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and restaurants. By skimming through some of the articles on the travel guide websites, you'll get a good idea of which guide suits you best.

The final kind of informational website you should be aware of is the hobby site. Hobby sites are often run by just one or two people, and they are generally very specifically focused on a topic of personal interest. One hobby site I used to plan a cross-country drive is www.roadtripusa.com. This site lists the main routes across the US (both east-west and north-south) and gives descriptions of each route. As with this site, travel hobbies often grow into travel books, which will usually be promoted on the website. But there is generally plenty of information on a true hobby site to help you in your research.

COMMERCIAL WEBSITES

There are two kinds of commercial websites that you need to be aware of when researching your trip: vendor sites and all-in-one sites. Most sizeable travel vendors will allow you to research prices and make reservations online. In fact, online payment has become so easy that even smaller hotels and guest houses sometimes have an online reservation system. There are pluses and minuses to using a vendor site. On the positive side, you'll be able to find out exactly what you are getting for your money, since the site will likely provide service information and possibly even photographs. The main drawback to using a vendor site is that you won't be able to easily compare your options side by side. If you plan to use a vendor site, you may want to jot down pricing and service information for several vendors before making your final choice.

All-in-one sites, like Travelocity.com and Expedia.com, make it easy to compare hotel and airline prices. You can also often limit your search so that you don't have to wade through options that are outside your budget. Plus, since the vendors are competing for your business, there are often good deals to be found, particularly if you looking for a package deal and are flexible about the exact dates of your trip. The major drawback to using an all-in-one site is that you will only get a brief summary of the vendor, so you may not have a clear idea of what you are getting for your money. For example, you might not know from the site that the recommended airline charges extra for luggage or airport check-in. Many all-in-one sites provide customer reviews, and you should definitely check to see if the reviews are positive. One bad review isn't anything to worry about,

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