I Want My Internet TV!

I was thinking about my previous post on Gadling's new web TV show Travel Talk. I thought I'd post a quick follow up regarding other places to find travel video content on the Internet. You're starting to see more and more travel sites feature video. It seems easy to do with the technology that's currently available. And what lends itself better to showing a destination than video? Unfortunately video isn't the easiest thing to do. Video production is a craft like any other. You need people to script, shoot and edit what you've filmed. You also have to respect the short attention span of web viewers. But video on the web is here to stay. Once editing content gets easier, I think it'll be a skill that people will use like any other. Video will be everywhere, and all the time. Till then, here are a few sites to 'watch.'

This is my City Hosts Thomas and Tim select a local to show them around their hometown.
The 76 Second Travel Show From Robert Reid, Lonely Planet's US Travel Editor
Galavanting.tv From the Galavanting Gals of Galavanting Women's Travel Magazine
Rick Steves.com Of course Rick isn't going to let video on the web get past him.
Lonely Planet TV Lonely Planet's rather robust webtv hub
The Amateur Traveler Podcast Chris Christensen's travel blog

Gadling TV's Travel Talk 002: Google goes Trans-Siberian, BA Strike, Aircruises, S.F. in 24 hrs and more! | Gadling.com

Gadling, which bills itself as 'the world's biggest travel blog', has started its own travel show on the web called Travel Talk. I watched the episode below this morning. I thought it was pretty cool, if a little too flash for me. What to do if you have 24hrs in a destination I thought was well done. They were in San Francisco. Some of the other features like the Drew Cam got a little old. But check it out, the topics were timely and informative. I'm sure the shows will get better with time. I'd look to see other travel sites add video to their sites as well.

Gadling TV's Travel Talk 002: Google goes Trans-Siberian, BA Strike, Aircruises, S.F. in 24 hrs and more! | Gadling.com

An Irreverent Curiousity

 After hearing several recommendations, I picked up An Irreverent Curiosity: In Search of the Church's Strangest Relic in Italy's Oddest Town. The book is equal parts travel log, history lesson and mystery. Sort of a much funnier, Da Vinci Code. David Farley paints an affectionate and vivid portrait of the townspeople of tiny Calcata, Italy, the former resting place of the Holy Foreskin of Jesus Christ. I didn't know much about relic veneration within the Catholic Church before I began reading the book. Nor can I remember reading anything where the word 'foreskin' is mentioned so prominently. It's a hysterical and educational journey.

Here is a link to a podcast where Rick Steves speaks David Farley.

Oyster Hotel Reviews

I was listening to the This Week in Travel podcast today, and they mentioned Oyster Hotel Reviews. I hadn't heard of it before. As you do your travel planning, you might want to check it out. It looks like a good site, well laid out, lots of pictures, interactive, not a lot of locations, but still. With the explosion of travel websites and blogs out there, easy to use sites are a blessing. Jenni and I need to find a hotel for New York, so I thought it'd be worth looking through.

It did get me thinking, you should keep in mind as you look through all the feedback and reviews that travelers post on the Internet, some people have their own agendas when they post their reviews on TripAdvisor, etc. Some people will knock hotels just for the sake of being cruel, or to blackmail someone. Sometimes people are unreasonable, and sometimes Basil Fawlty is running the hotel. You just never know. Travel can bring a lot of the unexpected, and it brings out the best and worst in all of us. Sometimes it's all about perspective. So, always ask yourself, what sort of traveler am I? I think Oyster looked pretty cool. They posted a little bit about who the reviewers were and what their backgrounds are. And that's a step in the right direction.

Downing and Benson - Flights, Tickets, Vacations, Cruises, Cheap Travel, Hotels, Cars, Cheap Tickets | Homepage for Montrose Travel.com

Jenni and I wanted to make it easier to make travel deals available to our friends and family. We're working with Montrose Travel to provide travel consulting and booking. Take a look through the site and check out the deals that are available. Let us know if you have any questions.

Downing and Benson - Flights, Tickets, Vacations, Cruises, Cheap Travel, Hotels, Cars, Cheap Tickets | Homepage for Montrose Travel.com

TBEX '10 New York City Here We Come!

We just got our tickets for Travel Blog Exchange '10 in New York City, June 26th and 27th.  Can't wait to meet other travel bloggers and attend the workshops.  Even though we've traveled out of the country many times, we've never been to NYC.  I'm really looking forward to the conference and finally seeing the city!

TBEX '10 NYC 6/26/2010 - 6/27/2010

Travelfish

Travelfish is a great a resource for the independent traveler heading for Southeast Asia.

Backpacking travel guide for Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Singapore. Includes itinerary advice, hotel and guesthouse reviews, maps, photos and general planning advice. All at www.travelfish.org