  |
Researching transports, airlines, travel
planners, travel blogs for your vocations and holidays
is time consuming and frustrating
Cut out the dross and concentrate on
the RECOMMENDED travel planner
websites below
 It
is an accepted cliché that travel broadens the
mind. Although, I do recall one wag suggesting
that it had merely made him narrow minded about a broader
range of issues. This whole debate around broadmindedness
versus narrowmindedness is absurdly simplistic. A
broadminded person is someone who sees evil and sin in
nothing; a narrow minded person is someone who sees evil
and sin in everything: whereas, surely a wise man would
avoid both these extremes and strive to be somewhat more
discerning.
I love the story about one of the last Indian viceroys,
Lord Curzon. He was approached by a delegation
of Hindu dignitaries who were organising the funeral
of some recently deceased local worthy and asked if he
would tolerate one of their religious traditions. They
then went on to explain that they wished to burn the
widow on the funeral pyre alongside the deceased. Lord
Curzon responded that he was happy to accept their religious
traditions if they would reciprocate by accommodating
his.
Before agreeing to this, the Hindu delegation wanted
to know more about the tradition to which Lord Curzon
was referring. He explained that it involved erecting
a scaffold alongside the funeral pyre and hanging every
man involved in the widow's death. Lord Curzon's "narrow
mindedness" is surely something that every civilised
man would applaud.
To help make your online research considerably
more productive and less frustrating, we have listed
the best travel sites below under four convenient headings:
travel research, tour operators and travel agents, flights
and transport, and accommodation providers.
TRAVEL RESEARCH
The following can best be describes as
the best of a fairly average bunch. There is clearly
room for a lot of improvements, nevertheless, the forums
are excellent for asking lots of questions
TOUR OPERATORS AND TRAVEL AGENTS
Saga gave a great deal of information
on all of their holidays and were very reliable
FLIGHTS AND TRANSPORT
Virgin Atlantic are easy to navigate
and the prices shown are what you pay - none of those
add-ons scams.
ACCOMMODATION
|
Hotel Price Comparisons
Travago is uncluttered
and easy to use. Hotel
details are shown in brief, but expand when
clicked. You can view several hotels
without jumping between pages. You won’t
find detailed information or reviews here. It
is designed for quick and straightforward
bookings and does this very well.
|
|
|
|
|
Inexpensive
Options
Hostelworld is one of our favourites. It
is an excellent place to look for inexpensive
accommodation. Many hostels now days
offer private rooms and facilities, but hotels,
B&B, apartments and even campsites are
included. If you are open to more options
than just conventional hotels, this is the
site for you.
|
|
|
|
|
Luxury and
Boutique
Options
I-escape puts you in touch with unique and
luxury accommodation. It sends its
own staff to evaluate properties, so the
reviews tend to be comprehensive, covering
pros and cons, rooms, outlook, facilities
and local activities. It is for those
seeking something different, but with plenty
of modest priced options.
|
|
|
|
|
Unique Heritage
This directory is dedicated to heritage
accommodation in the UK and some European
countries. If you never thought of
staying in a castle or one time prison, this
site just might temp you. New content
is regularly added, so it worth revisiting. If
you enjoy history and something different
by way of lodgings this could be your site.
|
|
|
|
Hand Picked
and Quirky
This site hand picks local and independent
accommodation. The selection ranges
from self-catering, B&B, hotels, tree
house and yurts in the UK and some European
countries. Sawday uses it own reps
to evaluate properties. People looking
for something with plenty of character,
may find this site just what they are looking
for.
|
|
|
|
Home from
Home
This is a unique concept where travellers
stay in one another’s homes. It
has properties in 192 countries! Airbnb
is a good choice if you want to live as
the locals live, but you need to be prepared
for quirkiness mixed with the charm. Guests
are encouraged to leave feedback and this
is very helpful when trying to evaluate
an option.
|
|
|
|
It is
worth searching expedia when planning to
go somewhere to get an idea of where the
hotels areand the prices to expect. One
will often find better prices here than
elsewhere, but it is wise to check the
hotel's website also.
|
|
|
|
The reviews
make good reading and tell you more about
the places than just basic details and
facilities. If you are looking for
boutique hotel, you won't go far wrong
with this website.
|
|
|
|
One can
get a pretty good idea of an hotel from
the feedback left by guests. Even
if it looks brilliant in the glossy brochure,
check Tripadvisor to see what recent guests
have to say.
|
|
|
Premier Inn has easily understandable
information but was difficult to find the advertised
special offers.
|
  |
|
|
