(A longer article on vacation/travel sites is available here.)

Summer is here, and with it comes cries of, "Where are we going on vacation this year?" You can plan every aspect of your vacation on the Internet. You can reserve airline tickets, hotel rooms, or rental cars, or you can search for restaurants or recreational activities.  

At City.Net Travel, you can click on a map to search over 5000 destinations. The site contains flights, hotels, and car rental information as well. You can choose a country or specific city and will be given data such as culture, education, lodging, maps, newspapers, and regional information. http://www.city.net/

Fodor's Travel Online contains information about vacation sites all over the world. You can build your own travel guide, view the hotel listings, or search their restaurant index. http://www.fodors.com/

What about taking a train? Cyberspace World Railroad is a mirror site for the Amtrak schedules. http://www.mcs.net/~dsdawdy/cyberoad.html

If you're planning a trip by car, a wonderful map site is Maps-On-Us, which contains maps, routing, and a yellow page service. http://www.mapsonus.com/

Now, don't get me wrong--I know none of you would ever consider going one mile over the speed limit. But to be on the safe side, you might want to check out The WWW Speed Trap Registry, a resource to help drivers know where they might encounter speed enforcement so they can adjust their speed accordingly. http://www.speedtrap.com/speedtrap/

For reserving your hotel, try Travel Now Hotel Reservations which features 20,000 hotels in 5000 cities and 150 countries, and you can save by making your reservations online. http://www.travelnow.com/

At festivals.com, you can look for festivals and events all over the world in categories such as arts, culture, motorsports, children, music, sports, and fairs. http://festivals.com/

According to most kids, a vacation wouldn't be a vacation without a trip to a water park. At the Official Website of the World Waterpark Association, you'll learn about park attractions such as wave pools and waterslide flumes, or you can search for a water park near your destination. http://www.waterparks.com/

If you want to go to the beach, check out the U.S. Travel and Vacation Guides for America's Beaches and Coast: http://www.surf-sun.com/us-beach.htm

DineNet Menus Online features menus from various restaurants across the United States. http://www.menusonline.com/

If you're like most folks and need to watch your pennies on this vacation, try the Traveler Savings Site. The site specializes in low hotel rates, discount clubs, and other ways to save money. http://home.sprynet.com/sprynet/inetmktg/

Next week, we'll look at sites that offer helpful hints of all kinds. See you then!

Robin Nobles is a freelance writer who can be reached at robinnobles@robinsnest.com.

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