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101 ЛУЧШИХ ВЕБСАЙТОВ ПО ТУРИЗМУ, ДЕШЕВЫМ ПУТЕВКАМ, ПОЕЗДКАМ и т.п.
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Everyone knows about the eBays, the Orbitzes, the Travelocities, and the Pricelines, but where do you turn when you need to find a hot spring in Idaho, an agency that specializes in cheap airfare to India, or a cybercafe in Istanbul? To Budget Travel's 2004 Address Book, that's where. We've come up with a list of 101 suppliers, Web sites, government organizations, and nonprofits that can best help you travel intelligently.

PREPARATION

ATM locator MasterCard/Maestro/ Cirrus ATM Locator. Pinpoints ATMs worldwide; www.mastercard. com/cardholderservices/atm

Coupons Entertainment Publications. Publishes 161 regional editions of valuable coupon books (priced from $25 to $45) good for discounts at hotels, restaurants, and shops, plus online coupons; 888/231-7283, www.entertainment.com

Currency conversion Oanda. Convert anything to anything, even at rates from months in the past;
www.oanda.com

Cybercafes Cyber-cafe Search Engine.
Online since the mid-'90s, it gives directions to more than 6,000 cafes around the world; www.cybercaptive.com

Foreign tax refund Global Refund. VAT procedures explained; www.globalrefund.com

Tour operators U.S. Tour Operators Association. Find the most trustworthy companies; 212/599-6599, www.ustoa.com

Travel products Magellan's. The travelers' catalog includes every conceivable item from emergency radios to disposable underwear; 800/962-4943, www.magellans.com

GOVERNMENT

Customs regulations U.S. Customs & Border Protection. Get the rules before shoppping abroad; www.customs.gov/xp/cgov/travel

Embassies Embassy World. Links to every embassy and consulate on earth; www.embassyworld.com

Passports, visas, warnings U.S. Department of State. Resources on passports, visas, and dangerous world hot spots; 800/741-7874, http://travel.state.gov

Tourism offices Tourism Offices Worldwide Directory. Links to more than 1,200 bureaus and chambers of commerce; www.towd.com

HEALTH

Evacuation Medjet Assistance. Emergency medical evacuation insurance; 800/963-3538, www.medjetassistance.com

Medical advice International Association for Medical Assistance to Travelers. Advice about disease risks and healthy travel, with free membership; 716/754-4883, www.iamat.org

Prevention Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Required vaccinations and outbreak warnings for all countries; 877/ 394-8747, www.cdc.gov/travel

AIRFARES AND PACKAGES

Bidding Tips BiddingForTravel.com. An independent bulletin board for sharing recent winning bids on Priceline and other travel-bid sites; www.biddingfortravel.com

Comparisons Qixo. Fetches low quotes from scores of airlines; www.qixo.com

Frequent-flier miles Inside Flyer. Special offers, mileage bonuses, and insider info on all the major frequent-flier programs; www.insideflyer.com

Last-minute packages Site 59. It sells trips from 76 cities, at up to 60 percent off, from 14 days to up to 3 hours before takeoff; www.site59.com

Round-the-world Airtreks. Specialist in RTW tickets, with a Web site that plans and prices any journey for free; 877/247-8735, www.airtreks.com

Unadvertised deals Digital City. Late-breaking airfare deals; choose from nearly 300 U.S. cities, then click "See all travel bargains"; www.digitalcity.com/travel

Within Europe EuropebyAir. A partnership of 21 independent, regional airlines servicing about 150 destinations; 888/387-2479, www.europebyair.com

Worldwide search Flights.com. Find low airfares to faraway places on both
major and lesser-known airlines; 312/332-0090, www.eltexpress.com

AIRFARE BY DESTINATION

Africa Magical Holidays. Prices such as New York to Cape Town from $899; 800/228-2208.

Central Europe Sophisticated Traveler. Prices such as Chicago to Budapest from $580; 800/801-1055, www.s-traveler.com

China Far Eastern Travel. Prices such as Dallas to Beijing from $688; 800/275-3384, www.feti.com

India Hari World Travel. Prices such as New York to New Delhi from $900; 888/889-2968, www.hariworld.com

Ireland and the U.K. Ireland-UK Consolidated. Prices such as Atlanta to London from $339; 800/577-2900, www.ukair.com

Israel Tzell Travel Group. Prices such as Detroit to Tel Aviv from $833; 212/944-2121, ext. 622, www.tzell.com

Japan Japan Budget Travel Interna- tional. Prices such as Los Angeles to Tokyo from $555; 877/246-5284, www.jbti.com

Latin America Pino Welcome Travel. Prices such as Houston to Buenos Aires from $595; 800/ 247-6578, www.pinotravel.com

Russia Eastern Tours Consolidated. Prices such as New York to Moscow from $390; 800/ 339-6967, www.traveltorussia.com

LODGING

B&Bs BedandBreakfast.com. More than 27,000 B&Bs around the world, exclusive specials; www.bedandbreakfast.com

Chain hotels Travelweb. The matrix that the big brands (Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, etc.) use to promote their own specials; www.travelweb.com

Coupons RoomSaver.com. Printable coupons for hundreds of hotels and motels in North America; 800/766-6728, www.roomsaver.com

Hostels Hostels.com. With more than 6,000 properties around the globe, the Web's most comprehensive hostel site; www.hostels.com

Hosting GlobalFreeloaders.com. A free database of more than 6,000 people in 100 countries who will lodge strangers for nothing; www.globalfreeloaders.com

Houses Vacation Rentals by Owner. Around 18,000 vacation rentals worldwide; www.vrbo.com

House swapping HomeLink International. A home-exchange organization, the largest of its kind, with more than 15,000 members in 50 countries; 800/ 638-3841, www.homelink.org

Last-minute LateRooms. At least 37,000 discounted rooms listed in five languages; www.laterooms.com

Villas Unusual Villa Rentals. Rents more than 3,000 private villas and 30 islands scattered around the globe, as well as yacht charters; 800/846-7280, www. unusualvillarentals.com

World hotels Cheapaccommodation. com. Notices of specials at all types of hotels; www.cheapaccommodation.com

LODGING BY DESTINATION

Asia Asia Travel. Singapore-based site that sells high-level hotel rooms for up to 75 percent off; www.asiatravel.com

Australia Wotif.com. Last-minute bargains on lodging worldwide, but especially Down Under; www.wotif.com

Europe All-Hotels. Lists some 100,000 properties, including 37,000 European ones; www.all-hotels.com

North America Hotel Discounts. Run by Hotels.com; offers discounts up to 70 percent off rack rates; 800/715-7666, www.hoteldiscounts.com

CARS AND RVs

European rentals Auto Europe. Rents cheap vehicles through a large network of foreign affiliates; 888/223-5555, www.autoeurope.com

Rentals DiscountCars.net. For comparison quotes on rental cars; 800/697-5908, www.discountcars.net

Road-trip planning RoadTrip America. Home to bulletin boards, books, links, maps, and photographs; 702/320-4866, www.roadtripamerica.com

RVs Recreational Vehicle Industry Association. Background info on rentals,
suppliers, and campgrounds; www.gorving.com

Scenic byways National Scenic Byways Online. Federally funded site features detailed maps, travelers' tales, and detailed information on America's most beautiful drives; 800/429-9297, www.byways.org

TRAINS

European tickets Rail Europe. Represents almost every Continental rail system; 877/257-2887, www.raileurope.com

European timetables European Railway Server. A platform for national rail companies, useful for gauging costs, timetables, and whether a rail pass would be cheaper; http://mercurio.iet.unipi.it/misc/timetabl.html

CRUISING AND YACHTING

Brokers CruiseCompete. Discounters bid for business; www.cruisecompete.com

Freighters TravLtips. The authority on passenger travel on freighters for over 35 years; 800/872-8584, www.travltips.com

Research Cruise Critic. Reviews on ships, companies, destinations, deals; www.cruisecritic.com

Yacht charters Yacht-Links. Portal to bonded charter brokers, crewing agencies, harbormasters, sailing schools, and many other resources; www.yacht-links.net

NICHE TRAVELERS

African-Americans African American Travel. Cruises, hotels, heritage tours, black-owned businesses; www.africanamericantravel.com

Disabled travelers Society for Accessible Travel & Hospitality. Tips, books, access guides, and a calendar of events; 212/447-7284, www.sath.org

Families VacationKids.com. Cruises and packages aimed at families and kids; 610/681-7360, www.vacationkids.com

Gays and lesbians PlanetOut Travel. Encyclopedias of listings, calendars, tour
operators, and articles; www.planetout.com/travel

Honeymooners The Knot. About 2.1 million lovers a month use the site, which offers deals on newly-wed getaways around the world; www.theknot.com

Pet owners Petswelcome.com. Advice and bulletin boards on pet-friendly travel; www.petswelcome.com

Seniors Elderhostel. Nonprofit specializing in edu-tours for those 55 and older; 877/426-8056, www.elderhostel.org

Singles O Solo Mio. A company that organizes trips and tours for singles; 800/959-8568, www.osolomio.com

Students STA Travel. Global source of air specials, lodging discounts, and packages, especially for people under 26; 800/781-4040, www.statravel.com

Women Journeywoman. Online travel guide for women, including directories and travel tips; 416/929-7654, www.journeywoman.com

SPECIAL INTERESTS

Agritourism European Federation for Farm and Village Tourism. Provides links
to farmstay organizations in nearly 20 countries; www.eurogites.com
Archaeological digs Archaeological Institute of America. Info on fieldwork sessions accessible to the public; 617/353-9361, www.archaeological.org
Ecotourism Planeta. For tour-operator listings, info on green businesses, and news; www.planeta.com
Ghost towns Ghosttowns.com. Compiled by a devotee, the site profiles thousands of ghost towns in North America; www.ghosttowns.com
Hitchhiking Vilnius Hitchhiking Club. This club is the international authority on hitching, dispensing advice, stories, resources, and support; www.autostop.lt
Literary travel Literary Traveler. Info on following in the footsteps of renowned authors; www.literarytraveler.com
Living abroad Transitions Abroad. Study or volunteer programs, jobs, and internships short- and long-term; 8027 442-4827, www.transitionsabroad.com
Nudism NudePlaces.com. Hundreds of family-friendly naturist resorts; 888/833-8869, www.nudeplaces.com
Social activism Global Exchange. Educational tours to the threatened places of the world; 415/255-7296, www.global exchange.org/tours
Spas SpaFinder.com. Database of spas everywhere; www.spafinder.com
Spiritual retreats Find the Divine. Info on more than 1,200 retreats; 703/759-9759, www.findthedivine.com
Summer camps Frost's Summer Camp Guide. Lists more than 1,000 North American kids' camps, with a 25 percent discount on some camps' fees; 973/875-8278, www.gocamps.com

ATHLETIC VACATIONS

Cycling National Bicycle Tour Directors Association. Full listing of upcoming tours in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and France; www.nbtda.com
Horseback riding Hidden Trails. For riding clinics, horseback vacations, guest ranches, and equine holidays; 888/987-2457, www.hiddentrails.com
Skiing GoSki. Guides to some 2,000 ski resorts even in Israel, Greece, and Lesotho; 800/467-5445, www.goski.com
Swimming Swimmers Guide. To find a swimming pool anywhere in the world, with reviews; www.swimmersguide.com
Tennis Tennis Resorts Online. Tennis magazine's Roger Cox maintains this compendium of resorts in the United States, Mexico, and the Caribbean; www.tennisresortsonline.com

NATURE/ADVENTURE TRAVEL
Cabins ReserveUSA.com. Clearinghouse for U.S. wilderness cabins and camping spots; www.reserveusa.com
Camping Woodall's. A free online directory of campgrounds and RV campsites, plus a line of extensive published guides; 877/680-6155, www.woodalls.com
Hiking American Hiking Society. Volunteer vacations, an online trail finder, and updates on environmental issues; 301/ 565-6704, www.americanhiking.org
Hot springs Hot Springs Enthusiast. Detailed maps and guides to American hot springs; www.hotspringsenthusiast.com
Outdoor activism Sierra Club Outings. Offers over 350 rafting, camping, backpacking, and volunteer trips a year, with a pro-environmental slant; 415/977-5522, www.sierraclub.org/outings/national
Walking Webwalking. Find links to all kinds of walking and trekking groups and tour operators around the world; www.webwalking.com/trek.shtml
Walking in Britain HF Holidays. Dirt-cheap walking/ hiking vacations overseas for all abilities especially in the British Isles; 011-44/20-8905-9556, www.hfholidays.co.uk

LEARNING VACATIONS

Schools and workshops ShawGuides. Links to more than 5,000 opportunities, from photography classes to cooking schools to language vacations; 212/799-6464, www.shawguides.com
Study abroad IIEPassport. Searchable database of nearly 6,000 study-abroad programs hosted by major universities; 877/404-0338, www.iiepassport.org

HELPING OUT

Awareness Responsible-Travel.com. Independent site offers advice and info about the impact of tourism on local cultures; www.responsible-travel.org
Community volunteering Global Volunteers. Sponsors more than 150 short programs (repairing schools, working at
orphanages, teaching English, etc.) in 19 nations around the world; 800/487-1074, www.globalvolunteers.org
Environmental science Earthwatch Institute. Work on conservation efforts alongside scientists; 800/776-0188, www.earthwatch.org
Outdoor volunteering Wilderness Volunteers. Camping trips in America's national parks, with trail work, exotic-plant control, and so on; 928/556-0038, www.wildernessvolunteers.org
Peace work camps Volunteers for Peace. Organizes short-term service programs in 90 countries that focus on poverty, social, and environmental issues; 802/259-2759, www.vfp.org

Сосканировано и оцифровано из журнала Arthur Frommer's BUDGET TRAVEL Dec 2003 - Jan 2004.