Frequently Asked Questions
About Real Travel
- What is the purpose of Real Travel?
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At Real Travel, we believe that travel is about valuable experiences. You want to get the real deal on a place before you go. You want suggestions from experts and travelers who have been there for itineraries, accommodations, dining and things to do. You want to find the places and deals that provide you with value.
So we've created Real Travel, a free travel site that brings together the information and tools that you need to plan and share valuable travel experiences.
- Does it cost anything to join?
- No, all services on Real Travel are completely free.
- Do I need to know anything about HTML or Internet programming?
- No, our site is designed to be user friendly and easy to understand, even for the most inexperienced Internet user.
About My Travel Blog
- What is a Travel Blog?
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A Travel Blog allows you to capture and share your travels with friends and family. Through route maps, photos, stories, and places visited per city, friends and family will feel like they are traveling with you!
- What is the difference between a blog and blog entries?
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A Blog contains the introduction to your trip, a route map of your travels, and a listing of your entries by date and time. Think of it as a place to introduce you trip and share your itinerary and route of travel. For example, for your spring trip to Europe, create a blog for Europe, and create an entry in this blog for each city you visit.
A Blog Entry is where you share stories, details and photos of each destination you visit during your trip. Your Travel Blog will automatically update your route for you with each entry you create.
- What is the places visited map on my entry?
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The places visited map is a quick way to show friends and family what you did per destination. Add pins for each place you visited by selecting popular things to do, restaurants and hotels, or add your own. For example, in Paris, a place you visited may be the Eiffel Tower or the Arc de Triomphe.
- How do I share my travels with friends and family?
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It's easy. You can quickly import all or a select few of your contacts from you email account - your contacts will then be saved so you can send an update of your travels anytime you write an entry.
When you sign up, select "Take me to add my contacts after signing up." Or, you can import contacts anytime by clicking on the "My contacts" tab on "My Dashboard" to import or add contacts manually. They can also choose to subscribe to your blog via RSS Feed by clicking on the RSS icon on your travel page.
- Is there a way to print my travels?
- Sure! On any of your entries, you'll find a "print page" option. You'll be able to print out your entry with photos, comments, maps and the places you've visited.
- What is the Editors' Pick Award?
- The Editors' Pick Award is given to well-written entries and reviews that provide relevant, helpful and inspiring information to other travelers. All entries are presented exactly as they were written by Realtravelers; we do not edit your work.
- How do I update my profile information and password?
- To update any of your profile information or to change your password, select "My Dashboard" on your travel page. You'll see tabs to mange your account information and contacts, as well as access photos from your flickr account to use in your entries.
About Photos
- How do I upload my travel photos?
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For existing entries, click on the "manage entry" link on the page, or click on the "dashboard" button on your profile. Then, click on "manage photos."
On typical broadband or slower connections, photos from today's digital cameras take roughly 2-4 minutes each to upload. However, if you have a flickr account, you can quickly display your photos on any of your entries. Go to your "dashboard" to authorize your flickr account, and then your photo sets will be available for your use on each entry.
- Is there a limit to the amount of pictures I can upload?
- No, you can upload as many photos as you want, add captions, as well as determine their order in your entries. You'll also be able to see them in a slideshow per entry.
About Maps
- How do I add pins to the map on my travel page?
- You'll receive a pin for each blog entry that you write in your travel blogs as well as a pin for where you live. You can display this map on other websites by click on the "Add this map to my other blogs" link on your travel page. You'll see a HTML snippet that you can copy and use on your personal blog or other site. As you add more entries or reviews, your map will be automatically updated.
- How can I update the route map on my blog?
- This happens automatically each time you add an entry. You'll see numbered markers starting from your first entry with a line marking the route of your travel.
- How do I add pins to the city map on my blog entries?
- There are several ways to do this. You can either click on the "add pins to map" link under the map on an entry, or as you are editing an entry, select "manage places visited." Then you'll be able to quickly select the places you've been to in this destination. You'll get a marker on your map for each place, so your friends and family can easily see what you've been up to.
About RSS Feeds
- What is an RSS Feed?
- RSS stands for "Really Simple Syndication" - it is a way of getting the lastest updates from your favorite websites. You can choose to receive these feeds to your email address, or to a feed reader where all of the news you want is stored in one place.
- How do I subcribe to an RSS Feed?
- You can receive the lastest blogs on a destination by clicking on the RSS icon on the top of that page. To receive an RSS feed of your friends travels, click on the RSS icon above their travel page.
Other
- I have a question on a feature not mentioned here. What do I do?
- No problem. Email us at: support[at]realtravel.com - we'll be happy to help!
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