Blogs

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

We are pleased and honored to receive a prestigious 2008 Standard of Excellence WebAward by the Web Marketing Association. The award recognized Zicasso for "Outstanding Achievement in Website Development” in the travel category.

Congratulations to the entire Zicasso team for all the hard work. This is great recognition that travelers benefit from our matchmaking service for handcrafted travel, designed by the top travel specialists. Our website brings the convenience of an online approach together with the personalized service of travel specialists.

While we’re honored to receive this award, we also recognize that there’s much more to do! In the coming weeks and months, we’ll continue to enhance our site to deliver more value and ease of use for both travelers and travel specialists. Stay tuned!

Brian K.Y. Tan
CEO and Founder

Enthusiasts for natural wonders will not be disappointed by the diversity of habitats, ecosystems, and climates available from January through March. This time of year hits the heart of Costa Rica's dry season and Scandinavia's winter wonderland, for instance.

You've probably thought of plenty of places already, but do they include these top three choices?

Natural Wonders

January:

• Costa Rica, Central America offers wildlife, lush rainforests, and beaches with mangrove swamps in Manuel Antonio National Park as well as a living volcano that nourishes rejuvenating hot springs available for bathing.
• Indonesia, Asia enables visitors to explore underwater wildlife in reefs, such as tropical corals and exotic fish, through Bunaken Marine Park, located on North Sulawesi, Indonesia, Indonesia's fourth largest island between Borneo and Malukka.
• Norway, Europe provides international film and music festivals along with snow-filled mountains, alps, fjords, and a gateway to the famed Northern Lights in Tromso, Norway.

Costa Rica

In my previous blog entry, I highlighted several Unforgettable Journeys for trips from October to December, but how about Luxury & Romance for those in search of hedonism? Simplify your trip planning by choosing one of these spots to explore the richness of a myriad of sights, sounds, tastes, and experiences, which will undoubtedly capture, or at least, inspire your imagination.

From European wine tasting in the the Loire Valley or Tuscany to an exotic trip to Rajasthan in India, you are sure to find a diverse range of options to suit your desires. I've included my choice of top 3 destinations per month here.

Do you agree?

October:

• Mafia Island, Tanzania, Africa for island life complete with diving, trails, and tropical backwater from the old Swahili Coast. Romantic notions aside, it is worthwhile to note that the presence of "unspoiled beaches and waters" with rich marine life downplays the realities faced in this undeveloped country.
• La Rioja, Spain, Europe for a taste of splendid medieval homes or designer hotels embedded in a notable wine region.
• Loire Valley, France , Europe or Tuscany, Italy, Europe for more wine regions steeped with history and tradition that offer panoramic landscapes, delectable food, and picturesque architecture. My favorite metropolitan city happens to be Florence, the Tuscan capital, for its vibrancy, art, architecture, music, food and wine.

Mafia Island

We're delighted to be featured in The New York Times yesterday! In an article titled New Role for Travel Sites: Matchmaker, NYT wrote about Zicasso and our solution to act as a free matchmaking service for vacationers in search of traditional travel agents. She also reported on an interesting survey conducted by Forrester Research: 23% of online leisure travelers in the United States say they would use a good travel agent if they could find one.

Well, Zicasso is absolutely the right place to find great travel agents -- from the very beginning of our company, we decided that we only want to work with the best. We spent over a thousand hours over the last two years doing our homework on finding some of the best travel agents to be our partners. Our screening process included getting referrals from trusted sources, interviewing the travel agencies or tour operators on their destination knowledge, checking that travel agents have traveled to the destinations which they sell, checking online forums, BBB, and ASTA to ensure that there are no complaints, etc. As a result, Zicasso has now built a network of highly qualified travel agents and tour operators that are ready to serve discerning travelers within our online Web 2.0 environment -- to provide personalized service that will make your trip truly special and truly hassle-free.

In other words, we've done the homework on finding the best agents, so you don't have to. And these agents will do the homework on planning and booking your perfect trip, so you don't have to!

It's been a busy week of press coverage for Zicasso--we were also featured in MSNBC, Travel Weekly, and Tripso.

Brian K.Y. Tan

Founder and CEO

Zicasso

Now is the perfect time to plan for trips from October to December. As autumn unfolds in the northern hemisphere, spring takes hold in the southern hemisphere. One of the keys to successful complex trip planning is choosing the right time to go to certain places.

From exotic diving in Papua, New Guinea to a river excursion down The Amazon in Brazil, it’s hard to think of just three unforgettable journeys and to choose just 3 destinations per month. Here are mine though.

What would you choose?

We've been having a heat wave here in San Francisco Bay Area. All I've been thinking about is ice cream from Buenos Aires. Not just any ice cream. I've been craving the good stuff: "Helados Artesanales" which means that the ice cream was made in small batches on the premises. I've been to Buenos Aires 5 times in the last 10 years (3 in the last 2 years). Each time, I've learned a little more. Here's a little synopsis, of what I learned: