www.biztravel.com
shopping | newsbites | commentary | style
by Carol Mongo
APRIL FOOL!!!!
Who could have imagined that one day wed 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.
Favored by business execs, this major site provides a trip planning
service, city and weather info and even a currency converter.
Theres 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)
Frances 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 destinations 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
youre 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.