The first time I traveled off the North American Continent was 1968. We spent six months in Europe and saw 36 countries, including Eastern Europe and Russia. Especially because of the Soviet countries, careful planning was required. Planning was all-consuming for almost a year. Hours were spent in libraries, travel agencies, and poring over the many travel tomes and atlases that were purchased for this trip. Information about flights, automobile purchase, camps, routes, and points of interest could not be found in one place. If I were planning this itinerary today, I could accumulate the sum of all of that effort in a few hours.
The internet provides information on all modes of transportation - and it allows for rapid price-comparisons. Auto rental, in the U.S. or internationally is easily handled. Hotels can not only be reserved, many sites provide photographs that allow you to pay a virtual visit to the hotel before rooms are reserved.
Abundant information is available to provide the would-be tourist with destinations that will suit every taste and interest. That information can be gleaned from city and country information pages, from travel sites, and from the many pages of tourists who wish to share their experiences.
The following companies handle flights, lodging, and transportation reservations, all in one place:
Expedia - Owned by Microsoft and one of the first travel sites on the Web.
Orbitz - Another giant.
Best Fares - A membership only site with good bargains if you have flexibility in your schedule.
Priceline - Great deals are possible if the passenger can be completely flexible with carrier, schedule, and stops.
Most of the major airlines have web sites online. Many of these companies now have electronic ticketing, and some allow you to print your boarding pass from your own computer.
Airlines of the Web - Formerly, this site was a good link to all the major airlines, but it has added links for auto reservations and hotels.
American Airlines - My personal favorite, especially because of the increased seating space.
Singapore Airlines - My favorite International carrier.
Lufthansa - German Airlines
SAS - Scandinavian Airlines
KLM - Dutch Airlines
Automobile rentals may also be made online, both in the United States and abroad. All of the major rental agencies have their own sites, but the following links make it easier to compare prices, car models, etc. on one site:
BreezeNet's Rental Cars & Reservations - Allows for prices to be compared at each airport for the date of your arrival.
Index of the Web Auto Rental Agencies - Provides links to most of the major auto rental sites and agencies.
Auto Europe - Online reservations for Europe and the UK
Railroad travel is romantic, but more time-consuming than many of us can afford. That is the major reason that the only real passenger train in the United States is
There are endless numbers of Cruise booking agents on the web. My mother and I took a wonderful trip to the Mediterranean on Renaissance Cruise Line that we booked on the web, but, unfortunately, Renaissance Cruises was a financial casualty of September 11. Just a few of the online Cruise brokers may be found below:
Cruise Lines International Association - Known as the official site of the cruise industry, it is rich in information about cruises and cruise lines.
Cruise.Com - Sales for several Cruise lines
Best Price Cruises - Sales for several Cruise lines
CruiseWeb.Com - Offers to beat any other agents prices at the time of booking.
Vacations to Go - Offers last minute deals that are up to 75% off regular passage
Hotels may also be reserved online. There are several, excellent sites for that purpose:
HotelDiscount!.Com - Reservations may be made and guaranteed online for your arrival date.
HotelDiscounts.Net - Extensive listings all over the world. Pages can be set to display only available sites.
HotelBook.Com - Generally more upscale properties
I have limited experience with package deals, because I usually like to do it by myself, but I have provided a general link and the one tour company I have used:
WorldsBestTravelAgents.com - Travel consolidators with agencies all over the world
Orbit Tours - Egyptian travel agent
that offers incredible and flexible tours of Egypt at unbelievable prices. This
agency was called Joker Travel when we booked with them, but Jimmy is
still the agent. We had a wonderful tour guide with this agency, Mohammed.
Once travel plans are in place, the following sites may make travel easier.
Fodors - A wonderful travel book company that has brought its bounty to the Internet.
Via Michelin - A travel site by the makers of Michelin Guide, with maps, routes, and guides to European travel.
Travel Message Club - A good place to check for up to the minute advice from other travelers.
The Universal Currency Converter - Converts most types of currencies into any other currency instantly.
The Weather Underground - International Weather
The Weather Channel - U.S. Weather
When all your travel plans are made and you have made a deposit, I strongly recommend that you purchase travel insurance. I also suggest that you read the exclusions carefully, however, as I lost the full cost of a cruise last year - even with trip cancellation insurance. Here is a link for trip cancellation insurance:
Insure My Trip.Com - This site compares the major carriers and provides definitions and discusses the relative merits of a wide range of plans.