We’re very excited to be working with John and the whole Federated team

Advice from other travelers has proven to be a valuable new source of information for people in the process of planning a trip. According to travel research company PhoCusWright, 65% of people trust consumer opinions posted online over television, newspapers and magazines.

Consumers demand for this trusted travel information has fueled RealTravel’s rapid growth since its launch a little over a year ago. Half a million people now visit RealTravel each month to make use of the travel blogs, travel reviews and guides -- selected for quality by an editorial team -- to help plan their next trip.

“We’re very excited to be working with John and the whole Federated team,” says Ken Leeder, CEO of RealTravel. “FM’s deep understanding of conversational media allows us to provide marketers with solutions that enable them to connect with people who are sharing travel information and planning trips.”

FM represents some of the largest conversational media sites on the web today, including Digg, BoingBoing, Dooce, and TechCrunch. Other sites in the new Travel & Leisure federation include Metroblogging, 101 Cookbooks and tastingmenu. Each site in the FM fold is selected based on the quality of its content and the engagement of its community.

“Internet users increasingly look to one another for advice when making important decisions in their lives, such as where to travel. These conversations are happening in trusted communities such as RealTravel, which is on the vanguard of this trend, making the site an ideal addition to our hand-picked federation,” says John Battelle, founder and Chair of Federated Media. “We are extremely pleased to have them as an anchor of our new Travel & Leisure federation.”