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 Big Cheap Links |
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Big Cheap Links |
Big Cheap Links |
You could spend your whole life looking at travel-related sites on the Web. So, we figured we would try to separate the wheat from the chaff, and give you some good ones to get started. We'll put our very favorites on this page, and we'll tell you why they're our favorites. But for the bulk of the links, go to the different link sections on the left. Lonely Planet - Everybody's favorite cheap travel publishers. Practically invented the whole industry with "South East Asia on a ShoeString," originally published in 1976. Now they have something like 150 budget travel guides, as well as phrasebooks and other good stuff. The web site is pretty stunning, and it's definately our favorite travel site. It has the best destination information on the net - there's over 150 different countries and regions covered here. Hell, you can find out about Antarctica if you want! It's practically a magazine site, with articles that change regularly, and a huge amount of information on all sorts of travel-related subjects. It's a stunner, and our favorite! Arthur Frommer's Outspoken Encyclopedia of Travel - This sight is a kick, and cheap travelers will find the budget section especially useful. This guy Arthur Frommer, who has been publishing guide books for years, seems to have gotten a bee in his bonnet about how travel is promoted in the media, and he's on a one-man mission to "democractize" travel. He has a weekly article on some aspect of travel and/or the travel industry, and basically is message is that the industry has seriously corrupted the travel experience. We love his articles, which include things like "Bathless Rooms for Less", "The Art of Gypsying" (traveling permanently in a van), and "Champagne Tastes on a Beer Budget." This is the sort of site we here at Big Cheap World would aspire to if we had a budget. Rough Guide - Rough Guides are good backpacker companions - they're very budget-oriented, and we've used them on the road and been very happy with them. Their web site is much less elaborate than Lonely Planet's - it only covers a few countries, although it certainly covers India very thoroughly. They're part of HotWired. Rec.Travel Library - This site has tons of links and some original info on destinations and practical aspects of travel. They generally display a budget travel orientation, and have lots of personal "travelogue" links as well as links to established sites. Center for Disease Control - This is the easiest and fastest way to find out all the health risks in potential destinations. They're a bit conservative for us (e.g. they recommend Mefloquine for malaria, whereas we wouldn't touch the stuff - see here for a good Mefloquine scare story, and here for our page on malaria). But the traveler-orientation and clean layout of this site make it a pleasure to use.
these are misc that go on other pages. I'm just collecting them here for now.
Shoestring Travel e-zine - this is a nice site. There's always an article of the month, apparently contributed by readers, with old ones available in an archive. Best of all there's a really huge collection of links. He should get himself a link-checker, though - last time we checked lots of them were out of date. Universal Packing List - This is for you nervous nellies who are afraid you're going to forget something. If it's not on this list, well, not only do you not need it, it might not even exist! http://www.netcafeguide.com/ - cyber cafe guide. Cool! check before you go, maybe write down the addresses. Definately, e-mail is the greatest way to keep in touch, but remember to send postcards too - your friends need momentos that they can throw in a box and look at years later! http://www.hostels.com/ - the internet guide to hosteling - we like this - whether there are hostels in your area. http://www.nectec.or.th/rec-travel/general/travelite-faq.html - the travelite faq, all about traveling within the confines of a carry-on bag. Very entertaining read, and some great links and references, too.
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