Company Profiles: Spotlight on Travel and Tech

Shopping online for a new set of luggage, or surfing the web for a great buy on airfare or hotels? What if you knew a way to shop where you could save money and donate to your favorite cause at the same time? It doesn’t just sound too good to be true, it actually is, thanks to a company called Goodshop.

JJ Ramberg, co-founder and managing director of Goodshop, spoke with RewardExpert about how easy it is to find deals on just about anything, including trips and travel-related items, and in the process donate to a cause you’re passionate about.

Companies worldwide spent a whopping $1.3 trillion on business travel last year, according to the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), and the organization predicts travel spent on flights, hotels, car rentals, meals and other business-related travel essentials will only continue to increase—reaching $1.6 trillion by 2020.

A two-week vacation in Sun Valley, Idaho. A three-night stay in a tropical villa in Belize. Seven nights in a cottage in West Cork, Ireland. Roundtrip airfare to Nashville and tickets to the Grand Ole Opry. These are only a few of the amazing experiences featured on The Charity Network’s online auction and sweepstakes websites Charitybuzz and Prizeo — with each one connected to a remarkable charity and worthy cause.

Whether you enjoy lounging on the beach with bestselling fiction novels or want to fill hours of boring airline travel with engrossing nonfiction tales, buying reading materials can take a bite out of your entertainment budget. Why not save those hard-earned dollars for another daiquiri and borrow your next read instead? Thanks to OverDrive’s partnership with local libraries across North America and worldwide, checking out eBooks and audiobooks is simple, easy and—best of all—free.

Whether you’re searching for that gorgeous resort for a family trip to the Bahamas, need a budget friendly hotel in the suburbs of New York City for a last minute getaway, or seeking 5-star accommodations in Rome, trivago has you covered.

Las Vegas and the Southern Nevada region are popular destinations for domestic and international tourists alike. According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, 42.9 million people visited Southern Nevada in 2016 and spent $35.5 billion in the process. While there’s certainly plenty to do and see at ground level, the folks at Maverick Helicopters want to show you the sights from a different perspective.

The word cranky means given to fretful fussiness as well as full of twists and turns. Both describe the many of air travel experiences, so it’s easy to understand why Brett Snyder, author of The Cranky Flier, would use the term within the name of his award-winning blog as well as its sister travel service Cranky Concierge.

Los Angeles is one of the world’s biggest cities, so having one of the biggest and best zoos fits its personality. The Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens has been celebrating its 50th anniversary with a yearlong “ZooLAbration.” The zoo draws about 1.8 million visitors each year, is home to 1,100 animals representing 250 different species, and has more than 800 different plant species with approximately 7,000 individual plants.

While keeping children entertained is certainly a challenge on long road trips, it’s not the biggest source of stress for American families traveling the country by car. In fact, a recent survey of more than 1,000 parents with kids under the age of 18 found that “where to stop along the way” is actually the largest cause of anxiety and family strife.

Are you traveling in Athens and want to learn about ancient Greek philosophers? Are you on business in Tokyo and need a quick refresher course on Japanese business etiquette? Then learning website Quizlet is the perfect tool to use, wherever you may be.

When you’re traveling in style, you have to live in style. But you don’t have to conform to a run-of-the-mill hotel. That’s why Yotel offers luxury hotels designed around today’s modern traveler. Affordable rooms, which are referred to as cabins, come with the essential elements of luxury hotels — albeit with smaller, smarter spaces. They are available in top global destinations.

Anyone can fly coach, but when you want to get somewhere and do it in style, look no further than PrivateFly.

According to data from Packaged Facts, a consumer research company, American consumers spent $46 billion on gift cards last year. Chances are good that you were among them. Gift Card Granny, the Internet’s biggest gift card discount website, reports that nearly 93 percent of American consumers have either given or sent a gift card.

Sometimes the most memorable experiences are the ones that aren’t on any itinerary. The experts at Adventure Life, a custom travel company with headquarters in Missoula, understand this and allow for the serendipitous in every carefully crafted vacation they plan.

Do you have a great website for your business, but are struggling with adding an online store?  What if you could add an e-commerce platform to your site in five minutes, even while you’re vacationing poolside in the south of France?  This summer, join over 1 million sellers in 175 countries by enhancing your website in minutes using Ecwid’s one-of-a-kind technology.

ResDiary gives both consumers and restaurateurs more time to travel. It’s an extremely useful tool, whether you’re on the go looking for the perfect restaurant, or looking to manage your business wherever you are in the world.

From the Olympic Sculpture Park and Pike Place Market to the Space Needle and Seattle Underground, Seattle and the surrounding area offer a wealth of opportunities for sightseeing and relaxation whether you have a weekend or more to explore.

Are you a creative type looking to design the perfect website to showcase your work? Like to travel, but don’t think you have the time or resources to build something beautiful? Well, look no further than Portfoliobox, a company specifically designed for creative professionals such as photographers, designers, architects, makeup artists, models and more. With a variety of templates and user-friendly tools, even a busy traveler can find time to build their dream online portfolio with just a few clicks from anywhere in the world.

PwC, a leading professional services network, conducted its most comprehensive retail survey to date in 2016, reaching out to nearly 23,000 online shoppers from around the globe to learn more about their interests and habits. Among the findings was the insight that affordability figures heavily into shopping decisions, with 60 percent of those surveyed choosing a favorite retailer because of its prices. Many are increasingly using their mobile devices while shopping as well, with 31 percent accessing coupons or promotional codes on their smartphones.

Once you’ve set your strategy using RewardExpert’s service, it’s a good time to start to research your lodging and sightseeing options. But what about last-minute entertainment? Whether you decide to take a spontaneous weekend vacation or find yourself with a spare evening while away on business, SeatGeek can help you find and buy tickets to the hottest sporting events, concerts and plays in any city you visit.