511 Destinations
“Travel guides for major tourist destinations are a dime a dozen on the Internet. We focus on the not-so-major destinations… the true undiscovered gems!” says the new website, 511Destinations.com.
511destinations.com is a different kind of travel guide. While most vacation guides on the Internet concentrate on the major tourist destinations, this new website presents smaller market and off the beaten path destinations… with a twist.
Rather than being bombarded with local information to sift thru, each 511destination is a snapshot. Where to stay, eat, go and how to get around are the basics, presented in a clean, well designed layout with eye-catching graphics and great functionality.
What’s more, users are encouraged to build their own destination guide simply by submitting a brief overview. Right now, there are no limits. You can be a proud resident that wants to tell the world about your town, a traveler that’s itching to share a destination they’ve discovered, or a business looking to promote themselves via a little local information.
It’s a great little website loaded with information that you often just can’t find anywhere else. 511destinations.com is also built to accommodate viewing on smartphones and mobile devices!
Read MoreNorth American RoadGuides
North American RoadGuides is an Interstate Highway travelers portal. It’s primary focus is offering visitors the opportunity to discover a family of web sites… each devoted to a particular Interstate highway. Serveral of the country’s most popular highways are included, with several more in the works.
Additionally, RoadGuides offers road warriors travel tools to help in planning that next cross country trip. Clean design, user-friendly navigation and above all, helpful information, make this site shine.
Visit North American RoadGuides.com
Read MoreA2Z Traveler
A2Z Traveler bills itself as “The Ultimate Travel-Only Search Engine and Directory” and they are well on their way to becoming that. When we visited, they had accumulated “more than 65,000 of the very best travel websites from around the world.” in their directory, which is supplemented with results from the DMOZ project.
Searching for travel-related goods and services has become one of the principal uses of the Internet and, considering that volume, it’s logical that travel-only search engines and directories would serve that market. A2Z Traveler does that very well.
The website design is top rate and uses pastel colors give you that informal, travel and vacation feel. While the navigation system is quite detailed, it manages to remain simple and intuitive. Graphics are well incorporated and only used to enhance navigation, not overpower it.
While the directory and search features are the principal components of this website, it successfully supplements them with targeted topics of specialty travel and/or seasonal links. “Shortcuts” to air travel, cruising, destinations and highway travel are just a few. When we visited the site in February, their “Trip Planning Toolbox” offered Top 10 links to Ski Resorts and Cruise Destinations. Season specific travel content is an excellent feature.
While this website is ad-supported, advertising is minimal and the majority of ads are related to travel.
A2Z Traveler earned 5 stars. It’s well designed, content rich and a great resource for travelers.
Visit A2Ztraveler.com
Read MoreEast Coast Theme Park Guide
This theme park guide is actually a feature of the I-95 Exit Information Guide web site, but can stand alone on it’s own merit. The guide contains detailed descriptions of most of the theme parks located in the eastern United States… from the megaparks like Disney and Six Flags, but also some of the lesser known but equally enjoyable ones, like Canobie Lake Park in Salem, New Hampshire.
Park details include photos, maps and directions as well as links to their official web sites. Additionally, you’ll find links to area lodging… and extremely reasonable rates. The guide format also encourages visitor comments. Very nice layout and easy to navigate blog-type format.
Visit East Coast Theme Park Guide
Read MoreRVBuddy
If you one of the millions of campers out there, you’ll appreciate this fairly new website. RVBuddy was introduced about a year ago and is already one of the most popular camping and RV related websites on the Internet. The site is well designed, easy to navigate and offers some great content.
There are two main functional areas of RVBuddy… Campground Reviews and the Camping/RV Directory. The Campground Review feature is great. Most of the reviews have photos and give you an excellent overview of the campground. Good or bad, you get a campers opinion of the property, cleanliness of the facilities and attitude of the staff. Thumbnail sized US location maps add a nice touch.
The Camping/RV Directory is substantial and includes links to everything camping, from campgrounds to dealers, manufacturers and services. Listings also include website ratings that reflect the sites content, usability, navigation and design.
There is a handy Wi-Fi search feature on the homepage that will locate wireless Internet access sites throughout the country. You can search by location (campground, hotel, rest area, etc..), by state and by fee (free or fee). We tried a few test searches and the results were accurate and very helpful.
While this website is ad-supported, advertising is minimal and all ads are related to camping, RV and outdoor recreation.
RVBuddy is smartly designed using greens and browns that reflect the mood of camping and the outdoors. Navigation is simple and easy to understand. Content is substantial and personalized… which makes this site stand out. It’s a great site and gets better with every new review.
Visit RVBuddy.com
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