online travel

After a three-year drought, an Indian IPO hit the U.S. markets this week. Travel-booking company MakeMyTrip raised $70 million in its offering, and on its first day of trading, the stock jumped 89% -- the biggest one-day gain in years.

With all the gloom in the global economy, I got to wondering whether there is anything else going on in the world of business. I'm looking for growth because I think that's what will ultimately bring the economy out of the doldrums. Not surprisingly, that growth is coming from technology companies....

My mom is a big-time traveler (in fact, she's now on a trip to somewhere in south America). Interestingly enough, she uses a travel agent – even though she's an avid user of the Net. Why? Well, my mom's trips tend to be fairly personalized. And, for the most part, automated Web sites just...