TRAVEL ABROAD

Away.com
Select your continent and country (and, if you so choose, city) and look under “Trip Ideas” for an idea of something else to do in your area. (May require registration, but no address or other private information is necessary.)

Moon Travel
Moon Travel is actually a printed travel guide series, but this website focusing on Central and South America is decently informative.

Regional Events and Festivals

Check early to see if there are any national holidays or regional festivals in your country of choice while you are abroad. Travel arrangements to reach these festivals may be difficult on short notice but with some careful planning might be quite worth it. While national tourism sites won’t necessarily offer the best travel deals or the most “insider” information, they know the real highlights of their own countries. For example,

This is the site for Japanese tourism, with an interactive map and calendar that you can use to determine when and where festivals are going to occur.

The German site lists German events based on an interactive search form.

Spain doesn’t actually list events, but you can search the duration of your stay. Don’t specify an area unless you are absolutely sure there will be events in your particular town; chances are that there will be something interesting nearby or, if not, worth a day trip.

The Mexican national tourism site links to individual regions, which list festivals and events as activities.

Many countries are members of the Association of

National Tourist Office Representatives, so if you’re having trouble finding your country’s page, check here.

“The Official Travel Guide”

Links to official tourism pages for either countries or cities, which usually offer comprehensive calendars of local events, cultural sites, and other amenities. The “Official Travel Guide” is by no means complete, but its strong points (“Search your destination” and “Experiences and activities”) are decently useful.

International Student Travel Confederation destinations page

Yet another decent source of destination ideas—though you can never beat the accuracy of a city or regional tourism page, here you can get a broader view of events.

Lonely Planet

While mostly a preview of the printed travel guide series, the Lonely Planet website also offers "bluelists," where travelers add their travel experiences to best and worst lists—popular lists include “Things That Get ‘Lost’ in Japan,” “Celebrity Spotting on the Road,” and  “Unconventional Safety Tips.” A book of the best Bluelists is also available.

Transitions Abroad

Includes information about traveling, working, and studying abroad, including a section on farm work. Full of advice and links to opportunities.

New York Times Travel articles

Free archived articles from the New York Times Travel section about almost all world destinations. While they may or may not offer new or unknown travel sites, many try to create “new takes” on old places. More popular country pages will have information about exchange rates and weather. All are worth a skim.

International Traveler

Compare and contrast the “tried and true” with the new: for example, the French Riviera versus Croatia’s Dalmatian Coast. Some alternative travel plans.

“Europe Off The Beaten Path”
Not all of these sites are precisely “off the beaten path,” but geographia.com offers some compelling reasons to visit them anyway. Check the left sidebar for links to the official tourism boards of European countries or look at the links at the bottom of the page for general information about various countries.

“Where to Hang Your Hat; Castles, Jails and Other Offbeat Sleeps”
Looking for someplace new to spend the night? Scroll to the bottom of the page for links to the actual bizarre “hotels.”

Iglu-Dorf
Stay in an igloo in Switzerland! Iglu-Dorf offers luxury stays and the opportunity to build your own igloo if you so choose. Jobs are also available (obviously, winter only).

By Scooter.com
How to travel by scooter through Europe.

Estancia Ranquilco

For $17.50 a day, you can volunteer on a farm run by American ex-patriots in Argentina committed to communing with nature. United States Antarctic Program (USAP)

If you're interested in going to/working in Antarctica, chances are you'll be a part of the US Antarctic Program (USAP).

Raytheon is the company that employs most people in Antarctica. Check their website for job opportunities; understand that if you are not a scientist you will probably be working in food service or maintenance.

Finally, be sure to read about the reality of job hunting in Antarctica.

U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs

There are few things more official than the state department website, which highlights necessary information for international travelers (like passport rules) and often addresses current travel concerns. Check this page for updated travel requirements and a reminder about absentee voting! Make sure to read about medical care for Americans overseas.

Stanford Overseas Studies Health & Safety Info

CDC Traveler’s Health page

Here you can read about health risks and precautions for travelers visiting almost any part of the world, authored by United States’ very own Department of Health and Human Services.

Hostels.com and HostelWorld!

Hostels are a cost-effective travel housing option, and often will provide access to youth services, public transportation discounts, and a variety of other benefits. Some countries have their own hostel communities offering discounts on hostel stays for students registered within that particular system. Age limits may apply to pricing, etc, with hostels and ID cards.
eg: Scottish Youth Hostels

Car and mobile phone rental

Currency converter
How much is your $20 worth in Mexico?