For advice about the best travel apps and sites out there, I turned to my old friend and award-winning travel writer, Clark Norton. He suggested the first dozen on the following list, many of which were new to me. I’ve also added two others at the end, including one just launching today.

On the back of every package that is produced at the TCHO chocolate factory at Pier 17 are the words “No Slavery.”

Over the past year, when I’ve asked many of the startups I’ve covered– including SideCar, Postmates, Shoptiques, Exec, and Lyft–how they integrated a payment system into their sites and apps, they’ve all mentioned another SF-based startup, Stripe, as their solution.

If it sometimes seems like almost everyone you know is going freelance these days, there’s some substance to that perception, as giant hubs like oDesk and Elance have proven.