Sites to See
he Web offers government road warriors some of the most streamlined and up-to-date places to obtain travel information. Many government sites now provide search engines and links to other sites in and outside government. Nongovernment sites play a vital role by compiling information in one place, saving time for users.
Below is a list of some key sites:
GENERAL FEDERAL TRAVEL
http://pub.fss.gsa.gov/citypairs
Anything you would want to know about the government's low negotiated airline fares, including schedules and ticket prices, is available on this Federal Supply Service site.
http://nasdac.faa.gov/internet/fw_search.htm
This Federal Aviation Administration page is devoted to aviation safety data. You can search databases that document airline safety incidents and accidents, including the National Transportation Safety Board Aviation Accident/Incident Database and the Bureau of Transportation Statistics Airline Traffic Statistics database. A cross-system search feature allows users to retrieve data from all databases on the site.
http://policyworks.gov/org/main/mt/homepage/mtt/mtthp.htm
The General Services Administration's travel site provides a jumping-off point for your search for most civilian travel information. It includes information on per diem rates, the Premiere Lodging Program, Federal Travel Regulations, state tax-exemption policies and many other topics. A search engine allows you to search the regulations, and the site includes a link to the National Travel Conference 2000 Web site.
http://pub.fss.gsa.gov/services/gsa-smartpay
Have a question about the government's travel and fleet card contracts? Find the answer at the site that includes the Task Order Guide for GSA's Fleet, Travel and Purchase Cards, which can help if you're issuing or administering task orders under GSA's master contract for charge cards.
www.bts.gov
The Bureau of Transportation Statistics' site provides a wealth of studies on airline and surface transportation (including on-time statistics), access to transportation-related databases and the National Transportation Library, and technical data.
www.financenet.gov/financenet/travel/travel.htm
FinanceNet - which bills itself as the "largest intergovernmental Internet network in the world" - is a one-stop shop for surplus government property as well as a source of information on DoD-related travel, the DOT travel management system, and federal travel regulations.
www.fss.gsa.gov
The Federal Supply Service awards the government's services contracts for fleet purchase, leasing and shipment of household goods, and the travel card. The site includes a complete list of vendors, a search engine and a link to federal supply schedules.
www.gsa.gov/regions/r9/travel/balv.htm
GSA's Value Lodging program site offers a state-by-state list of participating hotels and motels.
www.usfa.fema.gov/hotel
On this U.S. Fire Administration site, you can search by state for lodgings that meet the requirements of the 1990 Hotel and Motel Fire Safety Act and find out what your agency must do to comply with the law. The site also provides a list of fire-safety tips.
www.midatlantic.gsa.gov/fss/travel/training.htm
GSA's travel training branch trains federal travelers and authorizing officials worldwide in the ins and outs of rules and procedures affecting temporary duty travel and relocation. This site provides a list of upcoming courses.
INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL
http://travel.state.gov
The Bureau of Consular Affairs home page provides recent press releases and travel advisories related to international political conditions. It also contains links to pages with information on passports, visa services, U.S. embassies and consulates, travel publications and other topics. A must-visit if you are going overseas.
www.cdc.gov/travel
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's site for travelers heading overseas includes vaccine recommendations; health information for specific regions and countries; information for travelers with special needs, such as disabilities; lists of disease outbreaks and other disease prevention information. It's well worth a visit, whether you are traveling to Canada or Cambodia.
www.customs.gov/travel/travel.htm
This site is the U.S. Customs Service's one-stop shop for info on customs issues, including restricted and prohibited merchandise, medications and regulations governing currency. It includes a special section for business travelers and is useful whether you are traveling overseas or playing host to guests coming from afar.
www.ins.usdoj.gov/graphics/howdoi/inspass.htm
Start here if you want to get on board with INSPASS, the INS program that lets frequent travelers zip through checkpoints when re-entering the United States. You can find the enrollment form at www.ins.usdoj.gov/graphics/formsfee/forms/i-823.htm.
DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
www.mtmc.army.mil
The Military Traffic Management Command's site offers info on commercial travel offices serving Defense Department employees, approved transportation carriers, travel regs, transporting household goods and personal vehicles and more.
http://trol.redstone.army.mil/mwr/lodging/acrc_lsp_main.html
This site for the Army Central Reservation Center provides information on how to use the Army's Lodging Success program, the preferred lodging program available to military and civilian travelers on official orders to Army installations and others. The site includes a list of participating hotels and motels.
www.defensetravel.com/home.html
Information central for DoD's travel reengineering project, the Defense Travel System, the site includes details on the system's implementation and vendors along with an online demo.
www.dfas.mil
On the Defense Finance and Accounting Service's home page, click on "Money Matters" to get facts on travel and transportation pay, including information on travel cards and travel advances.
www.dtic.mil/travelink
The home page for the Defense Travel System's Project Management Office offers regular updates and other information on the project.
www.dtic.mil/perdiem
The home page for the Per Diem, Travel and Transportation Allowance Committee provides per diem rates, the full text of the joint federal travel regulations, and lodging and dining information.
OTHER USEFUL SITES
www.embassyweb.com
This comprehensive source offers links to diplomatic offices, international sites and a bookstore. It soon will provide a searchable database of more than 50,000 addresses, phone numbers and e-mail addresses for diplomatic posts all over the world. The site includes a search engine and links to policy, news and travel resources. You can order foreign currency at discount exchange rates here.
www.fedtravel.com/gsa
This free service provided by Innovata includes city-pair airfares, hotel and car rental information and rail schedules. Innovata also offers a full-service subscription-based intranet product, www.fedtravel.com, linked to the authorized Federal Travel Directory. It provides additional information (such as real-time flight status data from the Federal Aviation Administration) and enables travelers to plan an itinerary and book online at government rates.
www.gov.oag.com
OAG's site provides government and military travelers with information on its "OAG Official Traveler" products and services. Included is free trial access to all published direct and connecting flights worldwide for more than 800 airlines (including GSA contract flights and fares) and information on more than 73,000 hotels, government car rental rates, maps and more. OAG's Official Traveler products are available by subscription only via intranet, extranet (updated weekly), LAN and CD-ROM.
www.government-travel.org
This site is hosted by the Society of Government Travel Professionals (formerly the Society of Travel Agents in Government - STAG). SGTP is a membership association for federal travel managers and travel agents who have government clients. Here you can find information on airline city pairs, car rentals, federal travel regulations, foreign travel, lodging (including a list of the hotels in compliance with the 1990 Fire Safety Act) and per diem rates.
www.hotelsatperdiem.com
Also available from travel maven OAG, this site lists hotels and motels nationwide that comply with federal per diem limits and fire-safety regulations. Travelers can provide feedback via the site about hotels and per diem rates. Users who have trouble finding a hotel at or below per diem can report that info to GSA; the agency will reconsider an area's per diem if several travelers point out problems.
www.nws.noaa.gov
The official U.S. weather site includes current conditions, forecasts and weather advisories for hundreds of localities.
- Caroline Polk contributed to this report
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