Site seeing: Three steps to the world

By MONIKA FRY

The internet enables anyone with a computer, a modem and an internet connection access to much of the same information as your travel agent. So, to become your own travel agent, all it takes is three steps.

Step one. Get to grips with the internet. There are many free online courses available, including the BBC's excellent WebWise.

This course consists of a series of eight trips taking you through what a website is, how it works, navigation, what to do and what not to do. The trips are broken into three landmarks, which contain quizzes and interactive tasks.

The second step is learning to use a search engine to narrow down your search. The search engines of Yahoo and Alta Vista are a good start.

The plethora of information on the internet can be overwhelming to begin with. Once sifting techniques are developed, the latest travel information is available to all. The internet can quickly be mined for country profiles, health information, accommodation listings, timetables, today's exchange rates, local maps and weather maps as well as the facility to book hotels and flights online.

The third step is to verify the research. Travel sites, like glossy brochures, do not always give the true picture. Lonely Planet, the travel book company, is heavy on advertising their line of books, but they do host a site that includes a section with tips from travellers which can be useful for verifying information gathered from tourism websites.

WebWise

Yahoo

Altavista

Lonely Planet