The Travel Group

People used to ask all the time, "How does the Internet affect travel agents?" I've always said the Internet is the best thing that ever happened to our industry.  It supplies us with endless tools for research; and, while some are accessible only to travel professionals, many are pretty cool public sites.

Here's a random list of some of the coolest or most useful sites that you too should know and use:

1. The Bed Bug Registry: learn where those bed bugs are, so that you can avoid them!  If you read the news, you'll not be surprised to learn that New York City has 4490 bed bug reports!

2. Tripadvisor: Yes, we use this site too.  In fact, many of our agents are members, sending in their own reports.  But, we don't use it quite the same way the layman does.  For instance, we do not take the ratings or "reviews" at face value.  You need to check the number of reviews collected, first of all, to make sure the rating is not skewed by a couple of "ringers" or persons with an ax to grind within a limited number of reviews.  You need to identify where the reviewer lives: we have a rule of thumb for reviews originating from certain parts of the globe (some are surprising!) And, a pro tends to use Tripadvisor more for its negative value than positive.  We tend to be very suspicious of positive reviews, which - let's face it - are not coming from professional critics.  It is the large preponderance of negative reviews that get our attention.  If there are lots of negatives, the rule of thumb is don't take chances - steer clear of this place!

3. Seat Guru:  A fantastic resource for both the casual traveller and the airplane geek.  If you are particular about your seat, or want to compare features of different airlines' business or first class, for instance, this is the site for you.  Brilliant!

4. Skytrax: The go-to site for checking out detailed, professional airline reviews.  Skytrax is an independent aviation research company.  It issues annual awards for best airlines in various categories, which are considered the "Oscars" of the airline industry.   If you want to read the rankings of a particular airline for safety, first class service, on-time performance, etc., this is the go-to authority.  If you are more of the "tripadvisor" type, you can also read non-professional reviews submitted by the public.  Often quite enlightening.

5. Frequent-Flier: One of a dozen could sites on all things frequent-flyer.  Nice summaries of the major programs.

6. EmbassyLink: Although we have our own professional software for visa/health issues (the one the airlines also use), this is a great local company whose website provides a wealth of information for Canadians' requiring assistance with visas.  We recommend this service to all clients needing visas for foreign countries.

7. Wi-Fi Locations:   Search "JiWire's" registry of 562,172 free or pay Wi-Fi locations in 142 countries.

8. Virtual Tourist:  Travel guides to everywhere in the world!