HispanicBusiness

Director of Content, Travel-Intel & Tours.com

SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 04/02/13 -- New numbers from a car-rental website survey show New York City is edging out Anchorage as the most expensive place to rent a car these days. However, what rates as top rates in car rental prices for 2013 is nearly 25 percent less than 2012 rates. Tours.com's Travel-Intel looks at the numbers and the trends, noting the best and worst cities for rental rates and how new companies are finding novel ways to gain a piece of the car rental market.

One place where one cannot drive is to an island and, while TripAdvisor has been able to tally a crowd-sourced selection of favorite islands all over the world, one island in the Indian Ocean is making waves. That is Frégate Island Private, a mile-square paradise in the Seychelles that is part of the Kurtz-Ahlers collection of exclusive resorts. The island resort, a German magnate's vision of the perfect luxury hideaway, is profiled in the latest Travel-Intel.

The latest issue of Tours.com's Travel-Intel also looks at new tours and product lines coming onto a crowded market and what some tour operators are doing to stand out and attract customers. Kensington Tours, for instance, is offering a new line of behind-the-scenes tours in Europe to their elite clients. These include solitary, after-hours strolls through the Sistine Chapel and time spent savoring the literary collection of Voltaire's private library.

Four Seasons, the luxury hotel chain, is offering a set of exotic tours by chartered private jet for 56 people each, taking in cities and destinations in quick and luxurious whirlwind journeys of comfort. Travel-Intel expands the details and gives the departure dates.

Similarly, Windstar cruises has recently unveiled plans for launching new small ships and new European itineraries in 2014. Travel-Intel looks into these new routes and ports that just became eligible for booking.

Finally, travelers looking to the U.S. West for their upcoming vacations can consider three new packages for river rafting, luxury camping and outdoor adventure offered by Western River Expeditions on the Colorado and Rogue rivers.