Online

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Travel

Sure, running out of milk for your cereal, hangnails, and single-spaced papers are terrible, but is there anything truly worse than a poorly planned trip? The one you envisioned flawlessly in your mind, but everything that could have gone wrong seemed to? I have been there. Organizing an enjoyable trip or vacation takes serious inspiration and, more importantly, useful planning resources. In attempts to avoid fake tours, dirty hotels, and wasted days, I want to share a few of my favorite travel-related websites that aid in creating the adventure you crave and deserve.

1. Student Universe

For those looking to save some money, Student Universe is your site. This travel company caters to students and provides discounted rates on flights, trains, hotels, and tours. While most people use the website for their flights, make sure to check out their “Tours” and “Activities” tabs to help in creating a fun itinerary. To get access to these perks from Student Universe, all you have to do is create an account and verify you are a student.

It’s easy! Now that you’ve grabbed cheaply priced tickets, it’s time for the nitty gritty details.

2. Airbnb

When I traveled to Panama I stayed in the heart of Panama City in a beautiful apartment in the artsy and historic Casco Viejo neighborhood. The home was stunning with 2-stories, ceramic tile, a balcony with a view, and impeccable decorating. Staying in an apartment was much more economical and enjoyable than staying in a hotel. Using Airbnb prospective travelers can search through various styles and sizes of houses, apartments, and bedrooms to rent from locals during their trip. The spaces belong to owners who have been thoroughly screened and reviews are posted on the site for each owner.

I highly recommend browsing Airbnb’s housing options before looking for hotels because they are cheaper and provide you with an authentic feel during your vacation. If you want to save some money and cook food, you can do that. If you want to stay in for a night and listen to the sounds of the street, you can do that, too!

3. National Geographic Travel

When planning my next journey, I also check by National Geographic’s online travel section. Aside from the awe-inspiring photography covering every inch of the website, the travel section has a huge database of itineraries, destinations, restaurant recommendations, and so much more. You can search by trip type, country, city, and even theme.

If you are choosing between destinations, I would recommend using the photographs and articles written on this website to narrow your options. It’s National Geographic, so you’ll inevitably feel your wanderlust increase ten-fold.

4. Jet Lag Rooster

Finally, a messed up sleep schedule can surely disrupt a vacation, so try using this website to learn how to avoid it! Just type in your departures and arrival cities, and the Rooster will give you suggestion times of when to sleep during your flight and the few days after. No longer will you be wide awake at 4:30 am and ready to pass out at 3pm, thanks to this neat site!

Image: Flickr

ello
Culture

Today’s social media websites are mostly possessed by advertisement companies, and have a penchant for converting their user’s every move on the website into data. This inescapable publicity has led quite a few Facebook users to partake in an exodus to new social websites. People have been predominantly going to one site in particular called Ello, which has now been appropriately nicknamed the “Facebook Killer” after having converted too many ex-Facebook users. This up-and-coming site has professed that it is based on the principles that its website should not use advertisements, and will minimize the collection of user data compared to other social media websites. Shifts like these show how the population of online users yearn for the ability to connect without the bombardment of media or loss of privacy.

It is a known fact that Facebook not only relies upon advertisements for a large chunk of their revenue, but also on collecting posts, shared links, and other data to sell for profit to media companies. People have become genuinely frustrated with the lack of privacy that accompanies social media these days. Whereas in the past sacrificing privacy for quicker communication was acceptable, that sacrifice no longer feels like an ideal tradeoff.

And the current flocking towards websites like Ello or the phone application called Yik-Yak, which does not give out IP addresses or user information, gives a sense of anonymity and privacy that Facebook cannot. Although Ello and Yik-Yak are not perfect – each has made its own mistakes in the process of starting new platforms – like Ello’s complete lack of privacy or blocking settings at the launch of the site, and Yik-Yak’s total user anonymity, which has led to cases of harassment and bullying, the large congregation of followers on these two websites is telling; people want freedom from the overbearing presence of media and advertisements.

Media is a domineering force that relies heavily upon consumers, and when social media sites sell out users and consumers for financial gain, it leads to the unending stream of unnecessary advertisements and commercials on one’s news feed. Although I don’t believe that Ello will mean the death of Facebook (remember when Google+ tried and failed miserably?) I do think that this competition could be a cause for change in Facebook policy. Facebook could learn from this shift in a need of space away from media, and hopefully create a stronger website that does not betray its users.

Image: Courtesy of Ello.com

Newsworthy Blog
CultureEducation

Have you ever shared something online that you regretted immediately? Maybe it was a picture, status, or comment to a friend. In this day and age, it’s so easy to click ‘Upload’ and ‘Share,’ and sometimes the consequences might not be pretty. If you are someone who has uploaded and regretted, you’ll be interested in knowing that actions are being made by California legislators to give minors the legal right to undo and erase their online mistakes. Some sites might allow users under the age of 18 to erase statuses, pictures, tweets, and other shared content.

According to The New York Times, there has been a lot of debate over how to protect children and their privacy online. Is the Web even worth trying to manage? In the attempt to protect children, a law trying to control the Internet could unintentionally put kids at risk if more personal information is required, such as if the users are indeed under the age of 18 and if the users live in California (since it is a California bill). There are pros and cons to both sides, and determining how to protect online identity is a complicated but important topic.

Would you want to be able to erase your online mistakes?