Video site might inspire your next trip
Anyone looking for inspiration or ideas on where to travel next might want to log on to www.travercial.com, which hosts hundreds of travel-related videos, some shot by tourism offices, others by normal travelers.
Look first at the Editor's Weekly Pick, such as the one I saw recently, Botswana Safari. Everything about this two-and-a-half-minute video was thrilling: the singing by Botswana locals that forms the soundtrack, the rolling scenes from a canoe as it makes its way through the Okavango Delta, footage of lions rubbing heads, hippos spraying water as they display their huge teeth and elephants staring straight at you.
Click on Imagine This on the menu bar and a list of world regions, then countries, will come up. Select the area you're interested in and a list of videos will be displayed.
To see the best videos, check out the Editor's Weekly Pick or view the first video listed for each country.
The best site for information on hotel booking continues to be the travel search engine Kayak.com, www.kayak.com. It covers more than 160,000 hotels all over the world, some of which are referred by ordinary travelers. Sort listings by location, and get a bird's-eye view by looking at the Google maps function, then view photos.
Kayak.com also covers flights, car rental and cruises. While checking for a good rate on a flight, you can review data from 100 airline booking sites. Kayak.com works by allowing you to enter when and where you want to go, then it will bring up the best options with the lowest rates.
If you want to book reservations, click on the links provided and you will be taken right to the preferred vendor. Kayak.com does not make reservations.
Do you live to eat? Do you travel to eat, too? Then you need to bookmark www.chowhound.com which offers insider tips on where and what to eat all over the world.
There are comments by experts, videos of food-related skills and blogs such as Tasting Notes. The site also offers recipes, a Browse Boards section (a collection of bulletin boards on food-related topics), and stories about food and sometimes travel. Recently, there was a list of the top 10 chocolate desserts found anywhere.
In print
"100 Best Ranch Vacations North America," 2nd Edition, subtitled "The Top Guest and Resort Ranches With Activities for All Ages," by Gavin Ehringer is published by Globe Pequot at $17.95. It includes all you need to know to choose the right ranch vacation for your family, whether you prefer fly fishing, riding, barn dancing, sing-alongs, river rafting, campfires, wilderness outings, cattle roping or round-ups.
It's especially helpful in telling which places would be best for certain ages of children, so you'll know there will be a good fit for the whole family. There are clear photos of each ranch, and notes on what to do nearby as well as details such as minimum-stay requirements and which airport to fly into.