IT Times, Summer 2000: Travel Made Easy on the Web

Editor's Note

No Lazy Days in Summer for IT

Vice Provost Update: Focus on Hiring, Restructuring In Summer

Student Computer Ownership: A New Statement of Expectation

Computer Lab Renovations Scheduled for Summer

Classrooms Receive Facelift This Summer

Computing Services Conference Comes to UC Davis

TSP Awards Computing Conference Scholarships

Hands-On Learning at Summer Technology Institute

Win2K Recommendations and Seminars

What About "Me"? Windows Millennium Operating System

Bovine Online v.5

IT Progress Report Now Available

You Asked...about email

Set Up Email and Voice Mail Vacation Messages

Reminder: Campus Directory Updates Needed

Travel Made Easy on the Web

MyUCDavis Fact Sheet (PDF File)

IT Times Via Email

Travel Made Easy on the Web

By Sumiko Kanzaki

Like David Letterman with his top ten list, at this time of year some of us may have our own list of the top three things we love about life at UC Davis: June, July, and August. Finals loom just around the corner, and with the joyous echo of pomp and circumstance comes a three-month window for endless vacation delights. Impatient and restless, we slip into wishful dreams of exotic getaways and tranquil beaches, taunting our disheveled day planners and overbooked calendars. The wait is almost over.

This summer, instead of running to the nearest travel agent, or scanning the vast volumes of AAA tourbooks, turn instead to the Web. From exotic getaway packages to Europe, Hawaii, and the Caribbean, to weekend stays at a romantic bed-and-breakfast inn or family campground, a seemingly endless number of sites cover the gamut. The Web offers the convenience of booking airline tickets, hotels, rental cars, and campgrounds online, as well as offering virtual tours and testimonials of popular destinations.

Best of all, the Web provides notable discounts on everything from plane tickets to European five star hotels. In addition, for those who still desire the personal touch and reassurance of a travel agent, many sites offer toll-free numbers to connect to a personal representative. With this wealth of resources, no one should plan a trip without consulting the Web first.

Gateways To Paradise Packages
Many Internet travel sites seem to be packages unto themselves. Opening up to a variety of links, they guide the viewer through the many options available to customize and book a personalized vacation to a variety of exotic locales. With links to cruises, plane tickets, hotel bookings, and car rentals, they are the one-stop shop for finding a variety of resources with minimal surfing.

Examples of Major Travel Gateways

http://www.mytravelco.com/
http://www.internet-travel.com/
http://www.travelocity.com/

Cruises
For a more extravagant and luxurious getaway, many sites offer the convenience of taking virtual tours of potential ships, sampling the diverse offerings and destinations of the most popular cruise lines. The best feature on these sites is a comparison shopping tool that instantly compares the prices and features of the most popular cruises, allowing the consumer to make a more sage investment of their resources and time.

Cruise Packages

http://www.cruise411.com/
http://www.cruise.com/

Airline Tickets
The Web provides a competitive marketplace for purchasing the lowest-priced plane tickets and is a great resource for finding the itinerary that is kindest to the wallet. Some sites require the user to enter a login name and password for their free services, but it is well worth the trouble when the tickets come at markedly lower prices than are available elsewhere.

Airline Tickets

http://www.cheaptickets.com/
http://www.flycheap.com/
http://www.cheapair.com/
http://www.lowestfare.com/

Lodging
Finding discounted lodging is made easy with the customized search features of many of the following sites. Setting the search parameters to include amenities, location, and quality, these sites do all the leg-work and allow you to plan more important things.

Hotel Reservations

http://www.hoteldiscounts.com/
http://www.turbotrip.com/
http://www.hotelworld.com/
http://www.americanhotelnetwork.com/

For the Weekend
For some of us with young children and busy schedules, weeks-long excursions across the globe aren't in the cards. Not to fear: the Internet also houses a variety of sites for a romantic bed and breakfast weekend, family camping trip, or day at the amusement park.

Bed and Breakfast Inns

http://www.bbintl.com/ (link no longer works -Ed.)
http://www.traveldata.com/
http://www.bbonline.com/

Camping Sites

http://www.koa.com/
http://www.gocampingamerica.com/
http://www.4camping.com/

Amusement Parks

http://users.sgi.net/~rollocst/amuse.html
http://www.123world.com/amusement/index.html

Surfing A New Set of Waves
If an exotic getaway to the pristine beaches of the world doesn't add up to your idea of an ideal vacation getaway, opt instead to surf the virtual waves of the Web's travel guides. Packed with helpful travel information, resources, and online booking features, the Web guarantees that your day at this beach will be a fruitful one. Bon voyage!