Travel
I love to travel, so I thought I'd post some resources for people like me who like to investigate themselves and stretch their budget so they can travel for longer. I hope to add sites for destinations (with the appropriate acid commentary) in the near future. Bon voyage!
Discount Travel Agencies
STA and Council Travel are geared toward student travel but often have surprisingly good deals available for faculty as well. Both have long waits at their actual offices or on the telephone so checking out fares online is not such a bad idea, particularly since one-way tickets are often just half of the roundtrip fare, so you can estimate prices for complex itineraries. You can order ISIC cards and Eurail or British Rail passes from either agency.
| STA Travel stands for Student Travel Australia and did the best job of ferreting out low fares in my experience. |
| Council Travel compete well with STA in finding low fares. |
| Cheap Tickets allows non-students to get in on the action as well. |
| Lowestfare.com |
| Hot Weekend Airfares Every Wednesday at noon, all the discount esaver and cyber bargains for the upcoming weekend are posted on this excellent site. |
Discount Travel Sites
| Deal Alert lets you know about the latest travel deals. You can sign up to receive their weely newsletter of deals. |
| Airlines of the Web (AOW) has great information about low fares. It is one of my favorite airline sites. They have a great page of hot deals and compile lists of weekly specials and cybersavers from all of the airlines. |
| EurAir Pass Several European airlines, mainly discount ones, have linked up to offer this pass. Essentially, you can fly any one hop for $99 plus tax but you must buy a minimum of three tickets. |
Airlines
| Adria Airways is the airline of Slovenia. |
| Aer Lingus is the flag carrier of Ireland. |
| Aeroflot. (800) 995-5555 reservations. Flies from Dulles. |
| Aerolineas Argentinas |
| Air Afrique |
| Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air are the same airline as far as I can tell, though Horizon focuses more on the Western U.S. (800) 252-7522 reservations. |
| Alitalia Italy's flag carrier. |
| Aloha Airlines |
| America West Airlines (800) 235-9292 reservations. |
| American Airlines (800) 433-7300 reservations. (800) 535-5225 baggage customer service desk. (800) 866-4010 central baggage service (if your bags have gone missing for more than five days, isn't that encouraging?) America's largest airline has hubs at Chicago O'Hare, Dallas-Fort Worth, New York JFK, Miami, and San Juan. |
| Ansett Australia |
| Air Aruba (800) 882-7822 reservations. Flies from BWI. |
| Austrian Airlines Tyrolean Airways is a wholly owned subsidiary of Austrian Airlines. |
| Bahamasair |
| Air Baltic |
| British Airways (800) 247-9297 reservations. Flies out of Dulles and BWI. |
| British Midland |
| BWIA (British West Indies Airline) |
| Air Canada (800) 776-3000 reservations. Flies out of all three Washington airports. They often have last minute specials on direct flights from National to Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa. Toronto's Pearson Airport is their major hub. Just fyi, Pearson was a former Liberal Prime Minister. |
| Canadian Airlines (800) 426-7000 reservations. Flies out of Washington National. |
| Cathay Pacific |
| Cayman Islands |
| Continental Airlines (800) 525-0280 domestic reservations. (800) 231-0856 international reservations. With hubs in Cleveland, Houston, and Newark, it's really a wonder that I don't fly Continental more often. However, since returning from the undead of bankruptcy proceedings, Continental has steadily improved its reputation. Recently formed a relationship with Northwest. |
| Delta Airlines, Delta Express, and Comair (800) 221-1212 reservations, (800) 241-4141 international reservations, (800) 325-5205 Delta Express reservations, (800) 325-8224 baggage service center. "If you want to go to heaven, you have to change planes in Atlanta" is the saying that must warm the hearts of Delta execs. Unfortunately, their domestic service leaves much to be desired as does their plane configuration. If you're not a Delta medallion member, you have a real good chance of getting stuck in the small section of the plane behind the bathrooms. Kind of like your very own loud, flying closet. I can't recall the last time I had a pleasant experience flying this airline. Too bad because they have great coverage of the eastern half of the U.S. Hubs also in Cinncinnati, Frankfurt, and probably elsewhere but their web site doesn't say. Many flights leave from Washington National. Comair is the "Delta Connection" and operates out of Cinncinnati. Your frequent flyer miles expire three years after your last Delta flight. |
| Eastwind Airlines is a small east coast airline. |
| easyJet is a British discount airline. London Luton is their hub. |
| El Al Israel's flag carrier. (800) 223-6700 reservations. Flies from BWI. |
| Emirates is the airline of the UAE |
| Ethiopian Airlines. (800) 295-9343 reservations. |
| Eva Air flys out of Taiwan. |
| Finnair All roads lead to Helsinki's airport which is typical of Finnish architecture and feels like the airport on the edge of forever -- complete with duty free. |
| Air France (800) 237-2747 reservations. |
| Frontier Airlines operates out of its Denver hub. BWI is the only airport it serves in the Washington area. (800) 432-1359 reservations. For those who want to read the downside of Frontier, you can check out the "Never Fly Frontier Airlines" site. |
| Greenlandair |
| Hawaiian Airlines |
| Icelandair (800) 223-5500 reservations. Flies out of BWI. All roads lead to Reykjavik. |
| Air Jamaica (800) 523-5585 reservations. Flies from BWI. |
| Japan Airlines (JAL) |
| Jersey European |
| KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (800) 3-747-747 USA reservations, (800) 361-1887 Canadian reservations. Tight partners with Northwest. |
| Korean Air (800) 438-5000. Flies out of Dulles. |
| Air Labrador |
| LanChile |
| Air Lithuania |
| Lufthansa (800) 645-3880. Flies out of Dulles. |
| Manx Airlines flies to the Isle of Man |
| Martinair |
| Air Mauritius |
| Midway Airlines (800) 446-4392 reservations. Their hub is Raleigh-Durham (RDU), the only place you can fly direct from Washington National. |
| Midwest Express operates out of Milwaukee. (800) 452-2022 reservations. From Washington National, you can only fly directly to Milwaukee and Omaha. Midwest Express has an excellent reputation and is geared toward providing affordable service for the business traveller. |
| Air New Zealand |
| Air Niugini is the airline of Papua New Guinea. |
| Northwest Airlines (800) 225-2525 domestic reservations, (800) 447-4747 international reservations. Their hubs in Detroit, Minneapolis, and Memphis are the only nonstop flights from the DC area (and no Memphis flights from BWI). In addition to their hubs, NWA has good connections with Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air out of Seattle and Portland. NWA has connections to other east coast cities are not worth considering from DC, but NWA provides comprehensive serve to the Midwest and South Central U.S. as well as the Pacific Northwest and California. Just plan on visiting a hub on the way. Tight partnership with KLM, and now Continental. NWA recently changed their frequent flyer policy so that their miles do not expire. |
| ProAir. (800) 939-9551 reservations. Flies from BWI to the Motor City. |
| Qantas Australia's largest airlines has never had a fatality -- just ask the Rain Man. |
| Reno Air |
| Ryanair is a lowfare Irish-based airline. |
| Singapore Airlines |
| Southwest Airlines has established BWI as their east coast hub. (800) 435-9792 reservations. Among other places, they fly to Islip NY, Manchester NH, and Providence RI. They tend to be better for shorter jumps than cross-country flights. This is the only airline that actually has groupies. |
| Spanair (888) 545-5757. Flies from Dulles. |
| Swissair (800) 221-4750 reservations. Flies out of Dulles. |
| Air Tran (800) 247-8726 reservations. Flies out of Dulles. Part of this discount airline was formerly Valujet. Air Tran's hub is Atlanta and they have transfers to many cities, particularly in the South. You can also fly direct to Chicago from Washington. |
| SAS (Scandinavian Airline Service) |
| South African Airways |
| Swissair |
| TACA is the major airline of Central America. (800) 535-8780. Flies out of Dulles. |
| Thai Airways International |
| Tower Air unfortunately does not serve DC but provides amazingly cheap coast-to-coast and international service out of New York's Kennedy Airport. |
| Trans World Airlines (TWA) (800) 221-2000 reservations. TWA has hubs at New York's JFK Airport and St. Louis. Frequent flyer miles do not expire on TWA. Their web site has a page of hot deals. |
| Travelair is a domestic Costa Rican airline; Do you know the way to San Jose? |
| US Airways and Metrojet (800) 428-4322 reservations. (800) 245-4882 for inquiries about internet reservations. (800) 371-4771 for baggage inquiries. (888) METROJET for Metrojet. US Airways is predominantly an east coast airline with hubs in Baltimore, Charlotte, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh. They also have many flights out of the two Washington airports and New York. Along with Delta, they are pretty much the only airline that flies to the southeast, particularly the Carolinas and Georgia. Metrojet is a new low-fare subsidiary of US Airways that operates quite a few flights out of both BWI, where they compete with Southwest, and Dulles. US Airways along with Delta operates hourly shuttles to NY La Guardia. Frequent flyers earn a minimum of 500 miles per trip and can gain extra miles with a NationsBank Visa. Starting in 2000, miles will expire if you don't take a trip within 3 years of when you acquired them. |
| United Airlines (800) 241-6522 domestic reservations, (800) 538-2929 international reservations. United and United Express recently expanded their already heavy presence at Dulles. I hate their web site as I can never seem to find the information I need. |
| VARIG is the airline of Brazil. (800) 468-2744 reservations. Flies out of Dulles. |
| Vanguard Airlines is a low-fare airline based in Kansas City (does not serve DC). |
| Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Express (800) 862-8621 reservations. Flies out of Dulles. |
Washington-Baltimore Airports
| The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority run both Washington National and Washington Dulles Airports. One of Elizabeth Dole's greater successes as Secretary of Labor, the MWAA's independence is routinely threatened by Members of Congress who want to aid homestate interests or just organize the airports for their own benefit. The latest intrusion into airport home rule is Sen. John McCain's (R-AZ) ham-handed effort to force National to allow more flights and relax the distance limit so that America West can fly direct to National from Phoenix. Flight schedules for National and Dulles are in Washington Flyer magazine (think corporate America meets Pravda, but nonetheless informative) and the web. |
| Washington National (DCA) They may put up signs calling our gleaming new facility "Ronald Wilson Reagan Washington National Airport" but to the locals the airport just across the Potomac off the GW Parkway near Alexandria will always just be "National." The new terminal is finished and gorgeous. It is bright, airy, and roomy, though you may need time to get used to the color scheme. Metro lets right out next to it (National Airport stop on the Blue or Yellow lines) and the old terminal, an architectual landmark, is undergoing renovation. Lots of restaurants, including California Pizza Kitchen and Legal Seafood, have meals designed to be quick but civilized. You can walk around National Mall and shop if you have more time. I particularly like the National Geographic and National Zoo stores. Remote parking is $8/day. Hint: If taking Metro and it is really cold or hot on the platform and you have a long wait for the right train, take the first train one stop to Crystal City -- it is an underground station. |
| Washington Dulles (IAD) is located at the end of the Dulles Access road in Loudon County Virginia. Its terminal was an architectual monument when it opened. Once considered a bit of a white elephant, Dulles just keeps expanding. Its midfield terminal is its newest facility. United has a major presence here, though it by no means dominates travel out of Dulles. The mobile lounges between the main and midfield terminals are a drag. Long-term economy parking is $6/day. There is a bus from Metro to the Dulles, though I have never tried it and it sounds terribly inconvenient. |
| Baltimore-Washington International (BWI) is owned by the State of Maryland. A bit of a schlep from DC, though not so bad from the Maryland suburbs. BWI, long Maryland's ugly duckling, is undergoing quite a little rennaissance these days. Southwest has made BWI its east coast hub. US Airways has similarly made it a center for its Metrojet service. The international concourse, which does more business than you might think, has been redone and the area leading to the US Airways concourse is similarly undergoing renovation. Parking is not cheap -- $7/day for the satellite lots (which are practically in Pennsylvania), though you get the 7th day free. The close-in lot is $15/day. The BWI Flight Guide provides a comprehensive list of flights. You can MARC it to BWI if you are a die-hard public transit person. |
Travel Guides for the Intrepid Traveller
| Lonely Planet has a nice site that highlights various offbeat destinations on their page. Check out The Thorn Tree for firsthand information from other travellers on various destinations. The books vary with the quality and tastes of their individual authors, though all are almost comprehensive in the extreme. LP caters to more adventurous travellers who like to go off the track to places like the Faeroe Island or Laos. |
| Rough Guides are published in Britain. One of my favorite series, they are geared toward budget, but not just student, travellers, and describe destinations well. |
| Let's Go is a granola guide published by Harvard undegraduates. I worked for them updating the Scotland section of their Britain and Ireland book years ago. Highly variable at times, the books nevertheless provide a compact guide for budget, particularly student, travellers. Check out their travellers forum to share info with fellow travellers. |
| Rick Steves is arguably the most polarizing of all guide writers. Loved by many, hated by others, Steves' guides are nice in that he actually suggests itineraries and places to go rather than providing a daunting endless list of choices. His books are geared to budget or moderate price range travellers. The Graffitti Wall is where travellers can share their advice and tales. |
| Fodor's and Frommer's are both mainstream travel guides with the former being more upscale than the latter. Both are serviceable. I often use Frommer's guides when travelling in the U.S. Both are branching into new areas with Fodor's publishing a hip series of gay guides and Frommer's publishing new city guides with attitude. |
Tourist Authorities
Many countries have tourist authorities that not only promote tourism but actually help travellers book rooms and perform other services. I have linked to the excellent BTA below and hope to add others soon.
| British Tourist Authority |
The views and opinions expressed in this page are strictly those of the page author. The contents of this page have not been reviewed or approved by the American University. If you have any questions about this page, please email David Lublin at dlublin@american.edu. This page was last updated on February 9, 1999.