Web Escapes
Where to click after you've booked your trip
What's your favorite travel Web site? For a business
traveler, that's an easy one. You surf to where the points
are--airline, car rental or hotel sites where you can make the most
of your miles.
But check out the following travel sites--they may not grant
mileage rewards, but these resources might improve your trip:
The Weather Channel
(www.weather.com) is a good
place to visit when you've got questions about your
destination's climate. Its travel section offers forecast maps
for business travelers plus news that could affect your trip. One
of its most useful features is a current weather report based on
the ZIP code you're visiting--so no more fumbling around for
the city name when you're looking for information.
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And speaking of ZIP codes, APBnews (www.apbnews.com) allows you to search
for risk of possible crime by postal code, which is handy for
safety-conscious travelers. The site also supplies information
about crime prevention from a team of security experts. Click on
the Fielding Travel Guides site (www.fieldingtravel.com) and
point your mouse to its DangerFinder for a list of places to keep
off your itinerary.
The Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (www.cdc.gov/travel) publishes
excellent, straightforward information about staying healthy on the
road. View health-related information by destination and monitor
disease outbreak alerts from around the globe. The CDC also links
to other useful sites.
Another government site to bookmark is the U.S. Department of
State's Bureau of Consular
Affairs page (www.travel.state.gov). It offers
access to the government's Consular information sheets (brief
reports on destinations), important phone numbers and a listing of
U.S. embassies.
Clicking on the U.S. Chamber of
Commerce site (www.uschamber.org) before your trip
might also be helpful. The business federation's international
network of U.S. chambers of commerce is a valuable resource for
business travelers trying to start ventures abroad. Its affiliated
Chamberbiz.com site also provides access to information about
starting a business in a new city, including data about local
taxes, personnel and member discounts.
For insightful tips on everything from getting there to using
technology abroad, check out the news sections of biztravel.com or
Trip.com, both of which feature information relevant to road
warriors.
For a more irreverent take, check out Smarter Living's cadre
of columnists (www.smarterliving.com), who pull
no punches when it comes to writing about the travel business.
Christopher Elliott is a writer in Annapolis, Maryland.
Contact him at www.elliott.org.