Earlier this year we covered YokmoK, the Spanish travel company that invites its clients to help create new trips. Now, taking a page from TasteCasting's play book—by which restaurants give bloggers free food in exchange for social-media exposure—YokmoK is now offering popular bloggers free trips.

Owners of popular blogs—which YokmoK defines as those with 10,000 or more incoming links—relating to travel, adventure or adrenaline sports are invited to apply for free travel on one of YokmoK's upcoming trips. They need only submit their name, the URL of their blog, which trip they're interested in and a few sentences about themselves in order to be considered. Then, when YokmoK finds itself with an unused slot on a trip, it lets qualified bloggers know—in general, at least two to three weeks before the schedule date of departure. If the blogger is available to participate, YokmoK will pay for all services included in the price for the corresponding trip. In exchange, the blogger is expected to share their experience of the trip, including at least four entries before the trip starts, one entry per day during the trip, and another four entries after the trip ends; each entry must include at least one direct link to YokmoK's website.

Free expeditions are certainly a bigger investment for YokmoK than free meals are for TasteCasting's clients. On the other hand, can any advertising dollar achieve the targeted exposure of multiple posts on a highly relevant and popular blog site? We don't think so, either. A model to emulate for your own company's promotional purposes! (Related: Job contest lets bloggers become pilots — Blogger helps connect consumers and brands — Job contest spotlights Great Barrier Reef Islands.)

Website: www.yokmok.com/bloggers-travel-free.html
Contact: info@yokmok.com

Spotted by: Raul Vigas

Vacation rentals require a certain degree of trust, which is why it makes sense for house-swapping services like Creative Caravan to target their offerings at consumers who work in the same industry. Aiming to capitalize instead on the trust shared among Facebook friends, Second Porch is a Facebook app that lets users list and rent vacation homes through the popular social network.

Using Second Porch, Facebook members can list vacation properties for rent or trade and control whether their ad is visible to everyone on the network, or just their friends. Listing a home is free, and those looking for a place can search by map, location, amenities, price or relationship. Not only are they able to see the "face behind the place," as Second Porch puts it, but they can also view detailed descriptions and photos along with comments from past guests. In addition, they can "follow" properties they like and see the recommendations of friends anywhere in the world. Currently there are some 600 listings on the site.

Though using Second Porch is currently free, the company plans to introduce a paid service for USD 99 per year that gives owners additional ways to promote their listings, according to a report in TechCrunch. What other kinds of transactions could be improved through a little directed "friendsourcing"...?

Website: apps.facebook.com/secondporch — www.secondporch.com
Contact: admin@secondporch.com

Spotted by: Ruben Feith

There's little enough gratitude to go around during the best of times, let alone when everyone's being put upon by tough economic conditions. Following in the footsteps of hotel group Sage Hospitality, whose "Give a Day, Get a Night" program to reward volunteers we covered this summer, none other than Disney is gearing up to launch its own equivalent.

Much like Sage's effort, the Give a Day, Get a Disney Day program aims to celebrate and inspire volunteerism. Specifically, Disney is working with HandsOn Network to highlight a variety of volunteer opportunities with participating organizations across the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada. Starting Jan. 1, those who contribute their time need only have it verified by HandsOn; then, in exchange, they'll get a voucher from Disney good for one day admission to a Walt Disney World or Disneyland theme park. Says Disney, "We want to inspire one million people to volunteer a day of service."

Since spending on travel and leisure activities is down, along with spending on pretty much everything else, it's a smart move by Disney (and, for those of you outside the US, one that's being heavily promoted through prime-time TV commercials). As laid out in our sister-site's briefing on Generation G, share some love now, and you could win hearts forever. And of course there are immediate bottom-line benefits, too: the entrance tickets may be free, but those volunteering visitors will still be buying food, drinks and merchandise at Disney's parks.

Website: disneyparks.disney.go.com/disneyparks/en_US/WhatWillYouCelebrate/index?name=Give-A-Day-Get-A-Disney-Day
Contact: home.disney.go.com/guestservices/contact

In an age that has many of us walking around with the sum of the world's knowledge in our pockets, information about flight delays lags behind. FlightCaster, a new San Francisco-based service, aims to solve this problem. Using a patent-pending algorithm, the company claims that it can predict more than 95 percent of delays to flight arrivals up to six hours in advance. It looks to be an improvement on Delaycast, which we featured last year.

FlightCaster's calculation involves comparing statistics from the past 10 years of flights with the most recent data relevant to a particular flight from the US National Weather Service, the FAA Air Traffic Control and FlightStats.com. FlightCaster will then display, as a percentage, the relative probabilities that a plane will be on time, delayed by less than an hour or delayed by more than an hour. Only a flight number is needed to use it, and the system—rather than trying to pin down a single estimated time of arrival—helps passengers make a personal decision about whether to travel to the airport, based on their own priorities.

Launched last month, FlightCaster is available for free online, or as an iPhone/Blackberry app (USD 9.99). The service currently only operates in the US, but international expansion is in the works. Also expect to see richer information about alternative travel options in future versions. (Related: Flight tracker notifies contacts of arrival.)

Website: www.flightcaster.com
Contact: www.flightcaster.com/contact

Spotted by: Cecilia Biemann

Pop-up retail is a concept we've been covering for years, generally focusing on a store that opens for a limited time in an otherwise unused space. Turning that notion on its head, in some respects, is Planeshop, a permanent store opening soon in the Glasgow Airport that will be periodically taken over by a different brand.

The brainchild of the founder of Vacant —which was probably the first pop-up store way back when—Planeshop is billed as a permanent shop with a flexible retailing concept. Brands will take over the store for a limited time, including changing the shop's exterior graphics to match their identity. Currently, consumers are invited to vote for the brands they'd most like to see in that role. No word yet on how long each brand will stay in place, but once that time is up, another brand will move in and take over, ensuring that there's always something new to see in the store. Also available at Planeshop will be Planemix, a downloadable selection of global digital music tracks that rotates each month, and "Foodflight," a selection of tapas and sangria for takeout or in-store dining.

Planeshop's flexible retail concept is patent-pending, the company says, and it seems safe to assume that brands are currently lining up for a spot in the store's rotating roster. One to watch—or get in on early yourself...? (Related: Retail space helps brands collaborate — Store perpetually reopens.)

Website: www.planeshop.net