, The Delta Café, and Otto's Sausage are top-notch.

Great Hostels in Rome

Great Hostels in Rome
Ask anyone about the best hostel in Rome, and they’ll tell you it’s The Beehive. Imagine if your really tidy (but somewhat chic) aunt built a hostel. This is that hostel. It’s got a nice private sitting area outside, as well as friendly staff and clean (!!) rooms. What more can you ask for in a hostel?

If you want to party because you’re in town with the boys for a nice, civilized rugby game, stay at Yellow, located near the main train station. It’s only for 18-39 year olds, and they serve a lot of alcohol at their in-house bar. That’s either exactly what you’re looking for, or exactly not!
If you want the personal hospitality and good breakfasts offered by a downtown B&B, consider the Bobby B&B, which is near the center of Rome. The rooms are uniquely decorated and, most importantly in that part of town, sound-proof! This is only for the ultra-feminine travelers!
For something cheap but still offering a more comfortable hotel feel, there is Hotel Romae, located just a few blocks from the main train station. There are several room sizes to choose from, and they have a good selection of breakfast, though you may have to trek across the street to their sister hostel, Yellow. For all standard Rome Hotels check out Travelape.