Be Your Own Travel Agent

Using the Internet to Plan Your Next TripSkokie Public Library

June 17, 2010Terry 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 Websites

Many 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:

– Peter Greenberg’s Blog– The New York Times Travel Page– The Wall Street Journal Travel Page

Peter Greenberg

• Peter is the Travel Editor for CBS News, and appears on The Early Show and across many CBS broadcast platforms.

• Offers tips and the latest travel news.

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

Costa Rica Travel Guide from the NYT

Choose a Featured Interest Guide from the NYT

New York Times Travel Blogs

• In Transit – Guide to Intelligent Travel• Globetrotter

– City Guides and Posts

• Frugal Traveler – Budget Travel

• Blogroll– List of Blogs from other sources

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.

http://blogs.wsj.com/middleseat/?mod=lifestyle

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 owned by Expedia. Has links to other useful sites.

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.

http://www.fodors.com/world/north-america/usa/washington/seattle/

Frommers.com

• An online version of the familiar print guides.

• Easily printed guides and itineraries.

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

IgoUgo

• Very similar to Trip Advisor.• Destination Guides are attractive.• Owned by Travelocity.

http://www.igougo.com/travel_guide-l590-New_York_tourism.html

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.

The Big 3 Metasearching Sites

http://www.travelocity.com/

http://www.orbitz.com/

Newer Entries in the Travel Metasearching Business

• An international, youthful slant.• Colorful graphics and city

guides with reviews.• Not a booking site.

• Retrieves prices in real time directly from other sites.

• Claims it searches over 157 sites.

• Not a booking site.

Searching for Flights

• Sites for comparing airfares and other costs. 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

• 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.”

I’m Hungry, Where Can We Eat?

• Restaurant Review and Reservation Sites

http://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=restaurants&ns=1&find_loc=Seattle,+WA

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.

Trip It Sample Itinerary Part 1

Trip It Sample Itinerary Part 2

Be a Tourist in Chicago!

http://www.explorechicago.org/city/en/neighborhoods/bucktown.html

Government Sites

• Department of State– Get passport and Visa Information.– Travel warnings and advice.– Useful links to :

• Students Abroad website• The TSA • CDC’s Traveler’s Health

• 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.

Happy Travels!