Business 2.0’s Six Websites for Smart Travel

Business 2.0 has a slideshow up on CNNMoney.com about “6 Websites for traveling smarter.”

• ExpertFlyer.com, a $5-a-month site that points you in the direction of easy (or at least cheap) last minute upgrades.
• JiWire.com, a directory of wi-fi hotspots, including an offline version (for money, I suspect).
• FlightStats.com, a real-time, worldwide arrival and departure ticker for your computer or phone. Free.
• Zagat.com, the famous user-generated restaurant guide. (I never, ever use Zagat as a guide, however. I’m not paying $25 when they won’t even tell me what beer is on tap.)
• HopSpot.com, a listing of subway, bus, and commuter rail lines in Boston, Chicago, New York, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. Free.
• AthleticMindedTraveler.com has “workout options” in 60 cities, as well as places to buy healthy food, rent bikes, and go running. $3 a month.

I’m especially curious about Expert Flyer. I generally book the cheapest direct flight I can in a reasonable window of time, but I might be willing to do a little more work to get first class. I’ve never flown in the good seats.

6 Websites for traveling smarter [Money.CNN.com]