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Thanks to the surge of online travel websites, search
engines and insurance providers, last minute research on travel destinations
and planning travel itineraries are made much easier than ever before, as
travellers can simply choose and compare different itineraries and travelling
destinations on their own to locate the best deals. Online travel research and
price comparisons are particularly useful for planning any last minute short
breaks.
As quoted in Times Online, holiday-makers spend an average
of 12 online searches and may visit up to 22 websites over a one-month period
before booking a holiday.
Here are a few practical tips to guide and remind you of the
essential information to look for while you plan your last minute holidays:
- For example, Lastminute.com, Skyscanner, Opodo and the newly
launched Zugu are travel search engines
that can help you research on flight and train tickets, hotel packages, car
hire and holiday ideas. They also offer you the option to rank your search
according to price, so as to find the best package that suits your travel
budget.
- Lastminute.com
offers a variety of cheap and last minute hotel deals.
- If you are specifically looking to travel by the budget
airlines, you should also have a look at the airlines' own websites, such as Easyjet,
Ryanair and Flybe, which are quite easy to navigate.
- If your travel dates are flexible, Skyscanner's slider option allows you to
narrow down your flights easily by shifting to an earlier or later date or
departure time, so that you can locate a schedule that is best suited to your
budget. You can also opt to create your own flight package by choosing a
different airline for the outbound and inbound journey.
- If you are in need of inspirations on where to go, Expedia offers web users a travel calendar
to find out about the latest events and activities happening in different
countries at various times of the year.
- If you are looking specifically for budget stays, budgetplaces.com offers a selection of
B&Bs and hostels, with images of the accommodation and price details. You
can also calculate the accommodation expenses easily by choosing to browse in
your desired currency.
- The Lonely
Planet website hosts comprehensive travel information and tips online,
including community blogosphere and fast facts of each country or city that
help you decide where to have your holiday.
- Remember to plan the best route to go to the airport or
train station, and try to buy the ticket online beforehand. If you are looking
for a train to go to the airport or train station, trainline.com is a
user-friendly booking platform.
- A quick search using Google
News or other online press websites for travel-related news of the week
will allow you to have a brief idea of the latest happenings in your travel
destination. It is especially important for you to make sure that there are no
recent incidents that may cause flight or train delays, including but not
limited to severe weather conditions, airline strikes or political unrest.
- For those who are iPhone users, mobile applications such as HotelPal
can help you search for and to book hotel rooms in advance. It will show you
the hotel room availability and feature images of the individual hotels.
- For those who do not have iPhones, you can search for and
print out location-specific Google maps
to help you find your way to your hotel and various sightseeing attractions.
- Car hire: car hire quotes can be obtained in the same travel
websites such as Lastminute.com and
Expedia. However, you can also check and compare prices with the car rental
websites, such as Hertz, Europcar, Alamo, Avis,
Thrifty etc.
- If
you care a lot about where to go for food, you can go to Fodor's website which features an index of
restaurants in over 100 cities worldwide.
You can browse for the cuisine or type of restaurant by category or
budget. The food reviews will give you a good idea of what to expect.
Finally,
if you would like to get your insurance online, we offer travel insurance that
covers against risks of travel delays, lost luggage and for just £3.81 for a
single trip. Please see the terms and conditions for full details of cover and
any limitations and exclusions.
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