Around the World in 80 Clicks!

Planning the great internet vacation
by Robin Levine, DCLnews Contributing Editor

The internet offers innumerable choices for vacation planning. So numerous, in fact, that the links within links can lead you around the world in 80 days without ever having to leave the comfort of home or office. Whether you’re off to the links or planning a European vacation it’s an experience that offers infinite control and ultimate wisdom.

Amy Finfer, COO and General Manager of Data Conversion Laboratory (DCL) was gifted a vacation by her boyfriend, Michael. Their business schedules and Italian destination set, Finfer began her travel planning quest with a $5,000 budget and the hope of it being an excellent adventure. During a two month period taking an approximated 30 hours, Finfer planned, plotted and purchased all of their travel arrangements using the internet. Only the major cities they wanted to visit were chosen using a combination of internet websites, such as www.TravelEurope.it and travel books. “The itinerary,” she explained “was based upon my research.”

Plotting the course of their 16 day trek through Italy, she put all expenses and estimated number of days in each location into an Excel spreadsheet, calculated the costs of airfare, hotels, rental car and food at $100 US per day for two and continued to learn just how addictive using the internet could become. Already using the internet for much of her purchases doing it all online came naturally to Finfer.

At the time, she thought airfare was what needed to be nailed down first. In light of the expensive fares that have gotten lighter with the falling economy, she says that next time it will be one of the last things she books. This lesson is based upon experience as Michael’s ticket came down in price a month before their departure date but having booked it early, they couldn’t take advantage of the savings.

To start with, Finfer explained, “I looked at ways to get a free ticket, so, I used the American Express site to check on my Membership Rewards points.”  The points  could be converted to a frequent flier program. Finfer likes to know where she’s going before she gets there. “I’m very detail-oriented, like having control and having all the information I need to understand the options.” Noticing that Alitalia was one of American Express’ Frequent Travel Partners she chose the airline for the free ticket she was able to get, saving money that was then considered in her budget. Each day, she checked three of the main travel sites for ticket deals: Travelocity, CheapTickets and Expedia. After choosing the best airfare available and purchasing tickets online, Finfer moved on to search for hotels keeping in mind her minimum requirements of air conditioning, private bathroom, location, a clean room and breakfast. “I was looking for something different, charming, romantic and unique,” she said of the decision to stay away from chain hotels.

CharmingItaly.com offered some good ideas on where to stay while Italysource.com gave her ideas on places to visit as well as the recommended minimum stays in each place together with suggested itineraries. Other websites she frequented were www.venere.com, www.Italyhotel.com, and www.preferredtraveller.com. Each hotel had what Finfer calls a “mini-website” with pictures of the rooms and the hotel’s public areas. Important for Finfer was the availability of “a map to show exactly where in the city the hotel is so you can choose one that’s in the exact area of the city you want to be in.”  Hotel amenities and rates were also listed on the sites and afforded, she says, “information right at your fingertips to help choose just the right hotel.” She found that most of the sites offered links to other websites that had more information about hotels and the regions they planned to visit. To confirm reservations, the airlines use eTickets while the hotels were confirmed via emails passed back and forth or by automated response.

Was it easier booking hotel rooms on the internet with no personal recommendations, site unseen? Finfer’s answer is that she can’t imagine doing it just with the phone and fax “because aside from language barriers, sometimes you get there and it’s not exactly what you had hoped for due to the location or small rooms.” The pictures and information helped eliminate the element of surprise. In the evening and weekends when time allowed she logged onto numerous websites, which provided lots of information. From there she was able to branch out and find the places that felt right. “I think,” she ponders of her decision to do this all on her own “that you have to like an overload of information. Some people just don’t have the patience.”

In Finfer’s case, patience is a virtue of cyber proportions that paid off in big dividends. There were no glitches and everything met hers and Michael’s expectations.  “The internet is letting people book their own tours,” she explained of her decision to take charge of the planning. Without the internet she’s not quite sure if she would have planned their European vacation in quite the same way.

If you’re planning the great getaway, take a lesson from Amy Finfer and have a seat on the internet express. It may just lead you on a trip to places near and far that are just a click away!