TRAVELING THE WEB

Travellady Magazine ^TM

TRAVELING THE WEB

Where to go before you go away

By Eye Lipson

There's nothing like the thrill of setting off on a great trip. But before I jump on a plane or hop in my car, I always travel the web first.

Just about everyone knows there are websites about attractions in Boston or Bolivia, and sites to help you snag a good airfare, but many travelers miss their connection to a wealth of useful free services just a few keystrokes away.

Planning a driving trip? Speed over to MapQuest and simply print out easy-to-follow directions and maps for your whole trip. And watch out for those speed traps! You'll find out exactly where they are at The Speedtrap Registry.

Got a connecting flight? You'll navigate through US airports a lot faster with airport maps from The Trip. The Trip website also has a great flight tracker that will actually show where a given airplane is at that very moment. And you can arrange to have someone automatically e-mailed when your flight lands.

When it comes to packing, no one can tell you whether to take the brown jacket or blue sweater, but you'll have better idea of what to pop in your suitcase when you check out the CNN Weather Guide and click on their four-day forecasts for 7200 cities worldwide. I also like The Weather Channel for local color weather radar and ski reports. There's even a handy conversion tool so you'll know that a prediction for 30 degrees Celsius means you should pack shorts, not a winter coat.

And if you're heading overseas, you'll discover how many pounds, drachma, or francs you'll get for your dollar when you click on the Oanda Currency Converter. It also allows you to find out exchange rates from the past so you can know how many Pesos you got to the dollar on your last trip.

It's easy to find nearby cash machines in any country. You just need to know where to click. For MasterCard/Cirrus machines, head to The MasterCard/Cirrus ATM Locator, and for Visa/Plus locations, visit The Visa ATM Loactor for a worldwide guide.

Need to know the time in Tunisia or any other city on Earth? You'll never wake someone up in the middle of the night by mistake when you get the current time from The World Clock.

And if you'd like to learn a few phrases in French, or find out how to buy a beer in Brazil, click over to Foreign Languages For Travelers. You'll discover over 60 languages available, and you can even hear the words being pronounced. For example, click here to say "hello" in Japanese.

For your safety, the U.S. State Department posts warnings on dangerous spots overseas. You can avoid trouble by looking at their Bureau of Consular Affairs Page before your trip. They give passport & visa requirements in addition to security and crime information. I picked up some good tips on avoiding pickpockets on Paris.

Will you need shots for Sri Lanka or pills for Pretoria? To stay healthy on your trip, click on the Center of Disease Control and Prevention's Travel Guide. You'll find important information on vaccinations plus precautions for overseas travel.

If you're planning to plug in a hair dryer, battery charger, or other electrical appliance, know before you go. Plug into The Voltage Valet and see what adapter plugs or converters you'll need. They also tell you what telephone connectors you'll require for your laptop computer modem.

Want to get e-mail on your trip without hauling along a computer? Log on to The Internet Cafés Guide to find thousands of cyberspots in over 110 countries. You can relax with cup of coffee and stay connected even when you're thousands of miles away from home.

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