Site lists privately owned vacation lodgings
If you are thinking of booking a privately owned cabin, cottage, condo or beach retreat for vacation, try Pick Pack Go, www.pickpackgo.com, an easy-to-use booking site for vacation lodgings offered by owners.
Move your cursor over the map on the home page and click on a state, then on a city in the list that appears. Enter how many bedrooms and bathrooms you need, then pick what amenities are important to you: close beach access, big-screen TV, etc.
Photos of properties give you a good idea of the ambience, and a map shows what part of town it is in, but rates are not listed. You need to make out an e-mail inquiry form for a specific property to see the rates, filling out your information and dates and submitting it first before you have any idea of the cost. Later, after you are e-mailed the rate, there is a section for how to compute the final cost, including rental rate, cleaning fees, taxes and other fees.
Pick Pack Go is particularly helpful for places for which you have no contacts or referrals from friends or former travelers.
www.VacatioonsToGo.com has a 90-Day Ticker for booking bargain, last-minute cruises. There is also a Find a Bargain button, where you can enter destination, type of cruise, cruise line, ship and your preferred dates to see if a great rate comes up.
On the home page, you can also browse cruises by special category, such as 55+ rates, grand voyages, group cruises, inaugural cruises, military rates, past guest rates, single discounts, teachers' rates, theme cruises and special needs.
There is also a lot of good general information about cruising, including specific rules for age limits of those in a cabin (some lines require everyone be 18 or older, or older than 21 if younger people are staying in the cabin).
Other useful sections include one for first-time cruisers, tips on cruise insurance, deck plans for various ships, dress codes, family cruises and a section for signing up for a free cruise newsletter.
In print
"Rick Steves' Europe Through the Back Door 2008: The Travel Skills Handbook," published by Avalon at $21.95, is packed with more than 650 pages of tips, charming locations, warnings, wise advice, tricks for travelers, notes of what not to miss and hundreds of other facts and opinions that make this book a must for planning a memorable trip to Europe. With the Euro so high against the dollar, the budget tips are particularly helpful, especially the part on how to stick to the budget once you make it. He also covers smart packing, personal safety, when to visit sites so there are fewer tourists, social etiquette in various countries and skipping tourist traps.
"Rick Steves' Europe Map," published by Avalon at $5.95, is a good companion to this book, as it features the locations recommended by the book in stand-out print. The map is a critical tool in planning your trip, and is printed on durable paper that will last several trips.