Stumped or intimidated by the Web? Not sure where to go for information or, most importantly, what to ask when you get there? Web travel consultant and Evanston resident Elizabeth Dempsey has created the perfect book for the traveler who would like to navigate, in an efficient and timely fashion, the sometimes murky waters of this most modern of communication methods.
Dempsey’s “How to Plan Your Dream Vacation Using the Web” (Coriolis Group Books; $24.99) is a reader-friendly guide to using the vast resources of the World Wide Web. Dempsey, in plain English and straightforward examples, shows how to save time and money on most any aspect of your trip from choosing a destination to actually booking the flight. She includes tidbits on discount airline flights, hotels and rental cars that are advertised only on the Web, including the growing trend of ticketless travel. With Dempsey’s book, you can visit “virtual” countries, states and cities without leaving your home, learn about foreign etiquette and discover up-to-date weather conditions.
Going it alone
As Eleanor Berman so persuasively explains in her book “Traveling Solo: Advice and Ideas for More Than 250 Great Vacations” (Globe Pequot; $16.95), going to a place on one’s own does not have to be a frightening or uncomfortable experience. On the contrary, it can be quite exhilarating.
Berman describes where to go and what to do once you get there. Some possibilities include learning vacations (Chautauqua Institution in New York State; Smithsonian Seminars), study vacations abroad (from Interhostel to Cambridge University International Summer School), field research volunteer programs (Earthwatch), cooking schools and wine academies, photography and art workshops, heritage centers, adventure travel, bicycle tours, walking and hiking tours, nature tours, expedition cruises, museum- and university-sponsored tours, special interest tours and the more conventional spas and guided tours.
Where can you go alone? The answer, according to Berman, is almost everywhere.
Other new releases
“The Gay Vacation Guide: The Best Trips and How to Plan Them” by Mark Chestnut (Citadel Press; $14.95) addresses this growing segment of the travel population. It serves multiple purposes–as a source of information when planning a specific vacation, as a general reference guide or for the armchair traveler. Chestnut includes a complete list of tour operators and travel companies specializing in the gay community, numerous travel tips (such as finding lesbian and gay travel services on the Web) and how to save money by using gay-friendly businesses.
