Travel search tools - Expedia

Expedia claims to be the 'World's largest online travel agency'.

Use Expedia to search for and, if you wish, book flights, flights and holidays, accommodation, cruises and car hire. The Expedia website can also be used to assist in planning a holiday.

Choose a city, for example Paris.

Use the tabs to investigate Holiday Deals, Hotels, Need to Know, Experience Paris and Suggested Itineraries. Information in Need to Know includes how to get around Paris by train, taxi, bus or boat. Experience Paris and Selected Activities provide information about a selection of sites and activities. Information about the weather and a currency converter can be found in the side bar of the website.

Use the Search for Holidays box to check the availability and price of hotels and / or flights. If looking for a hotel, select the area where you would like to stay and type in the dates accommodation is required. Fill in other information as required. In this example we looked for information about a specific hotel.

Ratings are provided for each hotel and there is also a link to reviews. Click the title link to locate additional information about the hotel. If you want to make a booking click the Book button and complete the online forms.

If you have selected the Flight + Hotel option you can also search for available flights to and from your destination and, if you want to, add the flight details to your booking. Transport charges to and from the airport can also be booked and added to the account.

You will then receive a Trip Summary.

Ensure that you read the conditions of the booking.

If you want to go ahead with the booking you will be provided with details of the hotel and / or flight and / transport that you have booked. Double check that this is what you really want. After that fill in the forms confirming the booking and providing payment details. The final step is to use the Complete Booking button to complete the booking.

Travel search tools - TripAdvisor

One of the first websites to visit when planning a holiday is TripAdvisor.

The TripAdvisor website is designed to help you plan your holiday, locate information about places you might like to visit, explore hotel and travel options and then be referred to other websites where bookings can be made. A major feature of the website is that travellers can post reviews and photos of places visited which may help you decide where you want to go and what you want to do.

To start a search, type the name of a country or city or hotel in the Search box at the top of the screen.

Make your selection from the Drop Down list.

In this example we can locate information about Edinburgh by exploring the travel guides, we can explore the variety of accommodation options in the city, find information about available flights, and find out about places to visit and festivals and other events.

The Before You Go tab in the Edinburgh Guide provides general information about the city including Neighbourhoods, Architecture and Culture, public transport in the city and general information for tourists including banks and money, tipping, making phone calls and the weather. So when planning a holiday it would be useful to explore the information in TripAdvisor about your selected destination.

Trip Advisor is also very useful for selecting accommodation. Choose the city, town or village where you want to stay and then check the accommodation options which have been categorised.

You can search all accommodation options, family hotels, B&Bs, luxury hotels etc.

When you locate accommodation in which you might be interested you will find a rating bar for the hotel created from visitor reviews.

You will also find reviews made by visitors which may assist you in making your choice.

On a previous visit to the UK we used TripAdvisor to successfully locate a variety of accommodation, often in villages off the main tourist routes as well as in major cities.

TripAdvisor also has a section where you can select flights to and from your destination. After choosing the required search option you will be referred to another website such as Expedia to book the flight.

Investigate your selected location

When planning to travel overseas, check a government advisory website to ensure the safety of the destination and investigate any requirements needed for visiting the region.

Australians should check Smartraveller the website set up by the Australian Department of  Foreign Affairs and Trade to provide up to date travel advice and consular assistance to Australians travelling abroad.

Smartraveller provides latest travel updates for countries where there may be political unrest or a natural disaster, for example.

You can also use the Travel Advice tab for detailed information about safety issues in individual countries.

The Travel Information tab provides travel tips, information about staying healthy when travelling, what to do if something goes wrong when overseas as well as advice for those travelling with families, going overseas for business and seniors travelling abroad.

If you are travelling overseas with prescription medicines you should check the section of the website dealing with that topic.

There is also a section of the website where you can register your travel plans so you can be contacted if there is an emergency in the area you are visiting.

Visiting the Smartraveller website should be a essential part when planning of a holiday online.

Plan how you want to travel

Decide what sort of holiday you want to have. Visiting family combined with some sight seeing may be one option. You might just want a relaxing holiday in one location. Exploring as many new locations as you can could be a reason for travel. Or you might just want to try new experiences.

Some people decide on the places they want to visit and then hire a car to travel to each location. Some travellers utilise the public transport systems, particularly rail travel or coaches to move from place to place. Air travel between counties may be a preferred option. Travel companies provide tours throughout different parts of the world. Coach tours are available in most areas while in parts of outback Australia tours in 4 wheel drive vehicles are offered. Increasingly cruises are a popular way to travel and visit new places. River cruises are popular, especially with the 'baby boomers'.

When planning a holiday searching and comparing the websites of tour companies is a good way to see what is available. APT is an Australian company offering tours in many parts of the world. The website allows you to search for tour destinations or travel styles and brochures about tours can be downloaded. Tours can be booked on the website.

APT offers a variety of river cruises in Europe, the most popular being a two week cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest. A number of other companies also offer European river cruises including Scenic Tours, Viking River Cruises and Avalon Waterways.

There are also websites that provide general information about cruises, including reviews, and provide comparisons between the cruising tours on offer including Cruise Away and Cruise Critic.

APT also offer Coach and Rail tours in different countries, including Australia.

Other companies offering tours in Australia include Heritage Tours and Adventure Tours. Intrepid Travel offer tours in many countries including Australia.

If you want to explore Europe by train have a look at the Eurail website for information about Eurail passes, countries you can visit by train, information about trains in Europe plus a guide to planning a trip through Europe by train.

 

There are many options available to explore the world and many companies offering tour possibilities for your holiday. Exploring the websites of companies offering tours and transport options is part of planning a holiday online.

Planning a holiday - guidebooks

Guidebooks have always been a good place to start when planning a holiday. The Lonely Planet Guidebooks are one of the first places that people go to find out information about travelling in countries throughout the world. Other useful series are Fodor's Travel Guides  and DK Eyewitness Travel Guides.

Many of the Lonely Planet Guidebooks are now available as ebooks and can be purchased online and downloaded onto your electronic device. Some Lonely Planet titles may be available to borrow as ebooks from the library. Lonely Planet also produce Travel Apps for Apple devices.  DK Eyewitness Travel Guides also publish some of their guides as ebooks and have produced Travel Apps which can be used to provide information when visiting a selection of cities.

Both Lonely Planet and Fodor's Travel provide online information which may be useful when planning a holiday.

You can explore the different sections as shown on the home page of the website or use the search box at the top of the screen to search for a country or city.

Highlights, Places, Things To Do, Hotels, Need to Know, Tips and Articles and Image Gallery are the main sections that can be investigated for the selected location.

The Need to Know section includes information about Health & Safety, Money & Costs, Visas, Getting Around, Getting There & Away, When To Go & Weather,  Work and History.

If using Fodor's Travel website make a selection from the Destinations menu or use the search box at the top of the screen to search for a country or city.

Currency - exchange rates

One website providing information about currency and exchange rates is XE

The website provides live exchange rates.

There is also a currency converter.

Select the required currency for conversion and then click the arrow.

Click the Rates tab to view the latest exchange rates for the selected currency.

World Weather Online

When planning a holiday it is often useful to know what the weather is likely to be like where you plan to visit. World Weather Online provides such information.

First select the Country you want to investigate from the alphabetical list of countries.

As we are travelling to France I selected the link for that country.

I then clicked the link for Lyon - one of the sites we are visiting. It is also possible to search by region. A detailed weather forecast for the next week is provided . There is also a summary of what the weather is like at different times of the year.

Our visit to France begins in Nice so I checked the weather for that city too.