Taking off Travel blog

There was an interesting piece on Travel Research Online titled Social Media and Authentic Creativity. It gives travel agents advice on social media which can also apply to other travel industry professionals. It explains the importance of humanity and personality in social marketing and connecting with your customers:

Have fun with social marketing. Be a human first and a marketer secondly. Facebook, Twitter and online forums are all about relationships. Don’t forget to inject every ounce of personality you can muster into your efforts, filtered by an intelligent professional persona – a balancing act but crucial. Know your demographic well and speak with it – not to it. Remember to engage clients in conversations, not one-way commercial dialogue. Give them a quick a reason to speak with you – remember it’s all about them and the benefit to them.

Good lessons, I think.

If you’ve been following Park Ride Fly USA on Facebook or Twitter, then you’ve probably already heard that we’ve kicked off our new focus on guest posting on travel sites with a post on BestTravelWebsites.com. It’s all about the thorny issue of packing and it’s called: 8 Online Lists to Help You Get Packing Under Control. In the post I review some online packing list tools (yes, I have tried them all) and decide which is the best option. Head over to Best Travel Websites and check out the post.

There was news on Monday that Congress is looking at bills that could affect the way we travel. Bills moving through the House of Representatives and the Senate are looking at issues including passenger delays, technology, increased route options, cockpit distractions and more. Some rural airports could see their subsidies reduced or eliminated, too. My feeling? Better technology, fewer pilot distractions and fewer delays would be a good thing, but I’m with John Duey:

There was an interesting piece in USA Today yesterday about the development of airport apps – apps that guide you around the airport, covering shops, restaurants, security and check-ins. The apps reviewed were Gateguru, iFly Pro, Flysmart and GoHow Airport, and of these, Gateguru looked the most interesting, especially with planned improvements in functionality. The developers want to include geotagging information that will help travelers identify information such as which lines are moving fastest. Now that’s what I call useful! Have you tried any of those apps?

If not, then add them to our previous lists of useful travel apps:

The Best iPhone Apps For Travelers

The Best Free Blackberry Apps For Travelers

Got an iPad For Christmas? Here Are Some Cool Apps

A picture’s worth a thousand words. That’s why I’m showing you our new Facebook welcome page. You can check off airport parking availability and rates right from the page. We’re pretty excited about that. Stop by and check it out.