ArrivedOK: Notify without Roaming

ArrivedOK is a new application that notifies your friends and family that you have arrived at your travel destinations OK via SMS, email, your blog, LinkedIn and Twitter. The best part: you save on roaming fees. ArrivedOK doesn't do this by tracking flights, it does it by tracking your cell phone when you switch it on in your destination. Once it has been detected as on in the visiting mobile network, emails, SMS messages and more are sent out automatically.

This tool can come in handy for those of you who might forget to announce to people who are waiting that you have in fact arrived OK.

From their web site:

ArrivedOK has been selected as an Official Honoree in the 13th Annual Webby Awards in two categories: (1) Experimental & Innovation and (2) Best Use of GPS or Location Technology. The Official Honoree distinction is awarded to the top 15% of all work entered that exhibits remarkable achievement. With nearly 10,000 entries received from over 60 countries, this is an outstanding accomplishment for ArrivedOK team.

Follow ArrivedOK on Twitter: @arrivedok

arrivedok, mobile, notifications, web app, travel, destinations, flight, arrivals, trip, vacation, holiday

Travelogue with Loggel

Ever since I was able to write I wrote everything. I have stacks of old diaries in various closets and storage. The majority of these diaries are about traveling as my folks toted my brother and I along as they explored the globe. These were pretty amazing experiences and to have written memories of them is pretty cool. Especially since one of those trips is a couple of chapters away from being a novel, thanks to my obsessive written recording of every moment of my life.

It's pretty imperative to write about your travels. This is my firm belief. You've just got to write about them and if you can share them, it's even better. That's where Loggel.com comes is. It's an online blogging service for travelers. You can record every moment of your travels with words, pictures, videos and audio files. And the best part is, you can connect with friends and family and share where you've been, what you've seen and what you've done.

I believe travel is the answer to a lot of the World's problems, because the further we travel, the more tolerant and open-minded we become. The more tolerant and open-minded we are, the less and less hate there is in the world. Sharing your travels with people who may not have the nerve to get on a plane for 13 hours to have an authentic plate of Pad Thai in Patong, could give them that one extra push.

Go forth and Blog, people: Loggel.com

loggel, travelogue, blogging, blog, travel, trip, holiday, vacation

Airline Fees From Kayak

Kayak.com has posted a new page that compares and lists the additional fees for air travel, from checked baggage, meals and pets. This is very easy to read information and can help you make an educated decision before booking your flights. Some air fares may seem a little too good to be true at times, and this could clarify why. Go check it out: Airline Fees and don't forget to follow Kayak on Twitter: @kayak
via: Makeuseof.com

kayak, airlines fees, baggage, flight, flying, airfare, travel

ShareTrip: Share Your Trip in 3 Minutes

Ever had one of those incredible vacays where you came home after and all you wanted to do was yap your face off about it, but everyone's eyes just glazed over and started to avoid you like the plague? Or have you ever booted up iPhoto at a dinner party and shouted, "check out my holiday pics" to a suddenly empty room? Yeah. I have. But now there's a place to share your trips with people who actually want to know! Sharetrip.com allows you to post your photos, videos and trips and get feedback, all for free and all in minutes.

sharetrip.com, share trip, trip, travel, vacation, holiday

Get Your Passport Photo Done Online

idphoto4you.com lets you create your own passport photo online free. The site has built-in standards for 63 countries and automatic face detection for your uploaded photos. This is an awesome idea. A couple of years ago while living in Mexico, I lost my passport and my wallet. Getting a passport from the Canadian Government can be pretty painful when you're in Canada, let alone another country. One of the hardest parts was getting the passport photo right, with all the Canadian passport specs, while communicating in a language I wasn't yet good at. Not to mention the fact that the place the Canadian Consulate recommended for taking passport photos was in Cancun and I was living in Playa Del Carmen. That's an hour bus ride each way just for a couple of little photos. Irritating. This site would have saved me a lot of time and headache.

passport, passport photos, travel, id photos, new site, website

Ruba: Discover Your Next Perfect Trip

Ruba.com is a travel site with a touch of social networking, using crowdsourcing to collect reviews and amazing photos of tours, restaurants, sports events, camping, hotels and a lot more. It is an absolutely stunning web site and an unbelievably easy-to-use tool for travelers. Definitely worth bookmarking.

Also, follow Ruba.com on Tiwtter: @rubatravel

ruba.com, new site, website, travel, tours, travelers, photographs, hotels, restaurants, guide

Theme Park Maps

I'm in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico for the holidays right now, but for those of you who have decided to head to a theme park for your festivities, here's a totally "d'oh!" web site, as in "d'oh, I should have thought of that!". Theme Park Maps is just that, a database of maps of theme parks.

theme park, amusement park, maps, travel, holiday