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Essential Tasks September 2000 • Vol.6 Issue 9 Page(s) 72-75 in print issue	Add To My Personal Library
Travel Improve Your Vacation Using These First-Class Techniques

Planning a vacation or a business trip takes work. You must decide where you want to stay each night, how you are going to get there, and how you are going to get from place to place once you are there. Unless you are driving, you must purchase plane tickets, often well in advance. Additionally, for vacation travel, you must plan what sites you are going to see and in what activities you are going to participate. This, too, may require that you purchase tickets well in advance.

All this planning takes a lot of information. You could spend your time on the phone calling everyone for brochures, or you could do your planning and purchasing online using the many different tools available there. The following tools and tips will not only make your planning easier but also save you money and help you plan a better vacation than would otherwise be possible.

Travel Tip Sites

Learn to travel cheap. Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel Online (http://www.frommers.com) is an online magazine devoted to worldwide budget travel. Its articles, tips, and guides are great. If you are planning a trip to Europe, you must read its "Completing A 15-Item CheckList" at http://www.frommers.com/tips/preparations/special_europe/spec_ eurpoe_1b.html.

Search for bargains. Smarter Living (http://www.smarterliving.com) offers a number of travel tips to make your traveling cheaper and easier. It also has pages that let you search for the cheapest flights and rental cars.

Get the best seats. Do you want to know how to guarantee more legroom or a quiet seat on your flight? Check out Travel Secrets (http://www.travelsecrets.com) for travel tips. It also has links to check on flights, hotels, and rental cars.

General Travel

Tell me about my destination. Rough Guides to Travel Online (http://travel.roughguides.com) can give you an amazing amount of information on more than 14,000 locations.

Pay what you want to pay for travel. Auction sites such as SkyAuction.com (http://skyauction.com) and Priceline.com (http://www.priceline.com) let you put your own price tag on a trip. These sites allow you to bid on flights, hotel rooms, and more. However, when you are bidding, remember that your winning bid will not be the price you pay. Taxes and surcharges can significantly raise the final price. In addition, most tickets are nonrefundable tickets so make sure you want them before you post a request.

Find an out-of-the way spot to stay. VacationSpot.com (http://www.vacationspot.com) specializes in finding unusual places to stay. It handles inns, bed-and-breakfasts, rental condominiums and homes, villas, and historic properties. You can search by location or type of attraction, such as at a beach or a golf property. In addition, you can look for a bed-and-breakfast, resort, or a unique hotel using PlacesToStay (http://www.placestostay.com).

Find a historical place to stay. The History Channel runs programs on a wide range of historical sites. It puts this information to good use in designing a Web site (http://www.historytravel.com) for travelers. You type in a location, and the site gives you a list of interesting sites to visit, including historic hotels, landmarks, and festivals. Links provide additional information on each attraction.

Cheap hotel rooms. Hotel Discount Reservations (http://www.hoteldiscounts.com) offers discount hotel reservations at major hotels nationally and internationally. It shows only available rooms, and it offers a low-price guarantee.

Find a bargain model. Expedia's Hotel Price Matcher (http://www.expedia.com/promos/hpm) lets you find a hotel of the caliber you want at a price you are willing to pay. You enter the destination, dates, hotel class, and desired prices, and Hotel Price Matcher searches for a match. If it finds one, it books the room for you. Be careful using the service because it automatically charges a reservation to your credit card if it finds a match, and reservations are nonchangeable, noncancelable, and nonrefundable.

Where can the dog stay?Some people insist on traveling with pets. If your hotel does not allow pets, you are stuck with sneaking them in or finding a new hotel. Petswelcome .com (http://www.petswelcome.com) has listings of chains, bed-and-breakfasts, and specialty inns that accept pets. You will even find links to Pet-friendly amusement parks on this site.

Let the National Register suggest a historic spot. The National Register Information System (http://www.nr.nps.gov) lets you search for historic sites by name, location, or theme. It is especially useful for finding interesting spots once you have booked your destination. The site's layout is dreadful, but the information is good.

Let's live dangerously. If you want to have an exciting vacation, Fielding's DangerFinder (http://www.fieldingtravel.com/df) can help. We are not talking about bungee jumping or skydiving but rather trips to Chechnya or Iran.

What will the weather be like? Intellicast.com (http://www.intellicast.com) can give you the current weather and a forecast for almost any spot on the planet.

Let's make this trip educational. Visiting a museum at some point during your travels can help you learn cool facts about various places you visit. Elsas Producties (http://www.elsas.demon.nl/index_e.htm) has links to 10,000 museums worldwide, sorted by country for easy searching.

Find a golf course. For many vacationers, the highlights are the golf courses. GolfCourse.com (http://www.golfcourse.com) can search by area for courses and then provide you with information on the course, such as the year it was built, whether it has water hazards, and the fees for the course.

Is it snowing? If you vacation calls for skiing or snowboarding, then you will want to check the conditions of the slopes. During the skiing season, SnowReport.com (http://www.snowreport.com) gives you daily updates on snow conditions at all of the major resorts.

Find an ATM machine.It never fails that vacations cost more than you plan. If you run out of cash, you can visit Visa's ATM Locator (http://www.visa.com/pd/atm/main.html) to find the nearest ATM. If you are not traveling with a computer, you should locate ATM machines in each of your destinations before you leave.

International Vacations

Is it safe to go there? Some international destinations are unsafe. When an international location has problems, the U.S. State Department tries to let everyone know with travel warnings on its Web site (http://travel.state.gov/travel_warnings.html). These cover terrorist activity, earthquakes, and more. In addition, Consular Information Sheets are available for every country. These include such information as location of the Embassy or Consulate, unusual immigration practices, health conditions, minor political disturbances, unusual currency and entry regulations, crime and security information, and drug penalties.

The Judicial Assistance area (http://travel.state.gov/judicial_assistance.html) of the U.S. State Department's site gives you a basic explanation of your legal rights and obligations for every foreign country in case you get into trouble. It also provides a list of Consulates where you can get help.

How can I stay healthy overseas? Everyone knows the possibility of developing diarrhea (Montezuma's Revenge) if you drink the water in Mexico; however, there are many other region-specific health concerns when traveling internationally. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Web site (http://www.cdc.gov/travel) can help you prepare. Select your destination, and you will find out what preventive measures you can take before you leave and after you arrive, as well as what vaccinations you need.

Where can I get more official information? The 123 World Web site (http://123world.com) has links to the official tourism sites of literally hundreds of states and countries. It also has links to libraries, museums, airlines, and just about any other travel-related service you can imagine.

Passports. If you are traveling overseas, you will need a passport. If you do not know what you need, the U.S. State Department has a Web site (http://travel.state.gov/passport_services.html) that will give you that information. You can even download an application and find the nearest office.

Pack it up. The experienced flyer knows to take only carry-on luggage because airlines are notorious for losing luggage. If you need help deciding what and how to pack, The Compleat Carry-On Traveler (http://www.oratory.com/travel/index.html) has everything you need. If you follow its guidelines, you won't have to worry about lost luggage.

Will I be traveling on a holiday? The World Public Holidays Database (http://www.tyzo.com/tools/holidays.html) from Tyzo.com knows all about holiday travel. Just enter the country, month, and year, and it lists all the applicable holidays.

Public transportation. The Subway Navigator (http://www.subwaynavigator.com/bin/cities/english) offers detailed planning information on more than 60 subway systems worldwide.

How much is that in pounds? Converting between various currencies can be a real pain. OANDA The Currency Site (http://www.oanda.com) automates the process for you. It can even produce a "cheat sheet" that you can print and keep for on-the-fly conversions.

Stay connected. Steve Kropla's Help for World Traveler! Web site (http://www.kropla.com) offers a comprehensive listing of worldwide electrical and telephone information. The site also lists television broadcast standards and dialing codes.

Travel with your computer. RoadNews.com (http://www.roadnews.com/home.htm) offers all the information you need about traveling with your notebook.

How to visit Europe. Eurail is a train that goes to many major cities in Europe. Eurail passes let you use the trains when and where you want. You can research and purchase the passes online at Eurail.com (http://www.eurail.com).

If you prefer flying around Europe, check out europebyair.com (http://www.europebyair.com). Each europebyair.com Flight Pass is a one-way, nonstop European flight.

What time is it? It can be hard dealing with time changes, especially on international trips. Local Times Around The World (http://www.hilink.com.au/times) can give you the local time, offset from GMT, and geographic location for any location

Flying

How can I stay safe? The Inflight Safety Page (http://www.plsys.co.uk/~anna/inflight.htm) offers all the information you need to stay as safe as possible while flying to your destination.

Flying cheap. If a cheap flight is your most important concern, check out the Best Fair Finder (http://www2.travelocity.com/ttools/bff) Web site at Travelocity.com. All you enter is your destination and departure city. Best Fair Finder then shows you a list of cheap fares by airline and a calendar of when those fairs are available. You can then plan your trip around your bargain fare.

Learn the codes.Traveling by air means dealing with meaningless codes such as GIG or DAL. The Airline Search Engine (http://www.melair.com.au/ASP/lookup.asp) lets you enter the information you know and returns the airline name, two-letter or three-letter code, and country.

How can I find an airline? Airlines of the Web (http://flyaow.com/airlines.htm) has links to more than 500 official airline Web sites all over the world.

Where do I want to sit? Unless you can afford to fly in first class, you know that the airlines have crammed the seats as close together as possible. Experienced flyers know that the best seats are the exit row followed by bulkhead seats. If you want to know the location of your seat before you board, check out the About .com Airline Seat maps (http://airtravel.miningco.com/travel/airtravel/msubseats.htm) Web site. Not all the links work, but you can still see seating maps for many different planes and airlines.

Sleeping in an airport. If you must sleep in an airport, the quietest spot is the chapel. You will find many more secrets about sleeping in airports at The Budget Traveler's Guide to Sleeping in Airports (http://www3.sympatico.ca/donna.mcsherry/airports.htm).

Driving

Never ask for directions. No matter how far you are planning to drive, you can find detailed directions and maps online. Services such as MapQuest (http://www.mapquest.com) and Expedia.com (http://maps.expedia.com) prompt you for your starting and ending locations (usually by specific address) and then give you detailed directions and maps. To make the return easier, switch your destination and starting points to get reversed directions.

Avoid construction. Construction can back up traffic for miles as a four-lane freeway is funneled down into a single lane. To find out what construction to expect and perhaps plan an alternative route, check out the Rand McNally Road Construction database (http://www.randmcnally.com). Just click Plan A Trip and then Road Construction. Enter the state and highway type, and you get a listing of construction projects and their corresponding dates. If you do not like what you see, the Web site offers a complete trip-planning service.

Avoid traffic.Although road construction may come and go, heavy traffic in some cities is constant. You can get real-time traffic information for more than 20 cities at TrafficStation.com (http://www.trafficstation.com). It will tell you which routes are heavy and which ones have construction or an accident. You can even schedule traffic updates to be sent to your phone or pager.

I-95 info.I-95 runs from Maine to Florida and is one of the most traveled freeways. The I-95 Exit Information Guide Online (http://www.usastar.com/i95/homepage.htm) offers the most information on sites and services along this interstate.

Get some grub when you are on the go. The McDonald's (http://www.vicinity.com/mc donalds) and Denny's (http://www.dennys.com/restaurant/search.html) Restaurant Locators can help you find a close place to eat.

See something unique. Roadsideamerica.com (http://www.roadsideamerica.com) lists more than 8,000 unique and wacky U.S. roadside attractions.

There was a cop behind that billboard! Nothing can ruin a driving vacation faster than a fat speeding ticket. The best way to avoid a speeding ticket, of course, is to drive the speed limit. The second best way is to check out Speedtrap.com (http://www.speedtrap.com) before you start your drive.

by Ronny Richardson

Expert Tips From . . . Richard Bangs, Expedia.com

Expedia.com (http://www.expedia.com) is a travel site that is widely used for planning and booking trips. Richard Bangs, who is an editor-at-large for this site, gave us the following travel tips.

Cheap airline tickets. Instead of paying the asking price for your plane ticket, try setting your own maximum with a service such as Expedia.com's Flight Price Matcher. You may find an airline that will sell you a seat at your price. Otherwise, buy a roundtrip ticket because the least expensive fares often apply to roundtrip tickets. In addition, "red-eye" flights that leave in the early morning or late evening often have much lower fares.

Cheap hotels. When planning a weekend trip, check with business-oriented hotels about booking a room. They frequently offer weekend specials on rooms.

Check out lodging-specific Web sites that have special contracts or deals with lodging providers. For example, Travelscape.com (http://travelscape.com) offers discounts of up to 70% off regular rates at selected hotels around the United States, the Caribbean, and Europe.

Carefully read room descriptions. Sometimes hotels offer different rooms at similar prices. Details, such as breakfasts or newspapers included in the price, can make all the difference in the value you receive.

Cheaper cars. Rent a car Friday to Monday because rental companies often offer weekend discounts.

Have your frequent flyer numbers handy. Some car-rental companies offer express pickup service and flight mileage for their frequent renters.

Have an adventure. Adventure travel is one of the hottest trends. The Trip Planner on Away.com (http://away.com) will help in all your adventure travel needs.

Read reviews or lose. Nothing is worse than planning the perfect getaway and finding disappointment at your hotel door. Travel sites offer customer reviews on everything, including destinations and resorts. These reviews can help you in your booking decisions.

Reserve as early as possible. During high travel seasons, restaurants are booked and events are sold out weeks ahead of time. Don't get caught with nothing to do. For reserving tables at restaurants, try OpenTable (http://www.opentable.com). For tickets to after-dinner shows and events, try Tickets.com (http://tickets.com), ticketmaster.com (http://www.ticketmaster.com), or Telecharge (http://telecharge.com).

Expert Tips From . . . Terrell Jones, Travelocity.com

When planning a trip, many people shop for online deals at travel sites such as Travelocity.com (http://travelocity.com). Terrell Jones, president and chief executive officer for Travelocity.com gave us the following tips for shopping for deals on the Internet.

Procrastination does not pay. When planning a trip, book as far in advance as possible. Many discounted fares require reservations seven, 14, or 21 days in advance. For low international fares, a 30-day advance purchase is often required.

Count your days. Mondays and Fridays are heavy business travel days. Try to schedule your trip for other days and with a Saturday night stay to ensure the lowest airfare and hotel rates.

Change airports. Be flexible regarding the airport your want to depart from or arrive at. Many large cities have smaller airports nearby which can sometimes yield tremendous savings. Online travel tools, such as Travelocity.com's Alternate Airports, can alert you of less expensive flights out of alternative airports.

Go electronic. For those who place a premium on convenience, electronic tickets are great. You pay no postage, and you save time in the airport (and while booking a flight online) when you request electronic tickets. It's fast and simple, and you won't have to worry about lost tickets.

Track your favorite cities. With millions of airfares available, changing at a moment's notice, make it easy on yourself by subscribing to a site's fare-watcher or fare-tracker e-mail program. Typically, you can designate specific cities to track and, when the fare changes by a certain amount, you will receive an e-mail notification.

Visit before you book. Online destination guides provide a unique opportunity for you to explore any worldwide destination and learn valuable travel information before you book. Learn of local customs, currency, best routes, recommended hotels, restaurants, and tourist attractions.

Book it! When you find a low fare, book your ticket quickly. With a limited amount of seats at certain prices, your good fare may be gone by the time you go back to book it.

Customer service. It is wonderful to have total control over your travel plans when shopping on the Internet, yet when you need assistance, 24-hour customer service is necessary. Before you buy online, make sure the site provides customer service and has multiple ways to contact this department, including a toll-free number, an e-mail address, and a fax number.

Security. Before you click that mouse to buy, make sure you are fully protected. Look for an extensive online security and privacy policy that clearly explains security procedures, software, and infrastructure. In addition, make sure the policy talks about encryption technology such as SSL (Secure Sockets Layer). Another important feature to look for is the prominent display of affiliations with organizations such as BBBonline and TrustE.

Expert Tips From . . . Kathy Cook, TRIP.com

Kathy Cook is the director of travel services for TRIP .com (http://trip.com), which provides online travel services. She offered the following tips for travel.

Be organized. Think about what's the most important to you on this particular trip. Is it the cost, your schedule, or the airline?

After-the-sale help. Look for a Web site that will be your advocate with travel suppliers. If something goes wrong on the road, you want a company that has the relationships and knowledge to help you. The company should help when your flight has just been cancelled, your car reservation is a compact and you need a full size, or the hotel you booked is overbooked and trying to "walk" you.

Other communication. Look for a Web site that wants to communicate with you through various channels. Can you call the online agency? Can you send an e-mail to the site? Can you carry on a chat session with an agent? Can you call a toll-free number? (Remember, you may not have a Web connection available when you have problems.)

Online profile. When you fill out an online profile with a travel site, you can include your frequent flyer numbers, car ID numbers, seat assignment preferences, or any special requests you usually have. Make sure you fill out all the fields that are appropriate and then update your profile as soon as your information changes.

Look for shortcuts. A Web site should have an easy way to book just an airline ticket or a car or a hotel or a mixture of all. Look for these if you are in a hurry.

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