Every week we made little changes in elements, but this week we have made a major change.

It’s the same spirit:  it shows interesting content from our travelers, the latest site activity and related content, but this time the presentation is… very different.

Before we started designing we thought about the  people that come to iwanna for the first time.

Our new visitors  need to see at a glance that iwannagothere is a travel site with many things to offer.

But we also want our home to be nice and useful for our current iwanna community members. They need to see the latest activity and the new places that have been posted.

Having this two ideas in mind, we took on the exciting process of redesigning the home. We thought of every little detail and how all the content blocks should be display.

By using the color blue we emphasize the visual separation  and contrast among the different blocks of content.

We think the result is very soft and clean.  What do you think? Do you like it?

Check it out! We wanna feedback! :)

Are you posting such a special place that it doesn’t even have a proper address?

Other travelers would love to know how to get there :)

When you are posting an item that doesn’t have a regular address, that means, it’s not on a place with a street name and number, you can click the link “find it on a map!” and drag the iwanna small logo to the exact place your item is located.

Take a look to this example: http://iwannagothere.com/se/malmo/highlights/my-favorite-spot-in-malmo

mikimono lives in Berlin, she is a designer

What do you do on a really warm and sunny day in Berlin?

Go for a barbacue! Barbacues are allowed in all parks. You can choose between Mauerpark and its cool vibes or Gorlitzerpark where you can see a 20 members turkish family barbacuing to Berlin’s trendyest people playing frisbi and music.

Or you can take a walk by the Kreuzberg cannal in the afternoon from the Club der Visionare to Admiralbrücke or buy a beer at a spätkaufor or an ice cream at Isabel (soooo nice and cheap!) or sit down at the Admiralbrücke where is always people playing music.

Or you can also go to the lakes! Berlin is surrounded by beautiful lakes.

And on a raining day?

Berlin culture offers huge options, there is always concerts or plays and lots of alternatives underground cinemas like Babylon, Lichtblick Kino, etc. Another option is to go to enjoy a hot milchkaffee.

What is the best way to get around in the town?

In the summer definetly by bike, there are lots of places to rent a bike but if you are lazy you can get a “Velotaxi” (bike with a driver)

In the winter the Sbahn or the Tram are good options (you can buy a ticket for a whole day, for a whole week and they also have options for groups). They are above ground so you can see really curious things on your travels :)

Favourite place?

Admiralbrücke and Kreuzberg channel in the summer . In the autum  Treptowerpark and Zionkirchplatz.

In the winter the coffee shops, it’s too cold to be outside…

What shouldn’t be missed on someone’s first visit to Berlin?

Go up to the Reichtag dome, it’s amazing, the wall and the Memorial to the murderer Jews of Europe. It may look like I have an absession but don’t miss the flee markets! :)

What’s the best plan for a Sunday morning in Berlin?

Have brunch and go for a walk at any of the flee markets. I recomend Mauerpark, Arkonaplatz or Boxhagenerplatz, they are the liveliest ones with good vibes.

In the summer one of the favorite things people do is going to play ping-pong to the park.

All about Berlin »

Hi everyone! We just sent this press release :)

The collaborative travel guide iwannagothere.com is announcing today that it has raised startup funding from three digital agencies: Manifest Digital (www.manifestdigital.com), headquartered in Chicago, IL, USA, InUse (www.inuse.se), headquartered out of Malmö, Sweden, and The Cocktail (www.the-cocktail.com), with its primary offices in Madrid, Spain. The company is launching its first beta version to the English speaking market this week and plans aggressive content and functional expansion in the coming months.

The company is excited to integrate its new investment partners in a number of ways. First and foremost, the perspectives integrated from these three user-centered design firms will ensure well-informed product development and an evolution that is constantly in line with local and international travel needs. An approach like this has not been attempted before and is likely to become a model for international efforts in the coming years.

iwannagothere.com is a collaborative travel guide already boasting the power to:

- Get to know other people from all over the world
- Share special places you discover in your travels
- Learn about new places discovered by others, and
- Plan and design your own routes for your upcoming trips

The goal is to build a guide with all the special places that real travelers enjoy. You can now build a complete plan and compile a complete history of your travels. Sharing the anticipation and memories with friends across the world begins opening new opportunities perhaps never considered before.

iwannagothere.com is for the active traveler who does some research before traveling. It is also great for the traveler who is tired of the typical tourist activities and resources. Defining anew breed of traveler, iwanna begins to address the innate desire to find real experience and a human touch wherever you go. With a tool like this, people can now share stories in a more meaningful way with they create many more of their own making.

Maria Martinez, CEO and founder of iwannagothere.com:
“As an independent traveler, I prefer not to use travel agencies or follow set itineraries. I like exploring new places my own way.
Last year, planning my trip to India I started researching the internet to find interesting places, accommodation, etc. I was overloaded with huge amounts of information and poorly-organized information. I quickly got lost in so many non-descript sources,so I ended up resorting to the good old paper travel guide.
But the best advice I got was actually on the road, meeting other people, checking their photos, scribbling tips on napkins and the back of my hand.
That’s how iwannagothere.com was born -to be a site where independent travelers can share up-to-date information and recommendations with other knowledgeable travelers- organized in a practical way that helps us plan our trips and discover new destinations.”

Jim Jacoby, CEO and founder of Manifest Digital:
”I’ve loved discovering new places since I first set out across the US as a kid with my parents. Now I’m an avid international traveler. My wife and I enjoy finding new places within whatever city we land in. And we like knowing that we’re experiencing the true local flavor of the destination we go to. iwanna is a perfect solution for us and that’s why it caught our attention for investment.
Having the ability to share multinational and multicultural experiences in this product is a chance of a lifetime. The collaboration across our three companies lets us share people, process, and technology in new ways, making this product a true success in the process. A number of Manifest employees have already begun applying their own expertise to the success of the business.”

Mijo Balic, CEO and founder of InUse:
“We believe the world becomes a better place when people get together and collaborate around the things they’re passionate about. As individuals in this project, we share the passion for experiencing new places and finding new friends. As companies, we share the passion for what really makes great business; great user experience. And Iwanna is about just that. Iwanna can be the difference of experiencing a new city guided by a good friend compared to exploring it through the eyes of a lonely tourist. We look forward to continue working on this project, proving how great business can come from enabling people everywhere to enjoy exploring new places and making new friends.”

Alberto Knapp Bjerén, CEO and founder of The Cocktail:
“The first beta release of the site was designed and developed by three The Cocktail employees on weekends. The idea and the output were so great that InUse, Manifest Digital and my own company felt that we had to help the project become an international success. With offices and resources in three countries, we believe we can reach the active traveler and make him an active part of this new community.”

For any further information contact:

Andrea Hidalgo
press@iwannagothere.com
+34 91567 06 05
Skype: andreahidalgoamaya
iwannagothere.com
C/ Salamanca 17
28020 Madrid
SPAIN

Over the last few weeks there has been a lot of news about Ryanair.

They are going to launch a mobile phone service,and they are going to allow phone calls during flights.

Can you imagine a flight with people talking on their mobile phone? :S

(http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/4691114/Ryanair-to-launch-mobile-phone-service.html)

They announced that they are  getting rid of airport check-in desks entirely, check-ins will be done online in an effort to cut costs.

(http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/4736024/Ryanair-to-remove-airport-check-in-desks.html)

And also in the latest hot blogger news read about how Ryanair insults a blogger.

jason!

you’re an idiot and a liar!! fact is!

You can read the whole story here: http://www.economist.com/blogs/gulliver/2009/02/ryanair_insults_a_blogger.cfm

And more news about Ryanair:  Mr O’Leary explains that the low-cost airline was looking at the possibility of installing a coin slot on the lavatory door so that “people might actually have to spend a pound to spend a penny.”

Read more: http://www.economist.com/blogs/gulliver/2009/03/hes_serious_really_returning_w.cfm

This Friday, March 6th, we will be moving our servers to a better data center.

The site will be down from 21:00 to 06:00 (GMT+1).

We’re sorry for the inconvenience!