Planning your vacation online
There is no shortage of travel resources on the Internet. There are two huge sites dedicated to car and flight reservations in [http://www.expedia.net] and http://www.travelocity.net. For the purposes of exploring the cheapest way to fly from point A to point B, these two options are best. They will show all available flights, without bias towards advertisers or major airlines. They will also take a regional approach and give you the cheapest flight to your destination from all locations in metropolitan areas that have multiple airports. You can retrieve flight information to Boston, for example, from San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, all airports within a fifty-mile radius of each other and easily accessible by public transportation.
You can also book car reservations through these sites, if you want to. From time to time, car rental agencies offer bargain rates for rentals online. Both Travelocity and Expedia have hotel packages that match your flight destination, but those are basically promotional offers and have little to do with enhancing your travel experience.
If you’re interested in online reviews of hotels and attractions in various locations, http://www.tripadvisor.com is a good resource. The site has its share of advertising for hotels and other services, but it also has a rating system based on consumer feedback. For San Francisco, the site has a list of the 234 most popular hotels in the city, based on published reviews and opinions submitted by people who have used its site. There is also information on tourist attractions and public transport for holiday destinations,
You can search the site by destination and retrieve a list of hotels ranked by popularity, price, and availability. They also provide a list of attractions and dining options, also ranked by popularity and including pricing information. There is a section for maps and a forum area that will contain comments on the chosen destination.
Ads from other websites offering travel deals and packages stand out on the page. There are clickable sections for discount hotel and travel package listings that are not advertisers on the site. It is a comprehensive and highly informative resource on destinations and attractions, as well as how to get there and where to stay.
You’ll find an interesting approach at http://www.vacationidea.com. Choose from a menu of concepts: beach vacations, weekends, spas, romantic getaways, family destinations, golf vacations, low cost options, etc. The site will give you options in the category of your choice that are both near and far, with a range of prices. At http://www.vacationplanning.net, you can click on any of the fifty states on a map of the US Your choice will provide you with a list of popular travel destinations for the state. Click on a destination within the state and you’ll get details about the location, popular attractions there, and links to more local information, like the local chamber of commerce or tourist office.
If you do an online search for a destination you’ve chosen, you’ll get many sites from local promotional organizations and even government sites, such as the Costa Rica Visitors Bureau. There are also regional US sites to assist in planning vacation trips to some of the country’s most scenic or historic areas. After all, there’s no rule that you should limit your vacation to just one state.
One of the best is http://www.abbington.com/, which is dedicated to planning a New England vacation. It’s a very well done site, addressing vacation opportunities for the various seasons in the region. There’s a section dedicated to winter sports, fall foliage, and an excellent kids’ attractions page on their New England for Kids page: http://www.abbington.com/kids.html.
These are some quality picks; The Internet is a rich resource for vacation planning. However, if you do opt for a travel package, be sure to check with the BBB and travel industry sources about the reliability of the company you’ve chosen.