Site unseen, Hall chums for Cayman divers
The International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame (ISHF) may not have a site on the Internet or even a permanent home in the real world. But that didn’t stop it from inducting its first members amid much fanfare this fall. Neither did it temper the proclamations that the new hall of fame would become one of the Cayman Islands’ biggest tourist draws within a few short months. The hall of fame’s got two things going for it: the Cayman’s legendary reputation in the Scuba community as one of the world’s premier places to dive. And a flashy, informative Web site for divers.
TravelGolf eyes regional course strategy
Unless you’re an avid golfer and reasonably Web savvy, you’ve probably never heard of TravelGolf.com. For good reason. TravelGolf.com has only been around since August, and it advertises its URL sparingly, if at all. The golf travel niche isn’t enormous: One in eight travelers, or about 17.4 million adults, played golf while on an extended trip, according to the Travel Industry Association of America. Of those, less than a third would consider buying their trip online, according TravelGolf.com’s internal research. But hidden under the site’s two-tone markup is one of the online travel industry’s most fascinating success stories.
Pricier holiday presents
Last week, I reviewed some of the less expensive holiday gifts you can give the wired traveler in your life. For those of you who dismissed my suggestions as too cheap, don’t fret. Here’s a chance to show your love by reaching deep into your pockets and plunking down serious cash for one of these gadgets.
Baby rebuttal
Q: Thanks for sticking up for us childfree types by pointing out that people are ultimately responsible when their children scream on airline flights.
It was especially gutsty to add that people who don’t realize this shouldn’t be having children. I expect your computer will melt down from the blistering flames that ensue from incensed breeders.
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iJet unveils travel intelligence agency
It should come as no surprise that one of the best-kept secrets in the online travel business is the takeoff of a new company called iJet. What else would you expect from a venture piloted by a former National Security Agency operative, staffed in large part by retired spies, and headquartered in Annapolis, MD, a magnet for current and former intelligence workers? “I guess intelligence professionals know how to stay below the radar screen,” says Paul Stiles, iJet’s founder and chief executive. “We wanted to keep a low profile until we had something to talk about, until we were ready to go public.” The time is nearly there.
Inexpensive holiday presents
Buying a holiday gift for a techno-savvy traveler is a little like getting sued: it’s no fun-and whether you win or lose, it’s expensive. That’s because the jet set is notoriously difficult to please. It tends to like presents that are compact, feather-light, practical and pricey - a tall order for anyone’s holiday shopping list. Think of this column as a pro-bono attorney who hasn’t lost a case, to continue the legal analogy. This week, I’ll review some of the top holiday gifts that won’t make a big dent in your wallet.
Stop screaming
Q: I hope you can help make a change in airline service. More often than not, babies on airplanes are screaming at take-off and landing because of discomfort caused by the cabin’s air pressure adjustment.
A pacifier, or better yet, a bottle with liquid in the mouths of these babies will quell much of the discomfort [...]
Scuba site persuades divers to ‘go pro’
Blame it on Curacao’s Technicolor coral reefs that stretch as far as the eye can see underwater. Fault Catalina Island’s famous kelp forests undulating in the emerald currents of the Pacific. Or Bermuda’s mysterious shipwrecks, like the Constellation and the Hermes, which look more like watercolors painted in shades of blue than sunken vessels. Then again, maybe it was the Web site that made me take Scuba diving to the next level, figuratively speaking. The Professional Association of Diving Instructors wastes no opportunity to plug its professional programs - in its literature, classes, but perhaps most effectively, on the Internet.
Travel’s digital ‘gap’
You’ve probably read one too many stories about the digital ‘gap’ - the growing chasm between the wired and everyone else. This isn’t one of them. Instead, consider a different kind of gap: the technological one between travelers and their airline. A recent column about electronic tickets prompted some of you to ask about the emergence of a kind of digital divide between passengers and carriers. Let’s go straight to the debate. In the story which covered efforts to offer tickets and boarding passes you could print yourself, I asked if you preferred e-tickets to paper tickets.
Kill Priceline.com
Q: I think we know why people want Priceline to sink. How about giving us little choice in departure times or the ability to back out when we have too little information? Or better yet, how about giving us a little bit of confidence that Priceline’s actually giving us the lowest fare and not just [...]