Travel Tonic

Bringing you what’s new in travel for March 9th 2010 through March 11th 2010:

• San Francisco: 5 great walking tours – Justine Sharrock recently posted this on This Just In… Newsweek’s Travel Blog:San Francisco is a walker’s city. So think like a local and try a walking tour when you’re in town, instead of taking a stereotypical bus tour. Walking tours are an excellent way to get an insider perspective of the city, whether you’re interested in must-see landmarks or more uncommon sites. In our opinion, the five listed here are well worth the money.
• The Best Tools for Hacking Your Next Big Conference (Like SXSW) [Travel] – Lifehacker’s Kevin Purdy just posted this article:
  

  At last year’s South by Southwest Interactive festival, I experienced shoulder burns, a perpetually dead laptop, frantic text messages, and very little sleep. This year, I’m planning on taking Lifehacker’s own advice on travel tools and actually enjoying myself. Here’s how. …

  Read the rest at Lifehacker

• More Ways to Find Cheap Hotel Accommodations – Smarter Travel has posted some info about ed perkins: For a short time, Priceline is posting recent successful bid prices for hotels, while Quikbook has added an “opaque” booking feature. So, how do you find good deals? Ed Perkins explains.Head over to www.smartertravel.com to read the whole article.
• 10 airports that reduce the hassle of flying – RobinD_travel recently posted this over on the Bing Travel Blog:Juggle your boarding pass and driver’s license, remove your shoes, belt and jacket, place your cell phone, electronic reading device and 3-ounce bottle of shampoo in the plastic bin and toss your purse onto the conveyor belt. Go through security, then gather up the bits before your pants fall down and someone runs off with your wallet.
• Biking directions added to Google Maps – Sean O’Neill recently posted this on This Just In… Newsweek’s Travel Blog:Today, Google added bicycle directions to its online maps for 150 cities nationwide. Says the Official Google Blog:
• Private Sale Sites Give Consumers More Travel Deal Options – Smarter Travel has posted some info about ed perkins: Private sale websites evoke experiences more than products, stock up with limited-time offers, and project the image of a gated community. But are the deals for real? Ed Perkins takes a close look.Head over to www.smartertravel.com to read the whole article.
• From Twitter – via @HotelChatter Why is it so hard for hotels to protect your credit card info? Wyndham is the latest hacking victim (from @BudTravel) http://bit.ly/dhO8IL
• Travelers’s credit card data stolen from Wyndham Hotels – Sean O’Neill recently posted this on This Just In… Newsweek’s Travel Blog:Travelers who booked rooms at Wyndham Hotels and Resorts late last year may have had their credit card information stolen by thieves.
• From Twitter – via @LATimestravel Last-minute SpaFinder Deal Days – $50 massages, facials and more Do you have any free time this weekend? We dare… http://bit.ly/9DPFhm