Jeffrey B. Dalin, DDS
August - the biggest travel month of the year. You hate trying to sit around and figure out a destination to visit, a good place to stay, a simple way to get there, fun things to do after you get there, and how to pay for it all! Why not use the World Wide Web to help you answer all of these questions? The information is out there for you to discover. All you have to do is sit down and let your fingers do the walking - across your keyboard.
A simple way to find a large amount of basic information on a site is to use one of the many search engines. You merely type in the vacation idea you are considering and you will be given a number of Web sites to visit that contain information about that destination. Some of the search sites even have dedicated areas just for your travel needs:
Infoseek-
www2.infoseek.com/Topic/Travel?tid=1753
Yahoo-
www.yahoo.com/Recreation/Travel
Lycos-
www.lycos.com/travel
Any of these will give you a large amount of information with which to begin your work. Other sites for you to visit include:
Travel Source -
//travelsource.com /index.html
This is a very thorough site. It has links to just about anything you may want or need.
Trip Com -
//www.thetrip.com
Its motto is, "Everything for the business traveler except for the stress." This explains what the site is all about.
Travelocity -
//www.travelocity.com
This site contains articles, a reservation center, guides, news, last- minute deals, and a whole lot more.
Cybertrip -
//www.cybertrip.com
This site has a travel kit section that contains many useful items such as exchange rates, weather information, and maps. It also has a destination idea section and extensive links to airlines, car rental companies, cruise ship lines, and more.
Everything`s Travel
//members.aol.com/trvlevery
This site is broken down into news, forum, advisor, bookstore, destinations, planning, accommodations, reference, and media sections.
There are some specialized travel-type sites that could come in handy for you in your search for the perfect vacation:
Family Travel -
//travelwithkids.miningco.com
The name says it all.
Intellicast -
//www.intellicast.com
U.S. and world weather forecasts, as well as ski reports and health articles.
MapQuest -
//www.mapquest.com
This site will produce maps and driving directions.
CuisineNet -
//www.cuisinenet.com
Here you will find restaurants and menus from 11 of the largest cities in the United States, complete with customer comments. You can feed it criteria such as price, location, type of food, and amenities - and it will give you a number of places to try.
Just about every airline and hotel chain has its own Web site. You can access them directly for schedules, fares, room rates, and whatever other questions that might come up. I do not have the space here to list all of their addresses. They are usually easy to find. Their names are usually part of their Internet addresses.
Another group of sites that appear quite plentifully on the World Wide Web are discount travel sites. You can save large sums of money if you do your homework and find the time to do a lot of typing. Many of these sites offer bargains for last-minute travelers.
Well, I hope this article will convince you to use the Internet to help plan your vacations. Turn on that computer and connect online. It is time to research and design some great vacations for you and your families. We all work very hard and deserve some time off. Make that time off enjoyable for all!
Jeffrey B. Dalin, DDS, FACD, FAGD, practices general dentistry in St. Louis. He also is the editor of St. Louis Dentistry Magazine and spokesperson and critical-issue-response-team chairperson for the Greater St. Louis Dental Society. He can be reached at [email protected] or by phone, (314) 567-5612; or fax: (314) 567-9047.
