Wired Guides
Take a tour online before you travel.
The top source of online travel information for the business
traveler remains the aptly named ontheroad.com (http://www.ontheroad.com), a San
Francisco publisher of customized industry data about 11 global
centers of commerce. There, travelers can download information such
as business happenings on specific dates, and information about
museums and entertainment to their laptop or palmtop. It's an
eminently useful service and well worth the $99.95 annual
subscription if you find yourself traveling for business often.
But where do you go for other information?
Lonely Planet (http://www.lonelyplanet.com)
publishes most of its popular guidebooks online, in contrast to
other resources that offer only bits and pieces of their published
data. Its editorial voice is also among the most irreverent in the
business.
Content Continues Below
Frommers (http://www.frommers.com) is a good
resource for travelers who want to save money, but it does little
to address the specific needs of business travelers. However, what
it lacks in information it makes up for in interactivity. The
Frommers site is among the most high-tech of the bunch.
About.com (http://www.about.com), a Web-only guide,
features a wealth of free narrative information about travel,
including a section on business travel. But it doesn't
generally contain the same depth or specificity of information that
a guidebook or ontheroad.com does.
Christopher Elliott is a writer in Annapolis, Maryland.
Contact him at http://www.elliott.org.