Sometimes seaching for something on the internet can seem like Mission Impossible. The sites below are great resources for getting accurate and up-to-date answers to your travel questions.

U.S. GOVERNMENT

• National Weather Service - Local U.S. weather forecasts by city & state

• National Center for Infectious Diseases - General health information for travelers and specific destinations

• Bureau of U.S. Customs and Border Protection - The site publishes a “Know Before You Go” fact sheet with details about items that can and can’t be taken into the country and the rules on duty fees. Also offers info on border wait times

• Federal Aviation Administration -Airport status and flight delay info. Onboard safety instructions regulations and tips for more comfortable travel. 

• Transportation Safety Administration - Information on general airport security information, including carry-on restrictions, security check point and passenger screening procedures. Want to know how to get through the line faster? Check here for tips and recommendations

AIRLINE TRAVEL: 

• Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) -  Lists prohibited and permitted luggage items, average wait times at airport security checkpoints and claim forms for luggage lost or damaged during the security screening process.
• Federal Aviation Administration - The site contains airline safety records, tips on flying with children and pets, and passenger complaint forms regarding safety, service and security issues.

AIRLINE SEATING:

• SeatGuru.com - Information on airline seats and in-flight amenities featuring the best seat, legroom, and recline information.
• SeatExpert.com - provides detailed airplane seat maps and seating advice.

ATM LOCATORS:

• VISA Global ATM Locator -  The Visa site allows searches for ATMs by city or Zip code across the globe. The advanced-search feature also displays locations on maps and includes info on 24-hour and disabled-accessible ATMs.
• MasterCard ATM Locator - MasterCard’s site can locate more than 900,000 ATMs in 120 countries and includes such details as drive-through locations. Both sites offer airport-specific searches.

CURRENCY CONVERTERS:

• XE.com - Independently ranked as the world's favorite free Internet currency tools and services.
• Oanda.com - Offers similar info to XE.com, plus a printable currency cheat sheet.

• Flightarrivals.com - Search for Real-time flight information (arrivals, departures, delays) for commercial airlines
• Fly FAA - For a color-coded map of U.S. airport flight delays

• Webflyer.com - The leading source about the best travel deals on the web and managing reward miles.
• Flyertalk.com - to chat with others about the world of frequent flyer miles
• Insideflyer.com - A magazine devoted to frequent travelers, offering news about business travel and airline, hotel, car rental and affinity credit card programs.
• Frequentflyer.com - helps frequent flyers earn more miles and travel awards through frequent flyer program participation

HEALTH AND SAFETY:

• U.S. State Department  - publishes consular info sheets and travel warnings on every country, with details about crime, terrorism and traffic safety.
• World Travel Watch - Travel warnings and safety notices for international and US travelers since 1985.
• Center For Disease Control -  For health-related info on vaccines, health threats, etc.

• Map Quest -  Use MapQuest for driving directions and maps. See local traffic and road conditions, find nearby businesses and restaurants, plus explore street maps.
• For 43 European countries, Michelin.com is a good choice for directions.

ROAD TRIPS

• Road Trip America - features including a forum, a list of scenic drives, a mobile Internet connection listing, and a gallery of unusual road signs
• FreeTrip.com -  Avoid tolls  and create GREAT road trips throughout the USA and Canada! This easy-to-use trip and tour planner produces PERSONALIZED itineraries.

SCAMS:

• Better Business Bureau - The BBB’s site can be searched by company name, phone number or Web address to find out whether a travel operator has a good or bad rating.
• The American Society of Travel Agents and the U.S. Tour Operators Association - two trade groups that monitor its members for good behavior.

TRAVEL DOCUMENTS:

• U.S. State Department - The site explains how to obtain, replace or change a passport. User can download applications and forms. It also details how much passports cost and how long they take to get. For visitors traveling abroad, the site contains foreign entry requirements, such as whether a visa is required.

TIME AND DATE:

• Timeanddate.com - includes lots of information that is time and date related (for hundreds of cities worldwide) such as yearly and monthly calendars, countdown counters and the world clock.

WEATHER:

• Weather.com -  You can search for weather by zip code or city. Contains detailed hurricane info, and travel. Also covers historical averages and records for U.S. and international cities.
• Also try Accuweather.com and the National Weather Service.