 Book Your Holiday Online |
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| So that's
it, then. We've given the Great British Summer a few months to string
together a week of sunny days. It's time to give up and head for warmer
climes. But the search for a holiday somewhere hot needn't mean working
up a sweat traipsing up and down the local high street. Follow our simple steps to book your trip online, and you needn't leave the house. Better still, many operators offer discounts on web bookings, so you can save money into the bargain! |
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STEP 1 Decide where you want to go. The world wide web is chock-full of travel guides. Adventurous travellers, or those on a budget, can check out well-known guides like www.lonelyplanet.com or www.roughguides.com. Of course, they're nothing like as comprehensive as the paper versions, but ideal for giving you a taster. Other places for travel ideas include Microsoft's www.expedia.co.uk |
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| and http://home.saga.co.uk. Closer to home, you can find destinations at the British Tourist Authority's offical site, www.visitbritain.com, or the excellent www.aboutbritain.com. Drivers looking for a quick stop-off en route would do well to check out www.5minutesaway.co.uk, a peculiar site listing all facilities within 5 minutes of motorway junctions. It covers most major routes in the south of England. | |
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STEP 2 Once you've hit on a spot, the web is a great place to find travel deals. www.ebookers.co.uk lets you compare major airline prices, but shop around and contact the carriers directly for the best deals. European destinations are well catered for by low-cost airlines like www.easyjet.co.uk or BA's budget arm, Go (www.go-fly.co.uk), both of which offer discounts to online bookers. Periodically, though, the best deals on the web are at RyanAir's site, www.ryanair.com - recently, return fares to destinations as far-flung as Frankfurt and Turin were just £9! For comprehensive listings of ferries, Eurostar and European packages, try |
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| www.a2beurope.com, or check the last-minute deals at www.bargainholidays.com. And steer clear of the much-hyped www.lastminute.com - it's definitely the last resort. | |
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STEP 3 Once you've found your dream ticket, it's time to buy online. The companies above all offer secure online booking, but if you shop further afield for bargains, remember a few golden rules. Always use a credit card - that way, if your operator goes bust before you fly, your credit card company will reimburse you. Book only at sites that offer Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) transactions. If you don't, it may void any protection you can expect from your bank or credit card firm. And deal with a travel agent that boasts either ATOL, ABTA or IATA bonding - these organisations will ensure you get back safe and sound if the airline goes belly-up while you're abroad. The Consumer Association's Which? Web Trader scheme is another to look out for. |
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STEP 4 Forgotten anything? Get insured at www.columbusdirect.net. Check out the Foreign Office's advice to travellers at www.fco.gov.uk/travel. Answers to travellers' health queries are always available at www.masta.org. And don't forget to pack a paperback - choose one from the huge selection at www.amazon.co.uk. |
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