 The Travel Detective, by Peter Greenberg
The good news, according to travel writer Peter Greenberg, is that Americans are traveling more than ever before. The bad news is that we hate the process. Never fear, though, the original savvy traveler has written the guide to end all guides on how to get to your destination and have a good time, too, by beating the airlines, hotels, cruise lines, and rental car agencies at their own games, playing by their own rules.
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You can book your travel yourself or you can use a
tour agent to book it for you. Once you've decided where and how you
want to go, you should book transportation, lodgings, etc., as soon
as possible to ensure you can obtain reservations, particularly if
you want to travel around major holidays or during peak travel seasons
such as the summer school holiday time. The most-traveled holiday in
the United States is Thanksgiving -- it often can be impossible to
book transportation several months in advance of this particular
holiday. The Christmas season is a close second as a peak travel
time. If you travel at peak travel times, you'll also likely
pay premium rates for transportation, accommodations and other
services. For instance, if you want a tropical island holiday off the
East Coast of the United States, it's best to go to the Caribbean
during the Northern Hemisphere's summer months and to Bermuda during
the winter months, because the peak Caribbean travel season is during
the winter and the peak Bermuda travel season is during the summer.
Other than during hurricane season, the weather in these destinations
varies little from summer to winter and you can save quite a bit of
money by traveling off-season. If you can be flexible about when you
travel, be sure to check into the peak travel times for a destination.
High school and college students can obtain special
discount travel fares and packages by joining the
International Student Travel Confederation.
Below are sites devoted to booking travel:
Travel Agents,
All-in-One Do-Your-Own Online Travel Booking Sites,
Air Tickets, Accommodations,
Auto Reservations and
Theme & Special-Interest Travel, Programs & Tours.
All-in-One Do-Your-Own Online Travel Booking Sites
The following sites allow you to book air tickets,
hotels and often rental cars in one spot, unless otherwise noted:
Air Tickets
A good web site offering overall comprehensive
information on airline reservation systems, booking air tickets, etc., is Online Airline Information Page. Aside
from the above all-in-one travel booking sites, below are sites that offer special air
booking arrangements and advice:
Auto Reservations
Accommodations
Aside from the all-in-one travel reservation sites
above, below are specialized accommodation links:
- 1st Traveler's Choice -- Directory of bed-and-breakfasts, inns and small hotels in the United States, Canada and France.
- Accommodation Search Engine -- Over 30,000 hotels, B&Bs and resorts worldwide. Search by country, price range, facilities or activities.
- All Hotels on the Web -- Search for regular hotels, discount hotels, bed-and-breakfasts; reserve online.
- Bed and Breakfast Guide -- Over 27,000 listings for inns around the globe and links to over 7,000 B&B Home Pages.
- Bed-and-Breakfast International
- Bed and Breakfasts from About.com -- Comprehensive information, news and links.
- The Cottage Trail -- Cottages in Europe and the United States.
- Fodor's Database of Reviews of Hotels Around the World, by City.
- Global Accommodation Search Engine
- Global Travel Apartments
- Hosteling International -- International Youth Hostels Foundation. Bookings, etc.
- Hostels Of Europe
- Hostels.com -- Directory of hostels worldwide, plus how-to information, news and links.
- Hotel Discounts (HD) -- Online booking service, with discounts of up to 65% off regular hotel rates.
- HotelNet -- Hotels in Europe.
- HotelCity
- Inovatec On-line Bed & Breakfast Directory -- Directory and online booking of bed-and-breakfasts in Canada and the United States.
- The International Home Exchange Network
- Kid-Friendly B&Bs in the United States
- Lodging.com/ -- More than 35,000 accommodations in 2500 U.S. cities.
- TravelASSIST's Directory Of Bed & Breakfasts, Inns and Small Hotels Around the World
- World Hotel Guide
Travel & Tourism Agents
Theme & Special-Interest Travel, Programs & Tours
- CampNet America -- Campgrounds, associations, RV and outdoor suppliers, cabins, camping and travel information.
- Find a Tour -- Search engine.
- Children's Travel Sites
- Earthwatch -- Work with teams of scientists on various in-the-field research projects around the world.
- Food - Wine - Travel
- Global Citizens Network -- Global Citizens Network sends small teams of cross-cultural volunteers on expeditions to rural communities around the world to immerse themselves in the daily life of the local culture for several weeks.
- Great Outdoors Recreation Pages (GORP) -- Adventure tour operators.
- GreenTravel.com -- A comprehensive resource for travelers seeking ecologically sensitive experiences.
- Grown Up Camps -- Directory of camps for adults, including academics, arts, family camps, fitness/wellness, special interests, special needs, sports, traditional and wilderness/adventure. There's also a link to kids' camps.
- International Student Travel Confederation (ISTC) -- Nonprofit confederation of student travel organizations around the world whose focus is to develop, promote and facilitate travel among young people and students. ISTC Members provide student flights, other forms of transportation, student and youth cards, travel insurance, work exchange programs, etc.
- The Jason Project -- The Jason Foundation sends teacher and student explorers on global expeditions, then reports their adventures over the Web.
- Learning Vacations -- Information on all types of learning vacations, including golf schools, sailing schools, safaris, eco-travel, cultural tours and more.
- Lesser Known Areas of the US National Park System -- Listing by state of more than 170 national parks, their accommodations, locations, and historical significance
- Literary Tours
- Round-the-World Travel Guide -- Guide to planning a trip around the world.
- ShawGuides -- Directory of learning vacations.
- StudyAbroad.com
- Treks & Expeditions Adventure Finder
- WilderNet -- Descriptions of over 2,000 recreation facilities in the United States, including national parks, monuments, forests, historic sites and wildlife refuges.
- Youth Travel at Suite101.com -- Ways young people can go abroad.