The British Airways site looks predictably stylish but is
perhaps a little lacking
in identity. This is partly because the services are shared between a
global
site and a UK one. However, there are plenty of useful features on the
site,
including the opportunity to book your tickets online and details of
some
very tempting special offers. The flight information and online
timetable
is also bang up to date and it's easy to find the information you're
after
via the drop down menus.
British Midland was the first airline in the UK to auction
off seats over the Internet, bidding started at £19 excluding
taxes. The airline auctioned off thousands
of flights so next time around you could grab a real bargain. Keep an
eye
on the site to find out when they're holding the next online auction.
Destinations
include popular European cities such as Amsterdam, Paris, Dublin and
Prague.
You can also check out timetable and book regular flights from the site.
Buzz
Another low cost airline, this one sees the Internet as its
main way of doing business. It's unsurprising, then, that the site is
very impressive. Decked out in distinctive
purple and yellow livery, it's so easy to use that booking a flight is
more
of a joy than a chore. It also carefully explains the Buzz pick 'n' mix
approach
to flying - you start off with a basic price and then add extras such
as
use of the business lounge.
Having trounced the big boys in the value stakes, it looks
like the Easyjet website also has the best of them in terms of
usability and promotion. You might need
shades to cope with the garish colour scheme but you'll find all the
information
easily accessible and to the point. The online booking facility
shouldn't
cause you any problems and, to keep costs down and show they've truly
embraced
the digital age, you won't even need a ticket when you get to check-in
-
the reference number emailed to you is enough.
Having been squeezed by the success of Easyjet, Ryanair and
the rest, British Airways
launched its own low cost airline and this is the result. Many of the
cheapest
Go fares are only available to online customers so it's certainly worth
checking
back regularly. When we visited there were bargains galore - including
flights
to Barcelona and Milan for as little as £40.
The best way to use use the KLM site is to check back every
now and again for details of their special offers. You can access these
directly from the front
page of the site and you're almost sure to pick up a bargain. Having
found
one there's the opportunity to book online and, should you take regular
advantage,
you'll want to know about Flying Dutchman, their frequent flyers' club,
which
is also covered in some detail.
If
you're planning on flying to Oz for a holiday there's a fair chance
you'll
be flying with Qantas. Its site reflects the airline's fun yet
professional image, being very easy to get around and use. You can
search for bargain fares,
check flight timetables and explore the new terminal at Sydney Airport.
Kids
haven't been forgotten, either, with a fun little beach volleyball game
featuring
the company's mascot - which is, of course, the koala.
If
you travel by Ryanair you might not get a free packet of peanuts or a
tepid meal but you will get a cheap, cheap flight to a variety of
European destinations. The website points out the latest special offers
on the front page before guiding you through an excellent online
booking facility. With budget fares like this, which soon get snapped
up, it's certainly easier to check availability and book online than
spend hours on hold.
whereas other airline sites have a staid, straightforward
approach, Virgin at least tries to inject a little bit of fun into
proceedings. Each section of the site is represented by an animated
icon flying past your virtual aircraft window, including sections
relating to the in flight experience, the history of the airline and,
of course, an online booking facility. You can even find
out what films are going to be showing on your flight.
If
you'd been wondering what Bob Geldof has been up to since he sold his
TV
production company Planet 24 for a ridiculous amount of money, here's
the
answer. Deckchair.com is one of the first new project from Sir Bob and
it's
a discount flight website. The design of this site can only be
described
as minimal; you get a couple of boxes where you type in your departure
and
destination points and that's about it. However Deckchair does boast
access
to a big database of fares (over one million) and it pulls up plenty of
relevant search results.
You don't have to wait for tickets to be sent out to you
when you book online at EasyJet. All they do is send you an email with
a confirmation number and
itinerary details and that's all you need. EasyJet is renowned for its
bargain-priced
flights and it's sold over a million seats online so far. Buy your
single
fare online and you save a whopping £1 on the normal price, go
for
a return and you save £2. Still, it's better than nothing and the
fares
are already cheap.
Discounted flights, car hire, hotels and travel insurance
can all be sorted out from the Ebookers site. Anybody looking for a
cheap flight should take advantage of the Bid & Go service - you
say how much you're willing to pay for a
specific scheduled international flight ticket and if the fare drops to
that
level you're automatically notified. The same service is available on
city
break deals. The site will even send out SMS messages to a mobile phone
alerting
you of the arrival times of specific flights.
This site is home to over 70,000 late availability holidays,
city breaks and flight-only
deals. You can search by price, departure date, departure destination,
destination
or by length of stay. The holidays come from a wide selection of ABTA
approved
travel agents. Although you can pick the perfect vacation online, you
will
have to pick up the phone when it comes to making the final booking.
This
is a brightly coloured, easy to use site with heaps of background
information
on the popular resorts. You'll also find airport guides, ferry
timetables
and exchange rate information.
Many people use Teletext for finding a bargain holiday but
everybody gets frustrated with the endless waiting. The Teletext Web
site looks exactly like the TV
screen pages, but thankfully you control the navigation. The site
covers flight-only
deals, package holidays and UK breaks and as you'll know if you've used
Teletext
on your TV screen, prices are competitive. Additional services include
flight
arrival news, weather reports and the latest travel news.
This site looks a lot like the Expedia pages and like
Expedia you can book flights, reserve hotel rooms, hire a rental car
and sort out your travel insurance. If you're looking for a cheap
flight you can search for the best available fare. A good selection of
hotel chains are also represented on the site if
you need to book a room. What you won't find is package holiday deals
but
otherwise the Travelstore site is hugely comprehensive.
Microsoft's online travel service lets you book flights,
reserve hotel rooms, hire rental
cars and sort out your package holiday. The Handy Fare Compare feature
is
definitely worth using if you're a bit flexible on departure dates, it
pulls
up the cheapest fares on the most popular routes. The holidays
themselves
come from the UK's top 20 travel companies and the selection is huge,
with
specific sections devoted to skiing holidays and the business
traveller.
Background information on the resorts comes courtesy of the excellent
Rough
Guides.
It
may not be much to look at but this site from the Association of
British
Travel Agents could save you a fortune or help you find the holiday of
your
dreams. The bulk of the site is given over to a list of ABTA's members,
which
you can search by company name or, conveniently, by the type of
holidays
that it specialises in. So if you see an enticing offer, check here to
make sure that the company belongs to ABTA or, alternatively, to find a
particular type of holiday.
Rather than reproducing its entire brochure online, Airtours
has made the wise decision
of using its website as an extension of its brochures. So, you can find
out
about all the latest holiday and flight deals on offer - certainly
quicker
than scouring the newspapers or wading through 30 pages on Teletext.
You
can choose up to five brochures to be delivered to your home within 48
hours
and also play a rather surreal little Shockwave game.
Professing to house all you need to know about student and
youth travel, the Campus Travel
site certainly makes a brave stab at doing just that. The most useful
feature
is the chance to browse and book the heavily discounted fares available
to
those under 26 and in full-time education. There's also a useful
selection of links to those sites that put the adventure into travel,
from snorkelling the Great Barrier Reef to skydiving in the States.
Of
all the big travel agents, Lunn Poly has perhaps the most impressive
online presence. The site has a sunny disposition and contains
extensive details of all the latest holiday offers on cruises, packages
and short breaks. You
can't book online, but the site will help you find your nearest Lunn
Poly
travel shop so you can book in person.
If
you're aiming to 'not just book it, but Thomas Cook it', then take a
look
at this very well designed site from the holiday behemoth.
Unfortunately,
the site acts more as an elongated advert than a truly useful site.
There
are, however, the ubiquitous late holiday bargains and opportunities to
order
brochures online. If you know which holiday you want the email booking
and
call back services could save you a lot of time and effort.
As
one of the most famous travel agents in the country, Thomson has a
predictably professional looking site. Far from concentrating on cheap
and cheerful holidays
to the Costas, the emphasis is on the lavish and upmarket. From skiing
breaks
to cruises to all-inclusive packages, if you don't mind shelling out
you're
bound to find something that takes your fancy and selected holidays are
available
for booking online.
One of the world's biggest independent travel operators,
Trailfinders specialises in tailor-made holidays to exotic locations.
From the Amazonian rainforests to the Pacific Rim, it's sure to be able
to come up with a location and experience
to suit you. This site gives you the opportunity to order all manner of
brochures
and videos to help you decide, as well as providing details of how to
book
and how to prepare for your trip.
If
the thought of jetting away to fancy sounding exotic locations doesn't
appeal, then how about a coach tour with one of the biggest names in
the business? The mode of transport may be seen as a little old
fashioned but the website is anything but. Well designed and neatly
organised, it features illustrated details of all the holidays
available.
Backpacking around the world on a budget is becoming an
increasingly popular pastime for
people the world over. Whether you're planning an adventure to India to
'find
yourself' or a fun-packed time on the beaches of Australia, you'll find
this
site invaluable. Intelligently laid out and written in chatty style,
perhaps
the most useful feature is an exhaustive directory to the world's
hostels.
You'll also find some useful tips on the art of survival on the road.
If
you're travelling to a dangerous or unusual area then you'll find this
site
from the Foreign Office indispensable. If you're a woman travelling to
the
Middle-East for example you'll need to know which countries will allow
you
to show your legs. All of this information is included in handy list of
do's
and don'ts from the Consulate of each country. You'll also find urgent
advice on weather warnings, civil unrest, visa requirements and so on.
This site, produced by American author Diane Fairchild, aims
to minimise the likelihood
of you spending your holiday feeling groggy from your flight. Aside
from
combatting jetlag, the helpful hints also concern eating healthily and
avoiding
picking up nasty diseases from other passengers when packed into
economy
class. And if you have trouble with your circulation when airborne,
take
a look at the inflight exercises you can do.
The first few pages of this site extol the virtues of the
travel insurance company
that hosts it. Click through these though and you'll find yourself at
an
extremely useful travel planner. The global weather guide will ensure
you're
not visiting far-off climes in the middle of a typhoon, while the
travel
health section contains practical and intelligent advice on travelling
safely.
There's also a directory of useful names and numbers that could get you
out
of a tight spot.
It
may not be flashly presented or fantastically designed but this site
could save you time, money and hassle on your hols. It features 1,000
handy hints submitted by travellers around the world, ranging from the
indispensable to
the frankly ridiculous but they're all entertaining and snappily
written. The tips are arranged into various subsections, making it easy
to dip in and
out before dashing for your flight.
A
fantastically detailed and informative site, designed to ensure that
you
have a healthy holiday and have had all the necessary shots. Simply
click
on the area of the world to which you are travelling and you'll be
supplied
with all the requisite information for a healthy trip. Considerations
like
malaria, disease and drinking water are all covered in some detail. And
it's
this level of detail that makes the site so essential. It'll also tell
you
what to do if the worst should happen and you fall ill abroad.
An
extremely well designed and put together site that aims to take the
hassle
out of the travel experience. The latest travel news will keep you on
top
of everything from civil unrest to industrial action by customs staff,
and
there are a number of invaluable resources you simply won't find
elsewhere.
The new Intellitrip service will scour the Web and beyond to find you
the
best flight deals, while Flight-tracker allows you to keep tabs on all
the
aircraft in the world, so you won't be left hanging around in the
arrivals
lounge.
Produced by the US Center for Disease Control this is a
comprehensive discussion of
all the diseases to watch out for when travelling to far-flung corners
of
the world. If you're travelling to a sensitive area, you'll want as
much
information as possible on the dangers you may be facing. So the
up-to-date articles and interactive map of the most troublesome regions
may just save your life.
Attractions
in the Ancient English Kingdom of Wessex www.wessex.me.uk
An
extremely well designed and put together site that tells the story of
the
Ancient Kingdom and leads you through the wonderful attractions
of
South Western England. This is where Camelot & King Arthur emerged
from
as did Alfred the Great and all future Kings of England. Beautifully
described
and easy to read. A Must for travellers in the UK.
The Informed
Investor 
