Online travel tips for Australian seniors
Graeme Eggins, U3ANR
YOU can make your travels more interesting
and fun by using resources on the Internet. Of course most of us will not, in
the end, book the trip of a lifetime from our home computer. You may well
prefer the reassurance of having a travel agent do it for you.
But the Web can alert you to exciting possibilities
unknown to the agent you consult.
Get up-to-date info on the countries
you propose to visit
Your best source of accurate information is
the Federal Government website: www.smartraveller.gov.au
Smart traveller gives a host of information
on where and where not to go, along with all kinds of impartial advice on
health and other topics. You can also register that you intend to visit certain
countries – a boon in case of emergencies.
The Department of foreign Affairs urges all
Australian travellers to carry up to date travel insurance.
You’ll find a link to their checklist on
the Smart traveller website.
It pays to insure. For example, on average you
can expect to pay more than $800 a day for treatment in Southeast Asian
hospitals. The cost of medical evacuations from the United States regularly range from
$75,000 to $95,000 and sometimes up to $300,000.
General information on world travel
In the past travellers relied on friends’
recollections, travel writers’ reports, travel agents and printed guidebooks.
Today, while still selling, sales of
printed guidebooks are declining sharply. The global financial crisis saw
travellers turn to free on-line travel sites rather than buy expensive travel books.
Not that the printed word is without
defenders.
You may have read what a SMH travel writer
wrote last week:
“On a recent trip to Spain and Andorra,
I loaded a Lonely Planet Discover Spain
guide on my iPad, put Lonely Planet city guides for Barcelona
and Madrid on
my iPhone, and for good measure, carried around a Rick Steves Spain guide, the
paper kind.
“I also installed maps on my iPad from a
company called Dubbele (http://mobile-streetmaps.com/) that specializes
in mobile maps.
“After two weeks on buses, trains, planes
as well as skis and on foot, the verdict is in. Digital devices are making
headway, but the printed guidebook is not a relic yet.”
But the Herald writer did admit that using
a smart phone on a trip has advantages.
“GPS can figure out where you are or find a
spot to eat or shop. Nifty images of attractions along with contact information
and hours of operation are at your fingertips”
Only time will show how long it takes the
printed guidebook to become a relic.
In the meantime Webjet.com.au, flightcentre.com.au
and expedia.com are all comprehensive and trustworthy. Travelzoo.com is a bit of an
oddball but worth checking for specials.
Tripadvisor.com is a highly regarded site that travellers often vote as one of the
world’s most useful travel resources.
For years the Lonely Planet series of guides, founded in Australia in 1977, have been best
sellers among back backers and other travellers. This year the founders finally
sold out to BBC Worldwide.
The British have pledged to uphold Lonely
Planet’s commitment to independent travel, trustworthy advice and editorial
independence.
On the Web, lonelyplanet.com offers plenty to read – don’t miss the comments
on the Thorn Tree section.
www.smarttravelasia.com offers a wide coverage of interest if you intend travelling in SE Asia. It offers many guides and links, including
descriptions of the low cost pod hotels.
wiklitravel.org is based on the Wikipedia model of a site built on the reports of its readers round
the world. Wikitravel attracts millions of hits each month from travellers
using by smart phones, laptops and iPads.
Audio downloads
You can download hundreds of free audio
guides to the world’s major attractions from the Web? Transfer them to your MP3
player and you have your own expert guide.
www.iaudioguide.com is just one source – Google for others.
One-stop shops for local travel advice
Apart from the big boys already mentioned,
you can try www.jetstar.com/au/ and the
NRMA travel service at www.mynrma.com.au/
The NRMA guides for motorists can be
particularly useful if planning a long road trip within Australia. Go to www.drivethere.com.au
What about money?
What is the best way to carry money? As the
Roman poet said: "The traveller with empty pockets will sing in the
thief’s face."
You have a choice
1. Travellers’
cheques are less popular than a decade ago
2. US
dollars still good but risky to carry
3. Prepaid/debit
Visa and Master cards are increasingly taking over as the traveller’s choice
4. Other
special travel cards including Travelex
www.infochoice.com.au/ offers
a wide range of financial advice, including on credit card terms and costs. You
may consider it worth while to pay the $150+ annual fee for a gold credit card
if it also offers you free travel insurance.
Be aware of airline ‘extras’
Today airlines are looking to new charges
to earn money in an increasingly competitive environment. The world’s airlines
are expected to make $US26 billion this year in ‘ancillary revenue.’ These are
fees for what used to be free.
Airlines charge for baggage, food, blankets,
special seat positions and priority boarding (if you get on early you improve
your chances of finding an empty overhead locker for your carry-on bag)
Consumer regulators, including Australia's,
have begun moving to outlaw "asterisk" pricing. None the less, many
airlines are adding as many asterisks as they can get away with
Check the size of seats
www.seatguru.com/ enables you to compare leg room and seat
width in all major airlines as well as amenities such as if you get a personal
video screen or not.
Incidentally, never book an aisle seat in
the first row in business or economy
class. You will be disturbed constantly by the swishing of the class-dividing
curtains as the staff move back and forth throughout the flight and your sleep.
Banned airlines
If you are thinking of using local airlines
in some of the less-travelled areas of the world, check the EU list of banned
airlines at http://ec.europa.eu/transport/air-ban/list_en.htm
Australian airlines
Australia
has a reputation for having the safest airlines in the world. So you can book
with confidence here. Sites to check for prices include:
www.wotflight.com
www.quantas.com
Airport guides
www.flyerguide.net described its aim to be a 'one stop
shop' for information relating to all facets of commercial air travel
worldwide. It offers reviews of service, amenities, seats, meals,
lounges, and other information on more than 300 airlines.
Also see http://worldwideairportguide.com.
It gives you all the usual information plus current flights in and out of major
airports round the world, including Brisbane.
Airline meals
Check the world’s largest website on the subject:
www.airlinemeals.net/
Best airports to sleep in
Do you sincerely want to save money
overseas? Then sleep at the airport.
And what about trains and ferries?
This site devoted to all about train travel
around the world and has won awards as the world’s best travel website. It
offers everything from timetables to a guide to
European rail passes.
European rail passes.
Accommodation guides
Reliable sites include wotif.com, lastminute.com.au and stay247.com.
www.igougo.com is an American site. Its travel guides write detailed journals
about recent trips. Also you can sign up to write a travel journal on the site.
www.hotelchatter.com is said to be an uncensored compendium of hotel reviews from all
over the world.
If you are thinking of more rural pleasures,
the Web has heaps of guides including Traveladvisor. the Italian village
specialists Cottages to castles and
the Holiday Houses newsletter for New Zealand
(tho’ supply is currently short due to people offering their baches ot
earthquake victims)
Whatever house or hovel you choose,
remember Google Earth can give you a street as well as birds eye view of the
surroundings.
Staying in touch with loved ones
Facebook.com is the preferred method for younger and now more mature travellers.
It has more than 500 million active users, of which half log on to Facebook in
any given day
Alternatives include direct emailing using
your own laptop, Smart phone, iPad, netbook or similar electronic device.
A much travelled business friend says smart
phones can be horrendously expensive with data, unless you can use Wi-Fi
available in many places from clubs to cafes. So turn off data when travelling overseas.
You can use pay-as-go Internet kiosks at
hotels, airports, tourist centres, shopping malls and libraries or try Internet
cafes popular with backpackers.
You can upload photos and travel reports to
a Web site such as the public mytripjounral.com or use Google docs.
And remember, before you go, to check that
you can access your Web-based email account/s. Alternatively set up a free
alternative email address with Google Gmail
or Hotmail.com
A final thought:
“Everywhere is walking distance if you have
the time." - US
writer Stephen Wright
(This is a summary of
a PowerPoint presentation I gave to the Computer Users Group of U3A Northern
Rivers in April, 2011 – GE)