Google Maps can now help you plan trips using public transportation or walking in many metro areas worldwide. You can get step by step directions as well as station schedules and information.

Can a complete Google Travel site be far behind?

Google Maps Transit

Zagat, a company best known for collecting restaurant ratings and publishing them annually is now rating both domestic and international airlines. You can vote on the airlines you’ve flown in the past year until October 19th and be entered for a chance to win a $300 Visa giftcard. Final results will be published on Zagat.com.

Zagat Airline Survey

Travel isn’t just about relaxing and vacationing. It’s also about learning, sharing and responsibility. Will and I always seek out charitable causes when we travel so we can give back to the places that give so much to us. That’s why I was thrilled to learn that Tripadvisor is planning to donate $1 million between five charities meant to promote environmental conservation and provide support to people who are less fortunate around the world. The charities are: The Nature Conservancy, Doctors Without Borders, Conservation International, The National Geographic Society and Save the Children. Tripadvisor members can log on the site to vote for their favorite between now and November 9th. The donation will be divided according to the percentage of votes received with each charity getting a minimum of $50,000.

Tripadvisor Causes

The fall is quickly approaching and it’s the perfect time to start planning a road trip to New England to see the beautiful foliage. Yankee Foliage is the ultimate resource for leaf watchers with an interactive map showing peak color times by date and a list of the most scenic drives in the area. There are also daily reports from site members on leaf changes in their hometowns and a blog offering advice on how to get the most out of your fall foliage vacation.

Have you ever wished you could see what your digital print will look like in a frame before you buy it? Realmemories allows you to do just that. Just upload your picture and you can view it in different sizes in your choice of over 50 frames. When you find the one that looks just right, you can add a matte if you like and place your order. Multi-picture frame options are also available.

From $19 Realmemories.com

Travelzoo, my favorite travel deal website of late, has a new feature called “Deals Near You”. Just click the icon on the bottom right of the homepage, enter your city and state and a map will pop up with clickable travel specials (hotels, shows, etc.) nearby. You can adjust the distance in miles that you want to search from your selected locale or change the city if you want to search for deals out of town.

Getting married can be so expensive that sometimes couples decide to skip a honeymoon. A great way for newlyweds to keep their trip without breaking the bank is to let guests help pay for it by creating a honeymoon registry. Friends and family can log on to the registry and choose vacation expenses or activities to pay for.

Here are a few websites that provide this service for a fee of 7-7 1/2% of the trip cost:

Travelersjoy.com

Sendusoff.com

Honeymoonwishes.com

Source: The Wall Street Journal

Yougetitback.com wants to help you keep track of your valuables while you travel and get them back if you lose them. Here’s how the program works:

Order tags from the website to attach to your belongings priced $9.99-$14.99 per tag depending on size and style. Each tag has a unique I.D. code printed on it which you activate on Yougetitback.com. If you misplace an item, hopefully the person who finds it will call the phone number printed on the tag. If the finder is local, you can arrange to meet them in person to recover your property or Yougetitback.com will arrange for a courier at your expense. If you’d like provide a cash reward for the find, the website will facilitate it, otherwise they will send the finder a free Yougetitback.com starter kit as thanks for their honestly and help. The site estimates that tagged items have a 75% chance of being returned if lost while untagged goods are recovered only about 5% of the time.

It’s easy to compare flight and hotel prices on a travel search engine to ensure a good rate, but what about a trip with tours and multiple destinations involved? Zicasso is a new website that will help you get the best deal no matter how complicated your itinerary is. Just fill out a trip request describing what you are looking for (flights, hotels, tours, interests, etc.) and in 2-3 business days you’ll receive quotes from up to three travel agents. There is no charge for the service and no obligation to book but if you see something you like, you can proceed with the operator of your choice.

As gas prices hit record highs, many people are wondering how they are going to afford their summer road trips. Luckily, there are plenty of websites out there to help road warriors get the most bang for their buck. Here are a few to help you plan that summer vacation:

Gaspricewatch.com - tracks prices at over 128,000 stations to help you find the best rates.

Gasbuddy.com - tracks lowest prices by city and state and provides maps.

Gasprices.mapquest.com - features a gas calculator to help you estimate the cost of a road trip.

AAA.com - gives you a customized fuel savings guide based on your zip code.

Source: The Week