June 2006
| |||||||||
|
National News Click here to fly there
Travel agencies seem almost quaint now that Web users are planning almost all their travel online, says Time. Last year four out of five Americans who arranged trips on the Web also bought their tickets online, up from 70 percent in 2004. Now a new generation of travel sites is making trip planning cheaper, more efficient and more fun, says the magazine. Two-thirds of online travel planners cling to the big three—Expedia, Travelocity and Priceline—but the sharpest new way to search for bargain flights is on kayak.com. The site offers fares on some 300 airlines in any given week and saves time by letting users adjust their search parameters, using a sliding dial, without having to start from scratch. It's also handy for obtaining hotel and car rental deals, says the magazine. Yahoo's Trip Planner, travel.yahoo.com/trip, provides a sleek Web folder for online research about museums, restaurants, lodging and sights at a traveler's destination. Triphub.com can be used to plan a reunion or a weekend away with friends, and Bnm.com can help track down the cheapest car rentals available.
Record numbers of air travelers are predicted for July and demand is high throughout the summer, says The Washington Post. That coupled with exorbitant fuel costs means premium prices at least through Labor Day—and possibly more price hikes. Those who are flexible may find cheaper fares by flying on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Saturday. And there may be a sale here or there, but there's no way to predict where. Prices to Europe are high all summer, but travelers might save a couple of hundred dollars by going after July 18, advises Tom Parsons of Bestfares.com.
Podcast guides now go where other travel guides don't, says The New York Times. Podcasts are audio recordings posted online than can be downloaded to iPods and other MP3 players for free. Since Apple made podcasts available through iTunes last summer, approximately 35,000 have become available for download. Among the travel-themed are offerings by Fodors.com, RickSteves.com and BudgetTravelOnline.com. At this point, podcasts seem to be more of a supplement and not a threat to the guidebook industry, says the Times. Girlfriends, moms-and-daughters, and sisters are all zooming off on trips together, just for the fun of it, says Budget Travel magazine. To capitalize on the trend, the magazine produced a special bonus issue called "Girlfriend Getaways," offering ideas, destinations and savvy advice for girls who yearn for a getaway. The magazine also conducted what it called a "totally unscientific" online poll to find America's ideal female celebrity for a girlfriend getaway trip. The overwhelming winner was Oprah Winfrey, with 20% of the vote. Runners up included Jennifer Aniston (9.7%), Susan Sarandon of "Thelma and Louise" fame (6.8%), and Angelina Jolie (6.3%).
|
