Web Resources
Featured Resource
- Travel Guides
- Explore exciting destinations around the world through "Eyewitness Travel Guides" and "Rough Guides" to various states and countries, including: Africa, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Beijing, Berlin, Brussels, Budapest, Buenos Aires, Chile, China, Czech, Easter Island, England, Florence, Grand Canyon, Grand Teton, Greece, Hawaii, India, Ireland, Istanbul, Italy, Japan, Lisbon, London, Los Angeles, Milan, New York City, Paris, Pennsylvania Dutch Country, Philadelphia, Prague, Rome, San Francisco, South Africa, Southern California, Spain, Sweden, The Italian Riviera, Tuscany, Washington, D.C., Yellowstone. Available to members of Thrall.
Air Travel & Air Fare Comparisons
- Airfarewatchdog.com
- Real people compare the smaller airlines such as JetBlue and Southwest which are not always found on the larger sites. Also included are route maps, seat maps, and fare of the day.
- FareCompare
- Allows you to compare fares by origin and destination city, by month and day for the US and Candian Market. Does not include Southwest Airlines or Jet Blue Airways as they do not make all their fares public.
- Fly-rights: a Consumer Guide to Air Travel
- From the Aviation Consumer Protection and Enforcement, US Department of Transportation.
- Kayak.com
- "Search 100+ travel sites for cheap fares, compare results."
Hotels
- Bidding for Travel - Websites for Checking Hotel Rates
- Don't get distracted by the advertisements that are on each side of the message posts.
- Travelaxe
- Compare hotel rates. Searches many travel sites at once including among others Hotel.com, Lodging.com, Orbitz, and individual hotel websites. It does not search the same websites for every destination. It does not include Quikbook.
Other Travel Guides & Information
- About.com/Travel
- Links for destinations, recreation (like hunting, boating etc.), languages, & cultures.
- Consumer Information: Travel
- Directory of consumer resources.
- Cruise Critic
- Includes reviews of ships, cruise lines and ports of call. Help planning a cruise. Register for free to access the message boards of current cruisers and what they think of specific cruises.
- Foreign Entry Requirements
- Alphabetical listing of rules for entry for each nation.
- Frommers.com
- Budget vacations, travel advice, Lowestfare.com, cruise.com, lodgings, car rentals. Also, discussion boards on more than 100 topics + "Arthur's Tip of the Day".
- Lonely Planet World Guide
- First select the region of the world on a map. Then choose your country from a list. Information is not just facts, such as time zone, currency and languages, but also colorful descriptions and suggested times to travel to your destination.
- Passport Information for U.S. Citizens
- Steps and ID required to apply for a U.S. passport including addresses, fees, replacement and renewal instructions and useful travel brochures online.
- Plan Your Cruise
- Plan by destination or ship features or travel agent. From Cruise Line International Association.
- Rudy Maxa's Savvy Traveler News
- National Geographic's savvy traveler provides travel news including deals as well as an extensive collection of links including airlines, cruise lines, car rental companies and hotel chains. There is a fair amount of advertising, but it is all well marked.
- Schmap
- City guides include maps, attractions, photographs and reviews.
- Seat Guru
- An online reference for checkin, seat selection and other useful informtation for airline passengers.
- Travel Consolidators
- A directory of commercial travel services like Tavelocity, Expedia, Orbitz, and Hotwire. From Open Directory Project.
- Travel Safety Tips
- "Review these safety articles for information on traveling alone, staying in a hotel, and much more." From the US Travel Insurance Association.
- "Travelers' Health"
- Click a letter at the top of their screen for an alphabetical list of diseases and health related issues. Farther down the screen are travel related topics and notices.
- TripAdvisor
- Provides reviews from real travelers of hotels, restaurants, attractions, and vacation packages.
- TSA for Travelers
- Sections include: What To Know Before You Go, Special Considerations, Medical Conditions & Disabilities, and Need Help? From the Transportation Security Administration.
- U.S. News: Travel
- Vacation Rankings, Hotel Rankings, and Travel Guides. Also includes Check Flight, Vacation Tips & Ideas. From U.S. News & World Report.
- U.S. State Department Travel Warnings
- Advisories and restrictions for travel on U.S. passports to places with political or medical dangers.
- Weather for Your Trip
- "Enter your itinerary to get forecasts for your flight days and your destination." From The Weather Channel. See also their Flight Status page (http://www.weather.com/activities/travel/businesstraveler/welcome.html) "to see if flights are delayed at major airports."
- VisitEurope.Com
- Presented by the European Travel Commission and the government tourist offices of 33 nations. Scenes, current events and issues, currency convertor, what's happening there.
