18-24 year olds on Facebook on average have about 510 friends. Now if you are traveling frequently, especially to large cities like New York or London or Chicago, you will have a list of friends there. Figuring out who is there using existing social networks becomes tedious and coordinating a meeting with everyone is a major problem. Few can make it happen and so we miss out on those crucial connections.
MochaMeet
MochaMeet (www.mochameet.com) is a social planning service for travel that focuses on this exact problem. To get started, you can login with Facebook and see all your friends on an interactive map.
It is fascinating to see how truly global your network is.
Turns out, I have 25 friends in New York, 18 friends in London and 10 friends in Singapore. I’ve barely even lived in any of theses places. Huh.. who knew?
How does it get the data?
To get started, when you login with Facebook, it pulls in all your friends’ current cities (hometowns if current cities are not populated) and displays them on the map. So, initially, it has Facebook data – which is not always accurate, but it is a start.
Now, within MochaMeet, you can upload your trips. So, as more of your friends start joining MochaMeet, it starts relying more on MochaMeet data instead, which is a lot more accurate.
Coordinating Meetings
So, you have 25 friends in New York. Now what? I have no intention of sitting and calling each and every one to see if they are free.
To close this loop, you can create groups for a city that you are traveling to. This group is “location-aware” – meaning that only those members who are in the cities you are traveling to will see and respond to the chat.
Now, the most notable feature is the coordination tool within the group chat. There are 3 circles – who, when, and where? You can see members in the “who” circle, while the other 2 circles allow you to vote on times and places that work for you. The most popular times and places are when and where you will meet. This makes coordination a whole lot easier.
Want to gather your former classmates or office pals for a one-time reunion or a monthly networking sesh? Going to New York, London or Taipei? Why eat dinner alone? Now MochaMeet can easily coordinate a table for two – or 20.
Happy Travels! And now make them Social too!
Guest Author: Anish Godha is the CEO of MochaMeet. He holds a MS from Stanford University and a BS from Northwestern University.
Renowned for its blossoming greenery, beaches, waters, clubbing and cosmopolitan lifestyle, this Southwest Florida county is a true delight to the tourists offering them fun, enjoyment and entertainment in a single package.
West Palm Beach also sometimes referred to as Orchid city is the county seat of Palm Beach County in Florida, United States. It is a perfect example of contemporary and modern lifestyle in the county. This place has an international airport and hence is well connected to the other parts of the United States and the globe.
This city, with its lush green surroundings, spotless beaches, immaculate waters, chic lifestyle and above all magnetic charm has been alluring tourists for an enchanting experience. It is also a hot destination for celebrities, who fly down with their families for a blissful and rather peaceful vacation.
Wildlife sanctuaries to parks, museums, malls, botanical gardens, clubs et al, there is a lot more for one to explore within the county. McCarthy’s Wildlife Sanctuary is an absolute fun place for animal lovers. The home to over 170 varieties of white tigers, African lions, snakes, parrots and other species, one should expect a thrilling time within its premises.
South Florida Science Museum and Dekelboum Planetarium is another spot frequented by curious little visitors along with their guardians. The aquarium, dinosaurian and planetarium is enough for one and all to put on their thinking caps and encounter the true marvels of nature within the closed spaces.
This county is considered to be a haven for die-hard shopaholics. Malls, shopping centers and boutiques, there is so much for the shoppers to choose from. One can find a diverse collection of high-end brands and stores of jewelry, clothes, cosmetics and other items to satisfy their cravings and never get tired of doing that anyway!
Entertainment is to be found in abundance in this southwest Florida county. A city that hosts millions of holidaymakers everyday has leisure to offer to them in return. Fun is the mantra here. Restaurants, pubs, coffee houses and dance clubs readily provide solace to youngsters who’ve had a hectic day of sightseeing. Dance, music, drinks and food are available in plenty and awaiting your company for a glittering and glamorous evening overlooking the ocean.
If you are in a party mood and wish to crash away into the sparkle and dazzle of West Palm Beach over the weekend, all you need to do is book your cheap tickets right away and get rewarded with special discounts. You can make your weekend getaway more special by reserving yourself on a flight to this city immediately and letting your friends and the special one awe in disbelief at your impulsive gesture!
A real jewel of a place, anyone flying down to the US must not miss a chance to drop in at this Florida county. A glimpse into the city life and you will surely be thrilled enough to come back wanting for more.
Lifecruiser Love Palm Beach
Edinburgh has many attractions, and whilst a number of tourists now visit the city solely for its cultural and theatrical charms, the majority are still most interested in the long history of Scotland’s capital. Perhaps the best way to understand that history, and to see and feel its legacy, is to visit some of the region’s many beautiful and imposing castles.
Of course, it is almost impossible for even the most disinterested visitor to the capital to ignore the imposing bulk of Edinburgh Castle, which dominates the skyline in the middle of the city itself. The site is clearly a strategic one, and has been a place of human habitation since at least the 9th century BC. The castle itself was built in the 12th century, and was a royal residence until the Union in 1603. Following that date, it ceased to be an important residential complex, and was transformed into a fortress. Given its dominance of the high ground, and its position in one of the most important cities in Scotland, it is perhaps no surprise that it has been besieged on a number of occasions, with the catastrophic Lang Siege of the 16th century levelling most of the medieval buildings through artillery fire.
Despite the loss of much of its original medieval architecture, Edinburgh Castle is still an extremely popular tourist attraction. In fact, with 1.3 million visitors a year, it is the most popular destination in Scotland, and it hosts the Edinburgh Military Tattoo each year. Whilst visitors might not be able to experience the same buildings that David I erected in the 12th century, they can still see the fortifications which defied Bonnie Prince Charlie in the 1745 second Jacobite Uprising, which was the last time that the castle was involved in a military action.
Unfortunately, the fame of the castle at the centre of the city tends to mean that visitors to the capital do not travel to the many other historical sites which are a brief drive away from the capital. The nearest of these, Craigmillar Castle, is situated in a suburb of Edinburgh and is a mere 3 miles south-east of the city centre. Dating fro the 14th century, this fortification is best known for its association with the tragic Mary, Queen of Scots. She arrived to convalesce at the castle in late 1566, and before she left the infamous ‘Craigmillar Bond’ was made. This was an agreement to dispose of her then husband, Henry Stuart, who was the father of James I. As one of the best preserved medieval castles in Scotland, Craigmillar provides a unique opportunity for tourists to experience the same builds that touched Mary’s life.
For those tourists who are willing to stray a little further from Edinburgh, Tantallon Castle will provide a more epic and romantic setting for a historical visit. Sitting atop an impressive promontory which looks out over the Firth of Forth, this ruined 14th century fortress is the last traditional curtain wall castle to have been constructed in the country. It has seen significant military action over the years, having been besieged by both James IV and James V. Neither of them, however, did as much lasting damage as Oliver Cromwell, who left the site in partial ruin after his siege in 1651. During that action, almost 3,000 men fought a mere 91 Royalists, who nevertheless managed to hold out for twelve days. After that event, Tantallon was left abandoned, and now serves as an astonishing vantage point under the care of Historic Scotland.
Of course, to reach such attractions, private transport is required. Fortunately, car hire in Edinburgh is a popular choice for just that reason, and it should pose no problem at all for visitors to rent any vehicle necessary for exploration of the further reaches of the capital and East Lothian.
Guest Author: Ryan Johnson
