With the Dow at its lowest yesterday in 11 years, the economic prognosis in the United States may not look bright. What does this mean for travel? We know the industry is hurting and taking a huge hit on revenue, however, what we found in a survey (2009 Travel Trends) we conducted last month here at TravelMuse.com, was that the majority of travelers are actually still saying yay, not nay, to vacations in 2009. 

Travelers Still Assert Their Right to Travel

A full 62.2 percent plan on taking the same number or more leisure trips in 2009 as they did in 2008, with 22 percent saying they will take more trips!

People Prefer to Cut Spending Rather Than Sacrifice Leisure Travel

Consumers will be more value-conscious than ever—but will still assert their right to travel: 77 percent of respondents said they were willing to cut spending in other areas to avoid having to cut back on travel. Travelers are making their own lunches and espresso; canceling the daily paper and cleaning services; driving less to save money for their vacations; forgoing tickets to events; and planning camping trips instead of staying in hotels or staying abroad fewer days to save money while they continue to travel.

One TravelMuse user said “I just gave myself a travel/expense test—and I have 1) curtailed going out to dinner (a lot) and 2) stopped shopping for clothes for a few months now, 3) but there is NO WAY that I would give up travel—even in a recession. It is tooooooooo important. I booked a trip to Chile for my family in August and to Maine/Boston in July … plus will book Mexico soon!”

Travel is Important, Especially in Tough Times

Nearly 65 percent of respondents said that vacations are very important. The benefits to health, wellness and state of mind can be greatly improved by taking a break, even if it’s a mini vacation, as highlighted by the U.S. Travel Association in its Benefits to Travel survey (2008)

Where are People Traveling in 2009?

There is still a healthy desire for travelers to travel: 68 percent of respondents said they planned to vacation in other U.S. states, with a staggering 52 percent still planning to travel internationally on a leisure/personal trip. So people are not just staying at home, or staying in their own state, for that matter.

Other Industry Research and Comments in Support of YAY to Travel in 2009

TravelMuse certainly is not alone in its belief that travelers will keep asserting their right to travel.

The U.S. Travel Association* showed that for 2009, consumers are pursuing “good values” in the trips they plan —76 percent of respondents expected to book a packaged vacation to save money, while 67 percent planned to stay fewer nights and/or spend less on food and entertainment when traveling.

Forrester vice president and principal analyst, airline and travel research, Henry Harteveldt, agrees that people would rather “trim around the edges,” and as a result, travel sellers need to “help travelers find ways to stick to their budgets.” 

Peter Greenberg**, travel guru and New York Times bestselling author told us, “No matter what the economic conditions, there is something that transcends the current financial malaise—and that’s travel itself,” … “It’s part of our cultural DNA. We really can’t help ourselves. We will find a way to travel, no matter what. We may deny ourselves an expensive dinner or a new fashion purchase, but we will not deny ourselves the opportunities to travel. And where there’s a will—especially with travel—there are many ways.” 

Say YAY to Vacations in 2009

Our CEO, Kevin Fliess said “There is strong data to support the notion that people are continuing to travel despite the challenging economic times,” ... “While people are more focused on value, travel continues to play a vital role in our lives. Travel is rejuvenating—and people cherish this experience even more during tough times.”

Don’t deny yourself the right to travel, take a break and say YAY to vacations in 2009!

Tell is what you think? Yay or Nay to vacations in 2009? Are you cutting back on anything so you can take your vacation this year? 

The full press release is available and for more information, including full survey results, email us at marketing@travelmuse.com.

*Ypartnership travelhorizons™ survey (October 2008)

**Peter Greenberg’s latest book, Tough Times, Great Travels: The Travel Detective’s Guide to Hidden Deals, Unadvertised Bargains, and Great Experiences, released today (March 3), features tips for today’s traveler, such as the best day to buy airline tickets, trips you can take on just one tank of gas and destinations where the dollar is still king.

If you haven’t already answered our 2009 Travel Survey, this is the last week to do so. Answer our short survey for a chance to snag a free Peet’s Coffee or Starbucks gift card!

All of us at TravelMuse are avid travelers and interested in the travel plans of our users. We’d love to know if you’re planning any getaways in 2009.

We’d also like to find out if you are giving up or cutting back on anything (e.g., your morning latte or other items) in order to save for your vacation this year.

Simply answer a few questions by Friday, Feb. 27, and you’ll be entered to win a week’s worth of lattes on TravelMuse! We’re giving away 10 Peet’s or Starbucks gift cards (you choose which one), valued at $25 each.

Take Our Survey

Thanks a latte!

Here at TravelMuse, we’re raring to go now that 2009 has arrived and we have high hopes for our new President, Barack Obama. Nowhere is the inauguration excitement more prominent than in Washington, D.C., itself. That’s why we’ve released a special inauguration feature to help visitors make the most of their time in D.C. !

!http://www.travelmuse.com/community/servlet/JiveServlet/downloadImage/1240/Inauguration_module.jpg!

We invited Debbie K. Hardin, former White House staffer, to share some of her top tips.  Working for the Clinton administration, as the director of presidential messages in the communications department, she attended a number of inaugural parades and balls. She was even in attendance for the first swearing in of President Clinton, so is well positioned to give us valuable insights from the best viewing venues and culinary creations, to historic experiences and affordable fun. 

In addition to Hardin’s great insight, we also include the best places to eat, sleep and explore in and around Washington, D.C. Lastly, tell us where you plan to celebrate Inauguration Day in our  poll, or elaborate in a comment below. Here at TravelMuse, we’re planning a team huddle in our conference room to stream and project the footage from 8:30 a.m. (PST)!

If you’re lucky enough to attend the inaugural events or are planning a future trip to our nation’s capital, TravelMuse will help you to research, organize and build the best trip possible. The inauguration feature can be found at http://travelmuse.com and includes insights such as:

•    Inauguration Day Planning Tips—Whether you plan to join or avoid the crowds on January 20, this section helps you navigate the nation’s Inauguration Day offerings.

•    5 D.C. Hot Spots With Obama-Inspired Menu Items—Check out the culinary creations of chefs throughout the nation’s capital who salute the inauguration with special drinks and dishes ranging from the Obama Roll to vodka-and-fruit shakes.

•    7 Top Presidential Attractions in Washington, D.C.—Beyond the White House, these historic options get you and your family closer to the Chief Executive.

•   44 Free Things to Do in D.C.—Make your trip even more memorable with this list of affordable experiences.

For full details on our press release, click here.

Earlier this week we presented at The Travel Innovation Summit at the PhoCusWright conference in Hollywood, Calif. Along with 31 other innovative companies, we gave a 10-minute demonstration of our product, which you can see here. Some of the other innovations we found interesting include:

Dealbase.com—launching at the conference and run by Sam Shank, DealBase provides the largest hotel deal Web site and clearly presented its easy to use search and filter tools. In this economy, who’s not after a deal?

Rezgo.com—run by Tips from the T-list publisher Stephen Joyce, Rezgo also launched at the conference and provides an online distribution platform for tour and activity suppliers, as well as managing payment and fulfillment. It’s a winning idea and reminds me of WorldRes when it provided a platform for the long-tail bed and breakfast market.

UpTake —Yen Lee clearly explained the semantic search capabilities that UpTake provides to simplify the travel research process through creating a comprehensive database, analyzing travelers feedback and filtering preferences. Sounds like you’d need a Ph.D. to work at UpTake—impressive!

Yapta—Tom Romary launched its frequent-flier award seat alert service, enabling travelers to be notified when they can use their frequent-flier miles to book an award seat that becomes available on a specific flight. Again, in this economy, who doesn’t want to leverage their air miles—smart move.

Of the innovators who made it through to the five minutes of fame on center stage (Home & Abroad, Wandrian, Yapta, TripIt, Triporati and IM@), it was IM@ who grabbed the attention of the judging panel. You can watch the demo featuring its mobile content management platform and mobile applications here.

In addition to presenting, we seemed to talk non-stop—to our peers at the innovation summit, interested potential partners, and press and bloggers. In the pavilion, we enjoyed the company of newly launched TravelBeen.com and particularly enjoyed Technorati’s supply of Charles Chocolates. Also, it was fun to catch up with BootsnAll, OffBeat Guides and to compare notes with our friendly Austrian competitors Tripwolf.

At the Bloggers Summit, the panel of seasoned bloggers discussed a number of topical areas relating to blogging and business—some useful tips and pit falls to avoid. It was interesting to meet up with some of the industries most respected bloggers, including The Boot, Jen Leo (Los Angeles Times), Travolution and the Cranky Flier to name a few. If you’re not following these guys, then you should be!

It’s great to see so much innovation in the travel industry up close and to be a part of it. We’re back home with many more new ideas, now it’s just a case of implementation!

At the PhoCusWright Travel Innovation Summit, Hollywood, Calif. We’re excited to be making a couple of new announcements.

1.    Plan-It! Widget for Bloggers

Bloggers can add the Plan-It! widget to individual blog posts, enabling their followers to save and share relevant content within the TravelMuse Planner.

The Plan-It! widget provides a solution to help travelers easily collect and centralize their research—while also increasing visibility for bloggers. Blogs that feature the Plan-It! social bookmarking widget allow visitors to quickly save content from the blog by simply clicking the Plan-It! button on any page. The content is then stored directly into the TravelMuse Planner—a centralized place to collect, organize and share travel research. Within the Planner, individuals can easily create trip plans and share the research they’ve collected with friends, family and fellow travelers—driving more traffic back to the blog postings they’ve saved. Bloggers can visits Plan-It! for Bloggers to find out more and easily add the Plan-It! button.

Sites using Plan-It include: UpTake, Ciao Bambino, Compulsive Traveler and TravelingMamas.

2.    Crowd Sourcing

This new feature provides insights into the hottest travel destinations and topics on the Web. As individuals save content into their TravelMuse Planner from TravelMuse.com and from around the Web, lists of most popular destinations and topics are generated and dynamically updated based on trip-planning behavior—view this example destination page for Barcelona to see popular bookmarks. By capturing the actions of crowds, TravelMuse can provide valuable insight reflecting the interests of travelers in real time.

See TravelMuse at the PhoCusWright Conference on stage at 10:16 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 17, or visit us at our table on Monday or Tuesday in the Laurel-Doheny rooms.

For full details click here.

We’re excited to work with the local Junior League Chapter, the Junior League of Oakland-East Bay, Inc. (JLOEB), on their annual fundraiser. The Junior League was founded in 1935 and is an organization of women, who to this day are committed to building better communities and making a difference in the lives of children and families served by the League.

TravelMuse is delighted to have this opportunity, and as we continue to effect change in building our travel planning community, we hope we can help other groups like Junior League. Starting now and running through November 30th, the team here at TravelMuse will donate $1 per each League-generated visitor who signs up and starts planning a trip using the TravelMuse Planner—a centralized place to collect, organize and share travel research. There is no cost to participate and no obligation to book a trip. (The total donation is capped at $1,000.)

Whether League members are looking for destination ideas on where to take their next family vacation, organizing a girls’ getaway, embarking on a romantic trip for two or meeting other League members at the 2009 Association of Junior Leagues International (AJLI) Convention, TravelMuse.com now makes the entire process easy for anyone to plan a trip. TravelMuse.com is also the JLOEB 2008-2009 exclusive travel partner and a silver-level sponsor of the Fifth Annual Artful Living Home Tour, Nov. 7- to 8, 2008, in Alamo and Diablo, Calif.

“Oftentimes, all it takes is a simple action to result in something truly impactful,” saya Tricia Stenger, president, JLOEB. “The League produces tangible benefits for children and their families throughout the Bay Area, and I am ecstatic that our philanthropic efforts through TravelMuse will further expand our combined impact in the community.”

At TravelMuse, effecting change is one of our core values, and we believe companies should not only invest in their employees and partners, but in the community at large. The Junior League is well known for building better communities, and we’re thrilled to work with their members on this program to further inspire others to make a difference.

For full details, read our press release.

Russ Lemelin has been an advisor to TravelMuse for more than six months. As CFO, he brings a wealth of experience in the online travel space to the company. He was one of the earliest employees at SideStep, Inc., where he held the role of CFO and interim CEO. Russ spent six years at SideStep, during which time he oversaw the company’s revenue grow from $0 to $30 million per year. SideStep was acquired by Kayak in December 2007 for approximately $200 million. Prior to SideStep, Russ led corporate development at Komag, Inc.

Russ lives with his wife and three girls in Danville, Calif. He enjoys traveling to Hawaii, spending time with the family and watching classic western movies. Russ is a self-proclaimed, die-hard Oakland Raiders fan and was born and raised in Northern California.

Coastal Cleanup Day is this Saturday, Sept 20th. People across the country will volunteer to pick up trash along coastal waterways from 9 a.m.-noon. 

Here at TravelMuse, we all love to travel and know you do too. The Beach Vacations tag on our Inspiration Finder is constantly the top selection that our customers click. To that end, we feel it’s our responsibility to help keep our beaches and waterways clean and encourage you to do so too!

Team TravelMuse will be helping on a project to clean up Permanente Creek, at Rock Street Bridge in Mountain View, Calif. Come and join us, or find a project near you.

This will be the 24th Annual California Coastal Cleanup Day, and it’s the premier volunteer event focused on the marine environment in the country. In 2007, more than 60,000 volunteers worked together to collect more than 900,000 pounds of trash and recyclables from our beaches, lakes, and waterways. To find out more visit: www.coastal.ca.gov.

Be part of the solution to marine pollution!