Booking Travel Online - 5 Tips You Must Know

Booking travel online is big business these days and on the plus side puts a lot of power in the hands of the consumer to reserve their own travel arrangements. But it's critical you know 5 things to get the best deal and discount available. So before you begin your travel research and booking online start here.

ALL TRAVEL WEB SITES ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL

When booking travel online they're two types you can use: the traditional travel web sites such as Expedia, Orbitz, and Travelocity, and what are being called these days Travel Search Engines, which include SideStep and Kayak.

The main difference is in the search capability. A travel web site like Orbitz only searches its own database of available flights, hotel rooms, and car rentals. So the search is restrictive. But you'll get more search features and booking travel services offered at these sites.

At travel search engines such as SideStep, the results will include selections from airline sites, travel web sites, and other databases containing flight, room and car rental availability. The drawback is a more "spartan" search capability, and you won't get many of cool features you'll find at a travel web site.

IT REALLY DOES PAY TO COMPARE AS MANY AND AS OFTEN AS YOU CAN

If you want the cheapest fare or room, always check out multiple sites before booking travel online. Many travel web sites negotiate and purchase large blocks of fares and rooms directly from airlines and hotels, and then pass the savings onto consumers. But because the reduction varies between sites, the quoted rate for the same seat on a flight, or room in a hotel, can vary dramatically... and many times from day-to-day. So it not only pays to check and compare other sites, but if you've the time, to do it often.

TRAVEL WEB SITES DON'T ALWAYS GET THE BEST DEAL

Because of the competitiveness of the travel industry these days here's another worthwhile step to take before you press that "submit" button at your chosen online booking site... hop over for a final check at the airline, hotel, or car rental company web site for any special offers or lower rates you may get if you book directly. Sometimes the best deals are reserved for their own online customers or preferred clients, and you'll even avoid fees.

BEWARE OF TRAVEL WEB SITE SERVICE AND TRANSFER FEES

Booking travel online at travel web sites usually involves a service fee. In most instances it's not outrageous and is usually around $5 per ticket or booking. Recently, I've seen some fees nudging up around $20 and there's no need to pay that much. But the fees to be aware of are transfer fees when you change itinerary or cancel. It can cost you $100 or more to change after you've booked a flight. And if you want a refund, then it can be very frustrating, as you'll likely spend hours on the phone to get to somebody who can authorize it.

The travel search engines make money from paid advertising and a referral fee from the airlines or hotels, so usually you don't pay a fee when using them to book. But this is changing so always check for fee disclosure before booking.

Generally, the fees should never be hidden from you, but in a rush to book you may easily overlook a charge that wasn't obvious before. The profit margins for online travel sites are low, and they can be very creative in their fee structure if you don't pay close attention.

THE HIDDEN LINK THAT CAN SAVE YOU MONEY

Many of the travel web sites have a link on their page that allows you to become part of their affiliate program for no cost. It's usually at the bottom and not obvious. By becoming an affiliate you can earn a small commission for everybody you refer to them that purchases a ticket, reserves a room, or rents a car.

But before you rush out and quit your day job and set yourself up as a home-based travel agent, be aware you'll have to send thousands of people to make any decent money. But there's an even better reason to become an affiliate. As an affiliate most sites will allow you to purchase your own tickets and still get paid the commission. It's effectively a discount. Be sure to check the fine print on the agreement just so you're familiar with the restrictions if any, and how they'll pay you. But if you do a lot of booking travel online then check it out to see if it'll work for you.

The travel industry continues to adjust to the advantages of the Internet. Billions of dollars have been invested in online travel booking systems, and new players continue to enter the market every year. Armed with these tips you'll be better prepared to navigate through the maze to the very best deal for you. And there's still that travel agent in the mall if you just can't be bothered with the whole game of booking travel online.

About The Author
Cliff Calderwood is an expert on New England Travel and to pick up your free travel reports go to Cliff's guide to New England Vacations site at: http://www.new-england-vacations-guide.com/.

Brief history of Italian Fashion

Italy and Fashion have a very unique and special relationship, and when you consider such names as Dolce&Gabbana, Versace and Armani, to name but a few, it's not difficult to see why. But if we look back into the history of Italian Fashion, (e.g. see also the article on Nina Ricci) we start to understand what gave Italy such a status in the Fashion World.

Count Giorgini started the 'Italian Fashion' craze in 1951, when he organised a fashion show to be presented to an International audience in Florence. He then continued to present other fashion shows at his palace, presenting new collections modelled by nobilty against a backdrop of fine arts and scenery. Nobilty would also model new collections at museums or exhibitions next to famous pieces of fine art. This all contributed to elevating the status of Italian fashion, and implanting in everyone's minds that Italian fashion gives you status, is very rich in quality,and almost 'fairytale' like.

In the 1970s and 1980s Milan made its mark as being the Fashion Capital of Italy, and the phrase Made in Italy became universally recognised as meaning 'high quality', and 'high fashion'. Many trade fairs are regularly held in Milan, and it regarded by many as the 'Fashion Capital' of the World.

About The Author
Juliana de Angelis is a travel writer about Italy...read more articles, travel guides and information about Italy, its people and culture at her website: http://www.madaboutitaly.com/
Book flights, hotels and shop for Italian products at http://www.italianshopsonline.com/

Ontario The Gaint

Ontario is a province located between the province of Quebec to the east, and Manitoba to the west. To the north is Hudson Bay and James Bay. To the south are the United States of America, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and New York, Pennsylvania. The border between the two countries are filled with rivers and lakes, Saint Lawrence River, it passes through the four Great Lakes, Lakes Superior, Erie Huron (which includes Georgian Bay), Huron, Ontario. There are approximately 250,000 lakes and 100,000 kilometers of river in the province in the province of Ontario.

The weather is nice and hot (15-30 days above 30°C or 86°F) in the summer so you can enjoy traveling and visiting the beach. There are many neat things to see there, Niagara Falls is the most visited waterfall in Canada, the Toronto Stock Exchange is a very neat place to visit. You get to learn the history and how it affects the world everyday. You can take tours through out the province seeing all the history that the province has to offer.

Some quick facts

-Largest city is Toronto
-Population is 12,541,410(2005)
-3rd Province in Canada July 1, 1867
-English speaking province

This is a province that you don't want to miss because there is so much of Canada's history here. If you come from a smaller city this is going to be a experience of a life time seeing the towering buildings and just the mass size of the city's.

About The Author
Ashton Billesberger is the owner and operator of Ontario Canada Guide - http://www.ontario-canada-guide.com, which is the best site on the internet for all Ontario related information.

Wholesale Travel Gets You There Cheaper

Traveling is one of life's greatest adventures. It can bring joy to the heart and peace to the soul. Unfortunately, traveling can be an expensive proposition, and one that makes adventurous vacations out of reach for many people. When you take advantage of wholesale travel packages, though, you can go on cruises, relax at resorts, luxuriate in the best accommodations at hotels, and fly with airfares that will make your friends jealous.

Wholesale travel can encompass a variety of vacation experiences. You can stay at resort properties, condo properties, timeshare properties, privately owned properties, vacation homes, or coastal beach homes. The keys to finding great wholesale travel opportunities are understanding how the tourism industry operates and having flexibility in your travel plans.

For example, when you call a resort and ask for room rates, you'll most likely be quoted what are called "rack rates." These are the non-discounted rates that resort properties can charge when they're almost booked to capacity. In reality, though, resort properties aren't usually full, and rooms are perishable commodities. If a room goes empty for a night, that represents lost income that the resort can never regain. Wholesale travel packages take advantage of this phenomena and book blocks of rooms at non-peak periods to get the best rates. The resorts readily agree because they need to fill the rooms and they know that guests will spend money on ancillary products, such as restaurant charges, room service, and gift shop purchases.

The same holds true for cruise ships. The ship will sail whether it's at 80 percent capacity or 100 percent capacity. It behooves the cruise line to offer wholesale travel packages to operators in order to fill the cabins before the ship sets sail.

Other types of destinations work under the same principle, which is why wholesale travel is possible across the board. When looking into purchasing wholesale travel packages, here are some things to consider.

Expiration Dates: Many wholesale travel operators use the voucher system, and some vouchers have expiration dates. Before making a commitment, find out how quickly the vouchers expire, and make sure that the company has a low renewal fee in order to extend the life of the vouchers.

Transferable Vouchers: Some companies do not allow participants to transfer vouchers to friends and family members. When you work with a wholesale travel company, be sure to select one that allows you to transfer your vouchers to others.

Blackout Dates: The tradeoff in wholesale travel is that there are restrictions regarding when you can vacation. You can't expect to select a popular destination and travel there during peak season. Before signing up for a wholesale travel package, be sure that your schedule is compatible with the travel date restrictions offered by the company.

About The Author
Chris Robertson is a published author of Majon International. Majon International is one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing and internet advertising companies on the web. Visit their main business resource web site at: http://www.majon.com
To learn more about subjects like wholesale travel please visit the web site at: http://gerald.wholesaletravelnow.com
For more information and informative related articles and links about this subject matter and content, please visit Majon's Travel directory: http://www.majon.com/directory/Travel

Vacation in Italy - Private Holiday Homes versus Hotels

Vacationing in Italy is a dream come true for so many Americans. Those who have Italian heritage often wish to see where their families originated. Those who have no Italian lineage still look upon Italy as one of the foundations of Western civilization. Rome, Venice, Tuscany, Florence, Umbria, Chianti, San Gimignano, Siena, Orvieto, Todi, Assisi, Spleto and Montepulciano are all legendary to those of us raised in the "new world" and for many are simply places we've read about in our school books, or seen on television or in the movies. Many Americans, sadly, know little of the geography of Italy, but do appreciate the food. After all, pizza and spaghetti are considered as American to us as apple pie and hot dogs. But only on a trip to Italy can a person really appreciate this magnificent country, home to Leonardo da Vinci, Michaelangelo, and Christopher Columbus.

When you are ready for that once in a lifetime experience of an Italian vacation, consider a private home rental for your source of lodging. Hotels can be nice, but staying in a private home rented for the occasion can give you a chance to see the real Italy. Explore the countryside, walk into the village and visit with the residents, and see what it feels like to actually go home, to a cabin or villa at the end of the day, living as the Italians do. Or, try a beach house if that suits you or an apartment if you prefer a more urban setting. Getting to know the local people by living among them for an extended stay of a few weeks will give you a chance to learn some of the language, or if you already speak Italian to brush up on your skills. It will also give you a chance to learn local history in a very unique way, from the people themselves. You will appreciate all of the similarities of Italian culture with your own, and learn to appreciate the differences as well. The Italians are a wonderful, friendly people with a rich culture and history. Taking the time to live among them, getting to know them as friends and neighbors, is truly an experience you will always remember.

Private homes for rent to vacationers in Italy can be found in various price ranges. If you are looking for luxury, there are villas available. If something more rustic suits your taste and budget, then smaller homes and even old farmhouses are available to appeal to all tastes. Just as an example, one property includes two bedrooms, queen size beds, kitchen, laundry area, bathroom, central eat and the satellite television, telephone and VCR that most Americans are used to having. Imagine though the coziness and comfort of coming back to the house after a day of sight seeing to sit by the fire place, drinking a glass of a local wine, having a light dinner of pasta, and enjoying the peace and quiet of your surroundings. Staying in a hotel in a major city will certainly show you the tourist hot spots, but staying in a private home will show you the real Italy.

About The Author
Milan Matchev has been in the Real Estate and property management business for 11 years making him an expert in his knowledge of the vacation rentals market. ArrangeYourVacation - Holiday Homes and Vacation Rentals Worldwide is a leader in luxury vacation rentals worldwide, with an extensive portfolio of luxury villas and homes. To place a free advertisement for your vacation rentals or holiday homes in Italy - visit http://italy-vacation-homes.com.