Company Profiles: Spotlight on Travel and Tech

Step into many major cities of the world, and chances are there will be a river at its heart. Think about the Hudson in New York, the Thames in London, the Danube in Vienna, the Nile in Cairo, the Han in Seoul and so on. But rivers are not just important to big cities. Healthy, vibrant rivers are also critical to rural communities, and many of these smaller rivers particularly in Africa, Asia and Latin America, are endangered.

That’s where International Rivers comes in. The Berkeley, California-based organization works to preserve and protect the world’s rivers from overdevelopment, misuse and destructive projects. It is also dedicated to giving local citizens the right to participate in decisions that affect their lives.

From free checked bags to free seat upgrades, and free wi-fi to free continental breakfast, ‘free’ is many travelers’ favorite four-letter word. If you’re among them, you’ll love TheFreeSite.com. Created as a catalog of the Web’s best freebies, the site will help you score free samples and services you can use at home or on the road.

After more than 80 years in business and over 300,000 members, Bellco is more than just your run-of-the-mill credit union.  It is a place to save for the future and an organization dedicated to serving its local communities and building relationships with its members.  Jim Johnston, senior marketing manager of Bellco, spoke with RewardExpert about what sets Bellco apart from the competition and how the credit union looks to help customers manage their personal finances in the best way possible.

Often referred to as Canada’s Downtown, Toronto and its surrounding suburbs are home to approximately 6 million people. A culturally diverse metropolitan area—51 percent of Torontonians were born outside of Canada—it attracted 42.2 million tourists in 2016.

Have you ever found yourself looking for that perfect gift but stressing out over all the options available online?  Don’t have the time to browse hundreds of websites that don’t have what you’re looking for?  Heading out on an extended trip and need to find something quickly?  A company called Gadget Flow has a solution to wasting unnecessary time on sites that aren’t helpful.  They provide a one-stop-shop for the busy individual who wants to find the best product fast.

Think real estate investing is too complicated? Don’t have enough cash to get started? Confused about mortgages, interest rates and how to properly renovate a home? Fear not, thanks to a company called BiggerPockets. The aim of BiggerPockets is to put you and your family on the road to financial freedom through real estate investing. The company’s website offers a treasure trove of tips, tricks and advice to help you do just that. After all, “Life isn’t meant to be lived in a cubicle,” as BiggerPockets says on its homepage.

In today’s economy, a university education is anything but inexpensive. In fact, according to The College Board, a not-for-profit organization, average tuition and fees for full-time in-state students enrolled at public four-year universities and colleges were $9,650 for the 2016-2017 school year. Tuition and fees for students choosing out-of-state colleges were more than twice that—an average $24,930.

From long flights and endless layovers to hotels with the same selection of boring channels, travel can leave you longing for the media you left at home—unless you’ve discovered Plex. Thanks to the company’s client-server media player system and software suite, music lovers, movie buffs and binge watchers can now access their media libraries from anywhere in the world.

Are you tired of staying at the same boring hotel chains trip after trip but reluctant to give up the opportunity to earn points in exchange for a more interesting location in which to lay your head? Thanks to Stash Hotel Rewards — a loyalty program for travelers who love independent and boutique hotels—you no longer have to forgo points in the pursuit of unique hotel experiences.

Since 1984 Monterey Bay Aquarium has offered education and entertainment. The California-based site was the brainchild of a group of marine biologists who studied at Stanford University’s marine laboratory.

Do you try to stay active while on vacation? If so, you’re not alone. An Expedia survey conducted earlier this year found 53 percent of U.S. residents believe it’s important to exercise while traveling. While sightseeing on foot was cited as the most popular way to stay physically active while away from home, some travelers also said they engage in biking and running, often in the hotel gym.

But what if you prefer to make exercise the centerpiece of your vacation and not just a way to balance out a few indulgent restaurant meals? For travelers who live an active lifestyle and want to maintain it while exploring new destinations, there’s nothing better than an adventure with Backroads.

The CMO Council, a peer-powered network for senior marketing decision makers, surveyed more than 2,000 consumer travelers about their biggest travel stressors. Not surprisingly, flight delays and cancellations topped the list of the most stressful, followed by researching deals and handling sicknesses or injuries while traveling.

Preferred Hotels & Resorts is the world’s largest independent hotel brand, providing global sales, marketing, reputation management, distribution and guest loyalty services to more than 650 distinctive independent luxury hotels, resorts, residences and hotel groups in 85 countries.

Caroline Michaud, vice president of corporate communication and public relations, talked with RewardExpert about the company’s appeal five decades after its inception.

Car problems happen all the time, and usually when people least expect them. They can really ruin a road trip. Urgent.ly is a 21st century roadside assistance company that brings all that technology has to offer to the table and you only have to pay for the services you request.

From improving animal welfare to protecting women’s rights, prohibiting book banning in public schools to supporting life-saving medical research, there are many causes one can support in an effort to make the world a better place—if you know where to begin. Care2 has made finding that beginning easy, bringing millions of concerned citizens together to create an online community taking positive action for change one signature at a time.

There are more than 250 million vehicles in the United States and most are sitting idle 22 hours a day. Through their peer-to-peer automobile sharing community, the folks at Getaround aim to solve this car overpopulation problem, reducing not just the number of vehicles on the planet but bothersome traffic and dangerous pollution as well.

In a country known for its high prescription drug costs, Americans want some kind of reprieve. That’s where GoodRx comes into play.

The company aims to help Americans pay the lowest possible prices for prescription drugs. It’s done through proprietary market intelligence technology that evaluates current prices at more than 70,000 U.S. pharmacies. Users can shop and access GoodRx-exclusive discounts online and through phone apps, saving up to 80 percent on necessary medications.

HomeExchange has facilitated more than one million home swaps since 1992. In 2016 alone, 65,000 members made 135,000 home swaps across 150 countries, and was awarded “Best Site for Booking Your Stay” in 2016 by USA Today readers. It was also the inspiration for the 2006 movie “The Holiday,” starring Cameron Diaz and Jude Law.

If you’re a traveler, who better to ask where to eat or what to see than someone who actually lives and cohabitates in your destination?

That’s how Spotted by Locals has become a force in the travel game, using iPhone and Android apps and up-to-date blogs tips by hand-picked locals in 67 cities across Europe and North America. And according to the company, it’s getting bigger and bolder.

“Wealth is the ability to fully experience life,” according to Henry David Thoreau, an American essayist, poet and philosopher. It’s a sentiment many people can relate to, for all the money in the world is next to useless if you don’t have time to enjoy the opportunities that wealth can provide.