Where to go
updated August 10, 2004
by Brian Coutts with Brandon Peters
Where to go• Concierge. If you're trying to decide where to go, this is an excellent place to begin. Sponsored by Conde Nast Traveler, a popular travel magazine, you can search by place, view poll results from the magazine on the best destinations and hotels, or find a romantic getaway. For the winter season the site is featuring the "Top 50 Ski Resorts in North America." For the well heeled you can search the the 2002 Gold List for the most elite hotels, resorts, and cruise lines in the world. For the rest of us, check out the 2001 Readers' Choice Awards for cities, islands, hotels, resorts, small hotels, cruise lines, and services. Access: http://www.concierge.com.
• The Travel Channel. In addition to serving as an online guide to the cable channel of the same name, this is a perfect site for an undecided traveler. Click on "explore by destination" to plan a trip. Click on "explore by idea" for guides to beaches and islands, casinos and resorts, culture and attractions, and theme parks. You can even watch "live cams' in Las Vegas, Times Square, and South Beach. Access: http://travel.discovery.com/.
• Fodors. Launched in 1996 by the world's largest English-language travel publisher, you can use this interactive site to create your own mini-guide to more than 200 destinations worldwide, complete with recommendations on hotels and restaurants not to mention important sites to visit. Click here for Fodor's "10 Outstanding and Underrated Getaways"! Access: http://www.fodors.com.
• Frommers. Click a region under "destinations" or type in the name of a country, region, state, or city to find information for your next holiday. Then you can check out hotels, restaurants, shopping, and nightlife for many popular locations. An added bonus at this site is a daily newsletter and hot tips from Arthur Frommer himself. Check the "Deals" for information about discounted packages, airfares, cruises, lodgings, and car rentals. Access: http://www.frommers.com.
• The Insider's Guide. Recently acquired by Globe Pequot Press, this series began more than 20 years ago with one local guide to North Carolina's Outer Banks. The series now covers more than 60 mid-sized U.S. cities and regional destinations. Some of their best guides include Savannah, Charleston, and Louisville. Each is written by locals. They try to give you the inside scoop on the area, attractions, neighborhoods, retirement possibilities, etc. The "online" version provides chapter highlights only on hotels, motels, restaurants, etc. Not all print guides have online equivalents. Access: http://www.insiders.com/.
• Lonely Planet. This Australian travel guide publisher was founded in the early 1970s by Tony and Maureen Wheeler after an overland journey from London through Asia to Australia. Their first guide Across Asia on the Cheap became a bestseller. This site provides virtual travel guides, complete with gorgeous pictures, for many tourist destinations. Click "worldguide" on the left to find an interactive world "destinations" map. You can search by country or region to find information about attractions, off the beaten track, history, environment, and getting around. You can even sign up for one of their several newsletters. They donate a portion of their profits to organizations benefiting the people they cover. Access: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/.
• Adventurous Traveler Bookstore. Stocking more than 10,000 books, magazines, and gadgets, this online store boasts one of the largest collections for outdoor adventure anywhere. Use the drop down menu on the left to search for books or maps, which are shipped from Burlington, Vermont. You can also check out their bargain basement sales. Access: http://www.adventuroustraveler.com/.
• Maps.com. Founded in 1991, this site offers a combination of content and commerce which attracts a reported more than 2 million users per month. This is a one stop site for maps of all sorts, from wall to digital. You can also use the site for driving directions or to find an address. Access: http://www.maps.com.
• Tourism Offices Worldwide Directory. True to its title, this site lists 1,288 official government tourist offices, convention and visitors bureaus, chambers of commerce, and similar agencies worldwide. Use the drop down boxes at the top to search by country or state. Access: http://www.towd.com/.
• AOW: Airlines of the Web. Developed by Marc-David Seidel, a University of Texas business professor specializing in Internet marketing. AOW allows consumers to shop on more than 500 airlines worldwide. Click on "cyberfares" to get the latest "hot deals" or check out "air tips" to get the most of your travel. Access: http://flyaow.com/.
• Microsoft Expedia. One of the oldest, most valuable travel sites on the Web. New features include online maps and vacation packages. Try "Build Your Own Trip" to find the best flights. You can also check their "Traveler Tools" at the bottom left for special information. Access: http://expedia.com/.
• Orbitz. This is the newest of the "big three" travel Web sites founded less than a year ago by five airlines: American, Continental, Delta, Northwest, and United. Orbitz inventory includes: 455 airlines, 45,000 lodging properties, 23 rental car companies, 30 vacation package providers, and 18 cruise lines. You can use Orbot Quick Flight to book a trip, check out flight deals, even locate a weekend Webfare. They even warn you about possible travel delays. Access: http://www.orbitz.com.
• Travelocity. Travelocity, now owned by Sabre Holding Company, has been providing access to 10,000 hotels, 50 car rental agencies, and 6,500 tour and cruise packages for seven years. A unique feature is their "low fare alert," which allows you to monitor changes in prices for selected destinations. Access: http://www.travelocity.com/.
• Amtrak. This site allows you to make reservations and purchase tickets online. It lists more than 500 destinations in 46 states throughout a 22,000-mile route system. Check "advertised specials," "savings and promotions," or "rail sale" for bargain travel opportunities. This is a great place to browse if seeing the United States by rail is your go. A free password is needed to complete reservations. Access: http://www.amtrak.com/.
• Rail Europe. Provides information on the 18-country Eurailpass, 5-country Europass and Brit Rail passes, as well as single country passes for France, Switzerland, and Italy. Rail Europe also features 60 European railroads and 25 train-operating companies of Britain. From here you can book all types of European rail passes and tickets online. For point-to-point tickets, check out "fares and schedules." Access: http://www.raileurope.com/us/.
• Rocky Mountaineer. Billing itself as "The Most Spectacular Train Trip in the World," this private railroad offers spectacular trips from Vancouver through the Rockies to Alberta and back. The number of departures has grown from 40 to 148 in just 12 years. Access: http://www.rockymountaineer.com/.
• VIA Rail Canada. With a motto of "Discover Canada with VIA," this is the Web site for Canada's national rail service, which operates 480 trains weekly serving 450 Canadian localities. Click here to check of the affordable "CANRAILPASS". Access: http://www.viarail.ca/en.index.html.
• Greyhound Lines Inc. This easy to navigate site makes it a breeze to book yournext bust trip. If you already know your destination, click on "purchase tickets" for fares and schedules. Click "Discovery Pass" for discount continental travel. Access: http://www.greyhound.com/.
• MapQuest. Originally founded by R. R. Donnelly & Sons in 1966 as a cartographic services division, this is one of the busiest sites on the Web. From here you can plot driving directions, locate addresses, and develop personalized maps. Access: http://www.mapquest.com.
• Take a Free Trip on AutoPilot. Produces personalized and comprehensive itineraries that include the location of hotels, restaurants, and rest areas. This is sent to you by e-mail. Access: http://www.freetrip.com/.
• MAPBLAST. After a free registration, this popular site provides users with interactive maps and driving instructions, as well as information on services and products near a user's address or travel route. Be sure to try out their brand new "Get Driving Directions," which gets you to your destination turn by turn. Access: http://www.mapblast.com.
• Moto Europa. The Moto Europa site derives from Eric Bredesen's guidebook of the same name, now out of print. It provides a one-stop guide to car travel in Europe with information on highways, fuel costs, and road signs. Under logistics, check "documents and $$" for driving particulars for each country. They also promote short-term leases with Renault. Access: http://www.ideamerge.com/motoeuropa/.
• Rental Cars. Breeze.Net's guide to more than 90 major auto rental companies and franchises at more than 170 airports. Look under company deals on the left if you're hunting for a bargain or try out their rate compare guide for the best prices. Access: http://www.bnm.com/.
• Roadside America. From the world's largest sycamore tree to a tour of the Crayola factory, you can find it here. Use the "electric map" to find strange and unusual attractions along the road for your next trip. Access: http://www.roadsideamerica.com/.
• all-hotels. While the title of this site overstates its comprehensiveness, it does provide links to more than 100,000 hotels in 9,600 locations. Beautifully designed, this is one of the oldest online guides to hotels. Type in your location at the top and click go. Accommodations are organized by price range from discount to luxury. Features more than 100,000 luxury, chain, and discount hotels worldwide. Access: http://www.all-hotels.com/home.htm.
• Asia Travel. Featured on the Singapore Stock Exchange, this is one of Asia's largest Internet-based hotel reservations and travel service providers. More than 5,000 hotels and resorts can be previewed and booked from this site. Discounts of up to 75 percent are offered for online reservations. They are now booking hotels in the Middle East and many other parts of the world. Access: http://asiatravel.com/.
• HotelsTravel.com. Provides more than 75,000 links to lodgings and travel resources worldwide. Click on "hotels" at the top. From here you can click on "hotel chains" for one of the most complete lists anywhere. Access: http://www.hotelstravel.com/.
• Lodging.com. Founded in 1995 by two high school friends who were avid skiers in Boca Raton, Florida. Since then the company has expanded to offer online information for 5,000 U.S. cities. With more than 10,000 bookings per month, the company continues to expand. Features 8,000 hotels and 40,000 discounted properties. Access: http://www.lodging.com/
• Places to Stay.com. A division of WorldRes.com founded in 1995, this Internet company lists more than 35,000 bed and breakfasts, ski resorts, inns and hotels, including many independents. Access: http://www.placestostay.com/.
• Roomsaver. If you've ever picked up those green traveler discount guide hotel coupons at state welcome stations, then you're familiar with Roomsaver. Now you can print your very own online coupon book for your next trip selecting from some 6,000 discounted hotel rooms. Roomsaver is now the largest hotel discount coupon site on the Web! Access: http://www.roomsaver.com/roomsaver.
• Internet Guide to Bed and Breakfast Inns. Tired of staying in hotels? This site offers unique, comfortable, and often less expensive lodgings and dining opportunities. Online since 1995, this site links you to more than 5,000 B & B's in North America and around the world. Phone numbers, addresses, rates, and availability are kept relatively current. Access: http://www.traveldata.com/inns/.
• Educators Bed & Breakfast Travel Network. This membership site covers 52 countries where 5,000 educators share their homes with other educators interested in less expensive room and board. Members agree to provide double accommodations for $34 or $30 for a single. A current online directory lists available homes. The newest feature is "home stays," where members may house it for $40 a night. There is a $36 annual membership and a $10 one-time registration fee. Access: http://www.edubabnet.com/.
• Home Exchange.com. Now in its eighth year, worldwide hospitality listings offered at this site provide current opportunities to exchange residences at little or no cost to either participant. You can list your residence online and search for listings in areas you would like to visit. Access: http://www.homeexchange.com/.
• Citysearch.com. This site reviews 200,000 local businesses. To locate a restaurant, click on city and then on restaurant. Check out their recommendations some of which come complete with menus and maps. Others are grouped by cuisine. This site can also be used to locate arts and entertainment. International coverage includes: Australia, Canada, Japan, Korea and Scandinavia. Access: http://www.citysearch.com/.
• Zagat Restaurant. Zagat reviews 20,000 restaurants in major U.S. cities/resorts, as well as London, Paris, Tokyo, Toronto, and Vancouver. Ratings and reviews are based on 100,000 frequent restaurant-goers. Categories rated include: cuisine, decor, value, and location. Access: http://www.zagat.com/.
• Internet Broadway Database (IBDB). This archive is the official database for broadway theater information. IBDB provides records of productions from the beginnings of New York theater to today. Access: http://www.ibdb.com.
• Away.com. With more than 5,000 trips offered by 200 adventure travel companies, this is a terrific site for the adventurous traveler. Look under "Find in on Away" for the top ten "Places," "Activities," and "Adventures." They even provide color calendar screensavers. Access: http://away.com.
• GORP Great Outdoors Recreation Pages. Founded by Diane and Bill Geer in 1995, with more than 100,000 pages, GORP is the largest Web site devoted to outdoor recreation and adventure travel. Click on your favorite activity to locate interesting trips from biking to wildlife viewing. Access: http://www.gorp.com/.
• Cruise.com. Owned by Omega World Travel (founded in 1972), this is one of the largest ravel agencies in the United States. Cruise.com, established in 1998, tells you just about every thing you want to know about cruising, from "ship reviews" to "ship stats." Cruise.com now claims to be the Internet's largest cruise seller. Access: http://www.cruise.com.
Most domestic and many international airlines provide special weekend cyberfares. For most of them you must leave on a Friday or a Saturday and return on a Monday or a Tuesday. These special offers can be e-mailed to you weekly. They usually arrive on Tuesday or Wednesday.
• Air Canada Websavers. Click on the "Websaver" box under "E-Mail Offers" to subscribe for an online update of weekend specials. Once subscribed, US Airways will send you a weekly e-mail with discount E-Saver offers. Access: http://www.aircanada.ca/home.html.
• American Net SAAvers. Click on Net SAAvers and special offers. Access: http://www.aa.com.
Continental Airline. Under "Specials" click on "Vacation Packages"for their weekend specials. Access: http://www.continental.com/vs.
• Delta Web Fares and Delta Fan Fares. From links on the left, click on "special offers." Access: http://www.delta.com.
• Northwest Airlines. Look under "Promotions and Products" for their weekly discount savings. Access: http://www.nwa.com.
• Southwest Internet Specials. Unlike the other weekend specials, Southwest's are good anytime and offer huge discounts, which must be booked quickly since they go fast! Click on "special offers" for their click "click n save specials." Access: http://www.iflyswa.com.
• United Airlines. Under "Planning Travel" click on "special deals" for domestic and international sales. Access: http://www.ual.com.
• US Airways. Click on "promotions" for this week's "E-Savers." Access: http://www.usairways.com/.
Cathay Pacific. Click on "CyberTravelerProgram" for e-mail offers, auctions, and the "All Asia Pass." Access: http://www.cathay.ca.
• Best Fares Online. This is the online version of Tom Parson's Best Fares Magazine. While the inside scoop goes to paid members, you can try out the "quick fare finder." Access: http://www.bestfares.com/home.asp.
• Priceline.Com. A new innovation in air travel. You name the price you're willing to pay for tickets and Priceline finds a major airline willing to release seats on flights where they have unsold space. Caution! Once your bid is accepted you are committed. You can also bid for hotel rooms and rental cars. Access: http://www.priceline.com.
• Sky Auction.comThis exciting company lets you bid on airline tickets, hotel stays, packages, and resort vacations worldwide. Click on "auctions closing soon" to watch closing bids. You can even check out deals by location. Be sure to add in their tax and service charge of $195. Access: http://www.skyauction.com/.
• Traveling Australia On the Internet. A detailed guide to Australian tourist attractions and travel facilities. You can search by state, region, or city/town. Access: http://www.australia.com.
• The Islands of the Bahamas. The official site for the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism provides a wealth of information about the 700 islands that make up the country. Access: http://www.geographia.com/bahamas/.
• Disney.com Vacations. Here you can check out theme parks, recreation and night life, visit resorts, and make reservations at Disney World, Disneyland Paris, or Tokyo Disney or book a cruise on Disney Cruise Line. Access: http://disney.go.com/.
• Drive-in Theater. For nostalgia buffs, here is a list of operating drive in theaters arranged by state and location. Access: http://www.driveintheater.com.
• go Greece. The most complete source of travel information to Greece with hundreds of links. Access: http://www.gogreece.com/travel_leisure/.
• Hawaii: The Island of Aloha. This is the official site of the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau. You can learn about the islands, check out the activities, and find out about accommodations. Access: http://www.gohawaii.com.
• Orlando.com. Specializes in information about Orlando and vacations to local attractions. Access: http://www.orlando.com/.
• tu SPAIN. This is a vast information source about travel to Spain, which covers adventure, travel, language, schools, hotels, ski resorts, etc. Access: http://tuspain.com/travel/travel.htm.
• Universal Studios Vacations. This is Disney's principal competitor in Orlando. Click on "tickets and vacations " for complete vacation packages from VIP tours to annual passes. Access: http://www.universalorlando.com.
• UK Travel Guide. This is the best overall guide to the United Kingdom with information on everything you want to know about travel in the United Kingdom ... hotels, airports, money, timetables, royal family, tax refunds, weather, and a lot more. You can zoom in on special places on UK and London interactive maps. Access: http://www15.pair.com/cir/.
• FX Converter - 164 Currency Converter. This foreign exchange currency converter is a multilingual currency converter with up-to-date exchange rates provided by leading market data contributors. Access: http://www.oanda.com/convert/classic.
• TRAVLANG. This site provides information on 70 different foreign languages, including guides to basic words, pronunciation, etc. Access: http://www3.travlang.com.
Festivals
• Festival Finder. Here you can find information on more than 2,500 festivals in North America. Click on your favorite genre or locate festivals by date, location, performer, or festival name. Access: http://www.festivalfinder.com/.
• This Week's Top 20. This online newsletter lists the top 20 travel bargains of the week. Access: http://www.travelzoo.com/top20.
• Welcome to Igougo. This terrific site allows you to read travel journals written by other tourists or write one yourself. Be sure to check out their 80,000 photos. Access: http://www.igougo.com.
• INTERHOSTEL. Now celebrating its 23rd anniversary, Interhostel sponsors learning vacations for adults over the age of 50. A newer program, FamilyHostel, is designed for families with school-aged children. Access: http://www.learn.unh.edu/INTERHOSTEL/.
• AESU Online. Since 1977, AESU has offered special European travel packages for college students ages 18-35. Access: http://www.aesu.com/.
• Time Zones. This is a great place to check world time zones and calendars. Access: http://www.timeanddate.com.
• Travel Warnings & Consular Information Sheets. Travel warnings are issued by the U.S. State Department to recommend that Americans avoid travel to a certain country. Consular Information Sheets locate U.S. embassies or consulates and describe conditions in each country. Access: http://travel.state.gov/travel/warnings.html.
• Consular Services. The Consular Services of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Travel provides assistance to Canadian travelers abroad. Click on their map of the world for weekly bulletins and advisories. Access: http://www.voyage.gc.ca/consular_home-en.asp.
• Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO). FCO provides "travel advice" for information about possible threats to your safety in more than 200 countries. The Consular Division produces materials designed to advise British citizens traveling abroad. Access: http://www.fco.gov.uk/travel.
Brian Coutts is head of the department of library public services at Western Kentucky University. If there is a site that you'd like to see added to this Internet Resources listing, e-mail the author at:brian.coutts@wku.edu
Broken links? Let us know. E-mail sorphan@ala.org.