What websites do you use in order to book your travel plans? Smart travelers will shop around online to try to get the best rates for their trips, of course. However, you usually end up finding one or two travel booking sites that you like best. You then use those sites as your go-to sites when doing travel planning.

What you’ve likely noticed recently (or at least what I’ve noticed) is that these travel booking websites are changing. Some of them are starting to aggregate information from more locations. Others are providing more information and options than in the past. Still others are offering new user interface options.

I spend a lot of time planning imaginary trips using travel booking websites. What can I say – I enjoy the planning as much as the trips themselves sometimes! What I’ve found to be the best features of today’s most up-to-date travel booking sites are:

1. Great mobile version of the site. These days you want to be able to access, review and update your travel plans from your mobile phone. The best travel booking sites have great websites that are also good in their mobile versions. The inclusion of free helpful travel apps is an extra plus.
2. Total pricing information. One of the most important things for me is that the website have true and accurate pricing information. I want to get the best price for my trips. This includes knowing about baggage fees, taxes and any other extras that I may be charged. Sites that don’t provide this complete information just aren’t up to par these days.
3. Based on search engines. There are two types of travel booking sites today. First are those that are more like travel agencies that aggregate information from a select set of service providers and book the trip for you. Then there are those that function more like search engines to find the best current deals for you from around the web and allow you to then book the flight yourself. I tend to prefer the sites that are based on search engines. They usually provide more information and lower rates.
4. Excellent filtering options. I want to be able to choose the exact type of travel that I’m looking for and get only information that suits my needs. The best travel booking sites have great options for filtering out everything from too-early flights to flights that won’t take my credit card rewards miles.
5. Images, videos, tips and reviews. Today’s travel booking websites provide a lot of information for the traveler who wants to make a smart choice. I want to be able to see pictures of budget hotels, read reviews about the experiences people have had on different airlines and pick up some tips for my type of travel.

What do you look for in a good travel booking website?

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I haven’t yet made my travel plans but I’ve got a solid To Do list going about what I need to do to make it to Houston this year and enjoy the trip. The list includes:

• Figure out if we should drive or fly. I think that we’re probably going to do this trip in the early fall and it will be a short trip if we do. In that case, we are most likely going to fly there. However, since the whole family is going, it is probably more cost-effective to drive so I still have to look at the options more closely.
• See if my husband really wants to go. I say that the whole family is going but the truth is that I only know for sure that I’m going with the kids. My husband might want to skip this trip. One of the ways that we save money on family trips is by having just one adult go with the kids to avoid the price of a second adult admission everywhere we visit.
• Look for a cheap hotel. It looks like there are some good discount hotels in Houston so this shouldn’t be a problem.
• Make an itinerary. I don’t want to have a full itinerary of what we’ll be doing every minute of the day, of course. However, I do want to make sure I make some plans in advance so that I know what to budget for the trip. We’re going to have to re-work some of other travel plans this year to fit in this not-really-planned trip so I need to make sure that we’re really organized about the whole thing.
• Ask my online friend from Houston if there’s anything else I should know! I’ll keep you updated about what she has to say. In the meantime, if you have any suggestions for a first time cheap family trip to Houston, I’d love to hear them.

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It’s time to get ready for summer travel. The following checklist is something that I keep on hand to make sure that I pack all of the summer extras that we need when we are traveling as a family at this time of year. At this time each year, I head out to the store and stock up on all of these items so that they’re ready to go when we are.

1. Sunscreen. Of course you should wear this all throughout the year but it’s especially important for summer travel. Waterproof sunscreen is what we get.
2. Water shoes and/or flip flops. These summer shoes are a must-have during vacations at this time of year.
3. Hiking shoes. More than any other time of year, we do hiking during our summer vacations. Flip flops won’t work for those treks!
4. Sunglasses. Everyone in the family gets their own pair although the kids just get cheap ones since they tend to lose them often!
5. Swimsuits. The kids outgrow these every year so it’s time to go get the ones that we need for this season. We’ll need them even if we don’t travel but they’re a must-pack item for summer trips!
6. Light jackets and sweaters. This is one that I used to always forget because it’s tough to remember to pack them during warm weather. Sometimes you need them, though.
7. Bug spray. The kids would go crazy without it!
8. Coupons. Summer is a great time to get good deals on hotels, attractions and other travel experiences. If you use printed coupons for these then be sure that you’ve printed and packed them in advance.
9. Trashy novels and magazines. That one is just for me but it’s a must-have for summer travels which are designed to be lighthearted and non-intellectual. I save the novels and psychology books for winter vacations.
10. Batteries. This is a year-round must-pack item for all of the mp3 players, handheld video games and other gadgets that we take on road trips and long flights.

Is anything missing from my list?

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One of my kids has gotten really interested in ghost towns lately. I’m not sure where the fascination has come from but I think it would be a fun thing to encourage. I’m not quite sure where we will travel to so that we can visit a ghost town. I do think it’s going to happen sooner rather than later though.

In doing some research, I’ve found about seven different ghost towns that sound like they might be worth visiting.

1. Bodie, CA. This is probably my number one choice. It’s a State Historic Park. Apparently it’s well-preserved and easy to visit.
2. Tombstone, AZ. Tombstone is the epitome of an Old West town from what I remember. It was a long time ago that I was there but I think it would be fun for the kids.
3. Goldfield, AZ. I don’t know anything about this ghost town yet but it’s advertised online. It looks like it could be interesting.
4. Calico, CA. You always think of ghost towns in California as being abandoned after the gold rush. However, this was a silver town that was abandoned when the gold rush came along. That seems like an interesting part of history to learn more about with the kids.
5. Silver City, ID. This sounds like it’s one of the better-kept secrets of its region and perhaps one worth seeing up close.
6. South Park City, CO. Colorado is a beautiful state and one I always want an excuse to visit. This is a living ghost town where actors teach the family about the olden days.
7. Wild West Theme Park, NC. Okay, so this isn’t really a ghost town. It’s a theme park designed to evoke the Old West. But I still think it would be kind of a fun place to visit while the kids are interested in ghost towns.

Do you know anything about these ghost towns? I’d love some tips about which ones are worth taking the kids to see.

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Will this help our economy?

The numbers seem to indicate that this new travel plan is going to help the United States economy. There is a good argument to be made for promoting tourism. With so many places to choose from, international travelers have to be encouraged to choose to visit America. It wasn’t always this way. In the past, we didn’t have to advertise what a great place it was to visit. However, since 9/11, tourism has decreased. We have to remind the world that they still want to travel here.

Of course, the Act alone isn’t going to change the tourist economy. It will be up to the advertisers to do a good job of letting people know why America is a great place to visit. Additionally, everyone in the travel sector will need to do their part to make sure that tourists have a good time while they are here. Offering hotel specials, providing great service at attractions and making foreigners feel welcome are all things that can really make this effort work.

America is a great country. We should share it openly with other people. After all, we want to be welcomed in to their countries in order to see new things and experiences new cultures. It’s only fair that we encourage them to do the same!

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I just recently came across a really interesting article about how much different travel is now that we have smartphones. Some of the points made in the article about what people do differently now that they have these gadgets include:

• No more paper tickets. These days, people get their flight confirmation emailed to them. They can access this email from their smartphones. In fact, in many places, you can use a barcode on the email to check in to your flight and pass through security so that you don’t need to print anything else out at all.
• Stay up to date on flight delays and changes. You can use the mobile web to check in on this information. You can also sometimes have airlines send those changes to you via text message.
• No more carrying maps around with you at your new destination. Why carry around a map when your phone’s GPS will provide turn-by-turn directions for you?
• Stop asking for recommendations. You no longer have to ask locals for recommendations on the best restaurants or stores to shop in. Just sign on to your phone and check the reviews on sites like Yelp.

I can definitely see how some of these things are really good changes for travelers. I think GPS is a great feature especially for families that are trying to get around with impatient kids. However, I don’t think that we should go overboard with stuff like this. I’d still rather get recommendations about local places from the people who I run into on my travels. And I’d prefer to do my research into hotel deals before I go on a trip rather than relying on location-based deals to pop up on my phone. I think it’s just a matter of balance.

Do you use phone apps or the mobile web to assist you in your travel? Have your travel experiences changed a lot in recent years as a result?

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I would love to say that I’m going on a great vacation right now. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. I have some neat family trips planned for later in the year but this is one of those lulls during which I’m not getting the opportunity to travel much. Even when you are great at traveling in a low-budget way, you can’t afford to travel all of the time!

Whenever I get antsy about the fact that I’m not traveling in the present, I devote myself to past and future travels. This gives me a chance to re-live some of the travel that I’ve enjoyed before and to get excited about some of the travel that I’ll be doing in the future. That’s what is great about travel; it really transcends time!

To bring the travel from the past into the present, I usually engage in travel-related projects. Scrapbooks are a favorite activity of mine. I’ll pull out the pictures from recent trips and add them to new family scrapbooks. Alternatively I might make a scrapbook for someone else using photos from our travels together over the years. Of course, I can always just look through old photo albums to reminisce about past travels. This gives me something to do in the present that brings back a little of those wonderful feelings experienced on a great trip.

Then there is the future. Planning out trips is always a lot of fun for me. Ideally I’ll plan trips that are coming up in the near future. However, I’ve also been known to plan elaborate trips that I probably won’t ever even take. Looking up where I’d go and what I’d do in an exotic destination is almost like a little vacation for me. It’s planning for the future – even if it’s the make-believe future – and it makes the present that much sweeter.

What do you do to feel like you’re on vacation in the present even when you can’t travel?

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There are a lot of cool things that you can get on Etsy for traveling. Here are ten that caught my interest.

1. Vintage Luggage. You say it’s old and banged up. I say it’s beautiful. We don’t have to agree but I’d love to win you over to my side of the argument. What do you think?

2. Binoculars. I’m not a bird watcher but these goggles make me want to become one on my next vacation!

3. Handmade Eye Pillows. These are perfect for making sure that you get enough rest during your trip. Use them in the car, on the plane or just in your hotel room.

4. Vintage Pajamas, Nighties and Bloomers. I would love to say that I wear things like this all of the time to sleep but of course that would be a lie. I’m more of a sweatpants kind of mom. Still, I would like to own a few of these fun pieces on vacations when I get away from my own life for a little bit!

5. Urban Toolbelt. Okay, so I’m probably giving up any cool points that I’ve earned since this item is sneakingly similar to the fanny pack but it’s so practical for travel and I think it’s cute!

6. Handmade Coffee Cuff. At home I usually drink coffee from my own pot. If I do go to a coffee shop, I take my trusty refillable mug with me. However, on vacation, I’m known to frequent coffee shops and to get their disposable cups. I don’t want to drag my mug along with but I could be at least a little bit green by bringing my own traveling coffee cuff.

7. Handmade Coin Purse. Who doesn’t need a coin purse when they travel? You just don’t know when you’ll need change for a meter or a bus or something else in your destination city. Why not have a cute one that’s practical too?

8. Traveling Notepad. I would love a little pocketed notepad that could hold stationery, stamps, passports, pens and a puzzle book. That’s about all I need for myself when I’m traveling!

9. Children’s Backpacks. I may not need much on a trip but the kids end up needing tons of snacks and whatnot. I like to have them each carry their own little bag of what they need. Handmade backpacks would be a cute new way to do this.

10. Multi-purpose Shoe Bags. These can hold shoes at home but I can also see them holding toothpaste and things like that when we travel. And they’re so cute!

Do you shop on Etsy?

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One of the New Years goals I have for 2010 is to try to take my family out of the country this year. I would really love to go to Buenos Aires but I just don’t know if it’s going to be financially feasible. Right now what I’m working on doing is learning everything that I can about how to make international travel affordable for us.

The main thing that I’m learning about right now is how to save money on hotels. When I first started looking at traveling to Buenos Aires I was trying to find economy hotels that would be affordable for my family. However I couldn’t seem to find anything that I was happy about.

I was complaining about this to a friend who reminded me about the possibility of doing a home stay in Buenos Aires. This is where you actually stay in the home of someone who is a resident of the city. They may rent the home to you at a really low cost or they may even rent the room to you for free depending on the way that you set up the home stay.

To get a free stay in Buenos Aires I would probably need to actually pay to join a site that is designed to connect people who are interested in traveling this way. Since I don’t plan to use this method of travel often, I don’t think that it would be worth the cost to travel this way. Instead, I think I will look at using free sites to set up an affordable home stay.

There are two choices with home stays: staying with the resident or staying in their home when they are not there. I think it would be best to stay with the resident because then he or she could provide us with additional information about how to make our trip more affordable while we are there. Plus this would allow us better insight into the culture of the area.

Has anyone else tried home stays in the past? Do you have any tips on how to use them effectively in order to save money? Are there any safety issues that I should be concerned about when traveling with my family this way?

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One of the things that I always do at the end of the year is to figure out what I didn’t get done that year. I decide if I still want to get it done in the year to come or if I am ready to let it go. This is a month-long process that relates to all sorts of different goals and areas of my life.

One of the areas of my life that I look at, of course, is travel. I always have some travel goals in mind at the beginning of the year. I have been busy figuring out what I want my 2010 travel to-do list to look like. Here’s what’s on the list so far:

• Take my kids out of the country. They still haven’t traveled out of the country and I think it’s about time that they did. I’m going to start looking at inexpensive flights and hotel deals for various international destinations so that we can take a trip together somewhere this year. My dream destination for the family is Buenos Aires but we’ll see what happens.
• Go meet a new friend somewhere new. I have made a lot of online friends this year. I’d like to go visit one this year. I’d prefer to go to a place that I’ve never been before.
• Do more “traveling” in my own town. I think it’s important for people to realize that they don’t have to travel somewhere else to visit historic landmarks and interesting attractions. I want to do more of this in-city and in-state travel this year.
• Re-assess my travel budget. I think that we’ve got a good travel budget for 2010 but my husband and I need to sit down and discuss it to make sure that we’re on the same page. I think it’s good to do this at least once per year.
• Learn more about budget travel to share on this blog. This blog has become really important to me in the past month or so. I’m going to really commit to making travel writing a bigger part of my life and sharing it here on this blog.

Do you have 2010 budget travel goals?

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