WEBSITE OF THE DAY: Flyhere.com

Flyhere.com
Have you ever wondered what destinations you can fly nonstop to, from any given airport? FlyHere.com provides just that information, plus shows what connection cities are possible. For example, if you live in Los Angeles and want to take a trip, simply enter in the airport name or three-letter airport code and a list of all nonstop destinations, departing from that airport appears. Note that FlyHere.com is not a website to use if you’re interested in checking timetables. For that, check out AirTimetable.com, which we recently featured.

WEBSITE OF THE DAY: GymTicket.com

GymTicket.com
Are you one of those millions of people whose new year’s resolution was to get in shape, even when you travel? Join the club. GymTicket.com has a directory of over 20,000 gyms and health clubs across the U.S. To locate gyms in certain areas and find out how to get a free guest pass, simply type in your address and zip code and voila! I just gave it a test drive, inserting my home address and the search results turned up most of the clubs in my area, but not all. Maybe that’s because those gyms don’t hand out free guest passes? I don’t know and I don’t have time to find out ... I’m rushing out the door to catch my next flight! I don’t know why a zip code isn’t sufficient information for the site to turn up accurate search results (it’s a pain to type out a full address) but regardless, it’s a handy site if you’re looking to stay fit on the road!

WEBSITE OF THE DAY: CouchSurfing.com

CouchSurfing.com Are you sick and tired of paying huge hotel bills? It’s especially bothersome when you’re a solo traveler and you don’t take up that much room. Well then, listen up -- CouchSurfing.com might become your favorite travel website (besides JohnnyJet.com, of course!). CouchSurfing is a non-profit organization dedicated to a global community of over 400,000 members. The site was developed so that everyone can travel the world and partake in cultural exchanges for free, by providing access to couches across the globe that you can crash on. The one thing that troubles me about the site is this fact that it states: “We have 223 unique countries represented (including Antarctica)”. Umm ... not so. The fact is, according the UN, there are only 193 countries in the world so some of their “destinations” must be insane in the membrane! All kidding aside, CouchSurfer users can pick and choose whom they want to host or meet. And they have a verification system implemented for safety. To host members, someone has to vouch for you and you can only be vouched for by someone who’s already a CouchSurfing.com member. Essentially, it’s a trust circle.

WEBSITE OF THE DAY: NothingButNets.net

NothingButNets.net Since much of this week’s newsletter is about the prevention of malaria, I thought I’d highlight a website that’s goal is to save lives by preventing malaria. Nothing But Nets is a grassroots campaign that got its start from a Sports Illustrated column about malaria, written by Rick Reilly. He challenged each of his readers to donate at least $10 towards the purchase of an anti-malaria bed net. The incredible response from thousands of Americans across the country led to the creation of the Nothing But Nets campaign. Visit the site to learn more about malaria prevention and to learn how you can contribute to the cause.

WEBSITE OF THE DAY: Dopplr.com

Dopplr.com Have you ever discovered too late that a friend or colleague of yours was traveling to the same destination as you? Doesn’t that suck when you realize afterwards that you were in the same place at the same time? Especially when you both swap tales of boring dinners alone at your respective hotel restaurants. Well, thanks to Dopplr.com’s new online service for frequent travelers, those scenarios are out the door! Dopplr.com allows you to privately share your travel plans with a group of friends and colleagues of your choosing. You’ll then be notified when people you know will be in the same city as you. It also reminds you of people who live in the places you’re planning to visit. So, what are you waiting for? Sign up now – it’s free!

WEBSITE OF THE DAY: MostTraveledPeople.com

MostTraveledPeople.com Do you think you are one of the world’s most traveled people? My friends thought I was but I kept telling them they were crazy. Even with all the travel I do, I wasn’t even close, not even by a long shot. Case in point: Log on to MostTraveledPeople.com.

Founder Charles Veley is a retired software executive from San Francisco. After cashing out in 1999, he spent his time and earnings traveling the world. He set up the website and according to their members, the world is made up of 673 countries, territories, autonomous regions, enclaves, geographically separated island groups and major states and provinces. Just to be clear: there aren’t 673 countries in the world. The United Nations lists 193. But to visit all 673 of the places Charles lists on his site would be to go “everywhere”. Charles is listed at the top, having visited a whopping 629 of them. I, on the other hand, have only been to 102. I know – I’m a slacker. Actually, I checked out some of Charles’ travels and that man hops around way too much. By the looks of the dates of his travels, as recorded on his site, Charles sometimes went to four places in one day! That’s crazy. I keep reminding myself that traveling is not just about putting pins on a map (though it is fun and I still stare at my map every day). My goal is not just to set foot on the soil of a particular place but to really see it, understand the culture, the people, the food, everything. But don’t get me wrong! I’m still envious of Charles and I have some serious catching up to do! By the time I’m 80, I hope to have all 673 pins on my map.

WEBSITE OF THE DAY: FlyOpenSkies.com

http://flyopenskies.com/ With the new agreement between the European Union and the United States comes open skies. Airlines are now free to fly to virtually any destination between the two continents. This means that an Air France flight, for example, doesn’t have to arrive in or depart from France. The airline can fly from Italy or England if they want. The same goes for other national carriers, too. And today, British Airways announced the launch of their new airline, OpenSkies. The airline was formerly known as Project Lauren. For those of you with inquisitive minds, Lauren was the name of Managing Director Dale Moss’ first granddaughter. The airline’s inaugural flight will be from New York to either Paris or Brussels in June of this year. Their plan is to operate six aircrafts by the end of 2009, originating in the New York area and flying to a range of destinations throughout Europe. The planes will be efficient and proven 757s with a redesigned, traveller-friendly cabin configured in three classes: business, premium economy and economy. Business class will have 24 six-foot flat beds. There will be 28 premium economy seats with a 52-inch seat pitch and 30 economy seats. This means that each 757 will have no more than 82 passengers on any given aircraft.

Happy Travels,

Johnny Jet

www.JohnnyJet.com ~ The Ultimate Travel Website
www.AirlineNumbers.com ~ Every Airline Number and Website
www.HotelNumbers.com ~ Every Hotel Number and Website
www.CarRentalNumbers.com ~ Every Car Rental Number and Website
www.CruiselineNumbers.com ~ Every Cruise Line Number and Website
www.AlternateAirports.com ~ Save Money By Checking Alternate Airports

WEBSITE OF THE DAY: Fabsearch.com

Fabsearch.com Before the Internet, travel enthusiasts would often spend time clipping travel articles from magazines. Many still do this but it’s not very organized or convenient. Then came along Warner Johnson, a Harlem-based entrepreneur who launched a new type of web-based travel service that the NY Times calls the first aggregator of glossy news. Warner and his crew spent months going back two years, reading old issues of Vogue, Tatler, British Harper's Bazaar, Daily Candy, The FT, Vanity Fair, W, Wallpaper, Town and Country, Elle and Elle Decor. They then listed that content on their website, so people could find information on where to stay and where to eat at destinations around the world. Any Internet user can peruse their offerings for free and can “clip” interesting tidbits and store them in an online file. If you missed something or want to write your own post, you can do so in your “My Clippings” file. It’s pretty handy; you should try it out.

WEBSITE OF THE DAY: StubHub.com

StubHub.com I love to attend sporting events and concerts. But when you're traveling in a different city, do you know how to get tickets to your favorite events? StubHub.com is the place to go. StubHub.com is the largest ticket marketplace in the world, based on sales. The site enables fans to buy and sell tickets at fair market value to a vast selection of sporting, concert, theater and other live entertainment events, often, even to those that are supposedly sold out. Whether you're buying or selling tickets on StubHub.com, you are protected against fraud. If you can wait until the last minute, you can get some great deals on tickets. I use it all the time. Once you do, you won't want to go anywhere else.

WEBSITE OF THE DAY: SafeTravel.dot.gov

SafeTravel.dot.gov The federal government is at it again, so if you tend to travel with spare lithium batteries, listen up. Effective January 1, 2008, the following rules apply to the spare lithium batteries you carry with you in case the battery in a device runs low: Spare batteries are the batteries you carry separately from the devices they power. When batteries are installed in a device, they are not considered spare batteries.You may not pack a spare lithium battery in your checked baggage.You may bring spare lithium batteries with you in carry-on baggage Ð see our spare battery tips and how-to sections to find out how to pack spare batteries safely! Even though we recommend carrying your devices with you in carry-on baggage as well, if you must bring one in checked baggage, you may check it with the batteries installed.For more information, click here.