FREE ESSAY ON INTERNET AND TRAVEL

INTERNET AND TRAVEL

In the past ten to twenty years the internet has opened up a world one could have never
have imagined. It has made the inconvenience of everyday life convenient. People can do
just about anything one the internet today, one thing in particular is arranging travel.
There are many issues associated with arranging travel on the internet, such as;
security, price, e-tickets, and convenience. I have conducted research on the following
three web sites, www.expedia.msn.com , www.priceline.com . and www.cheaptickets.com . I
have found these web sites have many accomodating features to help plan your vacation
from start to finish.
Firstly, the matter of security is probably the most important. If a consumer is
revealing personal information or credit card numbers on the internet , that person wants
to be sure the information is secure. All of the web sites researched have their policy
pages which outline the security policies of that particular web site. To start with,
Expedia.msn.com is a member of TRUSTe, an independent, non-profit initiative that exists
to help people feel confident about using the internet. TRUSTe aims to build this
confidence by promoting the principles of disclosure and fair information practices among
web sites that participate in the program. Principle 1 states that, "sites will
explicitly ask when they need information that personally identifies you," 2 says that,
"sites and their necessary service partners use your personal information to operate the
sites and services and to inform you of new features, services, and products from
Microsoft and its affiliates," 3 states, "if a web site intends to use personal
information for a Secondary Use, the site will provide you with instructions on how to
decline the service," 4 says, "sites that are primarily directed at children will not use
Personal Information for a secondary use without obtaining the consent of a parent or
gaurdain," 5 states, "sites may disclose Personal Information if required to so by law or
in the good-faith belief that such action is necessary to (a) conform the edicts of the
law or comply with legal process served on Microsoft or the site; (b) protect and defend
the rights or property of Microsoft, the site or the users of; (c) act under exigent
circumstances to protect the personal saftey of users of Microsoft, the site or the
public," (http://expedia.msn.com/daily/service/privacy.asp). Next, cheaptickets.com
states, "Our site uses a Netscape Secure Commerce Which works with Netscape and Internet
Explorer Web browsers to encrypt your personal information and credit card information as
it is sent to a secure database hosted by SABRE reservation system"
(www.cheaptickets.com/info/securiy.html). They also boldly add, " In fact with the use of
encryption, your credit card information is much safer than if your credit card leaves
your possesion, such as in a restaurant or at a gas station"
http://expedia.msn.com/daily/service/privacy.asp). Priceline.com has a very straight
forward privacy promise, "Priceline.com promises never to sell rent, barter,share or in
any other way use personally-identifying information collected during your sue of our web
site without your prior permission"(www.priceline.com/PriceLineASPOurCompany
/ASP/privacy_policy.asp). They also go on to say occasionally they reveal general
information about how many users their site gets and the products they sell but will
never refrence you by name or specific address. All of these websites appear to be pretty
secure.
Next we should deal with the issue of money. It is always wise to never settle on what
you firsts ee. Shop around, there is always the possibility you could find something
cheaper,or so you thought. Now there is priceline.com, and they have an advantage in
e-commerce; you name your price. If they can match your price with a seller then you get
airline tickets at the price you named. It is convenient for you to get the tickets at
the price you named, however, priceline.com dosen't give you a list of results,they buy
the tickets, that is they charge them to your credit card as soon as they find a match.
Cheaptickets and Expedia search and give you a list of results without an automatic
purchase. 
Another key issue is convenience. All web sites are convenient in the fact that all you
have to do is type a few keys and shop from place to place. However, individual web site
convenience is also important. Expedia.msn has an easy to view homepage. It presents
icons at the top of the page for flights, hotels, cars, vacations, and cruises. It has a
round trip flight search as well. It also has various other highlights and activities
such as, golf, bussiness, and adventure. Cheaptickets.com also has a round trip search,
however, they have two different kinds of searches, Express search- for a ticket fast,
and Power search- for a ticket cheap. There is also hotel and rental car information.
Priceline.com also has airline ticket, hotel rentals, and rental car searches where you
name your own price. The home page is easy to use and convenient for saving money.
E-tickets are another issue associted with online travel. Electronic tickets are
paperless tickets that are stored in the airline's computer system. All of these web
sites offer e-tickets, but do people use them. In an ongoing survey at yahoo travel
people are being asked, "How do you feel about e-tickets?" As of February 29,00, 1121
people have voted and 48% say they always use them, followed by 28% saying they sometimes
use them, and only 13% never using e-tickets. People use them because they are
convenient. With no fear of losing your ticket, all you have to do is go to the airport
with a photo ID and check in at the ticket counter. A couple of clicks and you have an
airline ticket. 
In my opinion, online travel is safe, cheap, and convenient. I would however reccomend
one read all security policies for a particular web site before releasing personal
information. Next, you can save a lot of money on the internet. Priceline.com's new type
of demand collection system" is saving consumers money while letting the companies still
profit. Lastly, everyone is a little lazy. The conveience of doing things from home or
work is enormous. This is shown by the booming success of e-commerce in the past ten
years. People like convenience. It's just that simple. Also, e-tickets are also an
accomodation to the traveler. It is just one less thing to worry about. 
In conclusion, arranging travel on the internet seems like what people are doing these
days. Security, at least at the three web sites I've researched, is secure with one web
site claiming encryption is safer than your credit card leaving you at a restaurant. It
also saves money. If there is one thing people love it is saving money. One web site even
allows for you to name your own price. It is convenient because you can do it from home
and shop around for prices at the click of a mouse. E-tickets are aslo a convenience for
the traveler. No fear of losing your ticket because it's already at the airport! People
have been flocking to the Internet to arrange their next vacation and after my research I
can see why.