Tuesday, February 5

Extravigator



When writing this blog post I was going to begin with the sentence ”When it comes to travel research I am...,” but I could not think of the right word to complete the sentence. I asked my husband to fill in the blank and without hesitation he suggested the word "obsessed."

Just because I read every travel review possible, buy tons of travel books and poll friends and strangers doesn’t make me obsessed. I like to think of myself as thorough, but obsessed is probably closer to the truth.

I am highly affected by my surrounds and the last thing I want is to be stuck in a less than pleasant hotel while on holiday. I am not one of those people who claim the room is only for sleeping and it doesn’t matter—it matters!

One source I read, but don’t wholly rely on as the authority, is Trip Advisor. While I appreciate hearing or reading others' opinions before making a choice, I find some of the complaining voices can create confusion. Don’t get me wrong, I have no problem with legitimate complaints, especially from someone whose opinion I trust. But what about the people who complain about traffic noise in New York City, the size of European hotel rooms or an abundance of haggis and smoked fish in Scotland.

Luckily I have a new best friend in the quest for travel perfection. Extravigator.com founded last year by Dan Richman. Extravigator is an online travel community dedicated to the sophisticated traveler. The content is excellent and the dialog and interaction among member is fun, informative and interesting. Yes members. You have to join Extravigator, and while membership is free, it has to be approved. Dan has crafted an excellent luxury travel community and I look forward to watching the site grow.

13 comments:

Mary-Laure said...

I hadn't heard about Extravigator. Sounds like an excellent concept, I'll check it out. Thanks!!

blah said...

Great post Ronda - I'm the same - my favorites are Lonely Planet Guides and VirtualTourist.com

Anonymous said...

No, you don't sound obsessed at all :) But, I do agree with wanting to know all there is to know about a new town. Whenever, I travel; I have to know that I am not missing out on something fun and new.

Style Saves the World said...

How cool! I hadn't heard about this yet - thanks for sharing!!

London Calling said...

Thanks for the tip! I'll have to check it out. I must confess to over researching a bit before every trip.

ali said...

My mother who is a constant traveler is the same way, and every time I tour with her I am so thankful for her thoroughness. It makes all the difference to have done your research, and to get what you like.

I'm adding Extravigator to my list.

Unknown said...

Help, Ronda! I just found out I am going to Manchester and London for a week on the 23rd and I have never been to Manchester. Since you're the resident expert I thought I would see if you knew what there is to do up there? I've driven through it on the way to Edinburgh but it looked very industrial. We are into Castles and Old Architecture. I'll be there 3 days and then in London for 5. I've been to London many times and love it. How far away are you from Manchester?

Unknown said...

Help, Ronda! I just found out I am going to Manchester and London for a week on the 23rd and I have never been to Manchester. Since you're the resident expert I thought I would see if you knew what there is to do up there? I've driven through it on the way to Edinburgh but it looked very industrial. We are into Castles and Old Architecture. I'll be there 3 days and then in London for 5. I've been to London many times and love it. How far away are you from Manchester?

Anonymous said...

Great resource. It's so hard to find good travel advice. Like you, I also take Trip Advisor with a grain of salt...I have a pet peeve about those that complain about things like the size of european hotels or their breakfasts, for example. At least its easy to weed out the unseasoned traveler from comments like these.

Anonymous said...

Oh - perfect timing as I'm planning a vacation! I'll check out that site. Thanks!

pve design said...

We need to bring back elegance and luxury to travel.
I too love to be prepared, well in advance, even if I am not wild about all the delays and security checks, shoe removal, belt unbuckling!

Anna Spiro said...

I am completely the same - if I get stuck in a less than perfect hotel when we go away I'm not happy! My husband is always very stressed as we walk in to the hotel room and if we walk in and I am happy a big sigh of relief comes pouring out of him!! Thanks for the link to this new site - I agree about Trip Advisor sometimes the whinging & complaining is all a bit much over such silly things!
XX
Anna

HKpowers said...

Thanks for sharing this. I'm planning a trip to Argentina and this will come in very useful!