Tip Spoke Expands Free Service Showcasing Fun Things to Do, Insider Tips to 60 US Metro Areas

TipSpoke.com links travelers to fun things to do in Boston and 59 other metro areas © 2016 Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

SUDBURY, Mass.– Tipspoke.com has expanded its reach, enabling people to easily find fun things to do in over 60 major U.S. metro areas. Their mission is to focus on helping people and families find fun things to do to enrich their lives. The Tipspoke.com team brings together a wide range of experience to deliver Awesome Tips Worth Sharing™. Tipspoke.com is designed to be easy to navigate, so people can spend less time searching and more time having fun.

Site visitors will find that the site is clearly divided into categories, such as: Fun Things to Do Locally, Travel Tips, and Fun Things to Do at Home – including Arts & Crafts, Family Games &  Activities, Science Experiments, Magic Tricks, Jokes for Kids, Riddles & Brainteasers for Kids, Online Activities, and Food & Dining Activities.

Tipspoke.com not only focuses on covering popular destinations, but also many that are off the beaten path. For example, someone looking for an activity in Boston would find a hand-picked list of over 100 things to do in and around the Greater Boston area. The insider tips can help people have more fun while saving a lot of time and money.

Tip Spoke partners with bloggers and topical experts, who have awesome tips to share, giving them visibility to Tip Spoke’s website and newsletter readership.

Stacey Sao, the CEO of Tip Spoke, is a Villanova grad who launched the successful Boston-area website BostonCentral.com in 2001, and launched the first version of Tipspoke.com in 2015 with just a handful of tips focused on online activities.

“This next version of Tipspoke.com, expanded to over 60 metro areas, is an amazing free resource to help people have more fun. We’re excited to be partnering with bloggers and other websites who have expertise in specific areas to get the best content to our readers,” she said.

For complete information, visit: https://tipspoke.com.

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New Smartphone App Provides Audio Guides to America’s National Parks

A new GPS-powered mobile app from Just Ahead turns smartphones into hands-free audio tour guides of America’s national parks.

A new GPS-powered mobile app from Just Ahead turns smartphones into hands-free audio tour guides of America’s national parks.

Just Ahead’s app and audio guides work even where cell phones, Internet, and Wi-Fi won’t, to stream interesting stories spliced with geography, history, and even driving directions while cruising through a national park.

One example is Just Ahead’s Death Valley National Park audio guide, which recently garnered the Best Travel App award from the North American Travel Journalists Association. This award is due, in part, to the levels of professional travel writing and narration that present the myriad stories of each national park. Content writer and editor Bob Howells has twice won the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) Lowell Thomas Gold Award for adventure travel writing.

“Our aim is to give travelers and their families an entertaining and educational travel experience,” underscored Just Ahead founder Gregory Morse. “We think the Just Ahead app and audio guides encourage exploring and getting off the beaten track. You’re engaged at the same time you’re learning.”

Just Ahead utilizes GPS technology to know exactly where drivers are on the road, and delivers stories and maps relevant to their location. Just Ahead also helps drivers avoid getting lost by providing helpful suggested directions. Just Ahead tells drivers why they should turn or not, what they should do after a turn, and recommends the best direction to take if there are multiple route options.

As of mid-winter 2015, Just Ahead apps are available for the following parks: Yosemite, Zion and Cedar Breaks, Bryce Canyon, Joshua Tree, and Death Valley. An additional 12 national park guides are in production, including Grand Canyon, Sequoia, Kings Canyon, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Capitol Reef, Arches, Canyonlands, Petrified Forrest, Canyon De Chelly, Monument Valley, and Mesa Verde – with many more to come.

Just Ahead started with US national parks because they are treasured natural assets that are visited each year by 292 million people from around the world (2014 set a record for national park visitation). But the company intends to go beyond the parks. In the future, Just Ahead will offer guides for other major road trip destinations, including California Highway 1, Route 66, the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Hawaiian Islands, and many others.

The Just Ahead app is a free download, and each destination guide is available as an in-app purchase. Guides range from $7.99 – $9.99 and include a free trial and free guide updates.

For more information, visit: http://www.justahead.com.

 

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Surf City USA Publishes New Dining Guidebook

Surf City USA – the Huntington Beach Marketing and Visitors Bureau (HBMVB) announces publication of their all-new, all-inclusive Dining Guide for the city of Huntington Beach.

“This dining guide is very unique in the sense that it reflects the funky, and eclectic nature of Surf City USA and offers the reader an insider’s look into HB dining,” explains HBMVB Board Chair and Shorebreak Hotel General Manager Marco Perry. “This mini-magazine reads as if your good friend were referring you to their favorite place to enjoy a meal – unlike most dining guides that read more as paid restaurant listings accompanied by ads.”

Insider scoops on favorite diners and restaurants come from Huntington Beach locals in the “Meet the Locals” section, and from Surf City chefs (who even share some of their favorite recipes) in “Compliments of the Chefs.” Readers will get “Grab and Go” ideas for the perfect picnic, and find inspiration on – “Setting the Scene” for an Old School, Surfside, Cool & Contemporary, or Romantic experience.

With multiple new and trendy restaurants arriving on the dining landscape, Huntington Beach is on the fast track to dining acclaim. From high-end steak, seafood and martinis, to hidden gems popular for their burritos or sandwiches, Surf City dining satisfies discerning “foodie” palates.

The first ever Huntington Beach Dining Guide, including a list of over 275 Surf City USA restaurants, is available at the Huntington Beach Marketing and Visitor Bureau office, the HB Visitor Information Center (located at the base of the Huntington Beach Pier), and at various restaurants and hotels throughout the city. An online searchable page-turning version is also available at http://www.surfcityusa.com.

The Huntington Beach Marketing and Visitors Bureau is the official destination marketing organization of Huntington Beach, Surf City USA®. One of Southern California’s premier coastal destinations, Huntington Beach is the ideal location for a California family vacation, or relaxing weekend getaway.

With 10 miles of wide-open white sand California beaches, Huntington Beach is a destination of choice for vacationers and business travelers alike. To plan your Surf City USA^® vacation, or to learn more about Huntington Beach, visit the Huntington Beach Marketing and Visitors Bureau website at www.SurfCityUSA.com or call 800-729-6232 for a free Visitors Guide.

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Lonely Planet Launches Country Guide Apps for iPhone and iPod Touch

 

Lonely Planet has introduced a series of new country guide apps for the iPhone and iPod touch, available now on the App Store. Initially launching with Italy, Ireland, France, Spain, Australia and Costa Rica, Lonely Planet’s country guide apps are the first of their kind from an expert travel guide publisher.

The ultimate guides for on-the-go travelers, Lonely Planet’s country guide apps contain expert content and recommendations and detailed maps for the entire country – all of which works entirely offline so there are no roaming or data fees. The apps combine background information on a country, practicalities, suggested itineraries, and thousands of author recommended places to eat, drink, sleep, shop, visit and see. The apps include information on every region that’s covered in Lonely Planet print guidebooks.

The offline maps allow users to view the entire country, and then zoom in to a particular region, city, neighborhood or street. Travelers can quickly pinpoint their location on the map through the GPS capabilities of their iPhone or iPod touch—all without internet connection or expensive roaming charges.

Intuitive navigation makes the apps incredibly simple to use with easy-to-browse tabs so that users are never more than a few taps away from the information they seek. In addition, users can easily flip between the maps and text.

“Lonely Planet has established itself as an industry leader in the travel app space with almost 10m downloads of our city guide apps,” says Jeremy Kreitler, VP Wireless Services for Lonely Planet. “Responding to user feedback and given the popularity of country guidebooks, we are excited to be the first travel guide publisher to extend our product range to include country guide apps”.

The Lonely Planet country guide apps are available for $9.99 each from the App Store on iPhone and iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore. They are also available as in-app purchases within the Lonely Planet Travel Guides App.

Lonely Planet country guide apps are the latest addition to Lonely Planet’s portfolio of mobile products for the iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. The country guide apps complements the company’s other travel apps including 70 city guide apps, various audio walking guides, audio phrasebook apps, and offline translator apps.

Lonely Planet is one of the world’s leading travel content providers. Launched in 1973, Lonely Planet enables curious travelers to experience the world and get to the heart of a place via guidebooks to most destinations on the planet, an award-winning website, a suite of mobile and digital travel products and a dedicated traveler community. Visit www.lonelyplanet.com.

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Popular Backpacker Travel Guide to USA, Canada Now Available Online

The USA/Canada Hostels & Travel Guide, a popular travel planning and reference tool for backpackers, students and budget travelers, is now available in an online version © 2012 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com.

The USA/Canada Hostels & Travel Guide, a popular travel planning and reference tool for backpackers, students and budget travelers, is now available in an online version.

Published by Bakpak Travelers Guide, the 92-page digital guide is a replica of the print version and includes tips and information on popular trip ideas, backpacker and adventure tours, car and campervan rentals, listings for over 200 hostels and covers the most popular destinations. The Guide is also packed with information on free and cheap things to do which save travelers money.

The digital edition, powered by Issuu, can be downloaded, printed and viewed online at www.bakpakguide.com. The digital version also provides web links to all the hostel and tour companies and advertisements found in the guide.

“The print guides fly off the shelf at hostels and international student program offices. Now any traveler worldwide can get it online and start planning their backpacking USA or Canada adventure,” says Bakpak Dave, Chief Bakpaker and publisher.

Bakpak Dave Barish launched Bakpak Travelers Guide in March 1998 and also publishes a Backpacking Europe Hostels & Travel Guide. Prior to Bakpak, David set-up, co-owned and operated a top-rated hostel, the Nomads Market Inn, in South Melbourne, Australia. Prior to his involvement in the travel industry, Dave was a senior accountant at Arthur Andersen in New York and Price Waterhouse in Melbourne, Australia.

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GuideGecko Releases ‘Cheatsheets’ for Backpackers

Just in time for the traveling season, backpacking got a lot easier. GuideGecko, the world's leading publishing portal for travel guides, just released its first batch of official 'Backpacker Cheatsheets'. © 2011 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

Just in time for the traveling season, backpacking got a lot easier. GuideGecko, the world’s leading publishing portal for travel guides, just released its first batch of official ‘Backpacker Cheatsheets’. Comprising two highly condensed PDF pages, each Cheatsheet suggests backpackers exactly where to go, how to get there, where to sleep, what to see & and do, and everything else the traveling nomad needs to know.

Cheatsheets are available for free download from http://www.GuideGecko.com. The first batch covers Thailand and Bali as well as Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Vietnam and even Burma/Myanmar. The popular backpacking destinations of Australia and New Zealand are also included. For the more adventurous, there is a 4-6 weeks itinerary for Indonesia from Jakarta to Kelimutu.

“While every traveler researches his own trip, 95% end up on the same itinerary. Our Cheatsheets save you time, while giving you options to explore along the way”, says Dr. Daniel Quadt, Chief Backpacker at GuideGecko.com: “Each Cheatsheet is a whole guidebook packed into a double-sided print – the font-size is optimized for the young backpacking crowd.”

More Cheatsheets for South America and other destinations will be released in the coming weeks. GuideGecko also encourages backpackers to send in updates to keep the free Cheatsheets up to date.

All Cheatsheets are available at: www.GuideGecko.com/backpacker-itineraries.

About GuideGecko

GuideGecko is the world’s leading publishing platform for travel guides, offering more than 2700 guidebooks on 169 countries and 270 cities and regions around the world.

GuideGecko offers worldwide travel guides for the iPhone, Amazon Kindle and on the web. All guides are independently researched and written by professional travel writers from around the world.

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Innovative ‘Discover Paris a la Carte’ map gives you insider tips on visiting ‘City of Lights’

You’re in Paris and the thought occurs to you: Where can you join a game of “pétanque”? How about joining an extraordinary dinner, where 50 strangers from all over the world meet every Sunday in the City of Lights? Looking for traditional French crêpes, gallettes and an impressive selection of ciders? Interested in learning how to play “la vie en rose” on an accordion? Or are you a shopaholic searching for the temple of shoes?

The “My Paris à la Carte” Map is a brilliant way to get to know Paris, or to discover whole new sides of this fascinating city. No matter whether you are traveling  for business or for leisure, “My Paris à la Carte” Map gives you an array of the city’s best kept insider tips on a beautiful and handy 70x42cm hand-drawn map.

The idea for A la Carte Maps emerged during a one year trip around the world: Frustrated with thick guidebooks as well as unhandy city maps, two Swiss globetrotting entrepreneurs decided to “revolutionize” the traditional way of traveling by combining travel guide, city map and a piece of art in one. The concept is simple: Imagine you had a local friend in exciting cities all over the world. Not only will this friend provide you with the most important information about your city, he or she will also reveal the city’s best-kept insider tips by writing them on a hand-drawn map.

All maps are made of high-quality material and are additionally matt-laminated which makes them moisture-resistant and durable. All the maps are designed by talented young artists trying to capture the spirit of the city making each map unique in its appearance.

Launched in August 2009, these little pieces of art are currently available for 15 cities across the world. Four new maps for Istanbul, San Francisco, Beijing and Sydney will be released in September 2011. A la Carte Maps have been featured by New York Times, Travel & Leisure, GLAMOUR, ELLE, Cosmopolitan, Lufthansa Inflight Magazine, Stern, NZZ as well as many other publications.

The maps are currently sold in book stores, gift shops and hotels in 20 countries; the full product range is also available online on http://www.alacartemaps.com.

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