Internet Travel Planner, 2nd: How to Plan Trips and Save Money Online [Paperback]

Michael Shapiro (Author)

Book Description

Series: Internet Travel Planner | Publication Date: September 1, 2002

The Internet has thrown open the doors to travel resource channels that were once accessible only to professional travel agents. Airlines, hotels, and tour companies are all moving onto the World Wide Web as a way to connect directly with their customers. Through these websites, travelers can get personally involved in making their travel plans.
Discover the best insider tips for finding the great deals, learning more, choosing wisely, and saving money. This new edition is chock-full of information on the latest, hottest tips and the newest websites, plus all-new screen shots of the best Internet sites.
Readers can learn how to:
*Find the best travel bargains
*Take advantage of exclusive online deals
*Compare ticket prices and make reservations
*Check schedules for delays and changes
*Join online discussion forums to connect with others who have been there
*Plug into restaurant reviews, newspapers, and weather forecasts
*Stay connected while on the road
Packed with insider know-how, step-by-step instructions, and shrewd travel advice, this guidebook helps readers save both time and money by using the Internet to plan their next vacation or business trip.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Excellent online travel planning tips and resources"
--Rick Steves, author, Europe Through the Back Door
"Nobody stays on top of the fast-changing world of Internet travel as well as Michael Shapiro."
--John Flinn, travel editor, San Francisco Chronicle
"Michael Shapiro is the ideal writer to guide readers through the world of Internet travel: Not only is he a seasoned technology reporter, but he's an enthusiastic international traveler. The book reveals these two strengths in every chapter."
-- Craig Stoltz, The Washington Post

"provides valuable guidance for those just learning how to research and plan trips on line. Also useful is a glossary of terms that too many computer experts wrongly assume we understand."
--Houston Chronicle, December 17, 2000
(praise for a previous edition)

From the Author

Not only can the Net help you save hundreds of dollars on your next trip, it can enhance your travels with free up-to-the-minute destination information, pictures of hotels and B&Bs, cruise reviews from other travelers, and so much more.

The trick is learning how to find and efficiently use these resources -- that's where "Michael Shapiro's Internet Travel Planner" comes in. Hundreds of travel Web sites are listed, of course, but this book is much more. With clear instruction in plain English, it's a primer on using the Net in general and for travel planning in particular.

Internet Travel Planner is attractively presented with *color pictures* to help you see what these Web sites really look like. In each chapter you'll find First Person features, where Internet veterans explain how they use the Net, enabling you to follow in their footsteps. Throughout the book are features called Siteseeing, where key Web sites are examined in depth. Among the other elements: advice for AOL users (including an entire section on AOL travel resources), a Glossary of key terms, and little Tip boxes.

With all these features, it's no wonder Michael Shapiro's Internet travel books have been praised by Arthur Frommer, Rick Steves and the New York Times. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Globe Pequot; 2nd edition (September 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0762712171
• ISBN-13: 978-0762712175
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,352,121 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive Web Travel Guide, August 17, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Internet Travel Planner: How to Plan Trips and Save Money Online (Paperback)

I found this book to be both informative and useful even though I had already used the internet for travel purposes. My husband found out about free email accounts and signed up for one within a few minutes (Chapter 14). After reading Shapiro's Internet Travel Planner, I realized that by booking airline tickets on line, I had only begun to scratch the surface of the possibilities for travel planning on line. What I found most useful for both `arm chair travel' and trip planning was Shapiro's chapter on discussion forums and bulletin boards. Search engines are great but I find the results to be catch as catch can. In Chapter 13 I got a clear sense of which sites were worth my time. Shapiro covers everything from frequent flyer miles to vacation package sites, from weather to medicine abroad. The book is easy to use-it offers an index and appendices that allow you to find websites quickly. Read this book even if you wouldn't book a flight or make a reservation on line. The web is too great and too vast a resource to skip and you'll be glad you have this guide as you surf.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An indispensable aid for the dedicated traveler., April 5, 2000

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Internet Travel Planner: How to Plan Trips and Save Money Online (Paperback)

Michael Shapiro's Internet Travel Planner isn't just another listing of Internet sites to be obsolete in a few months time: it provides some important tips linking travel to the Internet, from creating a custom guidebook to using the internet to see pictures of hotel rooms and connect with other travelers through travel chats and forums. And for those worrying about the book's longevity: free updates are offered online!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Internet Travel Planner Second Edition, October 25, 2002

By 

[e-mail] (Richmond, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Internet Travel Planner, 2nd: How to Plan Trips and Save Money Online (Paperback)

For all of you web travel fans, the Second Edition of Internet
Travel Planner has been updated with the best and newest web travel sites. As a former travel industry employee, I find this is the most complete and easy-to-read internet book now that all the large travel suppliers and surviving internet travel businesses have improved their online booking sites.

Using Michael Shapiro's book as a guide, a newcomer to researching travel can click through a website with ease. An interesting new appendix was added on digital photography. Do any of us world travelers leave home without a camera! Of course we love finding a good discount and each chapter lists sites known for the best deals. Travel sales are still down and businesses are reducing prices or adding incentives to get customers. I would highly recommend buying the book for yourself or giving it as a gift for the holidays.