Post on 14-Apr-2017
Be Your Own Travel Agent
Using the Internet to Plan Your Next TripSkokie Public Library
May 26, 2011Terry Ratoff
How Web Resources Can Help You Plan Your Next Trip
• Choosing a Destination• Planning Your Itinerary • Comparing Costs• Reviewing Transportation Options• Selecting Accommodations• I’m Hungry – Where should we eat?
Choosing a Destination
Travel Guides and BlogsInformation comparable to printed guides
andAdvice from other travelers
andOnline communities to ask questions and
discuss your plans
Travel Blogs and WebsitesMany travel blogs & guides online, useful
for:– choosing destinations– creating itineraries – making plans
Travel blogs present one person’s or groups point of view about travel. A few favorites:
– The New York Times Travel Page– The Wall Street Journal Travel Page
New York Times Travel
• Has searchable destination guides that include maps, reviews and reader comments for activities, restaurants and accommodations.
• Has links to The New York Times Travel Blogs:– In Transit A Guide to Intelligent Travel– Frugal Traveler
Costa Rica Travel Guide from the NYT
Choose a Featured Interest Guide from the NYT
NYT Travel Featured Interest Guide Biking
NYT Travel Featured Interest Guide Biking (Continued)
New York Times Travel Blogs
• In Transit – Guide to Intelligent Travel
• Frugal Traveler – Budget Travel
NYT In Transit Blog
NYT Frugal Traveler Blog
Wall Street Journal Travel
• Compilation of recent articles about travel that have appeared in the Wall Street Journal
• Includes a link to “The Middle Seat Terminal” – one of my favorite blogs- written by the travel editor of the Wall Street Journal.
WSJ Middle Seat Terminal Blog
Where do I want to go?• Travel Guides useful for choosing destinations
and planning itineraries.
Trip Advisor
• A travel site where you can gather information about destinations and accommodations and see other travelers’ reviews.
• Links to other sites to where you can make reservations.• Trip Advisor is being sold by Expedia.
Trip Advisor Links and Partners
Trip Advisor Seattle Guide
Trip AdvisorSeattle Guide Continued
Trip Advisor Seattle Hotels
Trip Advisor Hotel Traveler Reviews
Trip Advisor Seattle Restaurants Near Hotel
Trip Advisor Travel Forum
Fodors.com
• An online version of the familiar print guide.• Like Trip Advisor, has a “forum” section for user
comments, questions and answers, planning ideas and a Blog.
Frommers.com
• An online version of the familiar print guides.
• Easily printed guides and itineraries.
Frommer’s Website
Frommer’s Destination Guides
Frommer’s Seattle Guide
Frommer’s Seattle Itinerary
Frommer’s Forums
Rick Steves
• Good for European travel itineraries. • Travel tips, questions and message
boards. • A little heavy on selling books, backpacks,
and other products.
Lonely Planet
• If you like to go a little bit off the beaten track.
• ThornTreeTravel Forum.
Moonguides
• More off the beaten track advice.• Trip ideas and itineraries by activities like
surfing or backpacking. • Printable maps
Moon Guides Home Page
Moon Seattle Guide
How much will this trip cost?
• Metasearching- Websites that allow you to compare airfares, accommodation and rental cars options from multiple sites.
• Where can I stay and how will I get there?• Southwest Airlines is not included in these
searches.• American Airlines recently removed itself
from Orbitz searches.
Expedia Home Page
Expedia Hotel Search Results
Expedia Car Search Results
Travelocity Home Page
Travelocity Hotel Search
Travelocity Car Search Results
Travelocity Rail Search
Orbitz Home Page
Orbitz Hotel Search Results
Orbitz Car Search Results
Searching for Flights• Sites for comparing airfares and other
costs, like hotels. Will be directed to another site for booking.
More Tools for Flying
• SeatGuru.com - Find the best airplane seats.
Has airplane seating charts.• FlightStats - Track flight arrival, departure, and
airport delay information. Can track flight progress on a map.
• FlightArrivals.com - Similar information to FlightStats.
SeatGuru.com
FlightStats
FlightStats
FlightArrivals.com
FlightArrivals.com
Additional Booking Sites & Tools
• Priceline & Hotwire– Name your own price. – Bid on unknown hotels in rating categories and locations
you specify. – Can save money if you can live with a little uncertainty.
• Bidontravel.com– Learn about bidding strategies for Priceline and
Hotwire.“bidding tips to make an informed bid that has the greatest chance of being accepted.”
• Hotels.com– Easy to use hotel booking site, includes reviews.
• Room 77 – Personalized hotel room recommendations.
I’m Hungry, Where Can We Eat?
• Restaurant Review and Reservation Sites
Yelp: Skokie Restaurants
Urban Spoon Restaurant Reviews
Have I got a deal for you!Local deals at your destination
Must sign up at these sites to participate.
•Yipit.com - Daily deals in many cities. Searches other daily deal sites for discounts.
•Dealery - Aggregates deals from Groupon, LivingSocial, BuyWithMe, Tippr, KGB Deals & other sites in many locations .
•TravelZoo - Travel entertainment & local deals in many cities. Recommends deals they can confirm.
•The Dealmap - Local deals, coupons and discounts, on a map.
Dealmap: Events in Chicago
Special Interests• Cruise Critic
– Reviews from cruisers who have sailed on the ship you are considering.
• The National Park Service – Links to the National Parks to plan a visit.
• Google Maps – For planning walking routes, bicycling routes and public
transportation options.
• TripIt – for managing travel plans and creating itineraries.
Cruise Critic
Cruise Critic – Disney Magic Traveler Reviews
Cruise Critic: Disney Magic Traveler Review Detail
National Park Service
NPS Acadia National Park
Google Maps
Google Maps-Transit Option
Trip It Sample Itinerary Part 1
Trip It Sample Itinerary Part 2
Be a Tourist in Chicago!
Government Sites• Department of State
– Get passport and Visa Information.– Travel warnings and advice.– Useful links to :
• Students Abroad website• The TSA
• TSA – Find out what you can bring on a plane or if you are on a travel
watch list.
• Traveler’s Health – Find health information for your destination.
U.S. Dept. of State Travel Information
U.S. Department of State Students Abroad
TSA: Transportation Security Administration
CDC’s Travelers Health
Happy Travels!