Breakaway - Sites to check out before you leave home

Feeling footloose and fancy free…and soooo ready for a holiday…

But before you book those tickets online, pack your bags and head out the door, here are three essential sites you should check out before taking off.

Take the hassle out of airfare shopping

Newish travel website, www.viasingapore.com, connects you up to places around the Asia-Pacific region, via Singapore Changi Airport. This site is a winner, combing through more than a hundred websites to give you the best fares on offer, making the search for the best airfare a breeze.

Simply divine 

Another recent addition to the scene, travel-related site www.holidaygoddess.com is a heaven-sent resource for women travellers in particular, with contributions from 30 former journalists and editors from fashion/lifestyle mags. Packed with information from “Holiday Goddesses” all around the globe, this will have you clued in on the latest travel news, insider tips and irresistible deals. I lurv the Handbag Guides – cool, quick city snapshots loaded with information on living the high life at the best spas and Michelin-starred restaurants, as well as budget-friendly activities like not-to-be-missed flea markets and discount outlets. Just download, print and go, girl!

Early bird special 

Cut down on boring queue time at the airport by checking in via the Internet. It’s easy: log on to the airline website about two to 48 hours before departure and enter your flight and personal details. A great time saver that gets you to the airport an hour, instead of two or more, before your flight. For a listing of airlines that offer Internet check-in service, see www.changiairport.com.sg, click on Airport Guide, then Departure.

- Lisa