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shopping | newsbites | commentary | style
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Cyber Sitings
by Carol Mongo
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APRIL FOOL!!!!Picture


W
ho could have imagined that one day we’d be making our own travel plans in the comfort of our home or office. Globetrotting in the 21st century is about surfing cyberspace for info on ideal vacation destinations then scouting out cheap tickets and discounted hotel reservations. These virtual travel agencies also provide city maps and country advisories, as well as up to the minute information on weather, currency, travel schedules and flight status.

www.biztravel.com
Favored by business execs, this major site provides a trip planning service, city and weather info and even a currency converter. There’s a flight tracker where you can check for delays, cancellations and updated departure times. As with most of these sites, you are invited to take out a free membership which, in this case gives you complimentary access to an automated upgrade system to help you fly first class more often. Members are told about exclusive travel deals and can be notified of their flight status by pager or instant messaging.

www.expedia.com
In addition to the usual reservations booker, this site has a fare compare feature that tells you what other people are currently paying for the flights you want, pinpointers to help you get the perfect seat, a place to save your previous search queries, vacation wizards to direct you to Hawaii vacations, golf trips, cruises, casino destinations, ski and adventure travel or family accomodation..

www. travelocity.com
The largest travel site on the Web, Travelocity features one-click access to the best current fares from your hometown to major cities and automatic searches for the three lowest priced itineraries for your travel needs. A vacation finder not only helps with destination tips, car rental, airline and hotel tickets, but also includes a search engine for bed & breakfast, VIA Rail Canada as well as a Specialist Referral Network providing expert advice on luxury vacations.

www.come.to/jokesjustjokes.com
An extensive site for funny stories, you can see the date when each category was last updated, check current new jokes or look into holiday laughs. Apply for the “Jokes, just jokes” award by submitting your own or leave your email address to be informed as to when the site has received fresh delivery of jokes.

www.trip.com
Surf here for travel news and flights and hotel deals. There are excellent city guides to destinations in Africa, the Americas, Asia & Oceania and Europe where you can find information on local cuisine and restaurants, sightseeing, entertaining, shopping and transportation. You can download maps or airline guides, consult the world clock and even elect to have their newsletter with travel news and special deals on airline tickets e-mailed to you weekly.

www.nouvelles-frontieres.fr (also www.newfrontiers.com for those in the US)
France’s premiere travel agency has an on-line service. Check out airline ticket and hotel tariffs as well as their special travel packages and info on each destination’s climate or recommended things-to-see. Travelers on a budget will want to try their luck on the auction page where seats can be purchased for up to 75 percent less than their normal price. You consult tickets list on Mondays at 6pm, then return back to the site to bid (in 20F increments) on Tuesdays from 11:30am to 1:30pm, and 4:30-6:30pm.

www.priceline.com
This site features a unique service where you tell them where you’re going and how much you think you should pay for the (round-trip only) airline ticket. If they find one for your price, your credit card is billed at the cost requested. If not, you resubmit a new tariff. They also offer discounted hotel rooms and car rental.