Blogs

As the New Year unfolds and ushers in a new decade, we wish everyone everywhere a happy, healthy, and peaceful New Decade!

In the travel industry, 2009 was perhaps one of the most roller-coaster years. Business at Zicasso was no exception. The first quarter saw many travelers being nervous about making a purchase decision for leisure travel, particularly for longer, complex international trips. Conditions fortunately improved during each subsequent quarter and by the fourth quarter, we saw a remarkable recovery and improvement in traveler confidence.

As you may have noticed, Zicasso now has a good bunch of Travel Reviews! For the first time on the Internet, or anywhere for that matter, real travelers are forming a community that rates and reviews travel agents and tour operators! Only travelers who booked and traveled through Zicasso are invited to write these travel reviews so you know they are from real travelers sharing real experiences.

Zicasso is proud to announce our Quarterly Travel Photo Competition Winner! Balázs Szabó contributed Lonely Day from the largest lake in Hungary.

Lonely Day

For many Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman fans, The Bucket List is a must-see movie. While hospitalized, two men played by Nicholson and Freeman decide to create their lists of what they want to do in their lives before they "kick the bucket" and pass on.

Seeking value for your money makes good common sense. These days we know that precious memories are priceless. Who knows when you'll get the next chance to escape? Plus, you don't want to sacrifice your time, energy, and money on a ho-hum vacation that leaves you yawning.

Here are a few hand-picked traveler value tips based on trends we're seeing and some hot ideas spotted in Money magazine and Conde Nast Traveler.

In case you're scrambling together a last-minute trip over the next few months, here's some food for thought as far as top places to visit this time of year. Many of these fit low cost, high value deals too. You can compare these with the low cost short list that I blogged about earlier for specifics. Hmm...speaking of food, I wish I had something wicked and sinfully delicious from Aussie land's vibrant, coastal metropolitan city, Sydney. Check out any of these top 10 gourmet food shopping spots, if you decide to venture there.

We hope 2009 is full of wonderful journeys for you and your loved ones.

“The real meaning of travel, like that of a conversation by the fireside, is the discovery of oneself through contact with other people.” --Paul Tournier, writer

Travel + Leisure just announced their picks for the top travel websites of 2008 in their December issue and we’re delighted that Zicasso made their honor roll this year.

The article also discusses four online travel trends. Zicasso was mentioned in Trend No. 1, the New Booking Model. They wrote:

“With so many booking agents to choose from, travelers are turning to a new group of sites that is moving into travel-agent territory. 'People are frustrated,' says Henry Harteveldt, lead travel analyst at Forrester Research Inc., an independent research company in Cambridge, Mass. 'Online booking tools haven’t inspired customers, helped them plan, or made them feel smarter.' In response, the new hybrid models are trying to lure customers by offering insider advice on destinations and organizing custom itineraries.”

We very much concur with this trend. Zicasso was built to address this trend, offering an online environment for travelers to easily connect with the top travel specialists who have the best insider advice and can customize the trips. Travelers get the personalized service of experts, in a convenient online environment.

It’s an honor to receive this recognition from Travel + Leisure, adding to our list of accolades which included the 2008 Travel Standard of Excellence WebAward by the Web Marketing Association, 2008 Magellan Award by Travel Weekly, and being a finalist in The Industry Standard’s Innovation 100 award.

Brian K.Y. Tan
CEO and Founder

January

Essakane, Mali, Africa offers a Festival in the Desert with 3,000 Taureg nomads for three glorious days of music, dance, and camel racing where you can travel beyond Timbuktu. This celebration is arguably one of the most unique cultural experiences that you will ever experience, yet also one of the most challenging to reach, so I double dare you to try.

Lalibela, Ethiopia, Africa offers a center of Christian pilgrimmage and is considered as one of the most renowned religious historical sites in Africa where one can slip back a few centuries when exploring any of the 11 medieval churches cut into rock. January 6-7 celebrates Christmas (Leddet), while January 19 celebrates Timkat (Epiphany).

St. Petersburg, Russia, Europe resides on picturesque canals and boasts the impressive Hermitage Museum in a culturally rich city 250 miles northwest of Moscow.

St. Petersburg

Gary Herod from Archer Travel is one of Zicasso’s gifted Travel Experts on Europe. His invaluable advice inspired some unique Holiday Adventures to the Christmas Markets in Germany. Gary shares with us some of his favorite memories from visiting the Christmas Markets over three different years during the holidays.

Where

We went to markets in Frankfurt, Nuremburg, Rothenburg, and Munich. This was always done during the first two weeks of December. The weather was always crisp, with light snow. The Christmas lights against a background of snow is very beautiful.

Munich – Marienplatz Christmas Lights