Details Written up In Computer Active's Excellant
Webguide
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AIRLINES
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British Airways
www.british-airways.com
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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.
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British Midland
www.britishmidland.co.uk
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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.
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Buzz
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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.
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Easyjet
www.easyjet.com
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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.
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Go
www.go-fly.com
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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.
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KLM
www.klm.uk.com
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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.
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Qantas
www.qantas.com
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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.
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Ryanair
www.ryanair.com
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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.
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Virgin Atlantic
www.virgin-atlantic.co.uk
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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.
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TRAVEL
BOOKINGS
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Deckchair
www.deckchair.com
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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.
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EasyJet
www.easyjet.co.uk
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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.
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Ebookers.com
www.ebookers.com
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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.
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Bargainholidays.com
www.bargainholidays.com
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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.
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Teletext Holidays
www.teletext.co.uk/holidays
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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.
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Travelstore
www.travelstore.com
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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.
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Expedia
www.expedia.co.uk
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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.
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TRAVEL
COMPANIES
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ABTA
www.abtanet.com
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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.
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Airtours
www.airtours.co.uk
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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.
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Campus Travel
www.usitcampus.co.uk
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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.
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Lunn Poly Holiday Shop
www.lunn-poly.com
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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.
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Thomas Cook
www.tch.thomascook.com
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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.
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Thomson Holidays
www.thomson-holidays.com
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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.
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Trailfinders
www.trailfinder.com
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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.
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Wallace Arnold
www.wallacearnold.com
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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.
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TRAVEL
INFORMATION
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The Backpackers Guide
www.backpacker.net
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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.
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Foreign Office
www.fco.gov.uk/travel
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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.
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Healthy Flying
www.flyana.com
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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.
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Home and Overseas
www.homeandoverseas.com
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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.
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Tips 4 Trips
www.tips4trips.com
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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.
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Travel Health Information Service
www.travelhealth.com
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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.
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The Trip
www.thetrip.com
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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.
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US Centre for Disease Control
www.cdc.gov/travel/
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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.
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