Travel
It's not that I'm new to computers or, for that matter, the Internet. Almost a charter member of America Online, I have become a habitual e-mail user, a grateful downloader of freeware and shareware, and recently have tentatively ventured through AOL's Internet Connection to explore the vast, text-oriented data banks of Gopher and WAIS. Then one day not too long ago, a new icon popped up on AOL's sign-on screen, inviting current members to try out their new, "Web Browser."
Having a couple of hours to spare, I clicked on the WWW symbol, discovered that a new, test version of AOL software would be required to run it, signed-off on the standard disclaimers, and pressed the "Download Now" button. What happened changed my whole outlook on the Internet, changed the way I will gather travel information, and may have changed my life.
My five "free" online hours for that month were gone in a single afternoon as a virtual travel exposition came into view displaying colorful, graphic menus (home pages) loaded with pictorial images (hypergraphics) and highlighted headlines (hypertext) that require only the press of a mouse-button to send the viewer spinning off into distant but related domains. As I clicked and scrolled my way from one site to another, my screen was flooded with ideas on what to do, where to go and how to get there. From The Virtual Tourist home page I launched myself on a dazzling world tour by simply pointing and clicking on maps of continents, countries and cities, and at the Travel Web page, I viewed electronic brochures from hotels of all classes, even including color photos of typical rooms. From AESU Travel I got a rough overview of low cost air fares to Europe, and had I been ready and I could have reserved a rental car from Alamo.
Taking a break from researching factual data on hotel prices, airline schedules, rental car rates, and the other "hard" information needed for travel planning, I stumbled onto the enjoyable and innovative Around the World Journal (Internet or AOL).
This bold exercise in electronic publishing by Russell Gilbert will undoubtedly set a standard for its genre, and has already been selected as one of the "Top 5% of All Web Sites" by Point Communications Corporation. The multifaceted publication includes not only an account of Mr. Gilbert's travels through twenty-six countries, but using hypertext, links the viewer to 120 color photos, maps, and even a breakdown of expenses for his inspirational, nine-month journey.
Finally, with a cramp in my mouse-hand and the neck-kink that comes from staring at the computer screen too long, I signed off and sat down to unwind with a stack of Cond-Nast Travelers, the magazine/bible for those who hate to stay at home. I wondered, Are magazines like this going to be obsolete? Will traditional travel writers be unemployed? Is the travel agent an endangered species?
No, to all three, I concluded. But if they want to be in business this time next year, they're going to change. Travel expertise will no longer be measured by the number of miles logged, words written, or fares ticketed. Through the World Wide Web, travelers themselves can now perform many of the old services of the professional, so new skills will be demanded from the "experts" including the ability to search the Internet for fresh ideas and creative itineraries to unique destinations.
My thoughts were almost immediately vindicated. On the editorial page of the June "C/N Traveler," the now-familiar, lower case acronym, http leaped off the page heading a column in which Editor in Chief, Thomas J. Wallace announced a July 1995 computer version of his magazine on the World Wide Web. "I call your attention to these four letters," he wrote, "because, in the days to come, they will be as prevalent in these pages as toll-free telephone numbers." But he calmed his loyal readership with the assurance, "This may all sound a little Big Brotherish, but don't worry: I have seen the future of travel planning, and it's fun."
Whether exploring the World Wide Web is fun, work or something in between, one thing is certain: it's here to stay. In fact, things are moving so fast that hardly a day goes by without reading, seeing or hearing some reference to "the Web." For anyone who has ever dreamed of embarking upon a journey into cyberspace, it has never been easier to get there, so why wait any longer?