Italian Red Cross volunteers and police have been working around the clock looking for survivors, tending to the injured, setting up tents and caring for the residents. Additional offers of support and aid has been pouring in from around the world. I’m always amazed and proud to see the compassion and care we show for each other in the times of our greatest need.

There are a number of travel services from this region (Abruzzo, Italy) that advertise on the RealAdventures site. As they rebuild their lives and towns, we will be reaching out to them to offer assistance where we can.

Anyone wishing to donate to the relief efforts is encouraged to do so through Red Cross International’s website at:

Earlier this year, when fuel prices and airline fares went up drastically, I expected visitors to the site to drop off dramatically. I also expected to see the number of inquiries to our advertisers to correspondingly decrease. But it looks like the troubles in the financial markets are not detracting visitors that use RealAdventures to plan their vacations. Visitors to the site and the number of inquiries being sent every month is actually increasing.

Glancing at our internal reports, customer inquiries range from last-minute vacations to travel planning 6 months or a year in the future. A large percentage of inquiries are being sent by visitors traveling to other countries and other continents.

Looking into the future, if the financial rescue packages have their intented effects, travel forecasts for the next 3 & 6 months look very promising. We expect to continue to experience significant growth over the next year and look forward to sending travelers your way. Please share your experiences with us. Are you booked for the upcoming holiday season? What are you experiencing in terms of slow-down or growth?