Chatting about the future of the travel blog

Name: Budget Travel LLC
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By Sean O'Neill

October 3, 2012

Yesterday, the intrepid British website Europe a la Carte celebrated its two-year anniversary with a live online group chat with bloggers about "The Future of the Travel Blog."

I participated in the chat along with the writers/owners of several travel blogs around the world, including Mr. & Mrs. Smith (a blog that's reviewed 700-plus luxury hotels that are mostly outside of the U.S.), Nerd's Eye View (which is mostly about one smart woman's travels worldwide), TravelersPoint (which hosts 12,500 travel blogs). The transcript's been posted.

The Cliff Notes (tm) version is that as the ad market tightens up, it will be harder for individuals to make a living (or even a small side income) from blogging about travel. Companies such as Google have lately moved away from selling text link based ads, which had been a good income generator for smaller blogs. But efforts to collaborate and adopt new technologies may help overcome the new economic hurdles. And maybe collaborations might be like the HuffingtonPost. Interestingly, HuffingtonPost.com/travel is a URL that isn't working yet but which may start having travel blog coverage.

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At this hotel, use an iPhone app to order a wake-up call

The world's first iPhone-based guest service device has debuted at the luxurious Malibu Beach Inn. Our friends at HotelChatter have tested it out. Your iPhone replaces "all those little buttons you see on the in-room telephones" at many hotels for ordering room service, setting a wake up call, or requesting missing toiletries. You give the hotel your phone number and they give you a website that you fire up on your iPhone's browser. Then you download the application to your iPhone. The service is free, at least for now. HotelChatter's tester said the feature was "awesome." I confess that I still think that's an awful lot of trouble to go to when I could just use the existing in-room phone. But if you're lazy like me, the hotel will offer you a "loaner" iPod Touch that's pre-loaded. Still, it's neat to see hotels experiment with new technologies—such as letting guests check in with their own iPhone or iPod Touch instead of standing in a line. iPhone Hotel Review at Malibu Beach Inn [HotelChatter] MORE INNOVATIONS! Our previous blog posts on travel innovations

Recipe for a favorite Czech soup

Budget Travel's October issue has an article (Tour de Friends) about two friends biking from Salzburg to Prague with nothing but a GPS device to guide them. During the trip, the two friends discovered a Czech soup, made with caraway seed and potatoes, and they ordered it every chance they got. I was curious about this soup, called cesneka (ches-netch-kah). I asked our friends at Czech tourism to tracked down the recipe for it online. I've pasted it below. Enjoy! Traditional Czech garlic soup: A Czech standby, cesnecka is a thin—meatless—garlic-laced broth containing small pieces of potato, served with fried bread cubes. 8 cups water or broth 1 Tbs salt 6 cloves garlic 1 tsp marjoram 4 slices of dark rye bread 1 tsp caraway seeds, crushed 2 medium potatoes, diced 1 tsp fresh black pepper 2 Tbs butter or lard 2 Tbs fresh parsley, chopped 1. Mash the garlic with the salt: do this either with a mortar and pestle, or use a garlic press to crush the garlic and then mix in the salt. 2. Place the garlic and salt in a large pot and add the water or broth. Slowly bring the water to a boil, reduce heat and keep on a simmer. Add the crushed caraway seeds, potatoes, marjoram, butter or lard, and ginger. Simmer, uncovered, till the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Add freshly ground black pepper and some more salt if needed. 3. Fry the slices of bread in bacon drippings or butter till golden brown. Place a slice of bread in each soup bowl and ladle the garlic soup over it. Sprinkle on parsley. WHERE TO TRY THE SOUP On the forums at expats.cz, one guy emphatically recommends the cesnecka soup at a restaurant in Prague called U Provaznice. This restaurant got a rave review on Trip Advisor for its soup. Strangely, cigarettes are also on the menu! Read the story: Tour de Friends.

Kayak and American Airlines kiss and make up

The American Airlines AAirmail e-mail newsletter for frequent fliers says this morning that "American Airlines schedules and fares are again being displayed on Kayak.com and SideStep.com. You can now find our content through these meta-search engines for purchase on our award-winning web site, AA.com." This brings to an end a spat between American and Kayak (which owns Sidestep, too.) The Cranky Flier has more details. Kayak now displays fares for all major airlines except for Southwest (which you can only find at Southwest.com). MORE Travel news stories you may have missed

Inspiration

Orlando: Free walking tours beyond the theme parks

Orlando receives nearly 50 million visitors a year. Many travel to the theme parks, of course. But Disney World alone can cost up to $75 per person per day. Here are a few tours that will show you what else the city has to offer—for free. The City of Orlando offers a free self-guided walking tour and map of the downtown historic district. The 11-page downloadable tour itinerary describes 28 historic buildings across 2.5 miles of downtown. From the 1927 Beaux Arts courthouse to the Mount Pleasant Baptist Church with bricks made by the congregation, there's plenty of local history to absorb. For some exercise, the local chapter of the Florida Trail Association offers free walking tours as well as some bike and paddle excursions. One of the most popular activities is a moonlight tour of the 1880 Greenwood Cemetery. The Winter Park Historical Association and Museum offers self-guided walking tours of 20 sites in this quaint suburb north of downtown. The neighborhood is home to Rollins College and the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art, with an extensive collection of Tiffany glass. First founded as an artist colony in 1938, The Maitland Art Center has hosted a number artists over the years including painter Milton Avery. Now on the National Register of Historic Places, its grounds feature Mayan and Aztec motifs on five acres of gardens. Admission to the gallery is $3, but the gardens are free. Come on the third Monday of each month at 3 p.m. (when many other local museums are closed) if you'd like to take an hour-long guided tour of the grounds ($3). A reservation for the tour is required. EARLIER Coming soon: Free admission to Disney on your birthday /theme_parks_get_the_lowdown_fr.html"> Interview with a theme-park insider

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