Best Travel Planning and Informational Websites

Backpack Europe on a Budget, www.backpackeurope.com. Backpacking and hostelling information, tips, and links for student and budget travelers planning a trip to Europe.

CIA World Factbook, www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook, updates its country-specific information every two weeks for the public.

CNN Travel Guide, www.cnn.com/travel. Provides travel news, destination information, as well as booking information.

Dave's Travel Corner, www.davestravelcorner.com. Hobby travel website offering free travel rich content including articles, photographs, links, classifieds, message boards and much more. International destinations and a rich supply of links make this a portal as well.

Frommers, www.frommers.com, is a huge companion site for the magazine and guidebook empire started by Arthur Frommer 45 years ago. The site contains much useful information for the budget and independent traveler - albeit with a very commercial bent.

Gadling is a blog — an online magazine — about “engaged” travel. What is engaged travel? Engaged travelers throw themselves (sometimes literally) into action when they travel. Whether sea kayaking in Micronesia or learning how to cook risotto in Italy, Gadling travelers are adventurers.

I Go U Go, www.igougo.com, offers a space for travelers to share travel journals, tips, and photos. Those who join the IgoUgo Travel Club can get some travel discounts.

The Independent Traveler is an interactive traveler's exchange and comprehensive online travel planning guide for a community of travelers who enjoy the fun of planning their own trips and the adventure of independent travel. You can access the wealth of travel resources and great bargains at www.independenttraveler.com.

For practical bargains worldwide, Johnny Jet, www.johnnyjet.com, has all the links you need to research the best deals to get where you want to go and not go broke staying there.

International Student Exchange Cards. The Student Identity Card that provides you with huge discounts around the world. Contact: info@isecard.com, www.isecard.com.

Lonely Planet with its Thorn Tree Forum, www.lonelyplanet.com, is perhaps the closest we see to a well-rounded portal, with its busy and useful message boards, and detailed country information.

National Geographic Traveler, www.nationalgeographic.com/traveler, includes quality writing and resources with all the slickness you would expect.

New York Times Travel section. Travel sections from the Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, the Seattle Times, and many other metropolitan and national newspapers have started to include far more practical travel information, along with the excellent writing you would expect.  Many articles require registration.

Outpost Magazine, www.outpostmagazine.com, is a Canadian Travel Magazine which discusses travel in the context of world culture.

Planeta, www.planeta.com, is a pioneering, award-winning ecotourism site that sponsors online forums and conferences and offers resource guides and information for responsible travelers.

Rick Steves, www.ricksteves.com . Rick Steves has been a contributing editor to Transitions Abroad for more than 20 years, and we still turn to his site for the best tried and true advice on budget travel to Europe.

Rough Guides, www.roughguides.com, is a rich a travel portal with its IgoUgo forum and travelogues, as well as excellent information on world music to boot.

Slow Travel is an online community and a resource for finding vacation rentals. They run a very active message board where members exchange information - with an emphasis on Europe, and Italy in particular.

Travel With a Challenge, www.travelwithachallenge.com. The mature traveler with a sense of adventure will love Transitions Abroad’s senior travel editor Alison Gardner’s website. It showcases selected alternative travel programs, as well as richly illustrated articles, links and news.

Travel for Kids, www.travelforkids.com. As a child who traveled through deserts, camped with Bedouins, and seemingly visited every church and museum in existence, I know that family travel may be the most enduring form of education. While my parents did their own research, these days they could have referred to Travel for Kids, for ideas that would appeal to any family touring the globe and driven by curiosity.

The Big Blue Marble, www.thebigbluemarble.com. Seminars, Travel Planning, Publications, and Useful Travel Tips for Transitions Abroad readers. Expert one-on-one advice on planning volunteer vacations, home/hospitality exchanges, and learning vacations. Publisher of the Big Blue Marble newsletter—Paul Heller's account of his experiences taking volunteer vacations, learning vacations, and other types of travel. Extensive book reviews, links, and tips of interest.

Travelers Tales, www.travelerstales.com, provides consistently humorous forms of literary travel writing on its web site, which features many fine books.

Tripbase Student Guide, www.tripbase.com/d/studentguide, is a comprehensive 35+ page resource guide to student travel for those who may be looking into taking a trip of their lifetime—which will be available for free in printed form. The guide shares stories, tips and advice for students who may be taking a gap year, volunteering in the holidays, or planning their next spring break.

The Wikipedia and Wikitravel projects, though completely separate wiki-based entities, are both ever-evolving free encylopedias featuring some excellent travel guides and information about travel destinations.

World Hum, www.worldhum.com. This highly literate travel website continues to grow, providing many enjoyable travel narratives and a long list of excellent journals and websites.

Browse through dir.yahoo.com/Recreation/Travel/News_and_Media/Magazines to reach a collection of nearly every travel magazine in existence.