Uptake.com, the travel search engine formerly known as Kango, is working towards more comprehensive and intuitive search results for travellers. Uptake believe that there is a demand among travellers for a single site where they can access user generated reviews and content gathered from a multitude of online sources. Uptake doesn't just aim to collate all this information it's crucial that this information is organised and searchable in an intuitive manner. The date gathered is examined by attribute and sentiment for example a trendy city centre hotel for a girls weekend away. Uptake should then produce a personalised list of recommended hotels which fulfil your criteria. You could be open minded about about your destination or search by a specific region or city.

It sounds like an excellent idea to me if Uptake can succeed in becoming a single source of information and user generated reviews for travellers and fulfill their aim of being "the first step to a great trip". I know when I am researching a trip I can end up looking at dozens of different sites to try to reach a well informed decision.

At present Uptake are concentrating on the US but plan to expand their coverage.

Nanjing is a former capital city for ten dynasties and is one of the four great ancient capitals of China. It's also a thriving modern metropolis. Nanjing lies on the southern bank of the Yangtze River and is surrounded by mountains and rivers.


© Montrasio International

The Confucius Temple originates from 1034 but was recently rebuilt in the original style after it was destroyed by the Japanese in 1937. A Lantern Festival is held at the Confucius Temple on the 15th day of the Chinese New Year.

I'd love to see the International Plum Blossom Festival with more than 100,000 trees in flower and the 600 year old Zhan Yuan Garden.

I came upon a website called Like a Local which claims to allow you eat, sleep and act like a local in Amsterdam. Like a local was founded by three Dutch women who felt that there was a demand from travellers for a non touristy experience where travellers could quickly gain the insider knowledge of locals. The site now covers other European cities such as London and Barcelona.


© katielips

I had a quick look for accommodation in Amsterdam and it was rather pricey B&Bs and holiday apartments that appeared on the first couple of pages. However I was more impressed by the eating options such as Amsterdam Delicious Bites where you could have a meal with a family for around 40 euros per person but I wasn't sure if the fee per reservation of 15 euros was a deposit or an additional fee.

I have mixed feelings about Like a Local. It is a great idea meeting some locals when you are in a strange city but it seems a bit contrived and I'm not not convinced that the experience would always be that authentic. If money is changing hands it all becomes more a financial arrangement rather than a genuine experience.

Call me an old romantic but Italy has to be one of the most appealing destinations for getting married abroad. We spent our 20th wedding anniversary in Rome and our 25th in Venice, so you can see that I'm an italophile.


© Global Jet

You could arrange everything yourself as long as you are aware of all the necessary paperwork. There are also several companies who specialise in organising weddings in Italy such as Weddings Made in Italy, Italy Weddings and Italian Weddings.

It's all too easy to forget what's on your doorstep. I thought that I knew my home country of Scotland pretty well until I began researching for destination guides for my travel site. When I started my travel business in 2002 I more or less ignored the UK as I was under the spell of the beauty of Italy. However I began to realise that there was so much to do and see on my own doorstep.


Melrose Abbey, Scotland by europealacarte

I know it's wonderful to travel to exotic locations but with rising oil prices, concern over the environment and the hassle of flying you could be pleasantly surprised spending some time exploring closer to home.

Unbelievable but true you can travel across New Zealand with Naked Bus from only $1 New Zealand dollar plus booking fee of 70 cents for travel until 21 July 2008.


© kangotraveler

When I heard about $1 dollar bus fares, I thought I must write about this. I've had in mind to write about New Zealand this low cost bus fare promoted through Travel Zoo kick started me into action.

In a presentation at the World Travel Market in London in November 2007, Chris Loughlin of Travel Zoo said that many people would book the accommodation offers featured by Travel Zoo before they'd even arranged how they'd get to their accommodation because the offer was too good to miss. I wonder if any Travel Zoo addicts will be booking flights to New Zealand in order to make the most of the $1 bus fares?