Traveling without Moving
Whether you are planning a trip
overseas to avoid another anticlimactic Japanese Christmas, looking
to escape for the weekend, or simply want to know how to get from
A to B, traveling the world wide web should be your very first step.
Kansai Scene picks out some real nuggets from the many websites
out there that will help you with your travel plans.
|
Lonely Planet
www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations
The online version of the indispensable
Lonely Planet range of travel guide-books is a very useful
starting point to plan any holiday. A visit to the World-guide
section will turn up in-depth country and city information
for most major global holiday destinations. The abundance
of free information is a real steal for those not willing
to pay out for one of the guidebooks. Get that printer going!
|
 |
|
FlightFinder Japan
www.flightfinderjapan.com
This new website for the foreign market
in Japan claims to save you the hassle of making enquiries
with multiple travel agents to get the best price by bringing
them all together on one website. Registered users may view
fares from Japan's leading discount travel agents as well
as submit online ticket enquiries to any and all agents in
a region using one form. You then wait for the travel agents
to come to you. A real time saver and free to use too.
|
 |
|
Consular Travel Advice
http://travel.his.com/travel
A useful website for the more adventurous
traveler to check whether the chosen holiday destination has
recently been the subject of a military coup. The site is
intended for American citizens but the content is relevant
for any who want to stay on the safer side of the adventure
trail.
|
 |
|
Outdoor Japan
www.outdoorjapan.com
Looking for a break closer to home? There
is a lot see and do out of the urban sprawl and this useful
website provides an invaluable guide to travel and the outdoors
in Japan. With area guides divided by prefecture, activity
guides, accommodation listings and a lively forum this is
the place to begin to explore what lies beyond the borders
of your local subway network.
|
 |
|
Kansai Int'l Airport
www.kansai-airport.or.jp/english
Provides international and domestic flight
times as well as access infor-mation. Perfect for guiding
overseas friends to the correct airport bus stand, thereby
saving you the long journey to the ever-sinking airport. Includes
a setup guide for those WiFi nuts who have not yet worked
out how to access to the free interminal wireless Internet
service.
|
 |
|
Hyperdia
www.hyperdia.com/cgi-english
If the local train timetable looks like
hieroglyphics to you then this invalu-able tool may just be
your new best friend. Simple to use and incredibly helpful.
Enter the starting point and destination of your journey within
Japan and the handy Hyperdia engine will give you a detailed
train and plane schedule. Lists total journey time, cost and
even the time required to walk between transfers. Priceless.
|
 |
|
Currency Converter
www.xe.com/ucc
Want to know how many Dollars, Pesos or
Baht your hard-earned Yen are going to get you? The Universal
Currency Converter allows you to perform foreign exchange
rate calculations online, using up-to-the-minute currency
rates. Sign up for free currency rate email alerts to make
the most of your yen.
|
 |
|
Weather
www.intellicast.com
This site boasts “the best and broadest
selection of weather content in the world”. With detailed
10-day forecasts for any holiday destination
as well as a dedicated storm center you can dodge those pesky
hurricanes that can spoil a vacation.
|
 |
Text: Julian Ehrhardt
|
