Check flight on the Web before heading to the airport
Federal government statistics report that 20 percent of all airline flights are late. If you are picking someone up at the airport, it's helpful to know not only if the flight you're meeting will be late, but how late.
Flytecomm, www.flytecomm.com/cgi-bin/trackflight, is a good site for tracking a flight in real time. It offers the options of entering the airline and flight number, or just entering the destination city, after which you can scan the times of flights arriving that day. Information is updated every five minutes, and includes departure time, aircraft type current altitude and weather conditions at the destination.
Pets welcome.com, www.petswelcome.com, offers a deep database of lodgings, kennels, theme parks, fun things to do with your dog or cat and other useful resources for anyone traveling with a pet. Lodgings include hotel chains, bed-and-breakfasts, cabins and cottages, beach properties, vacation rentals and ski resorts.
You can also find international listings and even pet sitters. A particularly helpful feature is the button that lets you search for pet-friendly lodgings along your route.
Heading for Los Angeles? A helpful new site for those going to downtown LA is www.downtownla.com. It has information on events, transportation, shopping, arts and entertainment, and even offers coupons for saving money at downtown restaurants and stores.
There are also unexpected surprises: In December it notes there will be a Jules Verne Adventure Film Festival.
The Quantas Aussie Airpass, www.australia.com/airpass, makes a trip to Australia much more affordable. The country is divided into three zones, with different fares for each. Zone 1, which includes Sydney, has a round-trip fare from Los Angeles for $1,099, which also includes three domestic flights within Australia. Click on the trip-planning Try It tool button and you'll find an interactive form that asks you to fill in your first city, second and so on. Pictures, a destination video and important information on what to see there come up with each city you choose. At Darwin, for example, the site suggests you shop the Mindi Beach sunset markets and take a crocodile cruise.
In print
"Secret Hotels: Extraordinary Values in the World's Most Stunning Destinations" by Erik Torkells, editor of Budget Travel, is published by Stewart, Tabori and Chang at $22.95. Just because people like a good value, it doesn't mean they don't appreciate luxury and personal service. This book collects fine properties in eight geographic areas: Provence, Bali, Cornwall, Costa Rica, Tuscany, the Caribbean, the French Riviera and Tahiti.
All properties are not only a good value, but have something extra in service, scenery or historic charm. Prices are not in the hostel category, but are a good value for what you get.
In Provence, historic inns with helpful owners run from $100-$200 per night. In Costa Rica, some of the beachside places start at $55 per night. In all of the regions, the author has chosen to feature villas or guest houses. Each featured lodging is profiled with text and great photos.