E-Ticketers, Online Travel Guides and Other Travel Info

E-Ticketers:

Welcome to the brave new world of air travel. These online ticket brokers have gone a long way toward eliminating travel agents on the most-traveled air routes. Booking online can be frustrating and confusing, and there are times when you're better off talking to a knowledgeable travel agent, but these electronic bucket shops can provide a good idea of the market rates for air travel fast. And sometimes they can save you a bundle.

Some general rules when using these e-commerce sites:

• Book early or very late; make the reservation at least 21 days in advance to save the most $$$. Conversely, booking a seat in the last 24 hours before the flight also sometimes reaps savings as the airline tries to fill those last few empty seats.
  
• Don't put up with long, market-research registration processes; if they want your mother's maiden name and a social security number to book a plane ticket, go elsewhere
  
• Be aware that, like real-life travel agents, the online ticketers sometimes advertise great fares, but deliver something more expensive.
• Arbitrage; you can sometimes save a bundle by booking in a weaker currency. For instance, if you need to travel from Darwin to Perth in Australia, don't make your reservation with a British ticketer -- you'll save more if you book with a local site that quotes prices in Australian dollars rather than British pounds.
  

One of the best tools to come along in awhile is Kayak.com. It's a travel search engine. Kayak searches hundreds of airlines, ticket brokers and travel agents through one simple form. That's it there on the right. Check it out -- it doesn't cost anything and it could save you a lot of time.

Travel1: One of the fastest ways to price air tickets, Travel1's Farebeater search gives you the beta fast. The site also contains other useful information for travelers.

Cheaptickets: An online ticketer that actually works, Cheaptickets is strongest on US domestic flights, but also brokers tickets for the rest of the world with minimal registration BS. For best deals, book more than a month in advance.

E-Bookers: Britain's premier online ticketer. A good place to start looking for flights out of London.

Travelocity: A reasonably quick fare selector built on the SABRE database. This site is newsy with travel bulletin boards and fare specials, but a North American bias makes it a poor choice for users outside the US and Canada.

LowestFare.com: Lists specials plus a database search. Has some trouble finding flights outside the US.

Council Travel: Good for students who want to do it cheap. Info on railpasses, RTW tickets, work/study abroad and student airfares for flights originating in North America.

Air Courier: A travel agent and bucket shop trying to capitalize on the shrinking air courier market. Courier flights are almost nonexistent in Britain now. Air Courier demands $40 and credit card info up front before delivering the beta. So we can't really say if it's worth it or not.

Air Tech: The big, bad SABRE database, again.

Dial A Flight: Cheap flights from the UK. Fast price quote of flights with no registration. No online booking though, you've got to pick up a phone to get the tiks.

STA: First stop for students. The young and the restless may find their best deals here.

Guides

Mapquest: Really cool maps of just about anywhere. Right now, for free!

The CIA: The Central Intelligence Agency's World Factbook is chock full of helpful tips on currency, political climate and simple ways to overthrow small, left-leaning governments.

Lonely Planet: The gold-standard for detailed, (usually) authoritative guidebooks for budget travelers. Buy the books if you want all the beta. The LP website does not provide complete listings online.

Rough Guides: The other great budget guide offers full-text listings online, you just have to dig for them.

Smarter Living: An where-to-find-it guide to various discount travel services. The step-by-step guides to hotels, airfares and car rentals are informative.

Babylon Travel: Global culture comes home. This site is a collaboration between a Kiwi writer and a Brazilian photographer. A refreshing take on world travel.

Journeywoman: A site for female travelers. Lots of tips and info for women on the road.

The Art Of Travel: John Gregory's site is low-tech and high-integrity. His electric tome, How To See The World, is 100,000 words on every aspect of low-budget backpacking.

TNT Magazine: The Bible for Kiwis and Aussies in London. Lots of travel tips, news and classifieds.

If you have recommendations for other useful sites, e-mail Coastalsurvey directly: info@coastalsurvey.com