West Palm Beach, Florida — As Tropical Storm Ernesto churns its way through Cuba and heads into the Florida Straits the most recent forecast path puts South Florida directly in his way.
If you live in South Florida it seems like NOW is a good time to take evasive action with a safe retreat to a less windy and waterlogged part of the world.
Whether you have a Hurricane plan or not – it’s almost time to make your final go/no-go decision. For many of us – getting out of dodge by leaving town is an excellent option. If you are looking for a good option for travel arrangements you may want to become familiar with the new travel site called Kayak.
See, and you thought I was going to suggest a boat as part of your Hurricane evacuation plan.
Kayak.com is different from popular travel sites like Orbitz or Expedia in that it isn’t a site where you actually book travel.
Kayak lets you see travel deals from hundreds of travel web sites
Wait, we’re not sending you on a wild goose chase. Instead, Kayak lets you compare travel alternatives from hundreds of travel sites and find the best price and amenities for your trip. Given that flights and alternative modes of transport out of Florida are already booking up, you are going to want to have the greatest possible choice when booking your travel. That’s why you may want to try Kayak.
Here at abigwind we conducted a sample search on Kayak.com for a flight tomorrow morning (Tuesday August 29, 2006) from Ft. Lauderdale to Atlanta – returning Saturday. Our best price was a fare of $329 on Spirit Air. If I had visited 3 or 4 other travel booking sites I could have arrived at the same price, just not as fast, and in Hurricane evacuations, time is critical. Another point to consider when trying to evacuate from the path of a Hurricane is when you book your travel. As far as availability goes, booking now, rather than later, will certainly increase your chances of getting out of town. The alternative is a very long drive and long lines at the gas station. Unless of course, you’re looking to make 20 or so new friends, in which case the gas station socials are waiting for you to join in!
If you do end up using Kayak for your Hurricane evacuation travel plans please let us know how it goes by commenting here or visiting our Hurricane Protection news and information community at http://www.abigwind.com .
Good luck Hurricane Country!
2 comments ↓
I hope Kayak has a better customer support team (and honest too) than EXPEDIA or other travel agencies. Big travel agencies like EXPEDIA have a lot of complaints. EXPEDIA is listed in the top ripoff link at the bad business bureau ( http://www.ripoffreport.com ) and has two “dedicated” websites due to poor customer support and lies: http://www.victimsofexpedia.com and http://www.shameonexpedia.com
Kind regards
Hi John – thanks for your comment. Since Kayak searches so many sites and ultimately refers users to the booking site (like Orbitz or Expedia) to purchase their travel, it would seem quite likely that you might end up on Expedia. Their interface makes it quite clear as to which booking engine is associated with the price and choice that they show you, and given that, and your experience with Expedia, you can simply choose another travel booking site. Happy Travels?
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