Seeking the perfect travel website is a bit like seeking the Holy Grail. A long, usually fruitless endeavor.
But if the perfect travel website is ever built, we're pretty sure "they will come."
And maybe the website that Fi designed is it.
For now, at best, most if not all travel web sites are pretty "ho hum," especially airline and hotel websites. At worse, they are an insult to easy access and intuitive interaction.
Or as as Hotelmarketing acerbically points out, travel websites pretty much have been reduced to the lowest common denominator. "It's all about the cheapest fares, and enough detail so you don't end up in a bug-infested hotel where the idea of "luxury" is running water that's a lighter shade of brown."
Fi, the company that's responsible for the web design for USA Today's redesigned site, looks like it can build the better travel website.
Its design cuts through the "cruft" and give us the look, feel and experience badly lacking in today's travel websites.
What are they offering?
Travel websites that are clean, with "immersive imagery" that calls the user to explore and discover
* Simple, interactive maps that allow for dragging destination icons anywhere so the traveler can explore the destination in visual detail
* Completely clutter-free user interfaces that encourage travelers to tailor their travel plans based on their mood, needs or whimsy
* Travel website with no gimmicks, pop-ups or overwhelming, confusing menus
* The ability to plan a trip by moving destination icons, which in turn trigger dynamic pictures. But the move also opens useful, simple, clean and clear information, city guides, a compelling travel arrow arrow passing from London, say, to Stockholm, with accompanying information and images that are inspiring and helpful
* A travel website where everything is on one screen: Baggage check in, seat selection. As Fi say, if don't want to sit next to the bathroom, the ability to visually change seats, on the same screen is right up there
Best bet is to take a look at Fi's design video. Maybe check out New Media Travel's Why Are Hotel Sites so Boring.
Wired, in praise of Fi's forward-looking design, says "this is the travel site of the future, one we want. Desperately."
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Comments
Well, you may be right, Anil, but my sense is that travelers share more commonalities than differences and seek the same things from a transactional or informational website.
In fact, there is no reason, by definition, that a "perfect website" couldn't and shouldn't be able to respond to whatever variables do exist in the travel psychology.
As usual, thanks for your provocative comments :)
Cheers
Travelers are too fragmented, and too diverse, and fall into various different categories, to really have a Perfect Travel Website. As we all solo travelers know, most travel packages are promoted, marketed and sold for double-occupancy and priced per person.
A travel website that will disrupt the current business model is bound to take a large chunk of the travelers away from rest of the sites.
My two cents :)
OK, the recent promotional message notwithstanding, thanks for writing in, Tony. I don't know "the top travel club,' apologies, but I will take a look.
Cheers and thanks!
I am obviously VERY biased but how can you beat travel deals that offer net of commission / outlet prices from the actual travel business operators? Surely a Perfect Travel Website in the making!
Simply Go-Direct to the operators who have full knowledge of their own products or to expert agents that have the requisite t-shirts...been their, done that....not just selling from a major supplier's brochure...
All offers at The Top Travel Club lead our members to the actual websites of the operators...knowledgeable experts!
We do not sell travel or earn fees and commissions (like some 'direct booking sites' ) and we do not take reservations. We invite our listed travel-trade clients to offer 'source' prices in exchange for free linked listings.
Click on destinations or activities...use our in-house search engine or click around our smiley travel deals.
Check out our toptravelsights at Pinterest for a quickie view of some of the real pics supplied by the operators.
And then....DIY or book it yourself and save ... earn the commission that would have been charged or added to the price for yourself.
On the fast track to becoming The Perfect Travel Website for DIY travellers.
Tripatinistas can get a discounted membership offer here.. www.thetoptravelclub.com/special-invitation
Right, right. Especially when it comes to images of cruise lines, marketing and promo stuff, either everyone in maniacal on water slides, deeply in love under the stars, swooning, or gazing longingly at palm trees and totally un-littered beaches. And everyone looks and dresses the same..diaphanous blouses blowing in the breezes. Not even the Mona Lisa smiles that much
OK. Kaleel, time for your meds!
Thanks, Kaleel, and speaking of boring marketing, I had dinner the other night with a guy who does cruise ship photography, and -- this is something you've written about -- we were laughing about how we both dislike World War III shots of hotel restaurants.
Right...sometimes all it takes it a bit of imagination and the willingness to take some chances. How did travel marketing get so boring, so same-same! Same brochures, models, brochures, claims of uniqueness. But, you always cheer me up, Ed! :)
These people are obviously thinking about what they're doing. See also http://www.F-i.com/fi/airlines/.