Newsletter offers agents internet tips

A growing number of travel agents are using his newsletter for travel tips, believes Robert Cowen, publisher of www.InternetTravelTips.com. “I suspect they utilize the survival tips to pass on their own clients. Or I hope so anyway,” said Mr Cowen, a software salesman and frequent traveler who has been putting out a free, monthly newsletter for the past few years. His newsletter consists often of “survival travel tips I learned the hard way.” For example, do you get on an airplane early or late? Early, if you’re on a regular flight because there’s limited storage space. Late, if you’re taking a regional jet because if you board last you might find a better seat than your assigned one. Another tip when looking for a suburban hotel: “I’ve found that Travelaxe is a great shopping and buying site for hotel stays. However, it’s possible to miss some hotel listings if you look in a small city that is near a big city.” Mr Cowen does not have a favorite overall internet site. “Unfortunately, there’s no one size fits all. So it all depends what I’m shopping for,” he said. However, for domestic flights when seeking the lowest fare, he uses what might seem to be an unusual source: ITASoftware and SideStep together. “Individually, I’ve found ITASoftware provided the lowest prices 66% of the time and SideStep 89%, but together they provided the lowest prices 100% of the time,” he said. However, Mr Cowen’s motto is simply: “Don’t confuse shopping with buying.” “In most cases,” he advises, look for the cheapest price on the airline’s web site. –Report by David Wilkening–