Do you know of any good transport and journey planning websites for the UK

Asks doukie

A. There are a number of sites that are worth checking out, some of them can prove invaluable�- once you find one you like it is addictive and you probably won't leave home without logging on in future! Some of the best include the following:

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A2B Travel.com

This site covers all means of transport e.g. by train, car, coach etc. around the country and allows you to plan your journey from start to finish�- with the best routes, journey times, cheapest tickets available. It also has the added advantage of explaining the London Underground system and plans the best route across the city for novice city travellers. The site also keeps you up to date with travel news - jams, delays etc - so you can really tell how long your journey is going to take - you can access the site from your WAP phone too.

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You can book international flights, hire cars (it guarantees the cheapest worldwide car hire plus a �10 online discount) buy currency and travel insurance, book European ferries, book a ski holiday or go snowboarding from this site or via its links. A2B also provides the only guide to UK airports online and how to get there by bus, car or rail.

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Streetmap

This is a great site - its just like having an A-Z of every town in the country at your fingertips, without the hassle of having to look up the street name in the index at the back and then locate it on the page - as this website does all that for you�- and allows you to zoom in too. You can search by street name, post code, phone code or even latitude and longitude. Aerial photographs of some areas are also available.

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Travel From Here

This site allows you to plan your journey from A to B and is particularly good because it provides great information on travelling by coach and train�- which many sites see as secondary. You can buy tickets online and access timetables - and find out whether there is room on board for you can take your bike along. It also provides up to date and accurate information on all coach and rail companies throughout the country.

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The UK Travel Guide

This is another great site - providing information on all aspects of travel in the UK including hotels, airports, timetables and even a section on the British weather. It's A-Z guide covers travel by bike, car, coach, rail, or taxi with additional information on the channel tunnel, customs, postal services, tax refunds for visitors, public holidays and the royal family. You can also find information on any tourist information centre in the country here. This site also has a great London Guide and active map, and an active UK map (covering over 100 cities and tourist attractions, with local web links).

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As if that wasn't enough you can also find all your UK accommodation here in addition to the latest weather report, lottery numbers, what's on TV and at the cinema. If you prefer finding out about your travel destination the old fashioned way - by reading a guide book - this site also recommends some good bedtime reading which include The Best Bed & Breakfast England, Scotland & Wales 2001-2002; Karen Brown's England, Wales & Scotland: Charming Hotels and Itineraries; Access London and Daytrips London: 55 One-Day Adventures.

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Kasbah

This site offers a huge and comprehensive list of links for every city and town in the country including information on rail, sea and air travel. It also has lots of local maps, updated travel news and details on all tourist information centres.

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Other good sites are those providing detailed rail information - national rail at www.nationalrail.co.uk and coach services at www.gobycoach.com.

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Route planners:

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The AA offers its very cool Travelwatch service that enables you to beat the traffic with updated news and routes, so it's good to check this out before embarking on any journey. Travelwatch allows you to save your favourite journeys and will email you with traffic alerts. It also offers information on insurance, loans, breakdown cover, car valuations, driving schools and how to find a hotel or B&B in the UK. It can provide you with a route via destination or complete postcode in the UK. It also covers Europe.

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The RAC's site is a bit more staid to look at on the home page, but works just as well and is just as good on European destinations as it is on the UK. It also lets you plan "via" into your journey so you can make stop-offs on the way and incorporates this into its overall planned route, which is a nice touch. Other add-ons on the site include RAC membership, driving schools, buying a car, finding a hotel, checking traffic and the best of all, planting a tree!

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Greenflag apart from being very fast, it also looks good with a small map (with zoom in features) on the same page as the detailed route. It offers a similar service to the other two including good insurance, with the exception of letting you download an International Driving Permit online, which is very handy.

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If you have any other Travel related questions, please click here

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By Karen Anderson