Are You Taking A Trip This Summer?

Are you planning any trips this summer? Are you escaping the area for a vacation at the beach, to the woods, to see friends and family or to see new sights? If so, will you be utilizing any free online resources?

This message is in support of a speech project that I am presenting at our 17 June 2009 TASC Toastmasters meeting. The project is titled ‘Enhancing a Technical Talk with the Internet’ and is from the Technical Presentation advanced manual. My speech topic will highlight Internet tools that assist the traveler with planning a trip, specifically tools that are available for free(*).

I plan to introduce some of the online tools I use for my family trip planning and would like to also highlight tools used by other members. Following my presentation, I will distribute a list of the tools for your use when planning your summer trips.

If you use the Internet for any of the following activities, would you mind telling me what the tool is, the website address for the tool, and one-sentence description of how you use the tool?

Please either reply to this message or leave a comment at the related post at our website: http://www.tasctoastmasters.com.

For example, if you use MapQuest to plan a route, your response might look like:

Mapquest: I use MapQuest to get directions and to print maps. The site is located at www.mapquest.com.

Please let me know if you use online tools for any of the following activities:
• Information regarding destination
• Mapping and routes
• Reservations for travel or lodging
• Travel status
• Finding resturants, gas stations, hotels…
All references by members will be anonymous during the presentation.

I am looking forward to presenting our shared information!

(*) The tool is available to the general public without a paid subscription or one-time usage fee. This assumes you already have an internet connection that you use for other purposes!).

Presentation:
Trip Planning

  • Joe Short

    The following is a summary of the responses I have received via e-mail:

    Information regarding destination:
    “State and City of interest Web sites have great info on items of interest.”

    Mapping and routes:
    “Mapquest from directions from home address”
    “I use google maps for driving directions. I use MapMyRoute for bicycle routes.”
    “I don’t leave home without maps.google.com on my blackberry”

    Reservations for travel or lodging:
    “Marriot Rewards or Expedia”
    “(Hilton Hotel’s frequent guest website). I use it to get hotel reservations…I use this site for: Selecting hotels, Directions to the hotel, Local attractions”

    Travel status:
    ” Expedia for flight and hotel price and car rental price range info.”

    Finding resturants, gas stations, hotels…:
    “Mapquest for known resturant, or tourist attraction from home address, Magellan GS in car to locate sites”

The information on this website is for the sole use of Toastmasters' members, for Toastmasters business only. It is not to be used for solicitation and distribution of non-Toastmasters material or information. All rights reserved. Toastmasters International, the Toastmasters International logo and all other Toastmasters International trademarks and copyrights are the sole property of Toastmasters International and may be used only by permission.