Sams Teach Yourself e-Travel Today (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The world is only one click away, but most of us need a tour guide anyway. Fortunately, the refreshingly clear Teach Yourself e-Travel helps negotiate the labyrinth of online travel resources, teaching both Internet novices and veterans how to plan travel via the Internet. Author Mark Orwoll starts by introducing readers to the Internet's major travel resources, suggesting ways to keep information organized and showing how to evaluate a Web site's accuracy. A vacation-planning section follows and includes a quiz to help readers identify their travel type and ultimately form realistic appraisals of travel needs, desires, and goals. Readers will also learn how to use the Web to find the perfect travel agent to plan the perfect trip: from a fly-fishing adventure in Oregon to an island-hopping holiday in Greece. And if you can't find that perfect travel agent, learn how to become one, booking airplane tickets, hotels, cruises, and car rentals, all by yourself. And finally, an appendix points to hundreds of useful travel-related Web sites, ranging from learning how to pack to acquiring a visa.

In contrast to many Internet guidebooks, Orwoll's book artfully intertwines technical information and expert tips about travel with personal anecdotes, a sense of humor, and a passion for seeing the world. He writes, "Even though you'll be traveling on the information superhighway, your ultimate goal is to travel in the real world, which is more wondrous, more delightful, more heart stopping, and far, far more astonishing than the bits, bytes, and chips you may use to get there." --Michele Norton

From Library Journal

"Even though you'll be traveling on the information superhighway, your ultimate goal is to travel in the real world," writes Orwoll, managing editor of Travel & Leisure magazine, in his concise and colorful offering. After introducing the web's main travel resources, he presents a vacation-planning section that includes a quiz for readers to assess their travel goals. Guidebooks and tourist bureaus on the web, seasonal vacation activities, how and when to go, online travel agents, booking reservations, traveling laptops, digital photography, and safety are also covered. With summer wanderlust in the air, this should be a popular title in public libraries.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 300 pages
• Publisher: Sams; 1 edition (December 21, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0672318229
• ISBN-13: 978-0672318221
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,898,464 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Richard Busch says, February 24, 2000

By	richard busch (Leesburg, Virginia) - See all my reviews

This book is the most useful, well-written, easy-to-read book of its type I have ever read. And as the former editor of National Geographic Traveler magazine, I can speak here with a degree of authority. The book is chock full of useful, practical tips on how to get valuable travel planning information via the internet and save money at the same time. A first-rate writer, Mr. Orwoll takes the reader by the hand and navigates through the maze of internet travel information in a way that makes the whole business of electronic travel planning clear and accessible. Not only that, it's also just plain fun to read. This book deserves to make it to the best-seller list. --Richard Busch

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Explore the world from a computer keyboard., March 5, 2000

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

The real world is getting smaller but the Internet, we all know, is growing more complex and difficult to navigate. A few years ago we were reading books the size of telephone directories which contained URLs (the addresses of web pages) for the entire Web. Lately a new breed of books has sprouted, which cover one and only one subject in great depth. The difficult part about writing (and reading) many of these books is that the author needs to be a specialist in two fields: not only his own area of expertise, but also his subject in relation to the variegated resources on the Net. Fortunately, Mark Orwoll is a skilled guide in both these realms, and his new book, e-TRAVEL, is as useful and convenient as a credit card. Sams Teach Yourself Today e-Travel: Planning Vacations, Finding Bargains, And Booking Reservations Online is divided into five parts. The first, "Getting Started in e-Travel" is a guided tour of various resources about the Internet, including a savvy section on the essential theme: "Evaluating a Web Site's Accuracy and Validity." Part II, "Planning a Vacation on the Internet", includes a nifty quiz: "What's Your e-Travel type?" Part III explains how to be your own travel agent, and how to use the Internet to find the lowest rates and fares. Part IV discusses your laptop computer, passports, visas, customs, digital photography, organizing your money, and keeping yourself safe. Lastly, you'll find a collection of practical travel-minded websites. Keep in mind, regarding everything related to the Web, that things change quickly. Recently a number of major airlines announced that they would create a super-website for travelers. I couldn't find this site mentioned in the book, but readers who are interested in news like this can keep updated at Orwoll's daily travel advice column. There's an enormous amount of essential information throughout this entertaining guide. Orwoll, the managing editor for "Travel and Leisure Magazine", has been there, done that, and shared the best of his inside tips. And it's all served up in a witty style: Orwoll is as pleasant a traveling companion as you'll encounter anywhere. Sams Teach Yourself Today e-Travel is almost certain to save us time and money, teach us how to explore the world from our computer keyboards, and improve the overall quality and enjoyment of our trips. Paperback, 302 pages,

Michael Pastore, Reviewer

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars First Rate, February 8, 2000

By A Customer

The book "Sams Teach Yorself e-Travel Today" was a great way for me to search the web for travel tips. I was able to take what the author has suggested and use it to plan a great vacation. I was a novice about online travel until I read this guide book. I suggest anyone be they novice or seasoned web user to read this before they use the web for Travel tips.