Hotels

	Probably my favorite chain of hotels. Every interaction I have had with them has gone so far beyond my expectations that I am left shaking my head in wonderment. These guys clearly took the Tom Peter's books to heart. Great hotels, great service, and an unbelievable Frequent Guest program. Starwood hotels include Westin, Sheraton, Four Points, St. Regis, Luxury Collection, and "W" Hotels. One caveat: Four Points are budget motels which are not up to the Starwood standard.
Marriott	I used to think very highly of Marriott, but lately they've started to slide. Still, a fine chain of hotels.
Radisson	Often a good value, and quite comfortable.
InterContinental Hotels Group	Intercontinental Hotels Group hotels include Holiday Inn, Inter-continental, Crowne-Plaza and others. I love Inter-Continental, but they are awfully pricey. Holiday Inns are often good, but sometimes poorly located in noisy spots. The other properties are a mixed bunch, but can be useful.
Days Inn	On road trips I really like Days Inn. They're cheap, quick, easy, and clean. I wouldn't want to stay in one for an extended vacation, but for road-trips they are great. One caution is that they are frequently right on the highway, so they can be noisy.

Car Rental

	Domestically I rent most often from National. They pretty consistently has the lowest prices of the major car rental companies that I use. However, I generally do have to put up with some inconveniences. In the United States, every National car I have rented has had filthy windows and no window washer fluid. Many of the counter people have been unfriendly (exception: the folks at Los Angeles Airport have been great lately.) But the cars work well and are cheap, so, for a long rental I will often use National and put up with the attitude. In Italy and New Zealand, I found the National employees to be great.
	I used to rent with Hertz all the time, but now I usually go with National. Hertz's regular rates are higher than the other car rental companies, but with the "Hertz #1 Gold" club the rates are more reasonable. Mostly I have had great rental experiences with Hertz, but sometimes their rates are way out of whack with the rest of the market. I have not yet tried the NeverLost system, but I have heard rave reviews of it. Hertz in Tasmania was tops!
Avis	Avis usually tries harder, and it usually works out well. I basically find Avis and Hertz to be interchangeable. I've only recently become a "Preferred Select Renter", and haven't had the need to rent a car since then. So far even with "Preferred Select" Avis' rates still come out high. However, I have friends that swear by Avis.
Budget	I rarely end up renting from Budget, but I always check their rates.

Online Booking Agents, Consolidators, and Information Services

Don't forget that you can book your air travel, cars, and hotels through the individual web sites of those providers. Sometimes booking through those sites gets you benefits not available through the general booking sites (e.g. special internet only fares, extra mileage points, bonus upgrades). However, the booking sites often have specials too, and are certainly convenient for booking a complete itinerary.

Orbitz.com Expedia.com	Orbitz, Expedia and Travelocity are the big three online travel booking sites in the USA. Opinions vary as to which is best, I use all three.
Tom Parson's Bestfares.com	Bestfares has some exciting stuff if you are willing to subscribe. Things like "You Snooze You Loose" fares where they alert you to hidden fares and last minute internet specials. Some people find Bestfares well worth the subscription price, others find it worthless. Depends on the kind of traveling you do.
VacationSpot.com	Here's a great idea: a site that helps you find non-hotel vacation rentals. Want a ski condo at Whistler, or a week at a vacation home on Bermuda? This is the place.

Online Guidebooks

	Lonely Planet guides are probably the best guides for traveling cheap. They provide very good information on backpackers hostels, cheap hotels, and bargain eateries. They are also good at providing information on real "local flavor" places that the higher-end guides often miss. I like traveling with a Lonely Planet and a Fodor's for full coverage.
	Depending on where I am going, I like either Fodor's or Frommer's for higher-end travel info (as opposed to Lonely Planet's budget approach.) For international travel I usually prefer Fodor's. I usually find Frommer's better for the USA.
	Frommer's is usually better for the USA than Fodor's.
	Rick Steves publishes some of my favorite travel guides, in particular, Mona Winks, his guide to the major museums of Europe. Unfortunately, his selection of destinations isn't as broad as the other major publishers. For those places he does cover, his books are fun, funny, and well done. I particularly like his guided walks. Personally, I didn't like his PBS series. Oh well.
Hemisphere's magazine	Hemisphere's magazine is the in flight magazine for United Airlines and includes the excellent "Three Perfect Days" series.
	The Zagat Survery can be very good for finding restaurants in major US cities.

Miscellaneous

Centers for Disease Control Traveler's Health Info	This is really important stuff. No joke! Before you travel, find out what inoculations are recommended, learn about what diseases are breaking out where and how to protect yourself. If you are only traveling in North America and Western Europe you can skip this, but otherwise, check it out.
The Universal Currency Converter	A neat site for calculating foreign currency conversions. Recommended.
	I now do all my photography digitally and I love it. Boy do I hate developing film! If you are shopping for a digital camera, Megapixel.net is the definitive source for reviews of digital cameras. Note: don't confuse this with megapixel.com, which is something else.
Photography Review.com	Another terrific site for information on digital photography and accessories. Much like Megapixel.net, gives another perspective on the different cameras available.
Norman Koren Photography	Norman Koren is the final word on digital photography, how digital cameras work, the differences beween film and digital, and how to improve your digital photographs on your computer (in what he calls the "digital darkroom".) In addition, his photography is spectacular. Well worth a visit.
	Is it dangerous where you're going? This site covers the risks and dangers of a variety of spots around the world. Don't miss the expose on the dangers of the USA.
TopKayaker	Sit-On-Top kayaks are the most common water craft at beachside resorts around the world. Learn about this new, easy to use type of kayak at TopKayaker.com. Read articles, research kayaking destinations, books and more. Tom Holtey has written the definitive book on the new sport of open-cockpit kayaking. If you are interested in kayaking or want to take up the sport, check out this web site and his book.
FlyerTalk	How do you get the most from your frequent flyer miles? Which airlines have the best programs. What specials are currently being offered. Maximizing your frequent flyer miles can be a great way to save money, or just a fun game. Either way, this site will give you the inside edge.
MapQuest	When traveling in the USA, this site will help you find your way. Maps and directions for just about everywhere in the country.
	All kinds of information about languages with emphasis on travelers. Translations, dictionaries, tools, you name it.
YourDictionary	Super resource for online and printed language dictionaries, and resource a for acquiring foreign language fonts.
BedAndBreakfast.com	The name pretty much says it all... find bed and breakfasts throughout the world.
	Find CyberCafes all over the world where you can get online while traveling.

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