While there was once a time when people would simply head down to their local travel agent for a trip recommendation, the world of social media and technology has greatly impacted the way we travel. And that's not only in terms of tips and advice, but also, in regards to trip sharing, accommodation booking, finding travel companions, and even choosing who we sit next to on a flight. Here are some technologies that are helping to make travel more social in 2012.

Finding a travel companion

I wish I had known about sites like these three years ago when I backpacked through Europe. I had searched dozens of travel companion forums, only to find pervy, old men who were offering to pay for young backpackers' trips in exchange for sexual favors along the way. Luckily, we now have reputable, legitimate technologies that can help you find other travelers with similar interests who will be in the same place as you at the same time. First, there's Ajungo, which allows you to find travel buddies through specifying itinerary dates and destinations and by funneling through your various social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Foursquare, and Flickr. There's also Globetrooper, which allows you to create trip itineraries and invite others, or, conversely, search trips to join by region or activity, such as canoeing and rafting, food and wine touring, mountaineering, or backpacking.

This Photo of the Day, called Highlight of the Show, comes from Gadling Flickr Pool member mmusnjak. Captured using a Nikon D90, the photo is described as a "winter sunset near Zavižan hut in North Velebit, Croatia. The sunset was worth the three hour hike through the snow."

North Velebit National Park is a UNESCO biosphere reserve in Croatia known for its geomorphological phenomena - the pits. There are more than 150 pits discovered, out of which the most famous is Luke's pit, discovered in 1992.

Upload your best shots to the Gadling Group Pool on Flickr. Several times a week we choose our favorite images from the pool as Photos of the Day.

As I mentioned in the "surfer almost swallowed by whale" craze posted back in November, when not blogging for Gadling I will double as a sailor, diver, and whale naturalist on a fleet of sailing catamarans in Hawaii.

March is traditionally the peak of whale season in the Hawaiian islands, and throughout the winter months of December through April the shallow waters off of Maui are home to the largest population of humpback whales found anywhere in the Pacific. During this time, tens of thousands of tourists make their own sort of migration to experience a close encounter with the world's most acrobatic cetaceans.

For many, a trip to Maui for whale watching can be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. If such a trip doesn't happen to be on your travel itinerary for this year, however, you can still vicariously experience the thrill of an entire season of Maui whale watches by keeping up with Kohola Katie, a Maui-based blog devoted entirely to breaches, spy-hops, pectoral slaps, moms with calves, male escorts, and, of course, up-close muggings.

With over two months officially remaining in the 2012 Maui whale season, there are sure to be many more encounters just like the one exhibited above.

Do you wish you could afford to relax on a beach in the Caribbean with private butler service, or watch the sunset from the veranda of a luxury villa this spring? Thanks to Jetsetter Home's spring break sale, now you can.

Jetsetter Homes boasts properties all over the world, and during select dates this spring, some of their most affluent properties will be on sale. The private villas are each hand-selected, visited, and approved by Jetsetter travel correspondents, so you know the recommendations you're getting are coming from a travel professional.

There is no fee to signup - simply go to the website and register for free.

To get some affordable, last minute vacation ideas for spring break, check out the gallery below.

[flickr photo via lyng883]

Gallery: Luxury Spring Break Travel on a Budget

If you believe the doomsayers and the Mayans, then December 21, 2012, will mark the end of the world. That means we have just 287 days left to live and if you are anything like me, you probably still have a lot that you would like to accomplish before we all meet our demise. Fortunately, Shock Top beer has announced The Final Challenge, which will give four lucky winners the opportunity to scratch one last item off their bucket lists before the end arrives.

The Final Challenge is all about doing something epic with our remaining days on the planet. Whether that means climbing Kilimanjaro, parasailing over the Amazon, or jumping out of a plane above the Mojave Desert, Shock Top wants to hear about it and they may even make that last wish come true.

To enter into The Final Challenge simply visit the Shock Top Facebook page and click the "Like" button. From there you'll have the opportunity to create a challenge of your own, describing in 140 characters or less what it is you would like to do before the end of the world is upon us. You can even invite three of your friends to join you on this excursion and if Shock Top finds the challenge worthy, you could all be whisked away on one last adventure. Contestants are allowed to enter more than once and if you're looking for a bit of inspiration you can read the challenges that others have posted as well.

In all, four winners will be selected with the first winner announced on March 21. After that, Shock Top will announce another winner about every month running through June. That gives you several opportunities to clear items off of your bucket list before December 21.

So? If the end really is just a few short months away, what is it that you'd like to do?

Earlier this week, Nature Valley launched a fun new website that delivers a Google Street View-like experience for hiking trails in some of America's most popular and iconic national parks. Dubbed Nature Valley Trail View, the new site allows hikers to explore over 300 miles of trail directly from their browser.

Much like its counter-part from Google, Trail View actually puts us on the ground and gives us a 360-degree view of the surroundings as we take a virtual hike through the wilderness. It also offers information about the trail that is currently being displayed, including: its length, level of difficulty and important points of interest along the way. This makes it a great tool for scouting potential hikes in the national parks before we go while also providing insights into what to expect when we're actually out on the hike.

At the moment, Trail View features three of the more popular and famous national parks – Grand Canyon, Great Smokey Mountains, and Yellowstone. The video below gives us a glimpse at the technology that has gone into creating the new website, which is just the latest initiative from Nature Valley, a company that has a long history of supporting the national parks in a variety of important ways.

Enjoy the video then go take a virtual hike.

Have you ever wondered what it's like to live like a king or queen? While you may not have been born into royalty, you can still live lavishly, if only for a weekend.

While five-star hotels can offer plush bedding, spacious penthouse suites, and high-class amenities, it's nothing compared to the luxurious living offered at these palace properties. Genuine artifacts from centuries ago adorn the halls, acres of lush gardens, furniture made of gold - no expense is spared at a palace hotel. Not only that, but you'll be sleeping in the same space as kings, queens, and society's most elite members once did, long ago.

Sound like fun? Before you start planning your next royal getaway, check out the gallery below.

[flickr image via CSvBibra]

Gallery: Palace Hotels From Around the World

To start, I should say that there's no comparison between Desroches and Calou. They're two different beasts altogether, luxury apples and budget-friendly oranges, respectively. Yet taken together they present two distinctive experiences of the country: Seychelles two ways.

Desroches is one of Seychelles' top resorts, a private island resort that underwent a major design upgrade following its leasing in 2008 to South African investors. At €1200 ($1590) per couple per night - not including the €400 ($530) or so it costs per person to fly the 250 kilometers to the island from Mahé, the country's main island - it's very pricey. That €1200 gets guests an oceanfront suite (see above) the size of a nice country cottage. For villas or even splashier "retreats," the nightly outlay is much higher.

Desroches offers an international crew who are always smiling and open to making conversation. It's impossible not to feel pampered at Desroches, a resort that manages to make its guests feel looked after but also left to their own devices. That's a balance that many luxury resorts get wrong.

Suites are wonderfully outfitted in light tones, a nice mishmash of earthy and modern. Lounge spaces are capacious, with few walls. There's a spa, appropriately hushed and meditation inducing, clinging to the beach as well. The resort blends beautifully into the island's tropical greenery. Also noteworthy is the island's very good conservation office, funded by a resort foundation, whose director allows guests to join him on morning wildlife inventory walks around the island.

Calou, located in a garden in the middle of La Digue, is a much less lavish proposition. Staff are few, somewhat overworked though genuinely friendly. Cottages run €124 ($164) per night including breakfast and dinner for two. Cottage with breakfast is only €100 ($132) with dinner for an additional €15 ($20) per person. The evening meal is enjoyed around large communal tables. Calou's cottages are simple with barely adorned white walls, a fan as well as air conditioning, and a corner refrigerator.

Desroches is the fantasy, the space apart from workaday life; Calou, though not hostel-cheap, is within reach of many. Desroches is inarguably more comfortable; its padded gorgeousness removed just a hair from the unreal. It is a dream space. Calou, pleasant and welcoming, is one hotel among many.

Whether you are preparing for a trip or are on the ground in uncharted territory, smartphones are making it easy to avoid looking like a lost tourist. Download the following apps before setting off on your next trip and you'll navigate new cities and cultural divides with ease.

Navigate
Need to navigate a new place? Don't just wander around aimlessly. Whether you are looking to tour a city center or want to go for a walk in the woods, EveryTrail (free) can show you the way. The app goes above and beyond traditional guidebook maps by using GPS technology to show you exactly where you are and what is nearby. It also offers facts and figures on landmarks and historical attractions allowing travelers to decipher exactly what they're looking at (and maybe impress their traveling cohorts with some inside information). As for public transportation, many individual cities have apps such as the Chicago L Rapid Transit app ($0.99), but AllSubway ($0.99) can help you understand the underground systems in over 100 cities throughout the world with just one download.

Eat
Skip the national chains and search for independently owned restaurants with Local Eats ($0.99). The app allows you to filter eateries by neighborhood, category, or rank. All restaurant listings are unique to that particular city and include a description of the quality of food and service. If you're still having trouble deciding, tantalize your taste buds with Foodspotting (free), an app that uses location technology to show you user-submitted pictures of nearby food. On the other hand, if you've already chosen where to dine but want to make sure you order the right thing on the menu, Foodict Food Dictionary ($1.99) has a comprehensive database of international food expressions and definitions. No matter what obscure foods you encounter, the app allows you to order with confidence.

Today's Photo of the Day is of a truck in Cappadocia, Turkey. Random, even by my personal standards of Photo of the Day image selection. I like the view it offers of the state of Turkey's ephemeral infrastructure as well as the harsh winter of 2011-12. I also have questions: Is this truck abandoned? Is it able to move at all?

All we really know is that our mystery truck was snapped last week by Flickr user billfromesm.

Do you have a photo of a worse-for-wear truck, bus, airplane, or bicycle lying around? You probably do. Dig it out and upload it to the Gadling Group Pool on Flickr. We choose our favorites from the pool to be Photos of the Day.