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Travel Sites
  • Travelocity
    One of the biggest  travel sites online, this provides a one-stop shop for holidays, flights, car  hire, and accommodation. It's also home to a whopping great database of travel  and destination titbits. And don't forget to check out the handy 'best fare  finder' tool while you're there
  • Expedia
    Perhaps Travelocity's  biggest rival, Expedia was established in 1998 with the aim of providing every  service you'd find in an established High Street travel agents, and some. It's  packed with information, links, travel guides and useful tools such as a nifty  currency converter, insurance service and map room.
  • Lunn Poly
    Lunn Poly is a bricks  and mortar travel company that has made a success of moving online. For the  seasoned holiday booker, its site combines the in-depth information offered at  your local branch of Lunn Poly, with up to the minute flight deals and special  offers. Bookings are taken immediately.
  • The Cruise Line
    Book a trip  with Europe's foremost cruise specialists and you won't be in better hands until  your captain welcomes you onboard your floating palace. The 'Cruise Finder' will  help tailor the right ship and itinerary for you, while the chance to meet your  British crew online might comfort landlubbers.
  • Club 18-30
    Everything you'd  imagine a Club 18-30 site to be – loud, brash and flashed to the hilt with  unnecessary, in-yer-face animation. You'll find all you need to know about where  to go, how to get there, what to do, who to meet and how to get paralytic with  them and drag them back to your room for 'a coffee'. Recent TV exposure has only  encouraged this lot - brilliant stuff if you can handle it.
  • Opodo
    Shiny new flight-booking  portal operated by a European airline cartel comprising Aer Lingus, Air France,  Alitalia, Austrian Airlines, BA, Finnair, Iberia, KLM and Lufthansa. It's early  days yet, but there's already more than just flights on offer here from this  eclectic bunch of brands from the first half of the alphabet.
  • EasyJet
    EasyMan Stelios's first  Easy venture is still going strong. Despite the company's regular appearances on  BBC Watchdog, it's still a favourite bookmark for UK customers looking for  flight-only bargains, although there are only 16 foreign destinations to choose  from.
  • Ebookers
    Specialising in discount  fares negotiated directly with 120 different airlines, this site sifts the  market for the best prices it can find, as well as delivers standard prices from  the biggest carriers. An innovative feature called Flight Watch will even keep  you updated on the progress of particular flights by SMS – handy for meeting  friends at the airport.
  • Buzz
    If your timing is flexible  and you grab your opportunities quickly, this low cost airline has some stunning  bargains. Buzz flies no-frills to 18 destinations across Europe. Our tip is to  look at fares carefully and understand that stunning prices are quotes for  one-way flights only, without tax. We enjoyed the tips for what to do if you  only have two hours in a European city.
  • Virgin Balloon  Flights
    Fancy a flight with a difference? We're all familiar with the  cross Atlantic service from Branson's boys, but have you ever thought of flying  Virgin half a mile over the countryside in a wicker basket? These balloons can  take 2-19 passengers at a time on short flights from a selection of launch sites  nationwide.
  • STA Travel
    If you're 26 or  under, this is the definitive travel site for you. Whether you're looking for  simple flight, holiday or accommodation info, or whether you need help planning  your year out, STA can help, and at hard to beat prices. Current deals include  flights to the World Cup in Japan or Korea for under £500, or round the world  deals for just a few quid more. Jealous, envious, gutted.
  • Trailfinders
    A few years  back, if you wanted to escape your desk and follow the well-beaten travellers'  trail to south east Asia and beyond, the first journey you'd make would be to  Trailfinders in Kensington High Street. But now you can dream of the backwaters  of Bangkok, plan your itinerary, order brochures, discover what visas and jabs  you'll need and find out how much it'll all cost in work time.
  • Rail Europe
    Before the  Trustafarian generation decided Australia and South America were de rigueur for  the summer hols, Britain's youth jumped a train and discovered what Europe had  to offer. Thanks to Eurostar, TGV and the Motorail, European train travel is now  more popular with families and older passengers than ever before, but this site  can still sort you out with an Inter-Rail pass.
  • Lonely Planet
    Would you like  to escape the clinical, sheltered world of package holidays and get a real feel  for the countries you visit? Lonely Planet understands completely, and through  its books, films, TV series and now excellent Web site, it has been helping  independent travellers satisfy their wanderlust for nearly 30 years. You'll find  it full of information, tips, advice and some excellent travel photography.
  • Gapyear
    This is your complete  online guide to running away from all this madness for a year, whether you're  taking a break in studies, or a sabbatical before joining the rat race. It has  excellent UK-oriented content with every resource and link you'll need to turn  your dreams into practical plans. And if it's your kids who are going  travelling, there are also some brilliant resources here for concerned parents.
  • Deckchair
    Sir Bob Geldof's first  foray online in 1999 sprang from his irritation with Web sites that were fiddly  and obstructive to use. Deckchair puts the emphasis on a simple, easy-to-use  flight and holiday search and booking service for independent travellers. Since  last year's takeover by World Travel Holdings, services have expanded further to  include a wider array of travel options and frills.
  • Lastminute
    It was the darling of  the Internet on launch, took the brunt of the criticism when the Web bubble  burst, and is now ready to announce profitability for the first time. It's a top  online brand and an attractive site crammed with late availability holiday  deals, bargain weekends away, and great value spontaneous treats. But don't  actually leave it to the last minute – we found most trips require you to book  at least a week in advance.
  • Bargainholidays.com
    A great  URL, and a site with a difference that's well worth a visit for bargain hunters.  Bargainholidays.com has less in common with modern, slick online travel agents  than it does with old school scouring of Ceefax and Teletext travel pages.  Choose a destination or holiday package and let the site's back end contact the  relevant operators to check availability. All the travel peripherals you'd  expect are also here.
  • Cheapflights
    Dedicated to UK  & Ireland departures, Cheapflights doesn't actually sell tickets itself,  rather it's a portal in the traditional sense, providing links to the best  travel resources by comparing and displaying value flights and packages from  across the industry. It's also home to some useful contact details for airline,  agents and accommodation.
  • The Campaign for Real Travel  Agents
    An excellent site that seeks to promote independent travel  agencies over larger anonymous mass market corporates, which it regards as  brokers and distributors lacking the personal touch. CARTA brings you the latest  news, forums, weather, maps, health and foreign office information, while  hosting an excellent exposŽ on who owns who in the UK travel industry. Germans  own most of it, in case you're wondering...
  • ABTA
    The Association of British Travel  Agents has over 600 tour operators and 2,300 travel agencies as members. ABTA  registration offers you peace of mind when you book travel tickets, but many are  unaware that ABTA's information department is also available online or by phone  offering advice on any travel-related subjects. Curiously you can also make  bargain bookings here.
  • The United Kingdom Passport  Service
    This site has been designed to help new passport applicants and  existing passport holders renew their old, lost or stolen documents. It tells  you how to apply, sets out guidelines and explains eligibility rules, as well as  gives you information on hurrying through urgent applications and general  travelling advice.
  • ATOL
    The Air Travel Organisers'  Licensing site has two entrances, one for trade and industry, and one for the  public. It could be worth checking the constantly updated consumer advice  available, as well as consulting the list of recently failed holiday companies  before making that booking.
  • The Weather Channel
    This is an  excellent resource for weather reports, predictions, climate statistics and maps  for the UK, European cities and the world. It tells you everything from driving  conditions on the M6 outside Wolverhampton to monsoon predictions in Malaysia.  An essential bookmark.
  • Ananova Holiday  Weather
    Less intimidating to the casual traveller than some more  'authoritative' resources, Ananova offers current and predictive weather reports  based on actual holiday resorts and destinations. This is useful if for example,  you're going to Greece, but want to find out how high humidity is on the south  coast of Rhodes, a long way across the Med from Athens.
  • The First Resort  Destination Guides
    Although this site offers a broad range of travel  services, it was the destination guides we found of most interest. Once you've  decided where to go, you can research the resort thanks to AA backing, and get a  mini-slideshow of the area, climate reports, maps and guide book  recommendations.
  • Ordnance Survey
    The daddy of all  mapping services, Ordnance Survey is a government agency that funds itself by  selling its maps and guidebooks. But 80 per cent of revenue now comes through  its electronic data, so it's no real surprise that its site is excellent. The  free Get-A-Map feature is well worth bookmarking.
  • Bookhotels
    A slick 24-hour  online hotel booking service aimed exclusively at UK consumers and businesses.  You can't make bookings for faraway destinations, but European coverage is quite  good and UK coverage is very good indeed, with both chains and independent  establishments represented.
  • HotelLink
    An extremely  accomplished UK-based hotel booking service that manages to deliver the goods  whether you need a B&B in Northampton or a safari lodge in Nairobi.  Extremely quick indexing and search facilities make the whole hotel searching  process a breeze, while coverage is second to none.
  • All-hotels
    This site looks and  feels great, offering bookings for a broad range of qualities in accommodation  worldwide. Despite being Scottish-based, participation is a little low for UK  businesses with a number of other options. Still, if you're going long haul and  want local hotel information and rates, it's a useful resource.
  • 2002 Fifa World Cup Accommodation  Bureau
    A great site that'll really frustrate you if you can't manage to  get a trip to support England and the Republic of Ireland football teams this  summer. It's easy to check out the various locations in Japan and Korea hosting  World Cup games and to track down handy accommodation. A single room in the  brand new 1,500 capacity Green Hotel next to the Sapporo Dome will cost you  under 50 quid a night.
  • UK Online Travel  Guide
    UK Online has spawned several mini-portals of interest to  travellers, including flight and holiday booking sites, but its UK travel guides  impressed us most. Here, there are links aplenty to resources that will help you  travel around the country more easily, including specialist advice on things  such as sports venue travel.
  • British Holidays
    Not a  general resource, but a company in itself offering holiday packages to a  selection of family-oriented fun parks and resorts around the British coastline.  A sister company to Haven Holidays, the emphasis is very much on sand castles  and candyfloss, although there is a section on nightlife for when the kids go to  bed.
  • BTCV
    BTCV is a UK charity working to  protect the environment through conservation holidays at home and abroad. You  can volunteer your services, book group activities, or just go on a holiday with  a difference as a paying guest. Protect butterfly glades in Lincolnshire or save  Turtles in Thailand – it's all here, as is a brochure request form.
  • British Naturism
    This  site asks the question: "Always wanted to go to a resort where you can be nude  most of the time?" If your answer is yes, the UK's largest naturist organisation  welcomes you to its site. The site's packed with FAQs, advice, news and guides  for first timers, as well as links to upcoming events, holiday destinations and  other activities that can be enjoyed in the buff.
  • Access Travel
    This site  offers holidays for disabled people and their families and friends. This company  personally inspects all accommodation for wheelchair access and other individual  needs and makes recommendations for individual situations. It also caters for  suitable flight arrangements, special needs, nursing care and adapted vehicles.
  • Saga Travel
    Saga is a  household name for travel packages for seniors and its services are also  available to silver surfers. It offers a wide variety of holidays with carefully  tailored agendas for all tastes from river cruises on the Norfolk Broads to  elephant rides in Phuket. It's also a one-stop shop for appropriate insurance  and hotel bookings.
  • Respect Holidays
    One of  the UK's leading companies for gay holidaymakers, Respect Holiday's site lets  you book holidays and flights to a wide selection of gay-friendly destinations  around the world. There's a strong emphasis on Mediterranean island holidays for  either exclusively gay or gay/straight friendly accommodation, complete with  photo reports from staff of their experiences on location.
  • Women Walking
    An independently  run UK-based site, offering walking and outward bound activity holidays or short  breaks across the country. If you'd like to take part in an exclusively female  ramble in the Lake District for example, not only can you book online, there are  also in-depth guides to local geography, facilities, entertainment, equipment  and more.
  • PlayHARD Sports
    Dream  holidays for the lads. Get a bunch of mates together, form a rugby, cricket or  footy team, and go on tour competing in organised tournaments in one of three  Brit favourite home-away-from-home lager-drenched resorts – Ibiza, Mallorca or  Benidorm                                                                
  • ORBITZ       write up to follow
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