vacation

You can rent a castle on Airbnb and a treehouse. Boats are popular, and there are plenty of farmhouses. So why not a van?

As reported on the SF.StreetsBlog, an enterprising Airbnb user in San Francisco has started advertising a 1990 Chevy Conversion van, offering the vehicle (with just 45,000 miles!) for only $92 a night.

One might think the nightly rate (which is more if you consider the service charge) is a bit much to pay to sleep in a cramped space probably better suited for a Scooby Doo video. But, as everyone knows, real estate is … Read more

SAN FRANCISCO -- Airbnb, a leader in the short-term rental market, today unveiled Airbnb Neighborhoods, the company's first attempt at comprehensive neighborhood guides aimed at giving renters a way to pick the best location for their needs in large cities.

At launch, the new service offers the guides for seven cities: Rio de Janeiro, New York, San Francisco, London, Berlin, Paris, and Washington, D.C.

The idea behind the new service is addressing the possibility that people using Airbnb to find a place to stay in a large city can be overwhelmed by choosing the most appropriate part of … Read more

We've all been there: You excitedly start to plan a vacation to some place you've never been, but once you get into the thick of it, you realize that figuring out what to do, let alone making bookings for everything from restaurants to museums to hotels to tours, is exhausting business.

That's the problem that Peek.com, a San Francisco startup that launched today, is trying to solve. Aiming to be a traveler's one-stop shop for everything from identifying what to do when on the road to booking to special recommendations for how to spend a &… Read more

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Apple lines are party time...for a night or two.

- Everpurse fashionably charges smartphones.

- Google Maps shows how we spent our summer vacations.

- Missouri University correlates social-media success to self-esteem.

Bathroom break video: Remote-control rat pranks New Yorkers.… Read more

Summer is here in the northern hemisphere and many probably already have their vacation plans set for a short getaway to enjoy the weather. But if you haven't made any plans yet, I've gathered up some highly rated apps to help you get out of town.

This week's collection of apps will help you plan the perfect trip. The first is a popular app that checks for the best flights to your chosen destination and looks for the best deals. The second will help you find the best food in your location once you get there. The third is a mapping and guide app that lets you download the information so you'll never get lost -- even when you have no connection on your iPhone.… Read more

The Gmail app (free) for iOS received an update today adding useful features like signatures and a vacation responder system.

When the Gmail app came out not too long ago, Google said it was just getting started. Released today in the iTunes App Store, an update to the Gmail app adds a few new features that make the popular e-mail app even better.

Along with (what Google says are) numerous UI improvements and bug fixes, a few features were added that will be welcome additions for Gmail users. You'll now be able to create nested labels; similar to a … Read more

Among the announcements when Apple released iOS 5, a couple of downloadable apps became available at the iTunes App Store. One of them, Cards, lets you create fold-in-the-middle greeting cards on your iPhone, then Apple sends them on real paper via snail mail. While other services have done this in the past, Apple's method is very intuitive with several designs to choose from, and the cost is about what it would be to go buy a greeting card in a store.

Immediately upon launch, you're given an intuitive interface for selecting the exterior of your card. Across the … Read more

Let's face it, when you're on vacation the last thing you want on your mind is responding to e-mail. Wouldn't it be nice if Gmail could auto-respond to contacts while you're away? Well, it can! Follow these easy steps to set up the Vacation Responder:

Step 1: Log into your Gmail account through the Web interface.

Step 2: Select the cog wheel in the top right corner and go to Mail Settings.

Step 3: Scroll down to the bottom of the page and find the Vacation responder options.

Step 4: Enter the important information pertaining to … Read more

There are a great number of travel Web sites on the Internet that let you search flights, hotel listings, and car rentals, but if you want a quick way to get that info while on the go, check out the Kayak for Android app. This latest version includes a sleek interface and fast search results making it a breeze to get your travel plans in order quickly.

Instead of the older tile-like interface, Kayak has instead gone with a list view in this version that makes it easy to browse flights, hotels, and car rentals. Once you choose the type … Read more