Surf the superhighway across America

How to plan a trip across the nation with your finger tips by Rebecca Deuel Some want adventure. Some want romance. Some want to meet interesting people. But whatever the reason, there is little doubt that North Americans love to travel. "I think it's fulfilling their dreams," said Linda Johnson, a travel agent in Chico, Calif. Johnson owns Trips & Travel, an agency that books plane and train tickets for Chico's would-be wanderers. But what about automobiles? Perhaps more than anyone, North Americans like to drive. United States maps are crisscrossed with state routes and interstate highways, byways and the quickest paths from point A to point B. And for those who like to hit the open road, there are no travel agents to map routes and pick out attractions. Johnson said this is because when people drive, they don't want rigid plans and reservations. Paying a travel agent to book a hotel makes it hard for travelers to change their minds and be flexible. Therefore, most people tend to plan their own road trips, which once meant thumbing through travel guides and hotel directories. Now you can surf through them on the Internet instead. The Internet offers thousands of sites on travel and people can plan entire summer road trips without leaving the comfort of their desk chairs. For students with limited time and money, such resources can be especially valuable. Not sure where you're going? Where to begin? Where to end? What to do? Where to stay? There are sites for attractions, destinations, accommodations and reservations. There are sites that map every turn from address to address. There are sites where seasoned road trippers give their recommendations for the most interesting routes and attractions. Always a commercial industry, there are also travel sites for buying books, travel guides, maps and CD-ROM trip planners. No site is perfect. Some are too slow, some are inaccurate and some are confusing. But they're there for the browsing, and most are - that magic word - free.

Maps and Routes: Click here to find out the best way to get from the information superhighway to the interstate highways.   The Big Peach Butt and Other Attractions: If you like weird, you'll like this site. Click to find the most unusual places to visit while traveling the states.     Accommodations: Find out how to find an inexpensive, yet decent place to stay while traveling on a low budget.   My Online Planning Experience: Follow me on my six-day road trip to South Carolina, via the information superhighway.

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