Finally, something magnificently useful from the New York Times. Seth Kugel charts out a plan for using public transport to take a tour of the attractions in New York. Well, Manhattan, to be specific. Start by buying a $7.50 Fun Pass at any subway station. That allows you to hop on and off for the full day on any public bus and the subway.

But the kicker is that Kugel has a detailed plan (including a map with highlights) that allows you to hit all the right spots in Manhattan in about three and a half hours of bus time, plus a quick subway trip and a few blocks’ walk. Photo by Tomás Fano via flickr (creative commons).

In other news, Omni Hotels has a ’10k Flyaway’ offer where you earn 10,000 airline miles for every 100 room nights. Plus you get 5% off your master bill. But the offer’s valid only for room nights consumed before April 30, 2009. That’s a bit difficult, but still doable, if your suitcase spends more time with you than your wife, so to speak.

And lastly, Kayak.com has come out with a set of new and rather geeky tools. In addition to sharing a favorite itinerary with a friend, users can now share all results for air, hotel, rental car and cruise searches. According to a press release sent to me, Kayak.com claims to have invented the first collaborative search engine that enables two or more travelers in different locations to view the same search results simultaneously, and additionally, sort and filter those results in real-time. 

“Kayak.com has introduced the first real-time sharing of results, so couples or colleagues can choose flights together, even if travelers are in different parts of town or even the world,” Paul English, co-founder and CTO of Kayak.com said.  “If you find a great deal for a romantic winter getaway, but want to confirm details with your girlfriend before booking, the Kayak Collaboration Engine allows you to both look at and modify possible flight or hotel options in real time. This process is much faster and efficient than describing what each person sees on their screen over the phone.  Or worse, waiting until you’re in front of the same computer to make a decision only to find the price has significantly increased.”

Excellent stuff. Now, in addition to fighting over the remote, we can fight over who gets to choose the trip plan on Kayak. In real time.

Posted on November 20th, 2008 by PLing
Filed under: Hotels, Travel Tips