TripAdvisor's Top Destinations

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I Vacations Suggested Travel Planner

Planning a vacation should be as relaxing and eye-opening as the actual journey.

The traditional way of planning vacations — flipping through travel books and magazines — is an exhausting time suck. Lately, we've been planning our dream holidays using travel-planning applications. Globetrotters can find trip inspiration, affordable flights, off-the-map sights, delicious local eats and the best hotels deals right on their smartphones, tablets or computers.

Grab a cup of coffee (or a piña colada if you see a tropical getaway in your midst), plop down on a comfy seat and we'll show you how to map out your next adventure — all from the comfort of your home, office or favorite cafe. All you'll need a reliable Internet connection.

Even if you're saving money for that plane/train/bus ticket, planning a few trips in the meantime will abate the wanderlust, for sure.

Below are a few tech resources that can help adventurers of all experience levels to expertly plan the next voyage.

Step One: Deciding Where To Go

Our must-see destinations list keeps growing after scrolling through many travel-planning apps in our spare time such as Minube.

Minube is an iOS and desktop app. The app works its magic by suggesting vacation spots that fit your mood, how much time you have or region of the world you want to see. If you're looking for a culinary adventure, the app might suggest slurping up a bowl of authentic Vietnamese pho soup riverside in Ho Chi Minh City or visiting the seaside town of Islantilla in Spain for paella.

On the app, you can explore any city in the world. You'll find plenty of sights to see, places to eat and lodging — plus pictures and tips from fellow travelers. The app accumulates user-uploaded photos and content. Since launching in 2007, the Madrid-based startup's community base has grown to more than 500,000 travelers and locals everywhere. The app is available in Spanish, English, Portuguese, French and Italian. It's a mobile must-have for busy travel planners.

For another photo-heavy guide, try Trippy — the Pinterest of travel sites. It's a hotbed for inspiration and advice. Your Facebook and Twitter friends fuel the conversation. On Trippy, users harness their social networks to find personal recommendations about travel spots. It's a place where you can follow someone who has been to a place you're going to simply to ask for recommendations.

Step Two: Finding Affordable Flights

Once you've narrowed down your list of possible destinations, it's time to find the best airfare. Your roundtrip ticket will likely be the biggest cost of your trip. From experience, it's best to check travel sites several times a day and throughout a week because ticket prices fluctuate hourly. It would also be ideal to book a few weeks in advance and to check with smaller carriers as well as the major airlines. To keep costs low, make sure to do your research about seasonal prices.

We asked travel blogger Geraldine DeRuiter aka The Everywhereist how she scores the greatest airfare deals year-round. Her secret is starting the search with Kayak.

Kayak, recently acquired by Priceline, scans hundreds of airfare sites for top deals. Searching the Kayak website, iOS or Android app can surface top-notch deals in seconds. The best part besides saving money — if you create a profile, your flight itinerary can be accessed across platforms.

Here are a few more online airfare tools every budget traveler should know.

Step Three: Budget Hotels

Where to stay is a huge component of any trip. After a long day of eating delicious food, meeting locals and sightseeing, tired travelers need a quiet, comfortable, clean and affordable place to rest.

Luckily, for us, in recent years there's been a growth of online resources helping us hotel hunt.Gogobot is a people-driven hub for top hotels, vacation rentals, things to do and restaurants. Looking up hotels for our next trip to Mumbai, India, as an example, we received 427 hits for hotels. Vacancies are searchable by popularity, ratings and price per night.

If you have lots of friends who travel or follow wayfaring bloggers on Facebook, Foursquare and Instagram, you can use Tripbirds. Tripbirds is a travel website that makes hotel recommendations based on your social network. The website turns your friends' mentions, hotel check-ins and mobile photography into a guidebook.

Firstly, you must enter in where you want to go — we used "London" in our test run. After signing into Tripbirds with our Facebook account, the network told me we have friends who have stayed at The Savoy. From here, you can privately message any of your friends for a personal review.

For something a little more authentic, we're told to do as the locals do. The travel bloggers Laura Siciliano-Rosen and Scott Rosen behind Eat Your World recommend using Airbnb to find local short-term accommodations. Travelers can choose a wide range of shared rooms, private rooms and entire apartments or houses.

"We've moved toward staying in more apartments than hotels lately, finding them more comfortable, better situated in (real) local neighborhoods, and definitely providing more value for the cost," Laura wrote in an email to Mashable.

Another online resource for finding short-term housing is Tripping. Tripping is platform that connects travelers with locals who are renting out their homes around the world. There are over 750,000 rental spaces ranging from luxurious penthouses to rustic beachside stays.

For last-minute lodging deals, try Hotel Tonight, a free mobile app available on iOS and Androiddevices.

Step Four: Coordinating With Travel Buddies

Finally, you can share all the details with your travel mates.

TripIt is a helpful mobile and desktop application to get everyone on the same page. Users can plan trips on TripIt privately or in tandem with co-travelers. Creators can choose to share the itinerary by email or link with anyone. Here, you can discuss flights, car rentals and other transportation options. Plus, add additional details about lodging, restaurants and activities.

TripIt is available on iPhone, iPad, Android, Blackberry and Windows Phone 7. It's an easy way to turn all the confirmation emails from airlines, hotels and restaurants into an easily sharable itinerary. If there are any flight delays, cancellations and gate changes, TripIt will conveniently email real-time updates to the group's phones. Plus, it conveniently syncs to your mobile or desktop calendar.

Step Five: Itinerary

All that's left to do is plan how you'll explore a new city, island, coast or country. There are plenty of apps and websites to help you make the best of your time.

If you want to rappel down waterfalls, take a private boat ride through hidden grottos and go swimming in an underwater cave, Vayable is a great resource to find and book unique experiences. The startup created an online marketplace for local experts and certified guides to connect with interested travelers. On the website, individuals can purchase guided tours, expeditions and adventures.

To find other unique experiences, Siciliano-Rosen from Eat Your World also recommends consulting local blogs and online travel communities including Lonely Planet's Thorntree travel forum (organized by continent, country and trip categories). "[It's] still our favorite for asking other in-the-know travelers specific questions, especially for more off-the-beaten-path destinations," she said. (courtesy of mashable.com)

IVacations - Featuring Now - Florida's Top Beaches

Take advantage of the Sunshine State’s surf, sun and sand at these top 10 beaches in Florida. With remote island getaways, big city beaches and family-friendly shores perfect for shelling and sandcastle-building, Florida promises a beach for every visitor.

Delray Beach

Just north of Boca Raton in Palm Beach County, Delray Beach at Ocean and Atlantic Avenues is a charming village by the sea. Each year, nearly 1 million visitors flock to this family-friendly 2-mile-long beach ideal for sunbathing, swimming and sandcastle-building. When the sun goes down, visitors take a stroll on festive Atlantic Avenue, enjoying the boutiques, seafood restaurants, cool architecture and the Pineapple Grove Arts District. And if you’re looking for a worthwhile splurge, check into the Seagate Hotel and Spa on Atlantic Avenue just a short trolley ride to the beach and the private Seagate Beach Club.

Clearwater Beach

Clearwater Beach's well-deserved reputation as one of America's finest beaches has lured countless families and couples to its broad, sandy shores and beachfront hotels. Spread along a narrow, 3-mile stretch of the Pinellas Peninsula on the Gulf Coast, Clearwater Beach straddles the blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico to the west, and tranquil Tampa Bay to the east. This location between the 2 waters, and Clearwater's proximity to Tampa, offer visitors ample activities like sunbathing on white sandy beaches, diving into a game of beach volleyball, renting fishing boats, taking a dolphin-watching cruise, parasailing or heading to a mainland museum or aquarium.

Naples

The biggest dilemma when chilling on the pearly white sands in Naples is to decide which way to look. On one side are the rolling waves, and on the other the gleaming mansions that make up Millionaires' Row. One of the most popular beaches at Naples Pier is in the city, on 12th Avenue South. Another great beach lies a few miles north of Old Naples, at the Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park. This is a great place to spread out the family's beach blanket and camp out for the day as there are bathhouses and food stands on-site and rentals available for everything from umbrellas to kayaks to snorkeling gear.

Sanibel Beach

Sanibel is a unique barrier island with east-west orientation that differs from the typical north-south layout. This east-west designation has helped Sanibel earn its reputation as one of the Shell Islands—prime spots along Florida’s coastline for gathering perfectly intact shells in every shape and size. Hit the beach with a bucket, shovel and small net ,and stroll the beach at low tide to peruse the ocean’s bounty of conch, cockles and scallop shells. Bowman’s Beach is the quietest and most remote stretch of sand in Sanibel, while a historic lighthouse beckons visitors to take a stroll on the rustic boardwalk at Lighthouse Beach.

South Beach

South Beach is an international playground offering non-stop nightlife, sandy shores, unique architecture and plenty of eye candy. When imagining the South Beach scene, think "Baywatch" with an architectural twist ... even the lifeguard stands are art deco masterpieces. The long, man-made beach stretches up the Atlantic for miles and is perfect for early morning runs and topless sunbathing. And while it may not be the Caribbean, the water is as clean and clear as the Atlantic gets. The beach is also about the best spot to view the city lights at night before exploring the legendary club scene.

Siesta Key

With so much to see and do, it's almost impossible to lie idle on Siesta Key. Whether you curl your toes in it, run your fingers through it or bask on it, the allure of the island sand is contagious. Beach lovers flock to these silky shores to take advantage of the wide expanse of sand and the tranquil gulf waters. Siesta Key Beach is perfect for strolling, shell-collecting, or more active pursuits like renting a catamaran or kayak from one of the many beach concessionaires. This perfect family vacation venue, which boasts beachside picnic areas and playgrounds, is also home to candlelit restaurants and cozy rental cottages ideal for a romantic getaway.

Clinton & Charles Robertson,

Atlantic Beach

Relaxing is easy on Atlantic Beach: sand soft and white as sugar, brilliant sunshine and azure waters abound. And while Atlantic Beach has heaps of small-town charm, it’s also just a short drive from Jacksonville, making it convenient for day trippers and vacationers who want a short airport-to-beach commute. History buffs can learn about the development of Atlantic Beach and neighboring Jacksonville beaches at the area’s Beaches Museum and History Center. After spending the afternoon strolling the shores, head to Beaches Town Center’s pedestrian-friendly cobblestone streets and check out the town’s restaurants, galleries, boutiques and frequent special events like live music and the monthly North Beaches Art Walk held on the third Thursday of every month.

Key West

Paradise is located just off the coast of mainland Florida -- and it's called Key West. As Jimmy Buffet crooned, Key West is the original changer of latitudes and attitudes, and one weekend here proves he knew exactly what he was talking about. Fort Zachary Taylor State Park is one of Florida's most beautiful spots, with wide stretches of sugary sand and tranquil waters. Visitors can rent snorkel gear or a 2-person glass-bottomed kayak from the concession area. Or stick to dry land and rent a bike to navigate the single bike path that winds beside the Key West shipping channel, around the fort, through a rocky secluded beach and countless picnic spots.

Palm Beach

It may have more than 47 miles of pristine beaches, but the crown jewel of Palm Beach County, FL, is, without a doubt, exclusive Palm Beach -- a 14-mile-long, half-mile-wide island of wealth and extravagance. Winter home to the Vanderbilts, the Kennedys, the Rockefellers and a slew of newly minted millionaires, Palm Beach features some of Florida's finest hotels, restaurants and shops, as well as some truly beautiful beaches. Perched next to the Gulf Stream, Palm Beach enjoys the benefit of warm blue water and gentle breezes. The John D. MacArthur State Park has a beautiful beach perfect for families as well as abundant marine life and rare plants to explore on a nature walk.

Captiva Island

Along with Sanibel, Captiva Island shares the distinction of being 1 of Florida’s Shell Islands. Captiva is generally the spot to find the larger of the intact shells. Turner Beach, though not good for swimming because of fast currents, is the perfect spot for a shell-hunting adventure. Just be sure to leave any live shells on the beach or risk breaking the state’s strict shelling laws. At sunset, head to Captiva Beach at the end of Captiva Drive to take in a spectacular sunset.

2013 World Travel Awards

This year the World Travel Awards came out with their list of best this and best that, as in best airline, best ski resort. And best family resorts.

Most of these hot spots are far from the likes of your typical Disney World vacation.  But globe trotting families, passport in hand, might find these 10 foreign lands worth checking in as vacation planning season begins.  Hey, Thailand isn’t all that far away.  Mars, now that’s far. Plus it’s a lot more expensive…

http://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrapoza/2013/04/12/summer-vacation-destinations-for-globe-trotting-families/

2013 Forbes.com LLC™   All Rights Reserved

Best Times To Buy Flights

Shopping for air travel can be both confusing and frustrating — airline ticket prices change frequently (with seemingly no particular rhyme or reason).

Let’s face it — your time is too valuable to be laboring over a computer screen for hours searching for a great deal — our company mission is to take the mystery out of shopping for cheap flights, so let’s get started.

We have boiled down hundreds of our tips from a decade of airfare research specifically to educate fliers on how to make the best ticket purchasing decisions for each and every trip (checkout the video and the air travel insider tips below):

Cheapest Day to Fly – Wednesday

We did an in-depth study of our proprietary historical airfare database (world’s largest) and pinpointed the cheapest day to fly is Wednesday for domestic travel (gory details at the link).

Wednesday is one of the three cheapest days, the others are Tuesday and Saturday (Friday and Sunday the most expensive days to travel). The cheapest day to travel internationally are a bit different — we are working on this research and it should be up shortly.

The cheapest time to fly is typically the first flight out in the morning – yes, that means you have to get up at 4am. Next best times are flights during/after lunch and flights at the dinner hour (of course the absolute cheapest time to fly is on those limited routes with red eyes).

Best Time to Buy Airline Tickets – Tuesday 3pm Eastern

Another of our studies shows that the best time to buy airline tickets and shop for travel (domestically) is Tuesday at 3pm Eastern – yes shopping on Tuesday is the the best time to buy airline tickets, but be careful as most of these discounted airfare are pulled on Thursdays, so your probably paying too much if buying on the weekends.

Florida Things To Do

Vacation opportunities abound from the southern Florida Keys through Fort Lauderdale and Miami, into central Florida's Orlando and to Pensacola in the panhandle. The Florida Keys offer fantastic vacation experiences for water sports including diving and snorkeling in beautiful turquoise waters.

Sport, deep-sea and flats fishing are very popular - either as a primary vacation adventure, or along with other activities on a Florida vacation.  There are many marinas along the Keys for charters, and boat rentals.  Fishing can also be as simple as dropping a line from one of the many bridges or along the coastal roads.  One thing that the Florida Keys do not offer, surprisingly, are a lot of sandy beaches.  There are only a few natural sandy beaches along the Florida Keys, although many hotels do offer their own small, private beaches for vacationers.

Kayaking is another excellent vacation experience where waters are usually so clear that abundant sea life can be viewed while paddling.   Kayak rental facilities are plenty and some locations offer group outings.  Fishing from a kayak is also great fun.

Moving up the coast to the Miami and Fort Lauderdale areas, vacationers can find world-class nightclubbing.   High energy nightclubs for the jet set crowd, famous celebrities, or for us mere mortals are very abundant.  Miami also offers a strong Latin cultural experience with a rich Hispanic and Caribbean atmosphere and areas within the city.

Several cruise lines are served from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, with many cruises into the Caribbean and beyond.

Miami Beach and up to Fort Lauderdale offer stunning beaches with broad expanses of sandy beaches, nice parks, and endless beach front hotels - a vacationer's paradise!

Opposite Miami and Fort Lauderdale on the west coast is the Florida Everglades.  This natural wonder can be experienced through tours or by simply by driving across on one of the few roads that cut through the region.  A vacation here is not as glamorous as in Miami or Fort Lauderdale, but it does offer a unique and more relaxing vacation experience.  North of the Everglades are the cities of Naples and Fort Myers with numerous beaches, excellent fishing, golfing and various areas of interest.

Moving further north up to central Florida are three distinct vacation regions.  The Orlando area is the world's undisputed place to go for theme parks and attraction vacations.  Several Disney, Universal Studios, Sea World parks and many other attractions, large and small, could entertain one for weeks without seeing the same thing twice.  Do not overlook the many smaller attractions and places of entertainment, especially if you've already visited some of the larger theme parks.  This area offers family vacation entertainment for all ages - small children to teenagers and adults.   Research the various theme parks to match your interests.  Hotels and restaurants are endless and offer a broad array of accommodations and price ranges.  Lose yourself in an Orlando Vacation!

On the west coast of central Florida are the cities of Tampa, Clearwater and St. Petersburg.  These cities offer a well-rounded vacation mix of nightlife, sandy beaches, attractions, boating, sailing, fishing and shopping.  The Tampa Bay area is about an hour and a half drive to the Orlando area, so this is a good place for those who want to enjoy a mix of beach and theme park activities.

On the east coast of central Florida is Daytona Beach with its world-renowned, 23-mile beach and Daytona International Speedway. The speedway is host to the annual Daytona 500 NASCAR race. For "motorheads", this is the ideal vacation area.  Motor racing, surfing, swimming, fishing and golfing are the primary interests in Daytona Beach. Daytona is also a popular place to vacation for motorcyclists during Bike Week in early March or "Biketoberfest®" in late October, during which Daytona Beach is teaming with motorcycles.

Moving up to northeast Florida is the city of Jacksonville.  Like the Tampa Bay area, Jacksonville offers a good vacation mix of nightlife, sandy beaches, attractions, boating, sailing, fishing and shopping.  And like Daytona Beach, surfing is also popular along the Jacksonville beaches.

Tallahassee, the capital of Florida, is located in north Florida between Jacksonville and Pensacola.  Tallahassee is known for its southern charm and elegance.  A tour of the restored, 1845 Old Capitol building is very interesting and free to the public.

West of Tallahassee in northern Florida, are Panama City Beach and Pensacola.  Panama City Beach is a small beach vacation resort area with spectacular sugar-fine, white sand beaches and the most amazing, emerald-green water.  A number of hotels are located on the broad beaches for those who want the convenience of walking right out to the beach from the hotel.  Various water sports are available including boating, fishing, sailing, parasailing and jet skiing - or just plain sunbathing on the beach! 

Pensacola and Pensacola Beach are located at the western end of the Florida panhandle.  Pensacola offers a low-key place to vacation with historical significance, and a very nice historical district with shopping, restaurants and museums.   Pensacola Beach is known for its many miles of unpopulated, and pristine snow-white beaches.

Travel Channel's Top Spring Destinations

Click the pic to see your vacation dreams come true !!