TripSay blog

Last week I visited ITB in Berlin, the world’s biggest travel expo. Some other expos we’ve been to like Fitur in Madrid have been a bit slow as many companies had cancelled their participation just before the event due to the recession but ITB was very much alive and kicking. All the halls were full of companies and people.

Is travel in Europe a recession-proof industry?

Some said it was like previous years and some felt that there were a bit less visitors. I’m not sure which way it actually was but to me it at least looked pretty much like last year. It was good to see that the recession hadn’t hit ITB that hard.

It was impossible, as usual, to find a hotel room in Berlin with both decent quality and price, so I ended up traveling the startup way and living in a well located but otherwise terrible hotel. It was a big upgrade compared to last year though as then also the hotel location was terrible – the taxi driver taking me there was afraid for my safety when he dropped me off. The Casino restaurant at the expo grounds still offered bad food with even worse service but bratwurst was as good as ever. It’s good to know that some things never change, makes you feel safe when going to ITB. 

I had some very interesting meetings during the expo. Hopefully some of those end up as interesting partnerships later! I also spent a very interesting day at the PhoCusWright seminar. There were many very interesting topics covered like socially generated travel guides, semantic web and mobile applications to name a few, all of which naturally interest us at TripSay very much. The seminar content was good although I was missing the discussion on relevance of information – rather than having too much UGC or other content I’d like to see the relevant content for me. I don’t care if there’s a million reviews, photos or other content on a city, sight, activity, hotel or whatever. I just want the ones that I should care about based on what I like. Even the semantic web discussion was more about scanning the online discussions for your brand image rather than using semantic technology to actually help the consumer to find relevant information which to us is of course the more interesting application. Also even though mobile was talked about a lot still it was mostly about iPhone/Blackberry and business travelers. They are the heavy users, yes, but they don’t represent any true volume. We still haven’t seen any major breakthroughs in consumer mobile applications for travel and it might still be a long way to go before that happens. A lot needs to happen in terms of devices, roaming and other things before consumers will adopt mobile apps  in any significant amount.

All in all it was great to see that people were still thinking about the future and innovative solutions. ITB is a must expo for anyone interested in seeing the latest and greatest developments in the industry.

It is always fun to get acknowledged. We are happy to see that TripSay was featured on New York Times. In the paper’s travel section reporter Hilary Howard writes about two new web tools that help in trip planning. She suggests two user-friendly travel sites: TripSay and Fly.com The article goes on:

Tripsay.com, a free social travel network, lets users share their likes and dislikes on destinations and link up with other travelers according to mutual interests. Members are asked to describe their vacation preferences, mention previous trips, and list dream destinations. A recommendation engine will then match them with travelers who have similar tastes and preferences.

Read the full article here.

This media interest further strengthens the trend we wrote about in a previous post. The time is getting right for the next generation of online travel services!

TripSay was nominated as a finalist in the Grand One competition. Yay!

We got nominated in three categories:

• The Best Infodesign. A category for websites that are designed with a special focus on user experience, intuitive user interface, and clear and logical layout.
• The Best Startup. For Finland-based Internet startups. The category is managed in co-operation with ArcticStartup, a blog writing about internet and mobile startups in the Nordic and Baltic countries.
• The Best B2C Service. A category for consumer sites, applies for e.g. web media, brand and company sites, and online shops.

Grand One is an annual contest for the Finnish digital media companies. The jury has selected the finalists among a number of websites and services. The main rule is that “most of the design and implementation work must be done in Finland”. This applies well to TripSay, as our roots are in Helsinki, Finland. That’s where the magic happens.

There are three sports events above all: Football World Cup; Summer Olympic Games; and Winter Olympic Games. These are the events that draw the whole world’s attention. Many athletes train for years in order to be at their very best during these events. And there’s fierce competition between cities (and nations) to become the host for the next games.

Each of the events is held only every fourth year. Next up will be the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, B.C. I took a journey to Canada to find out about the games. Is there any truth in the legendary Canadian hospitality? Are the venues ready? Would I get to try the tracks myself?

Remembering the previous Winter Games in Turin, Italy, where the organizing committee almost went bankrupt, I didn’t know what to expect!

Vancouver, British Columbia, sets the bar high.

No worries about the stadiums: the sports venues are already finished almost a year before the games. Actually, as a good omen, the first newspaper I read after arriving in Vancouver ran a story about completion of the Olympic Centre.

Sea-to-Sky Highway leads from Vancouver to Whistler, where the alpine skiing and nordic events will take place. Whistler is an alpine-style village with an easy access to both Whistler and Blackcomb mountains. The resort is nowadays better than ever: the mountains are connected with a brand new record-breaking Peak-to-Peak gondola. The gondola runs for 4.4km (2.73miles) in about 11 minutes and provides great views over the creek far below. The lift queues in the resort were reasonable, snow was excellent and the slopes are suitable for the games. I took my chance on the Dave Murray Downhill slope and I can say it takes stamina to get down in one piece. The slope is long and steep! Definitely a world class course!

The nordic events competitions are held in Whistler Olympic Park, some 20 mins by car from Whistler Village. The Olympic Park is ready for the games. And, even better, you have a chance to try out the venue yourself! I tried shooting at the biathlon stadium. My result: five out of five! I also rented cross-country skis to try out the olympic ski tracks. The tracks are technical and a lot of fun. After 16km on the go it was time head back with a smile on my face. Excellent tracks, I recommend you take a day off from the mountains and go cross-country skiing!

All in all, the olympic venues are in great shape. My only worry is transportation. It seemed like a lot of athletics accommodation is still under construction. And there were a lot of roadworks on the Sea-to-Sky Highway. The venues are great but are the sports fans able to get there?

My experiences in both Vancouver and Whistler confirm Canadian hospitality and friendliness. I’m expecting a lot from the games! Good luck for the athletes!

The word about TripSay is spreading quickly, thanks to you, TripSay members. In addition to the word of mouth also traditional media has been showing growing interest in TripSay. We were quite happy to answer ‘Yes!‘ when asked to visit Toronto, Canada for a couple of interviews. It was great fun to go tell the TripSay story in a TV studio.

Lights … Camera … Action … The first story to come out was a live Homepage show on CityPulse24 (CTV). And there’s more to come! Hopefully we’ll get the stories on Youtube as well!

Media’s interest and our growing userbase tell the same story: The time to go mass market with the next generation of online travel service is now! The advent of social media and travel business’s transition to online mean that people go to web to look for travel info. People appreciate the value of getting personalized travel tips from friends and likeminded travelers.

TripSay is constantly developing, both in terms of features (more about that in the near future) and userbase. The more members we have, the better we are able to distill the best travel tips and destinations from our huge database. We are glad to say that we have members from around the world already. Way to go!

You know about the terrorist attacks against tourists in Egypt? They pretty much devastated the tourism industry in Egypt. I didn’t think the attacks in the distant past would affect my travels in Egypt at all…

But I was wrong. Traveling between towns in Egypt was like stepping into a cold war spy movie. The roads are blocked with many many checkpoints. At each checkpoint there are a number of policemen with AK-47’s checking the bus. I don’t even remember how many times we had to stop on the 160 miles trip from Hurghada to Luxor. And you are required to have a police escort when driving from town to town. Usually tourists are escorted in a caravan of buses, having one police car leading and another trailing the caravan. If you rent a car on your own, you’re supposed to join such a caravan to drive from a city to another.

The police state feeling continues in the towns. The (heavily) armed tourism police are everywhere: standing on street corners, sitting by the attraction entrances, guarding at the beaches, etc. All hotels have metal detectors at their front door and a number of surveillance cameras.

I don’t feel comfortable seeing so many automatic guns around me. I understand the Egyptian ministry of tourism wants to make travelers feel safe but being stopped multiple times by armed men at shabby road blocks / checkpoints doesn’t quite do the trick for me…

Despite the “protection”, I think the biggest risks for a traveler in  Egypt nowadays is to forget to drink enough water on a hot day or having slow feet when crossing a busy street! It is definitely worthwhile to visit other towns on your trip, as they are quite different. See for example the tips about Luxor.

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and many may be debating whether to buy that special someone chocolates, jewelry, or even take them on a romantic vacation. TripSay is offering a look at the top romantic getaways around the world.

Top Five Romantic Getaways

1. Paris, France
2. Venice, Italy
3. Prague, Czech Republic
4. Barcelona, Spain
5. Las Vegas, Nevada (sans gambling, Elvis and buffets)

Maybe you’ll stay at home this year and stick with the chocolates and jewelry this year. But just to be safe, here are the top five places you may want to avoid taking your Valentine.

Top Five Least Romantic Destinations

1. Tehran, Iran – Don’t hold hands in public or you’ll be prosecuted!
2. Las Vegas, Nevada – Nothing says I love you like an Elvis themed wedding followed by a $4.99 all you can eat buffet!
3. Murmansk, Russia – Rusty nuclear submarines base. From Russia without love.
4. Stuttgart, Germany – The new Porsche museum just opened. You can spend the whole day admiring the shiny new boxer cylinders!
5. Panama City, Florida – AKA The Redneck Riviera. Nothing spoils a romantic walk like a pick-up truck driving beside you on the beach.

In just a few weeks, thousands of people will flock to warmer destinations for Spring Break in search of a break from the everyday grind. Whether it’s putting in long hours at the office or cramming for that final exam, we could all use a break this time of year.

TripSay has come up with a few suggetions for Spring Break Destinations if you want to have some fun in the sun this year or are looking to take on the mountains in beautiful Whistler, BC.

Top Five Party Destinations

1. Key West, FL
2. Myrtle Beach, SC
3. Miami Beach, FL
4. Daytona Beach, FL
5. Nassau, Bahamas

Top Five Spring Break Rising Stars

1. South Padre Island, TX
2. Montego Bay, Jamaica
3. New Orleans, LA
4. Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
5. Whistler, Canada

With so many great choices to choose from, it may be difficult to pick a Spring Break destination. In the meantime, we’ve created a list of places you don’t want to go this year.

Top Five Worst Spring Break Destinations

1. Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia – Coldest capital city in the world
2. Fargo, ND – Watch the movie and you’ll know why!
3. Moscow, Russia – Third coldest capital, plus the most expensive city in the world
4. Baghdad, Iraq – For obvious reasons
5. Liverpool, England – Dark, wet and windy, and only pork pie to eat

Rich Truesdell writes an absorbing travel blog at AutomotiveTraveler.com. One of my favorite stories is his account of touring in Italy in a vintage Fiat 500. The tour is like a road trip to the past, driving through picturesque towns in the rural foothill. Rich writes:

If you’re looking for a unique way to explore the region, we have a suggestion for you: tour Abruzzo behind the wheel of a vintage Fiat 500, the classic Cinquecento. With the earliest versions now more than 50 years old, the 500 is the car that a little more than 10 years after the end of the Second World War truly put Italy on wheels.

The post at Automotive Traveler contains loving descriptions of great food and relaxing lifestyle. It certainly makes you want to visit the area and enjoy the beautful views and taste the delicious food by yourself.

Another great story at AutomotiveTraveler is Richard’s compilation of his 10 best road trips. Pretty awesome routes there.

It will be interesting to see what Tripsayers will be saying about the places mentioned in the AT’s articles. I collected the places in the “Touring in Italy” story to a dedicated group for easy access. You can find the group at http://www.tripsay.com/groups/Touring Abruzzo

We’re excited to welcome a new member to our board! Alfonso Castellano joins TripSay at a perfect time, a few months after our public launch. He brings a wealth of experience and insight in building successful online travel businesses and compelling features for both our users and partners. Alf is one of the pre-eminent authorities in the online travel industry and we are very happy to have him on board.

Alf has over 25 years experience in travel industry, including nine years at LastMinute.com where he was Managing Director of Southern Europe, head of Latin American expansion and Global Hotel contracting and procurement. Following Travelocity’s billion-dollar acquisition of LastMinute.com, Alf was appointed Travelocity’s Senior Vice President of consumer business in Europe. This year he will be launching two travel technology and innovation related companies.

We also look forward to have Alf’s travel tips on various types of outdoor sports, not least on his special interest, sailing. It’s always great to have new Tripsayers sharing their insider travel tips and see which places they recommend. Alf has been a TripSay user before joining the board. He says: “TripSay.com is ideally positioned to capitalize on this next wave in the online travel industry where members use the power of social networking and knowledge sharing to maximize their travel experiences.”

The official press release is here.