During the year, I have kept an eye on popular posts and comments, thanks to a couple of great analytics tools, and have learned a few things about what the Taking Off Travel Blog readers like.

It Never Hurts To Rant

You might think that when blogging for an organization you would need to keep things meek and mild to avoid offending anyone. But here on TOTB, it’s clear that readers appreciate it when you take a position on an issue of interest. My evidence: Three Travel Trends That Tick Me Off, a post I wrote when I was feeling particularly annoyed about one travel experience.

Keep It Topical

If you can manage to keep your travel blog topical - sometimes a challenge when you update twice a week - then more people will be interested in what you say. My evidence: Would You Work For Free To Save Your Company?, a post on one of British Airways’ schemes to stop money from sliding down the drain. Didn’t quite work, did it?

Travel Tools Rock

Everyone is interested in how to better the travel experience, so if you can keep on top of tools to do that, then people want to know more. My evidence: The Best iPhone Apps For Travelers, which is exactly what it says. Some of those apps are almost good enough for me to want to get an iPhone.

Share The Love

It never hurts to link to other sites you have found useful. I regularly do a roundup of interesting posts on other travel blogs, but one of our most popular posts ever is Six Travel Bloggers You Should Follow On Twitter, where I give kudos to the people I’ve connected with during this travel blogging stint.

Get Personal

Everyone knows that occasionally I’m going to post an article on offsite airport parking, but the posts you respond to best are the ones where I talk about my actual travel experiences - hardly a big surprise. My evidence: My Favorite Florida Eatery, though really I could pick posts on any of my trips this year to Cancun, Chicago and other places.

That’s what I think; now it’s over to you. What have you enjoyed most on this blog? What would you like to see more of?

About Sharing Travel Experiences

Here’s what he says about the site’s name:

“We’re a tight-knit community of people passionate about learning more about the world and exploring it, both from our armchairs and up close in person.”

That community also includes Alex Fayle, Donna and Dee Anne, and there are regular contributions from guest posters.

Search For A Travel Experience

One of the best bits of the site is the travel recommendations tool (formerly known as the ‘experience search’ - a name which was redolent with possibilities). Work the sliders to choose between big city and nature holidays and between adventure and chillout experiences). Then optionally select a region and an activity to see the recommendations. These are limited by what’s in the database but for most regions there’s a very creditable selection.

Book ‘Em, Danno

When you’re ready to make a trip, the site also offers the services of a travel concierge who can help you create your ideal holiday if you’re prepared to spend five minutes filling out a form. You can find ideas for places to go by looking at the super specials listed on the site. Divided into experience types, these regularly updated deals are hand picked so that travelers don’t just get good value, but amazing experiences.

Inspirational Content

The blog has a wide range of interesting content, including a monthly roundup of inspiring travel stories, lots of photo essays, interviews with travelers and trip reports. Some of the posts I’ve enjoyed most include:

• Travel Lifestyle: Why You Can’t Afford Not To Take A Vacation
• Ideas And Inspiration: Great Destinations For The First Time Traveler
• Travel Lifestyle: Travel Inspired By The Charmed Life

I believe every traveler will find something of value on this site. For me, this site is all about the possibilities of travel - shown in interesting articles, beautiful photos and really useful travel tools. If you haven’t subscribed to Sharing Travel Experiences yet, what are you waiting for?

On my recent trips, I’ve often thought about the security of my luggage. Years ago, my bags were so nondescript that it would have been easy for another traveler to walk off with them without being noticed. That was something I considered, particularly back in 2001/2002 when your bags had to be left for scanning without a secure area to leave them in. But a travel accident gave me the solution - and yes, it should have been obvious.

A Cost Effective Protection Solution

A few years ago, I was taking a trip to somewhere hot. When my bag arrived it had a big rip along the side, very annoying as it was a relatively new case. When I checked the price of cases in the area, I decided that I wasn’t going to pay exorbitant tourist trap prices for a replacement. The solution I found was to use some heavy duty tape - which just happened to be bright orange.

On the trip home, I could spot my luggage from a mile off and my husband and I soon decided to mark every case with the bright orange tape. Since that time, our cases have always had special markings, and I’ve noticed other people doing the same - there were special tags, ribbons and furbelows on about half of the cases I saw on my last trip.

Other Ways To Keep Your Luggage Safe

Of course, that’s just one way to keep your luggage safe. Others include:

• traveling light so you don’t have to check your bags at all
• keeping all valuables with you so if worst comes to worst you only lose clothes
• making it hard for others to grab your bags by standing as close to the carousel exit as possible

If all that fails, there’s one more protection you can put in place to ease the pain of lost or stolen luggage - travel insurance. The airline’s standard cover will only apply if THEY lose your bags. For all other circumstances, you need your own.

(Photo: http://morguefile.com/archive/display/137464)

Airport Security Checks

However, security checks now take an inordinate amount of time. On my recent trip to Bahrain, my bags were scanned several times, the first time even before I got to the check-in desk. Then they were scanned again at security, and then the hand luggage was searched on the way out of the country.

In the US, the checks when you enter the country can be quite stringent. The photographs, fingerprints and close scrutiny of your documents may be justified, but it often doesn’t feel that way, particularly if you’re a law abiding citizen.

Checking Out

But now there are moves afoot to extend that process to departing visitors. A recent story in the Washington Post highlights the plan by the Department of Homeland Security which:

“would collect fingerprints at airport security checkpoints, departure gates or terminal kiosks, allowing the government to track when roughly 35 million foreign visitors a year leave the country.”

At the moment this is a proposal, but the DHS wants this in within two years, despite opposition from the airlines. Current plans are to exclude land borders which, many say, negates the plan’s possible value.

If you’re American, then you probably won’t have to worry about this. For people who visit the country regularly, though, this adds another process to the already time consuming routine of lining up, removing shoes, opening laptop cases, being scanned and repacking your stuff which helps make travel much less fun.

(Photo: http://morguefile.com/archive/display/133263)

Mealtime Woes

On most flights these days, you don’t get a meal unless you are flying long haul. Perhaps that’s good for our waistlines in a more health conscious era, but there are some flights where you could do with a bit of sustenance. I’ve spent a lot of time on AA flights this year. Sure there are food choices available, but the range of sandwiches, cheese and crackers, chips and cookies available is not exactly inspiring. As a semi-vegetarian, I’d love to have more choice on board. Since it’s not there, I have to prowl the airport looking for something decent or starve. Let’s not talk about the prices - this is a money spinner, pure and simple, and it increases the feeling that you’ve been had.

Paying For Booking Seats

So far, for me at least, AA has been in the clear on this one, but others are not so great. On many of the budget European airlines you can’t pre-book seats at all. Those that do allow it want to charge you for the ‘inconvenience’. Last I heard, you needed a seat to fly, so why should you have to pay extra? It’s not as though you are getting any extra comfort - it’s still what the British call cattle class - economy to us. Economy?! It’s the airlines who are raking it in from this move.

Paying For Carrying Bags - Or Not

How are you to travel without a suitcase? While there are times when it’s best to travel light (a good packing list will help with this), if you’re traveling for more than a few days, you need a suitcase. This year I’ve noticed many airlines changing their rules on bags. On some domestic flights you pay for an extra bag, while on some European budget airlines, they charge you both for checking a bag and for not checking one - having their cake and eating it too. That is soooo unfair, as my six year old would say.

Bonus - Too Much Reality

I’ve been lucky enough to get seats with extra legroom on the last couple of flights. That means I’m near the jump seats the crew members use for takeoff and landing. I can tell by the way they talk that these seats are their living room, and they behave as if no one can hear them. There’s lots of bitching and moaning about other crew members, some passengers and the tours they are assigned. It’s a bit too much like being a part of a reality show for me.

With these trends and others, travel just isn’t what it used to be. I still love the excitement of seeing a new place, but flying has lost its allure for me. I feel like part of a herd - and that’s not a good way to start a trip. What are your pet peeves about travel?

10. Flight and Hotel Travel Search by Kayak

Search Kayak.com for deals on hotels and flights.  You can also check flight status, useful if you’re on the move.

9. Tube Buddy

Traveling in London? Tube Buddy gives live departure boards for tube lines and Underground and DLR service updates.

8. SimulTravel GPS

This is a quick way to find a hotel while you’re traveling. You can even find out if the hotel down the street is a better deal than the one you are staying in.

7. OpenTable

Make free restaurant reservations at over 10,000 restaurants in the United States, Canada, and United Kingdom, and earn reward points while you do it.

6. HRS Hotel Organizer

This is a great way to find out about available hotels, their location and facilities. Book anyone of 250,000 hotels around the world from your Blackberry, even if it’s a last minute reservation.

5. The FastPages

This may be one of the quickest ways to get information, with thousands of mobile websites and touch-to-dial phone numbers instantly available.

4. Interlecta Translator

Translate the text you enter on screen and send it as an email or text message. Translate email as it comes in. Interlecta integrates machine translation by adding a ‘translate’ option to menus.

3. WorldMate Live

WorldMate Live integrates a range of travel options, including creating an itinerary, navigation, calendar sync, local search, hotel bookings, currency conversion and world clocks. Paid membership has additional features.

2. Navita Translator

This translation app supports 52 languages and is compatible with all BlackBerry smartphones. Translation is available for words and phrases in emails, SMS or when you type.

1. Trapster

Find out where the speed traps, red light cameras, and speed cameras are without having to communicate with CB radios and flashing headlights.

Find more useful BlackBerry apps on BlackBerry World.

Twitter

Back in April I told you about six travel bloggers you should follow on Twitter. Since then, I’ve interacted with a few more travel bloggers, so I’d like to expand the list. Here are seven more travel bloggers you should follow on Twitter:

GoPlanit

@goplanit is linked to the social travel planning site of the same name which we reviewed some time ago. The site shares some great travel articles through the Twitter account. Recently @goplanit has tweeted about an interesting travel photo competition.

Matador Network

As the microbloggers representing the world’s largest independent travel magazine (their words), @matadornetwork can’t help but be interesting. There’s so much new content on the site that it’s hard even to keep up with the Twitter stream. These guys talk about everything related to travel, as this recent tweet on ethics shows.

AndrewGHayes

@andrewghayes is known as “that travel guy” and you will see his name popping up wherever travel is discussed. I’ve had some great discussions with Andy in the past year. He’s recently rebranded his travel blog, now called Sharing Travel Experiences. Andy’s very creative, as this recent tweet shows.

Jetsetcitizen

@jetsetcitizen is John Bardos, a Canadian living in Japan but planning to move to somewhere else. If you’re interested in lifestyle design and travel then check out his site, which has some great information on others doing the same thing. Here’s a recent tweet on a Japanese cultural experience.

NuNomad

@NuNomad is the Twitter moniker for Ricardo and Carmen, two nomads currently traveling around the world. Their site has some great information on how you can do it too, including a great round table featuring four nomadic families. One recent tweet highlights a nomad returning to the US.

LeaWoodward

@leawoodward is one of the people behind a topic that’s getting a lot of attention on Twitter these days: location independence. The Location Independent Professionals website is a gold mine for people wanting more information on this trend and Lea is always on Twitter to offer helpful advice, despite her busy schedule.

NomadRip

Those are my recommendations - and here’s a bonus one: I’ve been tweeting with @NomadRip over the past few weeks and he’s had some interesting things to say. He’s recently launched the Live Collar Free site, which is worth checking out.

Terminals And Airlines

Fort Lauderdale Airport has four terminals and claims to put an end to “terminal boredom” with the range of facilities in each. (Terminal maps are available here.) The airport offers non-stop service to more than 55 US cities, as well as flights to the Bahamas, Canada, the Caribbean, Latin America, Mexico and South America. It’s a hub for Spirit Airlines and Gulfstream International Airlines, though many other carriers operate there.

Amenities

In addition to the restaurants, gift shops and business centers in each terminal, FLL has a range of other amenities, including:

• facilities in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, including access to airport parking lots without pulling a ticket, accessible parking lots, amplified telephones and more
• business services including Fed-Ex drop off points, money wiring, photocopying and US mail
• public baggage storage
• free Wi-Fi internet
• car hire
• luggage transportation

Parking

FLL offers a wide range of airport parking options. In addition to the airport parking facilities, there are the following offsite airport parking lots: Continental Airport Parking, Park ‘N Go Airport Parking and Park ‘N Fly Airport Parking.

Beyond The Airport

There can’t be many better places to have a layover than Fort Lauderdale. If you have some time between flights, then here are some places you can visit while you wait.

• If you enjoy thrills and near spills, then ride on the Dania Beach Hurricane, a wooden roller coaster that is younger than it looks. Built in 2000, this coaster is part of Boomers. Check out the first photo on this page to see what it’s like.
• The International Fishing Hall of Fame is run by the International Game Fish Association, and even non-anglers will find something of interest here.
• TY (Topeekeegee Yugnee) Park is a great place to enjoy the outdoors. The 150 acre park includes a swimming pool, play areas and locations where you can sit and watch the world go by.
• Car buffs will enjoy the Antique Car Museum which has a range of vehicles from the early to mid 20th century, including a 1909 Packard Speedster and number of rare models.

Other attractions in the area can be found in recent posts on Florida: On The Water In Florida, Coasting and Karting in Florida and A Vacation in Hollywood.

What would you add to the recommended attractions list?

I visited Hoboken while I was there and made a discovery in the shape of the Karma Kafe, an Indian bistro with a great Zagat’s rating. They serve an all you can eat lunchtime buffet for a very reasonable price and the food is excellent. Here’s a photo of my meal (I admit, it’s not arranged artistically) and of the intricate table top.

On my way back to the station, I passed a beautiful building and couldn’t resist taking a photo of it.

I enjoyed looking at the ancient metalwork at Hoboken station, and it was interesting to capture the old signage in front of a modern digital display.

I finished up the day with dinner at Amelia’s Bistro, right downstairs of where I was staying. Ground hummus made a great starter, followed by grilled salmon. I had to take my chocolate brownie home, as the entree portions were so large. The service was great and I’ll be visiting there again.

Two final images round out my New Jersey trip: this artistic rendition of the Statue of Liberty on a run down Jersey City building …

… and the view of the water from the marina.

What is your computer setup?

I recently wondered whether business travelers dare to unplug in the 21st century. If your answer is a resounding ‘no’ then it’s time to look at what you need to really stay connected today. Here’s a peek at my setup. I hope you’ll share yours in the comments below.

Computer

This almost goes without saying. Over the years, I’ve fluctuated between desktops and laptops. My current set up is a Dell desktop machine for home use with as large a screen as I could afford and a small laptop (Samsung NC-110) for taking on the road.  Tip: Choose a laptop with as big a keyboard as possible; tiny keys can be hard on the hands and wrists.

Other Hardware

One essential item for me is a good headset. Not only does this prevent me from annoying others around me when I play music and videos, it also comes in handy for VOIP software. A webcam is another tool that’s almost essential. When you are talking to and meeting people online, it’s good to be able to see their faces and gauge reactions.

Software

I live on the web, so many of my favorite apps live there too. I use iGoogle as a command center to give me access to email, RSS feed reader, social media sites and so on. I use Google Docs to make sure that I can access essential documentation on the move. I use Skype for international phone calls (and my cell phone for others). I use Digsby to manage multiple instant messenging accounts, and I use Google Chrome for browsing, because it’s fast. I also backup all my files with Syncplicity, so that I always have access to anything that I have forgotten to upload to Google Docs.

Now, it’s over to you. What are your essentials for staying connected while on the road?