Juan,

Regarding online booking: in August 2003 I arrived in a place called Deauville in France. I'd managed to arrive during a French firemens' convention so all hotels were full except for the big fancy "Normandy Barriere" hotel on the beach that wanted 450 Euros for the night. I went to the local internet cafe and paid 5 euros to log onto Expedia and book a room at the same hotel for 220 Euros. Still more than I expected to pay, but saving 230 Euros when you have no choice isn't something to sneeze at!

Then I needed to get home to New Zealand for my daughter's 2nd birthday. In typical fashion and after missing my booked flight, I managed to arrive in JFK, NY at the very beginning of that power blackout in August 2003. The next 24 hours was "interesting" and (of course) I missed her birthday. Luckily at that age it isn't difficult to move the birthday a few days without them noticing.

Overall: online booking has advantages and disadvantages. In May I paid about $500 to fly from LAX around a few US cities. My travel agent had quoted $750 for the same itinerary on United. A great saving, right? except that the cheaper airline stung me $50 for excess baggage each leg because I was carrying quite a lot of stuff. Forming a relationship with one carrier obviously has advantages. Swings and round-abouts, I guess.