(How to fly a hot air balloon) Digital Influencers Share Travel Plans Before They Make Them
No commentsBy Dave Tug
Dopplr, the online service for smarter travel, today shared the results of its recent research into the travel patterns and preferences of the world’s best-connected frequent travellers. Two insights stand out in the research:
- First, how early in the decision process digital influencers share their travel plans. When people share a trip through Dopplr, 2/3 have not yet booked a hotel and half have not made any travel arrangements at all (e.g. plane or train reservations).
- Second, the importance of recommendations in key travel decisions. Over 95% of digital influencers claimed to be strongly or slightly influenced by recommendations in their choice of hotels and restaurants.
Other key findings of the study include:
- Dopplr travellers prefer unique travel experiences with over 40% going for boutique hotels when they travel, and 25% choosing a trusted chain
- Dopplr travellers are highly educated, and compared to traditional frequent travellers they are younger, earn more, and travel more often
Dopplr may have the most international social graph of any social network. Over half the people on Dopplr share trips with a person from another country. Over 2/3 of the users are from outside of the United States with half of the users coming from Europe, and Asia Pacific growing quickly. London, New York, San Francisco, Paris and Berlin are the top destination cities. However, as the plot of all Dopplr destinations in 2008 at the very top of this post shows, the tail of destinations is long and covers the entire globe.
For a full summary of key findings please see:
http://blog.dopplr.com/2009/05/11/data-how-the-dopplr-community-travels/
The research - conducted in collaboration with m1ndset, an independent Swiss market research agency - is based on two traveller surveys conducted over the last year, m1ndset independent research into international frequent travellers at airports around the world, and analysis of aggregate travel patterns of the Dopplr community.
Dopplr presents this collective intelligence - the travel patterns, tips and advice of the world’s most frequent travellers - as a social atlas; which can be accessed on a personal computer and a mobile phone.
Dopplr is a service for smart travellers. Dopplr members share business travel plans privately with their networks, and exchange tips on places to stay, eat and explore in cities around the world.
Increase In Bifidobacteria
Helps Stay Fit!
By Gyan K
A normal human body is said to contain at least 85% friendly bacteria in the lower intestine. It is these friendly bacterium which is known as bifidobacteria. It stands for beneficial bacteria. Probiotics is a beneficial bacteria which fights disease causing microbes such as E. coli and salmonella. It is also found in a just born baby to enhance his immune system. However, the number of these beneficial bacteria drops down with change in diet. This can be increased in two ways: with natural food products consumption and probiotic products.
Food product consumption
Probiotic products
Yoghurt, soy milk and other milk products are rich in bifidobacteria. These when consumed regularly contributes to the increase in friendly microbes. Of late you have seen changing attitudes to consumption of saturated fats, salt and sugars just to name a few foods. Health conscious people are turning towards probiotic food products in order to stay fit. Friendly bacteria help minimise cholesterol level in your body. In addition to this, they also help in protein, mineral and vitamin absorption from the food consumed. It is not just absorption but it is also conducive in creating proteins and essential nutrients in your body.
Irritable bowel syndrome which is a common problem can be treated with friendly bacteria. It reduces diarrhea due to the presence of disease fighting bacteria. It reduces cholesterol from getting accumulated in your body. People who have curds and other probiotic products stay healthy and fit for long. Stress, anxiety, diet and medication can upset the balance of bacteria that are operating and create minor problems such as diarrhea, vomiting and indigestion. This is true in case of consumption of antibiotic tablets which kill both good and bad bacteria. Avoid such tablets which disrupt the balance between the good and bad bacteria.
An increase in probiotics reduces yeast infection in females. Travellers diarrhea which has resulted out of consumption of contaminated food or water can be treated with the help of beneficial bacteria. Cease the symptoms of travellers diarrhea such as loose motion, vomiting, abdominal cramps, giddiness and fever etc. by adding healthy bacteria in your diet. Have yoghurt and other milk products rich in probiotics to fight the disease causing bacteria. Research in the past has found out that nutritional factors do play an indispensable role in disease prevention. It is good to find out which are those bacteria in the fermented milk which has probiotic effect. Not all bacteria have the same effect.
Gyan K, Expert author, platinum status. Find more information on: Increase in Bifidobacteria
Get more information on: Occasional Constipation
See The World While Riding A Hot Air Balloon
Travellers Diarrhea
How Do You Treat Them?
By Vijay Koragappa Shetty
Travelers diarrhea or TD occurs when a traveller has three or more unformed stools in 24 hours. This is accompanied by abdominal cramps, bloating and nausea. Escherichia coli is common in people suffering from TD. This could be due to contaminated food and water consumption. Travellers often suffer from this TD as they are not sure of how hygienic is the food they eat. He should always check for the expiry date before consuming any food and ensure that the mineral water is sealed properly and is of a good brand.
This diarrhea occurs within the first week of travel, but may occur at any time while traveling. In few cases it can happen after one returns back home from his trip.
Symptoms of TD are:
Symptoms of TD are diarrhea as the name implies, vomiting at times, abdominal cramps, experiences four to five loose or watery bowel movements each day, bloating, low fever, urgency and uneasiness. Dehydration is also common and one should not ignore this as it may lead to death in serious cases.
Eat plenty of natural yoghurt, soy milk and other fermented products which comprises of live Lactobacillus bacteria during your treatment. These bifido bacteria help to restore the stocks of friendly bacteria in the large intestine and gut. It thus fights the disease causing bacteria like salmonella and others. Diarrhea is caused due to bad bacteria such as Salmonella, Campylobacter, Yersinia, Aeromonas, and Plesiomonas spp. Sometimes Cryptosporidium and Giardia lamblia may also be responsible for it.
Over the counter antimotility agents have been helpful in treating travelers’ diarrhea by decreasing the duration of diarrhea. However, these agents should never be used by travellers who are suffering from fever or bloody diarrhea, because they can increase the severity of disease by delaying clearance of causative organisms.
As travellers suffering from TD experience dehydration, oral rehydration therapy proves to be beneficial to replace lost fluids and electrolytes. There is a need for proper water quality management systems in hotels and resorts. Travellers should also take some safety measures when they travel to a foreign country. Always make sure that the water or food you consume is safe. Do not eat anything on the roadside, go to hotels which are hygienic. Drink plenty of water. Eat curds, but do not eat packed curds which are expired. Avoid salads and half cooked meat. Unpasteurised milk and seafood should be avoided. dairy products, mayonnaise and pastry icing consumption can increase the symptoms of TD. Therefore avoid it.
Vijay Koragappa Shetty, Expert author, platinum status. Find more information on: Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Get more information on: Travellers Diarrhoea
Sunday, September 27th, 2009 at 10:29 pm and is filed under travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
