Title: Travelling Aids
Author:
Section/SPIG: Health Administration
Issue Date:
Even though travel has been cut back substantially in many local health jurisdictions, the following sites should be of interest to you when you can travel.
Airlines
American Airlines (http://www.aa.com/) - make your reservations here and check departure & arrival times, an important consideration given how often flights are delayed or cancelled. Do your travel planning and find out what your current mileage is.
British Airways (http://www.british-airways.com/) - international and domestic scheduled and charter air services, reservations. Plan, book and manage your flights. Online check in.
Continental Airlines (http://www.flycontinental.com/) - reservations; in-flight tips for passengers
Delta Airlines (http://www.delta-air.com/) - reservations
WebFlyer (http://www.webflyer.com/) - check on frequent flyer points, awards. Find deals.
- healthcare conferences, 1997 calendar
Expedia (http://www.expedia.com/daily/home/default.asp) - use to check airfares and get deals on flights, hotel stays and car rentals
Northwest Airlines\ (http://www.nwa.com/) - jump right in and search for flights and fares, check in for your flight or log into WorldPerks
Southwest Airlines (http://www.southwest.com/) - get "Click-'n-Save Internet Specials, view featured destinations, schedules and make reservations
United (http://www.united.com/)
US Airways (http://www.usair.com/) - US Airways reservations site
Virgin Atlantic (http://www.virginatlantic.com) - flying club and schedule information. Reservations, too
Yahoo! Directory of Airlines (http://dir.yahoo.com/Business_and_Economy/Shopping_and_Services/Travel_and_Transportation/Airlines/) - alphabetical list of all airlines and most popular airlines
Airport Shuttles
Look for airport shuttles on the Web by typing in the city and the term shuttle or "airport shuttle" or look for transportation and airport.
SuperShuttle (http://www.supershuttle.com/) - door to door service on demand
Washington (DC) Flyer Coach Service (http://www.washfly.com) - ground transportation service from Dulles to downtown
ATMs
If you do some heavy duty shopping you might need additional cash. Knowing where ATMs are located in relation to your hotel or convention center is always helpful.
American Express ATM Finder (http://maps.americanexpress.com/expresscash/PrxInput.aspx) - Give the site your location and get locations for cash.
Discover ATM (http://www.discovercard.com/) - sorry, could not find the ATM machine location page on the Discover site
Mastercard ATM Locator (http://www.mastercard.com/atmlocator/index.jsp) - enter as much information as you know about your desired location and this site will find the ATMs that best fit your search criteria (with the understanding that not all ATMs are listed).
Visa ATM Locator (http://www.visa.com/cgi-bin/vee/pd/atm/main.html?2+0) - run short of cash? Locate cash machines wherever you are - worldwide.
Car Rentals
Getting from A to B is a lot easier now that you can reserve a car before you leave home.
Alamo Rent A Car (http://www.alamo.com/) - reserve and pick up your car online
Hertz Rent A Car (http://www.hertz.com/) - all locations for locating a Hertz rental car - worldwide
City Guides and Maps (including Restaurants)
It's always nice to learn something about the city you'll be visiting. While friends who live in a city might have the details, they might not have the time to tell you about the sights, events, museums, and favorite restaurants.
City Search (http://www.citysearch.com/) - details about daily life in dozens of cities: reviews of food, things to do and entertainment
Fodor's Guide (http://www.fodors.com/) - travel and baggage tips, restaurant and hotel recommendations, city information
Map Quest (http://www.mapquest.com/) - prepare individualized maps for appointments and business trips
Map Blast (http://www.mapblast.com/) - maps, driving directions and help to get you there (whereever there is)
Subway Navigator (http://www.subwaynavigator.com/) - subway guides and route finders for more than 50 international cities, 10 US cities, including DC
Street Maps (http://www.bigbook.com/) - from Big Book
Computers (equipment and broken)
Nothing worse than getting to a place and discovering you've forgotten a cable or broken a critical piece of computer gear.
iGo (http://www.igo.com/) - batteries and accessories for your cell phone, notebook and handheld devices
MobilePlanet (http://www.mobileplanet.com/shopanywhere/) - especially strong on equipment for handhelds and Tablet PCs. If the site looks a little strange it's because it's set up for viewing on handhelds with their small screens.
PC Mall (http://www.pcmall.com/) - order computer equip, will be delivered by 10:30 AM next morning
Radio Shack (http://www.radioshack.com/) - good source for computer equipment and peripherals. Shops are pretty ubiquitous.
Credit Cards (new, stolen, lost)
If you lose or have your credit cards stolen, we all know we should call our credit card company as soon as we can. Know your card's account number. The FTC recommends that you follow your phone call with a letter to the company. Here are phone numbers for the four most common credit card companies.
American Express - 1-800-554-AMEX
Discover - 1-800-DISCOVER (347-2683)
Mastercard - 1-800-307-7309
VISA - 1-800-847-2911
Photocopies and Posters
Visit business centers which are often located in hotels and convention centers as well as Kinkos and other copy shops for copies. In a pinch grocery stores and libraries have copy machines.
FedEx Kinkos (http://www.kinkos.com/) - Kinkos will make copies of your handouts if you don't want to carry them with you. Similarly they will make your poster for you. Also a good place to read email. Most stores are set up with wireless (T-Mobile). Look in the right-hand navigation bar for the "Find a Kinkos" box. Input the Zip/postal code.
Entertainment
Ticketmaster (http://www.ticketmaster.com/) - get tickets for Concerts, Sports, Arts, Theater, Family, Events, more.
Hotels/Lodgings
All Hotels (http://www.all-hotels.com/usa/) - find hotels on the Web by state
Hotel Choice (http://www.hotelchoice.com/) - reservations for Clarion, Comfort Inn, Quality Inn, Econolodge, Friendship
Marriott (http://www.marriott.com/) - hotels in Washington
Residence Inns (Also Marriott) (http://www.midatlanticmarriott.com/destinations/city.cfm?cityID=23) - locations, prices, guest information
Health Information for Travelers
CDC Travelers Info (http://www.cdc.gov/travel/index.htm) - find warnings, immunization information for travelers
U.S. Dept. of State (http://travel.state.gov/) - world-wide travel warnings and advisories. Look for the country you plan to visit
News and Weather
If you don't have time to watch the weather news, log onto the Weather Channel and get information fast.
Weather Channel (http://www.weather.com/twc/homepage.twc) - in addition to the weather, find weather related flight delays, local pollen forecasts and related information.
Office Supply
Run out of supplies? Check in the vendor's area for pens, pads of paper and other office-type give-aways.
Office Depot (http://www.officedepot.com/) - paper and other supplies to keep you writing.
Reliable Office Supply (http://www.reliable.com/) - order & ships office supplies the same day.
Passports
Passport Applications (http://travel.state.gov/download_applications.html) - these can be printed directly from the Web site
Phone Directories
When looking for a female friend, try both the full first name and initials if you do not find the person you are looking for.
Big Yellow (http://www.bigyellow.com/) - Verizon super pages
Yahoo! People Search (http://people.yahoo.com/) - first, last and city name
Switchboard (http://www.switchboard.com/) - find a business or a person
Lycos WhoWhere (http://www.whowhere.com/) - white pages
Shipping
Use Fedex or UPS to ship home your plunder, er, goodies, from the APHA vendors. Be sure to get yourself an account with both of the big shippers.
Fedex (http://www.fedex.com/) - track Federal Express packages, schedule pickups & deliveries
United Parcel Service (http://www.ups.com/) - track UPS packages; order deliveries and pickups
Travel, general
American Automobile Association (http://www.aaa.com/) - best place for state and county maps if you are traveling by car. Reservations, fuel cost calculator, and tour books.
QuickAID (http://www.quickaid.com/) - toll-free numbers for airlines & hotels; plus 29 airport directories, plus airport codes
Rubicon Digital Passport (http://www.rubicon.com/passport.html) - international travel and deliveries; currency exchange rates, embassies, airport guides, time zones
Traveler's Aid International (http://www.travelersaid.org/) - aid and contacts for US and foreign cities. Use when you run into problems travelling abroad. Travel tips.
Travelocity (http://www.travelocity.com/) - comprehensive travel planning site
TravelWeb (http://www.travelweb.com/) - outstanding site for hotel reservations; umbrella site for major hotel chains
Enjoy your trip to Washington, DC.