Now that we have stored securely Halloween until next year, it’s time to turn our attention to the rest of the year celebration. Before we can say “Happy Holidays,” they’ll be here, bringing with them a break from the routine of school. Does your family can take advantage of this time off with the winter holidays?

Here are a few free web sites to help in the planning stage and managed by the best travel experts on this planet: travelers of every description, like you and me. Check these out:

n www.tripadvisor.com: I must admit – Trip Advisor is one of my first stop before traveling to a destination I’ve never been to before, or when I need new ideas for a purpose I have been to often. Not only can you get advice on where to travel for various purposes (including family-friendly), but you’ll get a personalized (e-mail to you) respond to your posts from experts on your goals – ordinary people who live there or who know it like the back of their hands. To get to the forums, enter “forum” into the search box on the home page, and follow the links to your destination.

n http://www.ricksteves.com/graffiti/helpline: As seen and heard on PBS, Steves’ expertise unique budget trip to Europe. Wide forum site (called “Graffiti Wall”) similar to the Trip Advisor ‘with a focus on Europe. I found that the “experts” really care about your experience: when I went to Rome, one of the “experts” in our forums really gave his cell number in the event we got lost – easy to do in Rome!
n http://familyfun.go.com/winter/winter-family-

vacations: Find offbeat for the family? Family Fun magazine online site may be just the perfect destination. This includes some places the best tobogganing (including evening entertainment!) In the country and train journey from Washington, DC

n http://boards.

independenttraveler.com: Scroll to the message and choose any board that interests you. I like the “Trip Reports” in which tourists who had just returned from a variety of purposes shared their experiences – good and bad. This is a great way to look at your potential destination through the eyes of someone who had just been there.

n Do a search online for “home exchange”: Many websites will allow you to connect with a community of people who are interested in exchanging homes for a more intimate (and cheaper) versus staying in a vacation experience of a commercial hotel. See whether this idea will work for your family by looking at each site until you find a match.