BEST TRAVEL BUYS
WEB SOURCES FOR GREAT DEALS ON AIRLINE TICKETS AND MORE
I'm often asked where one can get the best deal on airline tickets, hotel rates and other travel items. My best advice is to check out more than one of the popular resources. Here are links to the top five bargain sites:
AIRLINE AND AIRPORT WEBSITES
I was scheduled to travel to Thailand on February 18, 2003, the day after the big East Coast snowstorm that shut down most of the airports and backed up air traffic all over the country for a day or two. I was able to get valuable information on my scheduled flight by using the internet to access flight schedules at both the airline website (in this case, Northwest Airlines) and the Philadelphia International Airport website. I recommend that frequent flyers or anyone planning a vactation, bookmark the appropriate airline and airport websites for easy access.
HOTEL INFORMATION
Most hotels now have their own web sites. If you are a part of a group tour, you can check out your hotels to determine their location and ameneties and even reviews by people who have stayed there. First stop would be to go to one of the major search engines (I prefer GOOGLE) and just type in the name of the hotel. Lately, many of the people who travel in my groups make major packing decisions based on information they find on the hotel web site, such as: are there hair dryers in each room?; is there a laundry service? More and more international hotels are providing these basic services. I've listed below two pretty good hotel web sites where you can search for a hotel in a destination city of your choice worldwide.
http://www.RoomsAbout.com - Worldwide Hotel Directory
Hotel Oscar, my hotel in Athens, April, 2003
LUGGAGE, TRAVEL CLOTHING AND TRAVEL AIDS
If you travel a lot, you want to have the right equipment, right down to the right clothing. There's a way to dress for long airline flights, and there is special clothing available specifically designed for easy packing and wearability in various climates. You can cut down on a lot of travel anxiety by having the right equipment. Here are some of the best sites for the savy traveler.
Lewis N. Clark: travel accessories
American Tourister: luggage and travel accessories
Totes: compact and light-weight travel accessories.
